Outlaw Pass (9781101544785) Read Online Free PDF Page B

wondered if he had enough strength left to pull himself up, but at this point, he determined that he had no choice. With a maximum of exertion, and by walking his boots up the face of the barn, he was able to scramble up into the hayloft. The noise of his frantic clambering should have been enough to alert anyone in the house behind the stables, but had evidently not. Safely up in the loft, he sat down in the hay for a few moments to catch his breath. “I ain’t ever gonna tell anybody I did this,” he said.
    On his feet then, he made his way back through the dark loft to find the ladder, and climbed down. There was barely enough light in the stable for him to see, but he was able to make his way to the front doors without stumbling on anything. Lifting the bar, he opened the doors, took a quick look up and down the street, then rolled the broken barrel back to its original position at the corner of the building. Barring the doors again, he went back to the stall where Brownie stood waiting. Intent upon getting a few hours of sleep before leaving for Bannack, he prepared his bed.
    Lying on his saddle blanket, spread on the hay, he was soon asleep, oblivious of the gentle sounds of the red roan standing over him, or the distant sounds of the saloons near the lower end of the street. Morning came sooner than he expected, and he awoke with a start to discover thin slivers of light peeking through the cracks in the sides of the stable. “Damn,” he cursed, for he had intended to be on his way before first light. Moving as rapidly as he could, he threw his saddle on the roan and led him to the front door. He had just removed the bar from the doors when he heard Samson come in the back door. “What the hell—” Samson started before Adam interrupted him.
    â€œGood mornin’,” Adam called out cheerfully. “Thought I’d pick up my horse and get an early start.”
    â€œHow the hell did you get in here?” Samson wanted to know.
    Adam looked at him as if surprised he should ask. “Why, through the front door. I figured you’d left it unbarred in case I came by early. I appreciate it.”
    â€œNot barred?” Samson replied, confused. “You tellin’ me the doors were not locked?”
    â€œWhy, I reckon not. How else would I have gotten in? You musta forgot to slip the bar on. Sounds like the kinda thing I might do.” He pointed Brownie’s head toward the open door. “Well, no harm done, and I best be movin’ along.” He nudged the roan with his heels and was out the door, leaving a thoroughly confused stable owner behind scratching his head.

Chapter 3
    Climbing up out of Virginia City, he set out along the hills that formed Alder Gulch, intent upon striking the road leading west toward Bannack. It was late enough in the summer for a brisk chill in the early morning, but it looked promising for a good day to travel. The air was fresh and a welcome change from that of Jack Samson’s stable. Adam would have enjoyed the ride had it not been for the serious concern for Jake that weighed heavily on his mind. He hadn’t ridden far, however, when the lack of breakfast reminded him that there had been no supper, either. So when he came to a tiny stream making its way down toward Alder Creek through a grove of nut pine and juniper, he decided to remedy the problem. He soon had a fire going and his coffeepot working up a strong brew. In short order, he had a pan full of jerky frying. The roan decided upon a breakfast of violets, which grew in wild profusion on the hills, and of which he had a choice of white, blue, or yellow. “You’d better eat fast,” he told the horse, “’cause I ain’t plannin’ to be here long. I’ll give you a longer rest later.”
    After his brief breakfast stop, he rode along a high ridge, dotted with pines and dwarf cedars. Judging by the cleared patches and the many stumps, he