Ole Devil and the caplocks

by Edson, John Thomas

  Unfortunately, Ole Devil had appreciated that there were a number of obstacles in the path of his desire. One of the most important was the realization that he now owed an additional debt to Vanderlyne. Thinking about his and Man-nen's flight, he had always suspected the peace officer had failed to act with his usual diligence and efficiency when organizing the pursuit after the jail-delivery. Now it was clear that he had continued to devote time and effort to clearing his friend's name.

  Such an obligation was not to be taken lightly by a man of Ole Devil's character, background and upbringing.

  What was more, there were others to whom the young Texian was under a debt of gratitude.

  The Bowie family had a claim upon Ole Devil for the part one of them had played in his escape. Not only had Rezin Pleasant Bowie planned how it was to be done, he had risked his liberty and reputation by helping Mannen Blaze to implement the far from danger-free scheme.

  Being members of the Hardin, Fog and Blaze clan had done much to smooth the two young fugitives' path across Louisiana, as had the money and other aids to the flight which had been supplied without question when Mannen had requested them. Other kinsmen, accepting Ole Devil's word that he was innocent, had helped the cousins to establish themselves in Texas. He knew and shared their sentiments on the matter of breaking free from the tyrannical yoke oiPresi-dente Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and had committed himself, without pressure from them to do so, to the cause. Bearing the latter point in mind, Ole Devil had his well-developed sense of duty to contend with. He was all too aware of how badly the hurriedly formed, greatly outnum-

  bered Army of the Republic of Texas needed every man. Harassed by internal friction as much as from the enemy, Major General Samuel Houston could ill afford to lose the services of a loyal, disciplined and competent officer, which Ole Devil knew he had proved himself to be.

  In addition, there was Melissa's feelings for Ole Devil to consider. While the delay in the marriage might have been at her instigation and caused by the hope that circumstances might allow him to return and resume their love affair, it could also be for the reason given by Rassendyll. It was in keeping with Vanderlyne's character that he would want to support his wife and by his own efforts rather than relying upon the bounty of his, or her, parents, and yet refuse to allow her standards of living to be lowered to any great extent.

  So, in spite of his assumption that he could go back and take up where he had left off with Melissa, Ole Devil was realistic enough to concede that he might be wrong. In the years which had elapsed since his departure, she could have changed her attitude toward him. It was possible that she had come to love Vanderlyne and put Ole Devil from her thoughts as being unattainable. If he returned, he might stir up an emotional conflict which would be better avoided.

  What was more, a successful resumption of their love affair would produce the friction between their respective families which Ole Devil's refusal to allow Melissa to prove his innocence in the first place had been intended to avert. The need to prevent it was even greater now than it had been when the incident occurred. The Comforths and Vanderlynes were backing the Hardins, Fogs and Blazes in the bitter controversy over whether the United States Congress should continue to allow support to be given to the Texians in their struggle for independence.

  The continuation of the powerful alliance between the families would be of far greater importance in the future. Many prominent Texians, Ole Devil's kin among them, accepted that the forming of an independent Republic was only a short-term policy. However, their ambition to see Texas become a part of the United States did not meet with complete approval in that country. The anti-slavery lobby was utterly, almost rabidly, opposed to what threatened to be the creation of further "Slave-States."* Others could not see any profit in the acquisition of such a vast, thinly populated, and, as far as they could tell, unproductive wilderness; particularly when obtaining it would antagonize and probably have an adverse effect upon trade with Mexico.

  Taking all the facts into consideration, Ole Devil realized that his decision could have far-reaching effects. If Melissa was being forced against her wishes into an unwanted marriage with a man she hated, he would not have hesitated to return and take her regardless of the consequences. However, he knew that such was not the case. She had always felt warmth and affection, if not love, for Vanderlyne. In fact, her only misgivings over her feelings toward Ole Devil had been caused by a wish to avoid hurting her fiance.

  Being an intelligent young man, with a well-developed sense of responsibility, Ole Devil had known at the bottom of his heart from the moment he had heard Rassendyll's news that there was only one course he could take with honor. He must continue to adhere to the arrangement which Melissa and he had made that night on the outskirts of Crown Bayou.

  There could be no going back!

  Knowing it had been one thing, accepting it was less easy!

  Although Ole Devil was normally too well adjusted to be

  * The Texians had suggested that, considering the enormous area of land which would be involved, after annexation Texas could be divided into three or four separate states.

  plagued by self-doubts, the receipt of the news and the understanding of its implications had been a traumatic experience. So much so that he had felt an irresistible desire to be alone and give the matter his undivided attention. Certainly the noise and activity on the beach at Santa Cristobal Bay had been too distracting and disturbing for him to concentrate upon the various conflicting issues which were involved. Knowing that he could count upon Mannen, Di Brindley and Rassendyll as on himself, he had collected the gelding and, ostensibly, set off to inspect the pickets whom he had positioned earlier that morning.

  None of the men Ole Devil had visited so far had had anything to report. However, in spite of approaching the most distant of the remaining pickets and knowing that it was the direction from which an enemy force might be expected to come, his emotional condition was making him far less alert and watchful than would normally have been the case.

  An excellent horseman, the young Texian guided his horse through the woodland with hardly any need for conscious thought. He was following a trail which had been made either by wild animals or free-ranging longhom cattle. Being well trained, the gelding kept far enough away from the trees to save him from banging his legs against the trunks or being swept from the saddle by low hanging branches.

  Approaching a massive old cottonwood tree, the dun saw nothing to prevent it passing underneath the lowest branches. They were high enough for there to be no danger of them touching its rider. Still engrossed in his thoughts, Ole Devil was giving little attention to his surroundings. So the man who, having been concealed by the thick foliage, dropped off of an overhanging limb took him completely unawares.

  Before the Texian could react, he was being half knocked and half dragged from his low homed, double girthed "slick

  fork" saddle.* Trying to struggle, his head struck the tree's trunk a glancing blow. For a brief instant, it seemed that bright lights were exploding inside his head. Then everything went black.

  * "Slick fork" saddle: one with little bulge, or roll, at the fork. Because of its Spanish connotations, the Texianspreferred to use the word "girth" instead of "cinch. "

  THEY'LL MAKE YOU TALK

  "He's beginning to show signs of life at last. By the Holy Mother, that's fortunate for you. If you'd killed him, I would have made you wish you'd never been bom."

  The words, spoken in Spanish with the accent of an upper-class Mexican, seemed to be coming from a long way off. Yet for all his dazed and bewildered condition, Ole Devil Hardin could detect their hard and imperious timbre. Whoever was speaking appeared to be addressing his social inferiors.

  "I'm pleased to see that you're recovering, senor," the voice continued, changing to English and picking the words carefully, as if the language was familiar but had not been used recently. "I was concerned when I first saw you, thinking you were more seriously in
jured by my man's attack."

  Hearing his native tongue helped Ole Devil to clear his head of the mists which seemed to be swirling around in it, but nothing could dispel the nagging ache that was emanating from the back of his skull. However, with his faculties returning, he was able to appreciate that there was an underlying hardness to the polite and almost solicitous tones.

  "Your hat cushioned at least some of the force with which

  your head struck the trunk of the tree," the speaker went on, "otherwise the result would have been far worse. As it is, you have been unconscious for some minutes."

  Gradually, the Texian's vision began to clear. From the sight which met his eyes and what he could feel, he was lying supine and far from comfortably on the ground. Above him spread the branches of the massive old cottonwood tree in which his unknown and, as yet, unseen assailant must have been concealed before dropping upon him.

  Wanting to feel at his throbbing head in the hope that doing so would reduce the pain, Ole Devil tried to bring his hands from beneath his body. He found that he could not move them. For a few seconds, such was his befuddled state that he was unable to think why they were failing to respond to his will.

  Then understanding struck him!

  His wrists were bound together behind his back!

  On experimenting, Ole Devil discovered that his ankles were also secured.

  The Texian was not too surprised by the discovery. Already his brain was functioning sufficiently for him to deduce that, no matter how amiable the speaker might sound on the surface, he was unlikely to be an ally.

  Shaking his head and gritting his teeth, Ole Devil raised his shoulders until he could examine his surroundings. As soon as his gaze was focused upon the speaker, he knew that the conclusions he had formed were correct. Standing with his legs apart, just clear of the Texian's feet, the man's attire was military in cut. It was not the uniform of any Mexican regiment with which Ole Devil was acquainted. Nor, despite there being a number of high-born Chicanos fighting against Santa Anna, did he believe the other was a member of the Republic of Texas's Army.

  Slightly over medium height, the man's physique—empha-

  sized by the cut of his expensive and well-tailored garments —was reasonable if not exceptional. In his late twenties, his deeply bronzed and handsome face had hazel eyes with somewhat drooping lids and a Hapsburg* lip such as frequently occurred among members of high-class Spanish families. A Hussar-style black astrakhanf busby, with a silver gray bag hanging out of its top behind a long, flowing plume made of several emerald-green tail feathers from a cock Quetzal,** had a golden cord passing around his neck from the back. His form-fitting, waist long light green tunic was elaborately frogged with black silk and the matching, tight-legged breeches sported broad stripes of gold braid. The latter ended in black Wellington-legbootsij: with dangling gold tassels at the front and large-roweled ''chihuahua" spurs on the low heels. A silver-gray coat, trimmed with black astrakhan, its sleeves empty, was draped across his shoulders. However, instead of a cavalry saber, there was a magnificent Toledo steel epee-de-combat attached to its slmgs on the left side of his black leather waistbelt. As his hands—encased in white gauntlets—^were occupied, a heavy riding quirt dangled by its strap from his left wrist.

  In spite of the way that the elegant—if somewhat travel-stained—^young man had spoken, Ole Devil sensed there was something menacing about him. His dress and appearance

  * Hapsburg: an ancient German family from which were descended rulers of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia, the Holy Roman Empire and Spain, f Astrakhan: originally the pelts of very young lambs, with tightly curled wool, from the district around the Russian city of that name. Later a fabric with a curled pile in imitation of such pelts.

  ** Quetzal: Pharomachnis Mocino, one of the Trogoniformes birds, found in the mountain forests of Central and South America regarded as sacred by the Ancient Aztecs and Incas. Two of the cock's fringed tail covert feathers may reach a length of over three feet, making them much sought after for decorative purposes.

  t Wellington-legboots: not the modem waterproofed rubber variety, but the knee-length leather pattern made popular by the Duke of Wellington.

  marked him as being from a wealthy family of pure Spanish blood. Since arriving in Texas, Ole Devil had met many of his class. Some he'had found to be gentlemen, even when judged under the exacting standards by which he had been raised. Others were race-proud, arrogant and vicious bullies. He guessed that his captor was of the latter kind. Behind the veneer of culture was a cold-blooded sadistic nature which would take pleasure in inflicting pain.

  Looking past the Mexican, Ole Devil discovered that they were on the edge of a fair-sized clearing fringed with bushes and trees.

  And they were not alone!

  Some twenty feet away, squatting on their heels in a rough half circle and gazing at the Texian with coldly impassive dark brown faces, were five tall, lean, and muscular Indians. They had shoulder long black hair held back by cloth headbands which had no decoration such as feathers. Loose fitting, multicolored trade shirts hung outside deerskin breech-cloths and the legs of their moccasins extended almost to knee level.

  Only one of the quintet possessed a firearm, the others having either a knife in a sheath or a tomahawk's handle thrust through the leather belts which encircled their shirts. A couple nursed short bows and had quivers of arrows on their backs. Three had flattish, slightly curved, sturdy pieces of wood about twenty-four inches in length, which Ole Devil identified as throwing sticks—simple, yet effective and deadly weapons in skilled hands—by their sides. From all appearances, the remaining member of the group was its leader. Eldest and best dressed, with a red headband, he not only had a knife, but there was a flintlock pistol tucked into his belt and a nine-foot-long war lance standing with its head spiked into the ground within easy reach of his right hand.

  Although Ole Devil could not claim to be an authority on

  such matters, he had always been a good listener, and he remembered what he was told. From the information given by men with more extensive knowledge, he decided that the Indians were Hopis. Hailing from the region of northwest Sonora known as "Arizona," they were one of the few tribes to employ throwing sticks as weapons.

  There were a number of horses in the center of the clearing beyond the men, including the Texian's linebacked dun gelding which was ground hitched by its dangling, split-ended reins. The magnificent palomino gelding, with a floral patterned single girth saddle that had a swollen fork and a horn almost the size of a dinner plate, obviously belonged to the Mexican. It was standing a few feet away from the other animals, its one-piece reins held by an unarmed, barefooted Indian boy—^who was shorter and more stocky than the Hopis, if that was their identity—clad in a battered straw sombrero, torn white cotton shirt and trousers with ragged legs.

  With one exception, the rest of the animals were wiry Indian ponies of various colors. The latter had saddles with simple wooden trees covered by rawhide and war bridles made from a single length of rope fastened to the lower jaw by two half hitches. They were positioned so that Ole Devil could not see enough of the exception to make out how it was rigged. Nor did he waste time trying to find out.

  Having given the Indians and the horses a quick examination, Ole Devil returned his attention to their Mexican companion and, almost certainly, superior. What he saw was not calculated to increase his peace of mind. Just the opposite, in fact.

  The man was holding what at first glance appeared to be a so-called "Kentucky"* rifle, except that it had some unusual

  * The majority of the "Kentucky" rifles were actually made in Pennsylvania.

  features. One of the differences was that the hammer was underneath the frame, just ahead of the trigger guard. Although a few "underhammer" pieces had been made, they were never popular due to the difficulty of retaining the priming powder in the frizzen pan. There would be no such problem with the weapon in his hands. It did not have a frizzen
pan, nor even a nipple to take a percussion cap. Another omission was a ramrod, and there was no provision made to carry what was normally an indispensable aid to reloading. However, the most noticeable departure from the standard "Kentucky's" fittings was a rectangular metal bar with rounded ends which passed through an aperture in the frame and a leverlike device behind it on the right side.

  There was no need for Ole Devil to wonder what the weapon might be. It was his Browning Slide Repeating rifle, which had been in the leather boot—still something of an innovation—attached to the left side of the dun's saddle. What was more, as one of the three five-shot magazines that had been in a leather pouch on the back of his waistbelt was now positioned in the aperture on the piece's frame, the Mexican either knew, or had deduced, its purpose.

  The other two magazines, Ole Devil's saber, and his matched pair of pistols—one of which was carried in a holster that, along with the sword, hung over his saddle horn— lay at his captor's feet.

  "That's better, senor,"' the Mexican remarked, taking his eyes from the weapon and looking at the Texian. "Are you sufficiently recovered to understand me?"

  "Just about," Ole Devil admitted. "But I'm as uncomfortable as hell. Can I sit up, please?"

  "If you wish," the Mexican authorized, with an air of friendly magnanimity, but he made no offer to help. Instead, he continued to study the rifle while the Texian shuffled labo-

  riously to sit propped against the trunk of the tree. Then he went on, "This is a remarkable weapon—if it works."

  "It works well enough," Ole Devil declared, puzzled by his captor's attitude and playing for time almost instinctively; although he did not know what good gaining it might do.

  "Then it's a great pity that it will only fire five shots in succession," the Mexican remarked, cradling the butt against his shoulder and sighting along the forty and five-sixteenths of an inch-long octagonal barrel so that its .45-caliber muzzle was directed at the center of its owner's chest. "Of course, under certain conditions, one would be sufficient."