Free They Rode Together by Tell Cotten

his hands up, and disappeared underneath his horse.
    Rock cursed as his horse stumbled.
    He was thrown forward as his horse fought for footing. He thought he was going down, but the terrified animal somehow managed to regain his footing.
    Rock pulled himself back into the saddle and looked around. Two more men had gone down, and Rock decided he’d had enough. 
    “Let’s clear out!” He yelled.
    His men needed no further encouragement.
    Raking their horses with their spurs, they headed north. Spooked yearlings were still running all around, and they had to maneuver through the herd. But they finally got clear of the yearlings, and they ran their horses wide open.
    Rondo, Lee, and Brian did not pursue them. Instead, they pulled up and reloaded.
    “Everybody all right?” Rondo asked.
    Lee and Brian nodded.
    Gunfire was still coming from headquarters, and Rondo looked concerned.
    “Sounds like more trouble,” he said.
    “Let’s go have a look,” Lee suggested.
    Rondo took off in a lope, and Lee and Brian followed. 

Chapter twenty-seven
     
     
    They rode in unseen from behind the corrals.
    There were lifeless bodies scattered around the corrals; all shot down unarmed. It was a sobering sight, and Rondo felt a rage building in him.
    All of the gunfire was coming from the main house.
    They could see several outlaws, hunkered down, firing furiously at the windows and doors. There was also steady gunfire being returned from the house.
    “Tussle’s putting up a fight,” Lee said softly.
    “Sounds like he has help,” Rondo added.
    “What are we gonna do?” Brian spoke up.
    Rondo looked around and gestured at the herd of horses that were milling in the dry lot.
    Lee and Brian understood, and they nodded curtly.
    The outlaws were so intent on the house, they failed to notice as Rondo rode over to the gate and swung it open.
    The terrified horses needed no encouragement. As soon as they saw the opening, they ran wildly out the gate.
    With their Colts drawn, Rondo, Lee, and Brian flanked them and turned them towards the main house.
    The outlaws heard the pounding of hooves. They stopped shooting, and most of them stood and spun around.
    But the shooting from the house never stopped, and most of outlaws that stood were riddled with lead and flung violently to the ground.
    Those that were left panicked as their horses broke free and joined in with the running horses.
    They ran after their mounts, and everybody from the house fired steadily at them, as did Rondo, Lee, and Brian.
    One outlaw after another went down, and the horses trampled another one.
    Butch was the only one who reached his horse. The animal was terrified, but he managed to swing on.
    Soon as he hit the saddle, the horse broke into a dead run. Bullets flew by his head, and this made the horse run even faster. Butch ducked and hung on as they made their escape.
    By now the rest of the horses had cleared out, and all shooting stopped.
    It was over.
    Lee, Rondo, and Brian trotted their horses back to the main house, and they were surprised when Yancy and Cooper walked out, followed by Tussle, Josie, Jessica, and Wyatt.
    Yancy narrowed his eyes at Lee, but nobody said anything. Instead, it was silent as everybody looked around.
    It was a sobering scene. There were dead bodies scattered everywhere, both good and bad.
    “Where’d you fellows come from?” Tussle finally broke the silence.
    “We were trying to save your herd,” Rondo explained. “We came soon as we could.”
    “They hit the herd too?” Tussle asked.
    Rondo nodded somberly.
    “How bad?”
    “Bad,” Rondo’s voice was subdued. “We couldn’t get there in time. They killed them all.”
    Tussle was obviously shaken, and he shook his head in disbelief as he tried to grasp the situation.
    “The herd?” He asked, his voice hoarse.
    “Scattered all over.”
    Tussle turned and walked over to the porch railing.
    There was no reason to say anything; the look on Tussle’s face said it