the Outlaws Of Mesquite (Ss) (1990) by Louis L'amour Read Free Book Online

bellowed against the canyon walls and a mule deer plunged to its knees, tried to get up, then sprawled out.
    "Nothing like fresh meat," Red said with satisfaction.
    "Who skins it?" Joe demanded belligerently.
    "Why don't we make this sprout work?" He grinned at the Kid. "Let him earn his keep."
    "Good idea," Red said, "you're cook from here on, Kid."
    "Good!" the Cactus Kid said. "Now I can get some decent chuck for a while. That Joe cooks like he was fixing food for hogs."
    Joe glared, and Benny chuckled. "Danged if it ain't the truth!" he said. "He had you there, Joe!"
    Accepting the knife tossed to him, the Kid got busy over the deer, cutting out some fine steaks. As he worked, he was thinking swiftly. This might be the gamble he wanted, and in any event, it was worth taking a chance. As he gathered fuel for the fire and started his broiling of the steaks, he thought rapidly.
    Back along the line there had been some desert brush, among them a plant he had recognized.
    It was a low-growing shrub, without leaves at this time of year, but with its stems dotted with odd, glandlike swellings. As he worked, the Kid kept his eyes busy and finally located the plant he sought, a relative of the rue known in many lands for medicinal effects.
    Carefully, from under the plant he gathered some of the dried leaves and, when making coffee, crushed a double handful and dropped them into the boiling water with the coffee. Finding more of the plants, he gathered a stack of the leaves while collecting wood and put them down not far from the fire.
    Red bit into his first piece of steak, then looked up at the Kid. "You just got yourself a few more days, podner. This is grub!"
    Even the surly Joe agreed that the Cactus Kid could cook, but when he tasted the coffee, he stared at it.
    "Tastes funny," he said, scowling.
    Red picked up his cup and tried it. "Tastes good to me," he said. "It's just that your taster has been ruint by that alkali and coffee junk you put out for coffee."
    The Kid added more fuel to the fire. Soon they would tie him, but how soon? He had to guess right and beat them to it. Whether his stunt would work, he did not know, but it was a gamble he had to take. The Utes had told him of the plant and its effects, that it was used by them as a sedative, and that leaves thrown on a fire provided undisturbed sleep.
    He poured a liberal cup of coffee for himself, but he managed to see that his cup came only after they had been served, and from a second batch that contained none of the leaves. Getting up, the Kid threw some more brush on the fire, and with it the small mound of leaves he had gathered. They burned slowly, and the smoke grew thicker, but the aroma was not unpleasant.
    Benny looked up suddenly. "Joe, you better tie him up. I'm getting sleepy."
    "Me too," Red agreed. "That was a long ride, and I ate more'n usual."
    Joe Herring lumbered to his feet. Crossing to the Kid he jerked his wrists behind him and tied them together, his fingers clumsy with sleep. Then he tied the Kid's feet together and walked back to his bedroll.
    Red was already asleep, his blanket pulled over him. At the fire, Benny dozed, and while the Cactus Kid watched hopefully, smoke drifted across his face and the man nodded. Finally, with a glance over at the Kid, Benny got up and went to his bedroll. And then, for a long time, there was silence.
    The Kid was working hard. His breath coming hoarsely, he struggled with the poorly tied thongs on his wrists.
    Unable to do much with them, he hooked the toes of his boots under a log and carefully, with much struggling, succeeded in drawing his feet out of the boots.
    Then he backed around to them and managed to dig their toes down into the sand so that he could rub the rawhide on the rowels of his spurs. It took him more than an hour and then the thongs dropped free and he drew his wrists from behind him. They were chafed and bloody, but free!
    Sitting perfectly still, he worked his fingers to restore