In this meaningless life, I have seen everything, including the fact that some good people die young and some wicked people live on and on.” –Ecclesiastes 7:15 (NLT)
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The last statement caused me to look up. Yep, snow would most likely be coming tomorrow if not sooner. I sure didn’t want to spend a night out in it, so I needed to get this taken care of now. Breathing a little prayer then I put the Greener in my left hand, I didn’t want to slaughter those boys, just arrest them. Pulling my Schofield, a pistol I had grown quite attached to since I purchased it several years ago.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped up to the doorway. I was careful not to look at the fire they had blazing in the room. “Hands up!” I ordered. As always, there has to be one who doesn’t understand that command. The man to my left went for his gun. I fired, there was a funny sound, a pinging noise then I saw him clutch his hand as his gun dropped.
“You shot me!” he cried, but my attention was on his friend.
Smiling, I said, “Take your chance or unbuckle your gunbelt.”
“I’m bleeding,” hollered the other miscreant.
“Doesn’t sound like much of a warrior,” I said looking at the man who dropped his belt. “Step away.”
I reached down with the Greener to pick up his belt by the barrel and bring it to where I was standing. “Is that why Ignacio sent you two away? You cry like babies?”
He stiffened, but the other man was now stooped over holding his wrist. I could see by the light of the fire that he was badly bleeding. “Best be seein’ to your friend before he bleeds to death.”
I picked up the gunbelt and tossed it by the entrance, then glanced over at the young buck’s hand. It was torn up severely, one of the bones, maybe both broken. “You boys have names?”
“I am Billy Blackhand, he is Davy Logan,” he said with a sneer to his voice. Then he looked at me with defiance, “We are not of Ignacio,” he spit, “who acts like an old woman. We ride with Colorow.”
“Yeah, an’ he’d be real proud of you, howlin’ like that.” I knew that Ignacio was fighting to keep the Ute lands for the Southern Ute, but he was also a wise chief understanding like Ouray did that the days of his people were numbered if they continued to fight. I understood also, that Coloraw was very active in his hostility. “I thought Coloraw was mostly with the Northern Utes. I do know this, that both Ignacio and Coloraw are honorable warriors. They would not kill defenseless Navaho sheepherders.”
The wound was still bleeding, so I thought it was time I took over. An artery must be severed. Holstering my gun, I pulled some pigging strings from the pocket of my vest and tied Billy’s hands behind his back, and pushed him down to sit. Then I turned my attention to Logan. I immediately saw part of the problem. My bullet had hit the hilt of his knife and knocked off a piece of wood which sliced through the man’s hand followed by my bullet. Bones were broken at his wrist with one poking out.
“Son, you’re in bad shape. You might want to consider singin’ your death song, or better yet turn to the One who died on the tree for your soul.” I grabbed the sleeve of his shirt to wrap his hand. Then I reached for another pigging string to tie up his arm in a tourniquet. I knew that it was dangerous for he could lose his arm, and that was not good for a Ute warrior, even a wannabe one. Finally, I was able to get the blood to stop, but he needed a doctor and the nearest one was back in Durango. I’m not sure I could save his arm to get him back, much less his life.
He had passed out, and I was hesitant to tied up his arm, but I did tie his feet together. He still had one good hand. I moved him while he was unconscious and tried to make him somewhat comfortable. Then I glanced around the room. “Any more wood around?” I asked the other man.
“Outside,” he replied defiantly.
Picking up the gunbelt, I went outside to see to Hawk and bring him up to the adobe. After I unsaddled him, I rubbed him down, then grabbed an armful of wood to bring inside the adobe. There was no other shelter, so I dropped the wood on the far side of the fire. The man hadn’t moved and the other was still unconscious. I sighed, then went back outside.
Grabbing the reins, I led Hawk inside the room. “No need for you to stand outside when the snow starts. Just mind your manners.”
I fed the fire, made a pot of coffee, then settled down for a long night.
Then, sometime during the night…