"If I choose to use sabers," Catlett said, "is that agreeable with you?"
"I don't have no saber. "
Meanness showing now in his eyes.
"Well, you best get one."
"I never even had a sword in my hand."
Irritated. Drunk, too, his eyes not focusing as they should. Now he was looking over his shoulder at the Circle-Eye riders, maybe wanting them to tell him what to do. One of them, not Wayman but one of the others, called out, "You got your .44 in your hand, ain't you? What're you waiting on?"
Catlett raised the saber to lay the tip against Macon's breastbone, saying to him, "You use your pistol and I use steel? All right, if that's how you want it. See if you can shoot me 'fore this blade is sticking out your back. You game? . . . Speak up, boy."
IN THE HOTEL dining room having a cup of coffee, Catlett heard the noise outside, the cheering that meant Capt. Early had arrived. Catlett waited. He wished one of the waitresses would refill his cup, but they weren't around now, nobody was. A half hour passed before Capt. Early entered the dining room and came over to the table, leaving the people he was with. Catlett rose and they embraced, the hotel people and guests watching. It was while they stood this way that Bren saw, over Catlett's shoulder, the saber lying on the table, the curved steel on white linen. Catlett sat down. Bren looked closely at the saber's hilt. He picked it up and there was applause from the people watching. The captain bowed to them and sat down with the sergeant major.
"You went up the hill with this?"
"Somebody had to."
"I'm being recommended for a medal. 'For courage and pluck in continuing to advance under fire on the Spanish fortified position at the battle of Las Guasimas, Cuba, June twenty-fourth, 1898.' "
Catlett nodded. After a moment he said, "Will you tell me something? What was that war about?"
"You mean why'd we fight the dons?"
"Yeah, tell me."
"To free the oppressed Cuban people. Relieve them of Spanish domination."
"That's what I thought."
"You didn't know why you went to war?"
"I guess I knew," Catlett said. "I just wasn't sure."
Table of Contents
Start
Elmore Leonard, The Complete Western Stories of Elmore Leonard
Thank you for reading books on BookFrom.Net Share this book with friends