Enemies

By Geo. W. Proctor

Piccadilly Publishing, Aug. 2018

Originally published by Doubleday, 1983

They had sworn to kill each other – an Army scout haunted by the brutal slaughter of his wife and child, and a fierce Comanche warrior who’d suffered his own tragic losses. But when Black Hand and his Quahadi band of the People were finally driven in defeat to a government reservation, Jess Younkin figured he could at last get on with his life. Instead, life passed them both by, as a new, more civilized West took hold, with no place for roughriding cowboys or hot-blooded braves.

But now Black Hand has broken free; Younkin has signed on for one last scouting mission to track him down. And it’s only a matter of time before these two enemies meet, alone on the battlefield – warrior to warrior – in a bloody showdown that can end only one way….

Having read a number of books written by George W. Proctor, all published under pseudonyms, all of which I enjoyed, I had high hopes for this one and it certainly lived up to my expectations and more.

Starting in 1875 we witness the sad ending of Black Hand’s freedom and the final exchange of words between him and Younkin. The story then leaps forward in time to the very early 1900’s and we see how the two main characters have aged and struggled to fit in to the changing world. Black Hand’s yearning to once again see the land he once roamed at will leading him to join three young Comanche in a breakout from the reservation. Black Hand’s vision telling him he will be fine as long as he doesn’t kill, but riding with others eager to prove their ability as warriors this will be a hard challenge to keep as they are forced to steal from whites in order to survive.

Proctor’s character studies are terrific, his dialogue snappy and often laced with humour. His descriptions of age and how the modern world makes many of the ways of the past redundant something we can all relate to. But new ways aren’t always the best, witness the attempt to pursue Black Hand by a posse riding in noisy automobiles to prove this point. Action scenes are well-written and hard-hitting and the pacing of the story is excellent too. 

Even though I’ve mentioned automobiles, it’s really only this short sequence that moves the story from being a tale set in the 1800’s into the turn of the century, the majority of the book could take place in those earlier years. Dust, the need for water, horses, weapons, the young know-it-all cavalry Lieutenant charged with bringing the Comanche back to the reservation, the grizzled scout and more will soon have you forgetting the book is mainly set in 1904. 

The ending is tense, moving and violent, finishing the tale in a fitting and memorable scene that will stay in my mind for a long time to come. Enemies is certainly a book worth reading and must rank right up there with the best of George W. Proctor’s storytelling.