The eagle's wing: A story of the ColoradoBower, B. M.
General
The eagle's wing: A story of the Colorado
Bower, B. M.
Colorado River (Colo.-Mexico) -- Fiction; Gold mines and mining -- Fiction; Western stories
Rawley only laughed and swung up the trail, leading the burro behind him,
since he was not at all acquainted with the beast and had no desire to follow
it vainly to Nelson, for lack of the proper knowledge to halt it beside the
scene of Deacon’s downfall.
As he went, Rawley scanned the near-by ridges and the brush along the trail.
There was slight chance, according to his belief, that the outlaw Indian would
venture down this far, especially since he could not be sure he had failed to
kill Johnny Buffalo. On the other hand, he must have been rather desperate to
lie in wait for two women coming home with supplies. Rawley wondered why he
had remained up on the ridge; why he had not waited by the trail and robbed
them of such things as he needed. Then he remembered Nevada’s very evident
ability to whip wildcats, if necessary--certainly to meet any emergency
calmly--and shook his head. The old squaw, too, would probably do some clawing
if the occasion demanded, and she knew just who and why she was fighting. On
the whole, Rawley decided that Queo had merely borne out Johnny Buffalo’s
statement that he was a coward and had taken no chances. And from the boy’s
remark about his grandfather nearly killing Queo, he thought the outlaw had
not wanted his identity discovered.
As for his own risk, Rawley did not give it a second thought. Queo had been
well scared, finding two men on the job where he had expected to deal only
with women. He had been headed toward the river when Rawley last saw him. It
was more than probable that he would continue in that direction.
But it is never safe to guess what an Indian will do,--much less an Indian
outlaw who must become a beast of prey if he would live and keep his freedom.
Rawley remembered Johnny Buffalo’s pack and tied Pickles to a bush directly
under the spot where the shooting had taken place, while he climbed the ridge
to retrieve his belongings. He brought canteen and pack down to the trail and
hung them on the packsaddle, feeling absolutely secure. The ridge was hot and
deserted, even the birds and rabbits having taken cover from the heat.
He went on around the little bend and anchored the burro again while he
carried up a sack of potatoes, bacon, flour and a package wrapped in damp
canvas, which he guessed to be butter. The tribe of Cramer had what they
wanted to eat, at least, he reflected. Also, the load would have made a nice
grubstake for the outlaw. Two such burro loads would have supplied Queo for
months, adding what game he would undoubtedly kill.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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