The Bounty Hunters

Lew gri

"She likes to play." Lazair felt the material between his fingers and then tore it down the middle.

Lew said, "Maybe she's upset after seeing what you did to her kin."

Lazair folded a part of the scarf lengthwise, then tied it around his neck, sticking the ends into his shirt. "Some girls are fu

8

"O God, by whose mercy the souls of the faithful find rest, vouchsafe to bless this grave, and appoint Thy holy angel to guard it; and release the souls of all those whose bodies are buried here from every bond of sin, that in Thee they may rejoice with Thy saints forever. Through Christ our Lord."

The Franciscan made the sign of the cross in the air and sprinkled the grave with holy water.

Fly

Fly

As they were lowering the bodies into the freshly dug graves, the vaquero had ridden in, killing his mount with the urgency of his news. He had seen Apaches! Tending his herd, a dozen miles from Soyopa, he had entered a draw after a stray-and there at the other end, trailing down from high country, were the Apaches. He had flown before they were able to see him, he told. But he had looked back once, and coming out of the draw they had traveled southeast in the direction of the deserted village of Valladolid. How many? Perhaps six or seven.

"Then it is not a raiding party," a man had said.

"Who knows the way of the Apache," the vaquero answered. He perspired, and the wide eyes told that he was still frightened.

"What about your cows?"

"My cows must protect themselves."

Fly

"We might wait a long time for a trail as fresh as this one," he told Bowers.

Bowers shrugged. "Why not? That's why we're here."

A few of the villagers who had heard this looked at the Americans curiously.

They returned to the alcalde's house for their horses, then passed the cemetery again as they left Soyopa by the trail north. Hilario was still standing by the graves. He would move to the foot of a grave, recite the "Hail Mary" and drop a small stone, then move to the next. Later, the villagers would come and do this and after that any traveler entering Soyopa who knew a prayer for the dead would drop a stone.

The vaquero had told them approximately where his small herd had been grazing. Fly

They rode due north through the afternoon, Fly

They found the herd without difficulty, though the cattle were scattered, perhaps thirty head grazing from one end of the meadow to the other. There could be others in the hills now, hidden by the scrub trees, and up the draw which they recognized from the vaquero's description. Fly

On the east edge of the meadow they stopped to eat-beef and tortillas which Hilario had told them to take from his house; then followed after the unshod horse tracks as they left the meadow.

At first, Fly

Bowers said, "How far ahead?"

"About four hours." His eyes swung up to the high country that was before them. "They should be farther than that."

Bowers said, "They're taking their time. Maybe they've forgotten what it's like to be chased."

"What about Lazair?"

Bowers looked at him quickly, curiously, "That rurale mentioned him."

Fly

Bowers said, "Hunter of Indians."

"Bounty hunters," Fly

They began climbing shortly after. The ground was high on both sides and the draw rose gradually toward thick scrub brush. Still following the tracks, they crossed a bench then climbed again, now into pine, and soon they reached the long flat crest of the rise. In the distance, the hills took up again, but more rugged-tumbling into each other, spewed with rock and brush, forming a thousand fantastic shapes. The unshod tracks continued on down the slope of the hill, and below them, deathly still in the evening light, was the village of Valladolid.

"Well?" Bowers asked it.

Fly

Bowers said, "What are you thinking about?"

"All the places down here an Apache could hide," Fly

They moved back into the heavier pines and tied their horses to the lowest branches so they could graze, then sat down to rest and think and check their guns. And for the next hour they smoked cigarettes cupped in their hands and spoke little. When it was almost full dark, Fly

Fly

Fly

"You could lie down there and no one would even know about it."

"The Apaches would…"

Fly