Novel 1963 - Fallon (v5.0) Read Online Free PDF Page B

heavily coated with dust. In the morning light the mountains looked dark and somber.
    Macon Fallon looked sourly at the hills. His every instinct told him to get away from here, to get away as quickly as possible. Whatever else the Bellows outfit knew, they must not be allowed to know how weak the party was. For Bellows and his men thrived on weakness.
    Jim Blane filled his cup and looked a challenge at Fallon, who ignored him.
    â€œI find that idea ridiculous,” Jim said, “shooting a man simply because he says he doesn’t believe you.”
    â€œYou’ll be surprised how little anybody will care what you think. When you live in a country you conform to the customs of that country or you get out. You will discover that most customs originate in response to a need, and there are good and sufficient reasons for that attitude out here.”
    As he talked he saddled the black horse, his eyes busy with the trail and the ridges around; he looked at the dim track over which the oxen would be coming. It was light enough to see for some distance, and he had long ago seen the faint plume of dust caused by the moving oxen.
    â€œIn this country,” he added, “a man cannot exist if he is known to be either a coward or a liar.
    â€œBusiness is done solely on a man’s word. Thousands of head of cattle are paid for simply on the seller’s statement that there are that many. No signatures, no legal documents, nothing beyond the word of the seller. But when those cattle are finally counted, the count had better be right.
    â€œIf a man’s word is no good, nobody will do business with him. If he has the reputation of being unreliable he will be treated with contempt or ignored.
    â€œMoreover, few activities in this country are free of danger, and when a man goes into danger he wants to be sure that those who are with him will stand with him through whatever comes. Therefore no man will have anything to do with a known coward.
    â€œIf a man starts to drive cattle a thousand miles, more or less, through Indian country, he can expect shooting trouble. He can expect a dozen other occasions to arise, sometimes so many as that in one day, where nerve is required, and he cannot afford to be teamed with a coward.
    â€œGive a man the name of being either a coward or a liar, and he will be lucky to get a job swamping in a saloon.”
    Fallon stepped into the saddle. “And that is why either of those words, or any implication of them, is a deadly insult and is treated as such.
    â€œYou’ll find when trouble comes out here you don’t run for the law—you settle it yourself, and you’re expected to. As a matter of fact, there’s rarely anybody to run to for help.
    â€œI think you’re a nice kid, so if I were you I’d keep my mouth shut until you find out how things are done. If you do that, you may live long enough to like the country.
    â€œNow keep your rifle handy. You may think those men won’t kill. I know they not only will, but they often have, and we haven’t seen the last of them. What you want to keep in mind is that they were looking for women, and women in this case means your mother, your sister, and the Damon women.”
    He did not wait for a reply, and he wanted none. He had taken more time and said more than he usually did and he couldn’t imagine why, except—well, Jim Blane did look like a nice kid…unlike that Al Damon.
    He had ridden only a few minutes when he came up to the oxen. They were coming along slowly, as was their nature, but Blane and Damon were with them, and they were armed.
    Fallon reined in and watched them approach the wagon. That Bellows man had mentioned watching from a bluff, and undoubtedly somebody watched now. The question was, how long would they wait?
    When he put out his sign he would be asking for trouble. And he must face it alone.
    Chapter 2
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    M ORNING CAME TO Red Horse with lemon light in the