Read Online Texas Rifles by Elmer Kelton - Free Book Online

split away from the company and followed the route Cloud and Soto had reconnoitered. The last part of the way they made afoot, carefully working down into the brush overlooking the village. The horse herd was still where it had been, and the same two boys were watching it. But now the sun had lost some of its heat, and the boys were out in the open, sliding up and down on their gentle ponies’ backs.
    Cloud said, “We’ll wait a spell, give the others time
enough to get ready. I’d hate to ride off in there and find out I was by myself.”
    Guffey was hungrily eyeing a meat rack down in the camp. “I just hope some fool don’t ride a horse into that rack and spill all the meat.”
    Guffey had brought along a boy of seventeen or eighteen named Tommy Sides. The youngster was not old enough to have grown any whiskers of account during the days of march. He said, “Guffey, that there’s Indian meat. Flies been all over it. You mean to tell me you’d actually eat that stuff?”
    â€œBoy,” said Guffey, “if I was hungry enough, I’d eat the Indian hisself.”
    The boy swallowed, wondering whether to believe it. Cloud smiled. The kid was green, but he had nerve. He was putting up a brave front even though he was light-skinned and suffered terribly from sunburn. There were some who said this Texas sun wasn’t meant for a white man.
    Finally Cloud said, “They ought to be ready by now.” He brought up his rifle. “Guffey, let’s you and me shoot the horses out from under them two boys yonder. Ain’t no sense in hurtin’ the boys. Then we’ll run the horses down the creek, away from camp and out of the hands of any bucks that might get through.”
    He went to the end of his stake rope, as did Guffey. They leveled their rifles across tree limbs to hold them steady. “Now,” said Cloud. The rifles spoke together. The two horses fell. One boy was pinned down. The other scrambled away from his kicking pony. Quickly then, Cloud and Guffey ran back to their horses, coiling the ropes as they went. They swung up and spurred out after the herd.

Four
    T HEY FIRED THEIR PISTOLS AND SQUALLED LOUDLY. The Indians’ horses broke into a hard run down the creek. One of the herd boys was still trying to fight his way out from under his fallen pony. The other shouted angrily at Cloud. He stooped and picked up a rock, hurling it and striking Guffey’s horse.
    In the village, every dog was awake and barking. Men shouted. Squaws screamed. Cloud slowed and looked back over his shoulder. Comanche men came running out from under the arbors and from the tepees. A couple or three who carried rifles fired futilely at the Tejano horse thieves. Several braves came running afoot. Two had horses staked near their tepees. These swung up and struck out after the horse herd, short-bows in their hands.
    â€œGuffey, Tommy, look out,” Cloud shouted. He stopped his horse and wheeled about as the first of the braves came riding. Cloud’s rifle was empty, for he hadn’t
taken time to reload. He fought his mount to a standstill, held up his left arm and steadied the pistol over it with his right. He fired and saw the Indian go down.
    The kid was on the ground and running to the end of his stake rope, rifle in hand. He brought up the rifle just as the second Indian rider let loose an arrow. The arrow pierced the boy’s arm and he went down with a cry of pain. Guffey turned around and stepped off his horse, grabbing up the boy’s rifle. As the Indian brought down his bow for a second shot, Guffey fired. The Comanche’s mount fell kicking. The arrow plunked harmlessly into the creek mud.
    The Indian scrambled to his feet and grabbed up the bow. He pulled another arrow from the quiver and was fitting it to the bowstring when Cloud spurred back by him, pistol in hand. The pistol flashed. The Comanche fell.
    By then, gunfire had erupted at the