Hidden blood

“Sleepy” Stevens, Hashknife’s partner, was of medium height, with a grin-wrinkled face and serious eyes. There was nothing colorful nor romantic about their raiment or physical...

And at about the same time a cowboy had brought a message to Big Medicine Hawkworth. He was one of Hawkworth’s men, a thin, wry-necked cowboy, with badly bowed legs and bat ears.

It was about noon when Hashknife and Sleepy awoke. Hashknife had slept well for the first time in several nights, but was still crippled. They dressed and went into the street....

Hawkworth’s Tumbling H ranch buildings were not much to look at. They were situated at the mouth of a cañon, which gave them a fair view of the broad expanse of Hawk Hole, and t...

Pedro Torres was in a bad frame of mind over his enforced bath in the blacksmith shop. He made a few purchases at one of the stores, bought a bath in the one tub at the hotel, a...

Hashknife squinted ahead, as he visualized the day that he and Sleepy had busted up a little gang in the Idaho hills, a gang of four horse-thieves. Sam Blair had been the sole s...

It was about a week later, well past midnight, when the stage rattled down the grades which led into Hawk Hole. Olsen, the regular driver, was alone on the seat, with one passen...

Ike Marsh rode in from Pinnacle and turned his horse into the corral. Ike had suffered another session of poker, which was one of his chief vices, but this time the Greenback Sa...

Twenty-four hours later, four mounted men, leading a packed horse, rode slowly through the brushy, broken hills near the border. They traveled in single file, the front rider le...

And at the same hour of the morning the Tumbling H outfit ate breakfast to the scratching music of “The Holy City,” while Musical Matthews, a boot in each hand, sat before the o...

Baldy waited until the three men had gone back to the Tumbling H before leaving the game to go to the hotel. He found Jack in the little office, moodily reading an old newspaper...

“They cut the Greenhorn road near Smoky Cañon,” panted Ike. “Olsen had been to Greenhorn and seen ’em on his way back. He said he couldn’t swear that it was Tumbling H cattle, b...

The Rancho Sierra had long been the rendezvous of the _contrabandista_, a sanctuary for outlaws of every type and description for many years. Steve Guadalupe welcomed them all,...

Gonzales leaned in the doorway and watched the riders draw up in the yard. Baldy Kern was in the lead, and behind him came Baum, Kohler, Horan, Doctor Meline and his son. Strapp...

Sleepy and the men from the Tumbling H rode back to Pinnacle with the intention of enlisting the assistance of the sheriff and deputy. They realized that their force was all too...

Guadalupe and Felipe hurried the two women into the kitchen and barred the door leading to the outside, while the others, except the priest, flung themselves on the floor, away...

“Wouldn’t I?” Baldy laughed sneeringly. “Why wouldn’t I? I’m neither snivelin’ Catholic nor bawlin’ Protestant. You don’t mean anythin’ to me, pardner. You do as I say, or suffe...