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Kid
Curry stretched in the saddle and ran his hand across his brow. It
was hot, very hot. He and his partner had been riding all morning
and now as the hottest part of the day approached, they were looking
for somewhere to rest, preferably somewhere shady mused the Kid. He
was never at his best in the heat, which always amused his partner,
who never seemed to be affected by it himself.
Heyes
was riding slightly ahead of Curry, when he stopped and turned in
his saddle with a big smile on his face.
"You
hear that Kid?"
Kid
strained to listen and smiled himself at the sound of running water.
A good long drink and maybe even a swim in the cool water sounded
real good right now.
An hour
later, they were sitting by the side of the stream, drying off in
the sun after a refreshing dip in the water. Heyes had built a fire
and brewed coffee but Curry had shaken his head at the offer,
baffled as to how Heyes could drink anything hot in this weather. It
was tempting to stay where they were and make camp for the night but
the thought of real beds in a real hotel room prompted them to set
off once more.
As the
afternoon turned into evening, it seemed to Curry that it was
becoming hotter if anything. The sweat was pouring down his back and
his hair was plastered to his forehead. He should be used to the
heat he thought, but for some reason today it was really getting to
him. He took yet another drink from his canteen but as he tilted his
head back, a wave of nausea rose over him. He closed his eyes,
willing himself to ignore it and then urged his horse forward to
keep up with his partner.
It was
dusk as they made their way slowly down a steep hill. They were
still some miles from town, the heat of the day having slowed them
considerably, and clearly they weren't going to reach it before
nightfall. Spotting what appeared to be an abandoned cabin some
distance away at the foot of the hill, they headed for it, hoping
that it would provide shelter for the night.
It was
dark by the time they arrived and reining in his horse outside the
cabin, Curry dismounted, and almost immediately swayed to the side.
Heyes reached out to steady him, just as another wave of nausea hit
him.
Heyes
peered at his partner in the darkness. His eyes looked a little
sunken and his face was somewhat pale and covered in sweat.
"Hey
Kid, you OK?" he asked, concerned, as he lead him inside the
old cabin and helped him sit down on a pile of hay.
Curry
opened his mouth to protest that he would be fine if Heyes would
just quit fussing, when the nausea returned and it quickly became
obvious to them both that he wasn't fine.
Heyes
retrieved their bedrolls from the saddles and laid them out. Kid
meant to object, but he had to admit he really didn't feel too good.
Maybe if he just closed his eyes for a few minutes, the nausea would
go away. Heyes offered his canteen to Kid, but he waved it away. All
he wanted to do was lie down and in a couple of moments he was
sleeping.
Heyes
set about making camp and then sat down next to Curry, wondering
what was wrong with his partner. He'd seemed fine this morning and
watching him now, his breathing seemed easy enough. Maybe he had
eaten something disagreeable? Thinking back, he couldn't remember
Kid eating anything that he hadn't. All they'd had all day was
coffee and jerky.
Heyes
reached for the canteen of water and, raising it to his lips,
stopped as a thought struck him. He sniffed at the water. It smelt
fine but Heyes knew that really meant very little. Was there
something wrong with the water from the stream? Thinking back, he
remembered that he'd brewed coffee whereas Kid had drank the cold
water. Shaking his canteen now, Heyes realised it was still nearly
full and so he himself had only drank a small amount of it. Reaching
across to Curry's canteen, he shook it and found it was nearly
empty. Not surprisingly as Kid had been complaining about the heat
all day, he'd drank nearly all of his water. So that was the
problem. Bad water. Heyes took both canteens and searching around
the cabin as best he could in the dark, he discovered a well
outside. He refilled both canteens with the fresh water and then
went back inside. At least they had shelter for the night and Kid
could get plenty of rest and hopefully he'd feel better in the
morning.

Curry
opened his eyes and stretched in his bedroll, before sitting up
rather groggily and looking around. Sunlight was streaming into the
room through the holes in the wooden walls of the deserted,
ramshackle cabin. Heyes' bedroll was still on the floor next to him,
but it was empty so Curry assumed that his partner was already up
and about.
He
rubbed his eyes and ran his hands through his hair and then,
deciding that he felt a lot better this morning, he clambered out of
his blanket and pulled on his clothes before heading outside.
"Morning
Kid, sleeping in again?"
Heyes
smiled at him as he walked out of what passed as the door into the
sunshine. It appeared that Heyes had been up for a while and already
had the fire and coffee organised. Sitting down opposite him, Curry
took the proffered coffee and jerky and looked around.
The
cabin clearly hadn't been lived in for many years and was in a bad
state of disrepair. It had afforded them shelter last night, but in
the light of day it didn't look very welcoming. At the back of the
cabin was a small expanse of land which backed up to a ridge. At the
front, the small track to the cabin curved down a steep slope. Curry
shuddered slightly. It felt very closed in and not a good place for
a wanted man. There were far too many places from where the cabin
could be watched and not enough possible escape routes.
He
almost smiled to himself. Would they ever really be free of looking
behind them all the time, checking the sheriff's office every time
they went into a town, staying up half the night to keep watch? Free
of running? It was something he didn't think about often, generally
just trying to take each day as it came. And anyway, this time he
did smile to himself, just "taking each day as it came"
and keeping from being captured or killed usually took all of their
attention. They didn't have much time really to ponder the future.
But, he finally admitted to himself, he'd had a feeling of unease
these past two days. A couple of times he'd had the feeling that
they were being watched, being followed. He'd kept a close lookout
but hadn't seen anything. Still he couldn't shake the feeling of
unease. Maybe he was just getting jumpy from being constantly on the
run, seeing trouble where there wasn't any. He remembered a few
weeks back when Heyes had done exactly that - and remembered too the
trouble that had led them into when they were forced to help the
sheriff search out a dangerous gunman. So he'd decided for now not
to say anything to Heyes, but just to keep a careful watch. There
was no denying however that this place gave him a bad feeling.
Gulping
down the last of the coffee, Kid stood up, hoping that his partner
would not have any objections to riding out swiftly.
"Keen
to leave Kid?" asked Heyes.
Curry
turned towards him, the automatic sardonic reply almost past his
lips, but when he saw Heyes' face, he stopped himself. Heyes wasn't
jesting, wasn't merely engaging in the lighthearted banter they
regularly used to pass the time. In fact, he looked quite serious.
"It
give you a bad feeling too?"
Heyes
nodded, frowning.
"I
looked around this morning Kid, while you were still asleep. If we'd
been able to see this landscape last night, maybe we wouldn't have
stopped here after all. We were a couple of sitting ducks last
night. This place is totally surrounded by vantage points which
can't even be seen from the cabin.
Curry
shuddered again and looked upwards towards the hills. Someone, a
bounty hunter, anyone, could be up there right now, watching them.
Sensing
Curry's thoughts, Heyes answered the unspoken question.
"I
haven't seen any signs of movement up there this morning. I'm pretty
sure there's no-one there but I don't fancy sitting around for
long." He paused a moment, looking around once more.
"Kid,
how about we just ride straight on out of here?"
"Heyes,
for once I couldn't agree with you more. C'mon, let's go."
nodded Curry, relieved that Heyes was no more keen to stay than he
was.
They
quickly started to gather together their gear and prepared to leave
and only a few minutes later, they were riding up the track at the
front of the cabin, both of them relieved to be leaving the place
behind them.

By late
the following afternoon, the two former outlaws were nearing town.
Kid had been almost back to his old self today and they'd made much
better progress and were sure they'd reach town before dark.
Heyes
was riding slightly in front of Curry and suddenly became aware that
his partner was no longer right behind him. Turning, he saw that
Curry had stopped several yards back and was staring intently back
down the trail, in the direction they'd come from. The concern was
evident on Heyes' face but he managed to bite his tongue before
asking Curry if he felt OK. Curry could be as stubborn as he was
himself, more so in fact he decided, and fussing over him would only
make him bad tempered. Instead, Heyes stayed where he was and
waited.
Finally,
Curry turned back around to face Heyes, not surprised that he had
stopped and was watching him. He sighed heavily and then rode
towards him.
"Don't
ask" he commanded as he passed him.
"Didn't
say a word" replied Heyes with a straight face, and turned to
follow his partner.
Suddenly
Curry drew to a halt again and turned back to face Heyes.
"If
I tell you what's bothering me, you'll only say I'm crazy."
Curry's voice held a slight challenge, but he didn't move from where
he was. Instead he sat still and continued to look directly at Heyes.
Heyes
was a little taken aback, unsure where this had come from or what
Curry was getting at. Usually they followed each other's train of
thought even before the words had been spoken, but this time he had
no idea what Curry was talking about. Judging by Curry's stance
though, he was expecting a reply and he was expecting to be taken
seriously. Heyes gave him a big smile.
"Kid,
I've known you're crazy for years, what's the difference?
Might as well tell me anyway."
Curry
stared back at him, unflinching and without breaking a smile, trying
to decide what to say. Heck, this time he even thought he was
crazy. It was just that he'd had this feeling for an hour or so now,
call it instinct or something. He had searched hard for any tangible
evidence but hadn't found any - yet. He sighed and glanced back down
the trail and then turned back to look straight at Heyes again.
"Someone's
following us."
Heyes
turned and looked down the trail too.
"Darn
it! What'd you see?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"Nothing."
Heyes
squinted a little in confusion, before asking "You hear
something?"
"No."
"No?"
"No."
"Then
what?"
Curry
turned away from him and started on up the trail again.
"I
told ya you'd say I was crazy"
Heyes
turned quickly and rode up beside his partner.
"Wait
a moment Kid!"
It came
out a little brusquely as Heyes forced Curry to a standstill and
made him look at him.
"I
never said that." he added, more gently this time.
"No?"
"No."
"I
..." Curry hesitated.
"I
trust your instinct, Kid. If you think there's someone following us,
then I believe you. What do you think we should do about it?"
Relieved
that Heyes hadn't accused him of being crazy, Kid tried to explain.
"I've
had a feeling we're being followed for about an hour. I keep looking
but I can't see anything."
"Not
being able to see them doesn't mean they're not there."
"If
they were close, I'd have seen something or heard something. They
must be a way away. How far is it to town?"
"About
an hour."
"Then
maybe we should just keep heading right into town? Maybe just keep a
close look out?"
Heyes
nodded in agreement, glancing behind him all the same.
"I
could be wrong Heyes. Maybe there's no-one there. Maybe it's this
heat playing tricks." He smiled. "Or maybe I am just a
little crazy."
Heyes
urged his horse forward, and then looked back towards Curry.
"I've
been tryin' to tell ya that for years Kid!"

Twenty
minutes later, as the sun was starting to dip in the sky, the pair
had stopped once again to look back behind them. This time they had
found a good vantage point and were scouring the horizon when they
saw it.
"There."
said Curry, suddenly, pointing down the trail. "You see
it?"
"Yep.
There's someone there alright. Over in the trees."
Kid
grabbed the binoculars for a closer look.
"Still
hard to see. Looks like one man on horseback. Can't tell which way
he's going."
"He
might just be someone travelling this road into town of course"
Heyes pointed out. "Probably nothing to do with us. Probably
doesn't even know we're here."
Curry
knew Heyes was right, but still he was concerned.
"He's
a good way behind us and it's only half an hour or so to town. What
do you say we stay here a while and see what happens?" he
asked, keeping the binoculars to his eyes.
It
didn't take them long to be certain that it was one man and that he
was coming towards them. They had a pretty good view of him now,
enough to know that they didn't recognise him. However, he was
stopping every now and then and looking at the ground, as if he was
trying to follow a trail. They'd seen nothing to suggest that he
wasn't following them and so with sinking hearts, they mounted up
once more and headed for town.

Curry
slammed the door closed behind him, strode over to the bed and
slumped down on it.
Heyes,
who was standing by the window, looked at him questioningly. Curry
had been taking his turn on the front porch, watching for any sign
of the man who had been following them earlier.
"He's
here. Rode into town about ten minutes ago. First stop he made was
at the sheriff's office.
"Figures."
"You
haven't heard the rest. Next stop was the telegraph office and then
the hotel, where he asked the desk clerk whether he'd seen two men
fitting his descriptions."
"Why
do I have the feeling the descriptions might sound familiar?"
"Too
familiar Heyes. The desk clerk said no, but I have the feeling that
a few dollars isn't going to keep him quiet for very long."
"Not
to mention everyone else in town." groaned Heyes.
"Time
to leave?"
"You're
right."
They
gathered together their things, checked out of the hotel, much to
the desk clerk's surprise, and made their way outside. As they lead
their horses out of the livery, Heyes' mind was on something else.
"You
know Kid, before we leave, there's something I'd like to check
out."
"Before
we leave? I don't know Heyes, I think I'd rather just hightail it
out of this town as fast as we can."
"It'll
only take a couple of minutes." Heyes tried his best to
convince his partner but sensing his doubt, he added "and it
just might give us some information, something to give us a head
start so to speak."
"What?"
the Kid still looked sceptical.
"You
said he went to the telegraph office? Sure would be interesting to
know whether he received or sent a message - and what it said."
Curry
still looked unconvinced, but finally nodded.
"OK
Heyes, but only a couple of minutes and then we leave"
"OK
Kid" smiled Heyes "It'll only take a couple of minutes I
promise."

Curry
nonchalantly leaned against the counter in the telegraph office and
watched his partner try to convince the telegraph operator to show
him the telegraph the man had received. For once though, his silver
tongue didn't seem to be getting results and the operator was
steadfastly refusing.
"I'm
sorry sir, but it would really be unethical. All telegraphs are
private you see and I couldn't possibly show you the message."
Curry
was getting impatient. He was keen to leave this town quickly and
Heyes didn't seem to be getting very far. He decided it was time to
try it his way.
Taking
his gun from his holster, he pointed it across the counter and
cocked it, the sound drawing the telegraph operator's attention.
"Just
give him the telegraph" demanded Curry calmly at the flustered
man. "Quickly." he added when the man hesitated.
A moment
later, Heyes had the telegraph in his hand and the pair left the
office and made across the street to the livery as quickly as they
could.
"I
don't know why you had to do that" grumbled Heyes as they
saddled their horses.
"Heyes,
we need to get out of town quickly."
"And
without drawing attention to ourselves."
"Heyes,
I thought you wanted the telegraph?"
"I
did Kid, I did. And I was going to get it."
"Well
now that didn't look too likely to me Heyes."
"I
told you before Kid, you gotta have more faith. The man was about to
crumble, if you'd given me another minute he would have handed over
the telegraph. Like I keep tellin' ya, ya gotta have more
faith."
Curry
looked over at his partner with a slight smile on his face. He
wasn't about to let him get away with that.
"OK
Heyes. Next time you look like you're in trouble, I'll try and
remember that before I draw my gun."
Heyes
looked up from the telegraph he was reading and frowned.
"What
was that Kid?"
"I
said, next time ..." realising it was pointless and that Heyes'
full attention was on the message, he shrugged and continued
"What's it say?"
Heyes
sighed. "To Sam Hawkins. That not him. Will he assess the
ground Phil dug against trees?"
"What's
that mean?"
Heyes
shrugged, a little puzzled.
"Other
than telling us that his name's Sam Hawkins, it doesn't give any
clues about who he is or what he's doing."
"It
doesn't seem to have anything to do with us though Heyes."
"No
it doesn't. It's strange though Kid, for some reason, I'd expected
it to be important."

They'd
ridden well into the night before finally stopping to rest. They
were confident that Hawkins hadn't followed them out of town, but as
a precaution they hadn't lit a fire and they'd taken it in turns to
keep watch during the night. As the first light of dawn spread
across the landscape, that feeling of unease had returned to Curry
as he took his watch. He scoured the horizon carefully, finding
nothing, and so began again. Logic told him there was no-one there,
and yet that feeling of unease continued to nag at him.

By the
following afternoon, they'd made it into the next town and had
headed straight for the saloon. There had been no sign of anyone
following them all day and gradually they'd relaxed a little. The
saloon was only small but was quite lively and they'd spent an easy
couple of hours there. They'd been hoping to get into a game of
poker but so far they hadn't had a chance and so they were sitting
at a small table towards the back of the saloon, drinking beer.
Curry
looked up as the saloon door opened but relaxed when he saw it was
just the telegraph operator waving a piece of paper.
"Sam
Hawkins? Telegraph for Sam Hawkins."
Heyes'
head snapped up and without hesitating he raised his hand and
collected the telegraph from the man.
As he
sat down, Curry looked at him a little puzzled.
"What's
it say?"
Heyes
read it to him.
"Don't
seem to be any more important than the last one."
"Hmmm"
Heyes frowned.
"What?"
Curry asked quietly.
"Why
would someone send a telegram to Sam Hawkins here? They expecting
him in town?"
"Maybe
he even is in town?"
With a
resigned sigh, they stood in unison and made their way out of the
saloon.
Once
outside, Curry turned right towards the livery but Heyes turned in
the opposite direction.
"Heyes,
it's this way." Curry said, pulling his partner around.
"The
livery's that way yes, but the hotel's this way."
"The
hotel? Why do we need the hotel?"
"Because
Kid," Heyes smiled at him "we need to check in."
"We
do?" asked Curry, puzzled.
"Come
on, you'll see." replied Heyes, turning and pulling Curry with
him.

"We'd
like a room for the night please" Heyes gave the desk clerk an
innocent smile.
"Certainly.
That will be two dollars. Up front. It's just for the one night
sir?"
"Yes,
we'll be staying tonight and then leaving first thing in the
morning."
Heyes
smiled again as he rummaged in his pocket for the cash. Pulling the
bills out, he also managed to pull out a collection of coins at the
same time which dropped all over the floor.
"Well
now, Mr Jones, look what I've done." He said as he fumbled the
bills onto the desk and clumsily bent to pick up the coins, managing
to drop some of them again as he tried to return them to his pocket.
The desk
clerk snickered openly at him and Curry had to put his hand to his
mouth to hide his smile. Finally, Heyes stood up and once more gave
the desk clerk a most innocent smile.
"Is
it possible to get a bath at all?"
"At
this time?" the desk clerk laughed. "Oh no, sir, I'm
afraid not. I think you're expecting too much of a two dollar a
night hotel."
"Oh
dear, what a shame" Heyes sounded disappointed but not annoyed.
"Never mind."
"Maybe
tomorrow morning?" suggested the clerk.
"Oh
no, we'll be leaving first thing in the morning I'm afraid. Thank
you anyway."
Heyes
signed the register awkwardly, putting his name in the date column
"by accident"
They
finally made their way across the foyer towards the stairs and at
the last minute Heyes turned back to the desk clerk.
"Oh
one more thing. If anyone should ask if you've seen us, say no,
would you?" Heyes asked with yet another smile. He turned to go
up the stairs and bumped right into Curry who was holding a dollar
bill up at him.
"Oh
yes, of course, good idea Mr Jones."
He took
the bill across to the desk clerk who was by now watching the pair
in amusement.
"See
you in the morning." He said, handing over the dollar bill to
the man who looked at him in disgust.
Heyes
walked back past Curry and started up the stairs, before tripping
and dropping his saddlebag on the stair. Curry smiled and tipped his
hat at the desk clerk, before turning to head up the stairs and
promptly fell over Heyes and landed in a tangle on the floor.
Picking
themselves up, they had to run up the stairs and as they reached the
top landing, they both burst out laughing.
"Well
Heyes, I don't think there's much chance that he won't remember us
after that."
"And
a one dollar bill is certainly not going to buy his silence
either."
"Well,
let's just hope old Sam comes in and ask about us then.
Downstairs
in the foyer, the desk clerk also laughed out loud and shook his
head.
Once in
their room, Heyes removed his oldest shirt from his saddlebag and
threw it onto the bed. Then he placed his razor on the washstand and
a pair of socks on the floor. Rather regretfully, he opened the book
he had been reading and placed it face down on the bed too.
Meanwhile, Kid dug in his saddlebag for his comb, which he left on
the nightstand along with a few coins.
Surveying
the room and satisfied with it, they made their way quietly down the
back stairs. Keeping to the shadows to avoid being seen, they headed
for the general store and stocked up with supplies.
"Will
that be everything gentlemen?" asked the storekeeper, a
friendly, middle aged man.
"Almost"
replied Heyes handing over the payment for their supplies.
"There is just one more thing though" he smiled broadly at
the man.
"Certainly."
he smiled back. "What would that be sir?"
Heyes'
eyes narrowed and his smile disappeared.
"If
anyone should ask you if we've been in here today, you say no,
understand?"
"Oh,
er, well, erm, yes " the man stammered, taken aback at the
obvious threat.
Heyes
handed over a ten dollar bill as Curry moved next to him and removed
his gun from its holster.
"I
said you understand?" repeated Heyes.
"Oh
yes, yes sir, I understand."
"Good.
We'll be leaving town first thing in the morning but we'll be back
here first, just to check." This time Heyes' smile was cold and
threatening and not in the least bit friendly.
Back out
on the street, Heyes laughed.
"Well,
ten dollars should work better than one."
Kid
smiled back. "Let's hope so. We don't want him talking."
"Unlike
the desk clerk who will hopefully even give out our room
number."
Curry
shook his head. "Well, when he does, let's just hope that the
room looks occupied enough to convince him we're still in
town."
"It
will. Don't worry Kid, everyone will do what we want them to do.
It'll look like we're still there and he'll stay in town for the
night and be ready to follow us first thing in the morning, by which
time we'll be miles away." Heyes looked pleased with his plan.
Curry nodded hesitantly.
"I
sure hope you're right Heyes"
"Come
on, time we got going."

Heyes
was sitting on the hard ground leaning back against a hard rock but
he hadn't even noticed the discomfort. He was just sitting staring
at the two telegrams in front of him. There was more to them, he
knew it, but he had to admit he had no idea what. The messages
looked innocent enough, and yet had a similarity about them. They
appeared to have been sent by the same person. But how had that
person known that Hawkins would be in that town? Just who was Sam
Hawkins and what was he doing?
Curry
was sitting next to him, keeping a careful watch over the trail in
the early morning light. He shifted position, trying to get
comfortable on the hard ground.
"I
swear I'll never be able to ride today after sleeping on this hard
ground all night. I don't think I'll even be able to walk." he
grumbled, still watching the trail.
"Ah
don't worry Kid. He isn't out there. He's still back in town,
watching the hotel, waiting for us to leave."
"Well
I sure hope you're right Heyes."
"Of
course I'm right. Wait and see."
"Uh-huh.
Of course you're right Heyes.." Kid glanced at him.
"I'm
glad you finally figured that out Kid."
"Yes,
well. Iffen you don't mind, I'll just keep a watch out for a while
longer." he added, turning back to watch the trail.
Heyes
shook his head, but smiled.
"Faith
Kid, faith."
"In
what?"
Heyes
looked mock hurt at him and Kid gave him a big grin.
"So,
you figured out those messages yet?"
Heyes
hadn't said anything, but Curry knew they had been bugging him all
night. For all his banter, Curry also knew that Heyes had been up
most of the night keeping watch on the trail in case their plan in
town hadn't worked.
Heyes'
face turned more serious now.
"No,
I haven't."
"Bugging
you, huh?"
Heyes
sighed. "There's something about them, but I can't figure out
what. And I couldn't even tell you why I think there's something I'm
missing. I just feel it is all."
Kid
smiled, understanding.
"Heyes,
like you said to me only the other day - I trust your instinct.
You'll figure it out. Just give it time."
"Yeah,
maybe you're right."
"I
don't believe it." Curry was suddenly standing, grabbing for
the binoculars and Heyes immediately moved next to him to look down
the trail too. "Who is he?"
"No,
it can't be, can it?" How'd he track us in the dark?"
"I
don't like this Heyes."
"Me
either Kid."
"You
ever heard of Sam Hawkins?"
"No.
You?"
"No.
You think it's an alias?"
"Could
be. Who is he?"
"I
don't know who he is, but good is what he is. Come
on."

They'd
spent the whole day running, trying to evade Hawkins. They'd tried
many of the tricks they used regularly to lose bounty hunters and
posses but it seemed that whatever they did, he was still there,
incessantly following them. They were beginning to run out of ideas.
"Kid,
where's the next town?"
"Heyes
I don't know what you're thinking, but that plan didn't work in the
last town so it'd better be good."
"Kid,
you remember a few weeks back when we were looking for that gunman,
Riggs?"
Curry
nodded, but looked puzzled.
"You
remember when we broke into the bank and opened all of those lock
boxes?"
Again
Curry nodded.
"Well
one of them contained a small red book. I didn't have time to look
at it properly of course but it intrigued me and I never did figure
out what it was - until now. Kid, I think it was a book of codes.
You remember how we used to send each other messages in code when we
were kids so that we could meet after we did our chores without
anyone knowing?"
"Well
yes I remember. But what has that got to do with the next
town?"
"Kid,
I think the telegrams to Sam Hawkins might be in code."
Kid
looked up at his partner, suddenly understanding.
"You
think maybe he's planning on meeting someone? Accomplices? You think
there might be more than one of him?"
Seeing
the horrified look on Curry's face, Heyes tried to backtrack a
little.
"I'm
probably totally wrong, way off the mark."
"No
Heyes, it makes sense. I think you're right. But I still don't see
what that has to do with the next town?"
"Kid,
if I'm right then we need to figure out what the code means so that
we know where his accomplices are. I've been thinking so hard about
these two messages, that I just can't see it. But I think maybe
there'll be another message waiting for him in the next town. If we
could get there first and collect the message then he won't see it.
We might not understand it but at the very least it'll slow him
down. And maybe seeing another one will help me figure it out."
Curry
nodded his agreement. "OK, it's worth a try. I reckon it's only
a couple of hours into town."

They
made it into town long before dusk. Curry waited outside the
telegraph office whilst Heyes went in.
"Afternoon"
was the grumpy greeting from the operator as Heyes entered.
"Good
afternoon" he replied with his best smile. "You have a
telegraph for Samuel Hawkins?"
"Hawkins?
Let me see. Hawkins." Not only was he grumpy, he was slow,
going through every piece of paper thoroughly. Heyes tried to remain
patient but couldn't help glancing out of the door every so often.
"Ah
yes, here we are." the miserable telegraph operator said,
holding up several sheets of paper. "Samuel Hawkins. Three
messages in fact." Heyes gratefully took the telegrams and left
the office.
"Three
this time?" asked Kid in surprise when Heyes told him.
"The
first two are the same as the two we've already seen. That does at
least explain how they knew where to find him."
"It
does?"
"Well,
they didn't know where to find him, that was the point. So they sent
the same message to every town, knowing that he'd get one of them.
The question is, what was so important? What do the messages really
mean?"
Hastily,
he climbed back onto his horse and the pair left town as quickly as
they had arrived.

They
rode all night in an effort to lose Hawkins. Neither of them ever
suggested it, it was just something they did. Both men were
beginning to feel that they were never going to lose the man, but
neither of them wanted to admit it to the other. And so they rode
on, as fast as they could in the darkness, neither one saying a
word. By dawn both were exhausted, cold and hungry.
As the
sun rose, they made their way uphill, again without saying a word,
to look for a good vantage point. At the top of the hill, Curry
dismounted and stood on the rocks, looking downwards. This time he
was sure they'd done enough. He couldn't see a thing and breathed a
sigh of relief. Raising the binoculars to his eyes, he took one last
look.
"Darn
it!" yelled Curry, his frustration barely contained. "No,
it can't be. Heyes tell me I'm wrong."
Heyes
was off his horse and standing next to his partner in a moment.
"That's
not possible Kid. Is it?"
They
looked at each other, neither able to hide the concern from their
faces. He should not have still been following them. Over the last
couple of days, they'd tried every trick in the book as well as a
few that weren't and he was still there.
Heyes
looked out across to where he knew Hawkins was, his earlier
confidence that they would escape beginning to dissipate into a fear
that they wouldn't be able to. He'd heard stories of persistent
bounty hunters of course, but they'd never come across anything like
this themselves. There were stories of a man named Gus Foster who
enjoyed the thrill of the chase almost as much as the thrill of the
kill - and he always did kill. He'd pursue his bounty for days,
almost mocking and if a man was wanted dead or alive, he always
delivered dead. Heyes shivered. Then there was the legendary Jack
McGill. Rumour said that no-one had ever outrun McGill - though
Heyes doubted that that could be true. The stories said he never
ate, never slept, just chased. Once he was on your tail he'd stick
with you to the end, even if that took weeks or even months, but he
never gave up and he never lost a trail.
Heyes
looked across at Curry and saw his own thoughts reflected on the
other man's face. Wordlessly they mounted their horses and set off
once more.

Several
hours later, Heyes' mount almost missed its footing as they
descended down a steep slope. He managed to stay in the saddle but
it did jolt him out of the daze which he realised he'd been in for
goodness knows how long. He didn't think he'd been asleep, just not
paying much attention. Looking ahead, he saw Curry and judging by
the way he was sitting, it looked like he was in pretty much the
same state. By now, they'd both been without proper sleep for days
and both of them were so exhausted that it took everything they had
just to stay in the saddle.
Looking
around him, Heyes was surprised to see that the landscape looked a
little familiar. He didn't know this country well but he definitely
had a feeling that he'd been here before.
He
looked around some more and as they rounded a slight bend, he
realised where they were, though he wasn't at all sure how they'd
got here. Urging his horse forwards, he drew up alongside Curry.
"Hey
Kid!"
Curry
jumped at the sound of his voice but straightened quickly, covering
nicely. He didn't want Heyes to think he'd been asleep. Heyes
grinned at him.
"Hey
Kid, you know where we are?"
Curry
looked confused and then looking around, realised what Heyes meant.
"How
did we get back here?" he asked.
"Ha!
I knew you were sleeping in the saddle." smiled Heyes smugly.
"I
was not!" denied Curry vehemently.
"So
how come you're asking how we got here then?" Heyes raised his
eyebrows in amusement.
Curry
realised his mistake and tried in vain to think of a good reason.
"Conversation"
he shrugged finally, trying to look confident.
Then
suddenly something dawned on Curry.
"You
didn't answer the question though. How did we get here Heyes?"
Heyes
paused for a moment and Curry jumped in.
"Heyes!
You were sleeping too. I knew it."
"I
was not" Heyes was most indignant at the accusation. "I
just didn't think there was any point in telling you seeing as how
you already knew on account of you not having been asleep."
Curry
just looked at him.
"Yeah
well, just don't go drinking the water from that stream."
Heyes
looked up slowly as an evil grin spread across his face.
"Kid,
I think you've got it."
"Got
what?"
"A
way out of our problem. Come on. Is he still following us?"
Curry
shook his head. He was far too tired to think about anything right
now and trying to follow what Heyes was talking about wasn't always
easy when he was wide awake. He looked ahead of them towards where
he knew the stream was, the stream they'd swam in only a few days
ago. Kid shuddered at the memory. He'd drank the water from the
stream and it had made him as sick as a dog all day. He certainly
didn't relish being back. He had no idea what Heyes was thinking but
he set off to follow after his partner anyway.
Heyes
picked his way along the small path that lead off the main trial and
to the stream, knowing that Hawkins would follow in their steps.
"Kid,
we're getting low on water right?"
"Yeah,
but Heyes …"
Heyes
waved a hand at him.
"Hold
on Kid, we know the water in that stream is bad, but he
doesn't"
Kid
grinned at him wickedly. "Heyes, that's perfect!"
Heyes
grinned back.
"And
what's even better, is that we know where we can get good
water just a few hours up the road."
"Heyes,
last time we were at that old ramshackle cabin, I never thought I'd
be so glad of it"
They
continued alongside the stream for some time. Eventually they came
to a stop and dismounted. They waded across the stream and scrambled
up the rocks on the other side. Crawling to the edge, they watched
as Hawkins arrived at the stream and took a long drink before
filling his canteen.
Up in
the rocks, Heyes and Curry were giggling and dancing around like a
couple of schoolboys.
"He
drank it Heyes, he drank it" Curry could hardly believe it had
worked.
"Ssshh"
Heyes put his finger to his mouth but was grinning and jumping
around himself. They slapped each other heartily on the back and
then finally made their way back to their horses.
In a
couple of hours time, he'll be sick as a dog and he'll have to stop
then" grinned Curry.
"And
all we have to do is keep riding and put some distance between
us" agreed Heyes.
"Yahoo
Heyes, I can't believe we finally did it."

Suddenly
invigorated with energy, they rode hard for several hours and just
before dusk they stopped once more to check for any pursuers. This
time they saw nothing. There was no-one there.
"No
sign of him Kid."
"Of
course there isn't Heyes. He'll be doubled over right about
now."
"I
wonder how much of that water he drank before he realised?"
"Hopefully
enough to slow him up for a good few hours."
"Yeah,
let's hope so."
They
both sobered a little and once again in silent agreement they set
off yet again to put just a few more miles between them.

As
darkness fell, they came within sight of the old cabin once more.
They refilled their canteens from the well at the back and then made
their camp outside. Neither said a word, both still feeling a little
unnerved and neither of them suggested a fire. The experience had
given them both a fright. But for the first time in days they felt
safe enough for both of them to sleep. Kid was sure they'd both feel
a lot better in the morning and it wasn't long before he was fast
asleep.
Heyes
however, lay awake into the early hours. Sometimes it seemed like
his brain went into overdrive at night. Certainly it was often when
he did his best thinking. But then he mused, it was often quiet at
night and he was rarely interrupted. Sometimes during the day there
were just too many things going on for him to really concentrate
hard on something.
Tonight
his mind was set on the coded messages. They had three of them now
and he was still as puzzled. He'd had a couple of theories but one
or other of the messages always seemed to disprove it. Deciding that
he wasn't going to be falling asleep any time soon no matter how
tired he might feel, he climbed out of his bedroll and fumbled in
his saddlebag for the three messages. He placed them on the ground
in front of him. There was some moonlight tonight but not much, not
enough to read the notes by, but that didn't matter. He knew them
off by heart anyway, he didn't need to see them.
As the
hours passed, Heyes didn't even notice how long he'd been sitting
there. His mind was totally concentrated. It was some time in the
early hours when it came to him. And it was so simple. Why hadn't he
seen it before he wondered? All along he had been working on the
assumption that the code for all three messages was the same, but
now he realised, he'd been wrong. The code was different for each
message. With renewed determination, he started over with the first
message and by the time the faint glow of the sunrise was visible in
the East, he had it all figured.
Now as
he looked at the messages in the faint dawn light, he saw the codes
clearly, saw the true messages clearly. And he didn't like what he
saw.
Walking
over to Kid, he nudged him awake and then knelt down next to him.
This was not the time for banter. He laid out the three pieces of
paper in front of Curry and whispered softly "Kid, we're in
trouble."
Curry
looked up at him questioningly.
"I
figured out the code. Look."
Curry
sat up and watched as Heyes explained.
"On
the first message, it's the first letter of the first word, second
letter of the second word, third letter of the third word and then
back to the first letter again. Look - That not him. Will he assess
the ground Phil dug against trees."
Slowly
Curry put together the code and read out the first message.
"Tom.
West Ridge."
"On
the second message, it's different. This time it's the last letter
of the first word, last but one letter of the second word -
see?"
Curry
nodded and again put together the code and read out the hidden
message.
"Jennings.
Benton Pass."
Curry
hardly dared to read the third one but picked it up anyway and with
Heyes' explanations he worked out the code on that one too.
"Wheeler.
Blakesville."
Curry
looked up at Heyes.
"So
he does have accomplices? Three of them?"
"Looks
like it to me Kid. These must be the names of his accomplices and
where they are. I'd say he's also been sending them information
about where we are."
"You
reckon there are four of them on our trail?"
Heyes
just nodded.
"Benton
Pass is to the north and West Ridge is to the west. Where's
Blakesville?"
"I
don't know for sure Kid, but I'd guess at East. It makes sense that
they are trying to surround us from all sides."
Curry
let out a long breathe.
"We
don't know how far away they are, nor exactly where they are."
"That's
right, but it's beginning to look like a real professional job Kid.
Someone is pretty determined to get us and they've already had a few
days. I'd say they're not that far away."
"You're
right Heyes. We're in trouble. I guess we'd better get going before
they close up around us."

They
decided to try and head out as quickly as they could and make an
escape by passing in between the four bounty hunters. It meant speed
was of the utmost importance. Every hour meant that the bounty
hunters were closer to them and also therefore, closer to each
other, giving them less chance to pass unnoticed between them. It
wasn't going to be easy but with four men out there coming from all
directions, it was the only option they could see. They pushed ahead
as fast as they could. They didn't speak much, each man engrossed in
his own thoughts.
Heyes'
mind was locked on the problem, on possible ways to lose these men.
After his first comment to the Kid in the early hours this morning
that they were in trouble, he had not allowed himself to think that
way again. They'd outrun or lost bounty hunters before, albeit only
one of them at a time, but if they could lose one, they could lose
four. How hard could it be reasoned Heyes? There had to be a way,
there always was and all they had to do was find it. Heyes was not a
man who contemplated failure and he was not about to start now. This
was simply a challenge and it was one they would win. Methodically
he worked through all of the tactics they'd used before, discarding
each in turn for various reasons, although keeping some in mind in
case the opportunity arose. Having worked through all of the logical
possibilities, he moved on to the illogical ones.
Kid
meanwhile was becoming stubborn. With four men after them, he was
beginning to feel picked on and he didn't like it. He knew one thing
for certain. If it was a question of physical endurance, of keeping
going for longer or further or harder, then he would do it and he
would do whatever it took to drag Heyes through with him if
necessary. He would outrun these men or he would die trying.
In the
meantime he kept a close eye on the terrain, picking the best route
and looking out for anything that might give them an edge, whilst at
every opportunity looking back behind them for any sign of pursuit.
He
glanced behind him at Heyes, noticing his slightly distracted look.
Curry knew if there was a plan to be found, Heyes would find it, but
was there one to be found? Doggedly, he went back to concentrating
on the trail.
The
trail climbed higher and eventually as it wound out of a glade of
trees, Curry could see the top of the hill. Reaching the brow, he
looked out and froze at what he saw. Below them was not one bounty
hunter, but a group of five or six men. They weren't too far away at
all and they were fast approaching them. As Heyes drew alongside
him, Curry shuddered.
Without
hesitating, they turned and took off back down the trail at a
gallop. Curry spotted a small trail heading northwards and lead them
down it. Progress was somewhat slower on the small track but they
kept up the pace as much as possible. Darting out of a clump of
trees, they came to a sudden stop. Up ahead of them and coming
straight towards them was a cloud of dust. Curry grabbed the
binoculars, knowing what he would see before he saw them. Again, not
a single bounty hunter but a group of men - it was hard to tell how
many because of the dust cloud but Curry guessed at six or so.
They
turned back on themselves, pushing their horses on until they came
back to the main trail where they turned back towards the old
ramshackle cabin.
As they
approached it at top speed, Kid looked behind him and saw the first
group who appeared to be gaining on them.
"Which
way?" he yelled.
"We
can't get up the ridge. Have to go straight on, towards
Hawkins" yelled back Heyes "He's sick, remember?"
"Yeah,
and alone"
Taking
on one man seemed more sensible than taking on a group of men, but
with so many men so close behind them, and another group fast
approaching from the side, it wasn't going to be easy to keep an eye
out for Hawkins and come up with a way of getting past him or
ambushing him.
Moments
after passing the cabin, Curry rounded a bend and stopped dead in
his tracks.
"Heyes"
he yelled back at his partner.
As Heyes
drew alongside him, he gritted his teeth. Directly in front of them,
almost within firing range, thundering towards them was Sam Hawkins,
surrounded by some five or six other men. Several of them raised
their rifles and the bullets started flying around Heyes and Curry.
The pair took off back towards where they'd just come from - and,
they knew, straight back into the path of the first group of men.
They
were becoming boxed in and there was nothing they could do about it.
Leaning low over their horses in the hope of avoiding the bullets,
they saw the first group now approaching in front of them, though
still some yards away.
More
bullets rang out from their side - the second group were nearly upon
them. Curry could feel his heart thumping in his chest as he raced
to goodness knows where. The spider's web was closing around them
and their options had run out. Refusing to accept what looked
inevitable and aware of Heyes thundering along beside him, Curry
pushed forward, even knowing as he did so that he was heading
straight into more fire.
"Hang
in there Heyes" he yelled back to his partner.
"Right
behind you Kid" Curry was relieved to hear his voice.
Suddenly
Curry spotted the cabin just ahead of them. It was a long shot but
realising they had no other choice, he yelled to Heyes to follow him
as he steered his mount towards the cabin. The bullets were coming
from all directions now as they rode straight through the doorway
and diving off the horses, they scrambled into position, one on
either side of the window, breathing heavily and sweating.
"We
gotta do something Heyes" gasped Curry.
"Yeah.
But what?"
They
fired a few shots back and were surprised when the bullets raining
down on the cabin stopped. They stood motionless for several minutes
but when the firing didn't start again, Heyes hesitantly peered
around the edge of the window.
"What'd
you see?"
"Nothing"
answered Heyes uncertainly. "I can't see any of them."
Curry
leant around to look outside too. There was nothing to be seen of
any of the men. Suddenly to his right, Curry caught a slight
movement up on the hill and nudged his partner. As he did so, he
spotted a couple of men moving into position on the other side. The
men were obviously still out there and were now surrounding them.
The pair waited by the window, guns in hand, for several more long
minutes.
"There's
no way we can take them all at the same time, especially with them
being on different sides of the cabin."
"I
gotta agree Kid, you got any other suggestions?"
Curry
shook his head.
"We
could try waiting them out"
Curry
looked at him doubtfully.
"No,
you're right" agreed Heyes. "We've got to do
something."
"But
what Heyes? There's a dozen or more men out there, all with their
guns trained on us, just waiting and my guess is they'll be ready to
outwait us."
Heyes
frowned. He was completely stumped.
They
made their way to the pile of hay in the middle of the room, slumped
down and waited. And waited. They waited all day. Nothing changed.
It was
beginning to grow dark and it looked like they were going to spend
an unpleasant night. With only small amounts of food and water with
them, they couldn't stay there for too long. The men outside had
every advantage.
"If
I thought they'd take us alive, I might suggest walking out of here
and taking our chances of escape later."
"They're
not going to take us alive Heyes"
"I
know"
"They're
also not going to try anything during the night - why should they?
They can afford to wait until morning."
"You're
right Kid. We might as well try and get some sleep - toss for first
watch?"
Kid
managed a weak grin.
"Tails"
he called.
He heard
the sound of Heyes rummaging in his pocket for a coin and then the
sound of it landing back on his hand.
"How'd
that happen?" grumbled Heyes.
Kid
automatically started to rise to move towards what passed for a
window, and then stopped and turned back towards Heyes.
"How'd
what happen?"
"Kid,
I don't believe it. It's tails."
Curry
knew there was something he was missing here, but he was tired and
right now, he couldn't quite think what it was.
Heyes
gently pushed him down onto his bedroll.
"Wait
a minute Heyes" he protested. "It's dark, how could you
see it was .."
"You
sleep Kid" Heyes interrupted him. When Curry drew breath to
speak again, Heyes added "I need to think. I'll wake you in two
hours."

Heyes
sat staring out of the window at the back of the cabin. He looked up
at the moon, wishing it wasn't quite so bright. He could see the
outline of the well behind the cabin. It wasn't far. And just to the
side … He shook his head to clear his thoughts and looked up at
the sky once more. With that amount of moonlight, it was too far.
A noise
at the front of the cabin interrupted his train of thought. He moved
to the front window and peered out.
"Well
I'll be." he muttered to himself, smiling. They were playing
right into his hands. Turning towards the sleeping Curry, he started
to unbutton his shirt.

Kid came
awake as Heyes nudged his shoulder non too gently with his foot.
"Wake
up Kid"
Kid's
eyes opened and he saw Heyes standing over him. At first he didn't
remember where he was and he smiled up at his partner, then as
remembered he let out a loud sigh.
Sitting
up and rubbing his temple, he squinted up at Heyes.
"So
what's the plan Heyes?"
"Thought
you'd never ask Kid."
"You
have a plan?" Curry quickly stood up to face him in admiration
and relief.
"You
know, I was so caught up in thinking about those coded messages and
how many men were outside, that I completely forgot where we
are."
"Oh
and now you've remembered huh? Trapped in a cabin with a dozen
bounty hunters outside is where we are Heyes. And with no means of
escape."
"That
Kid, might just be where you're wrong."
Curry
looked at him questioningly.
"There
isn't time to explain right now, but last time we were here, when
you were sick, I took a real good look around while you were
sleeping."
Heyes
pulled Curry over to the window and peering out, Curry saw several
of the men brandishing torches of fire.
He
looked at Heyes in alarm.
"They
planning on setting fire to the place?" he asked.
Heyes
nodded. "I think so Kid. Come on, we haven't got much
time."

They
quickly saddled up their horses and then they both stripped off
their clothes down to their long underwear. Taking bundles of the
straw, they stuffed it into their clothes and tied them to the
saddles.
"Heyes"
Curry pulled his partner back, his arm on his shoulder.
"Heyes,
this isn't going to work" he whispered.
For a
long moment Heyes didn't reply, just looked back at this man who had
always been there, watching his back and going along with every
hair-brained plan he'd ever come up with. He couldn't lie to him.
Slowly he nodded and when he spoke, his voice was sombre.
"You're
right Jed.. This isn't going to work."
He
looked directly at Curry who didn't flinch at the words. Instead he
just squeezed Heyes' shoulder.
"I
know Heyes"
Curry
paused briefly, then smiled at Heyes. "I know" he
repeated.

The man
that Heyes and Curry knew as Sam Hawkins pushed his way past several
of the men. The fire had been his idea. Some of the others had been
in favour of waiting until the morning but he had other ideas. After
all he had a reputation to uphold. It was said that Jack McGill
never lost a trail, that he never ate, never slept, never failed to
get his man. McGill smiled to himself. Soon he would be the man that
finally brought in Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry. The bounty was
payable dead or alive and he didn't much care which way it was.
He gave
the nod to his men and the torches were thrown in through the gaping
holes that were once windows. The hay inside ignited almost
immediately and the red glow of flames could be seen inside the
cabin. McGill smiled.
Suddenly
there was an enormous flash of orange light as the cabin went up in
flames and in the same instant the door of the cabin burst open and
two horses and riders flew out. As they raced across the open
ground, 17 men took aim with rifles and fired. The
"riders" were hit several times each and both fell to the
ground.
"It's
a trick, it's not them." yelled one of the group of men that
quickly surrounded the fallen "riders".
Turning
towards the cabin, the 17 men took aim and fired repeatedly into it,
the bullets ricocheting around inside the building. The wooden roof
started to creak and moments later there was a loud rumbling as the
roof timbers and upper parts of the wall crashed to the floor,
alight with flames.
Outside,
McGill watched in satisfaction. No-one could have survived.

As the
fire burnt itself out, the men approached cautiously, guns at the
ready. McGill kicked at some of the still flickering embers in the
piles of wood and rubble.
"There's
no way they survived this." McGill said to the man next to him.
"Look at this place. The entire roof has collapsed and
burned."
Gus
Foster nodded in agreement. "I've seen lesser fires than this
wipe out a whole family. They couldn't have survived this. If they
did survive the fire, they couldn't have survived the bullets.
Seventeen men firing bullets at them. It's just not possible. Let's
go home and in the morning we'll send some of the men back out to
finish up here. Our job is done. Let's go claim that reward."
With a
last look around, McGill nodded and turning, he called his men off.
They gratefully mounted their horses and returned to town, looking
forward to the extra bonus they'd been promised for a successful
job.

"Heyes"
the name was whispered
"What?"
"Your
arm is sticking in my ribs"
"Well
move your ribs then"
Curry
tried to wriggle into a different position, but there was hardly
room to breathe, yet alone move.
"Can
you hear anything out there?"
"Nope.
Can you?"
"No.
How long do ya think it's been?"
"Dunno.
A coupla hours maybe?"
"Maybe."
followed by a pause "Enough time yet?"
"No,
not yet."
"OK.
Sure wish you'd move your elbow though"
"Kid,
will you quit on about my elbow"
"Sorry
Heyes, just trying to pass the time"
He
couldn't see Heyes' face. It was too dark in here for one thing but
for another his head was facing away from his partner. He couldn't
ever remember being in such a confined space. Come to that, he
couldn't quite believe that they had both managed to fit in. He
smiled a little to himself though, he knew Heyes had just given him
"the look".
There
was silence for a long time, both men lost in their own thoughts,
mostly of about how come they were still alive.

Jack
McGill sat on the log, watching what used to be the back of the
cabin. He'd been sitting there since he'd watched Gus Foster and the
men ride on out, returning home during the night. He'd watched the
sun rise high up in the sky. He picked up his rifle and stood up. He
had a reputation to uphold. It had become personal now. It was no
longer about the reward. He no longer cared about the money. All he
cared about was knowing that he had come out on top in this battle.
They were clever these two. They'd led him a right merry dance. But
they weren't going to win. They weren't in that cabin when it burned
to the ground. He knew that. They were too clever. He knew that. And
what's more, he knew where they were. Now it was time.
Silently,
he walked towards the well at the back of the cabin. The well where
he'd watched them fill their canteens. They'd led him deliberately
to that stream with the bad water. He'd been sick as a dog for
several hours and now it was time for payback.
He
raised his rifle, then reaching out with his left hand, he threw
back the wooden cover from the top of the well and fired down into
it. He kept firing, blindly, intent only on making sure the two men
inside were dead.
Finally,
he returned to his horse and rode out.

The sun
baked down onto the parched earth. The air was still and heavy
and not a thing had moved all morning.
"Kid?"
came the whisper.
"What?"
"Your
ribs are sticking in my elbow."
"Oh
that does it Heyes, I am not staying in here one more moment with
you. How long has it been anyway? I haven't heard a sound for what
must be hours. I am getting out of here and there's nothing you can
do to stop me."
"Stop
you? When did I say I was gonna stop you? You think I'm having fun
in here with your ribs sticking in my elbow?"
They
judged it had been at least another couple of hours since they'd
heard the shots from the rifle and only a few minutes later, the
sounds of a horse riding out. There had been nothing since and Curry
decided it was time.
Slowly,
he pushed one of the wooden planks out of the way. Sunlight filtered
in as Curry peered out intently. It took a moment for his eyes to
adjust and then he scoured the scene for any sign of the bounty
hunters. Finding none, he gingerly stepped out, crouching so as to
be hidden behind the nearby well, still half expecting a shot to
ring out. When none did, he stood and looked all around carefully.
It appeared that they were alone, their adversaries long gone. Curry
reached down to give Heyes a helping hand out of their hiding place
and then stretched his back. It had been many years since they'd
played around back in Kansas, hiding in the carefully concealed
holes originally built and used to hide from Indians. He didn't
remember them being so small, or maybe it was just that they were
smaller back then. Looking down into the hole now, he really wasn't
quite sure how his partner had ever thought they could both fit into
that small space. Necessity of course, had meant that they had,
somehow.
As Heyes
stepped out, he looked around. The Indian Hole was actually closer
to the cabin than he'd remembered and in broad daylight, he realised
how lucky they were. The embers were still smouldering and if they'd
been any nearer, they wouldn't have survived the fire. On the other
hand, had it been any further away, they wouldn't have reached it
without being seen. He remembered back to the first time they'd been
at the cabin, when the Kid had been sick, when he'd first discovered
the hiding hole close to the well. He remembered how he'd almost
twisted his ankle when he stepped on one of the wooden planks
covering the hole and it had given way under his foot.
His gaze
came back to rest on his partner and suddenly their faces lit up
with smiles and laughter and they pulled each other into a bear hug,
hardly able to believe that Lady Luck had been with them once again.
They were alive and they were free.
"You
know something Kid?"
"What?"
"Well
I was just thinking, next time you tell me a plan isn't going to
work, remind me not to listen to ya will ya?" |