Bull
Kid Curry let out a low whistle.
"Beautiful!" Hannibal Heyes fairly breathed.
"He's magnificent, all right," said Mr. Thornton. "Bull like this only comes along once in a lifetime."
As if to agree with his own magnificentness, the bull tossed his head and strutted along the fence for the three men.
"Even his gait is smooth," said the Kid admiringly. He grinned when the bull turned to look at him.
"Special breeding," said Mr. Thornton. "Down through the generations. That's what does it." He turned to the two ex-outlaws. "Now you understand, don't you, how important it is that you never let this bull out of your sight. It's a good 475, maybe even 500 miles to the Bar N Ranch. You might have an easy time of it, or you might not. If the weather turns bad, you might have problems. And sometimes outlaws between here and there. If word gets out that this bull is being transported, I don't doubt every desperado in the state will try to get him away from you. He's worth one hell of a lot of pesos!"
Heyes smiled endearingly. "I think we can handle a few thieves, Mr. Thornton."
"I don't know either of you. I got no idea what you can or can't do. But I'll tell you this right now - if anything happens to that animal before he gets to the Bar N – safely! – you're going to owe Mr. K.N. Wells several thousand dollars! And probably more! I do business with Wells because he's an honorable man, and he pays damn good, which is why I'm paying you damn good!; but I'll tell you right now – don't get on the wrong side of him. If this perfect animal he's buying from me arrives at his ranch in bad condition – or, worse yet, doesn't arrive at all! – I wouldn't be in your boots for all the tea in India!"
Curry and Heyes exchanged a quick glance. They smiled. "Don't worry, Mr. Thornton," said the Kid. "We'll make sure Rex gets to his new home in fine shape. Nothing can stop us."
Mr. Thornton snorted. "Yeah, I hired you because you talk a good game. At least you do," he directed to Heyes. "But don't be too cocky or you'll be sorry. Like I said, it's hard country and hoodlums between here and there, and the weather is unpredictable – sometimes flash flooding. And I expect you know one of you will have to stay awake at night to guard him."
Heyes waved away any concerns. "We've got it all worked out, Mr. Thornton. Now you leave it to us. You stop worrying." Kid Curry nodded for emphasis.
Mr. Thornton looked at the two of them, then at the bull, then spit on the ground. "Your pay'll be waiting for you on the other end. Go on, get out of here! Take him!"
An hour later, Hannibal Heyes glanced over at his partner and saw a big smile on his face. "What's so funny, Kid?"
The Kid gestured toward the bull. "Look at this guy, Heyes. You've got him on a lead. I've got him on a lead. He's walking like a little baby between us. Keeping pace. Not giving us any trouble at all. This isn't a bull – it's a puppydog. I'm telling you – this is going to be the easiest $500 we ever got!" The bull looked at him with puppydog eyes for emphasis.
"Don't be so cocky, Kid. Bulls are unpredictable, you know that. You tighten up on that lead, just in case he balks. And, by the way, just so you know - little babies can't walk!" Heyes smiled at his own joke.
They walked in silence for a few minutes, as Heyes mulled over what his partner had said. It was true – this bull was giving them no trouble whatsoever. It really wasn't supposed to be like that; bulls have a need for personal space that can cause almost certain injury to those who invade it. Even knowing this, the two of them had jointly decided to forgo the cost of hiring a transport cart so they could keep the entire $500, and had decided to walk the animal on a tight lead between them. It didn't make sense – why was the bull giving them no trouble? Mystified, Heyes looked closely at the animal.
While his side of the lead was tight, the Kid's was slack. Heyes looked even more closely. His suspicions were correct – the bull was walking closer to his partner than to him. And nudging ever closer as it walked.
"Kid! He likes you!"
"What?"
"I mean it – he likes you! Look at that – he wants to get close to you."
Kid Curry looked at the bull and instantly realized his partner was right. The bull was indeed inching closer to him, and often turning its head to look right at him.
"You're crazy, Heyes!"
Heyes laughed. Here was a golden opportunity for teasing. "No, I'm not. He keeps looking at you, Kid. And batting his eyelashes! I had no idea you were so irresistible to large animals!"
The Kid nervously moved away but the bull kept step with him, causing Heyes to have to hang on tighter to his end of the rope. "That's it, Kid, he's flirting with you!"
"You're delirious!"
"No, but he must be if he's flirting with you! But I'll bet I know why. You're his type! Remember that waitress in that small town in New Mexico Territory? The one who was so sweet on you? Rex here reminds me a lot of her – long eyelashes, fawning all over you, a few hundred pounds overweight . . . "
"Shut up, Heyes!"
"About the same amount of clothing . . . "
"I'm warning you, Heyes!"
OK. Time to be quiet. Point taken anyhow. Heyes chuckled to himself as they continued along, smug and satisfied and happy to have a partner who was so teasable. Also happy that he himself knew when to stop that teasing. After all, Kid Curry was The Fastest Gun in the West. Heyes chuckled again.
One last "Shut up, Heyes!"
A couple of hours later they realized they were hungry and Heyes broke out some sandwiches they had bought before leaving. He threw one to his partner and said, "All's we have to drink is water. Nice glass of beer would go down good with beef sandwiches." He secured his end of the lead to his saddle horn and removed the food from its paper wrapping. The bartender at the saloon where they had purchased the food had done a nice job on the sandwiches. Heyes took a big bite and uncapped his canteen for a drink. He glanced over at the Kid, who was doing the same. Heyes noticed that the bull was looking at his partner with something resembling an expression on his face. Another opportunity for teasing.
"Lie to Rex, Kid. Tell him you're eating chicken!"
This time the teasing didn't hit its mark because the Kid laughed. The two of them relaxed as they plodded lazily along. They each slung one leg over the saddle horn, allowing the bull's lead rope to hang carelessly across the saddle. Lunch on horseback was usually slow and easy and enjoyable, dearth of beer notwithstanding. They savored the taste of the food and soaked up the warmth of the quiet day.
Suddenly Rex the bull shied and bolted, running back down the path at full speed, both lead ropes dangling behind.
"What the hell!" Heyes and Curry were both taken by surprise. They scrambled to regain their seating without losing anything important and Heyes spurred his mount into high speed to catch up with the bull. He reached him in no time and managed to somehow reclaim one of the leads. As he pulled up tight on the rope, Heyes looked back at the spot they had just left. "What do you suppose got into him?" he yelled to his partner. "I don't see anything that might've spooked him!"
While Heyes was involved in his unexpected jaunt, Kid Curry had drawn his gun and carefully searched the area. His gunfighter's sensibilities were fine-tuned and his senses took in everything in the immediate area. "I don't know, Heyes. Things are pretty quiet. The only thing I see is a rabbit."
Heyes strained his eyes to see the path in the area where the bull had bolted. Sure enough, there was an innocent-looking rabbit grazing off to the left.
"A rabbit?! This bull was spooked by a rabbit?!" Heyes gave the bull an angry glare and brusquely pulled on the lead as he trotted back to the spot where the animal had bolted. The closer he got, the slower Rex the bull moved until he stopped entirely. Heyes tugged on the lead but Rex flatly refused to move. "Now what?!" Heyes held up his hands in annoyance.
"Look at that, Heyes," said the ever-alert Kid. "He's staring at that rabbit. He doesn't like that rabbit for some reason." Heyes looked at his charge and, sure enough, the bull was looking wild-eyed at the little bunny.
The Kid walked his horse in the direction of the rabbit. As soon as the bunny realized a large animal was approaching, it scampered away into the safety of the woods.
Heyes felt the tautness of the lead relax as Rex apparently relaxed as well.
"Problem solved!" called the Kid, proud of himself.
Heyes shook his head. "A rabbit," he said to himself. "I'm escorting a prize bull who's afraid of a rabbit. A stupid little . . ."
From that point forward, it was decided that only one of them would eat at a time, allowing the other to maintain a tight hold on the lead rope. This decision came about after approximately twenty minutes of arguing. Rex seemed to enjoy the bickering, occasionally glancing at them and wearing what could lamely be described as a smile.
When late afternoon rolled around, they both realized their stomachs were growling again.
"How close you figure we are to a town?" Kid Curry wondered.
"Not far, I think. I remember a small town called Nuevo Verde on our way to pick up the bull. If we stay on this path, we'll probably . . . wait a minute . . . I think I see it."
Sure enough, the welcoming sight of a handful of buildings was becoming visible up ahead.
"Beer!" yelled Kid Curry. "And food! Let's go!"
"Wait a minute, Kid! Hold up! We can't take this guy into any town. No one can see him. He's a prize and we can't risk him being stolen."
"But, Heyes! Beer . . . !" The Kid looked so crestfallen that Heyes's heart went out to him. Well, maybe not the whole heart; probably just a ventricle or two.
"All right, all right. You go on in and enjoy yourself. I'll stay here with Rex. I'll get off the road and hide us in that clump of trees over there. Just bring me something to eat when you come back."
"Now you're talkin'!" The Kid saluted his partner and began cantering toward the town. In a second, he heard his friend yell "Hey!" When he turned around, he saw Rex running to catch up with him.
"Grab him!" yelled Heyes. "He broke away again!"
Grabbing the lead was an easy matter. As soon as Rex caught up with the Kid, he stopped. "You sure do like to escape, don't you?" Kid Curry directed to the bull.
By then Heyes had caught up with them and observed, "I'm not so sure he's escaping as much as he just wants to be with you!"
It was not a happy thought for Kid Curry, but he did recognize the possibility of truth in it. "You're crazy, Heyes!" But Rex eliminated any chance that Heyes might in fact be crazy by nuzzling the Kid's left leg. Kid Curry sighed.
"All right, Kid," said Heyes with a smile. "I'll go into town. You stay here with Rex. The two of you want to be alone, anyhow."
"Shut up, Heyes."
Heyes turned his horse toward the town. Riding away, he yelled back over his shoulder, "Nice clump of trees there. You can do your sparking in there and no one'll see . . . " He winked and rode away quickly when he saw Kid Curry aim his gun at him.
Heyes wasn't even gone a whole hour. He had a quick beer and a sandwich at a local saloon, and grabbed a hard-boiled egg and another sandwich for his partner. Before leaving town, he stopped at the local mercantile and picked up some supplies and some carrots as a treat for Rex.
But when he got back to the spot where he had left Rex and the Kid, no one was there! Heyes yelled "Thaddeus!" a few times and even "Rex!" once (which caused him to feel very foolish), but there was no response. Figuring that the Kid must have decided to bypass the town and start out again without him, Heyes looked to the ground for prints.
But the path was a commonly-used road and there were prints all over the place. He walked into the thicket for closer observation but saw something he didn't want to see: the Kid's horse was still reined to a tree, but the bull was nowhere to be found!
And neither was Kid Curry!
A number of amusing scenarios began to occur to Heyes until he realized that he was staring at a number of hoofprints, far more than could be accounted for by just the two animals he had left behind. This was more serious than he wanted to admit. Where was the Kid?
After spending a couple minutes scouring the ground for more information, he heard a man's voice. "Damn!" The voice belonged to Kid Curry.
Heyes turned to the sound and saw his partner emerging from the brush. He was rubbing the back of his head.
"Hey! What's going on? Where's the bull?" Heyes asked.
The Kid looked at his partner in acknowledgement. "How long have you been here? Did you see them?"
"See who? Where's the bull? Hey, what's the matter with you?"
The Kid rubbed the back of his head with his kerchief, then looked at it. "Good. No blood."
Heyes began to be concerned. "What do you mean – blood? What happened to you?"
"They got me, Heyes. Knocked me out when I wasn't looking."
"Who did?" Heyes took a look at the back of his partner's head. "Kid, there's a lump, but it's not too bad. Who was it?"
"I don't know. It happened so fast I didn't have time to react. I saw three men. But someone must have hit me from behind. So that means there's at least four of them." He rubbed his head again.
Heyes considered thoughtfully. "Hmmm. Four of them and two of us. Good odds."
His partner was incredulous. "Good odds!? Were you sleeping in arithmetic class?"
Heyes smiled mischievously. "Four to two is good odds if one of the two is Kid Curry."
Kid Curry suddenly looked around. "Hey, where's the bull?"
An hour later, as the sun was getting lower in the sky, the two of them dismounted and dropped their horses' reins on a shrub. Guns drawn, they moved stealthily toward a nearby house. Each watched over the other as they took turns sneaking from cover to cover so as not to be seen. At the house, the Kid snuck a clandestine peek into the window. He nodded and motioned with his gun to Heyes, who was standing next to the front door. In unison, they both threw open the door and barged into the house.
As expected, they took the four men inside by surprise. "Don't!" yelled Kid Curry as one of the men began to reach for his gun.
"Drop 'em, gentlemen," Heyes directed, motioning with his pistol at their gunbelts. The four men exchanged glances with each other and aimed a couple swear words at their uninvited guests, but they complied. One by one all four gunbelts dropped to the floor.
The Kid kept his gun leveled as Heyes picked up the gunbelts. "Thanks, gents," said Heyes insincerely. "And I think I'll take this one, too," he added as he grabbed a rifle hanging on the wall. A quick glance around the room convinced him he had depleted the little house of firearms. He stepped outside, emptied all the bullets into the commode in the outhouse, and then threw all of the guns as far as he could in every direction.
Now came the fun part. Stepping back inside, he said slyly, "I noticed not one of you is asking us what we're doing here."
Kid Curry nodded. "I noticed that, too, Joshua."
"Anyone have any idea? How about you?" said Heyes, pointing his gun directly at the closest man. Said man mumbled something and looked away.
The Kid aimed his gun at the man and cocked the hammer. "My friend asked you a question."
Kid Curry was a gunfighter and at that moment looked every inch of it. The man answered immediately. "I knew we shouldn'a taken that damn bull!"
"Shut up, Kylie!" directed another of the men.
"Oh, don't worry about it, Kylie," said Heyes flippantly. "We're well aware you were the four who stole our little pet."
One of the men stood and started to speak.
"Tut tut!" said Heyes, waving his index finger. "We're not really interested in hearing anything else you have to say. You just sit right back down in that chair – that's right, just like that. Now, Thaddeus, do you recognize these gentlemen?"
"Yup!"
"All four of them?"
"No," said the Kid menacingly. "Not that one." He pointed his gun at the tallest man. The man started to sweat visibly.
"Now why would that be, do you think?"
"I think, Joshua, it just might be because he struck me from behind."
Heyes walked over to the tall man, shaking his head. "Shame, shame. Not nice to hit my friend over the head. Put your hands behind the chair."
Reluctantly, the tall man put his hands behind him. Heyes removed the man's neckerchief and tied his hands tightly to the rungs on the chair back. Under the vigilant watch of Kid Curry's gun, Heyes tied two more of the men in a similar fashion. He then walked over by the Kid, leaving the fourth man untied.
"What about him, Joshua?" asked the Kid in feigned innocence.
"Well, I don't know, Thaddeus. What do you suppose is a proper punishment for bull thieving?"
"When a man's horse is stolen, the thief gets hanged." The Kid grinned as the man began to get visibly nervous.
"Very true, very true, Thaddeus. But this was just your pet bull, not really a horse."
"Well, there should be some kind of punishment, don't you think?"
"Absolutely! Now, let's think about this for a minute. Let's see – if a man steals a horse – and gets caught, like these gentlemen did! – he is hung by the neck until dead. But this was a bull. Let's see . . ." Heyes pretended to think. "I've got it! If he steals a bull, he should be hung by his feet!"
"Now wait a minute!" said the man, as he began to back away.
"Lie down on the floor, on your stomach," Heyes directed.
"No! I'm not . . . "
Kid Curry aimed his gun at the man's head.
The man lay down on the floor.
The two of them laughed as they led the bull out of the barn where he was being held. "Come to Papa," cooed the Kid, and instantly regretted it when the bull did.
Heyes shook his head. "That was fun, I've got to tell you. Don't believe I've ever hung anyone by his feet before!"
Keeping hold of Rex's lead rope, the Kid mounted his horse. "How long you figure it'll take them to get loose?"
"Little bit," chuckled Heyes. "I intentionally chose the fattest one so he wouldn't be able to curl up to grab hold of the beam to get himself free."
The Kid laughed, too. "Yeah, he's had one too many beef . . . uh, chicken dinners." He glanced at Rex to see if he noticed. Safe. "Heyes, I didn't think you and I would ever be able to get that guy off the floor! Too bad we didn't have a pulley!"
"Would've had to have been a big one!" They both laughed again.
"Now my head hurts and I've got a backache," the Kid chuckled with the memory. "Worth, it, though."
"Just got an idea for a little insurance, Kid." Instead of mounting his horse, Heyes walked back into the barn. He emerged carrying all the bridles, reins and ropes he could find. "We can't steal their horses, because, you know, that's a hanging offense. But we sure as hell can make sure they can't be used for a while!"
Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry rode off laughing. Rex the bull obediently followed at their pace and he was probably laughing, too. A mile down the road, Heyes threw all the tack in some bushes. The two (three?) of them were certain they would not be followed.
They trotted for a few miles and didn't stop to make camp for the night until well after dark. They had pulled off the road far enough into the brush that no one would be able to see them, and they did not build a campfire. Rex was happy with the different grass available, but Heyes and the Kid were miserable without the comfort of a hot fire or warm food. They split a couple of Rex's carrots between them and turned in early.
By sunup they had gathered themselves together and already started out for the new day.
"I've been thinking, Heyes," said the Kid. "How do you figure those guys knew we had a valuable bull?"
"Yeah, I've been thinking about that, too. They must've seen us, probably when we didn't see them. This is their country and they're familiar with it. Then they waited until we split up and stole him."
"That means that anyone who sees us is a potential bull thief, and we're going to go through this again and again!"
Heyes sighed. "I know, Kid, and that's why we'll have to pull off the road when the sun gets higher."
"What are you talking about?"
Heyes shrugged. "We don't have a choice! We'll have to travel through the brush. Off the road."
"Oh, great! Hit on the head, a bad back, and now I can look forward to thorns cutting my legs."
"I wouldn't worry about that too much. This is mostly open country. Hiding isn't going to be easy."
"Have you got a compass, Heyes? I lost mine."
"Yeah," said Heyes, pulling the compass from his vest pocket. "We're going to head northwest instead of straight north. It'll take us a couple more days but it'll be worth it. I think, Kid, the best thing to do is to follow the railroad tracks."
"What railroad tracks?"
"We should run into them on this course in a few hours."
Sure enough, by noon the tracks came into their view. The three of them waited until they were a couple hundred yards from the tracks before stopping for lunch. The Kid tied the bull to some large brush under cover, and then they dismounted and proceeded to lunch on fruit and beef (sorry – chicken, of course) jerky. The three animals were offered water poured from the guys' canteens into their hats. Everyone grazed and relaxed.
After half an hour, the three of them started off again. As they approached the tracks, they heard the faint sound of a train whistle.
"That figures," said Heyes. "Train coming. Let's hurry up and get past these tracks and far enough away so nobody in those cars can see us."
"Good idea," agreed the Kid. They kicked their horses into a trot and gracefully cleared the tracks. Everybody except Rex, that is.
The bull stood smack-dab in the middle of the tracks and would not move. Kid Curry tugged on the rope a few times, but Rex was much stronger and pig-headed than he was. No dice.
Heyes threw up his hands. "NOW what's the matter with him?" he yelled.
The Kid yelled back at him. "How the hell should I know?! He won't move!"
"Oh, for the love of . . ." Heyes trotted back and grabbed the rope. Together Kid Curry and Hannibal Heyes pulled on the lead rope, but the bull would not budge. Rex apparently resented the extra effort to budge him, so he lowered his weight to keep his footing.
"Is he in love with those tracks or something?!"
Apparently he was. So much so, in fact, that Rex actually lay down on the tracks!
The Kid laughed. Heyes did not. "What is the matter with you, beeve? This is not the place to make camp! There is a train coming!"
The Kid sobered up when he heard the next train whistle. It definitely sounded closer.
"My partner's right, Rex," said the Kid. "You better get up."
Rex stayed right where he was.
"Come on, Rex, get up. We've only got a few more days' ride. Then you'll be at your new home. Think of all those nice cows waiting for you!"
Rex stayed right where he was. But he listened.
Heyes glared at the Kid. "Are you really trying to reason with him, Kid?" he said icily.
Kid Curry turned his attention to Heyes. "Hey! I just thought of something! Did you bring a cattle prod?"
Heyes shook his head in disbelief. "A cattle prod. You want to know if I brought a cattle prod. Sorry, Kid, I was going to, but there just wasn't any room after I packed my tuxedo and top hat."
The train whistle blew again. Definitely closer. The train came into view. Rex lay his head down on the tracks, and quite possibly, smiled.
"There is a TRAIN coming!" shrieked Heyes. "Move! You moon-brained beast!" Heyes tied his end of the rope to his saddle horn and spurred his horse. Kid Curry dismounted and attempted to physically push the bull. The train was getting close. Rex was not close to moving.
"Heyes!" yelled the Kid over the ever-approaching train whistle. "I know what he's doing! I can feel the tracks vibrating. I think the vibrating is relaxing him!"
"The hell with vibrations! Get him the hell up!"
The train was very close. There really wasn't any more time to pull Rex off the tracks. The engineer was lying on the whistle and making an attempt to stop, but it was clear he would not be able to halt the train in time. Rex's future love life was in serious danger.
Kid Curry heard his friend yell, "Kid, run!" but it wasn't really necessary. He deftly jumped up and safely away from the tracks. In the process, his leg knocked one of Rex's horns and turned the bull's head to the direction of the now very-close train.
That was apparently when Rex finally saw the train and put two-and-two together. He bellowed loudly, which could not be heard over the train whistle and the screeching brakes, and very efficiently jumped up and safely away. The train came to a screeching halt very close to all of them.
It also very effectively ran over and cut the lead rope, allowing Rex his freedom. Apparently multi-ton screeching trains fell into the same fear category as bunnies for Rex, and he ran away at top speed.
Unfortunately, he was on one side of the train, and Heyes and Curry were on the other. The Kid was still dismounted. He grabbed his horse's reins and got down on his knees to look under the train, only to see their charge running back in the direction they had just come from - at top speed. "Heyes," he said, "he's . . ."
But Hannibal Heyes and the engineer were both staring at each other. "Kid," said Heyes just loud enough to be heard, "that guy looks familiar. I think we robbed this train once!" A quick glance by Kid Curry was sufficient for agreement. He grabbed the saddle horn and flung himself into the saddle. Amid the engineer yelling something incoherent after them and the various loud noises the train was still making, they temporarily forgot about the bull as they galloped away.
And Rex was, of course, galloping away in the opposite direction.
A mile later, Heyes and Curry stopped to reconnoiter. They made sure they were hidden as they watched the train slowly start to pull away. They were afraid there might have been lawmen of some kind or other on the train who might have brought their horses with them and might want to jump off to pursue two outlaws worth $20,000. They watched carefully and ascertained that there was no livestock car that could store horses and no one jumped off the train to come after them. They felt temporarily safe as they saw the huge behemoth make metallic grunting noises as it slowly began to move away. They continued to watch it carefully until it was out of sight.
"Whew! That was close," said Kid Curry.
"I think it was at least three years ago, but that guy sure remembered us. You could tell by the way he was looking at us."
"And I recognized him, too."
"And as soon as he gets to his next stop, he's going to contact the sheriff, and we'll have a posse after us! Let's forget about this whole bull thing, Kid, and make tracks!"
"What?! And desert Rex? We can't do that, Heyes! He's depending on us."
"Depending on us?! He's done everything he can to get away from us. Well, me anyhow. And now he's gone. God only knows how far he's run by now."
"Well, let's go get him." Kid Curry started back in the direction they had come from.
"Forget it, Kid!" Heyes yelled after him. "The bull is gone! It's only $500. It's not worth it anymore. He's just too much trouble!"
"Come on, Heyes!" The Kid yelled over his shoulder as he made no effort to slow down.
Heyes moved quickly to catch up with his friend and grabbed his horse's bridle to stop him. "Kid, listen to reason! That animal has been cantankerous the whole trip! He's pigheaded, he's ornery, he already got kidnapped once, and he almost got us killed by a damn train! And now because of him we're going to have a posse after us! What else can he do to us?! Let's just forget the whole thing and make tracks as far away as we can get before the posse from that town gets close enough to smell $20,000!"
"No, Heyes."
"And he is afraid of rabbits! For God's sakes, Kid, be reasonable! It's only $500! Is it worth twenty years of your life for that? Or mine!?"
Kid Curry sighed. "Are you through?"
Hannibal Heyes felt the wind go out of his sails. He stared at his partner. "You're not going to give on this, are you?" he asked, defeat evident in his voice.
"All right, let's go get him!" The Kid pulled away from his partner and kicked into a canter.
Heyes didn't like losing any argument, particularly when it was illogical, but at least he lost to someone he cared about. He caught up with the Kid as a number of thoughts ran through his mind, including wondering why he cared.
At the train tracks they picked up Rex's prints and followed them back in the direction they had originally come from. It was obvious from the distance between his tracks that the bull was running at high speed.
"He can't keep up this pace forever," said the Kid. "We'll catch up with him."
Heyes just shook his head in disbelief. "Why are we doing this? Why? In an hour or two, a posse will be after us. And if we catch him we'll be slowed down with a worn-out bull. And if the posse doesn't get us, the guys we left 'hanging around' at that house are certainly free by now and they'll get us. We're heading right back to them! Tell me why. I just want to know why." There wasn't much fight left in him.
But his partner answered him. "Why? Come on, Heyes, you must know why! Rex needs us! He needs us to get him to his new home so he can meet up with all his new girlfriends! He's not a wild animal – he wouldn't know how to survive in the wild. He's lived his whole life with people and this is the first time he's been free. He won't make it without us."
If there was logic in this statement, Heyes refused to acknowledge it. "I'm telling you, Kid, my heart just isn't in it!"
"The hell with your heart! Move your ass! Let's go!"
Heyes rolled his eyes and made up his mind to humor his partner. But . . . maybe just one jab first. "You're right, Kid, we'd better find him. Before he runs into a killer rabbit."
Kid Curry slapped his reins at Heyes's horse and both horses jumped into a gallop.
But Rex's tracks proved not to be as easy to follow as they'd hoped. The grasslands were verdant and thick and the tracks were tough to see. Kid Curry was a good tracker and kept his eyes persistently on the ground. Occasionally Heyes, behind him, heard comments like, "He's slowing down now," or "He's probably right up ahead," to which Heyes responded with various incarnations of "I don't care." Their horses had slowed to a walk and sometimes the Kid informed his partner that they had to double back a few yards to try to pick up the track again. But pick it up they did, and they trudged ever onward.
After an hour or so, with no reported sightings of Rex yet, Heyes said, "Listen!"
The Kid looked inquiringly at his partner. "What is it?"
"Don't you hear it? Listen."
The Kid followed Heyes's lead and strained to hear what he was talking about. "Yeah, I hear it, too. It sounds like thunder." They both looked up at the sky, but it was clear. The sound seemed to be at ground level, and it seemed to be emanating from somewhere to their left. And, like the train whistle had, it was getting louder. In addition, they could see smoke over the next hill.
Panicking slightly, Heyes said, "Prairie fire?"
"I hope not! Those things can move faster than these horses!"
"You know, Kid, I seriously think we should abandon this idea of finding Rex. And right now!"
Kid Curry looked over at his partner and saw the panic in his face. He was about to agree when he realized something. "Hey, wait a minute! That doesn't smell like smoke!"
Heyes reined up and sniffed the air. "You're right!"
"What do you think – dust? Dust storm?"
"Dust storms don't make that kind of noise, Kid." They listened carefully as the roar got closer to them. It was just on the other side of the hill in front of them. Now they both realized they could also hear the interspersed sounds of shouting men.
"Buffalo?"
"No!" yelled Heyes as the first source of the sound appeared over the hill. "Cattle stampede! Run, Kid!"
Kid Curry swore and turned his horse abruptly at a right angle away from the closing herd. Heyes followed suit and both moved as quickly as they could to try to outrun the thousands of hooves closing in on them.
Curry and Heyes slapped the reins needlessly as their horses were just as panicked as they were and made every effort to avoid the stampede. They galloped at an angle away from the herd, soon easily gaining safe ground. When they felt they were out of danger they gave each other a look, mutually agreeing wordlessly to assist the drovers who were working their ponies hard to head off the herd and stop the stampede. Both of them had worked as cowhands before and knew how to try to discourage the cattle from running. They skirted the edge of the herd, waving their arms and ropes and yelling at the animals, gradually working their way to the front of the herd. Some of the drovers had joined them and together they were able to manage to slow down the herd and eventually head it off enough to stop it completely. The rest of the drovers surrounded the herd and steered their cowponies back and forth to discourage free-thinking bovines, but the herd had basically calmed down by then.
The Kid trotted to the very front of the herd to see if he could offer further assistance. Heyes stayed on the flank and watched as one of the men cantered over to him and offered thanks for their help.
"What started this, anyway?" asked Heyes.
"That one." The drover pointed to the animals milling around at the front of the herd. Heyes was unsure which animal he was referring to. "That troublemaker," the man said. "Good-looking stud beef joined us out of nowhere and stirred everyone up. Hey, watch out!" This last part was yelled at Kid Curry, who was unaware that one of the cows had broken from the herd and was charging directly at him.
"Thaddeus! Look out!" Heyes yelled as he began rushing to the aid of his partner. When he realized which cow was charging the Kid, he pulled up. "It can't be," he moaned.
But it was.
"Rex!" yelled the Kid happily. Rex reached him and instantly began nuzzling Kid Curry's leg. The Kid laughed and so, presumably, did Rex.
Heyes rolled his eyes and said "Give me strength" under his breath. The nearby drovers watched in fascination. "That's a dangerous bull," said one of them in wonder. A couple of them laughed.
But the man who was just joining them did not laugh. He scowled. Deeply.
"What the hell is going on here?" he yelled loudly. "Is that beeve yours?" This was directed at the Kid but Heyes intervened. "Yeah. He broke away from us and we were looking for him. You the trail boss?" Heyes held out his hand. No handshake was returned.
"You bet your sweet ass I am! Get that animal out of here! NOW!"
When Heyes hesitated, the trail boss drew his gun. Heyes held out his hands. "All right, all right, we're going! Come on, Thaddeus, let's get out of here. Some people just aren't very appreciative when you do them a favor." Ignoring the profanities hurled at him by the trail boss and the laughter of some of the drovers, he and the Kid re-roped Rex (for his lead rope had somehow been lost) and led him quickly away from the herd. As he had at the beginning, Rex trotted along amiably. Heyes scowled at him.
It took them a while to get past the cattle herd, for it was a big one, but a mile or so past it, they finally slowed to a walk.
"Let's stop for a minute, Heyes. This guy's panting. He needs a rest."
A number of smart-aleck retorts occurred to Heyes. He reined up and sorted through them to find the best one, but before he had a chance to say anything, the Kid spoke again. "All right. Now which way should we go?"
This was just as infuriating to Heyes as almost everything lately had been. "Which way should we go, you say? Which way should we go?! Well, let's see here, Kid. We can't go south, because that's the direction we came from. We can't go east, because that's the direction the posse will come from. We can't go west, because that's where the guys we hung out to dry are. And we can't go north, because Rex here will cause another cattle stampede. Now let's see, Kid, what's left? I suppose we could go up! Should we go up?!"
Kid Curry fumed. "Shut up, Heyes. I was just saying I was thinking . . . "
"Thinking! Thinking? You haven't done one bit of thinking since this whole Rex thing started! And, what's worse, it's beginning to rub off on me!"
"All right, wise guy. If you're so smart, you just figure it out. Go ahead, figure it out! Rex and me are just going to take a little nap." And Kid Curry belligerently dismounted and sat down on the ground while Rex grazed innocently nearby.
So there they were – in the middle of the prairie, perfectly visible for miles around.
Fuming, Hannibal Heyes watched the two of them. His mind worked feverishly as he ran through idea after idea. Suddenly – in record time even for him – he had a brilliant idea. "Get up!" he yelled, startling his companions. "We're moving out!"
Kid Curry smiled. "I knew I could depend on your nimble mind, Heyes. Just got to give you some prickles, that's all. What's your idea?"
"We're leaving," said Heyes. "But not you. You're sticking around." This last part was directed at Rex.
"What are you talking about?" asked the Kid (and Rex might have been thinking it).
Heyes grabbed a rope from his saddlehorn and the stake they had brought along for this purpose. "We're hobbling him here, Kid, out where everyone can see him. And then we're going into town and surrender to that posse."
Kid Curry's momentary admiration for his partner's mental skills crashed. "Are you insane? Leave Rex out here where anyone can steal him?!"
Heyes gave the Kid a quick glance to ascertain that this was the same partner he'd known for years, then finished hobbling the bull's back foot. Satisfied with a job well done, he stood and tested the rope and stake for security. "Good. He can't get away again. All right, Kid, let's go. We've got a lot of work to do and not much time to do it."
"Heyes, we can't leave Rex . . . "
"Let's go!"
To Kid Curry's utter amazement, Heyes led him back to the area where they had thrown the saddles and bridles belonging to the men who had stolen Rex. They both knew they were in the right area, but a quick search showed them that the tack was gone. The thieves had apparently gotten free and retrieved their belongings. Although they weren't in sight, it was logical to assume that they were already riding in the direction that prize bull was headed when they first encountered him with the Kid. Most likely looking to steal him again. And maybe get more than a little revenge against the men who hung one of them upside down!
"OK, Kid, good. You follow their tracks. No doubt they're working their way back toward Rex. Just stay out of sight."
"Why? What are you going to do?"
"I told you – I'm heading toward town. Hope to encounter that posse that's probably looking for us right now. I'm going to make it easier for them."
Although Kid Curry was used to Hannibal Heyes being crafty about his ingenious plans, this game suddenly didn't sound like fun anymore. He grabbed the bridle of Heyes's mount. "Hold up. What are you talking about? This isn't funny, Heyes. If you really think there's a posse after us, we better hightail it out of here right now. Forget the damn bull!"
"Don't worry about it, Kid! You'll be safe if you just stay hidden like I said."
"Come on, Heyes, what about you? I'm not used to working as a single!"
Heyes grinned. "I'm touched, Kid. But if everything works out like I think it will, you won't have to." He started riding toward town, but looked back at the Kid. "Of course, if it doesn't, I'm counting on you to get me out of jail!"
Kid Curry shook his head doubtfully.
The Kid had only half an hour or so to wait before things started happening. He had found a nearby small stand of trees and managed to hide his horse and himself. He could see Rex a couple hundred yards away, still tethered and clearly straining on the rope in his direction. Kid Curry had absolutely no idea what his partner had in mind, but somehow he knew that if Rex managed to break that tether and head right for him, the plan would be ruined. Ruined – as in 20 Years in Prison Ruined. "Dammit, just calm down, Rex," he said under his breath repeatedly. "Just stay there, buddy, just stay where you are!"
Then both he and Rex noticed dust on the east horizon. Not as much dust as the cattle stampede had kicked up, but enough to indicate someone was riding hard. At the same time, dust also appeared on the west horizon. Both Kid Curry and Rex the bull turned their heads to see. It looked like two different parties were riding hard from two different directions, both of them heading right for Rex!
The Kid's horse was beginning to agitate a little, so the Kid spoke soothingly to calm it and made sure it was still tied securely and hidden well. The gunfighter stayed still and watched the east horizon until the riders came into view. He turned to the west and saw those riders come into view as well. All were heading right for the bull! The Kid turned his head left, right, left, right, watching carefully to see what was about to happen. He noticed Rex was doing the same. It felt like they were watching some giant ping-pong game. Rex seemed to enjoy being everyone's focus.
Suddenly shots were heard. Kid Curry squinted to see the shooters, the men from the east. Astonished, he realized Heyes was in front of that group of men at full gallop. They were shooting at him! And the Kid believed he saw the flash of a Sheriff's badge on the man closest behind Heyes! Quickly the Kid re-holstered his gun and reached for his rifle, a weapon of greater accuracy at this distance. He took careful aim at the Sheriff and was about to pull the trigger when he saw one of the western men fall from his horse. The Sheriff and his posse weren't shooting at Heyes at all! They were shooting at the other riders! Heyes was leading them, leading them right toward the riders approaching from the west! When they saw their cohort fall, the western riders reined up suddenly and raised their hands.
The man on the ground stood up, apparently not seriously hurt. Mystified, Kid Curry lowered his rifle and watched as the Sheriff directed his posse to tie the hands of the four men they had overpowered.
The Kid chuckled in admiration. His partner was the only outlaw who could join with a posse and get away with it!
As the eastern men headed the four western men back toward town, Heyes and the Sheriff rode over to Rex. The Kid watched from afar as he saw Heyes remove the ownership papers Mr. Thornton had given them and hand them to the Sheriff. The Sheriff scrutinized the papers and then the two of them apparently discussed the bull for a short while. After a couple minutes the Sheriff pulled up the bull's stake and handed it to Heyes, along with the papers. Heyes and the Sheriff shook hands and the Sheriff rode back toward town to catch up with his men. Hannibal Heyes and Rex the bull also headed toward town, but at a much slower pace. The Kid knew Heyes was moving slow intentionally to give him a chance to catch up.
When everyone but Heyes was out of sight, the Kid cantered over to him. Heyes kept a tight hold on Rex, who was apparently overjoyed to see the Kid approaching and tried to break away.
"What was that all about?" Kid Curry demanded. "You scared the hell out of me."
Heyes laughed. "Good! You had too much hell in you anyway!"
"Heyes, I thought that posse was chasing you! I was ready to pick off the Sheriff!"
"I figured. But glad you didn't. We needed that Sheriff."
Kid Curry sighed and dismounted. He walked over to Rex and patted his head. "Heyes, what exactly did I just see back there?"
"Here, Kid." Heyes handed the ownership papers to his partner. "You hang on to these. Now mount back up. We've got some riding to do. We're going into town and we have to be careful to walk in the prints that posse made so no one can trace us."
"Heyes! . . . ."
"Trust me, Kid."
Kid Curry sighed again, but he dutifully re-mounted his horse and took the end of Rex's rope as Heyes handed it to him. They started heading back to town, treading carefully. The gunfighter waited respectfully as he saw Heyes was apparently deep in thought, but after a while he couldn't take it any more. "Heyes! What happened back there?"
Heyes chuckled. "I was wondering when you'd get around to asking me, Kid!" When he saw the Kid reach for his gun, he said, "All right, all right! Put the gun away. We're supposed to be partners, remember?"
"Partners are honest with each other, Heyes," the Kid growled.
"Come on, Kid, when have I ever been dishonest with you?" All innocence.
"This will be the first time. And the last! You have five seconds to tell me what happened back there!"
Heyes laughed. "Can't you guess? Don't you know who those guys were who came in from the west? Those four guys?"
Kid Curry drew a blank. "Well . . . no . . ."
"Kid, those were the four guys who stole Rex yesterday! The guys we hung up to dry!"
"Uh . . . How did . . . "
"Come on, Kid, give me some credit! I figured they'd be coming after us since they picked up their gear. And I was right! So I rode into town and gave the Sheriff some cock-and-bull story about how I had been transporting a prize bull and these guys had stolen it from me. The Sheriff got together a posse real quick and I led him out here to where I said they had robbed me! And, bless them, those guys showed up at just the same time! Couldn't have worked out better if I'd planned it."
Kid Curry was not impressed. "Heyes, you did plan it, for the most part. Plus most of the story is true anyhow. I just don't get it. What's so important about a prize bull that a Sheriff thinks it's important enough to organize a posse, and then to ride at top speed to find the guys?"
"Oh, didn't I mention? I told the Sheriff that I was robbed by Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry and a couple members of the Devil's Hole Gang!"
After dark, Kid Curry and his horse and Rex the bull once again were hiding in shrubbery, this time near the town where the Sheriff had taken the thieves. Heyes had gone into town, again with the admonition, "If it doesn't work out, I'm counting on you to get me out of jail." But this time there was more at stake and the Kid was a little nervous.
Their nerves had been on the point of fraying several times since the whole Rex thing had started, so this time Heyes acquiesced to his partner's apprehension and told him the plan ahead of time. Heyes knew they needed to be sure that the guys who were arrested would eventually be proven not to be Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry and the Devil's Hole Gang. Otherwise, of course, cattle thieving would be added to their list of crimes. And, of course, any new crimes would keep the governor from ever granting those precious amnesties.
So Heyes took it upon himself to steal (pardon the pun) into town under cover of darkness to scout around for information as to whether or not the Sheriff had wised up yet. He and the Kid had actually flipped a coin to see who would do this onerous job and the Kid ended up with it, but when he tried to leave, Rex threw such a fit that it was obvious he would have to stay behind to keep the bull calm. Heyes just rolled his eyes. He had been doing a lot of that lately.
The street was quiet so Heyes felt safe standing outside the Sheriff's office and listening at the open door. No one inside was saying anything. He could see the four jailed men eating their suppers in their cell. The Sheriff was at his desk doing paperwork.
No clues there, so Heyes took a deep breath and entered the office. The Sheriff looked up and greeted him with, "Evening, Mr. Diaz," using the name Heyes had given him. "Glad you're here. I need your signature."
One of the men in the cell, the one who had been hung upside down by Heyes and the Kid, recognized him immediately and said, "Hey! That's the guy who . . . !" But he couldn't continue because one of the other guys had slapped his hand over his mouth. Heyes heard the other guy whisper "Shut up!" fiercely. So far so good. Stifling a smile, Heyes turned back to the Sheriff.
"Evening. What do you want me to sign, Sheriff?"
"My report. Just put your 'x' here. You willing to stick around town to press charges and attend the trial?"
Heyes lied, "Of course."
"Good. We'll only delay you by a few days."
"Uh huh." Also a lie.
"By the way, Mr. Diaz, I don't think we've got Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry in our jail here, much as I hate to say it."
Phew! "Oh?"
"None of these guys looks like the descriptions on the wanted posters. I've been looking through the posters for the other Devil's Hole gang members also, but I can't really find a match. Not one."
Heyes feigned disappointment. "You mean there's no reward for any of them?" He looked at the coffee pot on the Sheriff's desk and saw a reflection of the jail in it. He could see the jailed men whispering furiously to each other but clearly afraid to say anything.
"Doesn't look that way, but I'll be sure to let you know if there is. These guys aren't talking and we may never find out who they are, but they can't try to steal livestock and get away with it, no matter who they are!"
Heyes knew perfectly well why the guys weren't saying anything. There was very little they could say without incriminating themselves. Heyes himself began to wonder who those guys were. They might have lived at that house, or they might have been squatting there (more likely, he thought), but the Sheriff was unfamiliar with them either way. It was a prime situation for Heyes and Curry. The Sheriff surely would keep those men in jail for a while, long enough for the two of them to get safely away.
As always in a Sheriff's office, Heyes had kept his hat low on his face and made sure to stand apart from the wanted posters. He tipped his hat even lower in deference to the Sheriff and said, "Well, no reward is a disappointment, Sheriff. Sure is. But at least you caught them and got my bull back! I'll stick around town a few days, maybe at the hotel. 'Night." Heyes backed out of the office and, finding himself alone on the street, rushed to his horse and galloped the whole way back to Kid Curry.
The next three days, the final three days of the journey, were uneventful. Relatively speaking, that is. They had been used to so much trouble from Rex that Heyes was suspicious when Rex walked obediently along with them. They encountered one or two more small towns and kept a wide berth from them, Heyes as usual going into town to get hard-boiled eggs and "chicken" sandwiches and of course some snacks for Rex, and the Kid keeping the bull hidden outside town to discourage any would-be thieves. Things were running very smoothly, so smoothly, in fact, that Heyes and the Kid began discussing what they were going to do with their $500 once they got it.
They were only about five miles from their destination the Bar N Ranch, when Rex suddenly and very unexpectedly balked and broke the lead rope, running at full gallop away from them. Both Heyes and the Kid had been nodding off and it took both of them a moment to realize what had happened. They jumped off their horses and crouched behind them, guns drawn and pointing at . . . well . . . nothing!
"What the hell is it?" Heyes whispered furiously.
"I don't know! I don't know!"
"Do you see something over there?"
"No. How about over behind there?"
"Nothing! I don't see anyth . . . " When Heyes stopped talking, the Kid turned to look at him and was sorry he did. Heyes was motioning with his gun at a little bunny that was munching on something just a few yards away.
"Don't say it! I don't want to hear it, Heyes! Don't say anything! Just don't say anything!" Exasperated, Kid Curry re-mounted his horse and took off in the direction Rex had run, talking to himself as he went.
But most likely not saying the same things that Hannibal Heyes was saying to himself as he stayed behind and waited.
Heyes had decided he was justified in letting his partner do all the work. He preferred to stay behind and think about everything that had irritated and endangered him ever since they had first started out their journey with Rex the bull. Heyes thought over each and every little annoying item and believed that none of this would have happened if he had been traveling alone with the bull. That damn bull just acted so strangely around Kid Curry and it became a life-threatening issue for Heyes several times. Well, at least an annoying one. And the Kid didn't seem to want to aim any of the blame at the bull, so, Heyes figured, the blame should be aimed right back at him. After all, everything that happened was probably the Kid's fault anyway!
Heyes spent the time fuming and getting angrier and angrier. It was a good hour later when Kid Curry returned. When he heard him riding in, Heyes stood up and immediately noticed that Rex was not with him.
"I lost him," said the Kid meekly.
Heyes stared a hole through his partner. This was the last straw. "You what?" he said icily.
Kid Curry shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sorry. I lost him."
Heyes threw his arms up in disgust. "That's it!" he yelled. "That's it! I've had enough! I am through!" Heyes was livid and made no attempt to disguise it. He paced back and forth as he yelled at his partner. "I have had it! Do you have any idea what you – the two of you! – have put me through in the last few days?! Can you think of any of this that even made any sense at all?!"
The poor Kid dismounted and held on to the reins. "Uh . . . "
"I should've had my head examined even to take on this bull delivery with you! What am I saying? Oh no, I shouldn't – this was your doing! This whole damn Rex thing. Everything from the train to the killer rabbits! I have had it! I am throu . . . !" Heyes suddenly stopped talking when he saw the Kid grin and hold out some money to him. He froze. "What's this?" he asked suspiciously.
"Go on, take it," the Kid urged with a big smile.
Hannibal Heyes gave his partner Kid Curry a very suspicious look. Gingerly he took the money and counted it.
$500!
Heyes closed his mouth and said nothing while he tried to get his brain to start working again.
"Well, Heyes, aren't you going to ask me? Or are you still through?" laughed the Kid. "Good old Rex! He ran right into the Bar N Ranch! Stopped right in front of the ranch house! I grabbed the lead and Mr. Wells came right out and took over ownership. Paid me right away. Thanked me for doing such a good job delivering his bull!" The Kid laughed. "I did, didn't I?" he chuckled.
"He's delivered? The bull's delivered?" Heyes ventured.
"Yup! And we don't have to worry about Rex ever again!"
Heyes started doing a little dance. "We're done with the bull! We're done with Rex!" The two of them laughed in carefeee abandon. "No more bull!" "No more bull! Ha ha ha!"
Just then, from the direction of the Bar N Ranch, heading right for them, they noticed a quickly moving cloud of dust. Heyes squinted to see the cause. "Oh no, it can't be," he wailed.
Oh yes, it was. Rex the bull missed Kid Curry.