Cougar Tracks, page 16
‘Of course.’ Pointer was frowning again. ‘Why would you ask me a question like that?’
‘The thing is,’ D’Arcy answered with a sheepish grin, ‘I’ve got a single woman in tow, and she needs a place to stay for a while. The Apaches killed her father, a man named White who was coming out here to sign on as company surgeon.’
‘Damn! That leaves us in a fix.’ Pointer sat down again. ‘I knew this Dr White was due to arrive; we needed him. His daughter … we can put her up for the time being, I suppose. I was happy to see you when first we met, Calvin, but you seem to have brought a load of trouble and bad news with you. Is there anything else I should know about that you haven’t told me?’
‘Yeah,’ D’Arcy said, grinning as he put his hat on and started toward the door to the commander’s office. ‘Cougar’s coming.’
Evening settling across the long desert found Fox Ring sitting apart from his men, on a low, rocky knoll. The land was flushed red with blood tones as the sun died, returning to its night-time home. There were deep-purple shadows in the canyons; the mesas were a deep blue. A slight phantom breeze moved restlessly across the land.
Fox Ring was deep in thought. The Apache warrior aimlessly rubbed two small stones together, looking toward the distant army post. They had blown their bugle once at sundown and lowered their striped banner. They would not be riding out again on this night.
Fox Ring had no fear of the cavalry, though he respected them. He did not even despise these white men who had come from over the seas, wishing to build their own new nation. They would fail, Fox Ring knew. For now, they were useful with their supplies and weapons. The Indian did not fear the men who hated him for his race, and there were many of them among the whites. They were all nothing – yapping pups rushing here and there.
No. He had seen one man who did trouble him riding into the fort that evening. He bothered Fox Ring because he was more than a soldier – a soldier fights for pay. These foreign opportunists fought for land and wealth. Some of his enemies fought simply out of hatred.
This man, the returning man, fought only out of a sense of obligation, and he would not quit until that sense had been satisfied. He was the sort of warrior to be most feared.
Carroll Cougar had returned.
About the Author
Paul Lederer spent much of his childhood and young adult life in Texas. He worked for years in Asia and the Middle East for a military intelligence arm. Under his own name, he is best known for Tecumseh and the Indian Heritage Series, which focuses on American Indian life. He believes that the finest Westerns reflect ordinary people caught in unusual and dangerous circumstances, trying their best to act with honor.
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2014 by Owen G. Irons
Cover design by Michel Vrana
ISBN: 978-1-4976-9400-2
This edition published in 2014 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
345 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
www.openroadmedia.com
PAUL LEDERER
WRITING AS OWEN G. IRONS
FROM OPEN ROAD MEDIA
Find a full list of our authors and
titles at www.openroadmedia.com
FOLLOW US
@OpenRoadMedia
Paul Lederer, Cougar Tracks
