Chapter Three

‘That was a quick end for him, lucky bastard!’ observed Tate bitterly.

‘Show some decency! That guy never did anyone any harm, unlike us, and he didn’t deserve what happened to him,’ protested Silver.

‘Nobody gets what they deserve. The world’s not fair and never has been. Besides, you’ve done your share to keep it that way, same as me,’ Tate reminded him.

‘What’s the matter with you? You’re gonna die, and you’ve probably got worse things to answer for than even I have. Don’t you feel any shame?’

‘It’s a little late to start having a conscience now,’ complained Carver in the absence of any reply from Tate.

‘I guess you’re right, but a man gets to thinking when he’s in this situation,’ conceded Silver. Then he called out to Callaghan. ‘I’ve done a lot of killing, I got used to it in the war, but if I’d been in charge Billy wouldn’t have done what he did to that girl.’

‘That’s easy to say now, but you robbed and killed with that kid, you followed Tate, and you can’t separate yourself from any of it,’ replied the sheriff.

No one spoke then, and dusk came with a smouldering orange glow as a cool wind blew across the desert. Night fell and inky blackness descended, the stars were tiny pinpricks of light amid a waning half-moon. The temperature plummeted and each man lay shivering in the dark without a blanket, by now feeling the pangs of both hunger and thirst. By noon tomorrow, the thirst would be unbearable and Callaghan hoped he would not last too long. He began to envy Prentice, and felt a pang of guilt at responding to his friend’s death in this way.

Dawn came at last, its rose tinted glow a surprisingly cheerful sight despite their predicament. As the sun climbed higher, they heard a horseman approaching. Callaghan lifted his head and strained his eyes to spot the rider. He noticed that whoever it was led a second horse behind him. The three survivors called out weakly, fearful that the man might not see them and ride past. The hoofs slowed to a halt, the rider dismounted and stood over them, blocking out the sun.

‘Well, good morning gentlemen. I hope you have passed a comfortable night,’ said Salinas sarcastically. He pointed a Winchester at Tate.

‘What do you want?’ the outlaw asked him.

‘Billy assures me that your story about hidden loot is untrue, but it occurred to me that he could just be waiting for an opportunity to collect it himself.’

‘That kid has more guile than a barrel full of snakes. You were right not to trust him.’

Salinas smiled. ‘Just as I am right not to trust you.’ He produced a sword from his saddle-bag and cut Tate’s bonds while keeping the Winchester pointed at the outlaw’s chest. Tate slowly stumbled to his feet, weakened from his night of privation. The Mexican tossed him a canteen and he drank from it greedily.

‘Your life in exchange for the money. Do we have a deal?’

Tate nodded. ‘I see you left your friends behind.’

Salinas patted his rifle. ‘I don’t want to share everything with Aldo and his men, but don’t get any ideas. I’ll shoot you at the first sign of trouble.’

‘You’re wasting your time with this crap,’ Silver told him. ‘There’s no hidden money and the bastard will try to jump you the first chance he gets.’

‘Why should you care if Salinas gets what’s coming to him?’ asked Carver.

‘I just don’t like seeing him get away.’

‘He won’t get far once Salinas realizes there’s no money,’ added Callaghan.

‘Pay no attention to them,’ Tate told his Mexican captor. ‘They’re just sore at being left behind.’

Salinas gestured for his prisoner to mount up and ride in front. ‘Don’t forget, I’ll be watching you every step of the way,’ he warned. The two men then set off across the desert without a backward glance at those they had left to die.

Callaghan and his companions were not left alone for long, however. Presently, they heard what sounded like a waggon approaching. The three men looked up and the sheriff squinted in the harsh glare of sunlight. It looked like the vehicle was being driven by a woman.

Suddenly the waggon came to a halt. The driver jumped down and Christina was beside him, cutting his bonds with a knife. She quickly freed Carver, then crossed herself when she found that Prentice was dead.

‘He died quite quickly. It was his heart,’ Callaghan told her.

Christina then turned her attention to Silver. ‘What about this one? I know he is a thief and a murderer but we can’t just leave him out here to die.’

‘I’ll take him back to Maxwell as my prisoner and he can sit in a cell with his friend Fuller until the cavalry comes.’ Callaghan cut the gunman free and hauled him to his feet. Christina tossed over a pair of handcuffs and he clamped them around Silver’s wrists before hustling him on to the back of the waggon. He saw then that she had brought the saddle-bags full of stolen money, some food and water, several Winchesters and plenty of bullets.

‘There is time to bury your friend but we must hurry,’ Christina said. ‘Hector gave Aldo and his men bottles of whiskey last night as a reward and they are sleeping it off but they’ll come after us when they wake to find the money gone.’

‘What about your brother?’

The girl shrugged. ‘I watched him leave at dawn and I knew what was on his mind. Was Tate telling the truth?’

Callaghan shook his head. ‘Hector’s just blinded by greed.’

‘Then he’ll kill Tate and head back to the hideout. He’ll be after us too, once he finds out what’s happened.’

‘Don’t underestimate Tate, he’s smarter than Benjamin Franklin and meaner than a polecat. Salinas might be in for a big surprise,’ warned Silver.

Callaghan did not reply but picked up a spade from the back of the waggon and began to dig a grave for Prentice.

‘It’ll be quicker if you let me help,’ suggested the gunman.

‘I may not be as smart as Tate but there’s no way I’m giving you something to use as a weapon. Besides, you’re not fit to help bury a decent man like him.’

‘I guess I’m not exactly one of the good guys. Call it an act of atonement if you want. The girl can keep a rifle pointed at me in case you’re worried. Besides, we’re in a hurry and I’d rather take my chances with the hangman than those Apaches.’

Callaghan exchanged looks with Christina and she nodded. He tossed Silver a spade and gave him a curt nod. ‘OK but those handcuffs stay on.’

As their prisoner began to dig, Christina pointed the muzzle of her Winchester just inches from his chest. ‘I can’t miss at this range and these eyes see everything.’

Meanwhile, several miles away, Salinas was growing impatient. ‘You haven’t told me exactly where we are going, Gringo.’

‘Do you have a map?’

‘I thought you knew where you were taking me!’

‘Look, just relax. I know it’s around here someplace but it’ll be easier to find again if I have a map.’

The Mexican felt inside his jacket for the map he always carried with him for the desert was a dangerous place in which to get lost. He handed it over cautiously, without lowering his eyes or his gun.

Tate made a great show of studying it carefully. At last, he found what he was looking for. ‘See, here it is. The old silver mine was abandoned long ago and nobody goes there. I figured it’d be the last place anyone would look.’

The Mexican’s eyes narrowed into a glare of suspicion. ‘You never mentioned anything about an old mine before.’

The outlaw shrugged. ‘You didn’t ask for any details, just the money. Follow me and I’ll take you right to it.’

The fact that they were already heading in the general direction of the mine and it was not far away allayed the Mexican’s suspicions slightly, but he remained vigilant for signs of betrayal. Meanwhile, Tate’s mind worked furiously to find a way out of his predicament while maintaining an outward show of nonchalance. Salinas had given him some bread and dried biscuits to eat so hunger no longer gnawed at him, but he was still weak from his ordeal. His captor would have to be caught off guard if he was to stand any chance of escaping.

At last they approached the tunnel that led into what had once been a thriving silver mine, though the last seam had been picked clean years before.

‘I haven’t brought any lamps. How are you going to find it?’ demanded Salinas.

‘I never said it was inside the tunnel, did I? That’d be stupid. The damn thing could collapse anytime. No, I dug a hole just here, near the entrance.’ Tate pointed to where a large stone slab lay and heaved it aside. ‘How about letting me have some more water and a rest before I start? The hole’s quite deep.’

Salinas felt his pulse quicken with excitement. He had had his doubts but the gringo seemed very definite. Using a large slab to mark the spot and choosing a prominent place with a landmark where no one would expect to find anything of worth was exactly what you would do if you were a cunning thief hiding buried loot. He tossed over the canteen and dismounted, keeping his rifle pointed at Tate while the outlaw drank. After about ten minutes, he waved the Winchester impatiently and tossed over a spade with his free hand.

‘You’ve had enough rest, gringo. Now you dig.’

Tate paced himself to conserve his strength but he kept going until he had managed to dig a slit trench that was above waist height. Salinas was growing more impatient, urging him on with threats and curses.

‘I’m going as fast as I can. I was staked out all night, thanks to you,’ grumbled the outlaw in reply, feigning a greater weariness than he actually felt. At last his spade struck something, as he hoped it would, for all sorts of debris lies buried in long-abandoned places where men have lived and worked. Tate sank to his knees and pretended that the old sack of clothes he had found weighed more than he could lift in his weakened state.

‘God damn it, this gold’s heavy,’ he protested as he stood aside from the half-buried sack and leaned on his spade.

Salinas peered over the edge of the trench to see that a bag had been uncovered. Excitement overcame his natural caution, and he jumped down to examine it more closely. By the time the first flicker of realization that he had been duped entered his brain, the spade was being swung heavily towards his head and crashed into the back of his skull. The Mexican was stunned, but conscious enough to stagger around and face his adversary. His numbed finger struggled to find the trigger on the Winchester as tears of pain blurred his vision. Tate thrust forward and buried the edge of the spade deep in the bandit’s throat, twisting it so it went in even further. Salinas fell back with blood spurting from his carotid artery, and then slumped to the ground.

Tate bent down over the dead man’s body and searched his clothes. He found a wallet containing a roll of bank-notes and a gold watch. Salinas also wore a gun belt, which the outlaw removed, and he then picked up the Winchester as he climbed out of the trench. His elation vanished however, when he found himself surrounded by Aldo and the other Apaches. Gaunt was with them, and he jumped down from the pinto he was riding before peering over the edge of the trench. He gave a low whistle when he saw the Mexican’s body.

‘He fixed your boss,’ Gaunt told Aldo.

The Apache leader pointed at Tate. ‘Where is the money?’

The outlaw looked nonplussed. ‘There isn’t any. It was just a story I told Salinas to get away.’

Gaunt shook his head. ‘He means the loot from the stage. It’s gone and so has the girl.’

‘Then she took it all by herself,’ Tate told Aldo. ‘Did she take the waggon too?’

It was Gaunt who answered him. ‘Yeah, plus some guns and supplies.’

‘She must have freed Callaghan and the others. I know where they’ve gone and I can help you find them.’ Tate looked pleadingly at Aldo but the Apache shook his head and pointed at Gaunt.

‘This one who calls himself a warrior can tell me as much. You die, same as before.’

Gaunt drew his knife and ran the blade under the outlaw’s chin. ‘If you’re lucky, Aldo might let me do it quick, seein’ as you’ve been so helpful an all.’

Tate swallowed hard but then an idea occurred to him. ‘Salinas is dead and you need somebody to get those guns across the border and sell them,’ he declared, meeting Aldo’s gaze.

‘I will sell guns. White men think Apaches foolish, but we are wise.’

‘I’m not saying you’re stupid and you can steal the guns easy enough, but you know as well as I do that Mexican officers will try to cheat you on the price,’ insisted the outlaw. Seeing the Apache hesitate, he pressed home his advantage. ‘A white man knows the value of money and can pretend to be acting on behalf of the US government. Juarez needs American support and his officers will listen to me, but not to you.’

Aldo considered this for a moment. ‘You promise much. What do you ask in return?’

‘Let’s say ten per cent of everything you make on the sale of your guns. There’s also the question of the money the girl stole. After all, I stole it first, didn’t I?’

Aldo responded with a wry smile. ‘Yes, you white men are good at stealing. Very well, I give you ten per cent of that also when we get it back. Now, come!’ The Apaches turned their horses around without waiting for him and began to ride away.

Gaunt removed his knife from Tate’s throat. ‘Nice work, I swear you got more damned lives than a cat. I hope you ain’t got hard feelings about me being about to kill you just then.’

‘You were just doing what I taught you to. I was worried though. A lot of these Apaches like to trade for goods instead of being paid in cash.’

‘Not Aldo,’ said Gaunt as the two men mounted up. ‘He wants a hacienda and a real Mexican lady with Spanish blood, like Christina. He thinks wearin’ that colonel’s uniform makes him look the part instead of just a dumb asshole.’

The two men laughed as they rode behind the Apaches in a cloud of dust. Soon they would reach Maxwell and catch up with Callaghan. Tate was looking forward to his revenge on the sheriff who had cost him time, trouble, and above all, money. After that he could concentrate on getting his loot back and making his escape from Aldo.

Meanwhile Christina drove the waggon at a steady pace as Callaghan and Carver kept an anxious look out for any pursuit.

‘It looks like we’re safe for now,’ remarked Carver as they came within a few miles of Maxwell.

‘They’ll find us soon enough,’ replied Callaghan. ‘An Apache can track a man for a hundred miles or more and not lose the trail.’

‘You seem to know a lot about them,’ said Christina.

‘I fought them often enough when I was an army officer.’

‘So which side did you choose during the civil war?’

‘I didn’t. The sight of my country tearing itself apart, men who were fellow citizens killing each other, some of them even members of the same family was too much for me. I resigned my commission just before it started and came out here.’

‘That was a brave thing to do,’ she told him.

Callaghan shook his head. ‘A lot of folks wouldn’t agree with you. I’ve been called a coward more times than I can count.’

Christina snorted derisively. ‘They don’t know the meaning of the word. You made a stand for peace, for settling things without violence, and that takes courage, just as it took courage to come after Tate and his men.’

‘You’re right,’ agreed Carver. ‘I fought for the South and I saw a lot of good men die and killed a lot of good men on the other side too. Then I came back to Maxwell two years ago when the war ended and my pa died. I wish I’d never left in the first place.’

Silver had been listening to their conversation. ‘Yeah, that’s when I learned to kill. I burned and looted my way through the South with the Union army. When I came out, I didn’t know any other way to live.’

‘Don’t make excuses for yourself,’ Callaghan admonished him. ‘A lot of men did things during the war they’re not proud of but they still managed to put their guns down afterwards.’

The gunman shrugged in response. ‘I wasn’t trying to excuse myself, just telling you the way it was with me. I killed so many people, civilians some of them, that after a while it stopped mattering.’

They reached Maxwell shortly after that and the waggon drew to a halt outside the way station. Rosie Carver ran outside to greet them.

‘Oh Matt, thank God!’ she cried as she flung her arms around her husband. ‘I was so afraid you were dead!’

‘Well, it’s really this young lady you should be thanking. If it wasn’t for her, we’d all be feeding the vultures by now.’ Carver then introduced Christina.

‘Well I’m much obliged to you,’ she added gratefully. Rosie then looked around at the others. ‘Where are Linus and Doc Prentice?’

Carver put his hands on his wife’s shoulders. ‘Linus died trying to save the rest of us and Doc had a heart attack.’

‘There’s not much time for explanations or for mourning the dead, I’m afraid,’ said Callaghan. ‘Apaches are going to attack soon and we must prepare our defences.’

A crowd was now gathering around the waggon and a murmur of fear ran through it. The sheriff stood up and urged them to be calm. ‘Now listen to me. We need to build a wall around this town, shoulder high. Use bags of sand, furniture, upturned waggons and anything else you can find that will make a good barrier. Everyone over fourteen must carry a rifle.

‘Does that include the women too?’ Bertha Endicott, the minister’s wife asked.

Callaghan nodded. ‘If they can shoot, then yes. We need all the help we can get.’

‘What if the Apaches get over the wall?’

‘They might, so we’ll need folks posted along the street and in buildings to shoot them down if they break through, but most of our firepower should be concentrated along the wall at first. Then, if they overpower us there, we’ll just have to retreat.’

‘We can build some redoubts further back. I’ve got some timber we can use,’ suggested one man.

Callaghan gave him a nod of approval. ‘Good idea, I’ll leave that to you. OK, let’s get to work. Remember, the army should be here in a couple of days if we can just hold out that long.’

Arthur Norris waved a telegram in the air. ‘I had a reply to the one I sent. There’s a cavalry troop on way but they won’t be expecting to find the town under siege.’

‘That can’t be helped,’ replied Callaghan as he climbed down from the waggon, pushing Silver in front of him.

‘I’m no good to you locked up, Sheriff. Why don’t you let me help?’

‘Because the folks in this town will tear you to pieces if I let you among them. You’ll be much safer in jail for now. If the Apaches break through our defences, I’ll let you and Fuller have guns so you can defend yourselves.’

Seth Fuller was surprised to see his old friend join him in his cell. ‘I thought you’d high-tailed it to Mexico and left me to carry the can.’

‘Just wait until you hear the good part,’ said Callaghan as he locked both men in before leaving the jail.

‘What in damnation’s goin’ on here?’

The outlaw then listened attentively as Silver recounted the story of his recent adventures, culminating in the news that a band of renegade Mescalero Apaches would soon be approaching the town.

Fuller stood up in panic. ‘God damn it, we gotta get outta here!’

Silver shrugged in response. ‘What difference does it make? We’re gonna be hanged anyway.’

‘What them Apaches do is a whole lot worse, we can be sure o’ that,’ his companion replied.

‘The sheriff said he’d let us have guns when the time came. We can save a bullet for ourselves if we have to.’

‘Well, that’s a mighty comfort, I must say,’ snorted Fuller in derision. He rubbed his stubbly chin as he paced the cell, deep in thought. ‘No, we have to find a way to use this to our advantage, Judd. These folks are all scared as jackrabbits right now, and they won’t be worryin’ too much about us. Maybe there’s some way we can skedaddle outta this place while they’re all waitin’ for the Apaches to come skin ’em alive.’

Silver leaned back in his bunk and rested his head against the wall. ‘Yeah, you just think about that, Seth. I don’t reckon it’ll do either of us any good but go right ahead.’

Fuller gripped the bars of the cell’s window, which looked out on to the street. Amid the bustle of townspeople preparing to defend themselves he noticed the bags of cash from the stagecoach robbery being carried into the post office. ‘Well I’ll be damned,’ he murmured as he turned back to Silver.

‘What is it?’ asked the gunman as he tipped his hat over his eyes for a doze.

‘They’re puttin’ our money in that post office. I guess it’s the most secure place, since this so-called town don’t even have a bank to rob.’

‘So what?’

‘What’s got into you, Judd? Our money’s just there across the street and you’re sayin’ you don’t give a damn!’

Silver raised himself up on to one elbow. ‘It was never our money in the first place, Seth. Besides, we got no chance of getting our hands on it.’

Fuller shook his head. ‘I ain’t about to give up so easy, so just you be ready to move when the time comes.’

The gunman did not reply but lay back down again. There would be no opportunity to sleep once the attack started and he wanted to get some rest while he still could.

Meanwhile, Aldo and his band of Mescalero Apaches were rapidly approaching the town. The alliance with Jackson Tate and Billy Gaunt was an uneasy one, since Aldo distrusted Tate and was not sure what to make of the younger man.

‘I can’t wait to get my hands on them womenfolk,’ said Gaunt. ‘Maybe we could take some prisoner and keep ’em awhile.’

‘Just concentrate on the job in hand and you can have all the women you want when we get to Mexico,’ Tate told him.

‘Hell Jackson, you sure ain’t much fun sometimes!’ protested his companion. ‘I gotta scalp a whole lotta men, get drenched in their blood and have my way with their wives before I feel I’ve fought like an Apache!’

Aldo shot the youth a look of contempt. ‘You will never be a true Apache, white boy! The Apache fight for survival, to get what we need. We make our enemies afraid so we can defeat them, but we are not cruel without purpose. We do not lust for their blood or their women. You have learned some of our ways but you do not have our spirit in here,’ he declared, striking his breast to emphasize the point.

‘Just wait until you see the kid fight,’ Tate told him. ‘Apache or not, Billy will do his part.’

Gaunt nodded vigorously in response. ‘Yeah, I won’t let you down.’

‘Still, maybe it won’t be necessary to fight at all,’ added Tate thoughtfully.

‘White men do not give up their gold easily,’ remarked Aldo.

‘Whites are scared to fight Apaches, at least if they’ve any sense. Once they see your men the townsfolk might be happy to hand over the money in return for being left in peace.’

Aldo considered this for a moment. ‘Very well. When we get there, you can ask them. White men will not believe the word of an Apache, but they might believe another like themselves, one who steals and murders as they do.’

Tate let the insult pass and soon Maxwell came in to view. Aldo drew his men to a halt on an escarpment a short distance away. Tate peered through his spyglass and scanned the horizon.

‘It looks like Callaghan’s made a smart move,’ he remarked.

‘What can you see?’ demanded Gaunt impatiently.

‘They’re building a barrier around the edge of the town. It’s like a wall made up of waggons, tables, chairs, saddle-bags and stuff.’ He passed the spyglass to Aldo and the Apache looked at the defences.

‘If they defy us we will surround them, find where this wall is weak and then attack.’

Tate drew a white handkerchief from his pocket and Aldo handed him a spear. The outlaw bound the items together and galloped towards the town wielding his makeshift flag. He drew his mount to a halt just outside firing range and called out.

‘Come and face me, Callaghan! I won’t shoot, I just want to talk!’

Carver stood at the sheriff’s elbow, the two men having just helped to complete the last section of the barrier. ‘How come he’s still alive?’ demanded the station agent incredulously.

Luke shrugged in response. ‘I guess he must have got the drop on Salinas and cut a deal with Aldo’s men.’

‘Well, you can’t go out there. It must be some kind of trap.’

‘Maybe, maybe not. The Apaches are brave, but they don’t like to take chances and neither does Tate. Perhaps there’s some way we can avoid a fight, or at least stall them for a while.’ Callaghan then climbed carefully over the barrier and dropped down on to the other side. He walked slowly towards his adversary but then stopped while still some distance away.

‘This is as far as I’ll come. Say your piece, Tate.’

‘I’ve come to make you an offer. Hand over the money and we’ll leave. There’s no need for anyone to get hurt. After all, you’ve got women and children behind there.’

‘Killing the innocent hasn’t bothered you so far,’ replied Callaghan.

‘I just don’t see the need to waste time on this thing.’ Tate then gestured toward the barrier behind them. ‘It looks very impressive, but it’ll take more than a few tables and chairs to keep the Apaches out. Come on, you haven’t got a chance.’

‘The army will be here soon so we just have to hold out until then.’

‘It’ll take a couple of days by my reckoning. You won’t hold Aldo’s men off that long.’ Tate leaned forward in his saddle. ‘Come on, don’t you know when to quit? Hand over the cash and this will all be over.’

‘I can’t decide by myself. We’ll have to take a vote on it.’

Tate seemed amused by this. ‘OK, go ahead. I’ll give you fifteen minutes to let the people have their say, and then I want your answer.’

Callaghan climbed back over the barrier, eager hands reaching out to help him down. People crowded around him asking all kinds of questions and he raised his hands to quieten them. When there was silence he briefly explained Tate’s proposal and his response. ‘We don’t have time to discuss this so I suggest we just take a vote. If a majority want to stand and fight, anyone who’s not happy can then take their chances and ride out before the attack starts.’

To save time, voting was by a show of hands. When Callaghan asked how many were in favour of the deal offered by Tate there was no response. ‘Don’t be afraid. There’s no shame in wanting to protect yourselves and your families,’ he urged them.

A murmur ran through the crowd but still no one voted in favour.

‘OK, how many against?’

A forest of hands went up with only a few abstentions. Callaghan swallowed hard.

‘I just want to say now how proud I am to be your sheriff. Today you stood up to thieves and murderers. You stood up for the poor people who died on that stage, for justice and for the law. You should be proud, too.’

Suddenly, Christina was beside him, and she slipped her hand through his arm, kissing him on the cheek.

‘What did I do to deserve that?’

‘You made me feel proud also, proud to be on your side.’

‘I just wish I could promise you’re going to come out of this alive. If things were different, I’d like to promise you a lot more. . . .’

She placed a finger against his lips. ‘I know, but right now we face danger, and the time for promises will come when it is past. I have faith in you, Luke, as these people do and I believe we can win.’

The crowd began to disperse as they stepped down. Matt Carver then climbed to the top of the church tower so he could give Tate the people’s answer. He did so with a single shot that landed near enough for the outlaw’s horse to rear in response. Cursing as he struggled to regain control of his mount, Tate turned and galloped back to give Aldo and his followers the bad news.