CHAPTER 4 - LOSING STREAK
The excitement didn't end there. Billy ordered a round-up of probably a hundred head of Chisum's cattle, which we then herded to the nearest small town to sell off, using some of the proceeds for a good meal, a bath, some decent whiskey and some women.
I was in my element, especially when I left the whore I'd chosen and found a card game going on in the saloon next door. I didn't know where the others were, but I didn't care. I loved poker and joined in as soon as a new game started. My luck seemed to be running out though and by the time dawn was approaching, I had gambled away my share of the money from the cattle and my horse as well. I was about to wager the rest of the gang's horses, certain if I had one more stake I would win everything back, when Billy and Doc came over.
"You damned fool, Dave!" Billy exclaimed.
"Get up!" Doc actually grabbed me by the collar and yanked me out of my seat.
"Hey, get the hell off me!" I snapped. "At least give me a chance to win my money back."
"Looks like there's not much chance of that," Billy said, indicating that he and Doc had apparently been watching for some time and only stepped in when they were at risk of losing their own horses. "Get outside and find yourself a new horse, we're skinning out."
"Well, if you give me another ten minutes I'll win my own back," I protested.
"Outside!" Billy said under his breath, pulling out one of his guns. "If you stay here, we'll leave without you."
"Alright, alright, I'm coming," I grumbled, shaking Doc off when I noticed he was still gripping my coat. I stalked out of the saloon, furious. Damnit, I never lost so badly at poker. If I'd only had time for another couple of hands, I would have won back the horse and all the money and probably gained something else too. I kept telling myself that.
Outside, Chavez and Hendry were leading the horses out of the barn and I decided to jump on mine and skin out quick before its new owner caught me, but I hadn't bargained on the four other poker players following me to stop me doing exactly that.
"Which is yours?" one of them asked.
"That one," I said grudgingly, pointing at the scruffy looking sorrel.
"Aww, you cheating bastard, you said he was a fine stallion!" another of the men shouted, pulling out his gun.
"You got debts to settle, boy, how about you pay with your blood?!" a third one said.
"Oh, shit," I muttered, grabbing for my own gun.
"You stupid bastard, Dave," Billy said, drawing his own two pistols.
"Pendejo!" spat Chavez, dropping the bunch of horses' reins he held and producing two knives as if my magic.
I shot one of the men, Billy shot two at once and the fourth went down with one of Chavez's blades embedded in his neck. We backed away, aware that others may soon come out of the building to discover what the commotion was and start shooting at us.
The few loose horses had begun to scatter, alarmed by the gun shots, although Hendry still held the two he had brought out - the scruffy sorrel and his own glossy bay horse. Grinning to myself, I snatched the reins of the bay, leaving the sorrel for him, vaulted into the saddle and legged the horse into a gallop, laughing. At least I had scored a decent horse, even if I did lose all my money. Unfortunately the horse didn't last long. The others caught me up quickly and when we slowed to a walk, Chavez grabbed my new mount's bridle and halted it.
"Hey, what the hell you doing, greaser?" I demanded.
"Get off the horse," Chavez said sourly.
"Go to hell."
"Get down, Dave," Billy said, glaring at me from the other side. "That's your horse." He pointed at the sorrel which Hendry was now seated on.
"The hell it is."
"You're so keen to be in my gang, you ride by my rules, and one of them is that we don't steal from each other. I seem to remember you took Doc's watch too."
Damnit, he'd noticed.
"He gave it to you and you threw it away!" I protested.
"I dropped it, there's a difference," said Billy. "Now get off the damned horse before I shoot you out of the saddle."
"Aww, it's alright, I really don't mind," Hendry put in. Everyone ignored him.
"Alright." I reluctantly jumped to the ground and walked over to the sorrel. Hendry climbed down slowly and went back to his own horse. I guessed I should have apologised to him, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I never said sorry to anyone if I could possibly avoid it and I wasn't about to start now.
"The watch," Billy reminded me, still scowling.
"Uh…." I glanced back towards the town. It was one of the things I'd gambled.
The others all glared at me and then rode off without waiting for me to mount up again. I hauled myself into the saddle despondently, wondering if I'd be better off riding in the opposite direction, but I didn't want to go back to riding alone. They'd all forget about it soon enough. I followed them, but I kept a little distance between myself and them for the next day or two.