by Paul Bedford
A Return to the Alamo
British Army deserter Thomas Collins is working with the Texas Rangers in Galveston to secure a supply of gunpowder, which is desperately needed back in San Antonio for the continuing struggle against the fearsome Comanche Nation. Unfortunately, Thomas’s past catches up with him in the form of a ruthless British army officer, Captain Speirs, who has been sent across the Atlantic to apprehend him.
As Collins and the Texan Lawmen slowly drive their heavily laden wagons back to San Antonio, they are relentlessly hunted by Speirs and his men, attacked by the forces of a powerful former president of the republic who wants the gunpowder for himself, and harried by a Comanche war party. Thomas has to take command of the Rangers to ensure they reach San Antonio safely, but faces some tough decisions when his lover Sarah is kidnapped by Speirs.
By the same author
Blood On The Land
The Devil's Work
The Iron Horse
Pistolero
The Lawmen
The Outlaw Trail
Terror In Tombstone
The Deadly Shadow
Gone West!
A Return to the Alamo
Paul Bedford
ROBERT HALE
© Paul Bedford 2016
First published in Great Britain 2016
ISBN 978-0-7198-2183-7
The Crowood Press
The Stable Block
Crowood Lane
Ramsbury
Marlborough
Wiltshire SN8 2HR
www.crowood.com
Robert Hale is an imprint of The Crowood Press
The right of Paul Bedford to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him
in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
For my lovely wife Susan, who hasn’t actually
read any of my books, but I can live in hope
CHAPTER ONE
Myriad lights all along the shoreline heralded the arrival of dusk. The city of Galveston lay before us in all of its sparkling glory. From where we hailed, such unguarded excess would be a sure way to hear God laugh. Nobody living in West Texas in the Year of our Lord 1845 would dare to offer such a tempting display. Distance from the settlement line, added to the safety of living on an island, had obviously created a completely different mindset in the inhabitants of the Republic’s erstwhile capital city.
Idly leaning against a guardrail, I listened to the water lapping against the timbers. The absence of grinding toil on my part, coupled with the gentle swaying of the ferry was almost sufficient to lull me into a false sense of security. As the cumbersome craft’s burly operators heaved on the thick cable, I glanced around at my companions. The seven grim faced rangers showed no sign of relaxing their vigilance. Brutalized by the harsh realities of frontier life, they were men with few illusions. Their hands never strayed far from their weapons and any conversation was curt and controlled. Catching my eye, one of their number drifted over to my side.
At first glance, Ranger Sergeant Kirby was an unlikely looking guardian of law and order. Older than the average pistol fighter, with a swarthy piratical visage, he nevertheless possessed a level of intelligence that marked him out from his companions. As with all Texas Rangers, he did not wear any recognizable uniform. A buckskin frockcoat worn over a linen shirt extended almost down to his knees. On his head he sported a broad brimmed felt hat. Tilting this back slightly, he eased forward until we were literally almost nose to nose. His rancid breath was very nearly overwhelming, but I resisted the temptation to retreat. At that stage in our journey I did not relish an involuntary ducking.
‘It’s too late in the day to start prospecting for powder,’ he remarked. ‘We’ll bed down for the night and start fresh in the morning!’
I favoured him with a pained expression. ‘How I long for freshly cooked food and a mattress. Do you know of any reputable establishments?’
Kirby stared at me, a faint smile playing on his weathered features. ‘Galveston’s a mite hard on the poke and rangers’ pay don’t allow for no fancy hotels. Won’t be the first time we ended up bedding down next to horseflesh in a town.’
‘If you think that I’m going to sleep in a stable like the Virgin Mary, you are sadly mistaken,’ I protested. ‘I am in funds, as long as you don’t mind accepting hospitality from the British government.’
‘I’ll take hospitality off of anybody that offers it. And if it’s high living you’re after, Tremont House is the place, but don’t expect to find any virgins!’
As we approached Eagle Grove I could just make out the wharves of the port off to my left. Various ships were moored around the wooden jetties and plenty of activity was visible. Galveston was the main port of entry for all overseas visitors and the main destination for European immigrants. The city had become the largest in Texas with a population of thousands. The island itself was a narrow strip of land, sitting parallel with the coast of mainland Texas.
In the opinion of one of our number, Tobias Walker, who had spent some time as a labourer on the wharves, our best chance of obtaining powder was likely to be at a warehouse owned by one Samuel Williams. This worthy had established a commercial wharf at Twenty-Fourth Street back in ’39. It was here that we hoped to fill our wagons with the finest Du Pont gunpowder, transported all the way from Pennsylvania in the United States of America.
With a thump, the ferry pulled in to the shore. Our brief sojourn was over. Returning to my wagon, I heaved myself up onto the bench seat, very conscious of the dead weight of the gold sovereigns stitched into my jacket. Those highly coveted coins had accompanied me across the Atlantic, on a misguided mission that had failed in all respects and left me as an unwilling deserter from Her Britannic Majesty’s Armed Forces. Yet one man’s loss is another man’s gain and they were soon to be used in the purchase of much needed black powder destined for the beleaguered frontier settlement of San Antonio.
Once ashore, we clattered our way through the darkening streets. Even in the half-light it was obvious to me that Galveston was very different from the other Texas cities that I had visited. Although I had arrived there by steamer the previous year, my stay had been necessarily brief, and I had had nothing to compare it with. Now, as a seasoned traveller in the Republic, I saw things differently. The most noticeable thing to strike me was the lack of any apparent threat. Movement was uninhibited, laughter could be heard in the streets and the buildings showed no signs of fortification. It all confirmed the absence of the Comanche menace, which so blighted other parts of the country.
Having stabled the horses at a livery for much needed rest and feed, we walked through the wide streets. The buildings were a reassuring mixture of timber and brick. It was a balmy night and I felt strangely carefree, as though I was here at my leisure, rather than under orders from Texas’s most revered ranger, Captain Jack Coffee Hays. He and I had struck a deal of sorts. I would fund the purchase of black powder and in return would receive a grant of land to put down roots with my lover, Sarah Fetterman. Unfortunately, the bargain would not be complete until the powder had actually reached San Antonio!
The hotel that Kirby had mentioned was a sturdy, square, two-storey brick building constructed six years earlier on the corner of Tremont Street and Post Office Street. The Twenty-Fourth Street Wharf could wait for another day. The night was ours to enjoy, or so I thought.
‘Hot damn, will you look at all them candles? What the hell is that?’
I chuckled. The grizzled ranger known only as Travis was certainly impressed by our prospective accommodation.
‘That’s known as a chandelier,’ I helpfully supplied, as we mounted the steps off the street into the lobby.
‘Like
staring into the sun,’ he replied with childlike awe.
Only a short while later, Kirby and I, stationed side by side in our tin baths like monarchs on a dais, wallowed in steaming hot water as we puffed contentedly on our recently acquired cigars. Our clothes were being soundly thrashed by some flunky, in an attempt to extract the trail dust from them. With the prospect of an evening of wining and dining ahead of us, life seemed a little less hazardous.
My companion let out a joyful yell. ‘Hot dang, I can’t ever remember living this good. Probably because I ain’t never have.’
I smiled contentedly as I nodded in agreement. ‘Everybody deserves at least a taste of the good life and this little jolly is all courtesy of Her Britannic Majesty Queen Victoria, or at least her likeness on a coin.’
‘Never met the bitch, but she’d get my vote!’
Surprisingly enough that made me chortle. A year or so ago I would have struck him, and called him out for such a comment. But now it really didn’t seem to matter.
As the water finally began to lose its heat, we struggled out of the tubs and into our now, rather more respectable clothing. Ahead of us lay a veritable feast in the ground floor dining room, where such luminaries as Sam Houston and the current President, Anson Jones, had all been guests. Meeting the others downstairs, I was struck by just how much our appearance had altered in such a short space of time. Yet no amount of superficial pampering could hide the fact that I was in the company of seven very dangerous men.
Some two hours later, we all emerged bloated and merry from a truly gargantuan banquet. It was swiftly decided that we should all sally forth into an adjoining saloon catering to the hotel guests and others with the necessary currency to afford it. Kirby, who still had all of his wits about him, looked at me pointedly as he spoke.
‘We’ll all use our own specie for the liquor. Ain’t no sense in flashing those fancy coins of yours around for such as that.’
The saloon was a large room, easily capable of absorbing well over a hundred souls. Down one side there stretched a highly polished wooden counter with half a dozen barmen available to dispense drinks. The tables and chairs were all solid articles, some of the latter actually being upholstered. Around the room there were large mirrors affixed to the walls, mingling with some highly original signs such as: No Discharging of Firearms on these Premises, and No Spitting on Floors, to which some uneducated wag had added, Or Ceelings. Although it was nowhere near full to capacity, there were a few score occupants milling around in it.
Catching sight of myself in a mirror, I wondered what my former comrades of the Fourth Regiment of Foot would have made of me. Tall, just a tad under six foot, with broad shoulders and good posture, I still had a certain military bearing, but that was offset slightly by the unusual length of my dark hair and the distinctly casual nature of my clothes. There was also a certain hardness to my features and possibly an accentuation of my character lines that definitely hadn’t existed before my arrival in the Republic.
My appearance and that of my companions obviously failed to repel certain ladies on the premises, as an enchanting array of fluttering lashes and heaving breasts soon surrounded us. A cynic could have asserted that it was more to do with our free spending, but whatever the reason they were a welcome sight. One female in particular appeared to have set her sights on me. Tall and well made, with lustrous dark hair and a slight cast in her left eye, she introduced herself as Vicky Fulsome. A cursory glance was sufficient to confirm that she more than lived up to her name. Unblemished skin, apparently good teeth and a figure tightly cinched in by corsetry all served to create a desirable impression. Which, of course, was entirely necessary for someone earning her living by bestowing sexual favours. For I was under no illusions that Miss Fulsome was a ‘fast trick’, a fact that did not detract from her appeal one bit. Her well-upholstered, highly prominent breasts seized my attention, pathetic male that I was, and she knew then that I was her mark for the night. Or so she envisaged.
‘You’re the best looking fella I’ve seen around these parts in many a day. How’s about buying me a drink?’
Before I had time to even absorb that entrée she planted a lingering kiss full on my lips. If I had needed any confirmation that she was a common whore that sufficed in full, but nonetheless I found myself rather enjoying it. Enveloped by her seductive perfume I responded to her with enthusiasm, but just as I reached out to embrace her fully, a loud voice broke into my lusty concentration.
‘Er, matey, how about another nip o’ that brandy?’
The accent was undoubtedly English, which should not have come as any surprise. After all, I was in a port. Yet there was something about it, some intonation, which caught my attention. Establishing a proprietary grip on Vicky, I opened my eyes and twisted slightly to view the speaker. The man was angle-on at the counter a few feet away and with his back to me. He appeared to be of medium height, clad in the clothes of a working man. The barman’s response had obviously been unsatisfactory, because his next words were of an altogether harsher variety.
‘To the brim, you prick! I got money, see. Enough to buy this poxy flop ’ouse!’
In support of that assertion he slammed a coin down on the counter and my blood ran cold. The bartender looked suitably impressed, as well he might when beholding a gold sovereign.
Vicky drew back in surprise as she examined my face. ‘You all right, mister? Looks like you done seen a ghost.’
Pulling myself together, I quietly replied, ‘It’s just been a while since I enjoyed the company of a lady. Perhaps you should arrange for some drinks, my dear. I would like to get to know you better.’
That and the coins that passed between us obviously satisfied her, as she gave me a lascivious smile and departed. Twisting around, I located Kirby and Travis seated at a table together. They appeared more interested in hard drinking than womanising and had shrugged off the lurking whores. Moving swiftly over to them, I hissed at Kirby, ‘Do you see that character standing over there?’
Travis leered at me across the top of his bottle. ‘Sworn off women and onto men, huh?’
Kirby looked at the man, but said nothing. He had noticed the urgency in my voice, and waited for me to continue.
‘He’s English and he just paid for his drink with a gold sovereign.’
Kirby peered at me keenly, understanding showing on his face, whereas Travis merely looked bemused. Cursing his slow wits, I hurriedly continued. ‘Such a man is unlikely to carry gold on his person unless he has stolen it, or found a wealthy patron.’
‘So what d’you intend doing about it, Major?’ Kirby as ever cut straight to the chase. What was I going to do? The ranger’s use of my now irrelevant title only served to highlight my problem.
Speaking with a certainty that I didn’t really feel, I answered firmly, ‘When he leaves, I am going after him. I must find out who he is and what brings him here. There is always the possibility that he could be looking for me. You would do me a great service by observing anything that occurs after our departure.’
Travis blew through his lips like a horse, propelling whiskey fumes into my face. ‘You’re chasing shadows, fella. Go give that Dutch Gal a taste of your dick. She’s mighty purdy.’
Kirby, on the other hand, nodded and replied, ‘Reckon I can do that. Only don’t go destroying anything. We’ve got business to tend to afore long.’
Smiling gratefully, I returned to where Vicky was pouring out our drinks. My quarry too had noticed her and was lecherously taking in the contours of her body, only slowly turning away when I returned. His lustful musings had given me time to see his face. With a scar running across both his top and lower lip, hard features and cold eyes, he could easily have fitted in to my old company of the 4th. But that didn’t mean that he was a soldier or that I was his quarry. It would require some form of direct confrontation by me to discover that.
In a fever of impatience I sat with Vicky, sipping the so-called ‘joy juice’ and carefull
y watching him out of the corner of my eye. Her hand gently caressed my thigh, as she whispered innuendo into my ear. Sarah would have gone for me with a Bowie knife had she witnessed such a scene, but between Vicky and ‘Scarface’ I really did have enough on my mind. Just as her hand moved to my crotch, he pushed away from the counter and headed purposefully for the rear door. I could only imagine that he was making for the privy. With my wits feverishly struggling over a heady mixture of sexual stimulation and the tension associated with imminent action, I realized that I had to make a decision. Whispering to her that I needed to relieve myself, I struggled to my feet.
‘Hurry back, lover,’ she called out throatily.
Wending my way around the outside of the room, I tried to see if anyone was paying me any particular interest. It did not seem so, but in that heaving throng it was hard to tell. Reaching the door, I passed swiftly through it and then closed it gently behind me. I found myself outside of the building proper, facing a large clapboard shack. From the foul odour emanating from it, my supposition had been correct. My intention was to catch my quarry whilst he was disadvantaged, so without further ado I proceeded inside. The building was split into two sections. On the right was a raised boardwalk leading to an earthen trench that served as a pissoir. To the left were three individual privies, with shoulder height wooden screens providing a modicum of privacy. It was all very grand compared with squatting in the earth, as was usual away from the towns.
I was in luck. ‘Scarface’ and I were the only two in the building. He was standing at the edge of the trench, noisily relieving himself. Without any hesitation, I unsheathed my hunting knife and strode up behind him. Up close he seemed of heavier build than I had earlier perceived. He displayed no alarm at my approach. In such a busy establishment there would be a constant flow of visitors. It was only as he sensed me immediately behind him that he began to turn, but by then it was too late.