The Winchester Run (Sundown Riders, No.3)

Product Description On a frontier torn by war and renegades, they carried a cargo more valuable than gold... Miners dug for fortunes. Soldiers died on open plains. And a few brave men drove the wooden freight wagons into the wild land. Now, master Western novelist Ralph Compton tells the real story of the tough-as-leather men who blazed the way into the untamed frontier. Once they drove longhorns. Now Mac Tunstall and his band of Texans must take a shipment of Winchesters by rail and wagon all the way to the U.S. Army in Austin. But from the moment the wagoneers set out, violence and treachery stalk their trail. From Dodge to the Brazos, half the outlaws on the frontier are aiming to get hold of an arsenal that could blow the West wide open. And Mac and his men don't see one danger until it's too late-four beautiful, headstrong women determined to share a trail of courage and tears all the way to the end. About the Author Ralph Compton stood six-foot-eight without his boots. His first novel in the Trail Drive series, The Goodnight Trail, was a finalist for the Western Writers of America Medicine Pipe Bearer Award for best debut novel. He was also the author of the Sundown Rider series and the Border Empire series. A native of St. Clair County, Alabama, Compton worked as a musician, a radio announcer, a songwriter, and a newspaper columnist before turning to writing westerns. He died in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1998. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. CHAPTER 1Newton, Kansas. September 16, 1873. Mac Tunstall, his three pardners, the six bullwhackers, Watson Brandt, and the train crew remained at the hotel in Newton until the following day. When the damaged track had been repaired, the train bearing the six loaded wagons continued on to Dodge. There was no evidence of the outlaws, and the train reached Dodge in the early afternoon. When Mac and his three pardners stepped down from the train, they were surprised to find a sheriff waiting for them. “Tunstall and friends, I reckon,” the lawman said. “I’m Tunstall,” Mac said. “This is Buck Prinz, Haze Sanderson, and Red McLean.” “I’m Sheriff Harrington. I have a telegram from the sheriff in Kansas City, sent at the request of Hiram Yeager, of Yeager Freight Lines.” “We’re working for him,” said Mac. “There are six wagonloads of military goods going to Austin, Texas, and it’s our responsibility to see that they arrive safely. We’ve had a bunch of outlaws stop the train on the way here.” “I heard about that,” Harrington replied, “and you persuaded that bunch it wasn’t a good idea. Yeager wants me to offer you hombres as much support as I can. He believes there might be an attempt during the night to shanghai those wagons you’re guarding. He didn’t say what led him to that conclusion, but I promised to do what I can.” “We aim to spend the night with the wagons,” said Mac. “While we’re obliged, I don’t know what you can do, short of being a fifth man.” “What I have in mind,” Harrington said, “is deputizing the four of you. We’re fifty miles from Indian Territory, and during the summer and fall, there are trail herds from Texas, so we have our share of hell-raising. There have been so many killings, the town council is on the prod. If you have trouble tonight, we’ll all come out of it lookin’ better if the four of you are lawmen. Comprende?” “Sí,” said Mac. “Can you do it here? We need to keep an eye on those wagons.” “Yes,” Harrington replied. “Let’s go into the depot waiting room. There’s no reason for the entire town to know what we’re doing.” The swearing-in was done quickly. Harrington presented each of them with a deputy’s star and then shook their hands. He then went on his way, and when the four Texans left the depot, they came face-to-face with Watson Brandt. “What is the meaning of this?” Brandt demanded, his eyes on the stars they wore. “Why don’t you telegraph Mr. Yeager and ask him?” Mac suggested. Brandt said nothing, and the four of them position
ASIN: 0312963203
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