W. C. Tuttle

“ Down at the corral, Hashknife, Sleepy, and Musical were saddle-breaking a colt, and having a big time out of it. The pseudo Jack Hill scowled at them as he rolled a cigarette.
Wanna came back to the corner, carrying the empty basket. Jack smiled up at her and indicated for her to sit down on the steps. But Wanna shook her head with a smile.
“Work to be done,” she said.
“I don’t know how you stand it to live here all the time,” he said. “My God, I’d get the willies sure. And you say you’ve never been out of here, out of Hawk Hole?” ”

“ Jack Baum helped Baldy to his feet. The boss of the K-10 looked as if he had stuck his chin against a grindstone, and his knees and hands were badly bruised. He staggered into the house and flopped into a chair, while Lee Yung brought water and towels.
“This is a hell of a mess!” wailed Baldy. “Stevens has gone back to town, and we’ll have the whole damn works on our trail.”
“You shot him, didn’t yuh?” asked Kohler. “You said yuh did.”
“I seen him fall,” declared Baum. “I didn’t know what it was all about. He sure fell like he was killed.” ”

“ Guadalupe crossed himself piously and grinned at Torres.
“Nor have I ever paid for many candles,” grinned Torres. “I have never felt the need. But this is different.”
“Fool!” grunted Guadalupe. “You have the girl. Marriage is only for those who are too weak to steal and keep a girl. You have stolen her. Are you afraid to hold her?”
“I fear nothing. To steal a girl is nothing. I have done it before, my friend. But”—Torres poured out a fresh drink—“I want to stand up before a priest and laugh. Ha, ha, ha, ha! I want this girl for my wife, do you understand? ”

“ Big Medicine looked narrowly at Hashknife from under his bushy eyebrows for several moments. He seemed undecided. Then:
“I’m not in the habit of allowing strangers to use my spring, sir; but I should be a hell of a citizen if I refused to let a suffering man share what Nature provided. You are welcome to use it as long as you find the need.” He pointed to the rear of the ranch-house. “You will find the bathhouse back there, sir. I think your nose will guide you.” ”

“ Gonzales smashed the neck from a bottle across the edge of a table and poured a cupful.
“Come and drink, Torres,” he ordered.
Torres came to the table and accepted a cup. He knew it would not be well to refuse Gonzales.
“What is the news?” asked Gonzales, turning to Guadalupe.
“News is never plentiful at the Rancho Sierra,” replied the old Mexican. “But you come in time for our little fiesta. Felipe leaves at once for Santa Isabella to fetch a priest.”
“Madre de Dios!” swore Gonzales. “And why a priest, old man? Is it that someone is dying?” ”

“ But Torres shook his head.
“Not yet. Some of these days we might, but not now. There is too much money to be made here.”
“A slit throat does not taste wine,” said Garcia. “Money is of no value to a corpse. I would rather drink Guadalupe’s vile tequila in safety than to risk my neck for champagne.”
“There may be virtue in all that,” replied Torres.
“Go, if you are afraid. If not, stop croaking. I have business to attend to in Pinnacle. Guadalupe sent a message to Kern yesterday by that half-wit, Perez—who let me read it for the price of a quart of mescal.” ”

“ Big Medicine hooked his hands over his knees and stared at the threadbare carpet, deep in thought.
“The realization,” he continued softly, “was the fact that my children would be half-breeds. They could never take their place with the whites. It seemed to me that the Indian blood would predominate, always. And one reason for that would be the fact that they would know that they had an Indian mother.
“You have known Indians and half-breeds, Hartley. And you know that the half-breed never measures up. They inherit the vices of both bloods and the virtues of neither. ”

“ But the squaw had not forgotten them.
“If the crow thinks he is an eagle,” he said softly.
“Wanna knows.”
Lucy got up from the table and began clearing away the dishes. Big Medicine watched her, leaning one big hand on the table. His blanket had fallen from his massive shoulders, exposing a torso that would have been a credit to any professional athlete. Perhaps age had slowed those rope-like muscles, but it had sapped little of their strength.
After a few moments he replaced his blanket and turned to the doorway.
“Wanna knows,” repeated Lucy, as if to herself. “But she is only a squaw. ”

“ Hashknife and Sleepy watched him with amusement as he came back to the edge of the porch.
“Perhaps,” he said, “that was a childish thing to do, but I was irritated beyond endurance.”
“Yeah,” admitted Hashknife, “I reckon yuh was, pardner.”
“Thank you,” he said simply.
“I’ve got rheumatism,” stated Hashknife, “and somebody said that yore hot spring was a sure cure. How about it?”
He considered the question gravely. “My dear man, there is no such a thing as a sure cure. It is all theory until proved by practice, and on each individual case. Diseases do not react the same in all bodies.” ”

“ Musical, Cleve, Ike, and Sleepy went horse-hunting, while Big Medicine watched Lucy draw most of the swelling from Hashknife’s injury. The hilt of the knife had bruised the scalp a little, but it would not be noticeable after the swelling was out.
“Torres probably threw that knife, saw you fall, and headed for the border,” said Big Medicine. “It isn’t often that he misses. Possibly he hurried his throw and misjudged the distance in the dark.”
“Always somethin’ to be thankful for,” grinned Hashknife. “It always seems that things might ’a’ been worse.” ”

“ Gonzales drank gulpingly and laughed at Torres. “So, you stole a gringo girl, eh?” he mocked. “Fool! When you go back across the line they will cut off your ears.”
“Who spoke of going back?” demanded Torres. “The world is wide. Anyway”—Torres shrugged his shoulders—“what is one girl, more or less?”
Gonzales’ two men came in and he motioned them to sit down at another table. Garcia came in, his scowling face half-concealed in the dirty serape, and sat down against the wall.
Gonzales tossed a bottle of tequila across to his men, who thanked him profusely and proceeded to empty it. ”

“ I want it known that she is the wife of Torres.”
“Revenge, eh?” smiled Guadalupe. “To laugh at someone, you are willing to marry what you might have without marriage. Is that it, Torres?”
“That is for me to know. I am willing to pay one hundred dollars in gold, Guadalupe. Bring me a priest. Somewhere we will find someone to play the guitar, the mandolin. We will open a cask of wine, while Lopez roasts us much meat, and we will hold a marriage fiesta at the Rancho Sierra.” ”

“ A big black cat, its eyes glistening in the rays from the lamp, came in past the squatting cowboy, shrank quickly away from his reaching hand, darted across the room, and sprang onto the table near Big Medicine.
The stairs creaked noisily as another cowboy came down into the hall, carrying his boots. He was a stolid-faced, pudgy-looking person. His socks were not mates, and one of them was minus the whole toe. He peered into the sitting-room, nodded at the squatting cowboy.
Against the wall, beyond Big Medicine, was a cheap phonograph. ”

“ He walked past Torres and went into the store, followed by Sleepy, who was grinning widely. Torres scowled heavily and looked at Garcia.
“Who are these men?” demanded Torres in Spanish.
“How should I know?” replied Garcia heavily. “I did not speak to the pig who grins only with his mouth.”
“They are strangers here,” mused Torres. “Last night they came on the stage.”
“This morning,” corrected Garcia. “They were talking with the sheriff, who is also a fool.”
“A fool is one who thinks that others do not have brains,” rebuked Torres. “A wise man overrates his opponent.” ”

“ It was Hashknife and Sleepy coming toward the crowd, shooting through their own smoke, taking the K-10 outfit so by surprise that they were stunned into inaction for a moment.
Kohler went down, almost falling into Big Medicine, who caught Kohler’s rifle, and leaned against the wall, shooting from his hip. Ike yelped joyfully and flung himself headlong across the floor to get possession of Baldy’s sixshooter, while Musical and Cleve almost fought each other to see which might get a chance to use the gun which was still in Kohler’s holster. ”

“ And almost before McGurk could realize what was going on Sleepy threw up both hands, collided with McGurk, and was knocked backwards into a stunted rosebush, when the steer elected to go under McGurk’s mount.
The impact was so great that the big steer lifted the horse off its feet, dumping McGurk out of the saddle, and upended the frightened horse on its head, while the steer, minus the saddle, the cinch of which had snapped at the impact, went bawling into the hills. ”

“ Baum and Kohler moved away from the bar, keeping their eyes on Baldy.
“Look out,” whispered Hashknife. “Somethin’ is due to break.”
Baldy was only ten feet from Torres now, and they were looking at each other. The dealer called the winning number, but Torres did not look down at the table.
“You dirty Mexican!” snapped Baldy. “You killed Sam Blair!”
As Baldy spat his accusation he whipped out his gun. Baldy was fast on the draw, as deadly as a striking rattlesnake. ”

“ The talk drifted to things along the border and Hashknife asked him if he knew Steve Guadalupe.
“I have only seen him once,” said Big Medicine. “Guadalupe is afraid to cross the border. It is five years since he was on this side—at least, openly. He hates the whites, but they say he will do anything for gold.
“He’s a small man, Hartley. Steve Guadalupe is not much over five feet tall, but inside his dirty brain is all the deviltry, cunning, and avarice of the low-bred Mexican and Yaqui combined. ”

“ Lucy called sharply to Wanna and the girl went reluctantly back to her work. Big Medicine came slowly outside and stopped beside Jack’s chair.
“I heard what you said to her.”
Big Medicine’s voice was pitched low. Jack twisted nervously. He was afraid of this big man.
“Well, what of it?” he asked.
“I’ve watched you and her,” said Big Medicine softly. “Youth calls to youth, they say; but not in this case. I know your type, Jack Hill. The honor of a pretty girl means nothing to you. The cities are filled with young men like you, idlers, wine hounds—and worse.
“Wanna is a half-breed. ”

“ Hartley, a tall, thin, serious-faced cowboy, was standing on one leg, much in the attitude of a stork, except that his knee naturally bent the other way.
“Sleepy” Stevens, Hashknife’s partner, was of medium height, with a grin-wrinkled face and serious eyes. There was nothing colorful nor romantic about their raiment or physical appearance. They were clad in well-worn overalls, nondescript shirts, high-heeled boots, and sombreros. ”

“ Hartley is no fool, that’s a cinch.”
“We could force him to tell,” suggested Jack.
“If we had the chance,” said Lee Yung softly. “Not being a fool, he may not give us the chance. Still, one can never tell what the gods have written, and it is well to have a plan in mind, in case the gods should be kind to us.”
“The gods don’t mean much to me,” said the practical Baldy. “Just give me a chance. To hell with the gods.”
The hired men on the Tumbling H were never overworked. Big Medicine was no slave-driver, and let the cowboys plan out most of their own work. ”

“ Men say that Big Medicine Hawkworth is a queer person, and that he is unfriendly. Some of them hate me because I own Hawk Hole, and hold it.
“Since the town of Pinnacle was built, Hawk Hole’s morals have not improved. The Greenhorn Mines have brought the riffraff of the Southwest into this place, until it seems to be a happy hunting ground for high-graders, cattle-thieves, smugglers. Is it any wonder that I do not welcome a stranger to my home?” ”

“ Gonzales laughed softly and shook his head.
“Never trust a gringo,” he advised. “When their own color is concerned, they do not always count the cost. In many ways they are very great fools.”
“They will go back before the priest comes.”
“We do not know,” argued Gonzales. “They have said that this tall prisoner’s friend escaped to carry the news, and Hawk Hole will be a dangerous place for them. They will torture the tall one, in order to force him to confess, but what then? By this time there are men riding toward the border, Guadalupe, my friend.” ”

“ Hashknife looked the knife over carefully. It was a wicked weapon, almost as sharp as a razor, and with a point like a needle.
“Do yuh reckon the Mexican did it?” asked Hashknife.
“You’ll probably never know who done it,” said Ike. “Sam Blair is too dead to skin. Mebbe he knowed who threw it. If he didn’t, what in hell was he doin’ out there? Big Medicine swore he’d kill the first K-10 puncher that showed up; swore that to Baldy Kern.
“It’s shore too bad, but it can’t be helped. The K-10 will declare war as sure as hell. Not that we care a whoop what they do, except that it’ll mean a killin’.” ”

“ You do not talk the language of the hills and cattle ranges, and she puts you above the rest of the men.
“You are trying to make her unhappy with her life, with your word pictures of the cities. You wouldn’t marry her. To you she is a pretty girl, ignorant as a savage, something to play with. Let me tell you something, Jack Hill.” Big Medicine leaned closer and lowered his voice to a whisper. “If you harm her in any way, by words or by actions, I’ll kill you. ”

“ But she was known to everyone of Hawk Hole as Wanna.
Big Medicine did not realize that Wanna had suddenly grown from a gangling little girl to a handsome young lady; but Lucy knew it. She could tell it in the admiring glances of the cowboys when she and Wanna went to Pinnacle to trade; she could read it in the sidewise glances of Big Medicine’s own cowboys, and from the fact that they were always ready to bring wood or water for the kitchen.
“I seen Torres in Pinnacle last night,” offered Ike Marsh, his mouth filled with food. “Him and Luis Garcia comes into the Greenback Saloon.” ”