"SHOWDOWN AT YELLOW BUTTE" - читать интересную книгу автора (L'Amour Louis)

"Why, no. Since you ask, it was not. I was with Wolseley, in the Second Ashanti War,
in Africa. And I was in the two-year campaign against the Tungans of northern T'ien
Shah--with the rank of General."
"You seem to get around a good bit," Keith said dryly, "a genuine mercenary!"
Kedrick smiled, undisturbed. "If you like. That's what you want here, isn't it? Men
who can fight? Isn't it customary for some men to hire others to do their fighting
for them?"
Colonel Keith's face flamed, then went white, but before he could speak, a big, square-faced
man thrust himself through the crowd and stopped to face them.
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SHOWDOWN AT YELLOW BUTI'E
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"You, is it, Gunter?" the man cried. "Well, I've heard tell the why you're here,
an' if you expect to take from hardmen the land they've slaved for, you better come
a-shootin'!" i Before anyone could speak, Dornie slid between Keith and ? i.Gunter
and fronted the man. "You lookin' for trouble? You want .start your shootin' now?"
His voice was low, almost a purr, but Kedrick was startled by shocked expression
on the man's face. He drew back, holding his hands wide. "I wasn't bracin' you, Dornie!
Didn't even know ya was around!"
i:, "Then get out!" Dornie Shaw snarled, passion suddenly break lg through his calmness,
passion, and something else, something Klriek spotted with a shock--the driving urge
to kill!
"'Get out!" Shaw repeated. "An' if you want to live, keep
Stumblingly, the man turned and ducked into the hastily ascrowd, and Tom Kedriek,
scanning their faces, found indifference there, or hatred. In no face did he see
warmth friendly feeling. He frowned thoughtfully, then turned away.
Gunter caught his arm, eager to take advantage of the break interruption had made
to bring peace between the two. "You what we're up against?" he began. "Now that
was Peters.
harmless, but there's others would have drawn, and drawn They won't be all like that!
Let's go meet Burwiek!" Kedriek fell in beside Gunter, who carefully interposed himself
the two men. Once, Tom glanced back. What had beof Dornie Shaw he did not know, but
he did know that
who was to be his second in command, was a killer. He the type from of old. i': Yet
he was disturbed more than he eared to admit by the man who had challenged them.
Peters had the look of an honest man, .,. even if not an intelligent one. Of course,
there might be honest men among them, if they were men of Peters' stripe. But Peters
.seemed to be a follower, and he might follow where the wrong men led.
Certainly, if this land was going to Gunter, Keith and Burwick :through a Government
bill, there could be nothing wrong with the deal. If the Government sold the land
to them, squatters had
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Louis L'AMoU
no rights on it. Still, if there were many like Peters the job was
not going to be all he had expected.
Gunter stopped before a square stone house set back from the street. "This here's
headquarters," he said. "We hole up here when in town. Come on in."
A wide veranda skirted the house, and as they stepped upon it
they saw a girl in a gray skirt and white blouse sitting a few feet