07 - Alcatraz - The Promised Land

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Episode Transcript

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Chapter seven of Alcatraz by Max Brand. This LibriVox recording is in the public
domain. The Promised Land. Therewas no thought of submission in Alcatraz at
this moment, though never for aninstant did he under rate the power of
man to Alcatraz. The Mexican wasthe type, and Cordova had seemed to

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unite in himself many powers. Strengthlike a herd of bulls, endurance greater
than the contemptible patience of the burrow, speed like the lightning which winks in
the sky one instant and shatters thecottonwood tree the next. Such as he
were men creatures who conquer for thesake of conquest, and who torment for

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the love of pain. His fearequaled his hatred, and his hatred made
him shake with fever. The horsemanhad vanished, but it was not well
to trust to mere distance. Hadhe not heard more than once the gun
speaking from the hand of Cordova.And presently the wounded hawk fluttered out of

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the sky and dropped at the feetof the man. So Alcatraz kept on
running. Besides, he rejoiced inthe gallop. He was like a boy
who leaves his strength untested for severalyears, and when the crisis comes finds
himself a man. So the RedChestnut marveled at the new wells of strength

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which he was draining as he ran. The power which the Mexican had kept
at low tide with a systematic brutality, was now developed to the full very
near, and to Alcatraz it seemedexhaustless. He did not stop to look
about until two miles of climbing upthe steep sides of the Eagles had winded

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him. He had risen above thefoothills, and the more iborious slopes of
the Eagles lifted at angles sheer andmore sheer towards the top. But decidedly
he must cross the mountains on theother side. Perhaps there would be no
men. There could be no bettertime. Already the hollow gorges were beginning

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to brim with blue gray shadows,and he would be taking the worst of
the climb in the cool of theevening. So Alcatraz gave himself to the
climb. It was bitter work.Had he dropped a few miles south across
the foothills, he would have foundthe road to the Jordan Ranch. Climbing
up the eagles with leisurely swinging curves, But the slopes just above him were

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heart breaking, and Alcatraz began torealize in an hour that a mountain side
from a distance is a far gentlerthing than the same slope underfoot. It
was the heart of twilight before hecame to the middle of his climb and
stepped on to a nearly level shoulder, some acres in compass. Here he

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stood for a moment while the musselscramped from climbing loosened again, and he
looked down at the work he hadalready accomplished. It was a dizzy fall
to the lowlands. The big foothillswere mere dimples on the earth, and
limitless plane moved these towards darkness.The stallion breathed deep of the pure mountain

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air, contented. All his oldlife lay low beneath him in a thicker
air, and in a deeper night. He had climbed out of it to
a lonely height, perhaps, buta free one. The wind coming off
the mountain top curled his tail alonghis flank. He turned and put his

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head into it, already refreshed formore climbing. There was a strange scent
in that wind, a rank cameodor that would have stopped him instantly had
he been wiser in the life ofthe wilderness. As it was, he
trotted on through a skirting of shrubbery, and on the verge of a clearing,

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was stopped by the snarl that rolledout of the ground at his feet.
Then he saw a dead deer onthe ground, and over it a
great tawny creature. One paw layon the flank of its prey. The
bloody muzzle was just above. Thereis no greater coward than the puma.

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Ordinarily she would have hesitated before attackingthe grown horse, but the surprise made
her desperate. She sprang even asAlcatraz whirled for flight, and in whirling
he saw that there was no escapefrom the leap of this monster. With
the yawning teeth, he kicked highand hard, eleven hundred pounds of seasoned

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muscle concentrated in the drive. Theblow would have smashed in the side of
a bull. One hoof glanced off, the other struck fair and full between
the eyes of the mountain lion.The great cat spun backwards, screeching,
but Alcatraz saw no more than thefall He fled up the mountain with fear

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of death, lightning his strides regardlessof footing, crashing through underbrush, and
came to the end of his hystericalflight at the crest of the slope.
There he paused, shaking and weak, but the mountain top was bare of
cover, and scanning it eagerly throughthe treacherous moonlight, he saw there was

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no immediate danger. Down the westernslopes, he saw a fairy land for
horses far beyond rose, a secondrange nearly as lofty as the peak on
which he stood, but in betweentumbled rolling ground, a dreamy panorama in
the moonshine. One feature was clear, and that was a broad looping of

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silver among the hills, a riverwith slender tributaries dodging swiftly down to it
from either side. Alcatraz looked witha swelling heart, thinking of the white,
hot deserts which he had known allhis life. The wind, which
lifted his mane and cooled his hotbody, carried up also the delicious fragrance

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of the evergreens, and it seemedto Alcatraz that he had come in view
of a promised land. Surely hehad dreamed of it on many a day
in burning, dusty corrals or inoven like sheds. The descent was far
less precipitous than the climb, andfar shorter. To the plateau, Just

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where the true mountains broke out intoa pleasant medley of foothills, the stallion
stopped to rest. He nibbled afew mouthfuls of grass, growing lush and
rank on the edge of the watercourse, waded to the knees in a
still pool and blotted out the starimage with the disturbance of his drinking,

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and then went back onto the hilltopto sleep. It was full day before
he rose and started on again,and to keep his strength for the next
stage of the journey, he atebusily, first on the lee side of
a hill, where the grass wasthickest and tenderest. Between mouthfuls, he
raised his head to gaze down onhis new found land. It was a

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day of clouds, thin sheetings anddense cumulus masses, sweeping on the west
wind and breaking against the mountains.Alcatraz could not see the crests over which
he had climbed the night before,so thick were those breaking ranks of clouds.
But the plateau beneath him was Hestarted with yellow sunshine, and in

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the day it filled to the fullthe promise of the moonlit night. He
saw wide stretches of meadow. Hesaw hills, sharp sighted and smoothly rolling,
places to climb with labor, andplaces to gallop at ease. He
saw streams that promised drink at will. He saw clumps and groves of trees

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for shelter from sun or storm.All that a horse could will was here,
beyond imaginings. Alcatraz lifted his beautifulhead and neighed across the lowlands.
There was no answer, his kingdomsilently awaiting his coming. So he struck

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out at a sharp pace. Therun of the day before, in place
of stiffening him, had put himin racing trim, and he went like
the wind. He was in playfulmood. He danced and shied as each
cloud shadow struck him, a dimfigure in the shade, but shining red
chestnut in the sun patches. Onevery hand. He saw dozens of places

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where he would have stopped willingly hadnot more distant beauties lured him on.
There were hills whose tops would servehim as watch towers in time of need.
There were meadows of soft soil wherethe grass grew long and rank,
and others where it was a sweeterand finer growth. But both had their

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places in his diet, and mustbe remembered. So Alcatraz tried to file
them away in his mind. Butwho could remember single jewels in a great
treasure. He was like a childchasing butterflies, and continually lured from the
pursuit of one to that of another, still brighter. So he came,

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in his kingly progress, to thefirst blot on the landscape, the first
bar, the first hinderance, Sinuousand swift, curving as a snake,
It twisted over the hilltops and dippedthe cross hallows. Three streaks of silver
light, one above the other,and endless. The ears of Alcatraz flattened.

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He knew bob wire fences of old, and he knew they meant man
and domination of man. The scarsof whip and spur stung him afresh,
the old, sullen hatred rose inhim. Those three elusive lines of light
were stronger than he he knew,just as the frail body of a man

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contained a mysterious strength far greater thanhis he turned his head across the wind
and galloped beside the new strung fencefor ten breathless minutes. Then he paused,
panting, still running endless. Beforehim and behind was the fence,
and now he saw saw a checkingof similar fences across the meadow. To

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his right. More than that,he saw a group of fat cattle browsing,
and just beyond were horses in apasture. Alcatraz slipped backwards in sideways
till he was out of sight,and then galloped over the hill until he
came to a grove of trees atthe top. Here he paused to continue

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his examination from shelter. The fencewas the work of man, the cattle
and horses were the possessions of man. And far off to the left,
out of a grove of trees rosethe smoke, which spoke of the presence
of man himself. The chestnut shiveredas though he were shaking cold water off
his hide. Then, unreasoning furygripped him, for here was his paradise,

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his promised land, pre emptied bythe great enemy. He stayed for
a long moment gay, and thenturned reluctantly and fled like one pursued back
by the way he had come.He got beyond the fence in the course
of half an hour. But stillhe kept on. He began the field

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that as long as he galloped onland which was pleasant to him, it
would be pleasant to man also,So he kept steadily on his way.
Leaping the brooks into the river,he cast himself and swam to the farther
shore. There was an instant change. Beyond that bank, the valley opened
like a fan. The handle ofit was the green, well watered plateau

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into which he had first descended,But now it spread in raw colored desert,
cut up by ragged hills here andthere, and extending on either side
to mountains purple blue with distance.With the water dripping from his belly,

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Alcatraz twinked the farewell glance to thegreen country behind him, and set his
face towards the desert. It wasnot so hard to leave the pleasant meadows
now he knew they were man owned. There was a taint in their beauty.
And here on the sands of thedesert, with only dusty bunch grass

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to eat and muddy water holes todrink from, he was at least free
from the horror of the enemy.He kept on fairly steadily, nibbling in
the bunch grass as he went,now trotting a little, now cantering lightly
across the stretched barren of forage.So he came just after noonday, downwind

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from the scent of horses his ownkind. Yet he was worried, for
he connected horses inevitably with the thoughtof man. Nevertheless, he decided to
explore, and, coming warily overa rise of ground, he saw all
in the hollow beyond a whole troopof horses, without a man in sight.

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He was too wise to jump toconclusions, but he slipped back from
his watch post and ran in along semi circle about the herd. But
having made out that there was nocowpuncher near by, he came back to
his original place of vantage and resumedhis observations. A beautiful black stallion wandered

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up when from the rest, andanother younger horse was on the other side
of the herd. Between was araggedy assembled group of mares, old and
young, with leggy yearlings, deerfooted colts, and more than one time
worn stallion. It was a motleyassembly. The colors ranged from piebald to

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gray, and there was a greatdiversity in stature. Presently, the black
stallion neighed softly whereat. The restof the herd by closely together, the
mayors, with the folds on theside, and all heads turning towards the
black, who now galloped to ahilltop, surveyed the horizon, and presently

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dropped his head to graze again.This was a signal to the others.
They spread out again carelessly. ButAlcatraz was beginning to put two and two
together in his thoughts. The twostallions were obviously guards, But what should
they be guarding against in the broadlight of day except that terrible destroyer who

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hunts as well as noon as atmidnight. Man inspiration came to Alcatraz.
The difference of color and stature,the unkempt manes and tails, the wild
eyes were all telling a single story. Now, these were not the servants
to Man, and since they werenot his servants, they must be enemies,

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for that was the law the world. The great enemy dominated, and
where he could not dominate, hekilled. And the herd feared the same
power which Alcatraz feared. Instantly theybecame the hymn brothers and sisters, and
he stepped boldly into view. Theresult was startling from the hilltop. The

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black stallion whinnied shrill in short andin a twinkling, the whole group was
in motion, scurrying north. Alcatrazlooked in wonder and saw the black falling
behind the rest and range across therear, biting the flanks of older horses,
who found it difficult to keep thehot pace. With this accomplished,

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and when the herd was stolidly compactedbefore his driving, the black skirted around
the whole group and with a magnificentspurt of running, placed himself in the
lead. He kept his place easily, a strong galloping gray mare at his
hip, and from time to timetossed his head to the side to take

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stock of his followers, And sothey dipped out of sight beyond the next
swell of ground. Alcatraz recovered fromhis amazement to start in pursuit. This
was a mystery worth solving Moreover,the moment he made sure that these were
not man owned creatures, they hadbecome inexplicably dear to him, and as

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they disappeared, his heart grew heavy. His running gait carried him quickly in
view. They had slackened in theirflight a little, but as he hove
into sight again, they took thealarm once more, the foals first rushing
to the front, and then thewhole herd with flying manes and tails blown

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straight out. It was a goodlysight to Alcatraz. Moreover, his heart
leaped strangely, as it always didwhen he saw horses in full gallop.
Perhaps they were striving to test hisspeed of foot before they admitted him to
their company. In that case,the answer was soon given. He sent

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his call after them, bidding themwatch a real horse run, then overtook
them in one dizzy burst of sprinting. His rush carried him not only up
to them, but among them.Two or three youngsters swore the side with
frightened snorts. But as he cameup behind a laboring mare, she paused

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in her flight to let drive withboth heels. Alcatraz barely escaped the danger
with a side step light as adancer's, and shortened his gallop. He
could not punish the mare for herimpudence. Besides, he needed time to
rearrange his thoughts. Why should theyflee from a companion who intended no harm.

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It was a great puzzle in themeantime, Keeping easily at the heels
of the wild horses, he noticedthat they were holding their pace better than
any cow ponies he had ever seen. Running from the oldest mare to the
youngest foal, they seemed to haveone speed of foot. A nay from

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the black leader made the herd scatteron every side like fire in stubble.
Alcatraz halted to catch the meaning ofthis new maneuver, and saw the Black
approaching at a high stepping trot,as one determined to explore a danger,
but ready to instantly flee if itseemed the serious threat. His gaze was

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fixed not on Alcatraz, but onthe far horizon, where the hills became
a blue mist rolling softly against thesky. He seemed to make up his
mind presently that nothing would follow thechestnut out of the distance, and he
began to move about Alcatraz in arapid gallop, constantly narrowing his circle.

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Alcatraz turned constantly to meet him,whinnying a friendly greeting, but the Black
paid not the slightest heed to theseovertures. At length, he came to
a quivering stand twenty yards away,head up, ears back, the very
statue of an angry and proud horse. Obviously it was a challenge, but

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Alcatraz was too happy in his newfound brothers to think of battle. He
ducked his head a little and pawedthe ground lightly, a horse's age old
manner of expressing amicable intentions. Butthere was nothing amicable in the Black leader.
He reared a little bit and camedown lightly on his fore feet,

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his weight gathered on his haunches,as though he were preparing to charge.
And at this unmistakable evidence of illwill, Alcatraz snorted and grew alert.
If it came the fighting, hewas more than at home. He was
a master. More than one corralgate he had cunningly worked a jar,

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and more than one flimsy barn wallhe had broken down with his leaning shoulder,
and more than one fence he hadleaped to get at the horses beyond.
With anger rising in him, hetook stock of the opponent. The
Black lacked a good inch of hisown height, but in substance more than
made up for the deficiency. Hewas a stalwart eight year old, muscled

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like a Hercules, with plenty ofbone to stand his weight, and his
eyes glittering through the tangle of forelock, gave him an air of savage cunning.
Decidedly, here was a foeman worthyof his steel, thought Alcatraz.
He looked about him. There stoodthe mares and the horses, ranged in
a loose, semicircle, waiting andwatching. Only the colts, ignorant of

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what was to come, had begunto frolic together or bother their mothers with
a savage, pretensive battle. Alcatrazsaw one solid old bay topple her offspring
with a side swing of her head. She wanted an unobstructed view of the
fight. His interest in this byplay nearly proved his undoing, for while

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his head was turned, he hearda rushing of hoofs, and barely had
time to throw himself to one sideas the Black flashed by him. Alcatraz
turned and reared to beat the insolentstranger into the earth, But he found
that the leader was truly different fromthe sluggish horses of men. A hundred

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wild battles had taught the Black everytrick of tooth and heel, and in
the thick of the fight, hecarried his weight with the agility of a
cat. Alcatraz had not yet swunghimself fairly back on his haunches when the
black was upon him, the dustflying up behind from the quickness of his

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turn. Straight at the throat ofthe chestnut, he dived, and his
teeth closed on the throat of Alcatraz, just where the neck narrows beneath the
jaw. His superior height enabled Alcatrazto rear and fling himself clear, but
his throat was bleeding when he landedon all fours, dancing with rage and

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the sting of his wounds, yethe refrained from rushing. He had been
into many fights to charge blindly.The black, however, had tasted victory
and came again with a snort ofeagerness. It was a thing for which
Alcatraz had been waiting, and heplayed a trick which he had learned long

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before from an old gelding, who, on a day had given him a
bitter fight. He pitched back asthough he were about to rear to meet
the charge, but when his forefeet were barely clear of the ground,
he rocked down again, whirled andlashed out with his heels. Had they

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landed fairly the battle would have endedin that instant, but the Black was
cat footed, indeed, and heswerved in time to save his head.
Even so, one flashing heel hadcaught his shoulder and ripped it open like
a knife, and they both sprangaway, ready for the next clash.

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The gray mare, who had runso gallantly at the hip of the leader,
now approached and stood close by withpricking ears. Alcatraz bared his teeth
as he glanced aside at her.No doubt if he were not sprawling,
she would rush in to help herlord and master finish the enemy. That

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gave Alcatraz a second problem, tofight the stallion without turning his back on
the treacherous mayor. Before he couldplan his next move, the Black was
at him again. This time theyreared together, met with a clash of
teeth and rapid beat of hoofs,and parted on equal terms. Alcatraz eyed

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his enemy with a fierce respect.His head was dull and ringing with the
blows. His shoulder had been slightlycut by a glancing fore hoof. Decidedly
he could not meet the brawn ofthis hardened old warrior on such terms.
He had used up one trick,he must find another, and still another,
And when the Black rushed again,Alcatraz slipped away from the contact and

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raced off at his matchless gallop.The other pursued a short distance and stopped,
sounding his defiance in his triumph aswell followed the wind as the chestnut
stranger. Besides, the blood waspouring from a gash in his shoulder,
and that fore leg was growing weak. It was well that the battle had

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ended at this point, but itwas not ended. Flight was not in
the mind of Alcatraz. As heswept away. He ran in, dodging
circles about the enemy, swerving inand then veering sharply out as the Black
reared to meet the expected charge.Whatever else was accomplished, he had gained

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the initiative, and that, plus'slightness of foot might bring matters to a
decisive issue in his favor. Twicehe made his rush. Twice the Black
turned and met him with that showerof crushing blows with the fore hoofs.
But the third time, a faintat one side and a charge of the

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other took the leader unawares. Fairand true, the shoulder of Alcatraz struck
him on the side, and theimpact flung the Black heavily to the earth.
The shock had staggered even Alcatraz,but he was at the other like
a savage terrier. Thrice he stampedacross that struggling body until the Black lay

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motionless, with his coat crimson fromtwenty slashes. Then Alcatraz drew away and
neighed his triumph, and in hisexultation he noted that the herd drew close
together at his call. Why hecould not imagine, and he had no
time to ponder on it, forthe Black was now struggling to his feet,

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but there was no fight left inhim. He stood dazed with fallen
head, and to the challenge ofthe chestnut, he replied by not so
much as the pricking of his flaggingears. The gray mare went to him,
touched noses with her overlord, andthen backed away, shaking her head.

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Presently, she troded past Alcatraz,flung up her heels within an inch
of his head, and then gallopedon towards the herd, looking back at
the conqueror. Oh vanity of theweaker sex, Oh frailty. She had
seen her master crushed, and withinthe minute she was flirting with the conqueror.

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The herds started off as the Grayjoined them and Alcatraz followed, the
Black leader remaining unmoving and the blooddripped steadily down his legs. End of
Chapter seven.