John C. Horst's Blog, page 30

“Stop cryin’ gringo, soon all your troubles will be over.”

Artemis by Souter The rider was stunned; he sat up and began brushing off his clothes, as if he had just finished breaking a fresh pony. Chica threw a rope around the man before he could sense the danger he was in. She dragged him at full gallop a hundred feet or so, to take the fight out of him. She tied her rope off, Alanza keeping the rope taut as Chica walked up on the prone rider. The man looked on in disbelief.
“You little brown bitch, you shot my horse!” He looked at her angrily.
Chica pulled her pistol and shot the man in the thigh; the bullet tore a long trench through his chaps and lodged below his right buttock. He swore and screamed violently.
“Jesus, Lady!” Chica had the man’s attention now. She stood over him and placed a foot on the wound in his leg.
“Why are there so few of you, gringo?” She let up on his leg so that he would not scream so loudly.
“I don’t know, I don’t know. My God, I’m dying.”
“You are not dying, gringo, but you are lying.” She cocked her piece again, and it barked flame, shattering the femur of his other leg. He screamed again, more loudly this time.
“Oh God, oh God, please don’t, please stop.” He held up his arms, hands clasped together in prayer.
“Tell me, gringo.” She cocked her pistol a third time. “Next will be the cojones, gringo. You speak a Spanish, gringo?”
“No, no, please, no.”
“Cojones is your nuts, gringo. You understand?”
“No, please,” he was crying more intensely now. He had a hand over each thigh wound, but quickly covered his genitals. “We were supposed to come in and shoot, just shoot, then turn around and ride out. That’s all, that’s all.”
“What about the Capitan Welles, you weren’t to kill him?”
“No, no.” The man now knew that Chica was aware of the assassination plot. “Welles isn’t to be killed. It is the other captain, Walsh, and the governor.”
“Keep talking.” She ground her foot into his right thigh, then eased up.
“The other Captain, Walsh. They’ve been poisoning him and he’s going to be killed this morning. The rest of our gang is going in to his ranch to kill everyone there and all of his stock, to make it look like an Indian attack.
“Oh, God, my legs hurt so bad.” He sobbed and began rocking back and forth. “Another group is going up to Tucson and kill the Governor as he travels from his home to his office. I swear, I swear.”
“Stop cryin’ gringo, soon all your troubles will be over.” The Mule Tamer

“A priest. He was a drunk and took up with the whores. He used to talk a lot when he was only half drunk.”

Jesus Helguera Juana stood up and surveyed the place. “Poor pagans.”
“What’s that?”
“Pagans. People who didn’t know Jesus. They’re pagans. All the savages, like you, who don’t know of God and Jesus. You’re called pagans.”
Maria kept working and wondered if Juana wasn’t making such words up in her head.
“How do you know?”
“A priest. He was a drunk and took up with the whores. He used to talk a lot when he was only half drunk.”
“What did he do when he was all drunk?”
“Fall on his face.”
They both giggled at that.
“And he told you about the people here?”
“Oh, sure. That’s how I knew about it, about the caves and the people. But I thought he was lying. I didn’t know we’d really find it.” She looked around and regarded their handiwork. “Too bad they all went to hell.” She sighed and regarded Maria. She liked to hold court and leak out little bits of information to her friend. It made her feel very intelligent. Maria's Trail

He is in hell now, where he belongs, but he has no head, so he cannot see where he is going. He cannot hurt little children anymore.

“This is my head, go ahead an’ look at his mouth. He has a gold tooth, right here, she pointed at the upper front tooth of her mouth. And he has a no tooth next to it.”
“How so?” said Arvel. He was intrigued now. Chica never stopped surprising him.
“He had two gold teeth and I pulled one, but the other I could not pull. Go ahead and look.” She began to reach into the blood tinged alcohol to retrieve the head.
 Yakovlevich waved her away gently, “Madam, please, you will soil your dress.” He nodded to Vladimir who unwillingly carried out the morbid task, peeling back the bloated lips to reveal the interior of the miscreant’s mouth.
“See, see, I told you.” She looked at the men, satisfied. “I sent this one to hell. Look, pull his hair up; you will see the bullet hole. I shot him in this side.” She pointed at the left side of the skull. “A little hole, I used a little gun, two-shot I had in my sleeve. I cut his head off and carried it in a bag for three days, then sold it to a prospector. This was at leas’, let’s see, four years ago.”
“What did he do to you?” Vladimir asked, intrigued.
“This excremento did nothing to me. He hurt a child I knew. He did not kill her but he hurt her. And that is all I will say. He is in hell now, where he belongs, but he has no head, so he cannot see where he is going. He cannot hurt little children anymore.” The Mule Tamer

Ma’am, I’ve never seen anyone who could count cards like you, and with that dumb Mexican act, we could rule the damned gambling houses of the world.

“Miss, you’ve made a bit of a mess for me.”
“Que?”
“Oh, let’s stop this, the both of us. I know what you are, and now I’ll tell you what I am. I’m in with that lot. We were going to rob the house and take off, then you came in. We thought we’d get your money too.”
Maria reached over and pulled out a cigar. There was no reason to hide from him any longer. “So?”
“So…,” He looked her over. She was especially captivating now that she was working on the cigar. “Why don’t you throw in with me?  How’d you like to live in the best hotels, we could go east, we could see the world. Ma’am, I’ve never seen anyone who could count cards like you, and with that dumb Mexican act, we could rule the damned gambling houses of the world.”
He was misty-eyed and Maria had him. She regarded him through the smoke. He was a good looking gringo, that was certain. She could get used to looking at him, and maybe even do some other things. She thought about him trying to cheat her. He couldn’t and that bothered her on two levels. First, she could never trust him and secondly, he was too stupid to pull it off. She was smarter, more talented than him. Why would she need him? He wasn’t really a very good player. She decided to keep these thoughts to herself.
“No, gringo. I am going back to Mexico.” Maria's Trail
Image Source ~ TennePenne

“You know, I’m very popular with animals and old people and children.”

Zuniga Arvel felt good. For the first time since Gold Hat’s attack on his family, he felt good. “You know, I’m very popular with animals and old people and children.” He waited to see if the boy comprehended. He was listening to Arvel and he was calming down. He did not shake as badly.
“Everybody else thinks I’m a pendejo.” The little fellow turned to look up at the strange gringo again.
“That is a very bad thing to say, Señor. And you are not a pendejo.” The Mule Tamer II, Chica's Ride 

“Take it as you will, what’s your answer, woman? Need to know, right here and right now.”

Aida Emart He turned to Marta. “So, this is the famous hacienda of Marta del Toro?”
“It is.” She hunched up her shoulders and grinned. She loved seeing him. She was so pleased that he was there. She began beating the dust from his back and removed his hat. “You are a mess. You should have let us know, we’d have sent the machine for you.”
“Oh, those things’ll never catch on. I’ll take a horse any day.”
“I’m glad you’re here, Pedro.” She welled up a little. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Are you, Marta?”
“I am.”
Robert moved Rebecca inside and now they were alone. Marta looked out on her land. She was proud of it and proud to show it to Pedro del Calle.
“Here long?”
“That’s up to you.”
“Oh, the United States Marines don’t have a say in it?”
“Not anymore. I’m through. Resigned, obligation’s up and I’m up, finished with them.”
“And now what?”
“Came here looking for work. Know anyone who’s hiring around here?” She reached over and kissed him gently on the cheek. He kissed her back, passionately, lovingly, on the mouth.
“What can you do?”
“Oh, lots of useful things, sail a boat, wrestle sharks.”
“Any good at taming wild horses?”
“Perhaps.” He kissed her again. “Marry me.”
“Is that an order or a request?”
“Take it as you will, what’s your answer, woman? Need to know, right here and right now.”
“Yes.” The Mule Tamer III, Marta's Quest

I like to ride this a way. She sat up straight in the saddle, scooting toward the big saddle horn. Sometimes, I just ride and ride, for no good reason than it feel good.

“Who are Pharaohs?”  She leaned over and spit on the ground, wiping her face with the back of her hand. She had been riding with her left ankle propped on the big Mexican saddle horn, her skirt hiked up to the waist and thighs splayed to keep cool. She had not bothered with undergarments.  Her ignorance and vulgarity were irresistible. She did her best to outrage Arvel and Arvel did his best to ignore her. She leaned back in her saddle and unbuttoned the dress to her waist. “Ay, it is hot, Pendejo.”
Arvel looked on at her exhibitionism, then onto the trail. “You are going to get sunburned, Colonel.”
“I like riding this way, Pendejo. What do you think?”
“Rebecca used to ride side saddle.”
Chica laughed. “I like to ride this a way.” She sat up straight in the saddle, scooting toward the big saddle horn. “Sometimes, Pendejo, I just ride and ride, for no good reason than it feel good.” She looked at Arvel. “You know, Pendejo, it is said that a woman who rides like this is difficult to please.” She threw her head back and laughed when he blushed. The Mule Tamer
Image Source ~ Jim & Carole's Mexico Adventure

She’s not a squaw, you fool, and she’s got a name, but you can refer to her as the lady.

Alex Mendoza Arvel moved into a local boarding house where he would end up staying for a few days, still too weak to travel home. He sent word to Uncle Bob and Dick Welles to report on his whereabouts and checked on Donny at the livery stable where Chica had left him. The proprietor was a short, dirty fat man by the name of Dobbs. He was too friendly to Arvel. He assured Arvel that everything was in order and inquired into how he had come upon the horses and equipment. Arvel let his Arizona Ranger badge show for the first time on his lapel. He tended to Donny.
“Didn’t the young lady tell you?” He didn’t look up at the fat man.
He laughed lewdly. “That little squaw’s quite a firecracker…a real wildcat, I bet.” He winked at Arvel.
Arvel’s eyes flashed; the man responded by cowering and averting his eyes. “She’s not a squaw, you fool, and she’s got a name, but you can refer to her as the lady. I see you exhibited better manners around her than you have with me.”
“How…how’s that?” the fat man stuttered his reply.
“Because you’re still alive.” The Mule Tamer

“Much too pretty a face to end up with an ugly scar, Miss.”

Zuniga When she returned to Billy Livingston’s camp, Arvel was sleeping soundly. Billy met her as she rode up and helped her with the horses and traps. He forgot himself for a moment and grabbed Chica under the jaw, turning her face to the sunlight. Her eyes flashed, but she allowed him to look at her wound. She was still flush from battle and a little keyed up.
“I can fix that, Miss.”
“It is nothing, leave it alone. I need a get Pendejo to town.”
He beckoned her to the spot where he had treated Arvel and began pulling out his kit. He smeared something on her wound which made it feel as if she had slept on it funny. He began suturing her face. “Much too pretty a face to end up with an ugly scar, Miss.”
She sat, uneasy, not comfortable with the man sitting so close, not liking the feeling of being out of control. She looked over at him. He was not leering at her; there was nothing bad in his eyes. He was simply caring for her.
He finished and looked back at his work. He handed her a wet rag and broken piece of mirror so that she could clean the dried blood from her neck and breast. He sat back and surveyed his work. He grunted in satisfaction.
He gave Chica an unguent and told her to put it on her wound every day. In ten days, she could remove the stitches.
Chica looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was pleased with Billy’s handiwork.
“You are good, Wolfer.”
Billy looked on at Arvel, who was sleeping quietly. He looked at Chica and spoke more than he normally would to a pretty young woman.
“He’s a good bloke but he’s too good for his own good, Miss.” He waited for her reaction and continued. “You saved his life, Miss. You need to keep savin’ it, for the rest of your time.” He immediately regretted meddling into the affairs of these strangers but was compelled to say it. He knew how different these two were, how they had so many barriers between them, that their alliance balanced on a razor’s edge. He got up and began busying himself with insignificant tasks.
“You see a lot, Wolfer.” The Mule Tamer

“Because I am Mexicana, and a bad woman.”

cc segura Gonzalez “So you want to discuss why I have not told Dick Welles about you?”
“Well, if you are not going to tell about me, then it mus’ be because you don’ like me, Pendejo.”
“Oh, so, it could not be that it would just sound very strange for me to say to a Captain of Rangers: ‘Oh, by the way, Dick, I have an outlaw half woman, half wild cat coming to visit me every now and again, who steals my watches and money, then runs off, God knows where, and does not show up again until she starts shadowing me from a mile away and then shoots a bunch of Apaches and saves my life, then takes me to a Negro with blue eyes who bores a hole through my skull and replaces the hole with a gold coin and dumps me in Tombstone with a bunch of dead Indians’ traps, and again steals my watch and doesn’t come around again for God knows how long, and then takes me to a traveling show where we meet a young man covered in hair like an ape, and we find a severed head in a bottle, which the young woman knew of and was responsible for?’”
“Do not say Dios name in vain, Pendejo.”
She loved him. She laughed and looked down at him. “Well, I guess you cannot say all these things, Pendejo.”
He felt awful and his stomach was killing him more now that he knew he was poisoned. He thought that he might die at any moment. He looked into her eyes. He became annoyed with her.
“Ashamed of you! What kind of damned foolishness is that? Ashamed of you? I should be ashamed of you. You speak nonsense. Why would I be ashamed of you?”
“Because I am Mexicana, and a bad woman.”
“And when did I ever give you an idea that I was not happy with the way you were?”
“I don’ know, Pendejo.”
She stepped over the deputy lying on the floor and found a wash basin of water. She grabbed a fresh cloth from the washstand, wet it and wrung it out. She wiped Arvel’s brow. He looked bad, but she was hopeful that now he would get better, as the one poisoning him was out of commission. 
Arvel had begun to drift off when the man on the floor groaned. Arvel opened his eyes and looked down. The Mule Tamer