Almost as soon as Ritter squeezed off his first shot, Nati opened fire, too. Both of them shot the lead outrider in the chest, tearing open his torso and blowing him off his horse. Cursing himself for not having discussed some form of plan with Nati, Ritter worked the lever of his Winchester and poured bullets into the mayhem erupting not a hundred paces in front of him.
Animals and men were in chaos. Even before the first casualty hit the ground, the other outriders broke, whooping orders, struggling with terrified horses. A bullet hit the big man on the buckboard. His hands flew to his throat, surprise and horror showing on his face, and the horses bolted. His companion had no chance to hold them back. He made a brave attempt, half-rising from his seat to grab the reins, but two bullets
