The Bounty Hunters

He said finally, "Now what?"

Fly

"When?"

"As soon as I see Hilario."

"Alone?"

"I think it would be better." Looking at Bowers he added, "If there are no objections."

"Of course not."

Fly

"How does it stand?"

"I know which is the worst now. I think Soldado is in second place, then the rurales."

Fly

"The obvious. Get them against each other."

"You want to work on it?"

"I'm not sure about going about it."

"Santana, Duro's sergeant, I think he's the one to start on. Tell him about all the Mexican girls in Lazair's camp. Concentrate on Santana. Make up whatever you like; whatever he wants to believe; something that would take time to prove."

"And Duro?"

Fly

Abruptly, seriously, Bowers said, "Why was I sent on this?"

"Somebody had to go."

"You told Deneen he should have picked a man with more experience."

"I shouldn't have said that."

"Why did he pick me?"

"I don't know. How well does he know you?"

"I met Deneen in Contention for the first time."

"Your dad was division commander over both of us in the war. Maybe you knew, Deneen was a captain then. I've known him off and on for thirteen years."

"Well?"

Fly

Bowers glanced up from his mescal, but said nothing.

"Look, what difference does it make?" Fly

"He dislikes you," Bowers said, glancing at him again. "That's apparent."

"You can't like everybody."

"It's more than that."

"Why not just think about the job you have to do?"

"All right."

Fly

"You don't want me to go with you?"

"If it doesn't work with one, it wouldn't work with two."

"You make it sound like taking a walk in the park."

The corners of Fly

Bowers said, "That's all right."

Fly

"He's Department Adjutant. I'd say that was enough."

"In Arizona. This is Mexico, somebody else's country. Remember, the orders said the army would not recognize us as lawful agents if we were held for any reason."

"He explained that to me in Contention," Bowers said. "He said so far it was a verbal agreement with Mexico. We can cross their border so many miles and they can enter the United States, if it means ru

"But Duro said if his government had known about it…" Fly

"Then why are we here?" Bowers said.

Fly

"Yet you say neither of us have any business being here." He wanted to ask Fly

Fly

Bowers nodded.

"So…why don't we do the world a good turn and kick Soldado's Apache tail back to San Carlos. And if problems come along we'll meet them one at a time and not worry about everything at once. Right?"

Bowers nodded, thoughtfully. "All right." He watched Fly

He took a sip of the mescal and putting the glass down he saw the four Americans watching him.

The street of the house of Hilario Esteban was quiet. There were sounds from other streets, but here was only sun glare on sand-colored adobe and a thin shadow line close to the houses extending down both sides of the street. The bullfight poster near the deserted home of Anastacio Esteban was hanging in small shreds now and only a few words were readable.

A small boy ran out of the house next to Hilario's.

"I will hold your horse!"

Fly

"With happiness," the boy smiled.

It was a woman who opened the door to his knock. Stooped, beyond middle age, a black scarf covered her shoulders and her dress beneath that was black. Hilario appeared behind her and his eyes brightened.

"David!"

"How does it go?"

"Well," the alcalde answered. He motioned the woman and Fly

The woman moved to the fireplace and sat on the floor there. She began stirring a bowl of atole and did not look at Fly

Hilario indicated the woman and said, "La Mosca. She is a herb woman, but now she prepares atole for me out of kindness. If there were a wound on my body, La Mosca would apply to it seeds of the guadalupana vine each marked with the image of the Virgin and soaked in mescal…or a brew of pulverized rattlesnake flesh if I were afflicted with the disease which the gachupines introduced to the women of our land…but she can do nothing for me now."

"Listen, Hilario," Fly

He heard the soft rough sound that cloth makes and La Mosca, the curandera, was next to him.

"I have felt this," she said, "and have already told our alcalde of it."

Fly

Hilario's voice was barely above a whisper, breathing the words in disbelief. "Is it true? Where?"

"If I told you that, you would go there hastily-"

"With all certainty!"

"And that would not be wise." He touched the old man's arm. "Look. I am going there now, with a plan. It is a matter of trusting me. If I told you where I was going perhaps others would find out-"

"Not from me."

"Perhaps not. But this not telling you is an additional safeguard."

The curandera said then, "She is being held by a man."

Hilario looked at her. "This comes to you?"

La Mosca nodded. "The man is not Indian. That I also know."

She can figure that out without looking into the future, Fly

"Is this true, David?"

"My companion, the one I came with, will remain here. He knows about this and will help you if for a reason I ca

Quietly Hilario said, "All right."

La Mosca said now, "You will come back." Her wrinkled face looked up at Fly