Free Collection 1999 - Beyond The Great Snow Mountains (v5.0) by Louis L’Amour

Black drew Ward’s attention, and he saw that the big gunman was sidling toward his horse and his rifle. And then he saw something else.
    Bud Fox had his rope on a steer and he was half leading, half dragging him toward the house. Behind him, Perkins was using his rope as a whip to urge the stubborn steer along.
    Ward McQueen shifted his position so he could keep Yost and Colker completely covered if necessary. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed that Kim Sartain and Baldy Jackson were both alert to the shifting of forces. Only the sheriff and Jensen seemed unaware of what was happening.
    “Ruth, you’d better get inside,” Ward said quietly. “There’s going to be trouble.” He spoke softly, but he noticed the sheriff’s sudden movement and knew he had heard.
    Ward shifted his eyes from Buff toward the steer, and for a moment he stared at the weird brand without comprehension, and then it hit him.
    “Davis!” he said sharply. “There’s your proof of murder!”
    Burned with a running iron on the steer’s hide was the date, and under it:
    shot by buf clkr rustler, dyin
    /7 to bx tri
    hot as hell
    d. grbr.
    “There it is! Burned with a runnin’ iron as the old man lay dyin’ in the brush! Then he cut loose the steer—had him thrown and ready to check his brand when Buff came up on him!”
    Buff Colker stepped back quickly and clawed for his gun, but Ward was faster. Even as Colker’s gun started to lift, Ward’s first bullet ripped the thumb from his hand and knocked him off balance.
    Colker stared at the stub where his thumb had been, now gushing with blood, and with a cry like an animal, rushed for his horse. Ward had swung his gun toward Yost even as a bullet knocked him into the side of the house. He fired, holding his gun low. Sartain had opened up on Black, and the wiry young gunfighter was walking in on him, firing with every step. Villani was out of it. Baldy had fired his rifle right across the saddle bows, and Villani toppled over, clawed at the side of the water trough, and got himself half erect, getting his gun out even as he cursed. Baldy fired again, and the gun slid from Villani’s fingers.
    Yost screamed as Ward’s bullet hit him, and then suddenly, his eyes wild, he ran straight for McQueen, his gun blazing. Ward stepped back and tripped on the stoop. Catching himself on one hand, he looked up into the wild, fear-crazed eyes of Yost as the man threw down on him with a six-shooter at point-blank range! McQueen shot fast, three times, as swiftly as he could thumb the gun.
    Ernie Yost went up on his toes, his face twisting in a frightful grimace; then he pitched over on his face, his gun blasting the hard-packed earth within inches of Ward’s hand.
    McQueen kicked the dying man off his legs and got to his feet, feeding shells into his gun, but the battle was over. In a few seconds four men had died.
    Sheriff Davis had fired but one shot, killing Buff Colker as he scrambled to get away.
    Ward McQueen holstered his gun and grabbed for support at the well coping. He knew he had been shot; his side felt strangely numb and his mind seemed sluggish, but his eyes were alive and knowing.
    Jensen was down, but struggling to get up, with a red stain on his pant leg. Sheriff Davis, in the most exposed position of all, was unharmed.
    Ruth rushed to Ward’s side. “Darling! You’re hurt!”
    He put his hand on her shoulder and tried to grin. “Not much,” he said. “How’s Kim?”
    “Never touched me!” Sartain said. “They plowed a furrow over Baldy’s ear. Cut off a piece of the last fringe of hair he’s got left!”
    Neither Fox nor Perkins had managed to get off a shot. Both men came crowding up now, and they helped Ward inside. On examination they found he had only a flesh wound in the side, and while there had been some loss of blood, he was not badly hurt.
    Ward looked at Ruth. “I reckon when I get on my feet, we’d better haul out of here. This place looks like trouble.”
    She