Read Online Survivalist - 22 - Brutal Conquest by Jerry Ahern - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jerry Ahern
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was still sobbing. She had called him a murderer.
If he lived to be a thousand years old, John Rourke would never understand why or how a woman could love someone who treated her with such obvious contempt. And, apparendy, Mary Ann had loved her “old man” very much.
When the three of them entered the stable, they found a dozen horses and an equal number of crude saddles and attendant tack.
Natalia suggested, “Why don’t we do as planned, John? One of us goes for help, while the other takes the rest of the horses back for Annie and Paul?”
John Rourke nodded. “There aren’t enough horses anyway, so the loss of one more won’t matter. You link up with Hilda, Dan, and Margie. Take a spare animal with you just in case—”
“John, you’re better on horseback than I could ever be. And you’re going to tell me I’m lighter, so the horse won’t tire’as easily. But you’re still better, which makes your reaching help much more reliable a proposition.”
John Rourke looked at her and smiled. “If there were ever a person with the power of logical persuasion, it’s you. Fine. What do we do with Mary Ann? Can’t leave her here for those other three or whoever else is around to come back and harm her.” “I’ll take her with me.”
John Rourke nodded, starting across the stable floor and looking into each of the crudely carpentered stalls. None of the animals was outstanding, all of them seeming malnourished and mistreated. But the largest of the animals—about fifteen hands—seemed satisfactory. He was a grey, and John Rourke was partial to that color in an animal. But he looked to be the strongest of the horses as well. “I’ll take him and one other.” The grey was a gelding. “That mare,” Rourke decided, pointing to a smaller-statured bay who looked like she might be a good runner. “And I’ll take the best saddle.”
There wasn’t much to choose from in that regard, all of the saddles basically crude seats and nothing more. They were most reminiscent of poorly crafted copies of the saddles the German Long Range Mountain Patrols of a century-ago utilized, similar in design to the old United States Cavalry McClellans.
With what appeared to be the most solid of the saddles selected, John Rourke set it aside, then began saddling the other animals that Natalia would be taking back to Annie and Paul and the women. There were not enough horses for everyone to mount, but resourceful use would still be of aid to the group.
And he looked at Mary Ann, standing in the middle of the stable floor, still weeping. …
John Thomas Rourke had the stirrups lengthened as much as he could, but they still weren’t comfortable. His knees higher than he liked them, he swung his mount and looked back along the street running between the seven buildings of the unnamed town. There was not the time
to bury Mary Ann’s “old man”, or any of the others. Those of their weapons that might prove even modesdy serviceable were with Natalia and Mary Ann now, the others sufficiently dismanded as to be inoperable.
The three men who had run still worried him a litde, but there was no time to do anything about them. Holding the reins for the second animal, John Rourke dug in his heels to the grey, urging the beast ahead to the north. …
12
The injured woman on a litter between Paul and Martin Zimmer, Annie Rourke Rubenstein urged the twenty-two other women onward. “If you don’t hurry, they’ll catch up with us and some of you could be killed, and the rest of you will be returned to the Land Pirates. Hurry!” She felt like someone’s mother, warning a poorly behaving child to be good lest the bogeyman come.
One of the women called back to her, saying, “We was better off with them, the Land Pirates.”
Annie didn’t know what to say in reply.
Martin Zimmer’s balcony looked out from Eden City’s highest tower, over the city itself and the vast expanse of Georgia that lay toward the north.
The
If he lived to be a thousand years old, John Rourke would never understand why or how a woman could love someone who treated her with such obvious contempt. And, apparendy, Mary Ann had loved her “old man” very much.
When the three of them entered the stable, they found a dozen horses and an equal number of crude saddles and attendant tack.
Natalia suggested, “Why don’t we do as planned, John? One of us goes for help, while the other takes the rest of the horses back for Annie and Paul?”
John Rourke nodded. “There aren’t enough horses anyway, so the loss of one more won’t matter. You link up with Hilda, Dan, and Margie. Take a spare animal with you just in case—”
“John, you’re better on horseback than I could ever be. And you’re going to tell me I’m lighter, so the horse won’t tire’as easily. But you’re still better, which makes your reaching help much more reliable a proposition.”
John Rourke looked at her and smiled. “If there were ever a person with the power of logical persuasion, it’s you. Fine. What do we do with Mary Ann? Can’t leave her here for those other three or whoever else is around to come back and harm her.” “I’ll take her with me.”
John Rourke nodded, starting across the stable floor and looking into each of the crudely carpentered stalls. None of the animals was outstanding, all of them seeming malnourished and mistreated. But the largest of the animals—about fifteen hands—seemed satisfactory. He was a grey, and John Rourke was partial to that color in an animal. But he looked to be the strongest of the horses as well. “I’ll take him and one other.” The grey was a gelding. “That mare,” Rourke decided, pointing to a smaller-statured bay who looked like she might be a good runner. “And I’ll take the best saddle.”
There wasn’t much to choose from in that regard, all of the saddles basically crude seats and nothing more. They were most reminiscent of poorly crafted copies of the saddles the German Long Range Mountain Patrols of a century-ago utilized, similar in design to the old United States Cavalry McClellans.
With what appeared to be the most solid of the saddles selected, John Rourke set it aside, then began saddling the other animals that Natalia would be taking back to Annie and Paul and the women. There were not enough horses for everyone to mount, but resourceful use would still be of aid to the group.
And he looked at Mary Ann, standing in the middle of the stable floor, still weeping. …
John Thomas Rourke had the stirrups lengthened as much as he could, but they still weren’t comfortable. His knees higher than he liked them, he swung his mount and looked back along the street running between the seven buildings of the unnamed town. There was not the time
to bury Mary Ann’s “old man”, or any of the others. Those of their weapons that might prove even modesdy serviceable were with Natalia and Mary Ann now, the others sufficiently dismanded as to be inoperable.
The three men who had run still worried him a litde, but there was no time to do anything about them. Holding the reins for the second animal, John Rourke dug in his heels to the grey, urging the beast ahead to the north. …
12
The injured woman on a litter between Paul and Martin Zimmer, Annie Rourke Rubenstein urged the twenty-two other women onward. “If you don’t hurry, they’ll catch up with us and some of you could be killed, and the rest of you will be returned to the Land Pirates. Hurry!” She felt like someone’s mother, warning a poorly behaving child to be good lest the bogeyman come.
One of the women called back to her, saying, “We was better off with them, the Land Pirates.”
Annie didn’t know what to say in reply.
Martin Zimmer’s balcony looked out from Eden City’s highest tower, over the city itself and the vast expanse of Georgia that lay toward the north.
The
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