Dicky turned back to the church and flashed his mirror twice in warning; Godfrey quickly returned the signal.
The gambler placed his long-range rifle upon the balustrade that encircled the structure and checked its chamber, which was clean and loaded. He then rested the lever-action weapon that Oswell had given him upon the floor and set all of the seven-shot magazines nearby.
Dicky tucked his six-shooter beneath his belt and raised binoculars to his eyes. Upon the eastern horizon and black against the blue and gray mountains stood five tiny specks that had not previously existed. At this time he could not discern whether these anomalies were men or horses, though they were definitely ambulatory beings.
Concerned, the gambler flashed his mirror at the Danfords and then looked back towar
