Ole Devil and the Caplocks (25 page)

“Whereabouts are their
scouts, Tom?” Ole Devil asked.

“Maybe a mile back,” Wolf
replied, employing better English than when he had spoken to von
Lowenbrau. “Not much more.”

“Will they find your
sign?” the Texian wanted to know.

“If they’re any good, they
will—and I think they are good,” the Indian answered and, knowing
that many settlers had small respect for his tribe’s fighting
qualities, went on, “We came back too fast to hide our
tracks.”

“I know,” Ole Devil said,
with a grin.

“
I
figured ’ow did,” Wolf stated, flickering a brief glance at the
Prussian although his words had been directed at the
Texian.

“I hope they are good,”
Ole Devil declared, before the indignant von Lowenbrau could
comment. “It’ll be a help to us if they do cut your sign. They’ll
move even slower and give us more time to get ready. But we’d still
better go down straightaway and get started at it,
Major.”

“Little Foot says do you
want us to go and deal with their scouts?” Wolf translated after
the younger brave had asked a question in tones of eager
anticipation.

“Tell him I apologize for
making him miss the chance to count coup, but they must be let
come, see what we want them to see, then go to report,” Ole Devil
requested, mounting the dun. “But if they arrive before we’re
ready, they must be killed. Will you stay here. Chief, and attend
to that for me, please?”

“You’re leading this war
party with Ewart and Joe shot,” the Indian replied. “You tell us
what you want doing and that is what we do.”

“
Gracias
,” Ole Devil answered, aware
that he had been granted what amounted to an unqualified accolade,
then he looked at the Prussian and, setting his horse moving,
continued, “I hope your men see it the same way, Major.”

Without elaborating upon
his cryptic utterance, the Texian sent his dun loping down the
slope. The girl and the Prussian followed him. Straightaway, von
Lowenbrau discovered that he had not forgotten to take what would
have been a necessary precaution when dealing with the Dragoons.
Obviously he had known that he could count upon Mannen Blaze to
assemble and form up the men ready to be put to whatever use the
situation demanded. The two companies stood in separate groups and
each man had a pair of the new Caplocks to supplement their own
arms.

“
All
right,” Ole Devil said, leaping to the ground before his mount had
stopped and looking at the Dragoons. “I want all of you in the
rifle pits you dug on top of the rim.”

“
Why
us?” growled the man whom von Lowenbrau had promoted to replace
Sergeant Benn, and there was a mumble of agreement from the other
Dragoons.

“
Because
Captain Hardin has told you to do it!” the Prussian thundered,
taking note of his men’s reactions and seeing an opportunity to
build up their resentment against the Texian.

“Yeah, but you’re—”
Sergeant Otis began, realizing that he and his companions would be
in the forefront if—as seemed almost certain from what was
happening—an enemy force was approaching.

“The protection of the
arms is Captain Hardin’s responsibility,” von Lowenbrau
interrupted, picking his words with care. “It is he who decides how
it can best be carried out.”

“Why that—!” Beauregard
Rassendyll hissed and was on the point of going to support his
friend.

“Stay put, Beau!” Mannen
Blaze commanded, lounging in his usual fashion at the supercargo’s
side.

“Damn it, Mannen!”
Rassendyll replied, glaring at the redhead. “Don’t you see what
he’s trying to do?”

“I do,” Mannen admitted
languidly. “Only I reckon that Cousin Devil’s eyesight’s as
good—and most likely better.”

While the two young men
had been speaking, another factor had entered the affair. Less
perceptive than either with regard to the Prussian’s motives, Di
had listened to Otis’s response to Ole Devil’s orders. She found
herself comparing their new helpers with Company “C” of the Texas
Light Cavalry—and not to the former’s advantage.

“
There
ain’t no son-of-a-bitching time to stand arguing,” the girl yelled
angrily, glaring around the Dragoons. “But, happen you-all too
scared to go up there,
I’ll
come and hold your hands!”

“There’ll be no need for
that, Di,” Ole Devil contradicted, although he was pleased by her
spirited words. He could see that she had annoyed and, to a certain
extent, shamed the Dragoons. “Mister Blaze, Tommy and I’ll be with
them.”

“And I, Captain,” von
Lowenbrau stated, having no desire to lose the slight advantage he
had gained from the sergeant’s objections. “They’re my company and
as their commanding officer, it is my place to be with
them.”

“I’d agree, sir, but for
one thing,” Ole Devil countered politely. “You and your company
aren’t supposed to be here. Most of your men are wearing buckskin
shirts like mine, so they’ll pass as they won’t be seen below the
waist until it’s too late. But having a strange officer could ruin
everything.”

“
May I
know what you have in mind, Captain?” the Prussian requested,
neither making agreement nor refusal to the
instructions.

“
Certainly,” Ole Devil replied. “Mister Blaze, Mister
Rassendyll, Di, Joe, Sergeant Otis, Sergeant Dale, Corporal Smith,
come and listen.”

“By cracky, it could
work!” Di enthused and could see that the men shared her
sentiments, after the Texian had explained what he wanted to be
done.

“You won’t get no more
arguments from me on that,” Otis stated, although he was still
aware that he and his men would be the first upon whom the
attackers concentrated.

“I’ll tell you something
else there ain’t going to be no son-of-a-bitching argument on
either,” Di declared, her expressive face set in lines of grim
determination. “I’m going to be up there with you. De Moreau’s with
the greasers and, after all she’s done to us, I figure me and
her’ve got things to settle happen she comes close
enough.”

Colonel Oton Eugenio
Alarcon de Reuda had one advantage over the officers under his
command. While a wealthy
haciendero,
with a vast estate in
Arizona, he had been a regular soldier for ten years in his youth.
So he had felt that he was eminently qualified to make the most of
the information which he had received from Madeline de
Moreau.

Nor, on listening to the
reports of his advance scouts, had the colonel been told anything
to make him believe his summation of the situation was other than
correct. Although he had had hardly any contact with the gringo
rebels, few of whom had traveled so far west as his home, the
stories he had heard of their traits and conduct had not left him
with a high regard for their skill as fighting soldiers. Those who
were guarding the consignment of arms might have taken a few
precautions and they might know that the Arizona Hopi
Activos
Regiment were
coming, but he still saw no cause for alarm.

Advancing with care and
pondering upon how much better the terrain of East Texas was
adapted to such tactics—although the cold and damp weather was less
pleasant—than most of the land in Arizona, Alarcon studied the
state of the enemies’ defenses. They were obviously aware that his
regiment was in the vicinity and were positioned to fight back.
However, he felt sure that he could exploit their weakness. It
stemmed from the climatic conditions’ effect upon their weapons. It
was something which would not have such repercussions upon his men.
Few, apart from the Mexican officers, had firearms. Even the
latter, appreciating the serious fault which inflicted such weapons
under the circumstances, would be placing their reliance upon
swords or sabers. Nor would the lack of discipline which his
military colleagues had declared was a characteristic of the gringo
rebels make them as effective as might otherwise have been the
case.

Looking through his
telescope at the figures assembled in the rifle pits, the colonel
made a rough estimate of their numbers. Then he picked out their
officers from the descriptions he had been given by the woman who
had been brought to him by Major Abrahan Phillipe Gonzales de
Villena y Danvila. The tall, slim one with the face like el Diablo
and the burly redhead would be the primary targets for his men, but
he decided that the gringo in the well cut civilian clothing and
the small, yellow-skinned foreigner holding a bow and arrows must
also be regarded as of an equal priority. Possibly the red-haired
girl standing alongside the civilian could be considered in a
similar fashion, for Madeline de Moreau had warned that she was as
dangerous as any of her male companions. While the colonel was
inclined to doubt the statement, he saw no reason to take chances.
Nor did he want a female prisoner, who might cause dissension among
his soldiers. Whether she was taken alive or not, the four men he
had selected must die as quickly as possible. Killing the leaders
had always been sound strategy. With them gone, their subordinates
would have no guidance and be that much easier meat.

Satisfied with his
examination, Alarcon closed the telescope and glanced at the Hopi
Indian who had brought him to the point of observation. They
withdrew with a care equal to that displayed as they moved in and
he was confident that they had come and gone without the Texians
being aware of their visit. Collecting their horses, they rode back
to where the rest of the regiment was waiting. He was confident of
success and pleased with the thought of the acclaim which would be
forthcoming in its wake.

Not that the colonel
underestimated the fighting qualities of individual gringos, having
heard of what had happened in San Antonio de Bexar the previous
year. Of course, the Texians who were involved then had been more
numerous and commanded by older, more experienced leaders. However,
the rebels had also appeared to have scored a number of minor
victories in skirmishes during the early days of the rebellion.
What was more, although they were withdrawing from the west, he
could understand and even approve of Major General Samuel Houston’s
reluctance to meet a larger army in an open confrontation unless on
favorable terms.

For all that, unlike their
fellow rebels in the earlier victories—who were fighting
hit-and-run on the offensive—the men he had been studying were
outnumbered and acting in a defensive capacity. Alarcon felt sure
that the rank and file of the company would appreciate that their
inexperienced commanding officer had not even left them with the
means for rapid flight if their position should prove untenable.
There had been no sign of their horses, which therefore could not
be closer than fifty yards away and below the rim overlooking Santa
Cristobal Bay. The officer might even have arranged it that way, as
the colonel knew he personally would in similar circumstances, to
ensure that the men stood their ground to the bitter
end.

“
Very
well, gentlemen—and you,
Señora
de Moreau,” Alarcon
announced, looking at the three majors and nine lieutenants who
were gathered about the woman. His gaze went next to the leaders of
the Hopi Indians who were serving as non-commissioned officers over
the rest of the braves. “All is as Chief Jesus
^lv
told us. We can follow the kind of action which I outlined
when I heard our first scouts’ reports.”

There was a brief rumble
of interest and delight at the colonel’s news. The commanding
officers of the three companies who were present had approved of
the tentative plan which he had made, provided that it should be
workable. Nor could the Hopi war leaders, who were practical and
experienced tacticians, find fault with the reasoning behind it.
However, none of the lieutenants gave the tactics a great deal of
thought. Each was more interested in the prospect of going into
action, with the attendant possibility of outdoing the others and
winning Madeline de Moreau’s approbation.

The one person who might
have shown the main flaws in the scheme failed to do so.

Having been admitted into
the councils of war which were caused by her arrival and news,
although noticing that she had been kept under observation at all
times, the woman had approved of all she had heard. She had warned
that the Mexicans should not take the Texians’ leader too lightly,
without being too determined in stressing just how competent he had
proved to be. While the regiment consisted of ten fifty-strong
companies, a useful system in that it allowed a greater number of
promotions, seven had been left three days’ ride to the south. So
she had not wished to have her revenge delayed while reinforcements
could be summoned because Alarcon decided the enemy was too
dangerous for his force to handle.

“
You
were correct about the mule train having been brought here,
señora
,” the
colonel went on, causing the junior officers to scatter like flies
frightened from a pool of honey. “Or at least, the number of men in
the rifle pits indicates that it is.”