Part 56 (1/2)

”What?” I whispered.

”Shhh.” She pointed her gun at the ground a yard ahead of her.

I heard the snake before I saw it. A soft chh-chh-chh. chh-chh-chh. Silence. Another Silence. Another chh-chh-chh. chh-chh-chh. I spotted it. A rattler. So near the same speckled, dirty gray color as the rocks that it was the next thing to invisible. But there it was, as long as my arm, twisting its way across our path. I spotted it. A rattler. So near the same speckled, dirty gray color as the rocks that it was the next thing to invisible. But there it was, as long as my arm, twisting its way across our path.

General must've noticed it then. He gave out a startled snort and backed up. I gave the reins a tug. He stopped, and groaned in a manner that near sounded human.

Jesse thumbed back her hammer. The c.o.c.king sound was so loud it seemed almost to echo.

”Don't shoot,” I whispered.

She held fire. A moment later, the snake vanished beneath a lip of rock.

We both kept our eyes on where it had gone, and hurried past it.

I said to Jesse's back. ”Let's not shoot unless we're attacked.”

”I don't aim to get snakebit to spare your ears.”

”It's not my own ears that concern me. I don't like the notion of announcing our whereabouts.”

”Then you best hope we don't meet up with no more rattlers.”

I watched for more as we continued along. And I couldn't help but listen, too. Now that I knew the sound they made, I heard it here and there-off to one side or the other, behind us, in front of us, sometimes even above. It played on my nerves, particularly the notion of a snake dropping down on us from the rocks as we walked by.

It got to be almost more than I could stand. I switched the reins to my left hand and filled my right with iron. Much as I was loath to unsettle the dead quiet with gunfire, the good solid feel of the Colt was comforting. Jesse heard me c.o.c.k it. She looked over her shoulder at me and smiled.

”Don't shoot unless you're attacked,” she said.

”They're everywhere everywhere,” I whispered.

”Pretty near.”

Everywhere, but out of sight. I heard them, but couldn't see them. That made it all seem worse, somehow.

Next thing you know, our way forward got blocked by a great boulder. The way to the left was shut off tight. Our only course was to make a turn to the right and pa.s.s through a gash in the rocks. It looked like a rough-walled corridor, twice our height and not much wider than our shoulders. It appeared to stretch on for about thirty feet before it opened up.

Jess turned away from it and studied General. ”I reckon he'll fit,” she said.

”I doubt the posse came this way.”

”There's likely a pa.s.sel of better routes through this dang mess, but n.o.body gave us a map. Do you want to turn around and go back the way we came?”

I recalled all those rattlesnakes we'd left behind, and didn't care to give them a second go at us. So I answered Jesse with a shake of my head.

”Look sharp, now,” she said. Raising her gun barrel as if she expected to be leaped on from above-by snake or by madman or by Lord knows what brand of creature-Jesse entered the narrow gap.

I went in after her, leading General and watching him over my shoulder. He seemed mighty reluctant to put himself into such tight quarters. He snorted and tossed his head. ”Easy boy,” I said. ”Easy.” He came on, but didn't appear at all happy about the matter.

The pa.s.sage was wide enough for General, but not by much. Our tube of water, draped across his back, rubbed against a wall and tore. Water went splas.h.i.+ng out of it.

”d.a.m.nation,” I muttered.

”What?” Jesse asked.

”There goes our water.”

She looked around at us and grimaced. The water was still pouring from the ruptured gut. But I had no way to get past General and stop the gusher, short of climbing over his head.

All me and Jesse could do was stand there. Pretty soon, the side of the tube that still held water dragged its way down between General and the rocks. It fell with a plop. I ducked and peered under General's legs. I could've crawled beneath him and fetched out the tube, but there wasn't any advantage to that. It was empty and flat.

”At least we've got some in the whiskey bottle,” Jesse said.

”It won't last long.”

”There'll be water at the cave.”

”Will there be?”

”I don't reckon the posse come here without a pretty good supply.”

I judged she was right about that.

”We'd better keep moving,” she said. Turning away, she continued through the gap.

”Come along, fellow,” I urged General, and gave a pull at the reins. He groaned at me. Sounded quite like a dog, as one might sound if you threatened to steal its bone. But he came along.

I kept my eyes on him, trusting Jesse to warn me of any trouble from the front. Our rifles still hung from General's sides by a rope across his back. And my saddlebags were up there. They seemed to be clear of the nearby walls, however, and in no great danger.

We were about halfway through the gash when General went daft. His eyes bugged out, his ears twitched forward, he squealed and reared. My arm near got wrenched off before I lost hold of the reins. I leaped forward to stay away from his kicking hooves. One knocked my hat off. I stumbled and fell. On his hind legs, General tried to twist himself around. For a while, he was stuck, his belly shoved against one rock wall while his rump was jammed into the other. He thrashed about awful. His front hooves clamored and threw off sparks. He screamed fierce. The rifles and saddlebags skidded down his back. As I got to my feet, hoping to help him somehow, he managed to tear himself loose. He fell, forelegs giving out, muzzle smacking the rocky ground. But he picked himself up right quick and scampered for freedom.

I gave chase, shouting. But General was in no mood to listen. He dashed out the way we'd come, and kept on running. Before you know it, he vanished around a bend. I quit racing after him. While I tried to catch my wind, the noise of his hoofbeats faded out.

”b.l.o.o.d.y nag,” I muttered. I felt just about ready to cry. I kept it in, though, and headed on back into the gash.

At least General hadn't run off with our saddlebags and rifles. Jesse, crouching, opened one of the saddlebags. She pulled out our water bottle. It was half-empty, but unbroken.

”He's gone,” I said.

”Must've been the snakes,” she said. ”I figured he'd kill himself sure.” She returned the bottle to the saddlebag, and draped the leather pouches over one shoulder.

”We'd best go find him,” I said.

Jesse shook her head. ”Ain't much chance of catching him. Gonna be dark soon, and no telling where he's off to. He might not stop till he's off the mountain.”

”I shouldn't like to lose him altogether,” I said, my throat tight.