Lone Star Ranger : A Ranger to Ride With (9781310568404) Read Online Free Page B

I reckon
we’d better set up a guard overnight, just in case those renegades
send a couple of men back to see if they missed anything. I’ll set
the watches after supper. Nate, what happened to your shirt? You’re
gonna need it.”
    “My brother and I were washin’ up for supper
when those men attacked us. I think it must’ve burned up with the
cabin. Might still be by the wash bench, though.”
    “Good. Hoot, you see if you can rustle up
Nate’s shirt. If not, get him your spare. It’ll be a mite too big
for him, but you’re the closest to his size.”
    “Right away, Bob.”
    “Dan, Ed, take care of the dead. Make sure
you cover ’em good so the scavengers can’t get at ’em.”
    “Um, Bob?” Morton said.
    “Yeah, Dan?”
    “What about the dead outlaw? Doesn’t seem
fittin’ he should be planted here with the folks he helped
murder.”
    “You’re right,” Bob agreed. “Take him off
somewhere and dig a shallow grave for him, or leave him for the
buzzards and coyotes. Far as I’m concerned, that’s all he deserves.
Jim, get the horses settled. Nate, if you feel you’re up to it, I’d
like to ask you a few questions. That’ll help us when we catch up
to the men who did this.”
    “I’ll try to answer them, if I can,”
Nathaniel said.
    “Good. Jeb, you stay here with me. The rest
of you, get busy.”
    While the other Rangers went about setting
up camp for the night, Bob and Jeb questioned Nathaniel about the
attack on the Stewart ranch earlier that day.
    “Nate, just tell me as best you can what
exactly happened,” Bob requested.
    “Sure,” Nate answered. “Like I said before,
Jonathan and I were just washin’ up for supper. We heard a bunch of
men ridin’ real fast. Jonathan spotted ’em first and pulled out his
gun. My dad must’ve heard ’em too, because he came outside holdin’
his shotgun. They killed him, first thing. Then Jonathan pushed me
behind the trough. He shot one of the outlaws, then he got shot. I
knew he was dead, the way he fell. So I crawled over to him, got
his gun, and managed to get off a shot. Didn’t knock anyone off his
horse like Jonathan did, though. I’m not much good with a gun or
horse. Jonathan certainly was. He loved bein’ a cowboy.”
    “I’m sure he did,” Bob said. “Nate, do you
recollect how you got in the root cellar?”
    “No, I surely don’t.” Nathaniel shook his
head. “All I remember is firin’ Jonathan’s gun, then everything
went black. I guess I must have come to, then crawled into the
cellar. I figure I was lucky those men didn’t see I was still
alive.”
    “You sure were, son,” Jeb agreed. “Dang
lucky. Nate, we didn’t find any six-gun near you, nor your brother.
My guess is one of those hombres must’ve picked up the gun while
you were still unconscious. Can you tell us how many there
were?”
    “I’m not sure. Nine or ten, maybe a couple
more.”
    “Can you tell us what any of them looked
like?” Bob asked.
    Again, Nathaniel shook his head. “I wish I
could, but I can’t. Everything happened so fast.”
    “It’s all right,” Bob reassured him.
    “Nate, you don’t happen to know what kind of
pistol your brother wore, do you?” Jeb asked.
    “I sure do. It was a Smith and Wesson
American cartridge revolver. Jonathan was real proud of that gun.
He even had his initials carved into the handle. He liked to talk
about how much better his cartridge gun was than the old-fashioned
cap and ball Colts.”
    Bob and Jeb exchanged glances. Jeb
whistled.
    “That’s a mighty rare gun in these parts,”
he said. “If we find the man carryin’ that Smith and Wesson, it’s
more’n likely he’ll be one of the men who killed your folks.”
    “What about any horses?” Bob continued. “We
didn’t find any around the place, so those raiders must’ve stolen
them along with the cattle. What’s your horse look like?”
    “I didn’t have one,” Nathaniel said. “Never
much liked horses. My brother had one,