Young Ole Devil (5 page)

‘
Sergeant Brill!’ Travis called, turning to the spectators
on the sidewalk, without offering to acknowledge the introduction.
‘Take our men back to the camp and find them some work.’

‘
Yo!’
answered the non-com, giving what was already developing into the
accepted cavalry response to an order.

While Duke could see that he
would be losing some of his audience, he expected that the rest
were going to re-enter the
cantina
and allow him to continue with the work which had
been interrupted. Even as the thought came, he heard bugles playing
a familiar and—under the circumstances—infuriating call.

‘
That’s assembly, boys,’ Bowie announced. ‘Means we’re all
wanted back at the camp. I’d be right obliged if you’d close down
for a spell, Bill.’

‘
She’s
as good’s done, Jim,’ Cord answered, and he could hardly restrain
his relief as he realized that by doing so he would prevent Duke
from resuming the agitation. ‘I’ll open up after sundown, gents,
but there’ll be nothing else served until then. Collect your
belongings.’

‘
Whose
outfit are those two with?’ Bowie asked, indicating the unconscious
brothers.

Nobody replied. Glancing at Duke, his men
received a prohibitive shake of his head and kept silent.

‘
Looks
like they must have come in to join somebody,’ Bowie went on.
‘Here, Ed, Tim, see to them.’

The men named by the
knife-fighter belonged to his regiment. Swinging from the porch,
they went to carry out the order. While Travis
’s soldiers were forming up,
the sergeant returned Hardin’s property to him.

‘
We’d
best have ’em toted to a doctor, Colonel Jim,’ suggested one of the
men who was examining the brothers, and he pointed to Basil. ‘This
jasper’s head’s split open pretty bad and, way young Ole Devil
there kicked it, the other’ll be lucky if his jaw’s not
broken.’

‘
That’s
very
good!’ Travis snorted, in tones which implied exactly the
opposite, scowling at Hardin who had donned his hat and was
returning the pistol to its loop on his belt. ‘Thanks to
you,
captain,
we’ve lost two men who could have fought against the
Mexicans.’

‘
No
excuse, sir,’ the young dandy answered, stiffening into a ramrod
straight brace as rigidly military as the uniformed colonel’s
posture. His Mephistophelian features displayed a complete lack of
emotion, certainly he did not appear to be contrite over having
deprived the army of the brothers’ services. ‘Permission to leave,
sir?’

‘
Granted!’ Travis replied. ‘And, unless you wish to indulge
in further brawls and to cripple a few more members of
our
army, I’d suggest
that you get about whatever business has brought you to San
Antonio.’

‘
Tommy’s not here yet,’ Mannen Blaze remarked, looking
languidly around as he and his cousin entered Shelby’s Livery
Barn.

‘
I was
hoping that he wouldn’t be,’ Ole Devil Hardin admitted, and touched
his bruised left cheek with a careful forefinger. ‘With any luck,
I’ll have time to tidy myself up again before he comes to fetch
us.’

‘
I’m
going to stick with you this time, cousin,’ Blaze declared with a
sleepy grin. That way you’ll maybe keep out of
mischief.’

On their arrival at General
Samuel Houston
’s headquarters that morning, Hardin and Blaze had
delivered the report of the scouting mission which they had carried
out. They had been told that the General would not be able to see
them for some time, but wished to do so eventually. Wanting to look
their best, and having an aversion to being dirty, for longer than
was necessary, they had left the third member of their party at the
headquarters’ building and gone to try and make themselves more
presentable.

Visiting the livery barn where
they had already left their horses, the cousins had asked advice of
its owner. An old friend of their clan, Allen Shelby, had told them
to go to his home and make use of his toilet facilities. As the
senior officer, Hardin had been the first to use the bath and
change from his travel-stained garments. While his cousin was
bathing in turn, he had returned to the barn to see if their
companion had arrived. Finding the
Chicano
boy and learning what had happened, he had
set off to deal with the matter alone instead of waiting for Blaze
to Join him.

Although Hardin had achieved
his purpose, he had accepted Colonel William Barrett
Travis
’s
comments and curt dismissal from the front of the
cantina
without making any
attempt to
offer an explanation which would exculpate him. Accompanied
by his cousin, who had prudently remained in the background during
the brief discussion with Travis, he had made his way back to the
livery barn. They had arranged to meet their companion there when
he came to fetch them for the interview with Houston.

During the walk from the
cantina
to the barn, Hardin
had satisfied Blaze’s curiosity regarding the trouble. He had also
explained why he had not told Travis of the real reason for him
picking the fight. Far from being the slow-witted dullard which he
pretended to be, Blaze had conceded that his cousin had acted for
the best and hoped that their superiors would share his sentiments
when they heard.

The barn was still unoccupied,
which did not surprise Hardin and Blaze. Shelby had been on the
point of departing for a conference at Houston
’s headquarters when they had
come to seek his advice, and had said that all of his employees
were occupied with preparations for leaving with the
army.

‘
Mrs.
Shelby’s too busy to want me bothering her again,’ Hardin drawled.
‘I’ll have a wash in the horse-trough.’

‘
You
shouldn’t need to change your clothes again,’ Blaze commented. ‘I
reckon we can brush most of the drift off.’

‘
I
hope so,’ Hardin replied. ‘I don’t have another pair of breeches
until Mrs. Shelby sends the pair she’s having washed. Let me get a
towel out of my war bag and, while I’m washing, will you get the
rest of our gear out of the office? Then we’ll take the horses, go
out to headquarters and wait there until the General can see
us.’

‘
I’m
for
that
J
Blaze
declared. ‘There’ll be less chance of
you
getting into trouble again if we
do.’

Although the
cousins
’ and
their companion’s saddles were hanging with several more on the
inverted V-shaped wooden ‘burro’, which had been erected along one
wall for that purpose, they had removed their bed rolls, rifles and
other weapons. Shelby had suggested that with so many strangers in
town—and as the barn would be untended—it might be advisable for
them to leave their more portable property somewhere less public
than on the burro. Putting his private office at their disposal, he
had given them a key so that they could retrieve their gear when
they needed it.

By the time Hardin had finished
his ablutions, Blaze had fetched their belongings from the office
and had removed most
of the dirt stains from his shirt. Donning it,
Hardin replaced the towel in his war bag. He was about to refold
his bed roll when footsteps sounded and a group of men came through
the open main doors.

Six in number, the newcomers formed a rough
half circle and halted just inside the building. In the centre of
the line, standing with his hands behind his back, was a tall,
gangling, mournful-looking man wearing a black hat and suit
Studying him, Blaze thought he might be an undertaker and wondered
what had brought him to die barn. Although the others wore a
variety of clothing, it was clear that they were with the black
dressed man. What was more, their attitude suggested that they
might not have arrived for the harmless purpose of collecting their
horses.

‘
What’re you pair doing in here?’ Erasmus Jolly demanded,
after looking around to make sure that nobody else was
present.

Having seen that he would not
be able to carry out his assignment as long as the
cantina
was closed and the
men returned to their regiments, Stanforth Duke had been furious.
He had guessed that when Houston heard what he had been trying to
do, he would take steps to ensure Duke was not given a second
opportunity. Being of a vindictive nature he had decided that the
indirect cause of his misfortune should be made to suffer. So he
told Jolly to take their men and revenge themselves upon the young
dandy, while he went to see if there was any chance of resuming the
task which had brought them to San Antonio. Having discovered that
their victim was at the livery barn, Jolly had come with his
companions. He wanted to provoke Hardin into starting a fight so
that he could claim, if questioned, that he and his companions had
acted in self-defense. After what he had seen at the
cantina,
he felt confident
that doing so would be easy.

‘
That
depends on why you’re asking,’ Hardin answered truculently, coming
to his feet and darting a quick look to where his pistol—which he
had removed while washing—lay on his saddle just beyond his
reach.

There
’s a fair few fellers’ gear in here,
including our’n, with nobody to keep an eye on it,’ growled the
biggest of the party, standing to Jolly’s right. Clad in
vanquero-
style
clothing, his name was Stone. It had been he who had asked
the questions in the
cantina
which had allowed Duke to start commenting upon
the military situation in Texas. ‘So we’re a mite curious when we
find two fellers taking things out of somebody’s war
bag.’

‘
It’s
my
war bag,’ Hardin stated coldly, acting as Jolly hoped he
would, and flickering a glance past the men towards the main
entrance. ‘And I’m putting something in, not taking
it
out.’

‘
How
about them other two bed-rolls?’ the former undertaker challenged,
as he and his companions moved slowly closer. He still kept his
hands behind his back and continued in an officious manner to which
he felt sure the dandy would take exception, ‘Seems to me that
makes one more of ’em than there is of you.’

‘
We’re
taking our
amigo’s
gear out to headquarters with us,’ Blaze explained in a
placatory manner, after having darted a look at his cousin which,
Jolly believed, was imploring him not to make trouble.

‘
Your
amigo’s,
huh?’ Jolly sniffed and brought his party to a halt about
fifteen feet away from the cousins.

‘
He’s
waiting out there,’ Hardin elaborated and swung his gaze past the
men as if searching for somebody to confirm his statement. Then he
eyed the black dressed figure sardonically. ‘Only you’ve no
intention of believing us.’

‘
You’re damned right we haven’t,’ Jolly confirmed, bringing
his hands into view. The right was grasping a cocked pistol, which
he lined at the slim young dandy. ‘Stand still, both of
you.’

‘
Best
do it, Devil,’ Blaze advised almost tremulously.

‘
Shed
your weapons,’ Jolly went on. ‘We’re going to take you to the
constable and see what he reckons to your story.’

‘
That
suits me,’ Blaze declared, starting to draw the bowie knife from
his sheath with the tips of his fingers. He looked at his cousin,
continuing, ‘I’d do it, was I you, Devil. The constable knows us
and he’ll soon clear things up.’

‘
That’s for sure,’ Hardin agreed, giving a confirmatory nod.
Then he also took out his knife and let it fall. Oozing arrogance
and indignation, he scowled at Jolly. ‘And when he has,
hombre,
we’ll be expecting
an apology.’

‘
You’ll get it,’ the former undertaker sneered, watching the
bulky red-head’s pistol following the two knives. ‘Move away from
’em.’

As the cousins obeyed the
order, going into the centre of the barn, Jolly congratulated
himself upon the way in which he was
carrying out his superior’s instructions.
While desirous of vengeance, Duke had decided that it should be
restricted to a severe beating with fists and feet. There must, he
had stated, be no shooting as that would attract unwanted
attention. So, with such a restriction placed upon him, Jolly had
been determined to ensure that their victims were also denied the
use of weapons. Satisfied that he had achieved his intentions, he
was about to tell his men to do their work when he heard a soft
footfall from his rear. While his men looked around he kept his
eyes to the front.