Free The Copper City by Chris Scott Wilson Page A

turning the shipment over to him.”
    â€œI know. Nobody’s blaming you.” Quantro turned to Pete. “Let’s go send that wire.”
    Upton Taken Off With Shipment + Stop + Hulbert Dead + Stop + We Are In Pursuit + Stop + Quantro and Wiltshire + Stop + Santa Cruz + Stop
    â€œThat ought to do it,” Quantro said, passing the slip back over the counter. “Send it right now.” The clerk nodded.
    â€œWhat does ‘in pursuit’ mean?” Pete asked as they pushed out into the sunlight.
    â€œIt means we’re following them.”
    â€œThat’s what I figured,” Pete said glumly.
    Quantro unhitched the buckskin and swung up into the saddle. When Pete was mounted, they wheeled to ride down the street toward Cananea. “Say it, Pete,” he prompted.
    Pete scowled. “There’s no chance. They’ll be clear to the border by now.”
    â€œMaybe so, but we gotta do it.”
    â€œThen we’re headed the wrong way. The border’s in the other direction.”
    â€œYes, but they’ll have gone out of town this way, then circled around. If we went the other way to save time, we’d just lose what we’d gained by having to cast for their sign.” He grinned when Pete made a face, then spurred the big stallion. By the time Pete caught up they were almost at the end of the street, faced by the open country.
    â€œAnyhow, why are we doing this? Why don’t we just go back to Cananea and hand the problem to Harley? It’s the company’s money, not ours.”
    â€œWe gotta do it, that’s all.”
    Pete nudged his pony’s ribs so that it kept pace with the prancing buckskin. “That’s a mighty fine attitude. Loyalty to the company. Mighty fine.”
    Quantro shook his head, his eyes already raking the terrain ahead. “Not at all. I’ve no loyalty to the company.”
    â€œNot one little piece?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œWhy then?”
    â€œHarley promised us a thirty-dollar bonus.”
    â€œIs thirty dollars worth a ride clear to the border just to lose them and have to turn back empty-handed?”
    â€œThere’ll be more than thirty bucks in it by the time we’ve caught them up.”
    â€œWhat makes you so sure we will?”
    â€œI know, that’s all. I know.”
    Pete studied Quantro’s set jaw and the long blond hair blown off the gaunt face by the hot desert wind. Somehow he had the feeling that Quantro would catch them.
    And Pete wanted to be there to see it.

CHAPTER 6
    Santa Cruz nestles in the southernmost tip of the Huachuca Mountains that stretch up to Arizona. It is all of twenty miles to the border if a straight line is drawn across the map. In reality, it is a whole lot farther.
    They followed the Cananea trail out of town, Quantro taking the north side, scouring the well-churned ground for the point where Upton and his men had split away.
    It was an hour before he found it.
    â€œHold up, Pete.” Quantro pulled the buckskin to a halt and slid to the ground. His fingers probed the wheel ruts and hoof prints. As well as testing the firmness of the tracks, he looked for insect trails running across them.
    â€œThey’re moving fast. And that’s one heavy wagon. Look at the depth of the ruts.”
    â€œSoon tire out the team.”
    Quantro scowled as he remounted. “You can bet if Upton had another two men ready, then they’ll have fresh horses stashed some place up ahead. We’ll be the ones riding blown horses.”
    â€œBetter haul up on them mighty quick, then.”
    â€œI’ll allow that makes sense. But if they figure we’re following and they know we’ve got to catch up before they change horses, they could be waiting to blow us away.”
    â€œA set-up?”
    Quantro gazed thoughtfully ahead. “We could ride right into it.”
    â€œWe got to move fast so we can catch ’em before they get lost on