Lonesome Dove 孤鸽镇

The Kiowas began to argue among themselves. Lorena didn’t understand their gabble, but it was clear some wanted to gamble and some didn’t. Some wanted their horses back. Ermoke finally changed his mind, though he kept looking across the fire at her. It was as if he wanted her to know he had his plans for her, however the game turned out.

All the Kiowas finally agreed to gamble except one, the youngest. He didn’t want it. He was skinny and very young- looking, no more than sixteen, but he was more interested in her than the rest. Sometimes, in the Kiowa camp, he had two turns, or even three. The older men laughed at his appetite and tried to distract him when he covered her, but he ignored them.

Now he balked. He didn’t look up, just kept his eyes down and shook his head. The Kiowas yelled at him but he didn’t respond. He just kept shaking his head. He didn’t want to risk his interest in her.

“That damn chigger’s holding up the game,” Blue Duck said to Ermoke. He stood up and walked a few steps into the darkness. In a minute, they heard him making water. The Kiowas were still drinking whiskey. Now Ermoke was in the mood to gamble, and he reached over and shook the young man, trying to get him to agree, but the young man looked sullenly at the ground.

Suddenly there was a shot, startling them all, and the young man flopped backwards. Blue Duck stepped back into the firelight, a rifle in his hands. The Indians were speechless. Blue Duck sat down, the rifle across his lap, and rattled the dice again. The young Indian’s feet were still in the light, but the feet didn’t move.

“By God, life’s cheap up here on the goddamn Canadian,” Monkey John said.

“Cheap, and it might get cheaper,” Blue Duck said.

Then the gambling started again. The dead boy was ignored. In a few minutes Blue Duck had won her back—not only what the Indians owned but what the white men owned too. Dog Face didn’t want to play, but he also didn’t want to die.

He played and lost, and so did Monkey John.

“I think you’re a goddamn cheat,” Monkey John said, drunk enough to be reckless. “I think you cheated me out of our horses, and now you’ve cheated us out of this woman.” “I don’t want the woman,” Blue Duck said. “You men can have her back as a gift, and your horses too, provided you do me one favor.” “I bet it’s a hell of a big favor,” Dog Face said. “What do you want us to do, attack a fort?” Blue Duck chuckled. “There’s an old man following me,” he said. “He went west, but he’ll be coming along one of these days. I want you to kill him.

“Hear that, Ermoke?” he added. “You can have your horses back, and the woman too. Just kill that old man. I hear he’s coming down the river.” “I’d like to know who you hear it from?” Monkey John asked.

“He’s been following me ever since I stole the woman,” Blue Duck said. “He ain’t no tracker, though. He went off across the Quitaque. But now he’s figured it out and he’ll be coming.” “By God, he must want her bad, to come all this way,” Monkey John said.

“Kill him tomorrow,” Blue Duck said, looking at Ermoke. “Take some of the horses and go find some help.” Ermoke was drunk and angry. “We do it,” he said. “Then we take the woman.” “The hell you will,” Dog Face said. “We’re in on this and she’s half ours, and you ain’t taking her nowhere.” “You shut up, or I’ll kill you like I killed that chigger,” Blue Duck said.“You get some help,” he said again, looking at Ermoke. “I doubt you five can kill that old man.” “Hell, what is he?” Monkey John said. “Five against one’s nice odds.” “These five can’t shoot,” Blue Duck said. “They can whoop and holler, but they can’t shoot. That old man can.” “That makes a difference,” Dog Face agreed. “I can shoot. If he gets past Ermoke, I’ll finish him.” “Somebody better settle him,” Blue Duck said. “Otherwise you’ll all be dead.” The Kiowas stood up and drug the dead boy away. Lorena heard them arguing in the darkness. Blue Duck sat where he was, his rifle across his lap; he seemed half asleep.

Monkey John got up and came over to her. “Who is this old man?” he asked. “You got a husband?” Lorena stayed in her silence. It infuriated Monkey John. He grabbed her by the hair and cuffed her, knocking her over.

Then he grabbed a stick of wood and was about to beat her with it when Dog Face intervened.

“Put it down,” he said. “You’ve beat her enough.” “Let her answer me then,” Monkey John said. “She can talk. Duck says so.” Dog Face picked up his rifle. Monkey John still had the stick.

“You’d pull a gun on me over a whore?” Monkey John said.

“I ain’t gonna shoot you but I’ll break your head if you don’t let her be,” Dog Face said.

Monkey John was too drunk to listen. He charged Dog Face and swung the stick at him but Dog Face wasn’t as drunk. He hit Monkey John with the barrel of his rifle. The old man went loop-legged and dropped his stick. Then he dropped, too, falling on the stick.

“I’d have let him beat her,” Blue Duck said.

“I ain’t you,” Dog Face said.

In the night Lorena tried to sort it out in her mind. She had been hungry so much, tired so much, scared so much, that her mind didn’t work well anymore. Sometimes she would try to remember something and couldn’t—it was as if her mind and memory had gone and hidden somewhere until things were better. Dog Face had given her an old blanket; otherwise she would have had to sleep on the ground in what was left of her clothes. She wrapped the blanket around her and tried to think back over the talk. It meant Gus was coming—it was Gus Blue Duck wanted the Kiowas to kill. She had almost forgotten he was following her, life had gotten so hard. The Kiowas had been sent to kill him, so Gus might never arrive. It was hard to believe that Gus would get her out—the times when she had known him had been so different from the hard times. She didn’t think she would ever get out. Blue Duck was too bad. Dog Face was her only chance, and Dog Face was scared of Blue Duck. Sooner or later Blue Duck would give her to Ermoke or someone just as hard. If that was going to happen it was better that her mind had gone to hide.

In the gray dawn she saw the Kiowas leave. Blue Duck talked to them in Indian talk and gave them some bullets to kill Gus with. He woke Dog Face and shook Monkey John more or less awake. “If he gets past Ermoke, you two kill him,” he said.

Then he left.

Monkey John looked awful. He had a bloody lump on his head, and a hangover. He had slept with his face in the dirt all night and an ant had stung him several times, leaving one eye swollen nearly shut. He got to his feet but he could hardly stand.