Read Online Way of the Gun (9781101597804) by Charles G. West - Free Book Online

knowing he was doomed. Still, in desperation, he tried to crawl toward the bushes by the creek, never thinking to try to pull his revolver from his holster. Red Shirt watched his struggles for a few moments, enjoying his obvious terror. Then he walked unhurriedly to overtake him, grab a handful of his hair, and lift the scalp.
    Tice and Swann came up in time to hear Collins’s screams of agony. “Damned if he ain’t somethin’,” Orville said when Red Shirt went into a short war dance, holding the two trophies up for them to see.
    â€œGawdam savage,” Tice replied, low enough to be sure no one but Swann could hear.
    They stood there for a few minutes, surveying the scene to get an estimate of the spoils to be gained—the four bodies on the ground, one lying in a freshly dug hole; the horses by the creek; the man tied to the tree. After a moment, Tice commented, “Looks like you took care of everythin’.” Red Shirt grinned in response. “What about him?” Tice asked, with a nod of his head in Carson’s direction.
    â€œI ain’t made up my mind yet,” Red Shirt replied. The question prompted him to walk over to stand before Carson. Swann and Tice followed him.
    â€œHe’s kind of a young-lookin’ pup,” Tice commented. “Reckon what they was gonna do with him?”
    â€œThat fat one over there is a marshal,” Red Shirt said, and pointed toward Moody’s body. He directed a question at Carson then. “Where was he takin’ you, boy? To the prison at Laramie?”
    Carson could not see that he had much choice but to answer, so he replied, “That’s right.”
    â€œWhy?” Tice asked. “What did you do?”
    â€œRustlin’ and murder is what the court said,” Carson answered. “He was takin’ me and this one to be hanged.” He nodded toward Varner’s body lying close by.
    â€œCattle rustlin’ and murder,” Swann crowed. “Hell, he’s one of our kind, ain’t he?”
    Red Shirt was skeptical. “Maybe, maybe not,” he said. “He don’t look so mean to me.” The facts were pretty obvious, however, that he had done something bad enough to be captured by Moody and hauled to Laramie City. “Who’d you kill?”
    â€œThey said I killed some cowhands and stole their cattle,” Carson answered. He made no attempt to acclaim his innocence of the charges. It didn’t seem the prudent thing to do under the circumstances.
    â€œI reckon it’s your lucky day since we showed up, ain’t it?” Swann said.
    â€œMaybe,” Carson replied. “I can’t say yet. I’m still tied to a tree right now.”
    â€œWell, now,” Red Shirt commented with a chuckle, “that is a fact, ain’t it?” He could not help being amused by the young man’s indifferent attitude. He walked from one side of Carson to the other as if judging a horse for sale. “There ain’t nothin’ keepin’ me from givin’ you the same those two lawmen got.”
    â€œWell, there ain’t much I can do about it, unless you wanna untie me and we have a go at it man to man. But I don’t hardly think that’s gonna happen. So I reckon you’re gonna do what you’re gonna do. One way or the other, it don’t matter too much. I was on my way to a hangin’, anyway.”
    â€œWhat would you do if I was to cut you loose?” Red Shirt asked, still enjoying the predicament the young stranger was in.
    â€œI’d get me a cup of coffee outta that pot on the fire,” Carson replied unemotionally. “Mine got spilled when the shootin’ started.”
    Red Shirt threw his head back and laughed. “Whaddaya say, boys, think we oughta let him loose and let him get him some coffee?”
    â€œDon’t make no difference to me,” Tice replied. Carson had nothing of value—at least