Knife, Bullet and Noose

Introduction

Knife, Bullet and Noose. Short fiction by Robert E. Howard featuring The Sonora Kid. The story was received by the Kline Agency on June 7, 1933, and later submitted to Street & Smith’s Cowboy Stories, edited by Orlin F. Tremaine, on August 18, where it faced rejection on August 25. V. I. Cooper of the Kline Agency began marketing it on September 7, 1933. By February 3, 1934, it reached Fiction House and Wild West Weekly, only to be returned on April 20. The final typescript, bearing a Kline Agency stamp on the upper corner of its title page, survives alongside two slightly shorter drafts with minor variances.

The story

In this tale, Steve Allison, known as the Sonora Kid, faces a dire situation in the Gold Dust Bar when Johnny Elkins warns him of impending danger. Grizzly Gullin, a buffalo hunter, along with a mob of buffalo hunters, are seeking revenge on Steve, believing he killed one of their own.

Steve, having recently sold a large herd of cattle to R. J. Blaine, a new cattle-buyer, finds himself short-changed, with the remainder of his payment to come from Abilene. After settling his men’s dues and sending them to Arkansas, Steve heads to Blaine’s to collect his money. Upon receiving it, Blaine insists on Steve signing a receipt, but Steve leaves the money with Blaine for safekeeping as he senses trouble brewing.

A stranger informs Steve that Grizzly Gullin challenges him at the Buffalo Hump. Despite sensing a trap, Steve agrees to go. There, he faces hostility, especially from Marshal Mike Conolly, a former buffalo hunter with a grudge against him. Steve is falsely accused of cowardly killing Bill Galt, a charge he vehemently denies, claiming it was a fair fight.

The confrontation escalates into a knife fight with Gullin, unknown to him, Steve is an experienced knife fighter from his time in Mexico. Steve triumphs over Gullin and, in a quick maneuver, shoots out the lights with a hidden derringer and escapes through a window, retrieving his guns from Johnny.

Returning to Blaine’s for his money, Steve discovers Blaine’s treachery. He finds a letter addressed to John Donnelly, falsely stating that Steve was killed and implying misuse of Donnelly’s money. Realizing Blaine’s intent to double-cross him, Steve confronts Blaine, who panics and reaches for his gun. Steve reacts swiftly, killing Blaine and retrieving his money.

Escaping on his mustang, Steve heads south, later joined by Johnny Elkins. The story concludes with the revelation that the man Steve had shot earlier was one of Blaine’s men, adding a layer of complexity to the tale of deceit and survival.

Howard’s agent, Kline received this and also “Law Shooters of Cowtown” on June 7, 1933.

Alternate title:

KNIFE, GUN AND NOOSE.

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