the other girls freeing themselves one by one was what drew their attention first to them and then to us because as we neared the dead guard's smoldering campfire Celine stumbled to the ground or so I thought and clutched at her hip and I saw that she was shot, blood seeping through the dirty white slip.
I hauled her up and wrapped her arm about my neck and over my shoulder and moved her past the fire into the brush. I glanced back and saw Paddy Ryan staring straight at me, straight in the eye, saw his look of recognition and he pointed to me and shouted, then pointed to the rear of the hacienda directing his men toward the back.
And then he and three of the others were running after us. We ducked into the brush but my sister stumbled again and cried out in pain. The bullet had either chipped her hipbone or perhaps hit a nerve or both. I pulled her to her feet again and now I was half dragging her. We were not going to make it to the horses.
I could practically smell Paddy Ryan behind us.
Her leg was weak but not her arms I thought . Can you climb? I asked her. We were coming to a stand of trees beyond the fires' glow and it was dark . Celine, can you climb? I think so, she said. She managed to give me a brave frightened smile . I always could. This one, I said . Use the good leg. Jump. I put my hands around her waist gone so slim I could feel her ribs like the hoops of a barrel and pushed her up. She caught hold of a limb. I pushed at the sole of her boot and she was up and climbing through the branches and I saw her wince in pain. I slung the rifle over my shoulder and followed.
Moments later we heard them below and I could only pray to all the gods, your own included that they were neither Indios nor night hunters and would not look up because although I had unslung the rifle I could probably shoot two of them or maybe even three but I was not going to shoot them all before they shot me. We were lucky. They continued on .
Toward the horses.
And a few moments later returned with them — the horses snorting, disliking the heavy clinging scrub they were being led through and I heard Paddy Ryan laugh and say like to see how far they get without these and then shout as he passed the dying campfire , see you in the morning, ladies, knowing we had to be nearby .
When we were certain they were gone I helped my sister down.
It was quiet. The shooting had stopped. When I didn't know.
We waited for you .
THIRTEEN
"You think she's had time?" Mother said.
"She'd damn well better have," said Hart.
"You figure we wore out our welcome here?"
"That I do."
There were three guards dead in the hallway from their first blind rush at us but we hadn't done much outside. I counted them at twelve or thirteen firing from behind or under the wagons. Rifle fire kept pouring through the windows. It was hard to get a shot in much less aim effectively. We ran for the back door. Midway down the hall I glanced over my shoulder and saw a dark shape coming toward us and I fired off a round in that direction and then kept running.
Ten steps further and we'd have made it to the door. Ten steps less and we could have turned into one of the open rooms on either side.
Instead fortune trapped us there in the hallway with six rifles to our three.
I took the first hit like a fist to the thigh at the same time two of the guards went down beneath our fire and Mother took the second just above his hip and the then a third square in the chest yet amazingly remained standing, only stumbled back behind me still firing, the three of us moving slowly forward pressed back against the walls, dropping two more men in the doorway while the two remaining backed on out over the threshold, turning their rifles in and firing wild and blind, Hart unsheathing the Peacemaker and blasting great splintered gouges out of the casing trim on either side until we were almost there and I heard a sound come out of Mother unlike any a man should ever hear.
I turned and
I hauled her up and wrapped her arm about my neck and over my shoulder and moved her past the fire into the brush. I glanced back and saw Paddy Ryan staring straight at me, straight in the eye, saw his look of recognition and he pointed to me and shouted, then pointed to the rear of the hacienda directing his men toward the back.
And then he and three of the others were running after us. We ducked into the brush but my sister stumbled again and cried out in pain. The bullet had either chipped her hipbone or perhaps hit a nerve or both. I pulled her to her feet again and now I was half dragging her. We were not going to make it to the horses.
I could practically smell Paddy Ryan behind us.
Her leg was weak but not her arms I thought . Can you climb? I asked her. We were coming to a stand of trees beyond the fires' glow and it was dark . Celine, can you climb? I think so, she said. She managed to give me a brave frightened smile . I always could. This one, I said . Use the good leg. Jump. I put my hands around her waist gone so slim I could feel her ribs like the hoops of a barrel and pushed her up. She caught hold of a limb. I pushed at the sole of her boot and she was up and climbing through the branches and I saw her wince in pain. I slung the rifle over my shoulder and followed.
Moments later we heard them below and I could only pray to all the gods, your own included that they were neither Indios nor night hunters and would not look up because although I had unslung the rifle I could probably shoot two of them or maybe even three but I was not going to shoot them all before they shot me. We were lucky. They continued on .
Toward the horses.
And a few moments later returned with them — the horses snorting, disliking the heavy clinging scrub they were being led through and I heard Paddy Ryan laugh and say like to see how far they get without these and then shout as he passed the dying campfire , see you in the morning, ladies, knowing we had to be nearby .
When we were certain they were gone I helped my sister down.
It was quiet. The shooting had stopped. When I didn't know.
We waited for you .
THIRTEEN
"You think she's had time?" Mother said.
"She'd damn well better have," said Hart.
"You figure we wore out our welcome here?"
"That I do."
There were three guards dead in the hallway from their first blind rush at us but we hadn't done much outside. I counted them at twelve or thirteen firing from behind or under the wagons. Rifle fire kept pouring through the windows. It was hard to get a shot in much less aim effectively. We ran for the back door. Midway down the hall I glanced over my shoulder and saw a dark shape coming toward us and I fired off a round in that direction and then kept running.
Ten steps further and we'd have made it to the door. Ten steps less and we could have turned into one of the open rooms on either side.
Instead fortune trapped us there in the hallway with six rifles to our three.
I took the first hit like a fist to the thigh at the same time two of the guards went down beneath our fire and Mother took the second just above his hip and the then a third square in the chest yet amazingly remained standing, only stumbled back behind me still firing, the three of us moving slowly forward pressed back against the walls, dropping two more men in the doorway while the two remaining backed on out over the threshold, turning their rifles in and firing wild and blind, Hart unsheathing the Peacemaker and blasting great splintered gouges out of the casing trim on either side until we were almost there and I heard a sound come out of Mother unlike any a man should ever hear.
I turned and
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