John Hitchcock

For the Good of the Service and Stand-off at Tinajas Altas John Hitchcock

Two Tim Champlin westerns in one collection

"For the Good of the Service"

On the dusty land of New Mexico, Lieutenant Miles Justine and his men are chasing a band of Apache raiders when they come upon an over-turned wagon. Its riders are dead, their bodies mutilated. While the Lieutenant's domineering, self-important commanding officer supervises the burial, Justine notices a shift in the wind. Instinct tells him that they're all in trouble. But the ambush that follows may be the perfect opportunity for the men to do something about their frustrating officer, and Justine must decide quickly how far he will go in the charade.

"Stand-Off at Tinajas Altas"

Caswell McCarthy was no hero. The very idea of such a thing had never crossed his mind. Yet he had cheated to give himself the short straw when the five exhausted men had drawn to see who would stay behind. He felt he was the only one who had the slightest chance of slowing down the pursuing war party of Chiricahua Apaches.