Hell Command

We love Clifton Adams around these parts, so I'm always browsing through book stores, online databases, and reprint houses to learn more about his life and literary works. I found an online copy of the Oct 1950 issue of Adventure. I remember reading and reviewing a John D. MacDonald boxing story, “Too Early to Tell”, from this very issue. The story right before that one is a cavalry-and-Apache western novella by Adams titled Hell Command.

Adams sets this rowdy tale during the Indian Wars of the Arizona Territory. The setup has an exhausted U.S. Cavalry D Troop arriving at Carter's Wells, a former military outpost that now functions as a way station. The troops are now led by an enlisted man named Kirkpatrick, who is serving as an interim Senior Sergeant due to the prior Lieutenant being killed in a skirmish with a Cheyenne hunting party. Kirkpatrick's aid on this journey is Martin Swain, a hired scout. 

At Carter's Wells, the men find wreckage and bodies, evidence of a bloody battle waged with Apaches. Among the destruction are three survivors, two of whom are relatives of the former outpost's commandant. The other woman is a fierce, rugged widow named Reba Coulter, who single-handedly killed waves of Apache warriors with an Enfield rifle. Coulter reveals her tragic backstory to Swain, details which will pay dividends as the novella reaches its conclusion.

Hell Command's plot sets these weary soldiers on a collision course with Choko, an Apache military leader who wants to kill the surviving women. In a meeting, the Apache warriors agree they will allow the troops to pass unharmed if they will release the women to them. This sets up a unique and perilous situation. Roughly 15 exhausted men against 100 Apache warriors or safe passage with the death and torture of the women at the Apache's hands. Considering this is a story found in the pages of Adventure, you know which choice Swain and Kirkpatrick make. But they have a surprise for the Apache Nation.

Adams can write a phone book, and I would be completely invested. He's an imaginative storyteller of the highest caliber, and this novella showcases that ability. Adams wrote crime-fiction stories and novels, which are all fantastic, but he really found his mark within the western confines. He's able to bend and reshape the traditional western by providing dynamic characterization, deep-seated plots, and multiple character studies while creating emotional dramas that easily draw the reader in. Hell Command is simply fantastic, and I urge you to read the story HERE.