The Curse of Iron Eyes Read Online Free PDF Page B

rode
up to the top of the high sand dune. He stopped his mount and
stared down at the trail that led from Waco. Iron Eyes squinted
into the sun and knew that his pursuer had gained a lot of ground
on him.
    The rider was now
close. Too damn close.
    ‘ Who is he?’ he
drawled angrily to himself. ‘And what the hell is he following me
for?’
    The
sun glinted off the unmistakable metal-tipped barrel of a rifle
jutting from beneath the saddle of the powerful mount as it charged
ever closer towards the bounty hunter’s high vantage point atop the
dune. It was a big rifle.
    ‘ What’s he got
there, an elephant gun?’ Iron Eyes mumbled under his breath as he
vainly tried to make out the man’s features. Whoever he was, he did
not recognize either him or his mount.
    A
thousand thoughts drifted through Iron Eye’s mind. Could this be
Harve Calhoon? Could he have somehow managed to turn the tables on
him? Turned the hunter into the hunted? Maybe it was some innocent
drifter who happened to be riding the same trail as himself. Was
that possible?
    Suddenly, as Iron Eyes ran the fingers of his left hand
through his long matted hair, he saw the rider leaning down,
hauling the strange weapon from its scabbard. Before Iron Eyes had
time to lower his arm he saw the plume of gunsmoke spew from the
distant barrel and then heard the deafening sound echo all around
him as a bullet tore into the sand at his pony’s unshod
hoofs.
    ‘ Buffalo gun!
The bastard’s got a buffalo gun!’ Iron Eyes shouted at the heavens
as it became obvious that whoever the rider was, the varmint wanted
him dead.
    Iron Eyes knew that the
rider was now probably less than fifteen minutes behind him. He had
no intention of facing anyone until he had time to tend his wounds.
His bony hands hauled his reins to his right.
    Then
he saw the faint remnants of tracks left by Harve Calhoon’s horse’s
hoofs in the sand beyond the bodies.
    Another blast filled his ears as he felt the heat of the
large-caliber bullet pass within inches of his already nervous
mount. Iron Eyes spurred the pony hard.
    The horse did not
require a reminder from the jagged edges of his sharp spurs. It
thundered through the scattered bodies of the Apache warriors and
across the sand. He rode the pony for all it was worth.
    Now, below the crest of
the dune, Iron Eyes had a little time before the unknown rider with
the buffalo gun could fire at him again. The dune provided him with
cover until the rider rode up and on to it.
    He had maybe ten
minutes before the man reached the top of the high sandy rise and
was able to take aim once more.
    Iron
Eyes urged the pony on and on. He had to try and get out of range
of the weapon which, he knew, was capable of bringing down a
fully-grown buffalo at over a mile’s distance.
    Once the rider stopped
his mount and was able to take careful aim Iron Eyes knew that he
and his pony would be goners. The mysterious horseman had come
close enough to his chosen target when riding at full gallop, there
was no way he would miss once he had time to stop his horse.
    The
mount obeyed its new master and galloped towards the distant
canyon. Iron Eyes stood in his stirrups and felt the pace of the
pony quicken beneath him.
    His
keen eyes squinted into the shimmering heat haze at what was left
of Calhoon’s trail, but it was the man behind him who kept
returning to his thoughts now.
    Who was he? Iron Eyes
asked himself as he balanced in his stirrups and allowed the pony
beneath him its head.
    But men like the
infamous Iron Eyes had a thousand enemies whom they had never seen
or even heard of. It came with the occupation for which he had
become legendary at doing so well. Every one of the wanted men whom
he had killed to claim the bounty on their heads had either a
father, brother or cousin who sought revenge if they were
capable.
    There
were thousands of outlaws’ kinfolk out there who wanted to see the
head of Iron Eyes on a pike.
    As he galloped on Iron
Eyes had no