Ike Silver could have moved. Could have gone for his gun. But he didn’t, not yet.
Colorados shuddered, wavered, and collapsed as Ike reached out and grabbed him before he hit the ground.
“Sean! Jake!”
Ike still held on to him as the men he had called out to and a few more, including Ben Brown and Binky, appeared from the darkness, and with them Sister Bonney and Melena.
“Great thunderin’ hallelujah!” Sean ran up to help Ike hold on to the unconscious Apache.
“Dead?” Jake asked.
“Not yet.”
“Zounds!” Binky leaned closer to get a better look at the red man whose body was even redder with blood from the wound. “ ’Tis not so deep as a well, nor wide as a church door, but ’tis enough, ’twil serve.”
“Are you all right?” Sister Bonney looked at Ike.
Ike nodded.
“Let’s see what we can do for him.”
Sean Dolan and Ben, with the help of a couple of the other men, lifted the inert form and started to carry him away.
“You know who he is, don’t you?” Ben glanced back at Ike.
“I do.”
From the distance a howl cut through the night and was answered from another direction.
“Coyotes . . .” Jake blinked at his brother.
“I hope so.”