Radigan (1958) by Louis L'amour Page B

stalled before they realized the house was empty? Had they discovered it yet?
    He walked down to the mouth of the canyon which ended in a great jumble of boulders, many of them bigger than houses, solid chunks of rock tumbled together in grotesque shapes. And there were cliffs and a thick pine forest.
    With his field glass he searched the terrain to the south, studying it with extreme care from the greatest distance to the closest. He picked up several deer, and once a black bear, but nothing human. The view to the west was good, but there, too, he could see nothing.
    They would rest for a few hours, and he would make some plans. Despite their long ride they were again within striking distance of the ranch, and he had no intention of allowing the Foley outfit to get settled on the place. Fortunately, the horses he had on pasture were not far from here, held in a small valley that served as a corral with its sheer walls, plentiful grass and water. There were twenty-two head of horses there, most of them wild horses Radigan had himself broken to the saddle.
    Throughout the early part of the day they loafed and slept, and meanwhile Radigan did some serious thinking. He was a tenacious thinker, who wrestled with an idea until every detail was worked out, and now he realized that with the winter staring them in the face the first thing they needed was a base of operations that was warm, comfortable, and hidden from discovery.
    Moreover, he had a few moves to make to render his own position secure. He anticipated no assistance from Flynn, nor would there be any forthcoming from the authorities in Santa Fe, although they would appreciate that right was on his side. But he intended to appeal to both, and to get his case on record. These steps were merely to secure his own position from attack by the law; the counterattacks he would make on his own. He neither expected nor wanted the help of the law.
    He finally dropped off to sleep and awakened suddenly to find the canyon filling with shadows. The fire crackled and there was a pleasant aroma of coffee. Gretchen sat by the fire watching him. John Child was still asleep.
    Radigan sat up and scratched his head. "Have you slept at all?"
    "I'll sleep later. Everything is all right. I took a walk around down the canyon, but there was nothing in sight."
    "You 'll do to ride the river with," he said. "Did you learn that in a convent?"
    "I learned that from Uncle John," she said, indicating Child. "He's as careful as you."
    "It's a way of life. And there's times when it is the only way if you want to live."
    He rolled a smoke and lighted it with a twig from the fire. It was going to be a cold night. "John told me the Indians wiped out your family."
    "I remember so little . .. we seemed forever coming west that we lost track of time.
    At least I did. Sometimes I thought the rumble of wagon wheels was the only sound in the world, that and the wind; there was always the wind in the grass.
    "There was my father and mother, and I believe there was an uncle . . . it's so hard to remember. I had gone to the creek after some water with my father, and suddenly we heard shooting and yelling. Oh, I was frightened! Father made me hide in some willows and then he went to see what was happening, and I waited a long time and then went to find him and the Indians saw me."
    "They treat you all right?"
    "Oh, yes! They were excited about any yellow hair, and they were kind. But they smelled so funny, and I tried not to cry.
    After that they made me work but they were nice to me and the Indian who found me treated me like his own child." Radigan walked out into the canyon and, catching a deadfall, dragged it to within easy reach of the cave mouth. It would provide fuel for the night. He walked up the canyon and gathered several large chunks and brought them back to the fire. The rim of San Pedro Mountain was crested with gold from the setting sun, and a deep rose lay along the flank of Nacimiento Peak. The sky