Free Ole Devil and the Caplocks by J.T. Edson

from the Arizona Hopi Activos Regiment. So he
considered that he would be more usefully employed in rejoining his
companions at Santa Cristobal Bay with the minimum of
delay.
    Although Ole Devil was
still disturbed by the news he had received via Beauregard
Rassendyll and his decision regarding the future, he remembered the
result of having become engrossed in his thoughts and he pushed the
matter resolutely to the back of his mind. So he was far more alert
than he had been on his way out from the bay. He saw nothing to
disturb him, but did not regret his vigilance.
    On his arrival, Ole Devil
found that a considerable amount of work had already been
completed. Not that he had expected anything else. For all Mannen
Blaze’s appearance of being half asleep, he was a reliable
subordinate and could be counted upon to keep the men at any work
to which they were assigned.
    All of the consignment was
on the beach and, from what Ole Devil could see, the vessel which
had delivered it was already being made ready to leave. Looking
around, he noticed that the oblong boxes were missing. The rifles
were split into bundles of twelve and were being wrapped in pieces
of sailcloth under Diamond-Hitch Brindley’s supervision.
Fortunately, the paper cartridges and percussion caps were in
containers of a suitable size to be carried on the mules and did
not require repacking.
    “That looks like one of
our boys’ horses, Cousin Devil,” Mannen remarked, indicating the
animal alongside the dun as he, Di and Rassendyll came to meet the
Texian.
    “ It was
Ilkey’s,” Ole Devil replied and swung from the
saddle.
    “Was Ilkey’s?” Mannen
prompted.
    “He’s dead,” Ole Devil
said and explained what had happened.
    “ Hopis,
huh?” Di growled at the end of the narrative. “I’ve never had any
doings with ’em, but from what I’ve heard tell, they’re tolerable
tough hombres. Anyway, even if they come, we ought to be long gone
by the time they get here.”
    “We’d better be,” Ole
Devil warned. “They’ll have us outnumbered.”
    “ Only
we’ll have ’em outgunned,” Di pointed out. “Say one thing, though.
It’s right lucky for us all that we let ole Tommy go after you,
Devil.”
    “Couldn’t rightly figure
any way to stop him once he got to figuring on doing it,” Mannen
supplemented indolently. “You know how he is. He’s mighty set in
his ways.”
    “ Could
be he had help to decide on following me,” Ole Devil drawled,
eyeing the girl and his cousin sardonically. Then he jerked his
left thumb in the direction of the brig and went on, “Captain Adams
isn’t wasting any time in getting under way.”
    “ We
can’t blame him for that, “ Rassendyll pointed out, studying the
Texian without learning anything from the Mephistophelian features
and wondering why the news he had brought had not produced the
response he had anticipated. It almost seemed that Ole Devil was
more distressed and perturbed than delighted in learning that his
name was cleared and that he was free to go back to Louisiana.
However, there were matters of more pressing importance to be taken
care of. “I’ve let him take the rifle boxes for
firewood.”
    “We’d only have had to bum
them ourselves if you hadn’t,” Ole Devil answered.
    “Riders coming, Cap’n
Hardin!” called the nearest of the watchers posted on the top of
the slope. “It looks like the rest of our boys headed
back.”
    “What the—?” Di exclaimed,
for the report implied that the riders were returning
alone.
    “Come on!” Ole Devil
interrupted, having drawn a similar conclusion, mounting the
dun.
    Darting forward, Di just
beat Mannen Blaze to the dead picket’s mount. Like the burly
Texian, she had removed her horse’s saddle. By appropriating
Ilkey’s animal, she was able to accompany Ole Devil. They ascended
the slope swiftly and, on reaching the top, she found that her
assumption had been correct. Although the approaching riders were
the remainder of