The Shaming of Broken Horn by Bill Gulick

As dark came on and the fires burned low, they sat huddled together, their backs against a wagon for safety’s sake, listening to the drums in the Indian village. Mary was frightened now, but looking around, seeing the grim looks on the faces of her menfolk as they balanced their rifles across their knees, she was sure of one thing—her men would act like men if the need arose, and she was proud of them all.

The “shaming” is a serio-comic event that occurs in the course of a wagon train journey. Many of the familiar themes are here: the stoic and wise Westerner, the “too sure of himself” Easterner, the inquisitive young ‘un, the proud and beautiful damsel.

All the elements are familiar, it’s done well, but it has the leftover flavor of watching an episode of Wagon Train. Fans of that TV show should find this enjoyable tale.

Thief in Camp

“He’s a crow you say? I’ve heard the Crows are born thieves and murderers.”

“Man’s apt to hear most anything he listens to the wrong people.”

Bill Gulick gives us a wagon train tale with a morality overlay. It is a common theme in the genre but Gulick handles it ably. We find the usual “people thrown together finding their way in the land and among each other,” the able Stranger, and an incident where assumptions and realties meet and the reactions to that meeting limns each character.

Fans of L ’Amour’s brand of story will find much to enjoy here.