Read Online High Valley Manhunt: Laramie Davies #1 by B. S. Dunn - Free Book Online

parted enough for him to see five Blackfoot
warriors ease their ponies to a stop outside the cabin. All of them,
their horses included, were painted for war.
    The
cabin door opened and Laramie turned to see Lonesome disappear out it
and onto the porch. Then he realised that the old man was unarmed. He
thumbed back the hammer of his gun and waited.
    “What's
happening?” asked Sally, a slight quiver in her voice after
having seen the gunfighter cock his weapon.
    He
held up his hand to quiet her.
    With
the use of words and hand gestures, the Indians and the old Trapper
communicated for five minutes. At one stage of the conversation, one
of the Braves pointed to the cabin. With a furious head shake by
Lonesome, the Indians seemed convinced of what the mountain man told
them.
    With
the confrontation over, the warriors backed their paint daubed ponies
away from where Lonesome stood and rode off. The old man watched them
go before he turned and went back inside.
    Once
he was back indoors, Laramie eased the hammer down on his gun and
holstered it.
    “What
did they want?” asked Laramie curiously.
    “It
seems,” Lonesome started before he turned his angry gaze upon
Slate, “that someone killed their chief's brother. And his
brother's wife.”
    Laramie's
gaze shifted to Slate, “What else did they say?”
    “They
said there were six of them that done it. Killed the warrior and done
bad things to the woman. Their names were Lame Bear and Lost Dove.
The braves are on their way to join up with Black Elk,”
Lonesome paused, “Now considering the circumstances that bring
you here, I got to wonder if this feller here is involved somehow.”
    Laramie
nodded, “I'm thinkin' the same thing. How about it Slate? Were
you involved?”
    Slate's
eyes grew wide, “No, not me! I didn't do anythin' Laramie, I
swear!”
    “But
you were there,” it was a statement, not a question.
    Slate's
shoulders fell and he looked at the floor like a child being lectured
for doing something wrong.
    “Yeah,
I was there,” he conceded before he lifted his gaze to look the
gunfighter in the eye, “but I didn't do anythin' wrong”
    Laramie
shook his head sorrowfully, “Hell Slate, just bein' there was
wrong.”
    The
outlaw nodded silently.
    “So,
what happened?”
    Slate
heaved a sigh, a look of pain crossed his face as he began to relate
the events, “We came upon them when we was headin' to Four
Trails. They seemed friendly enough, a little wary, but we didn't
give 'em any cause to be scared of us. I thought we was goin' to ride
right on past 'em, but when we was level with 'em, Blackie just
pulled his gun and shot the Indian Brave point blank.”
    Slate
paused, his expression now crestfallen, “Then there was the
woman. Hell I ain't never seen anythin' like that before, what they
did to her. I close my eyes and I can still see it.”
    “Who
did it?” asked Laramie.
    “It
was Blackie and the kid, Benny,” the outlaw answered, “I
tried to stop 'em Laramie, honest I did, but Blackie told Cato to
hold a gun on me until they were finished.”
    Lonesome
snatched up his Hawken, “I oughta put a lead ball in you right
now, you blasted...”
    Sally
gasped as Slate leaped back when the old man swung the Hawken around
and pulled back the hammer.
    “Hold
it Lonesome!” Laramie cried.
    The
mountain man had moved so quickly that it surprised them all, and now
he had the rifle pointed at Slate's head with his finger curled on
the trigger, “Why in hell should I?”
    “Well,
the way I see it, he has two choices.”
    “What
choices?” Lonesome's aim never wavered.
    “We
can cut him loose right now and he can take his chances with the
Blackfeet,” Laramie explained, “or he can come back to
Mountain Pass, talk to the law there and take what they give him.”
    “Not
much of a damn choice,” Slate sneered.
    “Damn
it boy, let me shoot the varmint,” Lonesome snarled.
    The
outlaw held both hands out in front, “No, wait! Wait! I'll go
back. I'll