Black Hills Badman Read Online Free Page A

meat. Sometimes I cure the hides and sell or trade them.”
    “That’s what is bothering you? An issue easily solved. We’ll butcher the bear and pack the meat to camp. Would that make you happy?”
    Lem Owen snorted. “That’s an awful lot of bother to go to, if you ask me. If I were in charge, Senator, I’d let you kill whatever you want, whenever you want.”
    “That’d decent of you. But Mr. Fargo is, and it would please me greatly if you would remember that.”
    “Your choice. I just hope it doesn’t turn out to be the wrong one.”
    Fargo turned. This wasn’t the first time Owen had implied he could do a better job as guide. “I don’t get many complaints.”
    “You’re making a fuss over a lousy bear.”
    “Too bad there’s not a couple of hundred so you can shoot them like you did all those buffalo.”
    Owen chuckled. “There must be a million of the damn things. I could have dropped them all day and all night and it wouldn’t make a difference.”
    “It would to the Indians who rely on the herds to live.”
    Owen’s eyes widened. “Listen to yourself. Who in hell cares what redskins think? You know, I’d heard you were an Injun lover. But I never figured you for stupid.”
    Fargo hit him, a solid right cross to the jaw that knocked Owen against Lichen. Both men stumbled, and Owen would have fallen if Lichen hadn’t caught him and held him up.
    “What on earth!” Senator Keever exclaimed.
    Owen shook himself and put a hand to his chin. Then, swearing, he clawed for the Remington revolver on his hip.
    In the blink of an eye Fargo’s Colt was up and out. They all heard the click of the hammer being thumbed back.
    Owen turned to stone. His throat bobbed, and he said, “Hold on, now, hoss. There’s no call to blow out my wick.”
    “Take your hand off your revolver.”
    Forcing a crooked grin, Owen obeyed. “I wouldn’t really have drawn on you. I was mad, is all, you slugging me like that.”
    “When you go around insulting people that’s what happens.” Fargo let down the hammer and twirled the Colt into his holster.
    Senator Keever stood. “Enough of this. I hired the two of you and I expect you to get along. Mr. Fargo, I’ve noticed that you’re not overly fond of Mr. Owen. Mr. Owen, I’m aware that you don’t think highly of Mr. Fargo. Whatever the cause of this silliness, either behave like adults or leave my employ.”
    “I’m all for getting along with folks,” Owen said.
    Fargo almost laughed in his face. Owen was the kind to smile while stabbing a person in the back. If ever there was such a thing as a human sidewinder, Lem Owen filled the bill.
    “Mr. Fargo?” the senator prompted.
    “What?”
    “Your turn. Do you agree to get along with Mr. Owen for the duration of our hunt?”
    “So long as he doesn’t insult me, we’ll get along fine.”
    “That’s not what I asked,” Keever said curtly. “I want your word that you will be on your best behavior.”
    “I’ll do as I damn well please.” Fargo took a step and poked Owen in the chest. “And so long as I’m guiding this outfit, I don’t want any more guff out of you.”
    “Or what? You’d cut me loose in Sioux country? That’s not very white of you.”
    Fargo almost hit him a second time.
    “If word got out that you abandoned a white man in the Black Hills, there’s not a soul alive who would hire you.”
    Senator Keever was staring in the direction of the black bear. “Look at what your bickering has done. You’ve made me lose my shot. The bear has gone into cover. We’ll have to follow it in.”
    Up ahead, an isolated bluff was fringed by woodland. The undergrowth was particularly thick. Somewhere in there was their quarry.
    They climbed on their mounts and rode to within fifty yards of the woods. Fargo dismounted, saying, “I’ll come with you, Senator. Owen and Lichen will watch the horses.” The Sioux were as fond of stealing horses as they were of counting coup.
    “It’ll take forever