by J. T. Edson
‘Them’s a right fancy heap of words to say nothing,’ the girl sniffed with well simulated disdain, although she had understood and agreed with all Tommy had said. However, having no intention of admitting that she did, she returned her attention to the third member of their group. ‘Just how bad are things down to San Patricio?’
‘I wish I knew for sure,’ Ole Devil answered and something in his voice confirmed Di’s suspicions that he regarded the news as exceedingly grave. ‘According to the two men who came here, all of Johnson’s command have gone under except for themselves.’
‘That being the case, we’d best send off word to General Sam,’ the girl suggested, despite feeling certain the point had already occurred to her companion. ‘If all of ’em have been made wolf-bait, neither him nor Fannin’s boys over to Goliad’ll have heard what’s happened.’
‘Sending a message based on the little I’ve learned could do more harm than good,’ Ole Devil said quietly, but still giving Di an inkling of the problem with which he was faced. ‘I might be doing those two an injustice, but I think they ran away from San Patricio before the fighting was over. Things might not be as bad as they’ve made out.’
‘You mean that Johnson’s bunch could’ve fought off the Mexicans after they’d run away?’ Di asked.
‘It’s a possibility,’ Ole Devil replied. ‘And even if they were beaten, those two might not be the only survivors. In which case, somebody could already have taken the news to Goliad.’
‘Somebody might have,’ Di admitted, instinctively appreciating the misgivings which were plaguing the Texian. ‘Only, from what I’ve seen of Johnson’s bunch so far, I’d sooner bet’s anybody who got clear’d be running north as fast as they could rather than was headed to where the Mexicans’d be likely to go next.’
‘That’s the problem,’ Ole Devil conceded. ‘But, if I send word based on just what those two told me, there’ll be some in the garrison at Goliad and with the General who won’t wait to learn how serious the situation might be.’
‘There’s some’s won’t, happen the way those Red River yahoos’ve let it spook ’em is anything to go on,’ the girl admitted, favoring the Dragoons with a disgusted look. ‘And once a few start pulling out, more’ll follow. Couldn’t you send word to General Sam and make sure that nobody but him gets it?’
‘I could try, but doing it wouldn’t be advisable,’ Ole Devil answered. ‘The effect would be a whole lot worse if it slipped out. That’s why I’m going to tell my men all I know before we set off.’
Such was the faith that Di had developed where Ole Devil was concerned, it had never occurred to her to wonder how the members of the Texas Light Cavalry who were present might be affected by the news from Goliad and the Dragoons’ behavior. On the other hand, she could imagine how the tidings would be received by Houston’s retreating army and the garrison under Colonel James W. Fannin’s indecisive command at Goliad. Morale was already low, and finding themselves threatened with encirclement by the Mexicans might prove the breaking point.
Swinging her gaze in the cavalrymen’s direction, the girl saw that they were talking among themselves and pointing at the Dragoons. However, for all their interest, they had not allowed it to impede them in the work of saddling the horses ready to move out with the mule train. Nor were any of them offering to go over and satisfy their curiosity by questioning members of the other outfit.
‘I’d say’s how you don’t need to worry about them,’ Di stated. ‘And, to a half smart ol’ country girl like me, seems like the easiest way to find out what’s happened at San Patricio’d be send somebody to take a look.’
‘Some such idea had crossed my mind,’ Ole Devil admitted.
‘Only you’re not sure who to send,’ the girl went on.
‘I’m not.’
‘Sergeant Smith’s a pretty smart hombre.’
‘He’s also married with a young family, and there’s no safe way of gathering the kind of information that’s needed.’
‘On top of which, you figure that you’re the one who’s best suited to get it,’ Di went on, once again making a shrewd guess at the Texian’s thoughts. ‘And, much as I hate to have to say it, you’re right. Only you’ve got these caplocks on your hands.’
‘I have.’
‘And even if somebody from Johnson’s crowd’s was took prisoner and trying to save his skin hasn’t told about ’em, them Hopis will have?’
‘It’s possible.’
‘Well, knowing’s the Hopis’re already after ’em, they’ll not be likely to send anybody else, will they?’ Di went on, before Ole Devil could finish his comment.
‘Probably not,’ the Texian answered. ‘Except that they mightn’t know the Hopis are after us.’
‘Why wouldn’t they know?’ Di challenged.
‘According to the mozos, the Hopis came from the west,’ Ole Devil explained. ‘Nothing they said suggested they knew there were any other Mexican troops nearer than Santa Anna’s army. If so, they don’t belong to the column which took San Patricio.’
‘Then them fellers’s whupped Johnson’s bunch could figure they’re the only Mexicans hereabouts.’ Di remarked. ‘And they’re likely to send somebody to take the caplocks from us.’
‘It’s more than likely,’ Ole Devil declared. ‘They’re a tempting prize.’
‘And if they send,’ the girl continued, more in a statement than a question. ‘They’ll use enough men to make sure of taking ’em and getting ’em back.’
‘It’s not likely they’ll send less than half a regiment of cavalry,’ Ole Devil admitted.
‘Well then,’ Di said, with the air of having reached a decisive point. ‘I don’t see’s how we’re all that much worse off. With that many, same’s with the Hopis, we’ve a good head start and we’ll be heading away from them near on’s fast as they can move.’
‘That’s true,’ Ole Devil concurred.
‘Then it’ll be three days, at the very least, afore they could catch up with us,’ the girl declared. ‘And by then, we’ll be close enough to Thompson’s Ferry to count on getting enough help to stand ’em off. So, way I see it, there’s nothing to stop you ’n’ Tommy heading down towards San Patricio and finding out for yourselves what’s happening. Hell, we don’t need you pair along to hold our hands and you won’t rest easy until you know.’
‘I wish it was that easy, Di,’ Ole Devil said. ‘But there are more than just the Mexicans and the Hopis for us to consider.’
‘You mean that bunch?’ Di snorted, indicating the Dragoons with a contempt-filled jerk of a thumb. ‘Huh! You’ve got the Injun sign on them—’
‘Only I won’t be along to make sure it stays on,’ Ole Devil countered. ‘And they still have us outnumbered.’
‘Why not just tell ’em straight that we’ll start shooting without waiting to find who-all’s coming happen anybody comes once we’re on our way?’ the girl asked.
‘If I did, they’d know I didn’t believe they meant to go south,’ Ole Devil replied. ‘And one lesson I learned real early was never to give a horse, dog or man cause to think I was scared of him. Which is how they’d regard it and that could give them bad ideas. No, Di. It’s not them I’m worrying over. They’ll be too busy running for safety to trouble us. But there’re the folks at San Phillipe. If they learn how small an escort is left—’
Although the replacement for the dead bell-mare had been obtained in the small sea port of San Phillipe, Di knew why Ole Devil had misgivings. The population were notorious as unscrupulous cutthroats, some of whom would be only too willing to snap up such valuable loot as the consignment.
‘You know something, Devil,’ the girl said quietly, with a mischievous grin. ‘After the news they’re going to get, I don’t reckon’s they’ll cause us any fuss.’
‘Which news?’
‘Well now,’ Di answered, contriving to give off an aura of innocence. ‘I’ve just got me a feeling that they’re going to get told the same’s we�
��ve heard about what happened at San Patricio— Except that they’ll hear’s how the Mexicans’s whupped Johnson’re already headed north along the coast trail. And, once they’ve been told that, I’m game to bet that the only thing’s’ll get them away from the boats’ there’d be to put all they own in a wagon and head for the U.S. line like the devil after a yearling.’
‘Would it be too much to ask who is going to do this “telling”?’ Ole Devil inquired, hearing Tommy giving a delighted chuckle.
‘Tom Wolf,’ Di answered, naming the chief of her Tejas employees. ‘And everybody knows Injuns don’t never tell lies. Which it’s sure lucky ole Tom’s been round us white folks long enough to’ve learned how.’
‘Around you white folks,’ Ole Devil corrected. ‘I don’t want to be blamed for corrupting him.’
Despite the light way in which he had just spoken, the Texian was all too aware that he was in a very difficult position. He was torn between two conflicting duties; the one to which he had been assigned by his Commanding General, and that of an officer in a light cavalry regiment, a major task of which was the gathering of military information. The situation at San Patricio called for investigation by somebody who was capable of assessing its full potential and, without being immodest, he knew that he was the plan best suited to carry out the task. However, the safe delivery of the caplocks and ammunition could make the difference between victory and defeat when Houston made his stand. As in the previous case, he knew that he was the man best suited to ensure the consignment reached its destination.
So Ole Devil had to decide what to do.
And the decision must be correct!
Either way, the future of the Republic of Texas might depend upon it!
Chapter Six – It Don’t Pay to Lag Behind
‘We’re all ready to go, happen you are, Devil,’ Diamond-Hitch Brindley announced, riding up as the young Texian was walking away from the Red River Volunteer Dragoons after having taken part in an impromptu funeral service for Major Ludwig von Lowenbrau.
‘So are we, Di,’ Ole Devil Hardin replied, neither his tone nor expression supplying any hint as to how he was feeling with regard to the line of action to which he had committed himself. Raising his voice, he called, ‘Mount the Company, Sergeant Smith.’
‘Yo!’ the non-com answered and gave the requisite order.
Darting a glance filled with disgust at the men who were gathered around the grave, Di needed all her self-control to hold back the comments she felt bubbling inside her. None of the men met her scornful gaze and, remembering Ole Devil’s desire to avoid letting them know that their true purpose was suspected, she turned her horse away without addressing them.
‘All right, Joe!’ the girl yelled, keeping pace with the Satanic-featured Texian and waving a hand to the cargador. ‘I’ve got the soldier-boys woke up. Now you can start our knob-heads moving.’
Turning her gaze to the ramrod straight figure striding alongside her, Di found he was watching what was going on around him. Although she noticed that his attention was directed towards the activities of her men rather than his own she felt no resentment. She knew why he was taking such interest.
Fortunately for Ole Devil, in the course of his far from uneventful young life he had cultivated a fatalistic outlook. When faced with problems, even the most demanding upon which important issues might depend, he had learned to give them careful consideration before taking action. However, once having reached a decision and taken whatever precautions he believed would contribute to success—making the fullest use of such resources as he had available—he was aware of the danger of indulging in self-doubt. And he did his best to avoid fretting over the consequences if it was proved that his judgment had been at fault. He had always been helped in this by being blessed with an inquiring mind, which would never cease trying to add to its fund of knowledge, and he could generally find something of interest to help divert his attention from whatever cares might be assailing him.
So, having planned how to cope with his current difficulties, the young Texian was finding that traveling with the Brindleys’ mule train was proving to be something of a blessing. While fully cognizant of how vitally important it was for him to ensure that the consignment did not fall into the wrong hands, at the same time the means by which it was being transported served to prevent him from being plagued by concern over the various perturbing aspects arising from the decision he had taken. He believed that he was acting in the most suitable manner, but he also realized that he was relying upon insufficient and possibly inaccurate information.
Like every officer carrying out an independent assignment in the days before the invention of rapid means of communication—such as, for example, the radio—Ole Devil appreciated that he was out of touch with the current situation elsewhere. xxix So he was compelled to rely upon his own initiative and summations based upon the last known state of affairs.
When Ole Devil had set off with orders to collect and deliver the consignment, the main body of the Republic of Texas’s Army had been about to fall back to the town of Gonzales on the Guadalupe River. However, as Presidente Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna had already crossed the Rio Grande, a detachment of one hundred and eighty-two volunteers under the joint command of Colonels William Barrett Travis, James Bowie and David ‘Davy’ Crockett had insisted upon staying in the Alamo Mission at San Antonio de Bexar. It was their intention to try and delay el Presidente for long enough to allow Major General Samuel Houston to consolidate the rest of the Texians’ forces. They were to be reinforced by some of the four hundred well-armed and equipped men, under the command of Colonel James Walker Fannin, occupying Fort Defiance at Goliad.
Although that was practically the sum of Ole Devil’s knowledge, he was working on die assumption that no news from the main body was good news. He felt sure that, if some major catastrophe had befallen them, General Houston would have found a way of notifying him so that he could dispose of the consignment and prevent embarrassment to their supporters in the United States. For all that, the information which had arrived from San Patricio was adding a new dimension to his problems and he had taken it into account when selecting his future movements.
While approving of Di’s suggestion for reducing the possibility of trouble from the less scrupulous citizens of San Phillipe, Ole Devil had also been aware that in all probability any attempt they might be contemplating would already have been set into motion. In addition, after having been deprived of the chance of loot from other sources, the surviving members of Colonel Frank Johnson’s ill-fated command might try to compensate themselves by gaining possession of at least some of the valuable caplock rifles and ammunition.
Without being egotistical, the Texian had appreciated that he had established a very healthy respect for himself among the members of both factions. His presence with the mule train was likely to serve as a strong deterrent to any plans they might be considering. In the event of an attack by either group, his planning ability and guidance would do much to offset whatever disparity in numbers there was between his party and the attackers.
Taking everything into account, Ole Devil was inclined to regard the enemy as being the least pressing factor as far as the protection of the consignment was concerned. Di had made a sound point when stating that the mules could, even if unable; to outrun any pursuers, at least make the chase such a lengthy affair that there would be a good chance of them reaching an area in which reinforcements could be obtained before they were overtaken.
Against that, the Texian was faced with the problem of finding out exactly what had happened at San Patricio, and learning everything possible about the strength and intentions of the second column. On thinking about it, he concluded that there might not be any extreme urgency for an investigation. From what he had seen of Mexicans, and Di—whose knowledge of them was even more extensive—had agreed, he doubted whether the victors could resist celebrating their success over Johnson’s command. In which case, they were unl
ikely to take any further military action until the festivities were at an end. Even then, their soundest tactics—and probably their orders—would be to move westwards and, having dealt with the garrison at Fort Defiance, try to trap the main body of Houston’s Army between themselves and Santa Anna’s force.
In that case, unless the second column sent a detachment north in the hope of snapping up such a tempting prize, they did not pose too great a threat to the consignment. Nor, even if there were no other survivors from the fighting at San Patricio, were they likely to catch the garrison at Fort Defiance unawares. Fannin might not be an efficient and energetic commanding officer, but his instinct for self-preservation was such that he would have patrols operating in his immediate vicinity. Even if he did not, he had officers serving with him—such as Captain James Butler Bonham xxx—who would ensure that such a basic military precaution was carried out.
Despite his conclusion, Ole Devil had known he would have no peace of mind until he had personally reviewed the situation. So he had reached what he regarded as a satisfactory compromise to deal with his dilemma. He would accompany the mule train as far as the San Bernard River, beyond which he had felt sure there would be no danger from either the Dragoons or the citizens of San Phillipe. Then, providing nothing else had come up, he and Tommy Okasi would return and carry out a reconnaissance in the direction of San Patricio.
Once Ole Devil had made up his mind, he informed his companions of his decision. Then, while the packers were completing the preparations for departure, he told his men about the news from San Patricio and that the Dragoons would no longer be accompanying them. As he had anticipated, the men of the Texas Light Cavalry were not distressed to learn of Johnson’s downfall. Nor were they perturbed to discover that the size of the escort would be drastically reduced. Their view was that the Dragoons would be no great loss. Although none of them had mentioned it, he could tell that they were sharing his own suspicions over the reason Sergeant Otis had given for leaving.