The Code of Dusty Fog Read online

  What the New Englander had not known was that Michael Meacher had been in the vicinity of the rendezvous at Mulrooney during which he had outlined to Todd the methods to be employed for the ambush and, although failing to follow him to the Railroad House Hotel, Meacher saw him without his disguise. Confident he would not be recognized with the appearance he intended to adopt, and wanting to know if the truth might be suspected, after having ‘warned’ the small Texan, he had sought to further ingratiate himself by offering to help procure information from the survivor of the trio. He was unaware that, once again, he had underestimated the shrewdness of Meacher, who had pierced his disguise at the jail, but could not decide the best way to utilize the knowledge. Wishing to emphasize the extent of his problems, also deriving satisfaction from the thought that he had proved his intellect superior over the very competent trio of Texans who had shown him none of the respect he felt should be his due and who, he realized, only accepted him because he had ‘saved’ Dusty Fog from the ambush, the New Englander had resumed the disguise of ‘Will Little’ and left the money at the Driven Spike Saloon which led to the confrontation between Dusty Fog and the gandy dancers.

  Unfortunately for Sangster, although he had been successful in creating a debt of honour which the small Texan was obliged to repay, doing so had merely served to show his own inadequacies. He had come to hate Dusty for the respect and willingness to work hard displayed by the men and which had never been given to him. Until Meacher had spoken, hearing what passed between the small Texan and the leader of the invaders, he had believed he would have no further cause for annoyance on that score. Nor, despite being identified, did he consider he had any great reason for concern. He was confident that he would be able to refute the accusation and, because of its source, there would be no difficulty in having his version accepted.

  Even as Sangster was reaching this conclusion, the situation changed rapidly!

  Hearing the accusation made by Michael Meacher and being aware of their leader’s feelings on the subject, every one of the outlaws started to look at the man he had indicated!

  Doing so proved to be an error in tactics!

  If they had given the matter consideration, none of the gang would have expected any trouble from the gandy dancers. They did not know of the high regard in which Dusty Fog was held by the men they were covering and they believed that, particularly when faced with the threat of weapons, they would be willing to leave him to his fate. In that, they made a very serious mistake. Even though the gandy dancers had also failed to respond to the alarm warning when hearing the whistle blasts given by Tom Riordan (who had given the pretence of this being his usual habit when approaching the base camp) they were alert for any possibility of turning the tables on the outlaws.

  Watching and waiting for an opportunity in the cab of the engine, Riordan was the first to make the most of the one being presented. What was more, the means he employed not only proved most effective, but produced a very good diversion. The moment that the outlaw keeping guard on them looked away, catching Moses Jones’ eyes and nodding, he reached for and pushed down a lever. Instantly, there was a hissing roar and a cloud of scalding hot steam was vented through a pipe on the side of the boiler to engulf the member of the gang standing just in front of it. Letting out a hideous screech, he flung aside his revolver and staggered away with his hands knocking off his hat to claw desperately at his head.

  A startled exclamation burst from the outlaw in the cab and he started to swing his gaze forward from glancing at Meacher. Before he could find out what had caused the commotion and take action, he felt his shoulders seized by two big and powerful hands. Swung around by the black fireman, with no greater apparent difficulty than if he had been a babe in arms, he found himself being propelled backwards. Although his Colt went off, its bullet flew harmlessly into the front of the control panel. Then he was pushed through the entrance on the side furthest away from the disturbance, and crashed down supine on the hard packed ground to lose all further interest in what was happening.

  The sound of the screams reached into the caboose. Despite what his leader had said, the outlaw inside was not keeping the sawed-off shotgun pointing at the target described. Instead, being cautious by nature, he had it positioned so he could turn the twin barrels towards either Todhunter or the conductor as the occasion demanded. Alarmed by what he heard, his vigilance relaxed and this was acted upon with commendable— albeit not from his point of view—rapidity by both of his prisoners.

  Thrusting himself from the chair upon which he had been ordered to sit, the railroad magnate launched a tackle which his son would have admired if performed in a Boston game. Moving at the same moment, the conductor grabbed for the Army Colt concealed under a rag on the shelf beneath his desk for use in such a situation. Before he could regain control of the situation, the outlaw was rammed in the chest by a bulky and still firmly fleshed body moving at considerable speed. Not only did the impact cause the weapon to discharge one of its nine buckshot loads into the opposite side with the recoil ripping it from his loosened grip, but he was also slammed against the wall of the caboose and had all the air driven from his lungs. The fist which crashed against his jaw to ensure he was rendered hors de combat was as unnecessary as the revolver which was directed his way by the conductor.

  No more able than his men to resist looking at Sangster, Short presented Dusty with a chance. The instant the gang leader’s weapon wavered from alignment, the small Texan responded with the rapidity which had saved his life on many occasions. Thrusting himself sideways a long pace, so as to gain the split second it would take for the weapon to be redirected his way, his hands were crossing while he was starting to move his feet. Out came the bone handled Army Colts, turning forward and roaring in unison. Realizing the mistake he was making, Short tried to correct it. He was too late. Before he could return his revolver to its previous point of aim, two .44 caliber bullets ripped into his chest and pitched him against the side of the engine.

  Alarmed by the unanticipated turn of events, Raymond Sangster grabbed for the Remington Double Derringer he had carried in the right side pocket of his jacket—with the exception of the night he had ‘saved’ Dusty, when he had no desire to take the chance of letting it be discovered he was armed—since coming West. He was not allowed to bring it out, much less put it to the use he intended. What was more, he was prevented from doing so by the man upon whom it was to be used.

  Although Meacher had hoped to buy leniency by exposing the New Englander, or to blackmail him when set free instead of being sent to trial, the arrival of Short’s men had prevented the latter. Wishing to avoid being held responsible for the death of Todd, he had told the outlaws that he knew who had paid for the abortive ambush and who, for some inexplicable reason, had warned the intended victim before it could succeed. Then he had offered to carry out the identification if given a chance.

  When it was discovered that Sangster was with Dusty Fog at the railhead, Short had taken advantage of the train returning to get there more quickly than would be possible on horseback. He had also assumed, correctly, that arriving in such a manner would arouse less suspicion than riding up at the head of his gang. Having taken his revenge, he intended to force the engineer to take them back to Mulrooney, cutting the telegraph wire in more than one place along the track to prevent news of what had happened reaching the town until he was well on his way from it.

  Brought along to point out the New Englander Meacher, although not being considered a member of the gang, had been allowed to retain his armament and had been ordered to help keep the gandy dancers under control by covering them with one of his revolvers. Seeing what Sangster was doing, he acted out of a mixture of self preservation and a desire to avenge the death of his two companions. Raising the Colt to eye level, he sighted and fired. Chance rather than accuracy guided the bullet into the New Englander’s body, and, twirling around with the Remington flying from his hand, he sprawled down in a torrent of pa
in.

  One of the remaining outlaws reacted more swiftly than his companions. Spluttering a profanity, he began to turn the rifle he was holding towards Dusty. Before he could complete the motion, giving vent to bellows of rage, the gandy dancers surged forward. Moving faster than the rest, Bob Molloy brought the man’s attention and weapon in his direction. Alarmed by the expression of fury shown by the approaching Irishman, he panicked and snatched at the trigger before making sure of his aim. Although the bullet tore a furrow across Bob’s ribs, fortunately continuing its flight without hitting any of the other gandy dancers, the wound was not sufficiently serious to deter him from his purpose. Hurtling through the air for the last few feet, he wrenched the rifle from its owner’s grasp. Swinging it around with the precision a soldier trained in all aspects of bayonet fighting would have been hard pressed to better, he slammed the metal shod butt against the side of the man’s head and brought a finish to any further danger from that source.

  Nor did the rest of the gang fare any better. Seeing the way the gandy dancers were coming at them, prudence dictated their response. Instead of there being any attempt to use weapons in self defense, they were thrown aside unfired. While this did not save the outlaws from some rough handling, it was less severe than would have been the case if they had started shooting. In a few seconds, not one of them was still standing and the threat to Dusty Fog’s life no longer existed.

  ‘I got the son-of-a-bitch for you, Cap’n Fog!’ Meacher said, having thrown aside his Colt and avoiding being included in the attack upon the outlaws. ‘It was him’s hired us to gun you down. Then he went and yelled a warning to you, but I’m damned if I can figure out why.’

  ‘I can,’ the small Texan said quietly, realizing what must have happened and thinking of the comment Todd had started to make just before he was killed. It had not been a statement of blame for what had occurred as a result of the warning, but because some trick of the light had enabled him to identify Sangster as “Will Little”. Dusty turned his gaze downwards and the last words heard by the New Englander were, ‘The god-damned stupid fool. He didn’t need to go to all that trouble to put me in his debt so I’d side him. If he’d come and asked for my help, knowing how important Freddie believes this spur-line to be, I’d have given it to him.’ [33]

  About the Author

  J.T. Edson was a former British Army dog-handler who wrote more than 130 Western novels, accounting for some 27 million sales in paperback. Edson’s works - produced on a word processor in an Edwardian semi at Melton Mowbray - contain clear, crisp action in the traditions of B-movies and Western television series. What they lack in psychological depth is made up for by at least twelve good fights per volume. Each portrays a vivid, idealized “West That Never Was”, at a pace that rarely slackens.

  The Floating Outfit Series by J. T. Edson

  The Ysabel Kid

  .44 Caliber Man

  A Horse Called Mogollon

  Goodnight’s Dream

  From Hide and Horn

  Set Texas Back on Her Feet

  The Hide and Tallow Men

  The Hooded Riders

  Quiet Town

  Trail Boss

  Wagons to Backsight

  Troubled Range

  Sidewinder

  Rangeland Hercules

  McGraw’s Inheritance

  The Half-Breed

  White Indians

  Texas Kidnappers

  The Wildcats

  The Bad Bunch

  The Fast Gun

  Cuchilo

  A Town Called Yellowdog

  Trigger Fast

  The Trouble Busters

  The Making of a Lawman

  Decision for Dusty Fog

  Cards and Colts

  The Code of Dusty Fog

  ... And more to come every month!

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  Issuing new and classic fiction from Yesterday and Today!

  More on J. T. EDSON

  * * *

  [1] How Texans used the vast numbers of longhorn cattle roaming the range country to recover economic stability after the War Between the States is recorded in: GOODNIGHT’S DREAM, FROM HIDE AND HORN and SET TEXAS BACK ON HER FEET.

  [2] James Butter ‘Wild Bill’ Hickok makes ‘guest’ appearances in: Part One, ‘The Scout’, UNDER THE STARS AND BARS and Part Six, ‘Eggars’ Try’, THE TOWN TAMERS. The circumstances of Wild Bill Hickok’s death are recorded in: Part Seven, ‘Deadwqod, August the 2nd, 1876’, J.T.’S HUNDREDTH.

  [3] How a herd of half wild longhorn cattle was driven from Texas to Kansas is described in TRAIL BOSS.

  [4] Jonathan Ambrose Turtle was a member of a family which was very prominent in the criminal activities of Texas from before independence was won from Mexico until the Prohibition era. Information about a previous, current and later head of the family, Coleman ‘Cole’, Rameses ‘Ram’ and Hogan respectively, can be found in: OLE DEVIL AND THE CAPLOCKS; Part Four, ‘Mr Colt’s Revolving Cylinder Pistol’, J.T.’S HUNDREDTH; SET TEXAS BACK ON HER FEET; BEGUINAGE; BEGUINAGE IS DEAD! and various volumes of the Alvin Dustine ‘Cap’ Fog series, particularly, RAPIDO CLINT AND J.G. REEDER.

  [5] Waldo ‘Waxahachie’ Smith often complained that he was frequently the victim of a similar disbelief even if it was not always expressed openly, when he gave his surname by way of introduction; see: NO FINGER ON THE TRIGGER and the other volumes of the Waxahachie Smith series.

  [6] We realize the description of the negotiations differs from those recorded elsewhere. Unfortunately, space did not permit us to elaborate upon the matter in: Chapter Seventeen, ‘I Want To Hire You To Kill A Man’, CARDS AND COLTS.

  [7] Told in: DECISION FOR DUSTY FOG. Alvin Dustine ‘Cap’ Fog has instructed us to point out that hints at very close relationships between his grandfather, Captain Dustine Edward Marsden ‘Dusty’ Fog and Belle ‘the Rebel Spy’ Boyd, Vivian ‘Candy Carde’ Vanderlyne and Emma Nene in various volumes of the Floating Outfit series were exaggerated. We apologize for having created this misconception, but can only blame it upon the suggestions having been made in the information from which the various incidents were described and as a result of our having been unaware of the true state of affairs between Dusty and Lady Winifred Amelia ‘Freddie’ Woods Besgrove-Woodstole when producing the manuscripts.

  [8] Told in: THE TROUBLE BUSTERS, THE MAKING OF A LAWMAN and THE GENTLE GIANT.

  [9] Although the Colt 1860 Army Model revolvers produced for military contracts had a barrel eight inches in length, those designated the ‘Civilian Pattern’ for a market which is self explanatory were shorter by half an inch.

  [10] Dusty Fog was to remember the incident and later in his career, the memory would save his life; see: BEGUINAGE.

  [11] How serious could be a failure to take such a precaution when drawing a revolver is described in: THE FAST GUN.

  [12] Described in: CARDS AND COLTS.

  [13] What happened in the previous poker game is recorded in: Part One, ‘The Bounty On Belle Starr’s Scalp’, TROUBLED RANGE and its ‘expansion’; CALAMITY, MARK AND BELLE.

  [14] An explanation of how the value of the hands rank in the game of poker is given in: TWO MILES TO THE BORDER.

  [15] Due to an error in the material from which we first wrote about Albert “Pickles” Barrel, we inadvertently referred to him as Pickle-Barrel and implied he had been working as a swamper at the Fair Lady Saloon prior to being hired as jailer. In actual fact, he was already employed in the latter capacity by Freddie Woods before Dusty Fog took over as town marshal.

  [16] Although there was no physical resemblance between them, the researches of the world’s foremost fictionist genealogist, Philip Jose Farmer—author of amongst numerous other works, TARZAN ALIVE, A Definitive Biography Of Lord Greystoke and DOC SAVAG
E, His Apocalyptic Life—have established that Edmund Fagin was a grandson of the man about whom Charles Dickens wrote in: OLIVER TWIST.

  [17] All three women worked for Freddie Fog—as she now was, although she continued to use her adopted maiden name ‘Woods’ for some time to come—at the Fair Lady Saloon. The largest acted as deputy town marshal when female prisoners required attention and the other two were present to help supply a reason for transferring Michael Meacher to the main cell block so Raymond Sangster’s plan could be put into effect.

  [18] Until receiving the information upon which this book is based, we did not know the north-bound spur-line was already under construction before the Railroad Commission assembled in Mulrooney, Kansas.

  [19] Based upon the variation of soccer first played at Rugby public school in England during 1823, the Boston game would evolve in the United States into ‘American’ or ‘gridiron’ football.

  [20] The significance of the blond youngster's interest is explained in: Chapter Eight, ‘Waco’s Education’, THE TROUBLE BUSTERS.