Way of the Gun (9781101597804) Read Online Free Page A

Carson cut him off. “Any size limb you think you can handle,” he said. “Then we just beat the hell outta each other with ’em till one of us has had enough. Is that simple enough?”
    That brought a grin to Varner’s face. “Fair enough,” he said. “Let’s get at it.” With the size and strength advantage he knew he held over the younger man, he felt sure he could make short work of it. “If that’s the way you wanna get your ass busted, hell, fine by me.”
    By this time, the whole crew was aware of the confrontation building up between the camp strongman and the new hand, so they followed the two adversaries to the trees on the bank. Even those watching the herd were staying close to the creek, hoping not to miss what promised to be a short and brutal beating. Rufus brought a hand ax with him for each man to use to cut his weapon, and Varner eagerly grabbed it and went to work on a cottonwood limb about the size of his upper arm. When it crashed to the ground, he chopped it off to a length of about five feet. Satisfied with his choice, he tossed the ax over to land at Carson’s feet, then hefted the sturdy section of limb confidently.
    â€œDamn, Varner,” Marvin remarked facetiously. “You reckon that’s big enough? You coulda saved yourself some trouble and picked up that log lyin’ over yonder.”
    Marvin’s remark pleased the gloating bully. “I reckon I coulda handled it, but I didn’t need it for this little job.” He turned to Carson then and goaded, “Hurry up, Pig. I ain’t got all day.”
    Ignoring Varner’s taunting, Carson picked up the ax and fashioned his weapon from the same limb. Moving out toward the smaller end, he chopped off a section that was about the thickness of a broom handle at the butt end and tapered off to the size of a pencil after a length of around eight feet. He trimmed off the smaller branches, then tested the feel of it. Satisfied, he said he was ready to start.
    Varner laughed at the size of Carson’s weapon and asked, “You sure you can lift that?”
    â€œWhat about the rules?” Rufus asked. “I ain’t never heard of a tree limb fight.”
    â€œRules?” Varner roared. “We don’t need no rules. When he can’t get up no more, then it’s over. That’s all the rules we need.”
    â€œThat all right with you, Carson?” Rufus asked.
    â€œI reckon,” he replied. “Just stand back a little and give us room.” The few men standing around them backed up a little. Carson knew he needed room to move. Varner was big and powerful, but Carson was sure he was quicker than the lumbering bully, and he knew that was his best defense against him. He had counted on Varner to pick a sizable length of timber, and the big man had not disappointed him. His plan was to wear him down to the point where the heavy limb became too cumbersome to wield with any degree of effectiveness.
    â€œGo to it,” Rufus signaled.
    As Carson expected, Varner immediately charged like an angry bull, the heavy limb raised in both hands over his head. Carson held his ground until Varner was almost upon him, and then he easily sidestepped him and popped him across his cheek with his cottonwood whip, leaving a stinging welt. Varner yelped in surprise, almost dropping his cumbersome weapon when he grabbed his cheek with one of his hands. He yelped again when seconds later Carson popped him several times around his head and neck while he was groping to regain a position to attack again. Like a man fighting a grizzly, Carson backed slowly in the face of Varner’s advance. With his longer whiplike weapon, he was able to deliver a steady series of stinging blows while moving quickly enough to frustrate Varner’s efforts to get in close enough to use his bludgeon. Varner tried to grab the stinging whip, but he found that he could not effectively