Circle of Fire

Ch. 4 Visitors

Beautiful women should be outlawed. They plain just distract a man. Not to mention they are so full of their own beauty; they never have time for anyone else. I just don’t get beautiful women. You tell them they are your sun, moon, and stars and they glow. Matter of fact, they glow SO much they think they don’t need to do any work. Women! I just don’t understand them!

Beautiful Sally was giving me fits. I decided to make camp by a nice, little stream and the woman collapses and doesn’t move for the rest of the night. Actually, she moved once or twice, to eat and then lay back down. Sally had gone to bed without even asking if I wanted her to do anything.

As I washed the dishes, I continued to scan the wide open. It was dangerous here, even if my companion didn’t think so, the lazy little leach.

As I went to get up, I felt a prickling sensation run down my spine. We were being watched. I acted casual, continuing to gather up the dishes and I even began to whistle a little tune like I didn’t have a care in the world. Looking around, I saw several possibilities where someone could be watching us but wasn’t sure which one my assailant would hail from.

I didn’t want to turn my back on them, that’s the quickest way of getting shot, but I knew I had no choice. So, with a sigh I turned around and leisurely strolled back to camp, giving a big thanks to the man upstairs that I wasn’t dead.

Back at camp, I grabbed my hunting knife and shotgun, then I made up my bedroll to look as if I was sleeping right beside Sally. Then I quietly slipped away into the night to await my would-be attackers. I knew I might have a long wait, but I was ready for that.

My patience was rewarded when I saw two tall figures enter camp stealthily. I watched as they stopped and seemed to discuss the best option. One began to gesture at Sally’s figure and then “mine”. I slowly worked my way around until I was right behind them.

Quietly, when I saw the one guy move toward Sally, I crept toward the other one. I decided to make him think there was someone out there, and I kicked a stone. He turned around fast and started right toward me. I waited, and when he was right there in front of me, I stood up and grabbed his neck. With a quick twist of his head, he was dead and I was ready to take out the next one.

The other guy was moving toward Sally with a determination of a bull. He hadn’t seemed to notice his companion’s disappearance and probably wouldn’t have cared anyway. The girl was all he wanted right then. Just as he was reaching for Sally, I grabbed him by the neck and put my hunting knife to his throat.

“Why have you come into my camp uninvited?” I growled. The man stood absolutely still but said not a word.

“Either you tell me the easy way and you die cleanly, or we do it the hard way and you will die an agonizing death. Either way you’re dead, so you might as well tell me.” My threats didn’t seem to move him, so roughly I yelled at Sally to wake up.

She woke surprisingly fast, and with a quick intelligence, didn’t even bother to wait to see if I wanted rope, she just provided it. I smiled my thanks and tied the man’s hands behind him and then I pushed him to the ground.

“Sally, in my saddlebag there are four stakes and some more rope. Bring them to me now.” I didn’t look up, just started to tear away the man’s clothing.

“Sally if you think you will be offended by this man being naked, leave. Hell, leave anyway, because this is gonna get too gruesome for a sweet thing like you to see.”

“I’ll have you know I have a cast-iron stomach, thank you very much. I will be just fine. I think I might read for a while.” She daintily stepped over the sprawled man and went back to her bedroll to quietly read by the light of the fire. I shook my head at her, completely astonished at her composure. You’d think she was attacked by men all the time and then watched them get tortured for information.

With some speed and a lot of efficiency, I had the man naked and spread-eagled to the ground in minutes. I looked down at him dispassionately. I had done this a few times in my life, and I figured I might have to do it a few more. Life had too much scum for it to be peaceful.

“You have one last chance, mister. Either you tell me what I want to know, or you will be tortured until you tell me anyway. Do you understand me?”

The man didn’t seem to be paying attention. He had turned his head to stare at Sally, but she was busy reading her book and not paying him the least attention. Slowly, his head turned, and he looked into my eyes. I was amazed. There was no fear, all there was was defiance. I jumped back as he tried to spit at me.

I began to kick him right in the ribs and kidney. This would be the beginning of the torture. I had spent a lot of time with the Apache, and they were notorious for being able to torture a man for days, sometimes weeks before letting him die. I had learned quite a bit from there raids and would put the most painful, but least damaging to work tonight.