The Devil's Boneyard Read online

  “What?” Ben yelled back. “What did you say?” He kept the horses moving.

  “You win!” Ormond yelled frantically, fearful now that Ben didn’t intend to stop. “I’ll ride! I’ll ride!”

  Ben pulled the horses to a stop then. “Well, that sure seems a lot more sensible to me.” He dismounted and untied Ormond’s feet but left his arms bound to his sides until he had him up in the saddle before freeing them. Once he was settled, Ben took a hard look at Ormond, his clothes torn and little spots of blood showing up through his shirt and trousers. “That’s a hard way to travel. I’m gonna tell both of you how it’s gonna be from here on out. You don’t give me any trouble and I won’t give you any. But make no mistake, I will not hesitate to put a bullet in your head, if you give me reason to. I’ve hauled many an outlaw to court before, so if you try to escape, know this; I will shoot you down. I might as well tell you now, I don’t sleep, especially on a ride this short, when we won’t stop but one or maybe two nights. My job is to transport the two of you to a holdin’ cell in Buzzard’s Bluff. The trip will be as easy as you make it. We understand each other?” Neither man answered. “All right, let’s move.” He nudged Cousin again and looked back over his shoulder. “Sorry about your hat. There wasn’t time to stop for it.”

  He led them back to Waco, but when he crossed the bridge, he turned them to the south to strike the trail he had ridden into the town the day before. His two prisoners rode sullenly along behind him with no recourse but to ride silently, each one thinking of the small fortune riding in their saddlebags. There was no possibility in either man’s mind of this journey being completed. There was bound to be an opportunity somewhere between Waco and Buzzard’s Bluff when the smug lawman would get careless.

  Since he was following a clear wagon track that led to Buzzard’s Bluff, Ben continued riding late that night until he decided he had a good lead on anyone who might start out after him. When he came to a little creek that seemed a suitable campsite, he led his prisoners off the road and into a small clearing near the water. “Here’s how we’re gonna do this,” he told them. “Ormond, throw your leg over and I’ll keep you from fallin’ on your behind. Pete, you just sit right where you are.” With his six-gun in hand, he ordered Ormond to walk over to a small tree he pointed out. When Ormond hesitated, obviously weighing his possibilities, Ben fired a shot into the ground between his feet.

  Ormond jumped backward in quick reflex. “All right!” He exclaimed, “I’m goin’.” He quickly walked over to the tree Ben indicated and stood there.

  “You might wanna move around to the other side of the tree, so you’ll be facin’ the fire when you sit down,” Ben suggested and waited until he did so. Then he told him to sit down with his legs on either side of the tree. When he did, Ben quickly tied his feet together. “We’ll leave you like that for a while, till I get your partner fixed up.” Hearing that, Pete kicked one foot out of the stirrup when the wild thought of jumping off the horse and running struck him. “Keep your gun on him, Tuck,” Ben warned.

  Pete immediately settled down again without thinking. When he did think about it, he mumbled, “There ain’t nobody named Tuck helpin’ you.”

  “Depends on how you look at it,” Ben said. “You saw what Ormond just did, so you’re gonna do the same thing on that tree.” He pointed to another tree about twenty-five feet from the one Ormond straddled. While he got Pete secured to the second tree, he spoke loud enough for both men to hear. “I’ll rustle up enough grub to keep us alive till we get to Buzzard’s Bluff. I’ll free your hands long enough for you to eat. That’s always a time when prisoners get an idea about untying their feet and takin’ off. So, that’s when I’ll be watchin’ you real close. As long as you both behave, it’ll be an easy trip to Buzzard’s Bluff. If you give me any trouble, my usual practice is to put a round into your shoulder or leg to hobble you. Just remember, I warned you, if you decide to go that route. You understand?”

  “You go to hell,” Ormond replied, having somewhat recovered from the ordeal of having been dragged, the worst part of which was his bluff being called. “You’d best keep a sharp eye of us. You still have a debt to pay for killin’ my brother.” He didn’t say it, but in his mind, there was also the matter of settling with Mack Bragg. He had been forced to run from Buzzard’s Bluff, but he had every intention of revenging his brother.

  “Thanks for the warnin’,” Ben responded. “I’ll be sure not to take any chances with you.” With the two of them sitting snug against a tree, their hands cuffed behind their backs, he felt he could get about the business of taking care of the horses. Then he could build a fire and cook some of the bacon he had left. They should reach Cletus Priest’s store in the morning. He could buy supplies there for a little better breakfast for them and give the horses a good rest.

  After he fed his prisoners and himself a supper of bacon and coffee, and suffered their complaints about it, he released each of them to take the opportunity to answer nature’s call before being locked to the tree all night. “I gotta go, but I can’t go while anybody’s watchin’ me,” Ormond complained.

  Before Ben could answer, Pete responded. “Since when?” He blurted before thinking. “I remember that time in Houston when you stood out there in the . . .” He stopped before going any further, when it struck him what he was saying. Glancing quickly at Ormond to see the look of painful anger in his face, he said, “That’s right, you always was kinda shy about that.”

  Ben smiled at Ormond and said, “Just pretend I ain’t here.” After his prisoners relieved themselves, he had them return to their sitting positions at their respective trees. The only difference, their hands cuffed around the tree trunk and their feet untied. He reminded them that he never slept, then he sat down against a tree on the other side of the fire to watch them, his rifle across his lap. Although there was much complaining about having to try to sleep locked to a tree, in time, they both fell asleep from sheer exhaustion. He was not far behind them to slumber, confident that the handcuffs would not fail.

  CHAPTER 8

  “They coulda gone all the way to Oklahoma lookin’ for those horses by now,” Lester Drum declared to his father when he walked back into the church. It was the second time he had gone out to the corral to check for any sign of Ormond and Pete, since they supposedly went in search of their missing horses. “I knew damn well they was up to somethin’ when they wouldn’t go without their saddles and saddlebags. I’ll bet they robbed that bank in Giddings that Walt Murphy mentioned. That’s why they wouldn’t leave their saddlebags here when they went to hunt for them horses.”

  “I expect you might be right about that,” Reuben said. “They weren’t takin’ no chances on us lookin’ in those saddlebags. We’re gonna have to talk about that when they come back.”

  “If they come back,” Lester prompted, fully suspicious now.

  “But what happened to their horses in the first place?” Slim wondered. “How come their horses was the only ones that wandered off?”

  Thoroughly worked up by this time, Lester was working out the plot in his head. “Walt Murphy,” he blurted. “He’s in it with ’em. Those two horses didn’t just happen to wander off from the rest of ’em. I expect Ormond and Pete are slappin’ their saddles back on that dun and that Morgan right now, while we’re settin’ here suckin’ our thumbs. They most likely counted out Walt’s share of that bank money already.”

  Reuben was not sure he agreed. “I know that’s one way of lookin’ at it, Lester. But Walt’s been pretty square with me for a long time now.”

  “There ain’t never been a payoff this big before,” Lester insisted. “Hell, Pap, it’s as plain as the nose on your face.” It was all adding up in his mind at this point. “Don’t it strike you as kinda strange that he knew those two birds were here at the church before he came over here yesterday? He knew about that bank robbery and he knew they were here.”

  His father didn’t reply for a long few moments while he
thought about everything his son had said. When he finally spoke, he said, “I reckon you might be right. I don’t know why I didn’t see what he was up to.” The more he accepted Lester’s interpretation of the incident, the angrier he became. “On top of that, he stole two horses from me.”

  “I’m goin’ after that damn snake,” Lester declared. “He ain’t gettin’ away with this.” He looked around him for volunteers. Several stepped forward. “Slim, you and Riley, I don’t want too many. Let’s saddle up.” He headed for the door.

  “Hold on a minute, Son,” Reuben stopped him. “Where are you goin’ to look for ’em? We ain’t got no idea where they headed when they left here.”

  “First place I’m gonna look is Sheriff Walt Murphy’s office in Waco,” Lester answered. “If he ain’t there, we’ll have to wait till mornin’ to find a trail to see which way he left here tonight. He might notta gone back to town, but we’ll run him to ground. I’ll guarantee you that.”

  “You be careful,” Reuben told him. “And let him tell you his side of it. We’ve been workin’ together for a good while now.”

  Lester, Slim, and Riley hustled out to the corral to saddle up. With time precious, they didn’t waste it, and were soon in the saddle and on the road to Waco and the sheriff’s office.

  * * *

  “What tha . . .” Walt Murphy sputtered, startled when the three outlaws from the church suddenly appeared in the doorway of his office. He rushed to the door and took a quick look up and down the street before confronting them. “Lester, what in the hell are you fellers doin’ here on this side of town? Does your pa know you boys are in town, on this side of town at that?” His agreement with Reuben was their visits to town would be seldom and only in the Reservation when they did come in.

  “I’m thinkin’ you oughta be able to guess why we’re here,” Lester said and walked over to the door to the cell room. “You got anybody in jail?” He asked, “Somebody that ain’t really under arrest?”

  “Are you drunk?” Walt asked. “What are you talkin’ about? No, there ain’t nobody in the cells right now. You’d best start makin’ sense or you’re liable to end up in one of ’em.”

  “I’m tired of beatin’ around the bush with you,” Lester said. “Where’s Ormond Hazzard and Pete Russell?” As he asked the question, it occurred to him that Walt might not have an arrangement with them. He might have simply killed them and was the sole owner of the bank cash. “Maybe I’d do better askin’ you where’s the bank money they was carryin in their saddlebags?”

  Walt looked at the two men with Lester, their faces questioning him as well. “What the hell are you talkin’ about, Lester? Ormond and Pete damn-sure better be at the church. That’s where they were the last time I saw ’em. So maybe you’d best tell me where they are.”

  “You ain’t foolin’ nobody,” Lester came back at him. “How ’bout those two horses?”

  “How ’bout what two horses?” Walt asked. The argument went back and forth for several minutes until, finally, Lester related the events that took place earlier, starting with Slim’s report of the two missing horses. Walt gradually got a picture of what had really happened, although Lester had not reached that point yet. He paused for a few moments to catch his breath while Lester continued to glare at him accusingly. “I know where the two horses are,” he said, his tone calmer now. “I know where Pete and Ormond are, and I know where the money is.” This captured their attention right away. “While we’re standin’ here arguing, they’re under arrest and on their way to Buzzard’s Bluff.” He clenched his teeth together and scowled when he thought about Ben Savage and the way he had played him for a fool. This was the only answer to Pete and Ormond’s sudden disappearance. Ben Savage rigged up an ambush and captured them.

  After he explained it to the three outlaws from the church, he told them what they must do. “You’ve got to catch up with Savage before he gets Pete and Ormond to the jailhouse in Buzzard’s Bluff. That’s all there is to it. If you don’t, we’ll all lose a share in that money.” Lester asked if Walt was going with them, and Walt said, “No, I ain’t goin’ with you. I can’t, not and still be the sheriff of this town. It’s up to the three of you to get that money. Whether you set Pete and Ormond free don’t matter. Just get the money. Don’t waste no more time. Get goin’.”

  “We shoulda brought a packhorse with some food,” Slim said at once.

  “They’ll be takin’ the road that leads to Buzzard’s Bluff,” Walt replied. “Cletus Priest has a store on that road—you can stop and get you some supplies there. I’ve got a little coffeepot I don’t ever use. You can take that with you, but I want it back.” He walked to the door and took a look up and down the street. “Now get on outta here before one of our honest citizens sees you comin’ outta my office and starts askin’ me who you are.”

  * * *

  Up before sunrise the next morning, after a very short night, Ben woke his prisoners and had them on their horses quickly and back on the road to Buzzard’s Bluff. Promising them a good breakfast when the horses were ready to rest, he planned that stop to be at Cletus Priest’s store.

  “I believe you boys know Cletus and Jenny,” he said, as he turned Cousin off the road. They were spotted by Cletus before they reached the cabin.

  “Well, I’ll be double doggoned,” he mumbled, then called out. “Jenny, here comes Ben Savage back and he’s got them two fellers with him.”

  She came out on the porch to see for herself. “I see he ain’t wearin’ that sling no more,” she commented, staring at Pete. “It musta healed up all right.”

  “Howdy, Ben,” Cletus greeted him. “I see you caught up with Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones.”

  “Howdy, Cletus,” Ben returned and tipped his hat in Jenny’s direction. “Yep, I found ’em up near Waco, and they’ve agreed to go back to Buzzard’s Bluff with me. I didn’t give ’em much supper last night, so I promised ’em I’d give ’em a good breakfast when we got here.”

  Jenny stepped down from the porch and walked over beside Pete’s horse. “How’s that arm doin’?” she asked.

  “It’s comin’ along just fine,” Pete answered.

  “I don’t take kindly to liars,” she said. “I wouldn’ta bothered doctorin’ that arm if I’da knowed you was lyin’ about who shot you, it bein’ a Texas Ranger and all.”

  “Yessum,” Pete replied contritely. “I’m real sorry about that, but I was afraid you wouldn’t doctor my arm if I told you how I got shot.”

  “Haw,” she snorted. “I reckon that’s a fact, all right.” She turned to Ben then. “Was you talkin’ about me cookin’ up a breakfast for ’em?”

  “Tell you the truth, I didn’t figure you did that kinda business,” Ben said. “I was just thinkin’ I would buy some ham or sowbelly from you, maybe some sugar and apples, if you’ve got any dried apples.”

  “We’d be glad to sell you them things, always appreciate the business,” she said. “Whaddaya gonna do with them two?”

  “I’m plannin’ on takin’ ’em to Buzzard’s Bluff and put ’em in the jail,” Ben answered. “Then Sheriff Bragg will hold ’em there till some U.S. marshals pick ’em up and take ’em to Austin for trial.”

  She appeared to consider that for a few minutes, then she asked, “You expect they’ll hang ’em?”

  “I don’t know,” Ben answered. “They tried to kill Mack Bragg, they robbed a bank in Giddings, killed a bank manager . . . and they stole my horse. So I reckon it depends on what the judge and jury think.”

  “As bad as they are, it seems a shame they can’t have one good meal before they’re took to jail. That one feller I took care of, he didn’t seem so bad. I believe the big one has led him to get mixed up in all them things you say they done. What would you say about me cookin’ up a big breakfast for ’em, sausage and taters, biscuits and gravy?”

  Ben was surprised. Evidently, Jenny had developed a little soft spot for Pete while she gave him the care he needed. “Well, if you
wanted to go to all that trouble, I’d say I’m agreeable on two conditions. One, I’ll pay you ten dollars to cook it, and two, I get to have some of it, too.” He watched the smile spread across her bony face. “You got to understand, though, these two prisoners are dangerous men. They’ll have to be under guard the whole time they’re eatin’, and in handcuffs while I’m eatin’.”

  As surprised as Pete and Ormond were by the old lady’s compassion for them, her husband was far less compassionate. “Hon, what in the world are you wantin’ to cook for the likes of them two for? They ain’t nothin’ but common outlaws.”

  “Don’t hurt to give a mad dog a bone once in a while, Cletus,” she answered. “’Specially when you can make ten dollars doin’ it.” She cackled gleefully. “Ranger Savage, we’ve got us a deal. I’d best get started. Good thing I’ve already got biscuit dough rolled out.”

  Caught up in her excitement when she heard how much he offered to pay her for the breakfast, Ben said, “I’ll tell you what, we’ll make it twenty dollars.” That served to make Cletus’s eyes grow as big as Jenny’s. Ben promptly went to Ormond’s saddlebags and peeled a twenty-dollar bill from a stack of twenties, courtesy of the Bank of Lee County. He figured it wouldn’t make much difference to the bank. It just added to the amount the two outlaws had already spent.

  When Jenny hurried to the kitchen, Ben’s concerns turned to taking care of the horses, as well as securing his prisoners. When he helped them off the horses, Cletus offered to help. “If you don’t particularly want to lock those boys to a tree, you could put ’em in the smokehouse and take the handcuffs off ’em. I built that smokehouse so nobody can get in, and when I put that padlock on the door, can’t nobody get out. You take a look at it.” Ben did and decided Cletus was right, so his prisoners got a little relief from hugging the trees. Besides that, he thought, there would be very little incentive for escaping at this point, with the promise of the big breakfast coming. “I figure you could use a little time for your horses and have a cup of coffee without havin’ to guard those two while Jenny’s cookin’.”