Young Ole Devil (9 page)

‘
I’m
sorry, sir,’ Hardin apologized.

Down in the cellar, Juglares
moved restlessly and wished that the men above him would get down
to business. Every
minute he remained in such a compromising position
increased his chances of being caught. Retribution would be swift
and final if that should happen.

‘
Anyway, boy,’ Houston went on, waving aside the
apology.

‘
They’ll be at Santa Cristobal Bay, that’s about ten miles
north of the Matagorda Peninsula, in seven days. You’ll collect
them from the ship and deliver them to me at
Washington-on-the-Brazos, or wherever I might be at the
time.’

‘
Seven
days, sir?’ Hardin repeated, thinking about the distances involved
and the type of terrain which he would have to traverse. ‘How long
will die ship wait?’

‘
No
more than two days, and it will only run into the Bay at night
While we’re in control pretty well from the Brazos to the coast,
there’s the Mexican Navy to be taken into consideration. They’ve a
frigate blockading Galveston, with a ten-gun brig patrolling
between it and Matamoros. So the captain daren’t hang around in the
vicinity for too long. It’s vitally important that the shipment
doesn’t fall into Santa Anna’s hands.’

‘
I can
see that, sir. Those five hundred caplocks and their
ammunition—’

‘
It
goes much deeper than that, boy,’ Houston interrupted. ‘In fact, it
could have an adverse effect upon any future supplies and aid from
the United States. We’re involved in a very delicate situation. As
I said, we didn’t try to keep the Commission’s purpose a secret.
Santa Anna found out what we were hoping to do. So his consul in
New Orleans and the Mexican Ambassador up at Washington, D.C., are
raising all manner of protests over it.’

‘
That’s only to be expected, sir,’ Hardin pointed out
philosophically. ‘But it won’t stop our kin and friends back in the
United States from helping us.’

‘
It
might,’ Houston corrected. ‘There’s considerable opposition from
the anti-slavery faction to any suggestion that, after we’ve won
our independence, Texas should be considered for annexation by the
United States. Their contention is that by allowing that to happen
it might result in the formation of further ‘slave’ States.
^xi
Rather than have that happen they’d
sooner see Texas remain under Mexican rule. So they’re demanding
that the United States refuses to allow even private support or aid
for us.’

‘
But
surely we’ve our own supporters in Congress, sir,’ Hardin
protested.

‘
We
have,’ Houston conceded. ‘And they’d be willing to stand by us more
openly if it was only the Mexicans and the anti-slavery faction
involved. But Santa Anna’s made representations to various European
countries. He’s claiming that our “rebellion”, as he calls it, is
preventing him from bringing about settled conditions which will
allow expansion, development and overseas trade. As the Europeans
are interested in the latter, seeing a chance of profit, they are
taking the line that the United States has no right to interfere in
the domestic problems of another country. So far our supporters in
Congress have been able to evade the issue by pointing out that
there is no proof that aid has been given since the declaration of
independence.’

‘
And
the shipment would furnish that proof, sir,’ Hardin said
quietly.

‘
It
would,’ Houston confirmed. ‘It’s true that the arms were donated by
private individuals and have nothing to do with Congress, or the
United States, but it will embarrass our supporters and lessen
their chances of winning the annexation issue. So you can see why
it’s very important that the shipment doesn’t fall into the
Mexicans’ hands. If it does, there will be pressure put on Congress
to stop
all
aid.’

Crouching on the wine-rack, ignoring the
ache in his legs and neck, Juglares was congratulating himself.
What he had heard was of lie greatest importance. Not even the
discovery that Bowie and Travis were going to hold the Alamo
Mission had been of such value. While his first inclination was to
leave immediately and arrange for the information to be passed on
without delay, he refrained. The more he could learn, the greater
use it would be.

‘
Even
granting the extra two days, sir,’ Hardin said, after a few
seconds’ thought. ‘That doesn’t leave me much time to have Company
“C” join me from the regiment, then get to Santa Cristobal Bay.
Particularly taking along wagons to carry the shipment.’

‘
It
doesn’t,’ Houston admitted. ‘Especially as the longer the ship is
delayed, the greater chance of it being captured. There’s one
thing, though, you won’t be using wagons. Like you said, they’d
slow you down too much. Mules’re faster and better suited to the
kind of country you’ll be covering.’

That
’s true enough, sir. But do we have
enough of them available?’

‘
Ewart
Brindley does. Do you know him?’

‘
I’ve
never met him, sir. But I’ve heard tell of him—-’

‘
And
most of what you’ve heard is true,’ Houston said with a grin,
having noticed the inflexion in the younger man’s voice. ‘Old
Ewart’s just about as ornery and cross-grained a cuss as ever drew
breath or drank corn liquor; but there’s no better hand at working
a mule train.’

‘
That’s what I’ve always heard, sir,’ Hardin
answered.

‘
And
that’s one of the reasons I’m sending
you,
boy,’ Houston went on. ‘Your Uncle Edward
has already spoken highly of your ability to get along with people.
You’ll have to handle Ewart real carefully though, even with the
letter I’ll be giving you for him. It’s no good going along and
expecting him to doff his hat, touch his forelock, say “Yes sir,
captain,” and take your orders. He’s too cantankerous for that and,
the way he sees it, as they’re
his
mules, neither you,
I,
nor anybody else can tell him how to use
them.’

‘
There’s some might say that it’s his duty to use them,
sir,’ Hardin commented.

‘
If
they did say it, he’d tell them to go straight to hell and take
their notions of duty with them.’

‘
Isn’t
he for the Republic, sir?’

‘
Old
Ewart’s never been
for
anything in his whole life,’ Houston warned with a grin.
‘He’s always
against.
Bear that in mind when you get to his place at Gonzales and
you’ll get along fine.’

‘
Will
he be there, sir?’ Hardin inquired.

‘
Di
sent word he would be, getting everything ready to fall back with
us.’

“‘
Di”,sir?’

‘
Ewart’s granddaughter. Her name’s Charlotte Jane Martha,
but I wouldn’t advise you to call her any one of them. He’s reared
her since the Kiowas killed her momma and daddy back in
‘Twenty-Two. They do say she can throw a diamond hitch faster,
tighter and better than any man. That’s where the “Di” comes from.
Old Ewart thinks the world of her. So if you can get her on your
side that’ll be as good as half the battle,’

‘
I’ll
keep it in mind, sir,’ Hardin promised.

‘
You
do that, boy,’ Houston ordered, but in a friendly manner. ‘Now,
about an escort. I can get you as many men as you think you’ll need
from one or other of the outfits who’re in town.’

‘
I’d
sooner not do that, sir,’ Hardin objected. ‘For one thing I’d
rather not be using men I don’t know and who don’t know me. And,
anyway, to get them we’d have to explain to their officers why
they’re wanted. I think the fewer who know about the shipment the
better. There’s less chance of word getting to the Mexicans that
way.’

‘
I’ll
go along with you on that, boy,’ Houston conceded, nodding his
approval. ‘So far, at this end only you, Colonels Travis, Bowie and
I know about it. And they don’t know when or where if s due to
arrive.’

‘
In
that case, sir, I’d rather not take an escort from town. It would
attract too much attention. From all I’ve heard, Ewart Brindley and
his muleteers are pretty tough
hombres.’

‘
They
are,’ the General confirmed. ‘They’ve taken mule trains through
Indian country more than once and come back with their
hair.’

‘
Which
means they can hold up their end, comes shooting,’ Hardin said with
satisfaction. ‘If it’s all right with you, sir, I’ll not take an
escort from town.’

At that moment, Juglares heard
the handle of the cellar door being turned. With a surge of alarm
he realized that whoever was outside would be able to enter. Such
was his eagerness to overhear as much as possible of the
General
’s
conversation, that, on arriving, he had merely closed the door
behind him—

And had left
t
he key in
the lock!

Even as the door began to creep
slowly open, Juglares acted with commendable speed. He knew that he
could not stay where he was and hope to remain undetected. Although
it was late afternoon, the window in the outside
trapdoor
—through which barrels of wine were lowered into the
cellar—was still letting in too much light. Nor could he think of
any acceptable reason for being on top of the rack and the tumbler
might give away his true purpose.

Swiftly, but quietly, Juglares
rolled across the rack and lowered himself to the floor with it
between him and the door. Having achieved this without making
enough noise to betray himself, he peered between two of the
shelves to find out who had disturbed him
.

The intruder proved to
be
a
thin,
sharp-featured infantry soldier. Before entering, he looked back
into the basement in a furtive manner. Apparently satisfied that he
was not being observed, he advanced, subjecting the cellar to a
similar cautious scrutiny. His whole attitude implied that he was
not carrying out any official, or even lawful duty.

For a moment Juglares thought
of remaining in concealment and allowing the soldier to do whatever
he had come for and then depart. However, he saw the objections to
such a course. Having stolen some of the liquor, which was almost
certainly his reason for visiting the cellar, the soldier might
lock the door on leaving. While Juglares could still escape by the
trapdoor, the grounds were heavily guarded and he would be in plain
view of a sentry. Of course, as
major domo,
he had every right to be in the cellar;
although he would have to think up an explanation for making his
exit that way instead of through the basement

The decision was taken out of
Juglares
’s
hands.

‘
Hey!’
yelped the soldier, coming to a halt and staring at the rack behind
which the
major-domo
was standing. He seemed to be on the verge of turning and
dashing out of the cellar. ‘Who-all’s there?’

‘
Only
me,
senor?
Juglares answered in soothing tones and, knowing that to do
anything else would be futile and would arouse the other’s
suspicions, he walked from his place of concealment. ‘Can I help
you?’

‘
Who’re you and what’re you doing down here?’ the soldier
demanded, but his voice lacked the authority of one who had the
right to be asking such a question.

‘
I am
Don Sebastian Carillo de Biva’s
major domo, senor?
Juglares said, adopting his
most imposing tone and manner. ‘It is one of my duties,
particularly in Don Sebastian’s absence, to take care of the wine
cellar.’

‘
It
is, huh?’ the soldier grunted, sounding impressed but still dubious
and suspicious.

‘
Si,
senor,’
the
major domo
confirmed and went on craftily, ‘If you wish, we can go and
see the first sergeant He will tell you who I am.’

The gamble paid off.

‘
Shucks, there ain’t no call for that
amigo,’
the soldier said
hurriedly, just as
Juglares had believed that he would. ‘I’ve
been sent down for
a
couple of bottles
of whiskey, if you’ve got
’em. So if you’ll give ’em to me, I’ll get going
and leave you to your work.’

‘
Certainly,
senor,’
the
major domo
replied. ‘Don Sebastian keeps whiskey for his Texian
friends, I will get it for you. Will two bottles be
enough?’