Don't Pull That Gun

       Don’t Pull That Gun

Suzanne Marsh

Billy Bonny stood silently as he watched Danny Barnett fire his Colt.45:

“You have to aim the .45 at what you’re shootin at Danny.” I did Kid.

“Danny if you aimed the gun you would have hit me, now concentrate.”

The more Danny struggled to concentrate the more agitated Billy became:

“Danny if you are gonna to ride with the gang you have to be able to shoot a gun, hit what

you aim at. This ain’t no fun and games, this is being an outlaw, with a price

on your head. Do you understand?”

Danny knew he had to prove himself to Billy. Billy began once again to set up empty whiskey bottles for target practice. Billy drew quickly, shot all six shots hitting every bottle. Then he set more empty bottles up for Danny to shoot. Danny managed to get the. .45 out of the holster and fire several shots; missing two out of the six. Billy shook his head, as he patiently showed Danny, again and again. Billy, really had no idea why Danny wanted to ride with his gang that badly but he decided the boy had other uses if not another gun.

Tom O’Folliard and Charlie Bowdre rode into camp at a fast lope:

“Billy, there’s an entire herd of cattle waiting fer us to rustle, the Lazy S just moved' em

from the high pastures. There must be over three hundred head. We can help ourselves

to as many as we can. The Lazy S boys won’t know until spring how many we took.”

Billy smiled that crooked smile as he nodded his agreement:

“Sounds good Tom, we should go get at least two hundred head, wouldn’t be right

to steal the entire herd. I hear tell there is a call for beeves in Kansas City. We could

stop in Dodge City for a few days. Beeves is going fer twenty dollars a head.”

Tom, was pleased there would be money in his pocket for a change. Danny ran up to Billy:

“Billy, I hit all them bottles in a row, come see.” Billy, strode out tot he practice range.

Danny quickly pulled his. .45 from his holster hitting every bottle Billy smiled:

“Danny, how would like to do some cattle rustlin tonight? The boys and I are

headed to the low pasture of the Lazy S, we are takin three hundred head over

a few weeks, don’t want to arouse suspicions.” Danny had a big grin on his face as he told Billy he was ready and able to go. Billy thought of Danny as a younger brother, which meant he would watch out for him, as they began to build a herd of stolen cows.

The dark sky with seeminly endless stars ended the first day of Danny’s “new life”. Billy was eager to start rustling the cattle, when “Dirty Dave” Rudabaugh galloped into camp, jumping out of his saddle, he found himself face to face with Billy:

“Where ya been Dave? We got about two hundred head from the Lazy S waitin to be

rebranded with our brand. We are gonna round em up tonight. Then we are headin

for Kansas City.”

Dave weary from riding most of the day hoisted himself back into the saddle:

“Fine Billy let’s get this over with, I gotta get some sleep>”

Billy spun around his face inches from Dave’s:

“Dave, you shouldn’t had been with that saloon gal all night. Come on let’s get a move on.”

The entire gang rode in silence as they headed for the Lazy S low range. Each man with thoughts of how to spend the money they would divide equally after they drove the cattle to Kansas City. Most thought they would stop in Dodge for a day or two, get the dust out of their throats, and a bath in one of several bath houses.

The Lazy S had men posted around the cattle, Billy knew someone had tipped them off, it could have been Dave. Billy, however was going to take the cattle, they would wait it out up in mountains until the Lazy S men left. It turned out to be along wait, after several weeks the Lazy S men left, deciding that everything they had been told was a lie.

Darkness began to fall, stars lit the sky, the moon high and bright; Billy and “Dirty Dave” began cutting down the pasture fence. The gang cut the fence then began to move the cattle when shots rang out one after another. The gang quickly took cover in rocks at the bottom of the mountain, higher up they could see flashes of gun fire. They were pinned down until they could find a way out, Billy began to fire in earnest, he heard one of his moan cry: “I’m hit” then silence for a few moments. Billy thought to himself: ‘I wonder who tipped the Lazy S off, we are not in the best position; I think it would be smart to retreat, then try again another night.’

Billy motioned the men to move back, if they could get to their horses they could ride out of there. Billy ran first, grabbed his sorrel Arabian stallion Dandy Dick and rode out ducking the gun fire as he rode. The gang regrouped at camp, Billy waited until Tom, who was grazed by bullet rode into camp. He motioned Tom over:

“Tom, we got us a traitor, you know we was ambushed, they were waitin for us. We better

figure out who it is and pronto.”

Tom, his fair hair blowing in the wind thought for a moment:

“Billy, it could be the new guy that wandered into camp two days ago, his name was

Tim I think. I haven’t seen him all night.”

This statement angered Billy:

“We are gonna take care of that now. Just you en me are gonna rustle those beeves.

Once we have them, then we can tell the others that we have them. We can hid them

in Willow Canyon for a few days.

Billy sat by the camp fire, his eyes watching the flames. Tom strode over to him:

“Billy, we should go now, the boys are sound asleep.” Billy nodded his head yes in agreement. The two men mounted their horses, the fences around the pasture had been mended. Billy cut the wire as Tom rode into the middle of the beeves. He shot one shot, suddenly there was more gun shots coming from the ridge. Billy, began returning fire while Tom drove the cattle out of the pasture. Together they managed to get the cattle heading toward the canyon where they had planned to hid the cattle for several weeks. Guns blazing, the men from the Lazy S shot and wounded both Billy and Tom. They rode back to the camp, Billy bleeding from the shoulder and Tom trying to remain in the saddle as he bled from a back wound. The rest of the gang members gather to slow the horses. Billy, climbed off his horse turning to Charlie Bowdre: “Charlie, where’s that new fella that came into camp a few days ago?” Charlie could tell from the look on Billy’s face he was angry:

“He ain’t here Billy, he rode off at sunset.”

Charlie fearing the worst:

“This is my fault I told him he was welcome here.:”

Billy spun on Charlie:

“You find him and you bring him here, NOW!”

Charlie was in the saddle as quickly as he could and rode due south after toward where he thought the man would be. He found Mase moments later, on Lazy S land:

“Mase hold up, Billy wants to talk to you.”

Mase knew how Billy talked, he no desire to have a bullet in his back:

“Charlie, I ain’t done nothin wrong.”

Charlie pulled his colt .45:

“Either you ride back to camp with me or I will shoot you myself, now git movin.”

Charlie and Mase rode into camp shortly before dawn. Billy stood by the fire, checking the barrel of his gun:

“I am gonna give you one chance, did you tip off the Lazy S boys?”

Mase, stood glumly:

“Yeah the pay was good.”

Before Mase could draw his gun, Billy out drew him. Mase hit the ground, Charlie went over to him:

“Billy you killed him in cold blood.”

“Yeah so, I am bleeding from the shoulder. I been waiting to take care of the problem Charlie. Mase

got what he deserved.”

Danny stood there shaken, as Billy turned on his boot heel:

"This ain't no fun n games Danny.