The Gallows Gang by I. J. Parnham Read Free Book Online Page A

boulder. On the other side, bathed in the dying fire’s sallow light, was the body of Hiram Deeds, also shot, except the prisoners had given him his own particular end.
    The boulder had a sharp overhang and his hanging body dangled from that overhang, swinging in the light breeze as the makeshift gallows provided him with a fate that had awaited Javier Rodriguez and the other prisoners.
    ‘Cut him down,’ Shackleton said.
    ‘I guess you can’t blame them for doing that to Hiram,’ Elwood said as he looked for a way up the boulder.
    ‘In his case, you’re right. His double-crossing got him exactly what he deserved.’
    By the time Kurt arrived Shackleton had laid out the bodies of the guards in a row and Elwood hadpicked up the trails of a group of riders who had headed off southwards along the top of Devil’s Canyon. The escaped prisoners would have had at most a thirty-minute lead on them, but Shackleton was in no mood for beginning that pursuit until he’d confronted Kurt.
    He and Elwood stood beside the boulder, watching Kurt approach. The poor light meant that he went through the same process as they had, of being at first unsure what he could see, followed by a dawning realization of what had happened here.
    But Shackleton didn’t let Kurt’s realization be as slow as his had been.
    ‘Javier Rodriguez has escaped,’ he shouted.
    Kurt drew his horse to a halt, casting a quick glance across the scene, then looked around as if he might catch sight of Javier hiding close by.
    ‘How do you know that? It looks to me as if the cage got blown up, then fell over the side.’
    ‘It did, but the guards are dead and whoever killed them then made off. We saw several separate prints so even if some prisoners went over the side, most escaped.’
    Kurt edged his horse nearer to the edge and peered down into the darkness before approaching Shackleton.
    ‘Someone will have to go down there and check.’
    ‘Someone will, but I’ll tell you one thing first. You made some big mistakes—’
    ‘I don’t need to hear you questioning my orders no more,’ Kurt roared, edging his horse forward totower over Shackleton. ‘All I need to hear is suggestions on where Javier will go if he’s still alive. Then I’ll get him, and this time I ain’t leaving it to no judge to give him a second chance.’
    ‘The only person who gave Javier a second chance was you.’
    Kurt drew his horse back, shaking his head.
    ‘That’s the difference between you and me, Shackleton,’ he said. ‘I get things done, then worry about the consequences later. You stand around whining while prisoners you were supposed to be guarding get away.’
    Shackleton opened his mouth to snap back a retort, but by then Kurt had already ripped his reins to the side to turn his horse away and was galloping off into the night. Shackleton glared at his receding back until Elwood came over and patted his back.
    ‘That man’s a fool,’ he said, ‘but he was right about one thing. We can argue about this once we have Javier Rodriguez back where he belongs.’
    Shackleton stayed staring at Kurt until his form had disappeared into the darkness, then he gave a begrudging nod. Then they went to their horses.
    With their sombre mood returning they collected Barney’s horse. Then they turned their backs on the direction Kurt had gone and made their way towards the ridge.

CHAPTER 7
    Nathaniel coughed and spluttered, sending water out of his mouth in a seemingly endless torrent. His stomach was so bloated he felt as if he’d swallowed the entire river, and he reckoned the flow would never end.
    But when the spasms did, at last, end he found he was lying on his belly on dry ground. He tried to push himself up to a sitting position, but his limbs wouldn’t obey him and he stumbled down again to lie on his back.
    The sudden motion made his stomach go into spasm again and he coughed up another explosive burst of water. So this time when the spasms ended he lay still,