Spur was sitting up sipping water from a canteen when he and the girl heard the approaching horse. The girl picked up the rifle and they both froze at the sound. Then came the call: “Jane.”
She ran out of the trees and saw Pagley in the moonlight, sitting the dun. He saw her and came on. A moment later he was squatting with the two of them.
“That bit’s over,” he said. He looked at Spur and thought he looked terrible. Jane had washed the worst of his lacerations, but he would bear the scars till he died.
“Now,” Pagley said, “can we just ride out of here?” His head ached like hell from the tap he had received from the war-club.
Spur looked at him out of eyes over which there seemed to be a film. Pagley was thankful. No man who looked like that would consider doing anything crazy like still trying to save the Grimes girl.
Spur said: “We don’t have the Grimes girl.”
Pagley groaned. He had never meant a groan more in his life.
“Look,” he said. “You’re more dead than alive, my head’s singing like a saloon tenor. Why don’t we get on those damned ponies, go home an’ you get married to this nice girl here and we forget all about the Grimes girl.”
Spur took the girl’s hand and tried to smile. “That’s a fine idea,” he said. The Delaware’s heart lifted. But it plunged to the depths again mighty quickly when Spur added, “But it’s not possible. We didn’t ride all this way to get ourselves all mussed up and ride home again. You’re not serious when you say it. It’s just your warped Indian sense of humor.”
“Yes,” Pagley said bitterly. “That’s right. The thing I like to laugh at best is me stayin’ alive. Real comical.”
Jane said: “Spur, nobody could be expected to do more than you did.”
“I didn’t do anything,” Spur reminded her. “It mostly happened to me.”
Pagley snarled: “The Kiowas just had plenty done to em.
“I’ll kill my own snakes,” Spur said. - Pagley gave a long sigh.
“Girl,” he told Jane, “you gotten yourself the stubbornest man this side of the Missouri.”
Jane took both Spur’s hands in hers.
“Spur, do this for me, honey. I want to take a live man back with me.”
“For Christ’s sake,” Spur said, “you think I enjoy this? Get off’n my back, the pair of you. Take the girl and get out of here, Pagley.”
Pagley yawned. It had been a long hard day and he was ready to drop.
“We stay together,” he said. “There ain’t nothin’ a whiteman can do a Delaware can’t do better. You’re the biggest damn fool I ever met - exceptin’ me and maybe this girl here. We stay together.”
“There’s no call—”Spur began, but Pagley waved him to silence.
“Save your breath. Come mornin’, Pagley will solve all your problems. Come noon, we’ll have the girl.”
“What in hell’re you talking about?” Spur demanded.
Pagley looked wise beyond all knowledge of man. He openly smirked.
“The Kiowas, God damn their heathen souls, have somethin’ we want. We have somethin’ they want.”
“What do we have they want?” the girl asked.
“Not another word,” Pagley said grandly and stood up, hefting his rifle. “Now, from here on out, I’m bossin’ this outfit. I’ll stand first guard and Jane the second. Spur sleeps all night - he has to get his strength back and we have to be mighty active tomorrow.”
With that he walked off into the darkness.