Mcmurtry Larry - Dead Man's Walk стр 4.

Blackie Slidell watched Matilda slash at the turtles neck with a glazed expression. The mescal had caused him to lose his vision entirely, for several hours—in fact, it was still somewhat wobbly. Blackie had an unusual birthmark—his right ear was coal black, thus his name. Although he couldnt see very well, Blackie was not a little disturbed by Bigfoots chance remark about the chewing propensities of Comanche squaws. He had long heard of such things, of course, but had considered them to be unfounded rumour. Bigfoot Wallace, though, was the authority on Indian customs. His comment could not be ignored, even if everybody else was watching Matilda cut the head off her turtle.

Hell, if we see Indians, lets kill all the squaws, Blackie said, indignantly. They got no call to be behaving like that.

Oh, theres worse than that happens, Bigfoot remarked casually, noting that the turtles blood seemed to be green—if it had blood. A kind of green ooze dripped out of the wound Matilda had made. She herself was finding the turtles neck a difficult cut. She gave the turtles head two or three twists, hoping it would snap off like a chickens would have, but the turtles neck merely kinked, like a thick black rope.

Whats worse than having your pecker chewed off? Blackie inquired.

Oh, having them pull out the end of your gut and tie it to a dog, Bigfoot said, pouring himself more chickory. Then they chase the dog around camp for awhile, until about fifty feet of your gut is strung out in front of you, for brats to eat.

To eat? Long Bill asked.

Why yes, Bigfoot said. Comanche brats eat gut like ours eat candy.

Whew, Im glad I wasnt especially hungry this morning, Major Chevallie commented. Talk like this would unsettle a delicate stomach.

Or they might run a stick up your fundament and set it on fire —that way your guts would done be cooked when they pull them out, Bigfoot explained.

Whats a fundament? Call asked. He had had only one year of schooling, and had not encountered the word in his speller. He kept the speller with him in his saddlebag, and referred to it now and then when in doubt about a letter or a word.Bob Bascom snorted, amused by the youngsters ignorance.

Its a hole in your body and it aint your nose or your mouth or your goddamn

ear, Bob said. Id have that little mare broke by now, if it was me doing it.

Call smarted at the rebuke—he knew they had been lax with the mare, who had now effectively snubbed herself to the little tree. She was trembling, but she couldnt move far, so he quickly swung the saddle in place and held it there while she crow-hopped a time or two.

Matilda Roberts sweated over her task, but she didnt give up. The first gusts of the norther scattered the ashes of the campfire. Major Chevallie had just squatted to refill his cup—his coffee soon had a goodly sprinkling of sand. When the turtles head finally came off, Matilda casually pitched it in the direction of Long Bill, who jumped up as if shed thrown him a live rattler.

The turtles angry eyes were still open, and its jaws continued to snap with a sharp click.

It aint even dead with its head off, Long Bill said, annoyed.

Shadrach, the oldest Ranger, a tall, grizzled specimen with a cloudy past, walked over to the turtles head and squatted down to study it. Shadrach rarely spoke, but he was by far the most accurate rifle shot in the troop. He owned a fine Kentucky rifle, with a cherry-wood stock, and was contemptuous of the bulky carbines most of the troop had adopted.

Shadrach found a little mesquite stick and held it in front of the turtles head. The turtles beak immediately snapped onto the stick, but the stick didnt break. Shadrach picked up the little stick with the turtles head attached to it and dropped it in the pocket of his old black coat.

Josh Corn was astonished.

Why would you keep a thing like that? he asked Shadrach, but the old man took no interest in the question.

Why would he keep a smelly old turtles head? Josh asked Bigfoot Wallace.

Why would Gomez raid with Buffalo Hump? Bigfoot asked. Thats a better question.

Matilda, by this time, had hacked through the turtle shell with her hatchet and was cutting the turtle meat into strips. Watching her slice the green meat caused Long Bill Coleman to get the queasy feeling again. Young Call, though nicked by a rear hoof, had succeeded in cinching the saddle onto the Mexican mare.

Major Chevallie was sipping his ashy coffee. Already the new wind from the north had begun to cut. He hadnt been paying much attention to the half-drunken campfire palaver, but between one sip of coffee and the next, Bigfoots question brought him out of his reverie.

What did you say about Buffalo Hump? he asked. I wouldnt suppose that scoundrel is anywhere around.

Well, he might be, Bigfoot said.

But what was that you said, just now? the Major asked. Its hard to concentrate, with Matilda cutting up this ugly turtle.

I had a dern dream, Bigfoot admitted. In my dream Gomez was raiding with Buffalo Hump.