The Cruel Trail

Far from his own hunting ground, Cuchillo Oro is roaming through Nevada when he sees a cavalry patrol taking up ambush position in a canyon. Undetected, he watches as a band of Shoshone braves rides unsuspectingly into the murderous crossfire.Enraged by the senseless slayings, he prepares to attack-just as a saddle bum sneaks up and sticks a rifle in his back. Captured and turned over to the troopers, Cuchillo learns they are planning to desert in search of buried treasure rumored to be somewhere in the Sierra Madres. But first they must kill him.Lying to save his skin, Cuchillo claims he knows the exact location and offers to lead them to the cache … in exchange for his life. Greedily, they accept-only to learn that the great Apache warrior has cunningly outsmarted them … by setting a savage trap across their path. William M. James was the pseudonym of John Harvey, Terry Harknett and Laurence James. Most people call him Cuchillo, the Apache word for knife. That's short for Cuchillo Oro, the golden knife.He gave himself the name in 1861-the year he swore vengeance upon the white man, the year an Indian-hating army officer cut off his index finger for "stealing" an ornate golden knife, the year his wife and infant son were murdered by an army lieutenant.He's six feet three inches tall, but he's a big man in more ways than one. He's the grandson of the great chief Mangas Colorado. He's seen his people mistreated, lied to, falsely accused, and cruelly punished-and he can't forget. Not while the white man walks on his land.An expert with the knife, rifle, gun, and bow, Cuchillo rides alone and moves everywhere, everywhere there are white men, unafraid to kill or be killed. There's no turning back now, not for Cuchillo and not for the white men who have persecuted his innocent people.There is only revenge.