The descent took longer than expected.
This was largely because Em’s horse seemed to be terrified of the steeper sections of the mountain and took some considerable coaxing to move. Eventually though they made it.
‘Where now?’ Em asked, panting from exertion. The climb down had, if anything, been worse than going up. His legs ached, his back ached, his arms ached—in fact if there was a part of his body that didn’t ache then he couldn’t locate it.
‘They can’t be far off,’ Cole said.
There was no sign of them at the moment but they didn’t have the view they’d had up in the mountains. There was a trail to the east that led them amongst the tall pines and rolling hills. They’d be able to remain hidden and get far enough away to turn back towards Squaw unnoticed, crossing the river upstream of the rapids.
The only problem with the plan was that Cole had no idea where the rest of the posse were and he feared riding straight into them.
‘Then let’s get moving,’ Em said. ‘If you’re going to hang around for a fight then we should have done so back up there.’ He motioned back the way they had come.
‘You’ve lost your bloodlust?’
‘Hell no,’ Em retorted. ‘But coming down here takes away our best advantage.’
‘Then let’s ride,’ Cole said. ‘And try and keep that horse of yours under control.’
‘She don’t like heights is all,’ Em said.
Cole chuckled and spurred his horse onwards, leading the way into the thicket and the forest beyond. They rode for a few hundred yards and then once again had to dismount to lead the horses down a steep incline.
Eventually after much cursing and coaxing the horses they reached the foot of the mountains. They led the horses off into the tress and rode them for perhaps half a mile before Cole pulled his horse to a stop.
‘We’ll tether the horses here,’ Cole said. ‘Walk back a’ ways and watch the posse approach. Make sure they go up into the mountains.’
Em nodded.
It seemed like a prudent idea to him. If they had managed to shake the two riders off their tail then it made sense to know one way or the other. And from what he had seen of the two men shaking them off was anything but a sure thing. Those men stuck to them a cheap whore to a paid up cowboy.
He checked his rifle and dismounted.
On foot, they made their way back through the thicket, and climbed the banking that had proved so troublesome for the horses. Once on top, which offered them a good view, towards the mountains they saw the two riders. They were not more than a couple of thousand feet away, almost within earshot.
Lying in the long grass Cole watched as the two men stood beside their horses and seemed to be contemplating which way to go. He didn’t like the look of them. Em had been right—these men were both professional killers. They each had rifles in their saddle boots and wore long trail coats.
Cole could see that one of them was indeed a half-breed, either Indian or Mexican blood running through his veins. Even from this distance he looked impressive. Long jet black hair hung from the sides of his hat and framed a cruel looking set of features.
‘What they doing?’ Em whispered.
‘Beats me,’ Cole said.
He tried to make out the men’s features but they were too far away. He could just make out the dark complexion of the taller of the two and his long black hair, brushed back and hanging in a tail from the back of his Stetson. Cole felt there was something familiar about him, like he knew him from sometime back. He tried to recall but the memory wouldn’t come, he such a lot of life to sift through and for the moment it escaped him.
‘Come on, come on,’ Em whispered as he watched the two men. They seemed to be considering which trail to take up into the mountains.
‘Don’t look good,’ Cole said and froze as the taller of the two men turned and looked in their direction.
Cole felt his heart miss a beat and for one awful moment he felt that the man had seen them and that his eyes had burned into his soul. But then the man turned away and knelt to examine the ground.
‘He knows. ‘Em said. ‘He knows we ain’t even up there.’
‘We didn’t have time to wipe our tracks,’ Cole said. He shared the old man’s anguish but the eternal optimist inside him was hoping the two men would suddenly develop myopia.
It was looking more and more like the men had not been fooled and wouldn’t bother going up into the mountains in search of them.
Cole clenched his fists and prayed silently beneath his breath.
Em cocked his rifle, sending a bullet into the breach. He was about to take aim, ready to fire as soon as the men came into range. If the man came towards them Em figured on taking at least one of them out before they knew what was happening but Cole motioned to lower the rifle.
With a frown Em did so.
‘Move back quietly but quickly,’ Cole said. ‘Let’s get out of here. Let’s put some distance between us.’
‘I think they’ll follow,’ Em said.
‘Maybe,’ Cole replied. ‘That’s a chance we’ll have to take.’
He took another look at the men and they appeared to be deep in conversation, seemingly discussing the route to take up into the mountains. Who were these men?
The slid backwards and then moved down the banking and went into the thicket. Moving as quickly as they could back to their horses, but taking care not to make too much sound. It was unlikely that the men would hear them but neither wanted to chance it.
They reached their horses and mounted up and then after a quick glance over his shoulder, Cole set the pace and took his horse forward at a steady trot. He wanted to get some more distance between them and the men before gaining speed.
The sound of a galloping horse could travel a fair ways in country like this.
‘Guess we lost them after all,’ Em said, looking back.
They had covered perhaps a mile and there was no sign of the men behind them. Thinking the men must have gone up in the mountains after all, the old man started to feel a little easier. He patted the roan’s neck.
‘Now we just got to worry about coming across the others,’ Cole said. Em nodded. ‘Sure is curious them two being alone. Maybe they scouted on ahead and left the others at their camp.’
Cole had already considered that but it didn’t seem likely. ‘Can’t see no sense in that,’ he said.
‘I think the most deadly ones are the two we just left behind in any case,’ Em said. ‘Sam Bowden’s nothing to fear and the rest of them are hired hands’ Cowboys, nothing more. Doubt if many of them could shoot any straighter than a temperance woman with eye glasses.’
‘Still pays to be cautious.’ Cole took his tobacco from his saddlebags and grabbed his pipe out of his shirt. He thumbed the Durham into the bowl and brought a match to the pipe.
Cole figured they needed to travel another ten miles before crossing the river and setting camp for the night. They’d need to be on the move again just after first light if they were to meet the stage before it got to Squaw. There was still enough time to ride straight into trouble if they didn’t take care.
Cole knew he’d be fine to ride through the night but he wasn’t too sure of Em. The old man had already had a hard ride getting here and although he’d not complain the pace must have been taking its toll on him. And of course stumbling about after dark would be a sure way to walk right into the rest of the posse. No travelling after dark was not really an option.
‘It’ll all be over soon enough,’ Cole said.
‘Amen to that,’ Em said and then added with a toothless grin: ‘Let’s hope we’re alive to see it.’
‘Can’t even think otherwise,’ Cole said. ‘I’ve gone too far with this thing to take a bullet now.’
‘Going into town with the stage is just as likely to get you killed,’ Em said.
‘No,’ Cole shook his head and puffed hard at his pipe to remove a piece of tobacco that was blocking the stem. ‘As soon as Clem Bowden sees the judge he’ll have to end it all. He’ll have to let his son take his chances against the law. Clem Bowden’s an evil son-of-a-bitch but he’s no fool.’
‘His son’s sheriff,’ Em reminded him. ‘That might carry some weight with the judge.’
‘The Judge will see through all that,’ Cole said. ‘I think he’ll believe my story. As long as I get to him before Clem has a chance to sully the water. And I’m banking on a few of the town’s folk speaking up once they see the way things are going.’
‘Not much hope of them cowards speaking,’ Em said. ‘It’d be more likely for the Lord to swoop down and take out the Bowdens’ himself.’
‘We’ll see,’ Cole said. ‘We’ll see.’ He puffed on the pipe and then speeded the horse up slightly, feeling less on edge now.
‘Don’t matter,’ Em said. ‘First we got to get away from this darned posse. Everything else will have to take its course.’
‘So far so good,’ Cole said and then wished he hadn’t as he heard the sound of galloping horses behind them.
They looked at each other in stunned disbelief and then behind them. They both turned in the saddle and then looked at each other.
Sure enough the riders were coming, horses galloping like the wind.
‘Shit,’ Em said and let off a wild shot at the men. Not aimed, fired from the back of a moving horse, the bullet went all to hell.
The two men ignored the shot and kept coming at the same relentless speed.
‘Who are these men?’ Cole asked as he kicked his own horse into a gallop.