The Man From Bar-20 by Clarence E. Mulford (best books to read for young adults .txt) đ
- Author: Clarence E. Mulford
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The only things about him which he could hear were the holsters, which rubbed very softly as he walked, but the sound would not carry for any distance. Having gone around the little valley near his cabin, he crawled along below the ragged skyline of the ridge and reached a point close to the cabin, when he suddenly dropped to his stomach and flattened himâ self to the earth.
Some restless, gambling soul could not do without a cigarette and he had detected its faint odor in time. Turning his head slowly, he sniffed deeply and swore under his breath, for he was going partly with the wind, which meant that the smoker must be somewhere behind him. Then a gentle breeze, creeping along the ridge in a back-draft, brought to him the strong and pungent odor of the fire; and he nodded in quick understanding.
The back-draft told him that the smoker was in front of him and cleared up one danger; but it also had blotted out the odor of the cigarette, and as he started forward again he put his faith in his eyes and ears. Slowly he moved along, a few feet at a time, and then he caught the brief and fragrant odor again. Worming around a great, up-thrust slab of lava he stopped suddenly and held his breath. A speck of fire, faint through the clinging ashes, moved in a swift, short arc, became brighter and moved back again, a gleaming dot of red. He could see the hand and part of the arm of the man who had just knocked the ashes from a cigarette in a characteristic and thoughtless gesture. He was sitting just around the corner of a huge bowlder not far away, his back to it, and a dull gleam of reflected moonlight revealed the end of his rifle.
From where he now lay Johnny could see the smoldering ruins of his cabin, where the flames were low and the flying sparks but few. A little current of air fanned the ashes for a few minutes and sent the sparks swirling and dancing, and the flickering, ghostly flames licking upward with renewed life. The increased light, fitful as it had been, brought a smile to his face; for he had caught sight of a pair of spurred boots projecting beyond a rock not far from the glowing embers.
âAh, thâ devil!â muttered the man near him. âIâm gowân home. Heâs scared out.â
The speaker arose and stretched, and grumblingly leaned over to pick up his sombrero, the moon lighting his hair; and he suddenly crumpled forward and sprawled out without a groan as Johnnyâs Colt struck his head.
The owner of the spurred boots, down behind the rock near the cabin, wriggled backward and looked up to see what had made the noise, caught sight of a dim, ghostly figure moving past a bowlder and called up to it.
âCome on, Ben; letâs get goinâ. Whereâs Fleming?â
âThanks to my fool idea of strategy,â said a peeved voice high above the cabin, âwhich I borrowed from our doughty friend, Mr. Ackerman, Iâm up here, smoked up like a ham. I ainât stuck on this. Shootinâ a good man from ambush never did set well on my stummick. Reckon Benâs asleep, like a regâlar sentry; he didnât have thâ cussed smoke to make things interestinâ for him. Hey, Ben!â he called, wearily.
âNo use yellinV warned Spurred Boots earnestly. âHe ainât asleep. I just saw him move. Up to some of his fool jokes, I reckon; anâ itâs a dâ-d poor time to play âem. Iâm a little nervous, anâ might shoot without askinâ any questions. Cominâ down?â
âYoâre just whistlinâ I am,â growled Fleming. âItâs all fool nonsense, us three watchinâ anâ waitinâ to shoot that feller. When he finds his shack burned anâ his rustlinâ business busted up, heâll move out without us plugginâ him. Dân it! Didnât he say he was done? But you just listen to thâ mockinâ bird: If thereâs any shootinâ to be done, heâll do his little, twohanded share. Iâve been eddicated today; done had a superstition knocked sprawlinâ. Anâ so did Jim get eddicated. He made his play for that fellerâs right hand, when dâ-d if he ainât left-handed. It made Jim near sick; for a minute I was scared heâd lose his dinner. Anâ I allus believed left-handed men came in third by two lengths; but lawsy me! What? Iâm insulted! I said lawsy.â
âYou shore can talk!â admired Spurred Boots. âSometimes a cussed lot too much. What in blazes is Ben doinâ?â he asked petulantly, stiffly arising and working his arms and legs.
âFixinâ to jump out on us from behind a rock, anâ yell âBoo!ââ grunted Fleming. âBen, heâs an original felJer; allus was, even as a kid. Dân these thorns.â A thin stream of profanity came from the crevice and Fleming slid down the rest of the way and rolled out into the circle of illumination. âJust like water down a chute, or a merry-hearted bowlder down a hill. Roll, Jordan, roll. Was you askinâ about Benjamin, thâ catcher of lightning? Benjamin Franklin Gates, his name is; anâ heâs done gone home. Heâs a sensible feller, B. F. G. is; but only in spots, little spots, widely spaced.â
âYou talk as much as Jim Howardâs wife,â grumbled Spurred Boots. âJim he said â
âOf course he did! wasnât it awful?â interposed Fleming. âIt was just like a man. But I thinfe it was me that told you that story; so weâll let it keep its secret. As I was sayinâ, getting in my words edgeways like, but shore gettinâ âem in: Ben has pulled thâ picket stake, anâ like thâ Arabs, done went.â
âYou mean Arapahoes.â
âDid I? I allus call âem that for short. Have mercy, Jehovah!â
âI saw him move just before I spoke,â replied Spurred Boots positively. âBut that was a long time ago, before thâ deluge, of words,â he jabbed ironically.
âCease; spare thy whacks. Anâ where thâ hâl did you ever hear of thâ deluge? Some Old Timer tell you about it?â responded Fleming. âI been seeinâ things, too. All kinds of things. Some had tails but no legs; some had legs but no tails; anâ to make a short tale shorter, that was a ghost what you saw. A wild, woopinâ, woppinâ ghost. Come on, Nat; letâs flit.â
âThen my ghost lit a cigarette a long time back,â retorted Nat Harrison. âAnâ then it said âflop.â Do they smoke cigarettes?â he demanded with great sarcasm.
âSome does; anâ some smokes hops; anâ some smokes dried loco weed,â grinned Fleming. âThat was a spark what you saw, anâ thâ musical flop was a trout fish turninâ cartwheels on thâ water. One of them sparks plumb lit on thâ back of my neck, anâ I cussed near jumped over thâ edge anâ made a âflopâ of my own for myself. Anâ itâs a blamed long walk home,â he sighed.
âThereâs thâ lightninâs play-fellow now! See him, up there?â demanded Harrison. âMust âaâ been off scoutinâ. Hey, Ben! Wait for us be right up.â
Fleming glanced up as another vagrant breeze fanned the embers, and he forthwith did several things at once, and did them quite well. Sending Harrison plunging down behind a rock by one great shove, he jumped for another and fired as he moved. âBen hâl!â he shouted, firing again. âIâve seen that hombre before today. Keep yore head down, anâ get busy!â
Two alert and attentive young men gave keen scrutiny to the ridge and wondered what would happen next. Thirty minutes went by, and then Harrison rolled over and over, laughing uproariously.
âCussed if it ainât funny!â he gurgled. ââSome smoke cigarettes, some smokes hops, anâ some smokes dried loco weed! Ha-ha-ha! Anâ I reckon yoâre still seeinâ them woopinâ woops.â
âYouâll see somethinâ worse if you moves out into sight,â retorted Fleming. âThat ghost that I just saw was a human that ainât got to thâ ghost state yet. If you donât believe me, you ask Ackerman, if youâve got thâ nerve.â
Harrison rose nonchalantly and sauntered over toward the embers. âCome on, Art; Iâm cussed near asleep,â he yawned.
âYou acts like you was plumb asleep, anâ walkinâ in it,â snapped Fleming angrily. âBut itâs a good idea,â he admitted ironically. âYou stay right there anâ draw his fire, anâ Iâll pull at his flash. You make a good decoy, naturally; it comes easy to you. A decoy is an imitation. Stand still, now, so he can line up his sights on you. ,âm all ready.â
Harrison grinned and waved his hand airily. âThere ainât no human up there,â he placidly remarked. âAnâ I donât care if Benjamin F. is there: she goes as she lays. What you saw was a bear or a lobo or a cougar come up to see thâ fire, anâ hear you orate from thâ mountain top. Theyâll go long ways to see curious things. In thâ book, on page eighteen, it says that they has great streaks of humor, anâ a fittinâ sense of thâ ridiculous. Animals are awful curious about little things. Anâ on page thirty-one it says they has a powerful sense of smell; anâ you know you was up purty high. Anâ I ainât lookinâ forward with joy unconfmed to gropinâ along no moonlit trail with thâ boss of thâ wolf tribe, or other big varmits sneakinâ around. I might step on a tail anâ loosen things up considerable. Theyâre hell on wheels when you steps on their tails, poor things.â
âLa! La!â said Fleming sympathetically. âJust because you have got yore head out of thâ window it donât say you ainât goinâ to get no cinder in yore eye. A lead cinder. Lemme tell you that animal wore pants anâ a big sombrero. I tell you I saw him!â
âIt was one of them sparks,â grunted the other, enjoying himself. âOne of âem that plumb lit on thâ back of yore neck. A spark is a little piece of burninâ wood which soars like thâ eagle, anâ when it comes down makes sores like thâ devil. Te-de-dum-dum I Howsomeever, if yoâre goinâ with me, yoâre goinâ to start right now Iâve done it already,â and he walked slowly toward the creek.
Fleming arose and hesitated, scanning the ridge with searching eyes. Then he stepped out and followed his friend, who already was across the creek and climbing the steep bank.
After reaching the top of the steep part of the ridge he glanced about over the great slope and then paused for breath and reflection, peering curiously toward the tree-shaded hollow where he had seen the much-debated movement. Obeying a sudden impulse he drew his gun and went cautiously forward, bent low and taking full advantage of the cover. A deep groan at his side made him jump and step back. Cautiously peering over a large rock he started in sudden surprise, swearing under his breath. Benjamin Franklin Gates, neatly trussed and gagged, lay against the rock on its far side, and his baleful eyes spoke volumes. There came a soft step behind Fleming and he wheeled like a flash, his upraised gun cutting down swiftly, and came within an ace of pulling the trigger at Harrison, who writhed sideways and snarled at him. Then Harrison also saw the bound figure on the ground and swore with depth, feeling, and vigor.
âSmokes dried loco weed!â he jeered sarcastically, his voice barely audible. âI feels
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