When he came to the creek Billy dismounted and led the dun a little way through the trees to where he could see the house a hundred yards or so away. From down by the corral the whinny of a horse cut suddenly through the night air. Quickly, Billy grabbed the dun’s nose and covered the nostrils to cut off any answer. Then he waited.
When he felt certain that no one had paid any attention, he led the dun back a safe distance and tethered it in a thicket of saplings. Then he slipped the converted .44 out of its holster and held it in the moonlight, opening the loading gate and turning the cylinder slowly. He closed it quietly and put the g*n back. Bending down, he unbuckled his spurs and hung them on the saddle horn.
Walking through the trees he came to the creek and crossed it where a shal
