He sat down heavily on a bed of old pine needles and leaned against the tree as he pulled the wounded man back to rest against him.

"It's okay, it'll be okay" he murmured, more to reassure himself than the man.

He moved his hands away from the wound in the man's chest. The bleeding had slowed to barely a trickle; it was no longer pumping out between his fingers, covering his hands in blood. There was nothing he could do for him now - except wait.

He sat listening to the slowing of the man's breathing, each breath more shallow and further apart, until he felt himself holding his breath as he waited for the next.

Finally, he knelt up and supported the man's head with one arm as each breath became just a tiny sip of air. He gazed at the face he had seen almost every day of his life and wished the intense blue eyes would open one more time. Tousled blond curls stuck to the drying sweat on the man's forehead and he smoothed them away before gently lowering him to the ground. He put his ear to the blood soaked chest and listened.

It was over.

Sitting back on his heels he squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed hard, fighting the grief that threatened to overwhelm him. A single tear escaped and wove a track through the dust on his cheek.

His right hand hovered near the butt of the Schofield nestling in the tied down holster. With trembling fingers he grasped the weapon and drew it, gritting his teeth as his thumb pulled back the hammer and...

An unintelligible cry escaped from Hannibal Heyes and jolted him awake. He sat up breathing heavily, his heart racing.

The curled up shape in the adjacent bed turned his way and sleepy blue eyes opened.

"You alright, Heyes?"

"A dream," muttered Heyes as he exhaled a shuddering breath. Running his fingers through sweat dampened hair he was grateful for the darkness hiding his trembling hand.

Kid Curry raised himself onto one elbow. "You sure you're alright?"

"Go back to sleep, Kid. I'm fine."

His cousin did not need to be told twice and, after punching his lumpy pillow a couple of times, he turned over and drifted quickly back to sleep.

Heyes stared unblinking into the darkness of the hotel room. He frowned to himself, rested his elbows on his knees and tried closing his eyes, only to open them again instantly. That was worse...much worse. He could still see his cousin's lifeless body and the blood covering his hands. That was what disturbed him the most - Kid's blood on his hands.

Secretly, Heyes always questioned whether he had done the right thing by encouraging his younger cousin to join the Devil's Hole Gang and thereby turning him into a wanted man.

Six years ago Kid Curry had made his way into Wyoming after a couple of years going it alone and tracked Heyes to Devil's Hole. That was a month or so after Big Jim Santana had been arrested and Heyes was in the process of asserting himself as the gang's leader. Some of the older members of the gang had never accepted Heyes being made Big Jim's right-hand man and so were hell bent on vying for the role of leader themselves.

Curry's strong and steadfast demeanour, not to mention his remarkable ability with a gun, had backed up the new leader's authority from the start. Heyes' silver tongue and quick mind together with Kid's fast draw meant it was inevitable that the pair would become infamous in their success; but at what price?

Heyes didn't much care what happened to himself but, ever since the day his cousin had ridden into Devil's Hole, he had harboured a fear that Curry would end up the way he had in his nightmare. Heyes knew he would never be able to forgive himself if his cousin was killed as a consequence of their outlawing past. It would feel the same as if he had pulled the trigger himself and he couldn't imagine what life would be like if he had to live with that.

Knowing sleep would probably elude him for what remained of the night, Heyes pulled a blanket from the bed and wrapped it around his shoulders as he walked silently across the bare floorboards to the leather armchair. It was here that Kid found him when he awoke the next morning, dozing and still wrapped in the blanket.

ooooo-OOO-oooo

The two young men had money in their pockets for once; their earnings from a very lucrative job in New Mexico escorting a payroll across Indian country to a mining camp. The trip had not been without its problems but both the payroll and it's escort had made it to the mining camp safely. The mine owners were so pleased that, much to the former outlaws' surprise, they had also paid a handsome bonus.

When they had ridden into the small town of Redclaw in the Arizona Territory the partners had every intention of relaxing and enjoy themselves for a few days and, with three busy saloons full of average poker players, Heyes had been confident that they would leave with a considerable stake, meaning they wouldn't have to find work for a while. However, since the night of the dream he had shown little enthusiasm for anything, including poker, and Kid was starting to worry.

The afternoon was hot and humid and the sky overcast. In all probability a storm was coming and neither Heyes nor Curry were keen to sit out on the hotel porch, watching the town go about its business, if the wind was going to get up and cover their surprisingly dust-free clothes with half of the main street.

Not wishing to resort to forcing his partner into a saloon bar at gunpoint, Kid had persevered, eventually convincing Heyes that the best place for them was the saloon next door to the hotel where they could have a beer or two and, he hoped, play a little poker. He was sure that if he could get Heyes to play a few hands it would spark his interest and help him shake off whatever was bothering him.

They sat, as they preferred, at a table against the wall with a clear view of the saloon doors and with Curry on Heyes' right so he had unencumbered access to his holster.

Heyes slouched in his chair with his legs outstretched and his hat tipped low over his eyes. Two half drunk beers and a brown hat sat in front of them on the rough and slightly sticky table.

"Y' know Heyes, I'm gettin' to like this little town," said Kid quietly as he leaned towards his partner.

"Mmhmm," came the absent reply from underneath the black hat.

Stifling a sigh, Kid pressed. "This town - it's pretty likeable, don't y' think?"

Heyes' right forefinger pushed his hat up a fraction. "Huh?"

Kid turned on a cheerful smile he didn't quite feel. "Well, we've been here what, three days now? Nobody has given us a second glance and when I checked out the Sheriff's office there were only two wanted posters on the wall and neither of them were ours. And..." he took a swig of his beer, "...how many times have we seen the Sheriff, or his Deputy? Not once! In my book, that makes it a pretty likeable town."

Pushing on the arms of his chair Heyes sat up a little straighter and glanced sideways at his partner.

"Maybe."

"What d' you mean 'maybe'?!"

"I mean, I guess it does," Heyes capitulated reluctantly.

Determined to keep the positives going Kid continued, "and...we got paid for that job. All the money we were owed, with a bonus we weren't even expectin'! I think our luck's finally changin' at last."

Heyes looked at Kid's eyes shining in the dull light of the saloon and, clutching at a little of his cousin's optimism, smiled faintly for the first time in two days. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and took a long draught of beer, wiping the foam off his top lip with the back of his hand.

Still keeping up the momentum Curry rose from his chair.

"Well, if our luck is changin' I think that's somethin' to celebrate. I'm gonna get us two more beers and fetch over a pack of cards. Then I'll let you beat me at Blackjack for a while until someone else wants to join us for a little poker. What d' ya say?"

Heyes pushed his hat to the back of his head and raised his eyebrows. "You're saying that you're gonna let me beat you?"

"Yep. That's exactly what I'm sayin'." Kid flashed a grin at him as he headed to the bar.

A little over an hour later the wind outside had increased considerably and, as a result, the saloon was starting to fill up. The two cousins had moved to a green baize-covered table and had been joined by three other players so a poker game was now in full swing. Kid was relieved to see that Heyes had lost no time in getting into his stride, subtly dominating the game but not so much as to upset anyone. He also appeared to be enjoying himself at last.

Throwing in his hand for the fifth time in a row Kid decided that 'Lady Luck' had deserted him once again in favour of his partner, so it was time he took up his position at the bar and watched Heyes' back. Besides, for the last ten minutes Curry had sensed a young cowboy loitering near the table, possibly looking to join the game.

"You want in, mister?" he asked as he picked up what was left of his stake. "You can have this seat 'cause I'm done here." The cowboy nodded his thanks, sat down in Kid's vacated seat and laid his money on the table. Heyes looked up appreciatively at the addition of another willing victim.

Kid leaned his back against the bar, resting the right heel of his boot on the brass foot rail as he sipped a glass of whiskey and surveyed the room. When his eyes skimmed past the batwing doors he noticed a crowd gathering outside. Curious, he put his drink down on the bar and strode over to take a look.

A rider, his brown canvas duster coat flapping around his legs in the hot gusting wind and his black, flat-brim stetson pulled down low, led another horse by its reins. A body lay over the other horse's saddle. Curry's quick eyes searched the rider's clothing for a tin star but he couldn't see one.

Thunder rolled somewhere in the distance.

Both horses came to a halt outside the Sheriff's office where the rider dismounted and turned to undo the rope holding the body across the saddle. The people outside the saloon started muttering and there were a few gasps as the supposed dead body stood up unsupported and, with a push from behind, staggered stiffly through the door of the Sheriff's office.

Kid frowned as he returned to the bar, tossed back what remained of his whiskey and ordered another. His eyes also returned to Heyes who was totally focussed on the poker game and oblivious to what was happening around him.

The crowd outside the saloon had now made its way inside and the bar was getting busy. Despite being jostled a little, Kid stood his ground hoping to overhear any snippets of conversation which might identify the two men he had just seen. However, most of the talk going on around him was nothing more than speculation and the men eventually moved away to play cards or sit at a table with their drinks.

The afternoon edged into evening and Curry's stomach began to tell him it was fast approaching supper time. Looking at the growing pile of money in front of Heyes, he figured it was a good time for him to quit before anyone got upset at how much he was winning. Kid finished his drink and, having waited for the current hand to play out, sauntered over towards the poker table. As he walked past he gave Heyes' chair a barely noticeable sharp tap with his foot.

Brown eyes flickered briefly to the passing figure of his partner then to the money in front of him and common sense told him he should quit now before somebody accused him of cheating. Maybe the Kid thought so too.

Heyes tapped the pack of cards that he had been shuffling and set them down in front of the man next to him. "You know what? I think I'm gonna call it a day," he said with a smile. Gathering up his money he tipped his hat and nodded to the other players. "Gentlemen, it's been a pleasure."

Heyes' departure was met by a groan from a couple of the other players who had hoped they might win some of their money back but, to the experienced gambler's ears this didn't amount to anything threatening and he confidently pushed through the batwing doors and out onto the boardwalk.

Kid was leaning against a post outside the general store. Heyes marched up to him, a frown creasing his brow.

"What's the matter? Did you see something?" he asked quickly, keeping his voice low.

"No, why?"

"Getting me outta there like that."

"You had a fair size pile of money in front of you so I thought we'd go over and get us some supper." Kid jerked his thumb towards a cafe on the other side of the street.

Heyes sighed. "Is that all?"

"It's been a while since I ate, Heyes, and you know I don't concentrate real good if I'm hungry. You don't want me passin' out while I'm supposed to be watchin' your back now, do ya?"

"Passin' out," Heyes scoffed with a roll of his brown eyes. He looked at the guileless expression on Kid's face and slapped his hand against his cousin's shoulder. "Okay, I guess I'm kinda hungry too."

The cafe was situated closer to the Sheriff's office than they would have liked but the food was hot, plentiful and inexpensive so they happily went inside and sat down at one of the scrubbed pine tables.

After a pretty young waitress had filled their coffee cups and taken their food order, all the time blushing under the scrutiny of a pair of sky blue eyes, Kid asked, "So, how well did y' do?"

"I could have done a lot better if you'd have let me stay," Heyes was still smarting from being pulled away from the game.

"Now don't go startin', Heyes. C'mon, how did y' do?"

"Pretty good," replied Heyes, unable to stifle a self-satisfied grin. "If I can do the same over the next couple of days we could have us a sizeable stake. Maybe even enough to get through the winter."

Curry grinned. "Great. Any problems?"

"Well you were watching, weren't you?" asked Heyes, a little perplexed.

"Yeah, apart from when I went outside to see what was goin' on in the street."

"Huh?"

"There was a crowd watchin' this fella go past, leadin' a horse with a body slung over the saddle. They went into the Sheriff's office."

Heyes gave his cousin a curious look. "The body too?"

"Turned out it wasn't a body - a dead one - anyway."

They paused in their conversation as the waitress brought their meals. Kid picked up his knife and fork and grinned at the pile of creamy mashed potato sitting alongside the big juicy steak on his plate before attacking it with enthusiasm.

"Who was bringing this fella in, the Deputy?" asked Heyes.

Kid shook his head. "Couldn't see a badge," he replied through a mouthful of potato.

"Not the Sheriff either then."

"Uh uh, but the badge couldha been hid under his duster," Kid replied a little testily, wanting to give his full attention to his steak.

"Could he have been, say...a bounty hunter?" Heyes' question was laced with sarcasm.

Kid looked up and met his cousin's wide-eyed gaze and swallowed hard. "Awww no, why didn't I think of that?"

"Maybe this likeable town is dulling your senses!" hissed Heyes.

Kid aimed an icy stare at his partner before cutting another piece of steak and jabbing his fork into it.

"This fella, would you recognize him if you saw him again?"

Kid shrugged. "Dunno. The wind was blowin' hard so he had his hat pulled down real low."

A flash of lightning lit up the lace draped window followed by a loud clap of thunder heralding the onset of the full force of the storm.

Heyes sighed and put down his fork, his anxiety returning and his appetite lost.

"Well, we can't take any chances. We have to find out who he is. If he is a bounty hunter then we'd better start packing."

ooooo-OOO-ooooo

The rain was lashing down promising to turn the dusty main street into a quagmire. Pulling up their jacket collars and holding onto their hats Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry closed the cafe door behind them. Avoiding the growing muddy puddles as best they could they ran across the street to the boardwalk opposite and into the hubbub of another of Redclaw's watering holes, the Silver Strike Saloon.

This establishment was a little more up-market than the one they had spent the afternoon in, being well lit and sporting a roulette table as well as several baize covered card tables. It was busy, smoky and noisy - exactly how they liked it.

They squeezed their way into a space at the long mahogany bar and ordered two whiskeys and two cigars. Heyes turned to survey the room as he exhaled a stream of blue smoke into the air. His eyes were immediately drawn to the size of the pots on a couple of the poker tables. He nudged Kid and indicated what he was looking at. Kid gave a faint nod of approval. All Heyes would have to do now was wait for a seat to open up. There was a considerable amount of money to be won here too, he thought.

Kid's eyes were drawn to something completely different, namely the shapely form of a blonde saloon girl as she walked between the tables. He noted the pale smooth skin of her bare arms and neck, and how the frills on her emerald green dress fluttered around her hips as she walked. Heyes followed his partner's gaze and smiled to himself as he turned back around to face the bar. He'd give it an hour at the most before Kid was heading upstairs with her.

Sometime later the bartender came back their way and asked if they wanted refills. Heyes nodded and fished in his jacket pocket for some coins which he placed on the bar in front of him.

"I hear there was a bit of a commotion outside, this afternoon," he ventured, taking the cigar from his mouth and casually inspecting it as he rolled it between his forefinger and thumb.

The man regarded him quizzically while he filled the glasses and picked up the money.

"Something to do with a prisoner being brought in?" prompted Heyes.

"Oh yeah, that was Ted Myers." The bartender wiped the bar with a cloth and chuckled. "He's known in these parts as 'Locoweed' 'cause he's real ornery. There's been a bounty out on him for a while now for his horse stealin', amongst other things."

"Sheriff finally tracked him down, huh?"

"No. Sheriff didn't bring him in."

"Oh?"

"It was that fella, what's his name? The bounty hunter. Er..."

Heyes was glad the bartender had looked up at the ceiling as he tried to remember, or he might have seen the look of disquiet show in his eyes.

"A bounty hunter you say?"

"Yeah, his name...oh, it'll come to me in a minute."

Heyes turned his attention to his refilled glass.

"Got it!" the bartender slapped his hand down hard on the bar. Startled, Heyes quickly swallowed the mouthful of whiskey which he has almost lost all over the freshly wiped bar and Kid took his eyes away from the blonde.

"Uriah Hendy! Yes, that's his name, Uriah Hendy."

Heyes liked the name even less the second time the man said it and he and Kid exchanged a subtle glance.

"Well, I don't reckon I've ever seen a bounty hunter." Heyes forced a stiff smile. "Is he in the saloon now?" he asked, peering around the room.

"Couldn't say; it's been pretty busy in here. The storm has brought a lot of folks in off the street," the bartender answered before moving off to serve a customer further down the bar.

The former outlaws finished what remained of their drinks and walked as casually as they could out of the saloon towards the hotel. A half a minute later a tall, wiry, almost emaciated-looking man with long brown hair, sharp features and steel grey eyes got up from a seat in the farthest corner of the crowded saloon.

Uriah Hendy took a half eagle gold coin out of his pocket and flipped it skilfully through his fingers as he leaned on the bar and beckoned to the barman. "What were you talkin' to those two fellas about?"

"Which two fellas?"

"One had dark hair and a black hat, the other had a brown hat with a fancy silver band. They just left."

The barman's eyes rested momentarily on the coin before he answered. "They were askin' 'bout the prisoner. Got the feelin' they weren't too pleased when I said a bounty hunter had brung him in."

"That all?"

The barman nodded.

"They locals?" asked Hendy.

"Nope. Never seen 'em before."

"How many livery stables are there in town?"

"Only one, down the main street on the right."

"Much obliged," said Hendy and he flipped the coin in the air towards the barman.

Uriah Hendy had been a bounty hunter most of his adult life. He was now fast approaching fifty years old and felt it was time he considered retiring. Bringing in Ted Myers hadn't been as easy as he had anticipated, that was why he had almost needed to hog-tie him across the saddle. Now that he thought about it, none of them seemed as easy to bring in as they had ten years ago.

Hendy had been enjoying a quiet drink in the Silver Strike and watching the crowd when the two men walked in and caught his attention. They both wore their guns low and tied down and he noticed that the blond one had covertly undone the retaining loop on his revolver as he stood at the bar. He didn't think he had seen either of them before but he had memorised the descriptions of all the most wanted outlaws and was sure they were a fit. Following his conversation with the barman he made his way back to the Sheriff's office to check the Wanted posters.

ooooo-OOO-ooooo

Pleased that they didn't have to cross the main street which was now closely resembling a small lake the former outlaws walked in silence along the boardwalk to the hotel and climbed the stairs up to the second floor. As soon as the door to their room closed behind them and the key turned in the lock, Curry flopped down in the armchair while Heyes threw his hat on the bed and dragged a hand through his hair. He started to pace back and forth.

"Uriah Hendy! Of all the luck!" he exclaimed incredulously, throwing his hands in the air before resting them on his hips.

"I've heard of him but he ain't trailed us before, has he?"

"No, but...I can't believe it...Uriah Hendy!"

Kid took his .45 out of its holster and slowly rotated the cylinder, counting the bullets. He already knew that each chamber was loaded but it was a routine he turned to in times of stress.

"What do you know about him?" he asked, trying to keep a cool head.

"Nothin' helpful, except that he don't give up."

"I thought he only worked over Kansas and Missouri. Not this far west."

"Well, apparently he does now, and ten thousand dollars apiece will put us right on the top of his list for sure," grumbled Heyes.

Kid sighed, flipped the loading gate closed with his thumb and returned the Colt to its holster. "Well, I guess that means we'd better get outta here."

"In this storm?!" The wind-driven rain beat hard against the window as Heyes' brown eyes surveyed the main street. Lightning sliced across the sky, quickly followed by a clap of thunder so loud it rattled the glass in the window and made them both flinch.

"This rain would cover our tracks real quick." Curry was always practical.

"It would, but I think it'd be more likely one of us would get struck by lightning!" Heyes resumed pacing.

"It might put Hendy off followin' us. Anyways, he may not have spotted us."

"Oh yeah, we're bound to be that lucky!" came Heyes cynical response. He thought for a moment. "Then again, it's not like he's out here trailin' us. He was after that other fella, Myers."

Curry rubbed his corn coloured curls as he asked, "What're you sayin', Heyes; we stay in town and wait 'til Hendy comes knockin' on the door in the middle of the night with a double-barrelled shotgun?"

"Oh, no, I still think we should leave. Kid, our room here is paid up for another couple of days so we can leave whenever we want, but I think we might be pushing the odds to try and ride out, on a trail we don't know, in the dark, in this storm."

Kid grinned. "True, and that cracked mare of yours would throw you at the first clap of thunder!"

As much as he hated to admit it Heyes had to agree with Kid's appraisal of his horse. He gave a reluctant nod.

"So we wait 'til mornin'," Kid confirmed.

"I think that might be best."

Sitting down on his bed Heyes started to take off his boots. "Let's get some sleep. Hopefully the storm will blow itself out overnight and we can head out at sun-up; put as much distance between us and Redclaw as possible."

ooooo-OOO-ooooo

The storm raged on all night but, by the early hours, calm was restored as the thunder and lightning ceased and the torrential rain eased to a steady drizzle. Heyes had barely slept again so was able to wake his cousin before it got light. They dressed quickly, stuffed their few belongings into their saddlebags and grabbed their bedrolls before creeping down the stairs and exiting the hotel by a rear door.

Sloshing through mud and puddles in the back alleys the former outlaws remained watchful in the pale pre-dawn light as they took a roundabout route to the livery stable. The large sliding door was secured with a padlock which took Heyes all of ten seconds to pick before they slid inside, leaving the door ajar so they wouldn't have to light a lantern.

Heyes had just lifted the heavy saddle onto his horse's back and was tightening the cinch when he was interrupted by the ominous sound of a rifle being cocked. He froze.

Uriah Hendy followed the barrel of his rifle through the open door.

The bounty hunter had spent only fifteen minutes yesterday evening in the Sheriff's office looking through a stack of Wanted posters before coming across the descriptions he was looking for, those of Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry.

Hendy had considered the fact that the two outlaws might try and skip town last night but the violent storm had done him a big favour. By reputation Heyes and Curry were real smart and he had been willing to take the chance that they would wait until the storm had abated and the waterlogged trail out of Redclaw easier to navigate.

Despite his prediction, he had still spent a long, damp night watching the livery stable and now it was about to pay off, and pay off big. Twenty thousand dollars was the biggest bounty he was ever likely to earn; it would set him up nicely in retirement. All he had to do was walk these two at gunpoint down the street to the Sheriff's office and into a jail cell.

"Get your hands in the air, Mister Heyes. No sudden moves now."

"What the...?" said Heyes.

Hendy took another step forward and raised his voice. "I said, hands in the air."

"Now wait a minute!" Heyes complained as he started to raise his hands but he didn't get them very high before the click from the hammer of a Colt .45 revolver spread a cheeky grin across his face.

Looking back over his shoulder he could see Kid Curry standing behind the bounty hunter with the cold barrel of his Colt pressed firmly against the back of the man's head.

"Easy," Curry drawled. "Lower the rifle, nice and slow." Hendy stiffened and groaned inwardly as he complied. He felt his pistol being removed from its holster.

Heyes ambled over and took the rifle, tossing it onto a pile of straw before searching the man for hidden weapons.

Hendy held his hands high above his head but said nothing. He was furious with himself. From his hiding place he had seen them both enter the livery stable but realized too late, as he stepped through the partially open door, that he could only see one man inside. He now knew that Curry must have been concealed behind a stack of hay bales next to the door. Maybe it is time I retired, he thought. I definitely ain't as sharp as I used to be.

"Now...into that stall on your left." Kid's voice remained low and threatening.

Hendy moved forward, well aware of Curry's reputation with a gun. He had heard that in all the jobs they had pulled they had never shot anyone but he suspected that Kid Curry was the gunman who, seven years or so ago, had killed a man in Waco, Texas.

Heyes took two saddle strings from his pocket.

"You know how this goes. Hands behind your back," Heyes said airily, as he proceeded to tightly tie Hendy's hands. Pushing him down to sit on an upturned bucket Heyes then tied the man's feet together before gagging him with his own bandana.

Kid uncocked his gun and rolled it effortlessly back into its holster.

"Nice work, partner," grinned Heyes, slapping Kid on the back.

"Hmmm. Not much of a bounty hunter, is he? Lettin' a body get the drop on him that easy." Kid folded his arms across his chest as he studied the bound man.

Attempting a frown, Heyes mirrored his cousin's stance and shook his head. "Down right sloppy, I'd call it."

Hendy's belligerent words were muffled behind the bandana.

Heyes turned and picked up the discarded rifle before placing it in the empty scabbard on his saddle. He had sold his own rifle for a pittance a few months ago, mainly because they needed to eat, so this would make a fine replacement. He also took Hendy's pistol from Kid and placed it in his saddlebags.

All the time they had been going straight Heyes' never really classed the removal of firearms as stealing and Kid had long ago given up challenging him on it. Heyes looked on it as recompense - in this instance, for loss of sleep and poker winnings. Besides, taking his weapons meant Hendy would have to re-arm himself before he came after them, so it would buy them a little more time.

Kid swung himself up into his saddle and taking the reins of both horses walked them out into the muddy street. Heyes followed, sliding the door shut and locking the padlock in place before mounting up and taking a relaxed trot up the main street and out of town. As soon as they hit the open trail they took off at a gallop.

It wasn't long before the rain stopped and, as the sun climbed higher and burned off the clouds, the temperature rose, rapidly turning the mud to dust once more. Once they had put a good few miles between themselves and Uriah Hendy they slowed to a walk for a time to rest their horses.

After a while Kid turned to his partner. "How long d' you think it'll be before Hendy starts out after us?"

"Oh, not long, the livery owner would have opened up for the day not long after we left. He's had to buy himself a gun and a rifle so I figure he's probably on his way about now."

"Y' know, Heyes, I sure am tired of dodgin' posses and bounty hunters."

"Me too, Kid, me too."

"Maybe he ain't as good as he's supposed to be and we'll shake him easy. After all, he didn't do a very good job of arrestin' us back there, did he?" Curry smirked.

"Probably having an off day, Kid. We've had one or two of those ourselves in the past," said Heyes wryly.

Kid poked out his bottom lip and nodded. A pause. "So, where we headin'?"

"Haven't a clue."

Kid stared at his partner in dismay. "What do you mean you haven't a clue? I followed you 'cause you looked like you knew where you was goin'."

"I was just headin' out of town, Kid, not anywhere in particular," Heyes replied with a shrug.

Curry checked the path that the sun was taking across the sky.

"Well, I guess we're headin' north,...sorta. What's north of Redclaw?"

Heyes squinted up at the bright blue sky as he considered his answer.

"Not much I don't think, until Flagstaff."

"We ain't got much in the way of supplies, Heyes."

"I know."

Kid shook his head despondently. "Pfftt."

"What's the matter now?"

"And there I was, tryin' to have a little faith."

"Faith? About what?"

"About you havin' a plan!"

Heyes eyes twinkled. "As a matter of fact, Kid, I do have a plan."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I plan to get as far away from here as I can!"

Heyes slapped his split reins hard against his mount's rump and took off again at a gallop with Curry close on his tail.