Free the Rider Of Lost Creek (1976) by Louis - Kilkenny 02 L'amour Page B

distracting, and to one who lived his kind of life, such distractions could be a matter of life and death.
    Yet the years had tuned his ears for the slightest sound and his eyes to any change in the terrain, or any flicker of light or dust.
    "Because somebody else is involved ... He said then.
    "Somebody who wants Lord and Steele out of the way, somebody who stands to win a good deal if they kill each other off or weaken themselves for him to move in.
    "Your father and Steele think that they are the movers and shakers of things around here, but they aren't They are being moved like a couple of pawns on a chessboard and for the advantage of some player whom we do not know."
    "I don't believe it! That's all poppycock!"
    "The fact remains that the men who killed Sam Carter and Joe Wilkins, and the men who attacked Davis the other night, were not either your men or Steele's. Find out who is behind those shootings and you'll find out who is stirring up this fight"
    "You won't find anybody at Apple Canyon who knows anything about x"... Steve Lord said irritably. He looked from Lance Kilkenny to Rusty Gates. "And you'd better watch your step! The Brockmans are there!"
    Steve Lord suddenly spurred his horse and rode rapidly off down the trail ahead of them.
    "Now what's bitin' on him"..."... Gates asked.
    Kilkenny shrugged, but he had an idea. Yet as he rode he was not thinking of that, but of himself something he rarely permitted. Beyond seeing to the few essential details of living, he lived a Spartan existence, and he permitted himself few luxuries, few friendships. It was a hard and lonely life, one that had grown more so as he had grown older, for the life of a man known to be good with a gun is never a secure one, never an easy one.
    There were always the few would-be tough kids who wanted to prove something, and Lance avoided them, for he had nothing to prove. He had never wanted to be known as a gunfighter. It had simply happened to him.
    In a land and a time when all men carried weapons, and when they were essential to survival, some men were killed by those guns. It was, and had been for many years, the accepted manner of settling disputes, not only in the west but in the east as well.
    Nor was it only in America that insults or disputes were settled with weapons, for it had been the practice over most of the world, recorded since time began. Senators and Congressmen, members of the cabinet and generals, captains and midshipmen or warships, all had settled their disputes with swords or pistols. In the west it was simply more casual, more offhand, less formal.
    Yet in a land where all men carry weapons, some men are sure to be more skillful and adept than others.
    Some have that dexterity in handling a pistol, that coolness of nerve and steadiness of hand that allows them to win when gun shots are exchanged. And after a few of these battles, a man would become known. If he emerged a victor three or four times, he was certain to be considered a "gunman"... Or "gunfighter."... It was as simple as that Kilkenny had known many, and among them were lawyers and gamblers, doctors and businessmen, cattlemen and farmers. Oddly enough, except for the few who had been outlawed for killing the wrong man or killing too many, few of the men who were on the dodge were actually gunfighters. Among cow thieves and bandits, really good men with guns were few.
    His own case had been like the others. He had been hunting since childhood, had grown up with guns and respected them. He had no desire for reputation.
    Yet there had been certain difficulties, certain situations, and he had won. He could use guns as few men could--two guns at once, yet it was something he rarely did.
    What was happening hereabouts he had seen happen elsewhere, and he knew it would happen over and over again in the years to come. Struggle was the law of growth, and the west was growing up the hard way.
    The very nature of the men involved made such troubles inevitable.