Pursuit Of The Mountain Man Read Online Free PDF Page B

enough.” Smoke moved closer to the pair of gunslingers.
    “I’m Pride Anderson and this here’s Lou Kennedy. And we ain’t huntin’ no trouble, Jensen.”
    “Then why have you and the rest of that pack of rabid coyotes been crowdin’ me for the past week?” He moved still closer.
    “It’s a free country, Smoke,” Lou said. “A man can ride where he damn well pleases.”
    Smoke stepped well within swinging range. “A man can get hurt crowdin’ another man. But I’m not going to hurt either one of you-very much.” Smoke hit Lou smack in the mouth with a big fist. As Lou was stumbling across the room, Smoke jerked Pride’s gunbelt down, the rig falling around his ankles. A split second later, Smoke had busted him square on the nose. Pride hollered as the blood and snot flew as he fell down, all tangled up in his gunbelt.
    Smoke met Lou coming at him and hit him a left and right that glazed Lou’s eyes and further bloodied his mouth. Smoke turned and hit Pride twice in the belly just as he was getting up, the blows sounding like a man hitting a watermelon with the flat side of an axe. Smoke caught a blow to the side of his head that probably hurt Lou’s hand more than it did Smoke’s noggin. But it did sting. Smoke waded in, both fists swinging and connecting, the blow driving the man to his knees. Smoke turned and Pride hit him, bloodying his mouth. Smoke back-heeled him and sent the man crashing to the floor. Smoke stepped forward and grabbing the gunfighter by the back of the head, he brought a knee up into the man’s face and Pride stretched out on the floor, his mouth a mess and his nose flattened.
    Smoke turned just as Lou was getting up. He measured his blow and put one hard right fist onto the side of Lou’s jaw. Lou’s eyes rolled back while he was falling, until only the whites were showing. He hit the floor, out cold.
    Smoke walked back to the bar and drank his beer down. He turned to face the crowd. “These two are part of a gang that’s been hunting me ... for sport. I should have killed them both. But maybe this way is better. Maybe when the others come into town, the sight of these two will change some minds. Dusty, will you and some of these other good citizens drag these two over to the jail, lock them down, and bring the key to me?”
    “We’ll shore do it,” Dusty said.
    “I’ll be registering at the hotel and then I’ll be having me a bath and a shave.”
    “I’ll find you,” Dusty said.
    Smoke walked out the front door.
    “Shoot!” one citizen said. “I was wantin’ to see a good gunfight.”
    “If there had of been,” Dusty said, grabbing hold of Lou’s ankles, “if you’d blinked you’d a missed it.”
     
     
    Smoke took the key to the cell holding Lou and Pride and dropped it down an old unused well. He had registered at the hotel and after disposing of the cell key, he walked to the barber shop and told the man to get some hot water ready for a bath. After his bath, he had himself a shave and a haircut. Then he went to the cafe for something to eat.
    Smoke was eating roast beef and boiled potatoes and gravy when the marshal walked in, all dusty and tired-looking. The marshal paused in the door, gave the crowded cafe a once-over, spotted him, walked to the table, and sat down.
    “Coffee, Pat,” he called to the waiter. “And a plate of food. I’m so hungry I could eat a skunk.” He cut his eyes. “You got to be Smoke Jensen.”
    “That’s right.”
    “Did you put those two beat-up lookin’ characters into my jail?”
    Smoke chewed for a moment. “Nope.”
    The marshal waited for a moment. “Well, if it wouldn’t be too much of a problem, would you mind telling me who did?”
    “Some of your citizens. At my request.”
    “Both of them yahoos wants a doctor.”
    “I imagine they do. They were both in fairly poor condition the last time I saw them.”
    The marshal looked at him. “One of them tagged you at least one good lick.”
    “Yes, he did.