Read more
Informationen zum Autor Ralph Compton stood six foot eight without his boots. He worked as a musician, a radio announcer, a songwriter, and a newspaper columnist. His first novel, The Goodnight Trail , was a finalist for the Western Writers of America Medicine Pipe Bearer Award for best debut novel. He was the USA Today bestselling author of the Trail of the Gunfighter series, the Border Empire series, the Sundown Riders series, and the Trail Drive series, among others. Robert J. Randisi has authored more than five hundred published books and has edited more than thirty anthologies of short stories. Booklist magazine said he "may be the last of the pulp writers." He cofounded and edited Mystery Scene magazine and cofounded the American Crime Writers League. He founded the Private Eye Writers of America in 1981, where he created the Shamus Award. Klappentext In this fast-paced new installment in bestselling author Ralph Compton's Trail Drive series, driving his herd to market is only half the challenge for one trail boss. Capturing and breaking wild horses is a tough way to make a living. But Montana ranch owner, Ethan Miller's problems are just getting started. First the buyer he has for his herd falls through. The only other outlet he can find is the US cavalry. That means driving 200 horses all the way from Bozeman, Montana to Fort Davis, Texas. No sooner has he made the dangerous trek than one more obstacle presents itself. The fort's commander needs Ethan's help. A shipment of rifles and ammunition is missing. The commander is willing to lead his men after them, but he has no scout. Since Ethan has plenty of years of scouting experience, he's going to have to lead one more mission if he hopes to get paid. Story Locale: Kansas Series Overview: Tales of the American West from national bestselling author Ralph Compton. Leseprobe Chapter One When Ethan Miller bought his ranch it was called the Bar W. The first thing he did was change the name to Paradise. It had long been his ambition to have a large ranch. That's why he had been saving his pay from the army for many years. When he finally left the service, just after the war, he was able to buy the Bar W and rename it. The ranch was located about ten miles outside of Bozeman, Montana. Ethan sat on his porch with a cup of coffee, watching the horses in the corral move about. This was just part of the herd he had amassed, which he was preparing to sell. He hoped that the proceeds from the sale would be what he had always imagined they would be. He also watched his men as they did their work, preparing the horses to be driven to market. He just wasn't yet sure where they were going to drive them to. Moses, his houseman, came out of the house with a pot of coffee. "More coffee, suh?" "Yes, Moze," Ethan said, "and how many times have I told you to stop calling me sir? We're not in the army anymore." "Yes, Cap'n," the Black man said. Moze stood there a moment, also staring at the corral. "This looks jus' like you described all those times on the field, sir." "Yes, Moze," Ethan said, "it does, doesn't it . . ." Virginia April 9, 1865 Captain Ethan Miller was serving in the Cavalry Corps of the army of the Potomac under General Philip Sheridan. He was sitting in his command tent, studying the map on the table before him, waiting to hear if they were going to go into battle in the morning. Private Moses Jefferson came into the tent carrying a steaming plate of food and a cup of coffee. "Supper, suh." "Thanks, Moze," Ethan said. "Put it there." There was some space on the table that was not taken up by the map. "Also," Moze said, "Lieute...
