The Savage Trail Read Online Free PDF Page A

sir.”
    Darlene released her grip on her son and rummaged through the blankets covering the goods in the wagon. She picked up a small wooden box and leaned toward Mel.
    â€œHere,” she said. “God, Mel, what are we goin’ to do with no money?”
    â€œDon’t you worry none,” he said, his voice quavery as a calm Louisiana lake trembling under the ripples of a cotton-mouth’s wake. “We’ll make it up some way.”
    â€œYour man’s right,” Hobart said. “Now hand it over, Pilgrim.”
    Hobart rode in close, stretched out a hand.
    That’s when Mel made a very stupid decision.
    He dropped the box onto the floor of the wagon, ducked down, and reached under the seat for his rifle. He grabbed it with one hand, jerked it toward him. He saw a flash of movementout of the corner of his eye.
    Hobart’s hand streaked downward toward the butt of his pistol.
    Darlene and Cal saw a blur of flesh that was Hobart’s hand. The movement was so quick, the shock to them so great, their expressions did not change.
    â€œBad idea,” Hobart growled as his pistol cleared the holster.His thumb pressed the hammer down so that the pistol was cocked when it came level, its front sight blade lined up on Mel’s body. Hobart squeezed the trigger, just a touch was all that it took, and the pistol barked, spat lead and flame from the muzzle.
    The bullet struck Mel just under the right armpit. The impactof the .45-caliber lead ball, traveling at around 900 feet per second, slammed him into the seat, cracking the ribs on the other side. The exiting lead ripped out more of his rib cage and blood spurted from the hole in his side and flowed onto the seat bed.
    Darlene screamed.
    Cal gasped and tears welled up in his eyes.
    Darlene stood up, started to rush to Mel. Her son grabbed at her to pull her back down.
    Rosa Delgado, who rode with Hobart, drew her pistol and cocked it.
    â€œMel, Mel,” Darlene said, her voice full of anguish. Tears flooded her face as she jerked away from Cal.
    She took one step toward her husband when Hobart fired again. There was the slow curl of a smile on his face when he fired his pistol. Darlene didn’t see it, but Cal did. He cringed and squeezed his eyes shut when the Colt exploded. When he saw his mother’s body jerk as the bullet struck her in the chest, his face contorted with rage.
    He stood up and started rushing toward his mother.
    Rosa calmly raised her pistol, sighted down the barrel, and squeezed the trigger. Her shot struck Cal in the throat, blowing out his Adam’s apple, ripping through to his spine. The young man twisted his body in a macabre dance and his eyes rolled back in their sockets. Blood spurted from the hole in his neck. Fragments of splintered bone flew out from his broken backbone and his body turned rigid as it fell, a foot short of where his mother’s twitching and bleeding body lay.
    â€œGood shot, Rosa,” Hobart said.
    Rosa smiled. She held her pistol close to her as smoke curled from the barrel. She blew the smoke into wisps that glided into shreds and disappeared.
    The smell of gunpowder hung in the air as both Rosa and Hobart holstered their pistols.
    Hobart rode up close to the side of the wagon. He reached down and snatched up the box that Mel had dropped. He pulled on the latch, opened the lid.
    He reached in and fished out a pile of greenbacks. He counted them and folded them, stuck them into his shirt pocket.
    â€œTwo hundred,” he said. He scooped out the gold and silver coins and stuffed them into his pants pocket, then threw the opened box on the ground. It made a hollow clatter as it struck a rock and rolled over, forming a small wooden tent.
    â€œAnything in the wagon you want, Rosa?” Hobart said.
    â€œI’d like that mule, but we cannot take him.”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œThen, let us go before someone sees us here.”
    She turned her horse and started back