Valdez Is Coming

He saw the opening and he saw a rider slash out of the trees in front of him and come around, his horse rearing with the sudden motion. Valdez broke out of the trees straight for the rider, seeing him broadside now and kicking his mount. He bore down on the man, raising the Remington in front of him, and at point-blank range blew the man off the back of his horse.

He was aware of horses behind him and felt the next man before he saw him or heard him coming up on the left. He switched the Remington to that hand, extending it at arm’s length, and when he looked, he fired as the rider fired and saw the man go out of his saddle. The man’s horse kept ru

A high whine sang through the narrows as a rifle opened up on him. He remembered the sound of gunfire in the canyon from a time before. He remembered the shadowed crevices high on the walls and the thick gama grass. But he remembered the meadow longer than this, a half mile long in his mind. Now it was not half that distance and he was almost to the end.

Another rifle shot sang out as he reached the defile and came around.

The woman would be there, behind him, and ride in and he would follow her.

But the horse that came behind him was riderless.

The horse veered off, seeing the canyon wall. As it moved out of the way, Valdez saw her: she was about thirty yards from him, her horse was down, and she was rising to her feet, holding her head with both hands and looking at the dead horse.

He saw the segundo close beyond her, dismounting and coming up with a rifle in his hands. Valdez wanted to call out to her, “Run! Come on, do it!” But it was too late. The segundo came on, walking through the gama grass with the rifle in his right hand, his finger through the trigger guard. He stopped before reaching the Erin woman.

Valdez loaded the Remington – not thinking about it, but loading it because it was empty and saying to the segundo with his gaze, You want to do something, come on, do it. He was tired, God, at the end of it, but this is what he was saying to the segundo. With the Remington loaded and cocked he walked out to the woman.

She stood with one hand covering the side of her face, dirt and pieces of grass on her dress and in her hair, as she watched Valdez coming. She looked tired and still afraid, her eyes dull and without question or hope.

“Almost, uh?” Valdez said.

“Almost,” the Erin woman said.

“Are you all right?” She nodded and he said then, “You don’t have to go back with him. Remember that.”

A look of awareness came into her eyes, as if she had been suddenly awakened from sleep. “Don’t say that.”

“It has to be said.”

“I go with you. I don’t go with him.”

“Frank Ta

He laughed out loud and saw the startled look come over her and saw the segundo looking at him.

He heard his own laughter again in the canyon and at the far end saw Frank Ta

Gay Erin touched his arm, holding on to it. He said to her, “I don’t know why I thought it was fu

With his left hand Emilio Avilar raised his hat and wiped his forehead with the same hand and put his hat on again. He said to Valdez, “You have tobacco? For chewing?”

“Cigarette,” Valdez said.

The segundo nodded. “All right.”

Valdez brought the sack and paper out of his pocket and moved toward the segundo, who stepped forward to meet him. The segundo rolled a cigarette and returned the sack to Valdez, who made one for himself, and the segundo lighted the cigarettes. Valdez stepped back, the cigarette in his mouth, the Remington in his right hand, pointed down.

The segundo said, blowing out smoke and shaking the match, “Tell me something – who you are.”

“What difference does it make?” Valdez answered. He looked beyond the segundo to Ta

“You hit one yesterday,” the segundo said. “I think five hundred yards.”

“Six hundred,” Valdez said.

“What was it you use?”

“Sharps.”

“I thought some goddam buffalo gun. You hunt buffalo?”

“Apache,” Valdez said.

“Man, I know it. When?”

“When they were here.”

“You leave any alive?”

“Some. In Oklahoma now.”

“Goddam, you do it,” the segundo said. “You know how many of mine you kill?”

“Twelve,” Valdez said.

“You count them.”

“You better, uh?” Valdez said.

The segundo drew deeply on the cigarette and exhaled slowly. He was looking at Valdez and thinking, How would you like about four of him? All the rest of them could go home. Four of him and no Ta

“It’s too bad it turns out like this,” the segundo said.

“Well,” Valdez shrugged. “It will be settled now. It will be finished.”

The segundo continued to study him. “Why don’t you give him his woman? Tell him you won’t do it again.”

“It’s not his woman now.”

The segundo smiled. “Like that.”

“Sure, it’s up to him. He wants her back, he has to take her.”

“You think he can’t do it?”

Valdez shrugged again. “If he tries, he’s dead. Somebody will get me, there are enough of you. But he still will be dead.”

“He don’t think that way,” the segundo said.

Valdez held his gaze. “What do you think?”

“I believe it.” The segundo saw Valdez’s gaze lift and he moved to the side, looking over his shoulder to see Frank Ta

Ta

He said finally, “Come over here next to me.”

The woman made no move. “I’m all right where I am.”

“You better start thinking straight,” Ta

“I’m not going home with you.”

Ta

Valdez said nothing.

“If that’s how it is, you better tell that whore next to you go get out of the way.”

Quietly, Valdez said to her, “Move over a little. Just a little.”

Ta

“I’ve said it,” Valdez answered.

Ta

He waited and said then, “Emilio!”

“I hear you,” the segundo said.

“Take him.”

The segundo did not make a move or seem about to speak.

“Number two” – Ta

The segundo looked at Ta