Chapter Twenty-Six

Still holding onto the bridle, Evans was ready to proceed with the hanging, when suddenly a frantic voice came from a rider coming in fast.

"Pa! Pa! I just saw another section of fence down on the west range. More of the cattle broke through. And it's looking like more fence could collapse. The herd might get to the bad water if we don't turn 'em fast! Couldn't do it alone!"

Evans yelled to his men. "Go! All of ya. Turn those cows, and make sure no more of that fence comes down!" He glared up at Jess, then hollered to his son. "I'll be there as soon as I make sure this is finished up right."

Evans watched as all the ranch hands rode off with his son. Then he turned back to Jess, hatred in his eyes. "I don't know who else is working with ya, you sidewinder. But mark my words. I'll find them. And I'll make them pay too. Just like you're gonna pay now."

He stepped to the side of the horse. Jess looked him in the eye and grunted some sounds, trying to make the man think he had something to say. Maybe Evans would think he would tell him something about "accomplices." If he could just buy some time─get the man to remove the gag and please, God, the noose─maybe he could get the ranch owner to listen to reason.

But Evans again ignored him and raised his hand to slap the horse out from under him.

"Stop right there, mister." The words were accompanied by the cocking of a weapon. "I got my gun aimed right at your head." A voice Jess had not heard before came from a man concealed in the trees nearby.

Evans' arm froze. Scanning the trees, he tried to see the man who was speaking. "Who in blazes are you?"

"Don't matter. Now keep that hand high, and step away from that horse."

Evans obeyed.

"Toss your iron over this way towards me. Do the same with the one you got shoved in the front of your belt there. I reckon you musta took that one offa this boy you're fixin' to kill. Then you just lay yourself down flat on the ground there, mister, and keep still."

As commanded, Evans threw his forty-five and Jess' over toward the unseen mounted man, and then knelt down and stretched out face down in the grass.

The stranger pulled a large knife from the sheath on his belt, and had just begun to ride out from among the trees, when the gray Jess was on spooked at a snake slithering through the grass.

The horse bolted straight ahead, out from under Jess, leaving him swinging and strangling.

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As fast as possible, the stranger brought his horse alongside Jess, who was already unconscious. Gun in his left hand, still pointed at Evans, and his long, razor-sharp knife in his right, the man sliced through the rope. Jess plunged to the ground.

The stranger immediately dismounted and pulled the noose off Jess' neck and the bandana from his mouth. Keeping his gun aimed at the unarmed Evans and warning him to remain as he was, he put his ear to Jess' chest to listen for a heartbeat.

"Lucky for you it's still beatin'," he spat at Evans.

Though he was still unconscious, Jess' lungs reflexively sucked in a ragged breath, and another, and more.

The stranger cut the ropes that bound Jess' arms behind him. Checking where the rope had abraded the wrists, he made sure blood wasn't gushing from the cuts. Then he stood and gathered the thrown guns. He replaced Jess' in his holster.

"Just to make sure you don't try to shoot the boy while he's ridin' out, I'll keep your iron till I git to the edge of your property, mister."

Evans glared at the man. "I know you. I've seen your picture on a poster. Joe Markle. That's who you are. What are you doing on my land?"

"Appears I'm savin' this boy from a mighty evil plan you had in mind." Markle motioned with his gun. "You git over there and sit down with your back against what you was tryin' to turn into a hangin' tree. Then put your arms back around that trunk behind you as far as you can reach."

Evans did as he was told, and Markle used the hanging rope to secure his arms in place.

Jess' eyes began to flutter as he coughed and gagged and sucked in more air. Markle went over and knelt beside him.

"Come on and wake up now," Markle told him, patting his cheeks. "I can't hang around here all day, boy. Got a badge on my trail." He cast a gaze all around, surveying the outlying countryside. "Git a move on, boy! Wake up."

Jess could hear some of the words the man was saying and tried to make sense of them. Finally, he managed to get his eyes open. He glanced, bleary-eyed, up at his rescuer.

He tried to say "thanks" but all that came out was a choking sound. More raspy, weak coughing was accompanied by his eyes slamming shut again.

"Looks like you're gonna make it. Might take a spell for your eyes to clear up enough for ya to see good, and even a while longer till you can stand."

Still gasping in breaths, his eyes still closed, Jess raised his hand to his throat.

"Yeah, you got quite a rope burn there, boy. And it'll likely be a while before you can git your voice workin'. That throat is gonna be mighty rough for a while. You okay though?"

Jess gave a slight nod of his head. His voice would not cooperate, and only a whispery, whooshing of air came as his lips formed the words.

Markle frowned, not sure what the young man was trying to say, but he guessed he was doing all right, able to breathe at least. So he mounted up.

"I made sure you'll git a little head start by tyin' up that so-called man over there to his own tree. But don't wait too long before you ride outta here. His men will come lookin' for him soon. Or the McCanles gang might. I saw them ridin' near here." He aimed a glower at Evans. "Drivin' twenty cows with an E brand."

Evans' eyes widened. "McCanles? You saw them around here?"

"Yup, the old man and both his sons. Just a little ways south of here. His girl too. She come ridin' up and joined 'em."

Evans glanced at Jess, still struggling to regain full consciousness. "I… I didn't know," he sputtered.

Markle looked at Jess. "You'll git your bearin's in a few minutes or so, boy. Then start ridin' as fast and as far from here as ya can."

With that, Markle took off at a gallop. Jess, still gasping and trying to make his way up to a seated position, never got a good look at him and didn't notice which way he went.