He excused himself and got up from the table to let them ponder his words of cheer as he left. Outside, the night was filled with the monotonous beat of a dog-skin drum as Longarm sauntered back to where he’d left his “guests.”
A circle of Ho women were around the fire, arms locked, as they shuffled four steps to the left, followed by four steps to the right. Longarm hunkered down by the widow Stover’s blanket and observed, “I told you there wasn’t all that big a shucks to it, ma’am.”
“How long do they keep that up?” she asked.
“Till they get as tired of it as we already are, I reckon. I’ve seen it go on all night.”
“Is that all there is to it? Neither the beat nor the dance step varies. If you could call dragging your feet like that dancing.”
“Indians set great store by repeating things, ma’am. The number four is sacred to the spirits. They think everything either should or does happen in fours.”
“Where’d they get such a fool superstition?”
“Don’t know. Where’d we get the notion of the Trinity and everything happening in threes?”
“I’m not a Roman Catholic, either. You said this was a fertility rite. I expected something… well, more pagan.”
“Oh, they’re pagan enough. But Indians don’t act dirty about what comes natural. That drum beat’s calculated to heat things up, if you’ll listen to it sharp.”
“What is there to listen to? That fool medicine man just keeps whacking it over and over, bump, bump, bump.”
“You missed a beat. He hits it four good licks and starts over. The normal human heart beats just a mite slower than that drum. After a time, though, everybody listening sort of gets their own hearts going with that drum. Hearts beating faster heats the blood and, uh, other things. The fertility part just comes natural, later, in the lodges.”
“You mean we’re likely to see an all-night Indian orgy?”
“Nope. You won’t see or hear a thing. They don’t show off about such matters.”
“Well, if it’s all the same to you, I’m bored as well as tired and I’d like to get some sleep.”
“I figured as much. If you’ll allow me, I’ll take you over to the agent’s home and they’ll bed you in a spare room.”
“Oh? That’s right thoughtful of you and your friends. I was afraid I’d have to spend another night on the ground in my blankets.”
“No need to, ma’am. If you ask her, Portia Caldwell might work out a bath for you, too. Let me help you UP.”
He rose, hauling Kim to her feet, and took her by an elbow to guide her toward the agency. Timberline suddenly appeared in front of them to demand, “Just what do you think you’re up to, damn it?”
“Don’t think nothing. I’m carrying this lady over to the agency to put her to bed.”
The big ramrod swung, saying something about Longarm’s mother that he couldn’t have possibly been informed about. Longarm ducked the roundhouse and danced backward, drawing his.44 as he sighed and said, “Now that’s enough, old son.”
“Damn it, if you was any kind of man at all you’d fight me fair.”
“If I fought you with fists I’d be more fool than any other kind of man worth mention. You’re too big for me and I’m too fast on the draw for you, so I suspicion we ain’t able to have a fair fight, either way.”
Kim Stover got between them and soothed, “Don’t be silly, Timberline. He was only taking me over to stay with the married couple at the house.”
“Oh? I thought…”
Longarm knew what he’d thought, but a man was wasting time to jaw with a fool. So he said, “We’d best get over to Portia Caldwell, ma’am. I got other fish to fry, this night.”
Timberline tagged along, muttering under his breath, but he didn’t do or say anything until they had all reached the porch of the agency. Kim Stover turned to him and said, “You’d best stay out here, Timberline.”
“I mean to see you’re safe, little lady.”
“Safe? I’m under arrest, thanks to going along with this foolishness. If you’re talking about this other man trifling with me, nobody knows better’n you I can hold my own on any front porch.”
“I ain’t leaving you alone with him.”
Longarm said, “Yes you are. I’ll go along with some showoff for the diversion of a lady, but she’s just asked you to git, so you’d best do it.”
Timberline didn’t move away, but he stopped following as Longarm escorted the redhead up the steps. As he was about to knock, she put a hand on his sleeve and said, “One moment, sir. You didn’t disagree when I just said I was under arrest!”
“Ain’t polite to correct a lady, ma’am.”
“May I ask what I’m under arrest for, now that you have your prisoner and the rest of us are left out in the cold?”
“You ain’t half as cold as my prisoner is on that bed of ice, ma’am.”
“I’m right sorry he got killed, but you know I never fired a shot at anyone!”
“Somebody did. Hit him twice, too. I ain’t charging you with killing him, ma’am. Let’s say you’re a material witness.”
“Dang it, I don’t know who’s bullets hit that boy! Half the men with me were shooting at Cotton Younger!”
“I know. Obstruction of justice and killing a federal prisoner under a peace officer’s protection could be taken seriously, but I’d be willing to overlook past misunderstandings, if that was all that happened.”
“You mean you’re still investigating the missing law men and the killing of Sailor Brown?”
“Don’t you reckon I ought to?”
“Of course, but none of us knows anything about any of that!”
“There I go, correcting ladies again, but you’re wrong, ma’am. Somebody either with you or headed this way knows more’n they’re letting on.”
“That may well be, but I don’t see why you’re holding me or the other innocent folks.”
“Funny, Hungry Calf did, and he ain’t been herding cows as long as you. What we’re having here is a tally and cut, ma’am. My Indian deputies are still rounding up the herd. I suspicion some will come in willingly, on their own. By this time tomorrow I hope to be done marking and branding.”
“And then my innocent friends and me will be riding out?”
“Maybe. Depends on who gets arrested. I’d best knock now. I’ve other chores to tend to.”
As he knocked, the redhead demanded, “Are you accusing me of… something?”
The door opened. Longarm introduced the two women, and before he had to answer more questions, left them to work things out.
Timberline was still waiting, and this time he had his old hogleg out and pointing. Longarm said, “Oh, put that fool thing away, kid. No gals are watching.”
“God damn you! I ain’t scared of you!”
“That makes us even. You’d best get back to the dance. The squaws’ll be passing drinks and tobacco in a while. They ain’t supposed to have no liquor, but you’ll likely get some passable corn squeezings.”
Timberline kept the pistol trained on Longarm as the lawman walked right past him. Timberline called out, “Stand still, God damn it! I ain’t done with you!”
Longarm kept walking. Timberline followed, blustering, “Turn around, God damn it! I can’t shoot no man in the back!”
Not looking back, Longarm said, “Not here, you can’t. Ain’t showing off without no audience, Timberline. We both know you’re stuck on a reservation filled with friends of mine. You got no horse. You got no nerve to go with your brag. You keep pestering me and you’ll have no gun. I’m coming to the conclusion you ain’t grown up enough to wear sidearms, the way you keep carrying on.”
Timberline holstered his gun, muttering, “One day we’ll meet where you ain’t holding all the winning cards, Longarm.”