[Texas Rangers 06] - Jericho's Road by Elmer Kelton

had come back.
    Len took no offense. “I left as quick as I could, Sergeant. Brought you two men.”
    “ Prisoners?”
    “ No, Rangers.”
    The sergeant squinted, one eye almost closed. “It’s hard to tell. They got an outlaw look about them.”
    This time Andy was seventy-five percent certain that the sergeant was not joking.
    Len said, “Sergeant Donahue, this is Farley Brackett and Andy Pickard. They been transferred here from out in West Texas.”
    Donahue studied Farley with suspicious eyes. “Brackett? Seems to me like I’ve heard that name.”
    Len said, “He’s got a considerable reputation up yonder where he comes from.”
    “ Good or bad?”
    “ Depends on who you ask.”
    Farley gave Len a cautioning look.
    Donahue nodded. “Well and good, but we judge men by what they do here and not by their reputation somewheres else.” He spoke to Andy. “You appear too young to have much of a reputation as yet. Are you here lookin’ to get one?”
    “ I’m just here to do my job, whatever that is.”
    “ Well, boy, you better watch these border Meskins. They’ll grind you up and make tamales out of you. I just got one rule when it comes to them. If you’re in doubt, shoot.” He punctuated that statement by jerking his head. “Come on, you’d best report to Lieutenant Buckalew and get on the pay roster. That don’t guarantee you’ll get any pay, of course.” He did not look back. He had the air of a man who has no doubt that his order will be obeyed. The three Rangers followed him, leading their horses.
    Entering the headquarters tent, the sergeant introduced Andy, Len, and Farley to the lieutenant. Buckalew welcomed the newcomers with more enthusiasm than Donahue had shown. He said, “You men are a welcome sight. As you will soon discover, this company is somewhat under strength. There’s been a dearth of state appropriations. I see you brought your blankets. I hope you brought lanterns as well. You will have more use for them than for a bed.”
    Len put in, “They’re good men, Lieutenant. You tell them what to do and they’ll get it done or bust a gut.”
    The lieutenant smiled. “They don’t have to go that far. All I’ll ask is that they work thirty hours a day and eight days a week.”
    Len reported on their confrontation with Hatton and his bunch. The lieutenant listened intently, glancing at Andy and Farley from time to time for confirmation.
    The sergeant demanded, “Are you sure they wasn’t Meskins?”
    Len said, “They was blue-eyed gringos, every one.”
    Andy had not noticed the color of their eyes, but he nodded agreement with Len. “They were white men.”
    The lieutenant said, “You think they were part of the Jericho outfit?”
    Len said, “I can’t say for sure that they belonged to Jericho, but I’m pretty certain they’re part of a bunch we swapped shells with some time back. You was there that day, Lieutenant. Remember, they was tryin’ to get away with some of Big Jim McCawley’s horses.”
    “ I remember. Think you killed anybody?” He asked the question hopefully.
    “ Somebody hollered like he was hurt.”
    “ I wish we could shoot them all, Jericho’s bunch and the Chavez gang too.”
    Sergeant Donahue interjected, “Or euchre them into shootin’ one another without costin’ us anything.”
    Once the formalities were taken care of, Len headed for the mess tent. A dark-faced Mexican cook used a wicked-looking butcher knife to cut a quarter of beef hanging from a tree branch. He dropped the slices one by one into a tin pan. Finishing, he chased the flies away and wrapped a bloodstained tarp around what remained.
    Len said, “Pablo, we’re hungry.”
    Pablo had a long, drooping mustache and a pitted face that showed he had survived a long-ago bout with smallpox. He looked westward to gauge the position of the afternoon sun. “Always, Tanner, you are hungry. You will wait like everybody.”
    Keeping an eye on the butcher knife, Len lifted the lid