Part 47 (1/2)

She pulled her knife and slit a leg of the German's trousers all the way up the side. She cut it off from around his thigh. Being none too careful, she gashed him once. The blade opened a raw pink furrow in his skin.

She sliced and tore at the cloth, getting it to the proper size, then wrapped it around her head and tucked in the loose end. When she finished, the bundle of checkered cloth atop her head resembled a turban.

Still, she wasn't done with the German. She pulled off his boots, checked inside them, and tossed them aside. Then she went through his pockets. She found a folding knife, a handful of coins, and a leather pouch.

”This is for you,” she said, and tossed the knife to me.

She kept the money.

She opened the pouch. Inside was tobacco, cigarette papers and matches. She grinned up at me. ”Let's have us a smoke.”

She got to her feet. I picked up both the rifles and we wandered over toward the buckboard.

”Are they dry?” I asked.

”He never got his feet wet,” Jesse said. ”Told me as how he was up in the rocks when the flood hit. Carried off everything but him.”

We sat down and leaned back against the wagon. Jesse rolled herself a cigarette. She pa.s.sed the makings to me, and I did the same. She waited for me to finish before striking a match, and used it to light both our smokes.

She drew in on hers, and sighed. ”What ever come of all that there bad luck you was telling me about, Trevor?” The glint was in her eyes again.

I was sure glad to see it. I felt uncommon fine to be sitting there next to Jesse, having a smoke, n.o.body about who might cause us harm, the sky cloudless and blue.

But I reckoned there'd be trouble ahead.

”I shouldn't be calling the flood good good luck. Not this morning's business, either.” luck. Not this morning's business, either.”

”Whatever befalls you is good luck if you come through it kicking. We come through it right handy, appears to me.”

”We lost everything.”

”Didn't lose General. Nor your saddlebags and guns. Didn't lose each other, either.” She reached over and gave my leg a pat. ”Fact is, we gained us a good Henry rifle and a fair .45, a folding knife, a handful of change, and some fine smokes. A gunshot s.h.i.+rt, too,” she added, and nudged my side with her elbow.

”We lost my water bag,” I told her.

”That don't amount to much.”

”It'll amount to quite a good deal if we try to carry on down the trail.”

”You sure are a worrier, Trevor Bentley.”

”It helps me stay alive.”

”We'll do fine, long as we stay here. I'm too tuckered out for travel, anyhow.”

”I didn't sleep all night, myself.”

”Let's get us some shut-eye.”

”Now?” I nodded toward the body.

”Oh, he ain't likely to cause no trouble.”

”He'll draw scavengers.”

”Then let's get shut of him.”

After finis.h.i.+ng our smokes, we went over to the German and dragged him by his heels to the river. We waded out a few paces, then let him go. The current sailed him off.

We washed our hands and returned to the buckboard. We hefted it up on its side. All the cargo was gone, but that came as no surprise.

We gave the wagon a shove. It crashed down on its wheels. One wheel was busted before we started and another gave out when it fell. They were both at the rear, so the wagon had quite a slant. But it was dandy for our purpose. We crawled into the shade underneath it and stretched out.

Me and Jesse, side by side.

We lay there and looked at each other for a spell. She eased an arm over and took hold of my hand.

We were safe. We were together. I figured we had some tough times ahead of us, but everything seemed just fine right then.

I drifted off to sleep.

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR.

Mule Waking up, I was all hot and groggy and felt like I'd been asleep for a month. Jesse wasn't beside me any more. That worried me and cleared my head. I rolled over and crawled out into the blazing sunlight.

Not only had Jesse gone missing, but so had the Henry rifle.

I figured she might've wandered over to cool off at the river. General was there, taking a drink. But I couldn't see hide nor hair of Jesse.

At the sh.o.r.e, I looked up and down the river.

No Jesse.

n.o.body else was in sight, either, which came as a relief. We sure didn't need any more trouble, not after all we'd been through.

More than likely, she'd taken the rifle to do herself some hunting.

I got shed of my hat, gunbelt and boots, but kept my s.h.i.+rt and pants on so they'd get wet and keep me cool for a while afterward. Besides, I didn't fancy being naked on account of Jesse might come back and see me that way.

Then I waded into the water. It wasn't racing along furious any more, and had shrunk down considerable to where it was only about three times as wide as it had been before the storm. Nothing dead appeared to be drifting my way, so I had a drink. After that, I swam and floated about, enjoying the coolness.

I'd just climbed onto a rock, figuring it was time to go searching for Jesse, when the bray of a mule caught my ears.

It came from downstream.

The mule wasn't in sight yet, but the sound made me think it must be hidden by the outcropping about fifty yards south of me. Fearing there might be more than a mule, I ran for my gunbelt. No sooner was it buckled around my waist than the mule hobbled into view. Behind it walked Jesse, prodding it along with her rifle.