Ambush Valley Read Online Free PDF Page A

what?”
    â€œCan you take me back there?” Chet asked him, taking charge.
    â€œ Sí , but it is many miles, señor .”
    â€œMarge, go find the sheriff or Roamer. Tell them I will leave markers so they can find me. What is his name?”
    â€œRaphael—”
    â€œRaphael, go get yourself a fresh horse. Marge, get me a rifle and some cartridges. I may need them.”
    â€œTake my father’s good horse,” she said to her man and ran for the glass gun case. Looking at the half empty case, she turned to Chet. “The men must have taken the good ones. Is a .44/40 all right?”
    â€œFine.”
    She handed him the new-looking rifle and then two boxes of shells. “I will go get Sheriff Sims or Roamer. Maybe Raphael can tell me where the rustlers were at.”
    â€œGood idea.”
    â€œOh, I hate to see you going after horse thieves.”
    â€œHey, we need to stop them.”
    She agreed. “I’ll get some jerky, a blanket, and something.”
    â€œWhat is wrong, señora ?” her housekeeper asked.
    â€œRaphael just rode in. He’s taking Chet back. Both Logan and Buck have been shot. Get some dry cheese, crackers, and jerky for them. I’ll get him a blanket.”
    â€œWho will tell the sheriff?”
    â€œWe’re going to drive to town and do that when they get gone.”
    Monica said, “I can hitch the horses.”
    â€œWe both can. Get the food for them.”
    He kissed her good-bye with his arms full. Her Mexican cowboy was back with a big fresh horse out front. When he came in the house Marge filled his hands with food. Then the two women ran by him to go hitch the team.
    With a blanket over his arm, a box of ammo and rifle in his hands, Chet headed for his fresh horse. Marge’s cowboy loaded both his and Chet’s saddlebags with the food. He jammed the rifle in the scabbard and tied the blanket on behind the cantle. When they were both in the saddle, they whirled their horses around and headed up the long driveway. They turned hard at the main road and headed east. By Chet’s calculation they had less than a half hour of light and then it would be dark. He hoped that Marge and her housekeeper would be all right going into Preskit. By this time, several of his Arizona cowboys had already met his wagon train. They should be good. They raced through the small mining town of Mayer and off the east mountain toward the Verde well downstream from the ranch. Forced to cut down the speed of their mounts to a hard trot, going off the mountain, he decided to quiz her man.
    â€œCould you tell how many rustlers had the horses?” he asked.
    â€œThree or four. One of them, maybe a boy. They had taken twelve of our good ranch horses. When we got close to them, one of them dropped back and began firing at us with a rifle. Buck was hit in the leg and he told me to go for help. I think Logan was already dead. Nothing I could do but what Buck said. I told him I would and the bullets whizzed by me like hornets but I was soon out of range. I was plenty scared and never looked back. They may have killed both of them.”
    â€œYou did real well, amigo. Where were they headed do you think?”
    â€œBuck said before the shooting that they were going to Bloody Basin.”
    Chet shook his head. “I don’t know this country and I have never been there.”
    â€œMe either señor . But it is south of us according to him.”
    â€œWe’ll just follow them after we check on those two men that were shot.”
    â€œI hope that Buck is alive. He is a good segundo and I sure like to work for him.” Raphael crossed himself and looked up at his sombrero for celestial help as well.
    Chet marked where they took the trail off the road for the posse to see where to turn. A note said they were on the trail ahead of them.
    Both horses were still breathing hard as the twilight set in, and recovering from the hard race