Young Ole Devil

by J. T. Edson

  ‘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!

  Chapter Fifteen – If You Don’t Want to Get Her Killed

  ‘When do you reckon it’ll happen, Devil?’ Diamond-Hitch Brindley inquired as she sat her horse between her companions and watched the Destructor brig sailing out of Santa Cristobal Bay shortly after dawn on a cold, miserable and—although the rain had stopped—damp morning.

  ‘Not until they set all sail and hit the rough water,’ Ole Devil Hardin replied. ‘Unless they find out what’s happened before then.’

  ‘If they do,’ Di said, turning a sympathetic eye on the other member of their party. ‘You’ll have had a wet night for nothing.’

  Even though the girl spoke lightly she knew that the failure of their plan might have more serious repercussions than the waste of Tommy’s night in considerable discomfort and not a little danger.

  On receiving Ole Devil’s message, which Lieutenant Grivaljo had sent ashore, Tommy had off-saddled and hobbled the horses. When he had reached the brig, he was given a meal. As the vessel was already crowded, he had been told to make himself a shelter between two of the starboard side’s twenty-four pounder carronades. xxvii That had been ideal for his purpose, having given him a legitimate reason for staying on deck. He could keep watch in case the ship carrying the rifles should arrive and, if it had, contrive to give a warning of the danger. More important, it had allowed him to carry out another task.

  Despite the discomfort it had caused, the rain which had fallen steadily for most of the night had been of great help to Tommy. On the pretense of collecting something from her saddlebags, their property having been brought on board by the brig’s shore party, Di had given him the saw which they had found at the cabin. She had been carrying it suspended from her belt and under the borrowed riding habit.

  Once satisfied that Grivaljo had turned in, the master’s mate who had the watch did not remain on deck. He went below to shelter from the rain. So, once he had left, so had the other members of the watch. In their absence, working with more freedom than would have been possible if they had attended to their duties Tommy had started to work. Using the saw, which was practically new, he had cut into the breeching, side-tackles and the lashing which held the muzzle of each carronade against the top of its gun-port

  The departure of the sailors had allowed Tommy to work with less immediate danger of being caught Taking his time, he had worked on the inner sides of the various ropes so as to lessen the chances of his tampering being discovered prematurely. He had not, of course, sawn all the way through. To have done so would have made the damage so obvious that it could not be missed. Instead, he had weakened die ropes. He had sought for the happy medium of cutting just deep enough to ensure that they would not start breaking until the brig was well clear of the bay. So well had he done the preliminary work that he and his company had been put ashore and the brig had set sail without it having been noticed.

  Although just as interested as the girl, Ole Devil and Tommy hid their feelings better. She was wriggling impatiently in her saddle and staring at the brig with grim concentration. While she had little knowledge of ships, when she saw the additional sails being unfurled as it passed beyond the mouth of the bay, she turned her head and grinned expectantly at her companions before resuming her scrutiny.

  Nothing untoward happened.

  Carried onwards by the shore-breeze, Destructor heeled over and turned to the south. Despite being rolled by the waves, it kept going without showing any evidence of distress.

  ‘Damn it!’ Di ejaculated after about five restless minutes had dragged by, ‘They must have found out!’

  ‘I don’t think so,’ Ole Devil contradicted, trying to conceal his disappointment ‘They’d be reducing sail if they had, or turning back so that they could make repairs in the bay.’

  ‘Those ropes must have been of better quality than I thought,’ Tommy commented in tones of contrition. ‘Or I didn’t saw into them as deeply as I thought I was doing.’

  Whatever the reason, the brig was still under all sail and clearly not in any difficulties when it disappeared beyond the horizon. The only slight satisfaction Ole Devil could find was that it had not shown any signs of returning.

  Di could not hide her disappointment as she turned her horses. However, being a good-natured girl, she felt that she should prove to Tommy that she did not hold the failure against him.

  ‘You wouldn’t be able to see in the dark and sure as hell couldn’t’ve started lighting matches even if it hadn’t been raining,’ Di stated as they rode away from the rim overlooking the bay. ‘Anyways, we got the damned thing headed south and that’s almost worth having to wear this son-of-a-bitching riding habit for. What do you reckon Grivaljo’ll do when he finds out, Devil?’

  ‘That depends,’ the Texian answered, having given the matter some consideration. ‘He may think we went aboard just to do the damage and put the brig out of action, But, if he decides that we’d need a better inducement than that before taking such a risk, he could guess we wanted him gone because we’re expecting a ship to arrive.’

  ‘And if he does,’ Di said bitterly, ‘He’ll be headed right back.’ Then her face showed relief and she went on, ‘Hey though. He can’t. The wind’s blowing him south.’

  ‘That won’t stop him,’ Ole Devil warned, but he did not attempt to explain how a sailing ship could beat back against the wind. Instead, he gave a shrug. ‘Well, there’s nothing we can do about it right now. So we might as well go back and let you get into your own clothes.’

  ‘I sure as hell won’t be sorry about that,’ Di spat out, trying to pass off her unrealized hopes and present anxieties as lightly as possible

  All in all, it was a dejected trio who rode towards the cabin. Yet, although they did not learn of it for many weeks, their plan met with complete—if belated—success. xxviii

  In spite of their gloomy forebodings, Di, Ole Devil and Tommy did not forget to be cautious. However, they saw nothing to disturb or perturb them as they app
roached the building. It had been erected in the centre of a fair-sized hollow, with plenty of open ground on every side to counteract the clumps of trees and bushes which grew thickly in a number of places. There was no sign of life, but that was neither surprising nor alarming. To prevent drawing attention to the fact that the cabin was occupied, they had taken Madeline de Moreau’s black gelding with them. Ole Devil had also asked the woman to stay indoors as much as possible.

  Taking the horses to the small corral, the trio dismounted. They were about to start attending to the animals’ welfare when the side door of the cabin was opened. Expecting no more than Madeline coming out to greet them, Ole Devil glanced over his shoulder. He stiffened and his right hand went towards the butt of the Manton pistol. Hearing Di’s low and startled exclamation, he knew without turning his head that she was also looking. There was a very good reason for their reactions.

  Although Madeline was emerging, clad in Di’s shirt and trousers—which were tight enough to show off her full figure to its best advantage—she was not alone. Walking close behind her, with the muzzle of a pistol held against the side of her head, was the man who had called himself ‘Galsworthy’ when he had visited the Brindleys’ ranch His other hand, holding the walking-cane which Ole Devil had already suspected was concealing the blade of the sword that had murdered the wounded prisoner, was resting on her shoulder and urging her onwards.

  ‘Come away from those horses!’ Galsworthy barked, pushing Madeline forward.

  ‘D—Do it, please!’ Madeline gasped in a frightened voice.

  ‘You’d better, if you don’t want to get her killed,’ Galsworthy supplemented. ‘And don’t think I—wouldn’t shoot a woman.’

  ‘Do as he says!’ Ole Devil ordered, having no doubt that the man was not making an idle threat.

  Even as he spoke, the young Texian was trying to locate Galsworthy’s companions. It was unlikely that he had left the other men with their horses. The nearest point at which they and the animals could be concealed was almost two hundred yards away, too far for them to be of use in an emergency. So, in all probability, they would be in the cabin. They were either positioned so as to be able to cover their leader, or were waiting to follow him out.