The Gallows Gang Read Online Free Page B

him, not that he cared to spend the night listening to an endless series of Bible quotations . Although, mindful of the man’s reputation, he’d decided not to antagonize him by telling him to be quiet.
    Around the cage rasping snores indicated thatmost of the prisoners were asleep. When he abandoned his own attempt to sleep and opened his eyes he saw that, opposite him, Turner Jackson was asleep but Javier Rodriguez was awake. Javier’s eyes reflected the limited light as they darted around following the guards on their regular patrol.
    The tense yet poised way he sat leaning back against the bars suggested he hadn’t given up hope of escape. That made Nathaniel wonder whether something might happen tonight that could give him a chance to escape too.
    The first hint that something really was amiss came when Nathaniel heard a thud nearby, then the sound of a large object being dragged along.
    Javier’s eyes followed the motion of whoever was doing the dragging. When that man came into Nathaniel’s view he saw that Hiram Deeds was dragging an unconscious guard towards the large boulder that stood between them and the fire.
    Then Hiram made his stealthy way towards them, holding a bunched set of keys.
    Nathaniel closed his eyes to slits and let his mouth fall open as if he were snoozing. He watched Hiram open the cage door in a slow way that ensured it didn’t creak and awaken the prisoners.
    Hiram appraised The Preacher, but he continued to babble, showing no interest in the proceedings, as usual. Then he leaned over to Javier and passed him a key.
    Javier settled back and considered the prisoners, assuring himself that they were all still asleep; thenhe looked at Turner, then at Hiram who followed his gaze. Nathaniel guessed that a silent discussion was taking place as to whether to release Turner. That discussion ended when Javier reached down to his ankle.
    While carefully avoiding touching Turner’s body he released his leg manacles, then drew his leg away from him. Again he waited for a few moments before he released his wrist from both Turner and the bars. Then he stood slowly and moved towards the open door.
    Nathaniel waited until he raised the hand holding the key to the bars to steady himself as he climbed down. Then he lunged out with his own free hand, catching Javier’s wrist. He squeezed.
    He and Javier exchanged eye contact as Nathaniel conveyed with his bunched fist and flared eyes that he had the power to ensure this escape wouldn’t remain a secret for long if he chose to raise the alarm.
    ‘Take me with you,’ he whispered.

CHAPTER 4
    ‘I’ve worked out how Hiram will get him to Pablo,’ Elwood said when he returned from his thirty minutes of scouting around.
    He beckoned for Shackleton and Barney to join him. Without asking questions, they followed.
    Keeping in the shadows and often crawling like snakes along the ground they inched closer to the cage, taking a circuitous route that several times doubled back almost to the place where they’d started. Shackleton couldn’t see where Elwood was taking them until they were almost there.
    Silently Elwood edged forward and rolled from view as he disappeared into a dried-out rill. Shackleton and Barney followed to find that the course of the rill was around three feet deep and followed a more or less straight course from the ridge to the edge of the canyon. A brief glance over the side confirmed that it emerged twenty yards from the cage.
    Lying on his belly, Shackleton ran his gaze up anddown the watercourse then patted Elwood’s back.
    ‘Agreed,’ he said. ‘Javier could get away from the cage along here without being noticed from up on the ridge.’
    ‘So do we get closer?’
    ‘No. Javier won’t go anywhere without passing by us, so let’s see who’s at the other end.’
    Barney and Elwood grunted their approval of this plan. With Shackleton leading they crawled along the watercourse towards the ridge.
    They’d covered 200 yards when