Standoff at Apache Butte
L. L. Rigsbee
- Evans
- has
- lived
- around
- the
- Apache
- all
- his
- life.
- His
- ranch
- borders
- Apache
- hunting
- grounds
- and
- they
- have
- a
- tentative
- unspoken
- agreement.
- He
- doesn't
- hunt
- on
- their
- land
- and
- they
- are
- permitted
- an
- occasional
- beef
- to
- replace
- the
- buffalo
- white
- men
- have
- run
- off.
- Getting
- along
- with
- white
- men
- is
- a
- little
- more
- complicated.Anyone
- who
- actually
- knows
- Clay
- Evans
- is
- aware
- of
- his
- integrity.
- He
- is
- a
- confident
- and
- decisive
- young
- man.
- The
- trouble
- is;
- the
- people
- of
- Black
- Rock
- and
- the
- Circle
- T
- ranch
- only
- know
- of
- him.
- They
- know
- he
- owns
- the
- Circle
- E
- and
- that
- its
- brand
- would
- cover
- the
- Circle
- T.
- They
- know
- he
- was
- at
- the
- murder
- scene
- when
- it
- happened,
- and
- that
- he
- rode
- away
- without
- looking
- back.
- They
- know
- that
- last
- part
- because
- Red,
- a
- circle
- T
- rider,
- witnessed
- the
- killing
- –
- or
- at
- least
- he
- said
- he
- did.Kid
- Talon's
- taunt
- at
- the
- bar
- in
- Black
- Rock
- wasn't
- the
- first
- time
- Clay
- Evans
- had
- heard
- the
- rumor
- about
- his
- ranch
- and
- running
- irons.
- He
- didn't
- start
- the
- fight
- with
- Kid
- Talon,
- but
- he
- wrapped
- it
- up
- without
- a
- scratch.
- He
- even
- left
- town
- at
- the
- Circle
- T
- foreman's
- request.
- He
- left
- oblivious
- to
- the
- fact
- that
- there
- was
- a
- murder.
- He
- didn't
- know
- why
- the
- posse
- was
- following
- him
- any
- more
- than
- he
- knew
- why
- they
- started
- shooting
- at
- him
- as
- soon
- as
- they
- saw
- him.
- All
- he
- knew
- was
- that
- he
- wasn't
- going
- to
- hang
- around
- collecting
- lead.After
- a
- brush
- with
- Apache
- hunters,
- Evans
- stumbles
- on
- a
- British
- camp
- beside
- a
- waterhole
- smack
- in
- the
- middle
- of
- Apache
- hunting
- grounds.
- As
- if
- that
- isn't
- enough,
- they
- are
- trophy
- hunting
- with
- the
- consent
- of
- the
- government.
- They
- are
- skeptical
- about
- the
- danger
- and
- reluctant
- to
- leave.If
- there
- is
- one
- thing
- Evans
- doesn't
- need,
- it's
- another
- complication
- in
- his
- life.
- He
- is
- tempted
- to
- leave
- them
- to
- their
- fate,
- but
- his
- conscience
- won't
- let
- him.
- He
- finally
- accepts
- their
- decision
- to
- make
- a
- stand
- on
- Apache
- Butte.
- From
- that
- point
- on,
- things
- deteriorate.Evan's
- integrity
- garners
- respect
- from
- some
- of
- the
- men
- on
- the
- butte,
- and
- disdain
- from
- others.
- He
- is
- willing
- to
- go
- back
- and
- stand
- trial
- to
- clear
- his
- name,
- assuming
- he
- can
- get
- off
- the
- butte alive.
pro-mbooks3 : libris
