Chapter Six
Lightning Returns
Slim waited impatiently as the rider on Lightning pressed on up thevalley toward them. At three hundred yards his finger pressed gently onthe trigger of his Winchester.
"Better wait a bit longer," counseled Chuck. "You might miss at thisrange."
Slim snorted. "I've got him lined between my sights right now. That guyis one horse thief that isn't going to get away."
But Slim took Chuck's advice and the tension of his finger on thetrigger lessened. The target loomed larger, for the man riding Lightningwas heavy and of large stature.
Rider and horse drew nearer, the second horse trailing Lightning by afew feet. It was then that Slim noticed that the rifle of the rider onLightning was in the scabbard on the saddle of the second horse. If heshot now, it would be at a man armed at the most with only a six shooterand one unable to answer him on even terms. Slim knew that the horsethief didn't deserve such consideration, but in spite of his rage atlosing Lightning he couldn't bring himself to shoot a man in cold blood.
He dropped his rifle in disgust. "That fellow hasn't anything withinreach but a six gun. I can't take a shot at him at this distance."
"What you going to do?" queried Chuck.
"Wait until he comes up close and then step out and hail him. If he goesfor his six gun, we'll be on equal terms."
"I don't know about that. Seems to me you ought to be kind of handy withthat six shooter of yours. You've got long arms and long hands and yourgun is hung just right for fast action."
"I can make it talk," agreed Slim, his narrowed eyes watching theapproach of the rider, now almost within hailing distance. If hecontinued on the trail, he would pass within three rods of the twocowboys.
Chuck looked down at his aching feet.
"Gosh, but it's going to seem good to swing back into a saddle. I'vewalked more today than in years."
"You'll be riding again in about five minutes, cowboy," said Slim. "Thisfellow is coming right into the center of a real unpleasant surpriseparty."
Slim shifted from his crouching position behind the fallen tree and madesure that his gun was free in the holster. There was a good chance thathe would need it in a hurry.
The rider on Lightning was within a hundred yards of them when Slimstood up and waited quietly beside the trail. The horseman came onswiftly, unaware of the incensed cowboys who were awaiting him.
Suddenly Slim shifted his plans. He knew a bloodless but not altogetherpainless way to capture the rider. Placing two fingers between his lips,he sent a shrill, penetrating whistle ringing down the valley.
Lightning stopped suddenly, poised like a statue. Again the sharpwhistle came from Slim's lips while Chuck watched in open-mouthedastonishment.
Lightning whirled into action. The big sorrel left the ground in a wild,twisting buck that caught her rider unawares. Lightning almost swappedends and came down in a rocking, jarring crash that sent the unknownrider sprawling through the air to land with a thud at one side of thetrail.
Then the sorrel raced toward Slim, whinnying in sheer delight atdiscovering her master again.
Chuck ran down the trail to the side of the fallen rider while Slimswung onto Lightning. The sorrel fairly danced with pleasure over thereunion and Slim reached down and stroked the beautiful mane with gentlehands.
"Gosh, Lightning, old girl, it's good to see you again. Darn me! Ithought last night it was all over for us when I heard thosebushwhackers riding away. From now on no one rides you but me.Understand?"
Lightning threw up her head in a quick, angry manner that indicatedanyone except Slim would have a hard time mounting her.
From down the trail came a sharp cry from Chuck.
"Hey, Slim. Come here and meet your horse thief."
The Flying Arrow cowboy swung Lightning about and trotted down thetrail. Chuck was bending over the fallen man, who was now showing somesigns of a returning interest in life.
"Think you can recognize him?" asked Chuck as Slim slipped out of thesaddle.
"Why it's old Bill Needham!" exclaimed Slim. "What under the sun couldhe have been doing on Lightning?"
Old Bill, tall and powerful of frame, a typical cattleman of the oldschool, managed to raise his bruised body upon one elbow as he squintedangrily at the two cowboys looking down at him.
"What's the idea of pulling a stunt like this on me?" he demanded. Then,recognizing Slim as the mists cleared from his ancient eyes, he added."My gosh, Slim. I was just riding up trail looking for you when thathorse of yours set off a stick of dynamite under my saddle. How did itall happen?"
"That's what we want to know," said Chuck. "There's got to be a lot ofexplaining about some things that took place last night just this sideof the divide."
"Well, well, Chuck. I figured I'd find you somewhere along the trail,but hadn't counted on you and Slim being together. Know each otherpretty well?"
"We ought to. We've done better than twenty miles of hoofing it alongthis trail since sunup. My feet are just about killing me." Chuck satdown and dragged off his boots, massaging the bottoms of his burningfeet with his hands.
"Let's hear the story, boys," said Old Bill. "Tell me what happened lastnight and I'll tell you how I happened to get hold of Lightning."
Slim looked at Chuck.
"Everything happened this side of the divide and you were the first overthe summit. Start the ball rolling."
"There's plenty to tell," began Chuck. "I'd been taking it fairly easy,figuring on plenty of time to get to the foot of the trail. A littlemore than a half hour of easy riding this side of the crest of the traila couple of hombres cut loose on me with rifles."
"Didn't they give you any warning?" asked the old cattleman.
"Not a peep until the Winchesters started blazing away. The first thingI knew my horse caved in and pitched me off. I managed to get my rifleand ducked into a side canyon, but it was a trap--no way out. The othertwo had plenty of shelter behind boulders in that dry wash and theyblazed away every time I moved. It was getting along toward dark andlooking plenty tough for yours truly when someone else voted himself ahand in the party and cut loose on the bushwhackers from behind."
Old Bill chuckled. "It isn't hard to guess who you're talking about."
"Well, that changed everything. Slim hit one of them in the elbow andthey decided they'd had enough, but on the way out they circled aroundand stole Slim's horse."
"So you started hoofing it down the trail."
"You mean we started limping down the trail," said Slim. "These boots ofmine were never made for walking and I don't know when I've sufferedsuch agony."
"That goes for me, too," said Chuck.
"How about you, Slim? Let's hear your side of the story," Old Billurged.
"There isn't a whole lot more to tell. I had made camp this side of thesummit and was just sitting down to supper when the firing started. Icould tell it was two against one so I got my rifle and did a littlescouting. When I got down in the wash, I could see they had Chuck pennedup and were shooting to kill. I challenged them and they let me have alittle lead, so I cut loose. They got away and stole Lightning and I'vebeen kind of miserable until you showed up."
"And say, you don't know how near death you were a few minutes ago,"Chuck said. "Slim had you lined between his sights and was all set tolet you have it. Then he decided he couldn't kill a man in cold blood."
"So he just whistled and had Lightning dynamite me right out of thesaddle," chuckled Old Bill. "Maybe the shooting wouldn't have been sobad after all." He rubbed his bruised body with exploring fingers."Danged wonder every bone in my body wasn't broken."
"You take your falls hard," admitted Chuck.
"I want to know where you found Lightning," said Slim.
"The bushwhackers rode past my camp this afternoon and I recognizedLightning in a minute. I knew you would be riding Lightning on a triplike this and I didn't waste time nor lead. They
were leading Lightningand when I started shooting, she broke away. After what you did to themlast night, those fellows didn't have much stomach for another fight andthey took out full gallop for the Creeping Shadows valley. It wasn'tmuch trouble to round up Lightning for she seemed to remember me a bitfrom my visits to the Flying Arrow. But boy, when you whistled sheforgot all about me. I never saw a horse go up so quick or come down sohard. Don't ever do that again to me."
"I never will," promised Slim, "but it's a good trick to keep in thebag. If I'd been real smart last night I think I could have stoppedLightning by whistling to her, but I wasn't thinking very straight. WhenI heard the bushwhackers galloping off on her I just saw red in aboutfive different shades."
"Don't blame you a bit, son," said Old Bill. "Now let's get down to thebusiness of making camp and getting some grub. No use of our going tothe bottom of the trail tonight. We'll make camp here and I'll tell youwhat I've got up my sleeve."
Slim looked toward Chuck and jerked a thumb.
"What about him?"
"He's in this thing as deep as you are. Just have a little patience.We'll eat, then talk. A man can't think well on an empty stomach."