Standing on the quarterdeck of the Mexican navy’s ten-gun brig Destructor, having been called from his cabin by the master’s mate who had the watch, Lieutenant Tomas Grivaljo directed his telescope at the cause of the summons. Three riders were coming down the slope towards the edge of Santa Cristobal Bay. They made no attempt to conceal their presence from the ship’s working party who were refilling the water barrels at the stream which flowed into the sea at that point. The lack of concern was strange. The woman and the taller of the two men were gringos and their companion, who rode in a subordinate position behind them, appeared to be Chinese.
Puzzled by the trio’s apparent lack of fear, Grivaljo studied the white man. Tall, young, unshaven, he had on a buckskin shirt and light-colored trousers the legs of which hung outside his boots. There was a pistol and bowie knife balancing each other on his waist belt, but they were his only visible weapons. xxvi A closer examination of the female suggested that ‘girl’ would be more appropriate than ‘woman’. She was wearing a black hat like the man’s, and a black riding habit but was sitting astride her horse. Neither she nor the small Oriental appeared to be armed.
Seeing that the working party were grabbing up weapons, the gringo raised his hands. He called something which Grivaljo, watching him, could not hear. Holding a pistol in one hand and cutlass in the other, the master’s mate who was commanding the men on shore advanced warily. The trio brought their mounts to a halt. Still keeping his hands level with the sides of his head, the gringo swung his left leg up and over his dun’s neck. Although he dropped to the ground, his companions remained in their saddles. Ignoring them, Grivaljo kept the gringo under observation as he strolled to meet the master’s mate.
There was nothing in the gringo’s attitude to suggest that he had the slightest doubt about dismounting, thus leaving the means by which he might be able to make a rapid departure. Looking completely at ease, he walked a good thirty feet away from his horse and companions. Then, coming to a halt in front of the Mexican petty officer at a range where even a mediocre shot could be expected to make a hit with a pistol, he started to speak. Whatever the gringo was saying, he was apparently ready to back it up with some kind of document. Taking a sheet of paper from his pocket, he offered it to Master’s Mate Gomez who opened it out and looked down at it After reading whatever was on it, he pointed towards the ship. Then he handed back the document and he called to his men.
Turning to his companions, the gringo must have told them to dismount Jumping from his horse, the small Oriental hurried to help the girl down. Then he held the animal’s reins while she joined the gringo. They spoke together and she seemed to be protesting. Instead of arguing, he pointed to one of the boats and she went towards it
While the small Oriental led their horses towards the stream, the gringo helped the girl into the boat and then followed her in and sat by her side. Two of the sailors, looking disgruntled at having the task thrust upon them by Gomez, shoved the boat off, climbed aboard, and started to row towards Destructor.
Ever conscious of his dignity and having no desire to compromise it by showing his curiosity, Grivaljo lowered the telescope as the boat was approaching. Then he went to where he could watch without making his scrutiny too obvious.
On being brought alongside, the gringo showed that he had some knowledge of ships. Standing up, he took hold of the entering-ropes and hauled himself without any difficulty on to the deck. Several members of the crew were hovering around and, in fair Spanish, the gringo asked for help with the girl. There was a rush of volunteers such as Grivaljo had never seen on other occasions when the men were called upon to carry out some duty, but the bosun’s bellow of displeasure drove them back. Having done so, the bosun and the gringo leaned over. The girl had risen nervously and, taking hold of her wrists, they heaved. With a startled yelp, she found herself being plucked from the boat. Her feet beat a tattoo against the side of the ship until she was set down on the deck.
Commanding the girl to come with him—and there was no other description for the way in which he addressed her—the gringo strolled nonchalantly to where Grivaljo was standing. As he approached, his eyes were darting around. Watching him, the lieutenant felt it was merely an interest in his surroundings that made him do so. There was nothing in his attitude to suggest he had any fear of coming to harm.
However, the girl did not appear to be quite so much at ease. That, Grivaljo told himself, could be caused because she was aboard a ship. Unless the lieutenant was mistaken, she was of a lower social standing than her escort. Her travel-stained riding habit was expensive, but it had been tailored to fit a woman with a somewhat more ample figure. What was more, if her tanned face and work-roughened hands were anything to go by, she had not always worn such expensive garments. Being a wellborn Spanish-Creole, which accounted for his low rank and humble command, Grivaljo could guess at her relationship with the gringo and he dismissed her from his considerations.
Conscious of the lieutenant’s scrutiny, Ole Devil Hardin forced himself to retain an outward calm and swaggering confidence. From the look of her when he told her to follow him, Diamond-Hitch Brindley was feeling the strain. Yet she had remembered to kick the sides of the ship while being lifted aboard, ensuring that if certain other sounds had been made, they would pass unnoticed. He felt sure that he could count on her to continue playing her part. If he had not been sure, he would never have allowed her to accompany him in the first place.
On hearing Tommy Okasi’s news, Ole Devil had called a halt at the deserted cabin. Then he had discussed the matter with Di and the small Oriental. They had not attempted to exclude Madeline de Moreau from their council of war. While she had not been told the exact purpose of their assignment, she was aware that it was of considerable importance to the Republic of Texas. So she had taken a lively interest in what was being said.
While it had seemed likely that the brig was awaiting the arrival of the ship carrying the rifles, Ole Devil had pointed out that—as the crew were engaged in taking on water—it was possible the visit had only been made for such a purpose. One thing was obvious to them all. No matter what had brought the Mexican warship to Santa Cristobal Bay, its presence called for some kind of action on their part.
From all appearances, the owners of the cabin had left hurriedly. Certainly they had not waited to pack and carry off all of their property. Noticing one of the items that remained, Ole Devil had started to concoct an audacious scheme.
Telling Tommy to unpack his war bag, Old Devil had explained what he intended to do. Making use of the document which he had taken from Halford’s body, he would visit the brig and try to find out why it was there. Should it be waiting in ambush, he would find some way of warning the arms ship of its presence. On the other hand, if the reason was merely to replenish the water supply, he had something else in mind. He would attempt to persuade the Mexican captain to sail south and, if successful, hoped to make sure that the brig would not be able to interfere with the landing of the arms.
On learning of how Ole Devil hoped to achieve his intention, Di had suggested that she should accompany him and Tommy. At first he had refused to consider the idea. However, as on the issue of riding with him to the Bay, she had had her way. Her argument had been that her presence might tend to lessen the Mexican’s suspicions. Also, she had claimed, if Madeline would co-operate, she could carry the means to put Ole Devil’s scheme into operation. Neither of the men would be able to do so, certainly not by concealing the object, and for it to be in plain sight was sure to arouse comments and questions.
On Ole Devil yielding to Di’s demands, Madeline had suggested that she too should accompany the party. The girl had replied that she did not think it would be a good idea, as there would be considerable danger involved and the need for fighting or fast movement. Di had not considered the woman capable of either, but thought she could help in another way. Madeline had accepted the girl’s decision with apparent good grace. At any rate she had not hesitated to agree when the girl asked to change clothes with her. Nor had the woman shown any alarm over being left alone at the cabin. She had stated that she was a pretty good shot and would have a selection of firearms at her disposal should the need to prove it arise.
With the various points settled, the party had made their preparations. In addition to having changed his riding breeches for less military-looking trousers from his war bag, Ole Devil had left his second pistol and saber—which had his name inscribed on the blade—at the cabin.
For the part which she would be playing, Di could not carry her rifle. Taking advantage of the riding habit’s slightly loose fit, she had buckled her belt around her underwear and had concealed the secret object beneath the outer garment. She had, however, insisted upon riding astride as she had never used a sidesaddle.
Wanting to appear innocuous and to be more convincing in his pose of a harmless ‘Chinese’ servant, Tommy had left his bow, arrows and swords behind, as well as changing his boots for a pair of sandals. He had, however, retained one weapon; but few people outside his native land would have identified it as such. Certainly Madeline, who had seen him replacing it in his trousers’ pocket after having shown it to a clearly puzzled Di, had not. Nor had she heard the explanation of its purpose as that had been made while the trio were riding towards the rendezvous.
Before allowing themselves to be seen, Di, Ole Devil and Tommy had studied the brig as it lay at anchor. It was, the Texian had told the girl, well situated for ambushing any vessel that entered. Due to the way in which the land rose on three sides, it could only be seen from the sea when the mouth of the bay was being approached. At night, provided that the brig was properly darkened, it would be practically invisible against such a background. However, the precautions which Hardin expected had not been taken. There was no lookout on either of the mastheads. The breechings and side-tackles had not been cast off, nor the guns run out. Neither was there a spring attached to the anchor’s cable to facilitate turning the brig and bringing one of its broadsides to bear.
Ole Devil had regarded the lack of preparations as a good sign. Unless he was mistaken, the omissions were not the result of incompetence. To his eyes, the brig showed no signs of being poorly commanded. In fact he had concluded it was just the opposite. Although the party on shore had been working in a somewhat dilatory fashion, he believed that could be the fault of the master’s mate who was in charge rather than the captain.
The lieutenant, whom Ole Devil was approaching, seemed old for such a low rank, particularly as he had the appearance of being a capable seaman. There was a bitter expression on his lean, aquiline face that the Texian recognized as common to officers in other navies who had, for some reason, been passed over for promotion.
‘Saludos, senor,’ Ole Devil greeted, taking out the ‘proof of his identity. His bearing suggested that he was merely going through an unnecessary formality. ‘This will tell you who I am.’
‘Well, Senor Halford,’ Grivaljo said, after reading the document and introducing himself. ‘What brings you to my ship?’
The voice suggested to Ole Devil why Grivaljo was still only a lieutenant. Some of the Spanish warships and their crews had gone over to the Mexicans during the struggle for independence, as had military units. According to rumors, officers of Spanish-Creole birth were discriminated against by their Mexican superiors. If that was so in Grivaljo’s case, dealing with him could be easier.
‘Information, lieutenant,’ Ole Devil replied, accepting and refolding the document. ‘Something you’ll be pleased to hear about.’
‘Willi?’Grivaljo asked.
‘If you’ve a mind to make some prize money, you will,’ Ole Devil answered in a louder voice than was necessary.
‘Prize money?’ Grivaljo repeated. Then, hearing his words echoed in a number of voices, he realized that the conversation was being listened to by almost every man on deck. Angrily, he raised his voice in a bellow. ‘Bosun! Put the hands to work, damn you!’
‘Like I said, if you’ve a mind for prize money, you’ll be pleased to hear what we’ve found out,’ Ole Devil stated, as the cursing bosun chased the sailors away.
We> senor?’ Grivaljo said quietly, keeping his eyes on the Texian’s face. ‘And who might ‘ W be?’
‘The people I work with.’
‘Who are they?’
‘Friends of Mexico,’ Ole Devil countered. ‘I don’t give names. Right now, I’m taking a pretty important message to General Rovira. But my boss told me to keep close to the coast and get word to any Mexican warship I saw going by that there’s a ship expected during the next three days at Port Lavaca.’ He paused dramatically, then continued, ‘It’s carrying supplies for Houston—including ten thousand Yankee dollars.’
‘How do you know of this?’ Grivaljo demanded, trying, and not entirely succeeding, to sound disinterested.
‘Come on now! A man of your intelligence doesn’t really expect me to give the answer to that,’ Ole Devil scoffed, with the air of one who had done his duty. ‘Well, I’ve told you. The news I’ve got for General Rovira’s important, so I’ll be on my way and let him have it.’
‘Just a moment, senor,’ Grivaljo barked as his visitor went to turn away. ‘It’s not as easy as all that. You could be trying to trick me.’
‘Even if I’d come out here instead of just sending a message with one of your men,’ Ole Devil countered calmly. ‘Would I have brought my girl along if that’s what I had in mind?’
‘Perhaps not,’ Grivaljo answered, although a similar thought had occurred to him. ‘But—’
‘There are no “buts” about it where I’m concerned!’ Ole Devil interrupted, bridling with well-simulated indignation. ‘Damn it all, I’ve told you something that any naval officer ought to be pleased to know. If you don’t want to believe me and act on it, that’s up to you. I’ll be going—’
‘Not so fast!’ Grivaljo snapped. Although he was not armed, he felt sure that the gringo would have more sense than to attempt resistance. ‘Being, as you said, a man of intelligence, I think it would be better if you stayed on board until after I’ve seen this ship which you say is bound for Port Lavaca.’
‘As I’m here, and seeing that the boat which brought me’s gone back, I’d be a fool to try and stop you,’ Ole Devil declared, giving a resigned shrug. He showed nothing of the elation that he was feeling. From the way he had spoken, the lieutenant was contemplating acting upon Hardin’s information, which suggested that he was not awaiting the arrival of the consignment of rifles. Looking Grivaljo straight in the eye, he went on, ‘But I want what you’re doing put in writing, so that I can show General Rovira what’s made me late getting to him.’
‘What do you mean?’ the lieutenant asked uneasily, showing that he had a pretty fair idea of the answer.
‘Like I told you,’ Ole Devil drawled. ‘I’ve some very important news for die General. Getting it to him, even with her—’ He indicated the girl with a disparaging jerk of his left thumb, ‘and my “Chink” servant along to make folks less suspicious—don’t worry, she’s so stupid she barely speaks English and doesn’t know a word of Spanish—it’s going to be dangerous to deliver. So, if I’m going to be delayed maybe two or three days—there’s no way of knowing just when that ship will arrive—I want to be able to prove I wasn’t responsible.’
Listening to the conversation, Di—who spoke sufficient Spanish to follow it—silently swore that she would raise lumps on a certain Texian’s head for his comment about her. However, impressed as she was by the way Ole Devil was manipulating the officer, she did not forget her part. Standing with a partially open mouth and an expression that suggested a complete lack of comprehension, she showed none of her admiration for Ole Devil’s acting. Everything about him implied that he was completely content to be delayed—as long as he could lay the blame on somebody else.
Watching Grivaljo’s reactions, Ole Devil could guess at the cause of his perturbation. While one part of the lieutenant advised taking the precaution of keeping Hardin on board, another was warning him of the consequences if he should do so and be proven wrong. General Rovira was one of the new breed of Mexican—as opposed to Spanish-Creole—officers. The kind of man, in fact, who had probably blocked Grivaljo’s promotion because of his birth and upbringing. If Rovira learned that vital information had been prevented from reaching him as quickly as possible, he would have no mercy on the man—especially upon a Creole—who had caused the delay.
‘Don’t get any ideas about holding me until you’re sure, then having me disappear and saying you’ve never seen me,’ Ole Devil warned, seeing from Grivaljo’s expression that such an idea was at that moment being contemplated. Tor one thing, some of the crew would talk. And even if they didn’t, unless that “Chink” of mine gets a signal from me that all’s well in about a minute, he’ll be on his horse and heading back to tell my boss where I am. Maybe he’s only a heathen Chinese, but he could do it.’
An angry scowl creased the lieutenant’s face and his fingers drummed against his thighs. He had already considered the first objection—that of an indiscreet crew suggested by the gringo. While he did not believe it to be insurmountable, the second point put his plan beyond any hope of accomplishment Even if he clapped his visitors below hatches immediately and sent a flag signal to the shore party, the ‘Chinaman’ would almost certainly take fright and flee. He was far enough away from the sailors to mount and be reasonably safe from their pistols. For the gringo to have adopted such a high-handed attitude implied that he had very influential superiors. In all probability, they would be men who could cause a great deal of trouble over his disappearance. It would go badly for any officer who was suspected of being involved, particularly if he was a Spanish-Creole.
Unpalatable as the thought might be, Grivaljo had to accept that he could not impose his will upon the sardonic-looking young white man.
‘Very well, signal your man that all is well,’ the lieutenant requested, almost spitting each word out in the bitterness of defeat. ‘I’ll have you put ashore as soon as the boats come back.’
‘Gracias,’ Ole Devil replied, although the latter part of the officer’s speech did not fit into his plans. ‘And you’ll go after that ship?’
‘I’ll sail with the morning tide,’ Grivaljo promised and could not stop himself from adding, ‘For a “friend of Mexico”, you don’t have much faith in your friends.’
‘I was born careful,’ Ole Devil answered. ‘Which is why I like to choose the winning side. Especially when it’s the side who can pay best.’
‘How do you mean?’ the lieutenant wanted to know.
‘I’m not so loco that I believe el Presidente will let any gringo, even those who have stood by him, stay on in Texas,’ Ole Devil explained. ‘So I’m making sure I don’t leave with empty pockets.’
‘Hey, honey,’ Di put in, speaking English with a whining tone. ‘How much longer you going to stand a-jawing? I’m hungry ’n’ tired, although I’m damned if I know what we’ll eat tonight. You ain’t shot noth—’
‘Shut your mouth, damn you!’ Ole Devil snarled in the same tongue, swinging around to face the girl, and she backed off a couple of steps registering right in a convincing manner. He turned back to the officer and, although he sensed that the other understood sufficient of the language to have followed the brief conversation, he reverted to Spanish. ‘She’s right, though. We’ve been travelling so hard I haven’t had time to shoot anything. How about trading a meal for the news I’ve brought?’
‘Very well,’ Grivaljo answered, after a pause during which he revised his original inclination to refuse. It might, he realized, be impolitic to antagonize a man with possible influential connections, one who could maybe supply information in the future. ‘I was just going to ask you to be my guest.’
‘That’s good of you,’ Ole Devil declared, adopting a more friendly tone and feeling delighted at the way the officer had played into his hands. There was one more thing which had to be arranged. ‘Can I have my “Chink” come out and eat?’
‘Of course. I’ll pass the word for the shore party to bring him,’ Grivaljo assented and nodded up at the rapidly darkening sky. ‘It looks like rain. Perhaps you and your—wife—would like to spend the night on board and shelter from it?’
‘We’d be pleased to,’ Ole Devil replied, showing nothing of his delight at the suggestion—upon which the success of his plan depended—having come from the other man. ‘Just so long as we can get off again before you sail.’
‘I’ll have you put ashore at first light,’ Grivaljo promised. ‘You have my word of honor as an officer and gentleman.’
The acceptance was made with almost good grace. As far as the lieutenant could tell, he had nothing to lose by being amiable to his gringo visitors.
In that, Grivaljo was making a very serious mistake!
It was one which was to have a severe effect on his career!