Under the Sweetwater Rim (1971) Read Online Free Page A
Author: Louis L'amour
Major Devereaux's patrol. They wouldn't listen to me, so I used my rank to pull you people out of the train."
Her eyes searched his face. "I don't know what to think, Lieutenant, and I'm frightened"
"West, will you ask the other men to step over here?
And Mrs. Renick, if you would ask Mary to come out."
"I am out."
Mary was standing at the back of the ambulance, a slender, strong girl with grave, serious eyes, watching him. He looked at her, and for a moment their eyes held, but he said nothing more, waiting for the men.
The air was crisp. Overhead the sky was cloudless blue. He could smell spring in the air, the earth coming alive.
Above on the left was a knoll. The gully was a short one, invisible until one was right upon it. A buffalo wallow had probably began it, and water running from the knoll, had over the years cut the gully deeper with every rain. Trees had grown up around it until in the hollow a wagon and horses could be concealed, allowing for a camp hidden from all eyes. The nearest water was a hundred yards off. There was nothing about this knoll to distinguish it from any other, and it seemed to offer no possible hiding place. Schwartz was the teamster, a stocky, bull-headed German who had served in the old country. He was a good man, strong, unimaginative, dependable as the sunrise.
Ironhide, the Cherokee, born in eastern Oklahoma, was a veteran of six years in the cavalry. He was a tall man, slightly stooped; at twenty-three he looked thirty, and at sixty would probably still look thirty. He was a tough, tireless man, and a dead shot.
George Dorsey was a drifter, at various times a track-layer, a steamboat hand, a cattle drover. He had served two years in the 7th Iowa, and Brian suspected he had served elsewhere before that. Many of the Indian-fighting army had deserted at one time or another, then re-enlisted. They went over the hill, prospected or hunted buffalo for a time, got hungry, and enlisted again.
Dorsey had been on watch on top of the knoll.
"Did you see anything up there?" Brian asked.
"Nothing.. . not even an antelope."
Brian glanced at them briefly, then explained. "When I ordered you to leave the wagon train with me you may have believed me to be crazy, but I knew it was the only way I could save any of you.
"I had occasion to visit Julesburg, and as some of you may know, I grew up in this country. There was a man there I knew, and he passed the word to me that the wagon train would never reach South Pass. By the time I caught up with you the wagonmaster was sure you were out of danger. You will remember that I tried to persuade him to fort up and wait, but he refused to consider it. I had no authority over him, but you were Army personnel."
Corporal West said, "I heard you tell Miss Devereaux the wagon train had been destroyed. How can you know that?"
"I cannot be sure, but yesterday we saw smoke rising from where the wagons should have been."
"They'd have been hard to take, Lieutenant.
There were some good men in that outfit."
"My information was there would be forty or more seasoned fighters in the attacking party. Not Indians, but renegade white men who have been in this business for quite a while, possibly for years. The attackers could choose their own time, and catch the train in the open or when it was crossing a stream"
"You seem mighty sure, Lieutenant. Odd you should know all about this before ever it happened."
Ten Brian was cool. "I am almighty sure of one thing, Corporal West, that had I not come along you would now be lying among the dead. And let me say this. If anything happens to me you will be in command.
I hope when you are you will recall what I am saying now. There is no more dangerous man alive than the one who leads that group, and we have not escaped them yet" "You want to try for Fort Bridger?"
"Their headquarters is behind us, and they are now somewhere near. Their hunting ground is the country we have passed through, and if we wait they may turn
Her eyes searched his face. "I don't know what to think, Lieutenant, and I'm frightened"
"West, will you ask the other men to step over here?
And Mrs. Renick, if you would ask Mary to come out."
"I am out."
Mary was standing at the back of the ambulance, a slender, strong girl with grave, serious eyes, watching him. He looked at her, and for a moment their eyes held, but he said nothing more, waiting for the men.
The air was crisp. Overhead the sky was cloudless blue. He could smell spring in the air, the earth coming alive.
Above on the left was a knoll. The gully was a short one, invisible until one was right upon it. A buffalo wallow had probably began it, and water running from the knoll, had over the years cut the gully deeper with every rain. Trees had grown up around it until in the hollow a wagon and horses could be concealed, allowing for a camp hidden from all eyes. The nearest water was a hundred yards off. There was nothing about this knoll to distinguish it from any other, and it seemed to offer no possible hiding place. Schwartz was the teamster, a stocky, bull-headed German who had served in the old country. He was a good man, strong, unimaginative, dependable as the sunrise.
Ironhide, the Cherokee, born in eastern Oklahoma, was a veteran of six years in the cavalry. He was a tall man, slightly stooped; at twenty-three he looked thirty, and at sixty would probably still look thirty. He was a tough, tireless man, and a dead shot.
George Dorsey was a drifter, at various times a track-layer, a steamboat hand, a cattle drover. He had served two years in the 7th Iowa, and Brian suspected he had served elsewhere before that. Many of the Indian-fighting army had deserted at one time or another, then re-enlisted. They went over the hill, prospected or hunted buffalo for a time, got hungry, and enlisted again.
Dorsey had been on watch on top of the knoll.
"Did you see anything up there?" Brian asked.
"Nothing.. . not even an antelope."
Brian glanced at them briefly, then explained. "When I ordered you to leave the wagon train with me you may have believed me to be crazy, but I knew it was the only way I could save any of you.
"I had occasion to visit Julesburg, and as some of you may know, I grew up in this country. There was a man there I knew, and he passed the word to me that the wagon train would never reach South Pass. By the time I caught up with you the wagonmaster was sure you were out of danger. You will remember that I tried to persuade him to fort up and wait, but he refused to consider it. I had no authority over him, but you were Army personnel."
Corporal West said, "I heard you tell Miss Devereaux the wagon train had been destroyed. How can you know that?"
"I cannot be sure, but yesterday we saw smoke rising from where the wagons should have been."
"They'd have been hard to take, Lieutenant.
There were some good men in that outfit."
"My information was there would be forty or more seasoned fighters in the attacking party. Not Indians, but renegade white men who have been in this business for quite a while, possibly for years. The attackers could choose their own time, and catch the train in the open or when it was crossing a stream"
"You seem mighty sure, Lieutenant. Odd you should know all about this before ever it happened."
Ten Brian was cool. "I am almighty sure of one thing, Corporal West, that had I not come along you would now be lying among the dead. And let me say this. If anything happens to me you will be in command.
I hope when you are you will recall what I am saying now. There is no more dangerous man alive than the one who leads that group, and we have not escaped them yet" "You want to try for Fort Bridger?"
"Their headquarters is behind us, and they are now somewhere near. Their hunting ground is the country we have passed through, and if we wait they may turn
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