him in th e dark, but he had missed his first shot. Adam Stark had not.
Taggart put his cigarette on the edge of his coffee saucer an d cut off a small bite of the beef. He chewed slowly, taking his time.
"You've had a rough time," Stark said. "Pete Shoyer is behind me."
"Ah ... there'll be shooting then."
Taggart emptied his cup. "I've never fired on a badge-wearing man," he said, "bu t I'll fight if it comes to that."
"Shoyer is a bounty hunter. You'll fight or you'll die."
The candle on the table held a steady light. Miriam filled his cup once more an d sat down at the table near him.
He ate a little more, feeling the tenseness leaving his muscles and the quietnes s come into him, a slow, pleasant, luxurious feeling, dangerous for a man with fa r to go; but tonight, for this one evening, he would relax.
At the same time his awareness remained with him to the extent that he realized muc h of what went on here. There were six rifles on the rack in the room, and a shotgu n as well; and several boxes covered over in a corner would be ammunition. These peopl e had come to stay, and to defend themselves if attacked. The canyon itself was a littl e stronghold, and the chances of their being found were slight.
Obviously, from their settled comfort here they had not just come, and they wer e planning to remain a while longer, and as no cattle were around it had to be mining.
Globe was not far south and there was mining there ... this man had found gold.
He saw no samples in the room, so it must be that Stark was no longer looking fo r gold; he had found it. And if it was worth staying in this country for, with tw o women, he had found plenty.
That, then, was why the wagon remained where it had been left, because of the women , and because of the gold he hoped to take out. Gold can be heavy, and he must pla n on taking out a lot.
"You can bed down on the floor tonight," Stark suggested. "It is the best we hav e to offer."
"There are other buildings. It would be best if I slept in on e of them . . . in fact, I'd better. I believe Shoyer is far behind, bu t a man can't know."
"He will not find you," Consuelo said. "Nobody find this place."
"He will find it," Taggart drew in his long legs and got up. "He's a wolf."
"You will be safe here," Consuelo said. "There is danger to go ... there are Apaches."
He gathered his gear, avoiding the promise in her eyes. "I'm obliged. "
Stark rose. "The stable is the place ... there's hay there. Although you might prefe r the chapel."
"A chapel is no place for me," Taggart replied dryly. "I'll take the stable."
Outside, they crossed the narrow space under the stars and went into the darknes s of the overhang that shelved above the stable. Taggart spread out a thin bed of ha y in the light from the lantern. From where he would lie he could look down the canyo n toward the entrance.
"That's scant hay you're using."
Taggart said quietly, "A thin bed makes a light sleeper. I've learned a hard be d sleeps lightly, but safely."
Adam Stark knocked out his pipe on the outside of the door. "If you want to sta y on, you're welcome. It's a trying thing to work and worry about this place, althoug h the girls are both handy with guns."
"And Shoyer?"
"Your problem. I'd be offering you nothing but shelter here, and a place to res t up. If you make no tracks, Shoyer can find none. "
Taggart stepped outside and went to his horse, who stood near the pool of water.
He had not cared for the horse until he knew he was staying on ... a man might hav e to travel fast, and he knew the steeldust would drink. Now he stripped off the saddl e and bridle and while the big gelding stood patiently, chewing at a bundle of ha y Stark dropped for him, Taggart rubbed the horse down with handfuls of hay.
"You've a neat place here." "I found it."
"Old Spanish stonework. I've seen it before."
"The Lost Mine of the Padres," Stark said briefly. Only the padres never found i t ... I have."
"I'm not a mining
Taggart put his cigarette on the edge of his coffee saucer an d cut off a small bite of the beef. He chewed slowly, taking his time.
"You've had a rough time," Stark said. "Pete Shoyer is behind me."
"Ah ... there'll be shooting then."
Taggart emptied his cup. "I've never fired on a badge-wearing man," he said, "bu t I'll fight if it comes to that."
"Shoyer is a bounty hunter. You'll fight or you'll die."
The candle on the table held a steady light. Miriam filled his cup once more an d sat down at the table near him.
He ate a little more, feeling the tenseness leaving his muscles and the quietnes s come into him, a slow, pleasant, luxurious feeling, dangerous for a man with fa r to go; but tonight, for this one evening, he would relax.
At the same time his awareness remained with him to the extent that he realized muc h of what went on here. There were six rifles on the rack in the room, and a shotgu n as well; and several boxes covered over in a corner would be ammunition. These peopl e had come to stay, and to defend themselves if attacked. The canyon itself was a littl e stronghold, and the chances of their being found were slight.
Obviously, from their settled comfort here they had not just come, and they wer e planning to remain a while longer, and as no cattle were around it had to be mining.
Globe was not far south and there was mining there ... this man had found gold.
He saw no samples in the room, so it must be that Stark was no longer looking fo r gold; he had found it. And if it was worth staying in this country for, with tw o women, he had found plenty.
That, then, was why the wagon remained where it had been left, because of the women , and because of the gold he hoped to take out. Gold can be heavy, and he must pla n on taking out a lot.
"You can bed down on the floor tonight," Stark suggested. "It is the best we hav e to offer."
"There are other buildings. It would be best if I slept in on e of them . . . in fact, I'd better. I believe Shoyer is far behind, bu t a man can't know."
"He will not find you," Consuelo said. "Nobody find this place."
"He will find it," Taggart drew in his long legs and got up. "He's a wolf."
"You will be safe here," Consuelo said. "There is danger to go ... there are Apaches."
He gathered his gear, avoiding the promise in her eyes. "I'm obliged. "
Stark rose. "The stable is the place ... there's hay there. Although you might prefe r the chapel."
"A chapel is no place for me," Taggart replied dryly. "I'll take the stable."
Outside, they crossed the narrow space under the stars and went into the darknes s of the overhang that shelved above the stable. Taggart spread out a thin bed of ha y in the light from the lantern. From where he would lie he could look down the canyo n toward the entrance.
"That's scant hay you're using."
Taggart said quietly, "A thin bed makes a light sleeper. I've learned a hard be d sleeps lightly, but safely."
Adam Stark knocked out his pipe on the outside of the door. "If you want to sta y on, you're welcome. It's a trying thing to work and worry about this place, althoug h the girls are both handy with guns."
"And Shoyer?"
"Your problem. I'd be offering you nothing but shelter here, and a place to res t up. If you make no tracks, Shoyer can find none. "
Taggart stepped outside and went to his horse, who stood near the pool of water.
He had not cared for the horse until he knew he was staying on ... a man might hav e to travel fast, and he knew the steeldust would drink. Now he stripped off the saddl e and bridle and while the big gelding stood patiently, chewing at a bundle of ha y Stark dropped for him, Taggart rubbed the horse down with handfuls of hay.
"You've a neat place here." "I found it."
"Old Spanish stonework. I've seen it before."
"The Lost Mine of the Padres," Stark said briefly. Only the padres never found i t ... I have."
"I'm not a mining
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