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the troopers hid. Pope sprawled on the ground at the bot-
tom of the gulley bank.
June knelt close to the sergeant and brushed the ashes
from his face. She turned when she heard me. “He’s passed
out.”
“It’s probably best.” I looked at the soldiers gathered
around their leader. “Let him rest. Nothing we can do now
until morning.”
“We can pray, suh.” Taylor bowed his head.
They trusted their God. I trusted the bullet in my gun.
The three others shut their eyes and joined the boy.
June tilted her face forward until her forehead touched
the fingers of her folded hands. Taylor’s first words were
thanks to the Creator for the protection He had offered.
Then the young soldier pleaded to spare his sergeant.
While the group prayed, I checked to be sure the sil-
ver bullet was under the hammer of my revolver, and then
watched the desert night for demons in the form of wolves.
If their God wouldn’t watch over us, I had to.
Taylor’s face came up from his prayer. He made quick
gestures with his hands and then pointed to the gulley rim
and to a charred stand of paloverdes across from where we
hid. The three other troopers split up and dashed through
the darkness to the places Taylor’s hand had pointed.
“They keep watch, suh.” He stared down at his ser-
geant. “He gonna need water when he come to.”
“I know, but—”
“Top Sergeant done taught us a trick for gettin’ water
out here in this desert.” Taylor pulled a jackknife from a
pocket of his ash-streaked pants. “Suh, I gonna belly out to
some of those big cactus. If’n you cut the top off and scoop

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