CHAPTER XIX
THE FANG OF THE WOLF
"Well, yuh'd better get ready to take yore medicine," sneered theoutlaw, his voice shaking with rage. "I'm goin' to make yuh crawl onyore hands and knees, Cotton-picker!"
He holstered his gun, watching Kid Wolf cunningly, and drew back alittle to give himself leeway with his whip. Then he began to roll uphis sleeve.
"I'll make yuh beg, Cotton-picker," he taunted insultingly, as he baredhis brawny right arm. "And if yuh run, I'll shoot--not to kill; that'dbe too easy. I'll blow yore legs in two!"
Kid Wolf had been pulled from his horse by the others, and the faithfulsnow-white animal had been taken along up the pass with the twoprisoners. There seemed no way of escape. Blacksnake had him, and thegang leader grinned confidently.
"Yo're a bully, sah," drawled the Texan. It was as if he weredeliberately trying to get his enemy aroused to white-hot fury.
The words seemed to have that effect. With a loud oath, Blacksnakecracked his whip like a pistol shot. The whip was as strong and toughas a bull whip, with a loaded stock and a long, braided lash, thick inthe middle, like a snake. The outlaw had aimed for The Kid's thigh,and he was an expert with it. The lash landed with such cutting forcethat it cut through the Texan's clothing and tore into his flesh.
"Now take off yore shirt!" Blacksnake bellowed. "I'm goin' to flay yuhalive! Take it off!"
There was no sign of pain in Kid Wolf's face. He was still smilingagreeably. Blacksnake McCoy did not know what was coming. The Texanwas not entirely disarmed. True, his Colts had been taken away, and hewas apparently helpless. The Kid, however, had his hole card that wasalways in the deck. This was his keen bowie knife, which more thanonce had saved his life. Cleverly concealed in its sheath sewn downthe back of his shirt collar, it had been overlooked in the outlaws'quick search. Pretending to remove his shirt, The Kid's right handwent to his throat and closed on the handle of the knife.
Blacksnake, showing his teeth in a laugh of hate, stood a half dozenfeet away from him, swinging his cruel whip slowly from side to side,waiting. He was holding the whipstock in his right hand, and thatfavored the Texan. For in order to draw the gun that swung at his hip,Blacksnake would first have to drop his implement of torture.
"Heah's wheah yo' get it!" snapped The Kid crisply.
Blacksnake's eyes bulged with sudden, startled terror, for he had aglimpse of the shining blade for one brief instant. His whip handmoved toward the butt of his gun. But he was too late. Kid Wolf coulddraw and throw his bowie as swiftly as he could pull his firearms. Itflashed through the air--a streak of dazzling light! The fang of thewolf was striking!
_Ping!_ The steel tore its way through the outlaw's right wrist. TheTexan's throw had been as true as a rifle bead. Blacksnake yelled andtried to reach for his Colt with his left hand.
Then The Kid leaped in. Blacksnake was still squirming about andclawing for his .45 when the Texan's first blow landed. Blacksnake wasburly, powerful. He weighed well over two hundred, and his shoulderswere as broad as a gorilla's. But his bullet head went back with ajerk, as the Texan's hard fist thudded heavily on his cheek bone.
In the quick scuffle, the Big Colt slipped from Blacksnake's holsterand fell to the ground. With all his fury now, the outlaw was lashingterrific, belting swings at Kid Wolf's head. The Texan dodged, elusiveas a shadow. He leaped in, bored with his right and jolted Blacksnakefrom top to toe with a smashing left. The big outlaw staggered, thenjumped back and tried to scoop up his gun. His right hand washelpless, however, and his left clumsy. His fingers missed it, and TheKid hit him again, bringing Blacksnake to his knees, groggy-headed andbleary-eyed. His hand closed over the whip. The stock was heavilyloaded with lead, and it was a terrible weapon when held reversed. Oneblow from it could crush a skull like an eggshell.
"I'm a-goin' to brain yuh, Cotton-picker!" Blacksnake grated furiously.
He reeled to his feet, shook his head to get his tangled hair out ofhis eyes and came in, whip swung back! Kid Wolf had no time to duckdown for the gun. The heavy stock was humming through the air in aswish of death!
_Smash!_ Blacksnake rocked on his feet. His teeth had come togetherwith a click. He wabbled, swayed. His whip fell from his relaxedfingers. The Kid's footwork had been as swift and cunning as amountain cat's! He had stepped aside, rocked his body in a pivot fromthe hips and landed a knock-out punch full on the point of thebig-chested outlaw's jaw! With a grunt, Blacksnake went down, first tohis knees, and then face thudding the ground. He landed with suchforce that he plowed the sand with his nose like a rooting hog.
Taking a deep breath, Kid Wolf walked over and picked up Blacksnake's.45. Then he turned the outlaw face up, none too gently, by jerkinghis tangled hair. "All right. Snap out of it," he drawled.
Blacksnake was out for a full two minutes. Gradually consciousnessbegan to show on his ugly, bruised face. He stared at the Texan,blinking his eyes in bewilderment.
"Blast yuh!" he said thickly, when he could speak. "Guess yuh got me,Cotton-picker. I don't know yet how yuh done it."
He tried to seize the gun, but The Kid was too quick for him.
"None o' that," he drawled. "Get up! Yo're takin' me to the othahs.Move pronto to the Yellow Houses!"
A cunning look mingled with the hate in Blacksnake's swollen eyes.
"They'll kill yuh," he sneered. "Yuh ain't out o' this yet, blast yuh!My men will pull yuh to pieces."
"I'm thinkin' they won't." The Texan smiled. "If they do, it won't bevery healthy fo' yo'. Now listen to what I say."
Half an hour later, Kid Wolf strolled up the hill to the Yellow Houses,arm in arm with his enemy--Blacksnake McCoy!
The outlaw was swearing under his breath. Kid Wolf was chuckling. Forhe had his hand under Blacksnake's vest, and that hand held a .45! Inhis left hand, the outlaw carried his whip. The other, wounded, was inhis trousers pocket. The Texan had ordered him to keep it there, outof sight.
The two adobes, crumbling to ruins, dated from the Spaniards. For manyyears they had been used only as occasional stopping places for passingriders. It was here that Blacksnake had ordered Red Morton and LeftyWarren taken.
Kid Wolf was free now, and had he wished, he could have made hisescape. That thought, however, did not enter the Texan's mind. Hemust rescue his friends if possible.
"Walk with me as if nothing had happened," he told Blacksnake softly."If they suspect anything befo' I'm ready fo' 'em to know, you'll besorry."
With the cold end of the six-gun pressing his ribs inside his shirt,the outlaw dared not disobey.
The sun had set, and twilight was deepening. The faint dust haze onthe far horizon had disappeared. That meant that the stolen Diamond Dherd had been driven on. Blacksnake had been staying some distance inthe rear to keep off any possible pursuit. Kid Wolf had five otheroutlaws to contend with--no, four. For Blacksnake had sent one of themahead with the herd.
Odds meant nothing, however, to the Texan. He knew that surprise andquick action always counted more than numbers. Everything now dependedon boldness. As they neared the two adobes, he pretended to reel andstagger close against Blacksnake for support, as if he had been beatenuntil he could hardly stand. This, too, allowed him to keep the gunagainst the outlaw's side without arousing suspicion.
At tile edge of the little cleared space surrounding the two adobes,one of the bandits was saddling a horse. The others seemed to beinside with the prisoners.
"Hello, Black!" the outlaw yelled. "Did yuh tear the hide offn him?From his looks, I reckon yuh did."
"Tell him to go inside," murmured Kid Wolf softly, "and be careful howyo' tell him."
Blacksnake opened his lips to shout a warning, but felt the touch ofsteel against his ribs and quickly changed his mind.
"Go into the dobe with the others," he commanded gruffly.
The walls of one of the mud huts had crumbled utterly. Only one ofthem was habitable, an
d it was to this one that the outlaw went, withBlacksnake and Kid Wolf following close behind. A yell greetedBlacksnake's arrival with his supposed prisoner.
"I thought yuh'd have to carry him back, Black, or drag him by theheels," one voice shouted. "Yuh must've got tired."
The time for action was at hand! The Kid and the outlaw stood framedfor a brief second in the doorway. The Texan's eyes swept the room.The four outlaws were lazing comfortably about the ruined interior.Two were playing cards, and two were engaged in taking a drink from awhisky flask, one of these being the man Blacksnake had sent inside.The two prisoners--Lefty Warren and young Morton--were securely boundin lariat rope, sitting against one wall. The Kid saw their eyes lightup as they recognized him. Evidently they had not expected to see himagain alive. Kid Wolf jerked the revolver from Blacksnake's side,tripped him suddenly and sent him headlong into the room.
"Up with yo' hands!" the Texan sang out.
The outlaws were taken entirely by surprise. Only Blacksnake had knownwhat was coming, and he was unarmed. Kid Wolf was no longer reelingand staggering. The desperadoes looked up to stare into the sinistermuzzle of a .45!
"Shoot him to pieces!" Blacksnake yelled, picking himself up on allfours and whirling to make a jump for The Kid's ankles.
The Texan dodged to one side, his gun sweeping the room. A jet flamedarted from the barrel, and there was a crash of broken glass. He hadfired at the liquor flask that one of the outlaws still held at hislips.
"That's a remindah," he said crisply. "Put up yo' hands!"
Guns blazed suddenly. Two of the bandits had reached for their weaponsat the same moment. The walls of the adobe shook under blendedexplosions, and powder smoke drifted down like a curtain, turning thefigures of the men into drifting shadows.
The firing was soon over. The Kid's gun had roared a swift tattoo ofhammering shots. Dust flew from the wall near his head, but he hadspoiled the aim of both outlaws by fast, hair-trigger shooting. Onesank against a broken-down bunk in one corner, reamed through the upperright arm and chest. The other fired again, but his gun hand wasdangling, and he missed by a foot. Playing cards were scattered, asthe other pair of bandits jumped up with their hands over their heads.
"We got enough!" they yelped. "Don't shoot!"
Kid Wolf lashed out at Blacksnake, who was rushing him again. Theshort, powerful blow to the jaw sent the leader down for good. Herolled over, stunned.
"_Bueno._" The Texan smiled. "Keep yo' hands right theah, please,caballeros."
Before the powder fumes had cleared away, he had liberated Lefty andRed with quick strokes of his bowie.
"I reckon we've got the uppah hand now, boys." He smiled. "Let's tryand keep it. Take their guns, Red."
The two Diamond D men had been as surprised as the outlaws had been.They had watched the gun fight fearfully and hopefully, and it was anenthusiastic pair that shook off their severed bonds to clap The Kidacross the back. There was no time for conversation now, however, andthey busied themselves with disarming their five prisoners and bindingthem with rope.
"Gee, Kid!" Red whistled. "We thought we were done, and when yuh camein and made sparks fly--whew!"
"Theah'll be moah spahks fly, I'm afraid," the Texan drawled. "How'dyo' like to make some spahks fly yo'selves?"
The others showed their eagerness. The fighting fever was in theirveins, especially since the death of poor Mike Train. And now, withBlacksnake and half the outlaw gang captured, they felt that they had agood part of the battle won. Red tried to question Blacksnake abouthis brother's death, but the outlaw was stubborn and refused to talk.Had it not been for Kid Wolf, Red would have fallen on his enemy andbeaten him with his fists. And none of them could blame him.
It was nearly dark, and they made quick plans The stolen herd was notfar ahead, and with it were not more than seven of Gentleman John'sriders.
"We'll take those cattle away from 'em," said Red fiercely, "and headthe steers back to the Diamond D!"
It was decided that the prisoners could be left where they were for thetime being, although Lefty Warren was for stringing them up there andthen. Kid Wolf shook his head at this suggestion, however, and theyarmed themselves, "borrowing" the guns of the Blacksnake gang. Thenthey mounted their horses and headed south through the deepening dusk.