From down the table, Frank Nelson said, “We were betting on your ability, Marshal. Actually, that was a little test. We didn’t think anyone could take you or get you that easy where they would be willing to risk their life for one thousand dollars.”
“One thousand dollars is a lot of money to some people in this part of the country.”
Asher said, “It was well thought out, Marshal. If they could kill you for the thousand dollars, then you wouldn’t have been worth the hunt. As it turned out, you’ve proven us right in everything you did and in exactly the way you answered our bait.”
Longarm ran his hand through his hair. “Yeah, I reckon I snapped it up, didn’t I? Well, what’s the plan, gentlemen? Do I go loping off across the prairie? What do you have in mind?”
Asher Nelson said, “Oh, there’s no rush. Matters will not commence until four o’clock this afternoon.”
Longarm said, “You boys must think I’m a hell of a sap if you think I’m going to go for any of this.”
Asher shook his head. “No, indeed, Marshal. We do not think you’re any kind of a sap. You’ve noticed how careful we’ve been with you. Anyone else, we would have simply pulled guns on, disarmed them, and then locked them in a room until it was time to start proceedings. We didn’t think that would be cautious enough for you. We deemed it necessary to drug your drink so that we could make our preparations while you slept. Oh, believe me, Marshal, we have the greatest respect for you, just as we did for the lion, the tiger, the rhino, the caped buffalo, and some of the other great wild game that we have hunted.”
Longarm got out another cheroot and lit it. He was feeling pretty good now. He said, “You gentlemen might not have noticed that I am not a game animal and there are laws against this. You hunt me down and get rid of me, you’re going to have an awful lot of marshals descending on your heads.”
Asher Nelson said, “Let’s not discuss all that right now, Marshall Long. Let’s try and have a pleasant afternoon and get you ready for what is to come.”
By one o’clock, they all had moved to the sunken living room with the tiled floor, the leather couches and divans, the big overstuffed chairs, and the rack of high-powered rifles on the wall. Longarm was seated where he had been the day before, with a glass of whiskey and a glass of bourbon on the low table in front of him. He was smoking a cheroot. He said, “Now, ya’ll ain’t explained this foolishness to me yet, and I think you’re going to be wasting your breath if you do. If you think I’m going to go out that door and let you hunt me down like some mountain lion, you are crazy as hell. If you kill me, you’re going to have to kill me in cold blood.”
Asher was sitting diagonally across from him, as he had the day before. He shook his head. “No, I don’t think so, Marshal. I believe and my brothers believe that you will be more than willing to fall in with our contest—and a contest is what it is. It’s too serious to be a game. I would call it a contest of us against you, and I think the odds are about even.”
Longarm gave him a look. “Three against one? You call that even odds?
This is your country. You know every foot of it and you call that even odds?
I’m a stranger here.” He jerked his head toward the rack of high-powered rifles. “Are you going to give me one of those with a telescopic sight? Are you going to give me a pocketful of cartridges and one of them big rifles that will shoot a half mile with one of them spyglasses on it that you can see a half mile with? I don’t think so. You want me to go out and play rabbit for you? Well, I ain’t going to do that.”
Asher said, “You’ve got us all wrong, Marshal. We don’t want a shooting gallery. Those banditos, those bandits, those outlaws who thought they were so tough, they ended up being a shooting gallery because they didn’t know how to think. We know that you are a thinking prey, that you will be a very dangerous type of game to hunt. We have never cared to hunt anything where there is not a risk involved, and we realize that the risk will be tremendous with you.”
Longarm said, “Yeah, you might burn yourself by taking the hull out of one of those high-power rifles which would have enough powder in it to send a half-pound slug a mile and a half.”
Asher shook his head. “We’re not going to use any high-caliber rifles. In fact, we’re not going to use any rifles at all. We will be equipped with small-caliber revolvers, .38-caliber—just what my brothers are holding now.”
“And what do I get? Do I get a .38-caliber revolver?”
Asher shook his head again slowly and smiled. “No, I’m afraid not. That would tip the odds too far the other way. I don’t believe myself or my brothers would be successful against you if you had a firearm in your hand. I think we’d be in the shooting gallery.”
“What am I supposed to do? Chuck rocks?”
“You’ll be armed with a machete,” Asher said. “It’s a yard-long knife that the Mexicans use. It’s almost a sword.”
Longarm said irritably, “I know what a machete is, damn it. Where the hell do you think I’ve been? New York City?”
“You’ll be armed with a machete, you’ll be given a three-hour lead, you’ll have sufficient water and food-“
Longarm broke in before he could say anything else. “The one thing you keep overlooking, Mr. Nelson, is that I have no reason to do this. It sounds to me that all the fun is going to be on your side. I ain’t looking for no new thrills. I get to play “You got a gun and I got a gun and let’s see who’s best’ too many times. My nerves are worn nearly to a frazzle from playing that game. I don’t care for it. This ain’t fun to me. This is deadly serious, and you don’t know what you’re getting into playing it with me. No, I ain’t going to go out there and play your rabbit. I don’t care if you’re only carrying .38-caliber revolvers. You’re on your home territory and eventually you’ll run me down. I cannot get close enough to you with a machete to keep you from killing me with your .38, so from all accounts to me, it looks like to me I’m going to get killed. So if you’re going to kill me, I’m going to make you murder me. I’m going to sit right here in this damned chair and you’re going to have to shoot me, and then you’ll have murdered a United States deputy marshal and you’ll have to bear the consequences.”
Asher Nelson said, “No, Marshal Long, you will take part in the contest. You will be quarry in the hunt.”
“What makes you so damned sure of that?”
Asher looked at him. “Ross Henderson. His life hangs on your willingness to do this.”
Longarm had been about to light another cheroot. He stopped and lowered the match he was holding. He took the little cigar out from between his lips. He looked slowly at the three brothers. “Ross Henderson. Where is he?”
Asher Nelson said, “We have him.”
“In what condition?”
“He’s fine. He’s being well taken care of, but his life hangs in the balance with your decision. If you go through this contest, if you give us the chase that we expect, he’ll go free.”
Longarm looked at Asher Nelson steadily for a moment. “Bullshit. I don’t believe you. If you have Ross Henderson, how come you didn’t play this game with him?”
Asher Nelson said, “Because he’s not you, Marshal Long. He’s not the famous Longarm. He’s a young, inexperienced lawman who would be easy meat, but it was very convenient for us that he showed up here. He gave us a hostage, more bait to draw you in.”
Longarm said, “I want to see him right now. I think you’re lying.”
Asher Nelson stood up. “All right. You can see him, but you can’t talk to him. Is that understood?”
“Why can’t I talk to him?”
“Because there is nothing to be gained by you two exchanging information. I will simply show him to you and show you that he is in good health and that he has not been harmed, and that will be it. Do you want to do that? That is the best I will offer.”