by J. T. Edson
Puzzled by his reception, Ole Devil noticed that Captain Seguin was not present. So he assumed that the order to report to Urrea’s office had nothing to do with the challenge to his identity. Most probably he had been summoned to account for the part played by Mannen Blaze and Tommy Okasi in the previous night’s disturbance at the cantina.
Waiting until Saucedo and Badillo had left with their respective groups of enlisted men, Alvarez had suggested to Urrea that any inquiry into the affair should be put off until the following morning. Accepting the advice, the General had told Ole Devil to take his two companions to their quarters and keep them there. Wanting to know what had happened, Ole Devil had been only too willing to obey.
On reaching the comparative privacy of their room and talking in whispers, Ole Devil, his cousin, and the little Oriental had discussed and drawn conclusions from the incident. Then, Ole Devil had told the other two of the latest developments on his side. While agreeing that Seguin’s arrival had added to the danger of their mission, they had realized that leaving was out of the question. If they were caught trying to escape, it would be regarded as proof that they were not what they pretended to be. So, knowing that they had no other alternative, they had accepted that they must stay at the hacienda and bluff things out until presented with an opportunity to do their work and get away. Having reached their decision, they had gone to bed and slept until morning.
‘What did you do after you left the cantina last night, Senor Smithers?’ Urrea inquired, as the Texian came to a halt in a smart military brace on the opposite side of the desk. The suspicious look did not leave his face but he was clearly pleased by the others respectful attitude.
‘I took my men to our quarters, as you ordered, patron,’ Ole Devil replied, wondering if the conversation he had had with Mannen and Tommy could have been overheard.
‘And none of you left it?’ the General went on.
‘You told us to stay there, patron,’ Ole Devil pointed out, his manner suggesting that he considered such an order must be obeyed unhesitatingly. ‘Is there some reason for you to think that we might not have obeyed your order?’
‘A very good one,’ Saucedo put in. ‘This morning Captain Seguin was found in his room with his throat cut.’
‘And I’ve been accused of doing it,’ Ole Devil guessed, addressing the words to Urrea without even so much as glancing at the colonel.
‘Who else would have had reason for killing him?’ Saucedo demanded, goaded on by the way the Texian appeared to be ignoring him. ‘Seguin was on Santa Anna’s staff—’
‘And could have proved who I was,’ Ole Devil interrupted.
‘Or who you’re not!’ Saucedo countered. ‘Nobody else had a reason to kill him.’
‘How about somebody who’d been spying for Santa Anna and was frightened that Seguin might expose him?’ Ole Devil inquired and, turning his gaze to the colonel, continued, ‘Or it could have been somebody who didn’t want him to say he recognized me and I’m who I claim to be.’
‘Who’d do it for that reason?’ Badillo asked, but this attitude showed that he could have supplied the answer.
‘There’s only one person here who hasn’t accepted me,’ Ole Devil replied, swinging his eyes back to Urrea. ‘Even though you are satisfied, General—’
‘You god-damned gringo son-of-a-whore!’ Saucedo bellowed, seeing how Urrea might regard such a suggestion. His right hand went to the hilt of his sword. ‘Are you saying that I—’
‘You’re the only one who isn’t satisfied with him,’ Badillo put in, once again playing the game as Ole Devil had hoped he would. He could see how the Texian’s comment might be used to put the colonel in the wrong with their superior. ‘So—’
‘Gentlemen!’ Alvarez barked and something in his voice caused the two officers to freeze instead of drawing their weapons. ‘Arguing among ourselves won’t settle anything—’
‘Damn it!’ Saucedo snarled, although the Paymaster had clearly been meaning to say more. ‘He accused me .’
‘All I did was point out two other possibilities, patron,’ Ole Devil protested. ‘I admit that I seem the most likely suspect. But, even if I’d need to silence Seguin, how would I have known where to find him. I never saw him after we went to the cantina and I still don’t know which room he was using.’
‘Neither did I!’ Saucedo pointed out. ‘I spent the night with my men and didn’t come back here until this morning. You were in the house.’
‘That’s true, colonel,’ Alvarez put in. ‘But he couldn’t have left his quarters. I took the precaution of having a watch kept on his door and window. There was no way he could have got out and back without being seen.’
‘Which means he couldn’t have killed Seguin,’ Badillo stated, putting an emphasis on the third word and turning his gaze from the Texian, he went on, ‘So somebody else must have!’
The way in which the final sentence was said caused Urrea to follow the direction of the major’s gaze, an action duplicated by Ole Devil and Alvarez. Finding himself the object of their combined scrutiny, Saucedo stiffened and a flush of anger darkened his far from pleasant features.
‘God damn it!’ the colonel roared, and resumed the drawing of his sword. ‘If you’re saying I killed him!’
‘Stop that, both of you!’ Urrea bellowed, rising with such alacrity that he sent his chair flying as Badillo began to slide free the saber’s blade. ‘Sheath those swords immediately.’
At first, Ole Devil thought that the two men would refuse to obey. Saucedo was close to homicidal rage, and Badillo showed just as great a willingness to confront him. A good thirty seconds went by before the major, giving a mocking smile, thrust down the saber and stiffened to a position of attention with his right hand clear of the hilt. Scowling, and with every evidence of bad grace, Saucedo complied with the command a few seconds later. In spite of their obedience, they continued to keep a wary eye on each other. It was obvious that, as far as they were concerned, the incident was far from over.
‘Patron,’ Ole Devil said, still standing as stiff as a ramrod despite being between the two officers. ‘As my presence in your service appears to be an embarrassment, perhaps I and my men should move on.’
‘I don’t see why they should have to, General,’ Badillo protested, looking defiantly at Saucedo. ‘They’re useful fighting men and they weren’t to blame for the trouble at the cantina last night.’
‘Are you saying my men were?’ the colonel challenged.
‘This is getting us nowhere!’ Alvarez put in. ‘I’d suggest, General, that Colonel Saucedo and Major Badillo rejoin their commands to ensure that there are no further incidents between them.’
‘How about Seguin?’ Saucedo demanded. ‘Damn it, I’ve been accused—’
‘No accusation has been made, colonel,’ Alvarez interrupted. ‘And, with the General’s permission, I will conduct an investigation to see if I can find out who did kill him.’
‘Do that, Francisco,’ Urrea authorized. ‘And I want you two to stay with your regiments until I give other orders.’
‘It would be advisable for Senor Smithers and his men to stay here in the hacienda ,’ Alvarez remarked, before either officer could respond.
‘I thought you were sure they couldn’t have done it,’ the colonel sneered.
‘I’m satisfied that they couldn’t have!’ Urrea stated, drawing a bitter scowl from Saucedo.
‘All the evidence certainly points that way, colonel,’ the Paymaster went on. ‘But your men might regard them as a source of provocation if they are with the Lancers.’
‘You’ll find the Lancers can take care of their own,’ Badillo declared, oozing provocative arrogance. ‘Of course, not all troops are as well disciplined—’
‘Some of them are trained for fighting, not to act like dressed-up popinjays,’ Saucedo snarled. ‘And in Texas—’
‘That’s enough!’ Urrea shouted. ‘You’ll leave first, major. Go straight to your regiment’s lines a
nd stay there until I send for you. That applies to you also, Colonel Saucedo.’
Once again there was a distinct hesitation before the order was obeyed. Observing the way the colonel and the major were glaring at each other, Ole Devil expected Alvarez to try and lessen their hostility. Even if Urrea did not see the danger, the Paymaster was intelligent enough to appreciate how the two officers’ bitter enmity was likely to weaken their fighting force at a time when it needed to be at its full strength. However, Alvarez neither spoke nor moved.
Snapping tighter into his brace, Badillo threw a salute to the General and stalked from the office. The stiff- backed manner in which he took his departure suggested that he was far from pleased by the way in which he had been dismissed and the orders he had received.
Glowering after the departing major, Saucedo swung his gaze to Urrea and opened his mouth. Before he could speak, the General turned and went to pick up the chair. It was, Ole Devil decided, anything but diplomatic and tactful behavior. Closing his lips into a tight line with the words unsaid, the colonel turned his eyes to Alvarez. Instead of trying to relieve the situation, the Paymaster returned the gaze with stony indifference. So, flinging a look redolent of deepest hatred at the Texian, Saucedo stamped across the room. If the way in which he slammed the door behind him was anything to go by, he was highly dissatisfied with his treatment.
Placing his chair at the desk, Urrea glared indignantly at the door. He seemed on the point of calling Saucedo back, but thought better of it.
‘I don’t think he killed Seguin, Francisco,’ the General said, but his voice showed doubt. ‘Do you?’
‘There’s no reason why he should have,’ the Paymaster answered. ‘I’ll start my investigation and see what I can find out.’
‘Bueno,’ Urrea grunted, having made no attempt to sit down. ‘Is there anything more you need me for?’
‘No,’ Alvarez replied.
‘Then I’m going up to my quarters for a while,’ Urrea declared. ‘You needn’t send for me unless something comes up that you can’t handle by yourself.’
If Ole Devil had had any doubts of how things stood between the Paymaster and the General, they were now resolved. An expression of disdain and loathing came briefly to Alvarez’s face as he watched Urrea crossing to the door. It confirmed all the young Texian’s suspicions.
‘Have you any orders for me, major?’ Ole Devil inquired, after the General had left the office and the Paymaster showed no signs of following him.
‘I want a talk with you,’ Alvarez answered, going to Urrea’s chair. Although his features had resumed their usual expression, to the Texian there was something symbolic in the way he sat down. His attitude was that of a man who had finally taken his rightful place. ‘What do you think of General Urrea now that you’ve met him, Senor—Smithers?’
‘That he’s very fortunate to have such a sound adviser to do his thinking and guide him,’ Ole Devil answered, putting his conclusions to the test.
‘How do you mean?’ the Paymaster said quietly, almost mildly, but without any puzzlement in his tone.
‘I know who the real brains of the Tamaulipa Brigade is,’ Ole Devil stated. ‘And it isn’t General José Urrea.’
‘In that case may I ask who it is?’
‘You don’t need to, major. It shows in the way he always looks to you before he makes a decision and in how you keep “advising” and “suggesting” things to him so that he doesn’t say or do the wrong thing.’
‘What do you think of the situation in the light of the news brought by Seguin?’ Alvarez wanted to know and, try as he might, he could not entirely hide his pleasure at having received such a tribute from a young man whose intelligence he held in high regard.
‘Pretty much the same as you,’ Ole Devil replied without hesitation. ‘And any slight chance Urrea had of becoming Presidente in spite of the news has been ruined by the hostility between the two regiments. And he hasn’t done anything to improve matters by taking my side against Saucedo.’
‘Go on,’ the Paymaster prompted.
‘I’d guess that there was bad blood between Badillo and Saucedo even before we arrived,’ Ole Devil obliged.
‘You did guess and played them off against each other,’ Alvarez corrected. ‘As you said, though, there’s always been bad blood between them and they passed it down to their men during the campaign despite the fact that I tried to stop it. Being mounted, the Lancers could almost always arrive at their objective first and so got the cream of the loot. That always annoyed the infantrymen. Colonel Ortega was able to prevent the ill feeling from getting out of hand and might still have been able to settle their differences. But, although I’m the only one who’s seen it, a message arrived from him last night. He says that he’s resigning from the army because of continued bad health and won’t be coming back.’
‘Which puts Badillo in command of the Lancers,’ Ole Devil finished. ‘And makes me even more certain that Urrea hasn’t a hope of becoming Presidente. Saucedo will never cooperate with Badillo.’
‘And what other conclusions have you drawn?’
‘As a guess, the same that you have. A wise man knows when to get out. Which’s why I offered to leave just now.’
‘Where would you go?’ Alvarez inquired. ‘Sit down if you wish.’
‘Gracias,’ Ole Devil answered and moved along until he could hook his rump on to the edge of the desk. As he did so, he noticed that the Paymaster had opened a drawer and was sitting with his right hand inside it. ‘You’ve hit my biggest problem. I wouldn’t want to show my face in Texas .’
‘I wonder just how unsafe that might be?’ the Paymaster remarked.
Silence fell!
For almost a minute, Ole Devil and Alvarez studied each other like duelists awaiting the signal to start fighting, even though outwardly nothing in the office had changed. Showing no sign of placing any significance on the words, Ole Devil continued to lounge on the edge of the desk. Alvarez looked more like a monk engrossed in spiritual meditation than a man who was participating in a battle of wits with a shrewd and capable antagonist.
‘Just what did Seguin tell you, major?’ the Texian said at last, deciding that attack might be his best form of defense. ‘Before you killed him?’
‘Before I killed him?’ Alvarez responded placidly, but he stiffened just a trifle and his eyes took on a wary, steel-hard glint.
‘It has to be,’ Ole Devil declared, tense and ready to take any action that might become necessary. He had a pretty good idea of why the Paymaster s hand was in the drawer. ‘I didn’t, and no matter how I made it look, Saucedo wouldn’t have had enough imagination to do it just to incriminate and get rid of me.’
‘You suggested another alternative to Urrea,’ Alvarez pointed out.
‘If Seguin had come to expose one of Santa Anna’s spies, he’d never have let the man into his room. No, major, you’re the only other possibility. You assigned him to his quarters, so you knew where to find him. If he was as fooled as most people by your pose, he wouldn’t hesitate to let you in; even assuming that you didn’t kill him as soon as you’d taken him in and questioned him about me.’
‘And why should I kill him?’
‘To put me in a position where I’ll have to go along with any proposition that you make to me,’ Ole Devil replied, and sensed that he was correct, although there was little enough visible evidence of it on the Paymaster’s face. ‘Come on, major. Let’s put our cards on the table. You still don’t know any more about me than you did before you had your last talk with Seguin.’
‘That’s true,’ Alvarez admitted. ‘He said that he’d never heard of you as “Count von Richthofen” or “Senor” Smithers, but put it down to having had no dealings at all with renegades or taken any interest in what they did.’
‘There weren’t many regular officers who approved of us renegades,’ Ole Devil commented. ‘Which’s why el Presidente gave us those passes. But that’s beside the point. He might not
have cleared things up about me, but he told you enough of what was happening in Texas for you to feel sure that Urrea can’t become Presidente.’
‘He did,’ the Paymaster agreed. ‘Santa Anna is going to smash Urrea as the first step towards staying in power, to prove to anybody else who might object that he’s still a force to be reckoned with. And, with Saucedo and Badillo at each other’s throats, he could do it.’
‘So you decided that the time had come to quit,’ Ole Devil guessed. ‘And, needing an escort, you want me to supply it with my cousin and our multi-shot rifles.’
‘That’s correct,’ Alvarez confirmed.
‘What’s in it for me?’ Ole Devil asked.
‘You’re hardly in a position to bargain,’ Alvarez warned. ‘All I have to do is “find out” that one of the men I had watching you fell asleep for long enough to let you leave, kill Seguin and return.’
‘Except that I’d tell Urrea what you’ve said and how you intend to bolt,’ Ole Devil countered.
‘You might not find that easy to do,’ the Paymaster began, starting to bring his hand from the drawer.
Instantly Ole Devil slipped from the desk. Before his feet met the floor, he was in the process of arming himself, thankful that he had donned the Manton pistol that morning. Using all the speed he could muster, he began to twist the weapon from its belt loop.
Swiftly as the Texian was moving, Alvarez was similarly rapid. He lifted a flintlock pistol out of the drawer. The two muzzles turned into alignment simultaneously. There was, however, one vitally important difference! Following his usual procedure, Ole Devil cocked his weapon while making the draw. About to pull back the flintlock’s hammer, Alvarez heard the clicking of the other pistol’s mechanism and refrained from doing so.