[Texas Rangers 05] - Texas Vendetta

[Texas Rangers 05] - Texas Vendetta Read Online Free PDF

Book: [Texas Rangers 05] - Texas Vendetta Read Online Free PDF
Author: Elmer Kelton
Tags: Fiction, Western Stories, Texas, Vendetta, Texas Rangers
last one.”
    “Don’t shoot him unless you absolutely have to. They want him alive back there.”
    Farley checked to be sure the two prisoners’ hands were securely cuffed and the cuffs tied to their saddles. “Either of you makes a break, you’re dead,” he warned.
    Ranger Dick Landon had watched from the front of the tent in which he slept. He came forward, his eyes full of pain. His face and his halting walk showed the lingering effects of his drinking spree. He said, “Jayce, I’d give all I’ve got if I could’ve kept it from comin’ to this. I came out here to get away from the feud. I wish to hell you’d brought Flora and done the same.”
    Jayce Landon turned his head away, not looking at his brother. He stared into the distance. His voice stung. “You went off and left the family. I done what needed doin’.”
    “When’s it goin’ to stop?”
    “When we’ve filled up the graveyard with Hoppers.”
    Ranger Landon turned toward Andy and Farley. “I know he’s wanted for murder, but he’s still my brother. Don’t mistreat him.”
    Farley said, “If anything happens to him it’ll be of his own doin’.” He jerked his head as a signal to start. Bransford led off. Farley followed closely behind the prisoners. Andy brought up the rear, leading a little pack mule.
    Looking back, he saw Ranger Landon hunched in an attitude of misery. Andy told Farley, “I feel real bad about Dick.”
    “I’ve got my own worries. I ain’t takin’ on none of his. Dick had best watch out for himself and let the rest of his family go to hell.”
    “That’s a cold way of lookin’ at it.”
    Farley turned on him. “Don’t be botherin’ me with other people’s troubles. Or yours either. Else I’m liable to leave you afoot and take the prisoners by myself.”
    Anger warmed Andy’s face. “Looks like we understand one another.”
    “The important thing is that you understand me.”
    People who had known Farley as a boy said he had been a kindly youngster who enjoyed hunting and fishing and had sung in church. The war and the angry years that followed seemed to have burned all kindness out of him.
    Once clear of camp, Andy turned the mule loose. It followed without having to be led. The morning sun was in their faces. The captain had suggested that they push hard to reach Friedrichsburg before dark so they could lodge the prisoners in a secure jail. That way both Rangers could get a good night’s sleep without having to stand guard.
    The day passed without notable incident, though Andy sensed that Landon was on edge, watching, wishing for a chance to escape. No such chance presented itself. Farley was always close by, a dark and brooding presence. They occasionally met travelers on the trail. Farley scrutinized them suspiciously and kept his hand on the butt of his pistol while they were within range.
    “Landon was mixed up in a feud,” he told Andy, “so we’ve got to watch out for both sides. His own people will look for a chance to free him and the other bunch will be lookin’ to kill him. Both sides see me and you as enemies. Us bein’ Rangers won’t make a particle of difference.”
    Andy began to fear that night would catch them before they reached Friedrichsburg. Darkness would increase the danger in traveling with prisoners. He was relieved when they came into a wide valley and saw the German settlement. Though the town was relatively young, as were most along the western fringes of the state, its broad dirt streets were already lined with sturdy stone and brick structures built in a style brought from the Old World. They were a sign that its citizens were not transient. They had established deep roots and intended to stay.
    A deputy received the Rangers at the jail. His English was heavily accented, his manner efficiently professional. He locked the prisoners in separate cells and suggested that the Rangers would be comfortable in the Nimitz Hotel.
    Farley demurred. “I’m never comfortable
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