The Free Rangers: A Story of the Early Days Along the Mississippi

by Joseph A. Altsheler

  CHAPTER XVII

  THE FLAW IN THE ARMOR

  Don Francisco Alvarez was in a fairly happy frame of mind. It is true thathe could have been happier, but a revulsion from a great state of suspensehad come to him. When he had been so boldly accused in the presence of theGovernor General, cold fear had struck at his heart, despite his courageand cunning. He knew that the seeds of suspicion had been sowed deep inthe heart of Bernardo Galvez and that the plant would grow fast in thewarm, moist air of intrigue that overhung New Orleans.

  But days had passed and nothing had happened. Moreover, the five whom hefeared so much were hard and fast in the military prison within the walls,and no proof of their charges had been brought forth. Time, too, workedsteadily for him. It not only weakened the accusation against him, but italso gave his powerful friends at the court of Madrid time to help him andhis ambition. That little strain of royal blood in his veins was wellworth having. He would certainly succeed to Bernardo Galvez, whether thewait he long or short.

  He kept Braxton Wyatt with him all the time. He had learned to appreciatethe value of the renegade's unscrupulous cunning, and he was necessary,too, in order to carry out the great alliance with the tribes whichAlvarez meant should become an accomplished fact.

  It was a pleasant house that Alvarez had within the walls, one story ofbrick covered with red tiles, surrounded by piazzas, and standing ingrounds thick with magnolias, cypresses, and orange trees. In truth, thefoliage was so dense that by daylight the house was almost entirely hiddenfrom the city, and by night it was quite invisible unless lights chancedto twinkle through the leaves.

  The Spaniard and Braxton Wyatt were sitting now upon the piazza drinking acool decoction of West Indian origin, and Alvarez was commenting upon whathe called his good fortune.

  "All things favor us, Wyatt," he said. "No proof reaches the ears ofBernardo Galvez and the galleon, Dona Isabel, will certainly arrive nextweek from Spain. If I mistake not, she will bring news welcome to me andunwelcome to Bernardo Galvez."

  "If you become Governor General what will you do with the Kentuckians inthe fort?" asked Wyatt.

  Alvarez laughed, and it was a very unpleasant laugh to hear.

  "I do not know what I shall do with them," he said, "but I am sure of onefact. They will never see Kaintock again. The powers of a Governor Generalare very great."

  Braxton Wyatt was satisfied with the answer. His wicked heart throbbed atthe thought that the five would never more roam their beloved forests. He,too, looked forward to the arrival of the galleon, Dona Isabel, withwelcome news. He saw how useful he was to Alvarez, and if the Spaniardrose, he must rise with him.

  The two, after these few words, sat in silence, each occupied with his ownthoughts, which, however, were largely the same. Alvarez rose presentlyand went into the house. If all things went as he wished, there werecertain letters that he would send to powerful friends in Spain, and nowwas a good time to make rough drafts of them.

  Braxton Wyatt remained on the piazza. It was wonderfully cool and pleasantthere, after the heat of the day. The wind blew musically among the orangetrees, and the air was spiced with pleasant odors. Braxton Wyatt'sthoughts were pleasant, too. He liked this luxurious southern life. Thoughborn to the forest, and a good woodsman, he had sybaritic tastes, whichneeded only opportunity to bud and bloom.

  Now, like the Arab who had the glass for sale, he was building his greatfuture. Alvarez would be Governor General of Louisiana, and he, BraxtonWyatt, would be his trusted and necessary lieutenant. The five whom hehated would be removed under the new rule from the military prison todungeons, where they would gradually be lost to the sight of man, never tobe heard of again. The Indians and the Spaniards with their cannon woulddestroy the settlements in Kentucky, and he would become, if not thefirst, at least the second man in His Most Catholic Majesty's hugeprovince of Louisiana. And it was not absolutely necessary to beSpanish-born to become in time a Governor General himself.

  Time passed. It was very quiet within the belt of magnolias and cypressesand orange trees and but little noise came from the town, the stray shoutof a reveler, a snatch of a song, and then nothing more.

  Braxton Wyatt, still filled with his dreams, arose and stepped down fromthe piazza. The happy future promoted in him a certain physical activity,and he wanted to walk among the trees. He stepped into their shadow,strolled a rod or so, and then stopped. His acute, forest-bred ear hadbrought to him a sound which was not that of the wind nor any echo of agay reveler's song.

  The renegade stopped. It was very dark among the trees. He could seeneither the house behind, nor the city before him. He did not hear thesound again, but he was troubled. His pleasant thoughts were disturbed. Itwas like waking from a happy dream. He turned to go back to the house andthen he saw a flitting shadow. The wicked heart of Braxton Wyatt stoodstill. If he had not known that Henry Ware was safely in the militaryprison he would have taken the terrible shadow for him. He knew too wellthe great height, the broad shoulders, and the fierce accusingcountenance. Once he had laughed at the Shawnees and Miamis because theyhad believed in ghosts. But could it be true?

  Braxton Wyatt turned back toward the house, where he might renew hisinterrupted and pleasant dream, but the next instant the terrible shadowturned itself into a reality more terrible.

  A powerful form hurled itself upon him, and he was thrown to the ground.He looked up and met the eyes of Henry Ware, who knelt upon him. No, itwas certainly not a shadow but the most unpleasant of all facts!

  Braxton Wyatt was at first paralyzed by terror and the suddenness of theattack. When he recovered, one hand of Henry pressed heavily upon hismouth, while the other felt rapidly through his clothing. "Look for anyunusual thickness in his waistcoat; that is probably the place," OliverPollock had said. Henry's hand in a few moments ran upon something foldedbetween the cloth and lining of the waistcoat. He snatched out his knife,cut them apart and out fell several folds of fine, thin deerskin. He knewthat the prize had been secured, and he meant to keep it.

  Henry thrust the folds of deerskin in his pocket and sprang to his feet.

  "Now, you scoundrel!" he exclaimed, "tell what tale you please and we willprove another!"

  Then the terrible reality resolved itself back into a shadow, and wasgone. Braxton Wyatt sprang to his feet, clapped his hand to his mangledwaistcoat where the precious package had been, and uttered a strangledcry. Then he ran through the trees to the house of Alvarez.

  * * * * *

  A quarter of an hour later Oliver Pollock was sitting at his own window inthe little office and his thoughts were not happy. He wished his fleet ofsupply canoes to start on the great river journey at once, but it couldnot depart while such storms were threatening. Alvarez was too serious adanger, and he must be removed. But the merchant realized that he had madelittle progress. Alvarez seemed to be secure in his plot.

  There came a knock at his door, and in reply to his request to enter, aclerk said that the young man, Mr. Ware, had returned. Mr. Pollock rose tohis feet as Henry came in. Henry carefully closed the door behind him,advanced, and put a small package in Mr. Pollock's hand.

  "There they are!" he said, "the maps drawn up by Braxton Wyatt, and withnotes on them in handwriting, which I take to be that of FranciscoAlvarez."

  The merchant stared at first in astonishment and delight. Then he ran tothe lamp and spread out the sheets of fine, thin deerskin. He looked atthem, one by one, and laughed with delight.

  "Yes," he said, "the notes are in the handwriting of Francisco Alvarez! Iknow it--I have seen it often enough--and Bernardo Galvez will know it,too! Oh, it is a great find! a great find! It is not conclusive proof,but it will go far toward swaying belief! How did you get them?"

  Henry had recovered from all signs of his struggle with the renegade, andwas now sitting placidly in a chair.

  "I took them," he said. "I found Braxton Wyatt in the grove around thehouse of Alvarez, and I seized him. I found these i
n the lining of hiswaistcoat."

  "You did not kill him?"

  "Oh, no. He is not hurt."

  "It is well. I did not wish any unnecessary violence, but we had a rightto seize these documents which mean so much to us and Bernardo Galvez. Youwill leave them with me."

  "Of course," said Henry. "And now that this task is finished, I'll go backto prison with my comrades."

  "It's unnecessary for you to join them there," said the merchant stilllaughing in his pleasure. "I'll have them out to join you, and thatspeedily, too. Go into the next room and sleep. You've earned the right toit."

  The five, reduced to four, were sitting in their prison the next afternoonchafing more than ever. It seemed to every one of them that those walls,already so narrow, were still contracting. They did not even like to lookout of the window. The contrast was too painful, and they did not wish toincrease their sorrow.

  "Jim," said Shif'less Sol in plaintive tones to Long Jim Hart, "won't youplease come here, an' hold up my head?"

  "Now, Sol Hyde," said Long Jim, "what do you want me to come thar an' holdup your head fur? Are you too lazy to hold it up fur yourself?"

  "No, Jim, I ain't too lazy to hold it up fur myself, I'm jest too weak.Lack o' exercise an' fresh air, an' elbow room hev done fur poor Sol Hydeat last. I'm pinin' away. Tell Henry when he comes back, ef he ever does,that I fell into a decline. I done my best to b'ar up, but my best wuzn'tgood enough."

  "Now you shut up, Sol Hyde," said Jim Hart, "or you'll hev me down realsick with your foolish talk, ez I jest can't stand it."

  They stopped because at that moment there came unto them Lieutenant DiegoBernal, fresh, chipper, with a few additional flounces and ruffles addedto his jaunty uniform, and a smile upon his dark, pleasant face.

  "Ah, my gallant four, who were once my gallant five," he said as hestroked his little mustache, "I have news for you, important news. You areeven to be summoned again to the presence of His Excellency, BernardoGalvez, the Governor General of Louisiana, and that summons is immediate.I have an impression, though my impressions are usually false and mymemory always weak, that the large youth, the strong youth, the splendidyouth, surnamed the Ware, who was released for the time at theintercession of Senor Pollock, has been achieving something. This, Ithink, is the reason of the sudden call to the audience with HisExcellency."

  Paul was all life at once. He sprang up, his eyes sparkling and the flushof anticipation coming into his face.

  "Henry has succeeded!" he cried. "He has done something big! I knew hewould! He has defeated Alvarez and that wretch Wyatt!"

  The Catalan regarded Paul with admiration. He liked this enthusiasm, thisinfinite trust in a comrade. The five and their faith in one anothercontinued to make the strongest of appeals to him.

  "I think it is even so," he said. "The young giant surnamed the Ware, musthave done a great deed, because Don Francisco Alvarez, is summoned, at thesame time, to the presence of His Excellency, the Governor General,Bernardo Galvez, and I hear that he is in no pleasant frame of mindbecause of it. Come!"

  The four went forth joyfully. Shif'less Sol was the first to put foot onMother Earth, and he stopped, raised his head, and opened his mouth to itswidest extent.

  "Jim," he said to Long Jim Hart, "I want to breathe it in, this outdoorsan' fresh air an' freedom, everywhar I kin, at my mouth, nose, ears, an'eyes, too, ef they're any good at that sort o' business."

  "An' at the pores, too, Sol," said Paul.

  "What's pores?"

  "Millions and millions of fine little holes all over you."

  "Wa'll, I ain't ever seed any o' them holes, or felt 'em, but ef they'rein me I hope they're all workin' right now, drawin' the good fresh air."

  Lieutenant Diego Bernal led the way rapidly to the house of the GovernorGeneral, and four soldiers closed up by the side of them as an escort andguard. But the four had no thought of attempting escape. Their minds werewholly occupied with what might occur when they were a second time in thepresence of the Governor General.

  They were taken through the anteroom and then into the large hall ofaudience where the Governor General sat, as before, in the great chairwith his secretary at the little table at his right. At one side of theroom were Francisco Alvarez, and Braxton Wyatt, both frowning, and at theother side were Oliver Pollock and Henry Ware, neither frowning at all.Henry came forward and shook hands warmly with his comrades.

  "What is it, Henry?" whispered Paul. "What has happened?"

  "Wait," replied Henry in a similar whisper. "We must see what BernardoGalvez is going to do."

  The Governor General motioned the four, now the five once more, to seats,and they noticed that the audience was marked by unusual state. Twosoldiers, as a guard, stood near one of the windows, and the secretary wasready with his ink and goose quills to write down whatever he might beordered to write. Alvarez and Braxton Wyatt were visibly uneasy. BernardoGalvez sat upright, his face stern, his look commanding. He was every inchof him a Governor General.

  "Gentlemen," he said speaking in precise English, "a charge was made inthis chamber some days since, a charge involving the integrity and loyaltyof a high officer in the service of Spain, Don Francisco Alvarez. Thischarge was made by five men and youths from the new region called bythemselves Kentucky and known here as Kaintock, but they brought littleproof to support it."

  Francisco Alvarez moved his chair, and a look of relief came over hisface. The opening promised well. The expressions of Henry Ware and OliverPollock did not change, and Bernardo Galvez continued:

  "I could not hold an officer of Spain, one high in the service, upon suchcharges, when they were without sufficient support, and hence, as thesefive men and boys had committed acts of violence upon Spanish soil andagainst Spanish subjects, I sent them to a military prison, pendingfurther disclosures if there should be any, and I have held Don FranciscoAlvarez in New Orleans in order that he might clear his good name of thesecharges and of certain talk that has been afloat concerning him."

  Alvarez stirred again and his expression changed slightly. Thecontinuation was not quite as good as the beginning. Did he not detect aslight undertone of irony or satire in the voice of Bernardo Galvez? Butneither Henry Ware nor Oliver Pollock moved a particle. The four lookedcuriously from one to another of the actors in this tense scene.

  "It was my object," resumed Bernardo Galvez, and now his tone had acurious hard quality like steel, "to find the truth. Only in that waycould justice be done. Now I have to say that proof of these charges, notconclusive, but incriminating nevertheless, has been found, and is in mypossession."

  Alvarez leaped from his chair. He felt as if he had received a blow of ahammer on his temple, but he cried out:

  "It is not true! there can be no such proof!"

  "It is true," said Bernardo Galvez sternly and accusingly, "because I holdthis evidence here in my hand. The war-maps which you are charged withhaving, drawn by the one Wyatt, the friend of the Indians, and annotatedin your hand, are here."

  He opened his palm and laid the strips of deerskin upon the table. Alvarezstaggered back and looked savagely at Braxton Wyatt.

  "It is true," stammered the renegade in a whisper. "I was set upon lastnight by Ware! He took me by surprise and robbed me of them! I could nothelp it, but I was afraid to tell you then."

  "I knew that Henry would find a way! I knew it!" Paul was murmuring tohimself.

  "What of these maps, Don Francisco Alvarez?" said the Governor General.

  The bold and flexible Spaniard quickly recovered himself.

  "Maps do not mean anything," he said. "Any military officer provideshimself with them whenever he can. He need not he at war with a country tosecure them."

  "No, not in the case of ordinary maps, but here we have plans for anattack upon the settlements in Kaintock. I find noted by the side of onestation in your handwriting: 'Could be destroyed easily with two cannon.'It is obvious that you have exceeded your authority. How much further youhave gone is to be s
een."

  "Your Excellency, I protest against"--began Alvarez, but at that momentthe door was opened and Lieutenant Diego Bernal appeared upon thethreshold.

  "What is this interruption? How dare you?" exclaimed the Governor General.

  But the little Catalan was never more thoroughly master of himself. Hisuniform was never more resplendent, and the lace at throat and sleevesnever fuller. He bore himself, too, with the utmost dignity because heknew that he was about to make an announcement of the utmost importance.Moreover, he was a favorite with Bernardo Galvez.

  "Your Excellency," he said, with dramatic effect, "a man has come cravingimmediate audience with you. He says that his news cannot wait, and, inorder to secure entrance at once to your presence, he has given me thepurport of it. He is here now."

  A tall figure in a black robe, the face thin and austere, walked boldlyinto the room. Mighty was the power of Holy Church in the colonies ofFrance and Spain and this priest who expected torture and death some dayfeared neither Bernardo Galvez nor anybody else.

  "Father Montigny!" exclaimed every one of the five and, "Father Montigny!"repeated Francisco Alvarez and Braxton Wyatt. Bernardo Galvez rose fromhis chair and saluted the priest courteously. He knew him well.

  "What is this business, so urgent in its nature, Father," said theGovernor General.

  "I came to Beaulieu when Captain Alvarez had set the bully upon thisyouth," said Father Montigny, pointing to Paul.

  "I have already acknowledged my fault there," exclaimed Alvarez. "It wasan impulse! Need I be accused of it again?"

  Father Montigny turned his gaze upon Alvarez, and the Captain, bold as hewas, feared it more than that of Bernardo Galvez.

  "That is but a preamble," continued the priest, the Governor General notnoticing the interruption, "but it caused me to take especial notice ofwhat might be occurring in Louisiana at the furthest limits of settlement.I went thence among the Cherokees and Creeks and kindred tribes and Ifound them stirred by a great emotion. They were preparing for the wartrail. Messengers had come from tribes in the far north, Shawnees, Miamis,Wyandots, and others, whom they have fought for generations in the region,lying between them, known to them as the Dark and Bloody Ground, and tous as Kaintock."

  Francisco Alvarez suddenly paled, and looked away from the priest.

  "What was the purport of these messages?" asked Bernardo Galvez.

  "That there must be peace for the time being between the northern andsouthern tribes. The northern tribes would march south and the southernwould march north. When they met they would be joined also by Spanishsoldiers with cannon, and the three forces would destroy forever the newwhite settlements in Kaintock."

  The pallor of Alvarez deepened, but Oliver Pollock still sat immovable,his expression not changing. Bernardo Galvez looked straight at Alvarez,and there was lightning in his gaze.

  "How was this alliance formed?" asked the Governor General. "Some powerfulconnection, some strong intermediary, must have drawn these warringnorthern and southern tribes together. And above all why did they expectSpanish troops and Spanish cannon?"

  "There was a letter," replied the priest in a grave, sad tone, "a letterwritten by a Spanish officer, high in position and distinction. It wassent to Red Eagle, head chief of the Shawnees, and Yellow Panther, headchief of the Miamis. The writer said that he would soon be GovernorGeneral of Louisiana and that Spain would then help the Indians to destroyKaintock."

  "It is a lie!" continued Alvarez. "There is no such letter."

  "It is no lie," continued the priest calmly. "There is such a letter. Thegreat chiefs, Red Eagle and Yellow Panther, as proof of the promise, sentit south to the Cherokees and Creeks, among whom I have been. I have seenit, I have read it, I have it, and to you, Bernardo Galvez, I now give it.It is signed by Don Francisco Alvarez."

  Father Montigny drew a letter from his robe and handed It to the GovernorGeneral. Francisco Alvarez fell back in his chair as if he had been struckby a thunder-bolt. And it was little less. The letter that he had sentinto the vast Northern wilderness, and which he considered as obscure asone leaf among millions, had come back to convict him. The one flaw in thearmor of his wild ambition had been found. He cast a baleful look at thepriest and was silent. It was not worth while now to deny anything.

  Bernardo Galvez read the letter and read it again. Then he folded it andput it in his pocket.

  "It is enough," he said, "Francisco Alvarez, you are guilty of attemptingto usurp to yourself the powers that belong only to his Majesty, the Kingof Spain. I can conceive of a man of your knowledge and craft writing sucha letter as this upon only one possibility, and that possibility haspassed. The galleon, Dona Isabel, from Spain came this morning up theMississippi and she brings letters from Madrid. Your friends at the court,powerful as they are, have failed. You are not to be the Governor Generalof Louisiana. I am confirmed in my appointment and you remain under myauthority."

  "What do you intend to do?" asked Alvarez.

  The words came from a dry throat, and they had a harsh, rasping sound.

  "The galleon, Dona Isabel, returns to Spain next week. You will remain aprisoner in one of the forts until then, when you are to go to Spain onthe galleon to answer there for your acts here. The man, Wyatt, is not aSpanish subject, but he must leave New Orleans within an hour. The fivewho have been held in the fort are released from this moment. LieutenantBernal, take away the prisoner."

  It was the cause of intense gratification to Lieutenant Diego Bernal thathe had been permitted to see the last and most striking part of thisdrama. Francisco Alvarez had treated him with scorn more than once, and itwas not his part or that of Bernardo Galvez to insult a fallen enemy. Hemerely put his hand lightly on the sleeve of Alvarez, and the prisoner,without a word, followed him.