Free Treasure Mountain (1972) by Louis - Sackett's 17 L'amour

deck behind me, a swift movement, and on instinct I squatted quickly, turned and lifted with all the thrust of my legs into an upward drive.
    I felt legs across my back and shoulders, then the weight slid off me and over the rail into the water.
    He'd been wet before he fell, which meant that he probably swam over, crawled up on the deck, and came at me from behind with a knife or a club. He'd jumped at me, and when I dropped he just carried right on over, helped a mite by my boost.
    He went down a long way because we were a far piece above the water, and when he came up I called down, "How's the water there, son?"
    He made reply, but it sounded almighty unpleasant, so I just turned about and went to our cabin. Orrin was asleep, and so was the Tinker.
    I shucked my coat and boots, took my gun close to hand, and peeled to my long-Johns. I stretched out on the bunk and looked up into the blackness. It was going to be all right. I was headed back for the mountains ...
    When the little steamer tied up at Webber's Falls, we were the first ones down the gangplank. "They're in town," I told Orrin and the Tinker. "Walk easy and keep your eyes open. You boys get us some grub and supplies at the store. I'll wait for Judas and then try to find some horses."
    When Judas came off the boat I told him to meet us at the store later and to watch himself. There was a livery stable and a corral down the street. Strolling along, I stopped and leaned on the rails. A man with a straw hat and bib overalls came over to me. "Nice stock," he commented.
    There were a dozen horses in the corral; all but two would be useless to us. Two were farm animals, the rest Indian ponies. The other horses, the two I fancied above the rest, were still not what I wanted.
    "Not for me," I shook my head. "Isn't there anything better around?"
    "Well," he said, "there's a man with a ranch the other side of town. His name is Halloran, Doc Halloran. He buys cattle, sells them, buys horses, races them.
    He's got fine stock but he ain't in the trading business."
    He hired me a rig and I stopped by the store. When I explained what I was about, the Tinker said, "Doc Halloran, you say? I'll go along."
    Orrin was still buying, so we drove off.
    It was an interesting place. A log house of five or six rooms, a handsome big barn, corrals, a well, some hay meadows, and a green lawn in front of the house.
    A tall, lean man came from the house as we drove up. A couple of Indian cowhands were at the corral. I started to speak, but the tall man was looking past me at the Tinker. A broad smile broke over his face. "Tinker! Well, I'll be forever damned!"
    "I hope not, Doc. Good to see you. This is Tell Sackett."
    "Where's Lando? Is he still fighting?" He turned to me. "Are you kin to Lando?
    He won me more money than I ever won anywhere else. Fight? That's the fightin'est man who ever walked."
    "He's my cousin," I said. "We Sacketts run to boys and fighting."
    "Come in! Come in! By the lord harry, this is great! Tinker, I've often wondered what became of you. Figured you must have gone back to pack-peddling in the mountains. What brings you to the Falls?"
    "Headed west," I said, "and we heard you had some horses that weren't for sale.
    We also heard they were the best stock anywhere around."
    "How many d'you need?"
    "Three packhorses, four head of riding stock, and we want stayers."
    "I've got what you need. A few years back, just after I moved up here from Oakville where I met Lando an' the Tinker, I swapped for an appaloosa stallion.
    A half-breed Injun from up Idaho way rode him into town. On the dodge, I reckon.
    "Well, I bred that appaloosa to some Morgan mares I had here, and wait until you see 'em!" He stopped suddenly, looking from one to the other. "You boys ain't runnin' from something, are you?"
    "No. Kind of scouting my father's trail," I explained. "Is there anybody around who was here twenty years ago? Somebody who might have outfitted another party with horses?"
    "More than