Free Black Hat Jack by Joe R. Lansdale Page A

don’t want to die in a wallow behind a dead horse, leaking out the last of me. I want to die fighting, and I’m going to do that. I don’t think I can stand till morning. But there’s one small chance, and it depends on the disposition of that goddamn horse of yours, Nat. He looks to me like he may have had his fun and would like to be caught up and taken to some grain, so we’ll play it that way. It don’t work like that, then it’s going to be the same for me either way, and I advise the two of you if there’s no fight really left, to do what you got to do; that whole last bullet business.”
    “That’s exactly what I’ll do,” Millie said.
    “Good,” Jack said. “I got my rifle here, a pistol and a knife. And what I’m going to do is rise up out of here, if I got the strength to do it, and I’m going to them. Going right at them like a derailed train. I am going to fire the shot in my Sharps and toss it, then go in on them with pistol and knife. I won’t live long enough to be tortured, but I just might take a few of them down and give you time to catch that contrary horse. You can bet though I’ll keep them busy till Old Man Death comes to collect me up in his croker sack.”
    “That’s crazy, Jack,” I said.
    “Yeah, it is, but what other plan you got?” he said.
    “They’ll get tired and go on.”
    “Might, but they are pretty moved to kill somebody after how things worked out. They’d like to take our scalps back to all them others, and say, boys, you done slid out of there when the doings was still good, and we got the scalps to show it. It would put them in good with their fellows if they killed us and maybe brought Millie in for further activities, such as they are. Maybe they’ll just want to rape and kill her here.”
    “Neither is appealing,” Millie said.
    “You take that Winchester, saddle bags of ammo, and while I’m up and about my business, whistle up that horse. He don’t come, you just keep running. It’s a long ways, but you just might get away if luck is on your side and they go blind in both eyes and their legs break and their horses won’t mind them.”
    “Hardly sounds hopeful,” I said.
    “It isn’t. Satan is your best chance, and then you still got to get on him and get out of here riding double. It’s all we got, Nat. It’s what we’re going to do. You two get ready to run.”
    “Jack,” I said. “You know I don’t want to leave you.”
    “I do, and if it was just you, I’d still ask you to do this, cause I’ll be dead in an hour or two, if I make it that long, and you’ll still be in the same spot. But it’s not just you. It’s her too. Now here I go.”
    “Take my Winchester,” I said.
    “No, you’ll need that. I’ll be in too close a quarters to use it. We rode some good roads and some bad ones together, you dusky demon, but we rode them like men, didn’t we?”
    “Reckon so,” I said.
    “All right, then. You may have to help me up and hope you don’t take a bullet. I’ve gathered myself as much as I can. Soon as I’m over the lip and making noise, you two go for Satan. Go fast as you can. My heart is with you. Help me up now, Nat. I’m going to surprise the shit out of them, but first I got to cinch up this jacket with my belt so my guts don’t fall out. That shot has made one hell of a hole.”

 
    10 
     

“I am going to let the pain have me,” Jack said. “I been holding in a yell something terrible, and I am about to let it out, so when you hear it, don’t piss yourselves. I am going now.”
    I grabbed his arm and helped him up. My hand brushed against his hand as he let go of me. It was cold as ice. He stepped up on that horse in a lively manner, as if he was a young’n and full of piss and vinegar. He was one game rooster. Out of the wallow he went, and then he was running, that jacket belted up tight around him at the bottom. He let out with a blood-curdling scream, fired into that grass with the Sharps, threw it