Chapter Seven

Chico was deep in thought as he rode off with his men. He did not recall seeing the fair-haired gunman among the townspeople at Maxwell. If he had been in jail, Callaghan would have left him there, surely? No, Silver must have escaped during the battle and been captured by the soldiers later. Could he have come across the Mexican girl? Whoever killed the two men he sent after her could shoot extremely well. His mind made up, he signalled his followers to halt and summoned his best scout. The man listened carefully to Chico’s instructions, and then set off to follow the cavalry. When he returned, Chico would know the truth.

Meanwhile, Pike was feeling pleased with himself. ‘We got the money back and captured two murderers without a shot bein’ fired.’

‘So what happens now?’ asked Callaghan.

‘We’ll escort you and the young lady back to Maxwell, then take the prisoners on to Fort Bowie.’

‘Tate and Silver should be placed in civil, not military custody,’ protested Gorman. They may have stolen army money but they robbed a coach and killed civilians. This case is a federal matter.’

‘Don’t you ever quit with your damned complaints?’ demanded Pike, sourly. ‘I’ll send for the county sheriff or a deputy from Tucson when we get to the fort.’

‘I’ve got a better idea. I’ll send a telegram from Maxwell, and someone should reach Fort Bowie by the time you get there,’ suggested Callaghan.

The sergeant gave a grunt of approval. ‘Good thinkin’ Sheriff. The sooner I get those fellas outta my hair, the happier I’ll be.’

Callaghan then turned to Gorman. ‘Does that satisfy you?’

‘Since there are only two prisoners, one other armed escort apart from myself should be sufficient.’

‘You didn’t turn up anything against Matt, did you?’

‘No, your friend is free to go,’ conceded the detective, ‘for the present at least.’

Callaghan ignored the implied threat and turned to Christina as she drew up alongside him. ‘I’m sorry you’ve been through such an ordeal. I’d give anything for none of it to have happened.’

She shook her head. ‘I don’t regret anything, Luke. I’ve taken control of my life for the first time.’

‘When I first saw you, you were as much your brother’s prisoner as I was, however much you tried to defy him. What changed?’

‘Can’t you guess?’ She smiled at his look of puzzlement. ‘It was you, Luke. I saw your courage and your decency. I knew then that I had to do something.’

‘Well, you saved my life.’

‘And mine too,’ added Carver from behind them. ‘I’m very grateful, of course, and so’s my Rosie. She says you and our gallant sheriff here would make the perfect couple.’

‘Aw, cut it out Matt!’ Callaghan flushed with embarrassment and turned away. ‘Pay no attention to him, Christina. He’s always trying to get me married off.’

She smiled mischievously at Carver. ‘That sounded like a rejection, Matt. How soon do you think I’ll get over it?’

Feigning more discomfort than he felt, Callaghan dismissed her remark with a shrug. ‘You’re as bad as he is with your teasing.’ Her response secretly pleased him, however. She had not appeared to take the idea seriously, but neither had she dismissed it, and those brief imaginings he had entertained of a life with her now appeared again, but this time they lingered in his mind.

The scout Chico had sent to spy on the column now emerged from his hiding place at the foot of a canyon behind some rocks and sagebrush. As the cavalry passed into the distance he turned back to report to his chief. It did not take him long to catch up with his companions, and the Apache leader listened intently as he reported what he had seen.

‘We must avenge Aldo. His spirit will not rest until the girl and the man called Silver pay for what they have done!’

There was a murmur of agreement from his men before the whole group turned to follow the cavalry’s trail. They moved swiftly and caught up with Pike and his men shortly after they had stopped for a rest. It was a sharp-eyed Christina who spotted them first.

‘It looks like we have trouble approaching,’ she warned the sergeant.

Pike watched the cloud of dust get closer before he made out the colourful clothing and painted faces of the Mescalero Apaches.

‘They’re about to attack!’ cried a young cavalryman in fear.

‘Keep calm, soldier!’ Pike admonished him. ‘If they were gonna do that we’d know about it by now. They’d be hollerin’ those damned war cries louder than all the devils in hell.’

‘This doesn’t look good, though, does it?’ asked Callaghan.

‘Well, they want somethin’ all right. Let’s just wait and see what it is before we get too nervous.’

The Apaches drew closer, then slowed and drew to a halt. Chico rode forward as his men waited behind him. When he stopped, his eyes scanned the assembled men in their dusty uniforms and then settled on Christina. He pointed directly at her as he spoke.

‘The woman who rides with you is our enemy. She killed our chief.’ His finger then moved and settled on the bound figure of Silver. ‘He is the one who helped her. You will give them to us, then go your way.’

‘I ain’t givin’ you nobody. We had a deal and I kept my side of it,’ replied Pike with a show of defiance.

Chico shook his head. ‘I did not know that she was among you or the fair-haired one who helped her.’

The sergeant shrugged. ‘That don’t make no difference. A deal’s a deal, and now you wanna break your word, is that it?’

Chico stiffened in his saddle. ‘I am Apache! We do not break our word as white men break treaties!’

Pike shook his head. ‘Don’t lay that one on me. We could’ve slaughtered you and all your men in that canyon, but we didn’t. Now the odds are more in your favour it’s a different story.’

‘Not so. I give you the same chance to leave. We only kill if you refuse. Aldo wanted the woman for his wife. She killed him and ran away. Silver killed two of my men for her. They were not there to kill him. Now, for crimes against Apache, we want Apache justice!’

‘Aldo tried to rape her and she defended herself. How is a slow and painful death in return for that justice?’ demanded Callaghan.

‘You let the woman go with Aldo to spare your own people,’ Chico reminded him. ‘Now, I give you one hour to decide. Then, you give up our enemies or we attack and kill you all!’

As Chico turned to go, Callaghan called out to him. ‘You will not attack in less than an hour, even if we move from here. Do you swear it?’

The Apache gave him a thin smile. ‘Flee if you wish. We will soon catch you, but yes, I swear not to attack within the hour.’ Then he turned and rode back to his men.

‘Damn it, we’re in a real tight spot now!’ said Pike.

‘Not necessarily, Sergeant. I’ll tell them Silver is due to hang, and perhaps they’ll be content with that.’ Christina began to ride forward, but Callaghan seized her horse’s bridle.

‘For God’s sake, stop it! Don’t you realize what they’ll do to you?’

When she turned to him, her features were stricken with fear. ‘Of course I do, but what’s my life worth when there are so many others at stake?’

‘The lady does have a point,’ suggested Gorman. ‘Perhaps we could negotiate, persuade them to just shoot her. . . .’ His voice trailed away as he found himself surrounded by hostile faces.

‘You call yourself a detective, an officer of the law, and yet you suggest such a thing! How could you?’ demanded Callaghan in disgust.

‘Yeah, I wouldn’t hand Silver over to ’em neither, ’cos there’s such a thing as the law and the constitution of the United States,’ added Pike. ‘There’s not a man here today who wouldn’t rather die at the hands o’ them Apaches than do such a thing.’

‘Well, I have no intention of dying here,’ protested Gorman. ‘I shall make for Maxwell straightaway.’

He found himself staring down the barrel of Callaghan’s revolver. ‘You’ll stand and fight with us or I swear to God I’ll kill you myself!’ The Wells Fargo detective sat trembling in his saddle but said nothing, seeing there was no point.

The sheriff then turned to Pike. ‘Look, there’s an escarpment over there, just a few hundred yards away. If we move to the top, they’ll have a much harder job attacking us.’

‘Yeah, we might just have a chance of holding ’em off. Come on, let’s go!’ He ordered his men to saddle up, and the column prepared to head for the slope.

‘You don’t have to come,’ Callaghan told Christina. ‘Ride to Maxwell and get the next stage to Tucson. You’ll be safe there.’

She shook her head. ‘It’s no use, Luke. If you don’t defeat them today, they’ll catch me up. I’m better off taking my chances here, and I know how to shoot.’ Her voice faltered as she added, ‘I can save a bullet for myself if I have to.’

‘It’ll be all right,’ he told her with more confidence than he felt.

It was a steep climb for both men and horses to the top of the escarpment, and they found themselves slipping as loose stones and rocks were dislodged on the way up. At last they reached the ridge at the top, and Pike strung his men along it.

‘How about letting me fight?’ Silver raised his bound hands. ‘You need all the help you can get, and a hangman’s noose is better than what they’ll do to me.’

‘How do I know you won’t try to make a run for it?’ demanded the sergeant.

Silver shrugged. ‘I don’t reckon it would do me much good.’

‘No, I don’t reckon it would,’ agreed Pike as he cut the man’s bonds.

He then looked hesitantly at Tate. ‘Now you, I really don’t trust at all. If I see you even look like you’re gonna run, I’ll shoot you down, Apaches or no Apaches. Is that understood?’

The outlaw nodded in response as his hands were freed, and then Pike ordered that Tate and Silver be issued with arms. Gorman opened his mouth to protest, but then thought better of it. After all, he was more reluctant to die than any of them.

Chico was now regretting his decision to give Pike and his men so much time. Still, a worthy opponent was more satisfying to defeat than a weak and cowardly one. He glanced down at the gold pocket watch he had taken from an officer he had killed. The one thing he recalled clearly from his brief spell at school on the reservation was being taught to tell the time. This knowledge was to prove useful occasionally. Snapping the lid shut, he signalled his men to attack and they began to move. Leaving the horses behind, they crept forward on foot, as it was easier to climb that way.

The men at the top of the escarpment unleashed a torrent of gunfire and the dead bodies of Chico’s warriors began to fall back down the slope as if flung by an invisible giant. Their companions crouched lower to evade the hail of bullets. Some lay flat or hid behind the boulders scattered along the way as they fired back. The air was now thick with smoke, and the only sounds apart from gunfire were the cries of dying men as some of the return fire began to hit home. The foot of the escarpment was just out of range and Chico ordered some of his followers to move around to the right and then climb up the other side behind Pike’s men.

‘Damn sneaky Indians!’ shouted the sergeant as he spotted the move and ordered some of his men to turn around and start shooting the other way. They managed to pick off those leading this rearguard attack, and the others wisely fell back in an orderly retreat.

‘They’ll be back,’ warned Callaghan as he shot a young warrior in the face at point-blank range and watched his body tumble down the escarpment. Their opponents were getting perilously close now and some of the soldiers were having to stand and engage in hand-to-hand combat as their enemies threatened to overwhelm them. With no time to reload if a man ran out of bullets, rifles were used as clubs to smash against bones and drive their assailants back. Callaghan spotted one soldier taking on two men at once, each armed with a tomahawk. Rushing to help, the lawman shot one in the stomach with his last bullet and then rammed the butt of his rifle under the other attacker’s chin with a blow that lifted the Apache off his feet and sent him flying. A third warrior then leaped at him, his dagger raised. The sheriff rolled on to his side and fired, hitting the knifeman in the neck with a shot that choked off his war cry.

As Callaghan turned back an Apache loomed over him and raised a rifle to bring the butt crashing down on his skull. He squeezed the trigger on his revolver once more and heard only the click of an empty chamber, then moved aside just in time to avoid a fatal blow. The sheriff then leaped to his feet and pistol-whipped his attacker around the face and head, frantically lashing out to drive the man away. Blood gushed from the Apache’s nose and forehead as his body crumpled, and a final kick in the chest sent him falling backwards.

Another warrior appeared in his place, his painted face contorted with rage, but a shot suddenly ripped through his chest, and the Apache looked down in apparent disbelief at the stain that now spread across his brightly coloured shirt. Callaghan turned around to see that Silver had been his protector, and gave the gunman a brief nod of thanks. Gorman and Tate were both further back, firing from a distance at those few Apaches who managed to break through. This was useful but somewhat safer than being in the front line, and Pike snarled at them to move further forward.

At that moment, Chico ordered his men to retreat and there was a muted cheer from Pike’s men as the Apaches fell back.

‘Don’t get your hopes up. They’ll be back soon enough,’ growled the battle-worn sergeant who had witnessed this tactic before.

‘What do you think of our chances?’ asked Callaghan as both men reloaded their weapons.

‘I reckon we lost over twenty men and got barely a dozen o’ theirs. They’ll attack from both sides again once they’ve regrouped, and this time it’ll be harder to hold ’em off.’

‘We need a distraction, something to draw enough of them away to give us a chance.’

‘You got any ideas?’

The sheriff pointed to a waggon standing at a safe distance from the fighting. ‘That’s got the weapons from their hideout on it. It looks to me like there are a couple of kegs on board.’

Pike peered through his spyglass. ‘Yeah, they got some powder on there all right. What about it?’

‘There are still horses tethered to it. If a couple of men could get down there and drive it away, some of the Apaches would come after it. The fuse would need to be timed right for them to catch up, the men could jump clear and then. . . .’

‘Boom! It’s a damned crazy idea, so crazy it might just work. Who’s gonna do it?’

‘I thought of it, so I guess I ought to go. Silver’s quite agile so I’ll take him.’

‘Yeah, agile and expendable, which you ain’t – expendable, I mean. Why don’t you let me send one of my men with him?’

Callaghan shook his head. ‘Your men have risked their lives enough already. All this has come about because of choices I made. It’s up to me to finish it.’

‘I understand. We’ll try to cover you as best we can. Good luck.’ The two men shook hands and the sheriff went to give Silver his instructions. The gunman listened carefully and then nodded his assent when Callaghan finished.

‘I was expecting some kind of objection.’

‘Would it do any good?’

‘No, I figure it’s the least you could do, even though you saved my life back there.’

Silver shrugged. ‘I guess you’re right. Besides, I’m a condemned man with a lot of paying back to do.’

‘Then let’s get started.’

As the two men rose to go, Christina approached them. ‘What’s this I hear, Luke? Have you gone completely mad?’

‘It’s the only way. We’ll all be massacred otherwise.’

‘But why does it have to be you? Let someone else go. What about Tate? This is all his fault after all!’

‘Do you trust him? Tate would only try to make a run for it, or kill me and give himself up to Chico, selling us all out in exchange for his life.’

‘I know you’re right. It just all seems so unfair. . . .’ Her voice trailed away and she shrugged helplessly.

‘I’ll be back, don’t worry.’ Callaghan gave her a reassuring smile as he turned away. Silver followed behind and Christina seized his arm.

‘Try to keep him safe, please.’

The gunman looked in to her eyes for a moment, then gently released her grip. ‘I’ll do my best,’ he told her.

The two men made their way to the far edge of the escarpment and climbed down as Chico launched his next attack. The Apaches were some distance to the left of them and focused on their assault; none of them spotted Callaghan and Silver until they had reached the foot of the slope and were running across the desert plain towards the waggon. Then one of Chico’s men happened to look down and saw them. Turning, he pointed his rifle at the two figures below and fired. The shot landed barely an inch from Callaghan, whizzing past his ear. The two men began to zig zag as other warriors fired at them too, the bullets throwing up clouds of dust as they landed all around them. At last they reached the waggon and Silver threw himself in the back as Callaghan lashed the horses into a fury.

By now Chico had sent some of his men after them in pursuit. They ran back down the slope, leaped on to their waiting horses and set off at a gallop after the two men and their stolen weapons. Silver busied himself with the fuses, tying one to each of the powder kegs while keeping an eye on their rapidly approaching pursuers.

‘They’re gaining on us already!’ he cried as he picked off the two nearest the front with his revolver.

‘Then get those damned fuses lit. We haven’t much time!’ Callaghan called back.

Silver fumbled for his matches as another Apache came to the front, leaped from his mount and landed in the back of the waggon. The outlaw snatched up his gun and fired just in time. He struck a match and lit the first fuse as the Apache’s body fell under the wheels.

‘Can’t you go any faster? I’m not ready yet!’ he pleaded.

Callaghan lashed the horses once again, urging them on and they began to pull away as Silver lit the second fuse. The gunman heard a thud as another warrior climbed on to the top of the waggon and ripped the cloth covering with his knife. He fired upwards through the slit and the dead man tumbled through the opening, landing on top of his assailant’s legs. The corpse was heavy and Silver struggled to free himself as the fuses burned down.

‘Hey, slow a little and then jump. I’ll follow!’

Callaghan pulled on the reins and felt the sweating horses slacken their pace, allowing the Apaches to catch up once more. Then he leaped and rolled over as he hit the ground. Winded, he stumbled to his feet just in time to see the shrieking warriors surround the waggon. There was no sign of Silver, however.

The trapped gunman gave a smile of satisfaction as his tormentors swarmed over the vehicle. The fuses had almost burned down but there was no point in waiting. One of them might notice in time to put them out.

‘Take a short ride to hell!’ cried Silver as he fired his last bullet at the keg nearest him.

The sound of the explosion was deafening when it came, accompanied by blinding flashes and orange flames that leaped up high into the air. A series of smaller explosions followed as crates of ammunition and a small box containing sticks of nitro-glycerine went off. Every pursuing Apache was caught in the blast, and those who had been on the waggon were the most fortunate as they were killed outright. Those who had been at the rear lay scattered around as burnt and bloodied vestiges of the men they had once been. Callaghan walked among these heaps of torn clothes and scorched flesh, dispensing a bullet where he heard feeble cries that indicated a man was still alive enough to feel pain. It was the horses he pitied most, however, for they were innocent and he attended to them first.

Then he made his way back to the main battle. As he approached he saw that Chico and his depleted force were being driven back. The sound of the explosion and the loss of both their companions and their valuable cargo had disheartened the enemy. Pike lost no time in pressing home his advantage. His men had mounted their horses and were riding down the slope after the fleeing Apaches, whom they now outnumbered.

Callaghan edged his way further up towards the mêlée. As he did so, he saw the intrepid Chico dodge a blow from a pursuing cavalryman, then drag the soldier from his horse and club him over the head. The Apache then leaped nimbly into the saddle and began to ride away. The sheriff pulled his gun and fired but it was an awkward shot from that angle amid the fleeing horde of warriors. The horse crumpled beneath its rider and Chico was thrown to the ground. Knowing he had used his last bullet, Callaghan swore with frustration and flung the weapon at him but Chico jumped aside and drew his knife.

The lawman was unarmed, and could only retreat as the blade swung towards him, narrowly avoiding a slit throat as he did so. Chico moved in again with a stabbing motion aimed at his heart and Callaghan turned sideways. His opponent had over-reached himself and he seized the Apache’s wrist, twisting it as he did so. The weapon dropped from his numbed fingers, but he moved in closer and tripped Callaghan as he did so. The sheriff now hit the ground with his adversary on top of him. The Apache’s hands reached for his throat and pressed down hard. Callaghan bucked and squirmed, his hands clawing at the man’s arms in a desperate attempt to loosen his opponent’s grip. It was no use, and he felt his struggles grow weaker as his lungs were starved of air. Then he felt something beneath him: it was the knife Chico had dropped. Summoning what remained of his strength, he thrust it into the Apache’s side, and the man’s grip immediately loosened. Callaghan withdrew the blade, then rolled aside and staggered to his feet.

Chico grunted in pain as he clutched the wound, blood seeping between his fingers. It was by no means fatal, but the sheriff had the advantage now, and it was he who retreated as Callaghan moved towards him. Crouching down, he picked up a fistful of sand and tossed it in the white man’s face. The sheriff was momentarily blinded and felt a shape move towards him, his eyes stinging. The Apache flung himself at his enemy with a cry but misjudged the move. Callaghan kept a good grip on the knife and it was pointed upwards as Chico threw him to the ground. The blade ripped through the warrior’s lungs and he gave a choked cry, blood frothing from his lips. It took a moment for the sheriff to realize what had happened, but then he shoved the dead man’s body aside and stumbled once more to his feet. The few remaining Apaches had fled, and the exhausted cavalrymen now ceased their pursuit. It was over.

Pike slowed his horse and stopped beside him. ‘Well, I gotta hand it you. It worked.’

‘Yeah, I told you it would.’

‘By the way, where’s Silver?’

Callaghan shook his head. ‘He didn’t make it.’

The sergeant shrugged. ‘Well, I reckon it was better than hanging.’

Christina then ran towards them and a moment later she was in Callaghan’s arms.

‘I guess I’ll just leave you to it,’ added Pike as he rode off.

‘I was so afraid you wouldn’t come back.’ She cupped the sheriff’s face in her hands, her eyes scanning him through her tears for signs of injury.

‘I’m fine, but Silver didn’t get out of the waggon in time.’

‘He wasn’t all bad, Luke, despite the things he did.’

‘No. In different circumstances, if he’d taken a different path maybe, he might even have been a lawman.’

She took his hand in hers. ‘Let’s go join the others. It looks like the worst is over.’

At that moment Carver came running towards them, Gorman hard on his heels. ‘Tate’s gone, Luke. Have you seen him?’

‘No. How did he get away?’

‘That’s what I’d like to know. I warned Pike against giving him a gun!’ Gorman appeared flushed with anger, or perhaps it was just the effort of running.

‘He must have stolen a horse and slipped away during the cavalry charge,’ said Carver.

‘Well then, let’s not panic. He can’t have got far, and we know he must be heading for the border.’

‘There’s no sense the whole troop chasing him. This man is my responsibility and I’ll catch him,’ said Gorman imperiously.

‘He’s desperate, and that makes him even more dangerous,’ urged Callaghan. ‘Matt and I will go with you.’

‘Well, if you insist, though I assure you there’s no need,’ conceded the detective.

‘You need to rest, Luke. Haven’t you done enough for one day?’ pleaded Christina.

‘Miss Salinas is right, Sheriff. It was a very brave thing you did earlier. Perhaps it’s time you let others take the risks.’

‘Thanks, I appreciate that.’ Callaghan was surprised by this act of conciliation from the prickly detective. ‘Nevertheless, I was the first to suspect Tate and apprehend him, so I feel obliged to help.’

Christina gave a sigh of resignation and shot Carver a pleading look. ‘Watch out for this stubborn man.’

Carver nodded. ‘Don’t worry,’ he told her.

‘Come on, let’s get our horses. There’s no time to waste,’ said Gorman, suddenly imperious again.

In no time at all the three men had mounted up, and they quickly found the fugitive’s trail. They set a steady pace. Tate would be expecting pursuers, but could not risk wearing out or injuring his horse in the desert heat, and neither could they.

They were approaching the range where they had spent the previous night when Carver spotted a figure riding ahead of them. ‘It must be him. Look, this trail’s fresh.’

‘Excuse me, gentlemen, but this is my fight.’ Gorman dug his spurs into his horse’s side and set off at a gallop.

‘That man’s a damned fool!’ declared Callaghan.

‘I figure he wants the glory of recapturing Tate all for himself,’ said Carver. ‘But I guess we’d better go help.’

The pair raced after him but the detective was now far ahead of them. By the time they reached the foot of the range, there were two horses tethered to a bush by the narrow path, and no sign of either man.

‘Tate must be armed. He probably figured it was best to reach a vantage point up there and pick us off. Leaving his horse behind was a smart move, he can move quicker that way,’ remarked Callaghan.

‘I guess Gorman didn’t want to be a sitting duck, and neither do we.’ Carver dismounted and drew his gun. Callaghan did the same. The two men then began a cautious climb upwards.