Free the Mountain Valley War (1978) by Louis - Kilkenny 03 L'amour

he-coon like the Parson that quick.
    "Somebody comin' up the trail," Quince said. "Turned into it back yonder a ways."
    "Trying to outflank the Parson," Trent said. "Saul? You keep going, but watch out for the attackers. They are trying to scout a way around your place. We'll handle this."
    Saul wheeled his horse and started up the trail after the pack animals. Trent, taking a quick look around, led the way into a nest of boulders slightly above the trail. Riding up, they swung down and hid their mounts among the cedars. A good place for the horses and a good place to get away from if necessary.
    The riders were coming fast now. Something must have alerted them, or they were sure they had found a back way into the Hatfields', which in fact they had.
    Waiting, behind the boulders, Winchester in hand, Trent could hear them coming. A hundred yards away they suddenly broke into sight around a bend of the trail.
    "Dust 'em!" Trent suggested, and fired.
    The two rifles went off with the same sound, and dust leaped up in front of the nearest horse. Startled, the horse reared up and turned halfway around. Trent hesitated, to note the effect of their shots, then aimed high and saw the sombrero of one of the riders go sailing into the brush. The men whipped their horses around and disappeared down the trail.
    Quince chuckled, then bit off a chew and tucked his plug of tobacco into his shirt pocket. "That will give them something to worry over!
    "Say!" he exclaimed suddenly. "What'll you bet one o' them ain't shinnyin' up amongst those rocks yonder?"
    There was a notch in the rocks, and they could see a boulder beyond, not four feet beyond, by the look of it. Quince lifted his Kentucky rifle and fired into the notch. There was a startled yell, then muttered curses. Quince chuckled.
    "They won't try that again." Quince glanced over at Trent. "But we got to get out of here."
    "I know. You keep them under cover and I'll ride around and get up yonder against the sky. Once I'm up there, I can drive them out and you come on up."
    He was gone in an instant. Mounting, he rode down into an arroyo, working his way through the cedars until he could find a dust trail up into the tower of rocks overlooking the trail. It was a matter of minutes, and once in position, he left his mount and scrambled to a good position.
    Now he could see the two men below, and he opened fire. He had no desire to kill either man, just to drive them from their position. His first bullet spattered them with flakes of granite, and they went scrambling from their now-exposed position.
    Quince joined him a few minutes later. "They'll be slow showing theirselves again," Quince suggested. "We'll be nigh to home before they do."
    They reached the trail again and rode on up the steep switchback trail, following the tracks of the pack animals. When they had ridden a good four miles, they came upon Bartram with the eight packhorses.
    "Firing up ahead. Saul's gone on up to scout the situation. I'm holding fast."
    Low-voiced, Trent and Quince explained what had happened, and they waited for Saul. Occasionally they heard a shot. In a few minutes Saul came down through the trees.
    "Pa's got 'em stopped outside the Cup. I think only one man of theirs is down. I could see him lyin', all sprawled out. I reckon he's the only one who got into the Cup, an' you can be sure he ain't goin' out under his own power."
    "Is there any way we can get these horses in?" Trent asked.
    Saul nodded. "If'n you all can keep 'em worried over there for a bit, we can sure enough take 'em in."
    "Consider it done." Trent fed shells into the magazine of his rifle. "When Quince and me open up on them, you boys hightail it in there. Then take shelter and cover us while we follow."
    "Let's go," Saul said.
    Quince opened fire, and with a whoop Saul and Bartram started the horses. Only one shot was fired from the other side, and it was high. Quince fired, and then Trent. After that the horses had disappeared and all