Robert Randisi - Bullets & Lies

“He still sits a horse like he was born to it.”

Roper said, “You stay here.”

“Where you goin’?”

“Down to get them and bring them here.”

“Why don’t I come with you?”

“Because I don’t want to be noticed,” Roper said. “One of us is enough to get them.”

“You’re gonna leave me up here alone?”

“Nobody knows where we are, Henry.”

“Then why you worried about bein’ noticed?”

Roper started saddling his horse and said, “Just wait here. I won’t be long.”

Wilkins continued looking through the spyglass while Roper finished saddling his palomino.

“Why don’t you give that poor horse a name?” Wilkins asked.

“A smart man once told me it made no sense to name something you might someday have to eat.”

He swung into the saddle as Wilkins said, “Jesus, I’d never eat a horse.”

“You ever been hungry enough to eat a horse?” Roper asked.

“Well, yeah, but—”

“Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.”

52

Actually, Roper had not given the palomino a name because he couldn’t think of a good one. So he ended up calling him “Boy” or “Big Boy” or “Big Fella” and they got along just fine.

He tried to figure a good point at which to intercept the two riders, and he hoped he’d be able to do it without getting shot.

“Stop!”

“What is it?” Templeton asked.

They reined their horses in.

“Listen,” Dexter said.

They both listened for a few seconds, and then Templeton said, “That’s a horse.”

“And it’s not comin’ from behind us,” Dexter pointed out.

“Okay,” Templeton said, “so somebody’s comin’ toward us?”

“Sounds like it. Over here, quick.”

Dexter led Templeton to a stand of rocks large enough for them to hide behind.

“Let’s see who it is,” he said, drawing his gun. “If he’s a stranger, we’ll let him go by.”

“Maybe he’ll run into whoever’s followin’ us and they’ll kill each other.”

“That would be helpful,” Dexter said, and then, “Shh,” as the rider got closer.

Wilkins saw what Roper was doing, riding down to cut the two men off before they reached town. But he also saw the two men stop, and then hide behind some rocks. He tried to figure a way to signal Roper, thinking about a shot, but that would have just alerted everybody.

Helplessly, he watched and hoped the men wouldn’t startle each other and start shooting.

Roper urged his horse on, hoping he hadn’t missed the two riders. He looked up where Wilkins was. Too bad the man couldn’t signal him.

He got down to where he thought a good intercept point would be, but they weren’t there. He decided to just keep riding east.

“Hold it!” somebody shouted from just behind him.

“Dexter, you ass, you want to get yourself shot?” Roper shouted.

Dexter came out from behind a rock, leading his horse and laughing.

“How the hell are you, Roper?”

“Looking for you.”

“You saw us comin’?” Dexter asked.

“Saw you? Hell, you make so much damn noise, I heard you. Where’s Templeton?”

“Right here.” A tall man in his forties came from behind the rocks, leading a horse of his own.

“Nice to see you safe and sound, Mr. Templeton. I got a friend of yours up there waiting to see you.”

“Wilkins?”

“That’s right. Why don’t you two mount up?”

“We better,” Dexter said. “We got somebody doggin’ our trail.”

“What?” Roper turned to look. “Where?”

“A ways back,” Dexter said, mounting up. “Templeton felt him first, and then me.”

“Wilkins is up high with a spyglass,” Roper said. “Maybe he sees him. Let’s go and find out.”

When they rode into camp, Wilkins shouted immediately, “You got a tail!”

“You see him?” Roper asked.

“Yup.”

“Show me.”

“Hey, Henry,” Templeton said.

“Zack, you ol’ dog, you still sit a horse—”

“Let’s put off the hellos until you show me,” Roper said.

“Yeah, fine. Here.” Wilkins handed him the spyglass. “A little east of town, just about where you picked these fellers up. He looks lost now.”

Roper put the spyglass to his eye and looked down. Sure enough, he saw a man riding in small circles, like he wasn’t sure where to go.

“How long’s he been doggin’ you, Tommy?” Roper asked Dexter.

“We only noticed him a day ago,” Dexter said. “Could be longer.”

Roper focused the spyglass, trying to get a closer look, because there was something familiar about the man. Only he wasn’t sure…

“Shit,” he said.

“What is it?” Dexter asked.

“I think I know this jasper.”

“From where?” Wilkins asked.

“Whataya wanna do with him?” Tommy Dexter asked.

The man was close enough to take with a rifle shot, but that wasn’t what Roper had in mind.

“The way he looks and the way he sits a horse…”

“Lemme see,” Dexter said.

Roper handed the spyglass over.

“I see it,” Dexter said. “He sits his horse like an Army man.”

“Yeah, he does.”

“Hell,” Templeton said, “I still do that. Don’t mean nothin’.”

“But it’s more than that,” Roper said. “Tommy, cover him with your rifle. I’m going to go down and get him.”

“When do you want me to kill him?” Dexter asked.

Roper mounted his horse, hesitated, then said, “As soon as you see that he brought somebody with him.”

He rode out of camp again.

53

Roper rode harder than he had before. He wanted to get to the man before he started for Gilette. If he’d been tracking Templeton and Dexter since South Dakota, and lost them now, that would be unusual. However, if he was just following them, then he was confused by the fact that they were suddenly gone.

As he approached the point where he’d found Dexter and Templeton, he slowed his horse to a walk. When he didn’t see the rider, he reined his horse in.

“Come on out!” he called.

He waited.

“Come on, I saw you from above. I know you’re here.”

Finally, the man rode his horse out from behind the same rock Dexter had used.

“Well,” Roper said, “I thought I recognized you through my spyglass. Prince, right? I’m sorry, I don’t remember your rank. Private? Corporal?”

“Actually, it’s lieutenant,” Prince said.

“And what are you doing here, Lieutenant?” Roper asked.

“My boss sent me to find you,” Prince said. “Or should I say, to help you.”

“Really? And who would your boss be? No, wait, let me guess, my old friend Donny White.”

“Mr. White is my boss, yes.”

“You sit your horse too much like a soldier, Lieutenant,” Roper said. “It’s a dead giveaway.”

“I’ll have to remember that, Mr. Roper.”

“Well, come on,” Roper said. “We’ve got a fire and some coffee going.”

“Lead the way, sir.”

Roper led Prince to the camp, where they dismounted. All the other men eyed the young soldier with suspicion, until Roper introduced him.

“The lieutenant and I worked together in Washington,” he said without getting more specific. “He was sent to help us apparently.”

“How did he find us?” Wilkins asked.

“I went to Pierre to locate Mr. Templeton,” Prince said. “I got there soon after he and Mr. Dexter had pulled out. I tracked them for a day, then caught sight of them. I’ve been following them since, figuring they would take me to Mr. Roper.”

Wilkins looked at Roper.

“If he could do that, then anybody else could, too.”

“There was no one else following,” Prince said. “I’m quite sure of that.”