CHAPTER 11 - UNEXPECTED RESCUE

We set off pretty soon, heading for the mountains. No one spoke to me and I trailed some distance behind the rest of them, hating the uncomfortable feeling of riding amidst a bunch of people who loathed me. It was two days before Hendry and Tom grudgingly exchanged a few words, but the atmosphere amongst all of us didn't improve for another week, during which time I kept my head down and made sure I didn't even breathe wrong.

I still wasn't under any illusion that I was forgiven after that time, but at least I was no longer completely ignored. Chavez, however, hadn't cast even one glance in my direction since I'd messed up so badly and I tried to ignore the annoying wish that he would speak to me, even if it was to tell me to drop dead. He hadn't looked at me or ridden near me all week and he slept as far from me as he could get when the six of us settled down each night.

I was getting impatient by the time we saw a thin line of smoke in the distance rising into the sky. We hadn't seen civilisation in far too long again and I was sick of being ignored, sick of being dirty and hungry and not having enough sleep, but for once, physical desire was the last thing on my mind. I was just miserable and I didn't know how to make it better.

The trail rose now, passing between steep hills and rocky outcrops and we eventually reached a small settlement carved out of the mountainside; some kind of mining village. Billy spoke to an old man, asking if they were mining copper. I was too far away to hear properly, but I picked up the words 'bat droppings'. Perhaps a joke would help; most of them seemed to have put my latest failings behind them at last.

"Well, I've been to gold towns, silver towns, I've even been to turquoise towns, but I have never been to a batshit town," I said to no one in particular, hoping to at least get a smile out of one or two of them. "I can't wait to see the women!"

Someone snorted behind me and I turned around, surprised to see Chavez grinning. As soon as I turned, he straightened his face and looked away. Hendry and Tom both chuckled, but I sighed heavily and looked over at Billy to see what the next plan was. It was to escape. Suddenly Pat Garrett and his men were almost on top of us, charging through the village and firing from all directions and none of us were prepared; not at all.

"Oh, shit!" I gasped, urging my horse forward. We galloped higher up the trail, the horses scrambling and lurching, leaving the small town behind. I noticed Chavez branch off to the right and disappear and wondered what he was doing until I heard a gunshot. Glancing back I saw one of Garrett's men fall from his saddle and I grinned, wishing I'd thought of doing the same thing.

I crouched forward in my saddle, taking the weight off my horse's back to help it scramble up the last section of the trail until the ground flattened out. Billy, Doc, Hendry and Tom were all galloping and I followed. Then suddenly there was no ground in front of us and the horses skidded to a halt, neighing in fright. We were on the very edge of a steep descent into a canyon. With this in front and Garrett's men behind, we were trapped.

"Godamnit!" exclaimed Billy.

"Can't we go down there?" asked Tom. The rest of us stared at him in disbelief. What was in front of us seemed like a near vertical drop and going over it was almost certain death. Staying where we were was also certain death, however, with Garrett's posse advancing on us. We all turned our heads as we heard pounding hooves, expecting to see the sheriff, but it was Chavez galloping towards us, screaming something at the top of his voice that sounded like, "Atsay, atsay!"

My mouth fell open as his horse sprang through the middle of our group and flew over the edge onto the steep slope below. It leaped and bounded a few strides and then fell, pitching him from the saddle. Immediately my horse decided he wanted to follow and I grabbed desperately at the horn on the saddle as I was carried down the almost sheer path. The horse fell and rolled and I was thrown clear, sliding down the dusty slope on my rear. Glancing to my right, I saw Hendry rolling and slithering beside me, his horse lurching and stumbling nearby, reins trailing.

Garrett and his men appeared at the top of what I could only think of as a cliff and began firing down at us. Chavez was already some long way down the trail, but the others, like me, were scrambling off the ground, trying to grab their horses and get back in the saddle as the gradient lessened. My sorrel stood by a clump of shrubs just yards away and I ran to it, throwing myself into the saddle and kicking it into a trot. Just a few yards and we would be around a slight bend in the path, out of range of the guns.

Then the unthinkable happened - Garrett or one of his men shot my poor old horse out from under me and I was thrown to the ground again. I guess it could have been worse, though - they could have shot me off the horse. I rolled to the side, putting some bushes between myself and the view of our pursuers, who were still at the top of the canyon and wondered whether I should wait it out, make a run for it, or shoot back at them. I looked over my shoulder to see if any of the others were still in view, but they were gone. They had left me, which I supposed was only what I deserved.

I pondered on simply hiding in the bushes in the hopes that Garrett's men wouldn't notice me and would ride away, but moments later, to my utter disbelief, Chavez appeared, galloping back towards me. He barely bothered to halt his horse, but reached out with his left arm and I grabbed at him in relief, half jumping and half being hauled up onto the horse behind him. I flung my arm around his waist and hung on tight as he turned the animal again and we catapulted back down the trail. There was no sign of the others. I was astounded that he'd come back for me. I had expected he would rather see me dead after I'd been such a bastard to him.

I didn't speak, I just held onto him as we continued to gallop through much gentler hills. Garrett's men had apparently decided not to risk their necks by following and would no doubt take a different route, which at least bought us some time. At last we caught up with the other boys who had halted and were apparently waiting for us to catch up. Chavez slowed his horse to a walk as we reached them and I loosened my hold on him, getting my breath back.

"Sweet Mary's ass, how the hell d'you get him to do that?" I gasped. "What's that mean, anyway, Atsay, Atsay?"

"It's an ancient Navajo word. It means stop," Chavez said enigmatically. I frowned, none the wiser and gripped him tighter as he suddenly urged the horse forward, causing me to almost lose my balance.

"Stop?" I could hear Doc echoing in a puzzled tone. I was glad it wasn't just me.

We rode on, looking for a place to hole up for the night as the sun began to sink in the sky. Tom was riding up front with Billy and suddenly they galloped off up a gentle slope, Billy shouting something about the last one to the top being a three-legged dog. I grinned. Doc and Hendry rode on a little way and then stopped to wait for Billy and Tom to come back. Chavez halted his horse and I looked up at the hill, watching as Billy and Tom disappeared from view.

I still had a smile on my face and I realised I was rather enjoying sharing Chavez's horse. I tightened my arm around him before I realised what I was doing and he twisted his head around sharply. His cheek bumped against my nose and I pulled my head back.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked.

I was ready to come up with some stupid retort until I saw he didn't look angry and for once I held my tongue and said nothing at all. A breeze blew his hair into my face and I raised my free hand and brushed it aside, tucking it behind his ear, then replaced my arm around his waist just a little tighter than necessary. Dare I to hope he might actually have forgiven me for what I said?

"Why'd you come back for me?" I asked after a moment, unable to maintain my silence.

"I'd have come back for any of the gang," Chavez said shortly.

I froze suddenly as a gunshot rang out and Chavez stiffened, looking up into the hills.

"Probably Billy fooling around," he said, but he didn't sound convinced.

I clutched my own wrist in front of him to ensure a more secure grip, suspecting we may suddenly move quickly. It was mere seconds before Billy appeared, galloping flat out down the hill, Tom's loose horse following him.

"Skin out!" he yelled as he flew past us. The loose animal trotted into our path as Chavez turned his horse to follow Billy.

"Get hold of it," he said and I grabbed for its trailing reins. Then we flew after the others, me hanging onto Chavez for dear life with one arm and hoping the other horse wouldn't suddenly decide to stop and make me fall.

"Where's Tommy?" Doc yelled after Billy as we pounded back across the scrubland, heading north-west.

"Dead," Billy said almost under his breath, but even with the wind in our faces and the thundering of the horses' hooves, we all heard what he said.