Elmer Kelton
Published: 2009-12-30
Total Pages: 0
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Veteran western writer Kelton begins this sequel to Slaughter exactly where that Golden Spur-winning yarn ended, in Texas, 1874. After the Battle of Adobe Walls, the Commanche warrior Crow Feather lies bleeding but alive. Jeff Layne, too, has survived--just as he survived both a Union slug during the Civil War and his days as a buffalo hunter during the great bison slaughters. Now Layne, tired of death and killing, is headed back to south Texas to resume ranching. But when he and his wayward band (including old friend and camp cook Cap Doolittle, and Englishman Nigel Smithwick and his untutored American bride, Arletta) reach their destination, Layne discovers that a ruthless Yankee reconstruction government has wreaked havoc and that his ranch is now owned by his old enemy, Vesper Freed. But Texas is a big place, and, rather than fight for his land, Layne decides to move north and start again. Still, he can't avoid the inevitable tangle with Freed. Layne and his companions' story is interlaced with that of Crow Feather, whose hope of living a peaceful, isolated existence with his people seems to have been dashed when he's confined to a degrading and violent reservation. Despite being longer than the average western, this well-plotted novel holds interest and will prove especially rewarding for those already caught up in the adventures of Crow Feather, Layne and company.