Waco's Badge Read Online Free

direction informed Tract that another pair of outlaws had hidden in a similar fashion and were rising just as well equipped to deal with any attempted resistance on the part of those aboard the stagecoach.
    Despite his passive response to the situation, Tract set about doing the only positive thing he could envisage. As he had no intention of trying to resist, he devoted himself to studying the male members of the gang. In spite of the multi-colored bandana each was using to conceal the majority of his features, the driver was seeking information which might serve to identify them. All were tallish, but not exceptionally so and their respective builds were no more than average for their height. Therefore, unless he could discover some more prominent indications to act as a guide, he realized that picking them out of a crowd would be very difficult.
    The two men farthest away had on the everyday attire of cowhands, except that the garments showed no traces of the hard usage which invariably arose when working cattle. Having the appearance of being recently purchased, their hats were shaped in the style by which cowhands in Arizona sought to set themselves apart from those of other regions. Like the clothing, their gunbelts were such as could be bought ready-made in any town of reasonable size. The wooden handled Colt Peacemakers looked to be standard production models, as were the Winchester carbines they were lining at the stagecoach.
    While that pair offered scant evidence to set them apart, Tract considered their companions mightprove more fruitful. Going by various indications, they were of either pure or mixed Indian blood. Decorated by an eagle feather stuck under a dark blue band inscribed with medicine symbols, their black hats were high crowned in a fashion only rarely worn by white men in that day and age. From beneath the headdress, straight black hair hung to the level of the shoulders in each case, but the brims were drawn down sufficiently to aid the bandanas in preventing their features from being seen. However, the open necks of their fringed buckskin shirts displayed skin which was a dark brown in color as was their hands. Their brown trousers were tucked into the leggings of Navajo moccasions. On the left side of each gunbelt was a knife in a sheath which, like the hat bands, was of Indian manufacture.
    â€œAll right now!” yelled the man with the carbine on the left side of the trail, as he and his male companions started to converge upon the stagecoach. “Don’t anybody try anything fancy happen you want to keep on living!”
    â€œYou do and you’ll right soon regret it!” seconded the other outlaw armed with a Winchester, his voice also having a Mid-West accent. “We’ve got you covered from all sides and aren’t bothered whether we take it from you alive or dead!”
    â€œWh—What the—?” began the unmistakable voice of Senator Paul Michael Twelfinch II from inside the vehicle.
    â€œDo like they say, gents!” Tract advised. “They’vegot us covered from both sides like he said and Ben—the shotgun messenger’s down!”
    As he was delivering the instructions, the driver hoped it would be obeyed. There had been a brittle timber to the voice of each outlaw. Despite the competence they had exhibited in preparing and carrying out the ambush, it suggested a nervousness which might erupt into violence if they believed things were going wrong. However, he was relieved by the thought that none of the passengers was likely to display hostile tendencies and he certainly had no intention of doing so.
    â€œNow there’s a right smart feller,” the first outlaw declared. “Come on down here, but leave your gun behind. You fellers inside, wait until he’s done it, then get out where we can take a look at you.”
    â€œBlue Buck!” called the woman, her accent that of a Southron. “You-all come on over and