by J. T. Edson
With a sickening sensation of horror, Galsworthy saw that his attack had failed. The worse feature of the fleche was that, if it did not succeed, the almost invariable result was a complete loss of balance and control from which, particularly against such an able opponent, there was no hope of recovery. So it proved. Carried onwards by the impetus of his movements, he watched the great knife passing under his sword arm. Then a sudden numbing sensation drove all coherent thought from his head. Biting in through his shirt, the blade sank deep and tore across his belly. There was a rush of blood and his intestines poured from the hideous wound as he stumbled by the Texian. Sinking to his knees, he toppled forward on to his face.
Having disposed of his attacker, Ole Devil straightened up and looked around. He found that Tommy had already succeeded in rendering the second Mexican hors-de-combat, which did not come as any surprise. However, the danger was far from over. The man whose bullet had nearly ended the fight in Galsworthy’s favor had turned and was yelling for the group of about ten riders who were approaching to get a move on. Having seen and heard, Ole Devil swung his eyes to the two women.
‘Grab my pistol, Tommy!’ the Texian ordered, knowing that an extra weapon might be very useful. ‘Then get Di into the cabin.’
‘Can do!’ the little Oriental answered as Ole Devil swung around and started to run to where their horses were standing.
Going forward, Tommy returned the kongo to his trousers’ pocket. He picked up the Manton pistol and, guessing that he was going to need both hands to separate the women, thrust it through his waist belt. Waiting until Di came on top, he bent and catching her under the armpits, heaved. The girl let out a startled shriek as she felt herself plucked from her rival and sent staggering backwards. Sitting up, Madeline tried to rise. Before she could do so, Tommy delivered a tegatana chop to the top of her head. Stunned, she flopped limply on to her back.
Wild with rage, Di managed to keep on her feet and came to a stop. The blouse had gone and the combinations had been torn from her left shoulder, leaving that side of her torso bare to the waist. Oblivious of her appearance, she charged forward so as to resume the attack on her recumbent opponent
Realizing that trying to reason with the girl in her present frame of mind would be a waste of time, Tommy made no attempt to do so. Darting to meet her, he caught her right wrist with his left hand as she tried to hit him. Bending forward, he thrust his other hand between her legs and, turning, Jerked her across his shoulders. To the accompaniment of blistering invective from the furious girl, while her legs waved wildly and her free hand beat a tattoo on his back, he started to run towards the cabin. On entering, he dumped Di to the floor hard enough to jolt the wind out of her. Satisfied that he could leave her untended for the moment and hoping that, on recovering her breath, she would also come to her senses, he returned to the door. As he did so, he pulled out and cocked the pistol. From what he could hear, the weapon was likely to be needed in the near future.
Reaching his dun, Ole Devil slid the Browning rifle from its sheath with his left hand. Keeping the riders under observation, he noticed that one of them was better mounted than the rest and had already passed Dodd. Like his companions, who were coming as fast as they could manage, the leader had already drawn and cocked a pistol. Deciding to wait until he was indoors before loading the Browning, Ole Devil sprinted towards the cabin. As he was approaching the halfway point, he realized that the leading rider would have reached him before he could attain the safety of the building.
Seeing his employer’s predicament, Tommy Okasi sprang outside. He swung up the Manton in both hands, sighted and fired. Struck in the chest by the bullet, the man slid sideways from his saddle. Slowing down to let the horse race by, Ole Devil increased his pace as it did so. Several shots were fired at him. With lead flying around him, he flung himself the last few feet. Stepping aside to let Ole Devil enter, Tommy followed him in and slammed the door.
Dropping the bowie knife, the Texian hurried to the nearest window. As he went, he readied behind him to pull a magazine bar from the pouch on the back of his belt. He eased it into the aperture, guiding it home and thumbing down the lever to seat it correctly. Then, drawing down the under-hammer, he thrust the barrel through the window to line it at the approaching men. Although he was aware that the pistol in his hand was empty. Tommy went to the other window and duplicated Ole Devil’s actions.
Seeing the two weapons emerging and pointing in their direction, the remainder of Galsworthy’s men veered away. While the pistol and the rifle held only a single shot each, or so they assumed in the latter’s case, every man was aware that he had only one life. With that sobering thought in mind, not one of them was willing to press home the attack as he might become selected as a target Instead, they galloped by the building, those who had not already done so firing in passing. The rest took in the sight of their companions who had already fallen to the defenders.
Galsworthy and the two Mexicans lay without movement, the former in an ever-growing pool of his own blood. Sitting up and feeling at her head, Madeline gazed about her dazedly. The buckskin shirt had come out of her borrowed trousers, which were now burst open along the seams. Her underclothing had been torn apart in the tussle, leaving her magnificent bosom exposed. Such a sight would have warranted the men’s attention and study under less demanding circumstances, despite her once immaculate hair now resembling a woolen mop and her slap-reddened face being smeared by gore from her own and Di’s bleeding noses. Sobbing as she fought to replenish her lungs, she started to rise.
In the cabin, the girl was also recovering. Gasping in air, she managed to get to her feet. For a moment she stood swaying and glaring about her as if ready to attack the first thing that moved. Then the wild light faded from her eyes as she realized where she was and, from her companions’ positions at the windows, what must be happening outside. Ignoring the blood which was running out of her nostrils to splash from her chin on to her heaving and only partially covered breasts, she staggered to where her rifle was standing in the corner. Grabbing it up, she crossed to where Ole Devil was standing and cocked back the hammer as she went.
Standing up and swaying in exhaustion, Madeline had acted in much the same way as Di was doing in the building. Then she too became aware that the situation had changed. Staring around, her eyes came to rest on her husband’s body. For a moment, she looked at the gory corpse. A shudder shook her and she swung away from it.
‘I’ll kill you for this, Hardin!’ the woman shrieked, glaring and shaking her fists at the cabin.
Even if she had tried, Madeline could hardly have selected a worse—or—in one way, better—moment to make the threat Even as she spoke, Di reached the window of the cabin. Before Ole Devil could stop her, the girl had lined the rifle and was squeezing its trigger. Although the weapon roared, Madeline was lucky. Still feeling the effects of being dropped on to the floor, Di was not controlling her breathing and caused the barrel of her rifle to waver up and down. So the bullet passed just over, instead of through, the woman’s head. The narrow escape from death served as a warning to Madeline. Turning, she fled as fast as her exhausted condition would allow to where her men had halted their horses about a hundred and fifty yards from the building. One of them returned, guiding his mount around and, scooping her up, he carried her to their companions.
‘Wh—What now?’ Di gasped, lowering the rifle.
‘Get loaded before they come at us,’ Ole Devil answered. Tommy, string your bow. I’ll try to keep them back while you’re doing it.’
Holding the Browning ready for use while his orders were being carried out, the Texian watched the woman’s rescuer set her down by the rest of the men. They were recharging their pistols, but she started to order—or try to persuade—them to attack the cabin. Ole Devil guessed that they would take some action—although he doubted if it would be a frontal assault—once the weapons were ready.
Everything depended upon whether Di could reload her r
ifle and Tommy string the bow before the men had made their preparations. Even if they did, the odds were still in their assailants’ favor.
Suddenly Dodd, who had joined his companions leading the woman’s and dead men’s horses, let out a yell and pointed to the west. Although Ole Devil could not see what had attracted his attention, clearly the other men found it a cause for alarm. Their horses milled as they stared in the direction Dodd had indicated and consternation reigned amongst them.
‘Rush the house!’ Madeline howled. ‘You can do it before they get here!’
‘Like hell we can!’ a man answered and set his horse into motion. ‘I’m going!’
Panic was always infectious. Given such guidance, the rest of the men followed their companion’s example. Splitting up, they scattered in every direction except the west. Only Dodd remained, saying something urgently to the raging woman and pointing to the horse with two bedrolls fastened to the cantle of its saddle. When she showed no sign of taking his advice, Dodd dropped the reins of the animals he was leading and sent his own mount bounding forward. The final desertion appeared to have a sobering effect on the woman. Going to the horse which the man had indicated, she hauled herself on to its saddle and followed him.
Puzzled by the departure, Ole Devil wondered if it might be a trick to lure his party into the open. Two minutes went by and, as Di joined him holding the reloaded rifle, he saw something that informed him there was no further danger from Madeline and her men.
On his return to the Texas Light Cavalry, Mannen Blaze had given Colonel Fog a report and a request from Ole Devil. The latter having been granted, Mannen had set off to join his cousin, accompanied by the whole of Company “C”. Fifty strong, they had arrived in time to chase away their commanding officer’s enemies.
Next day, just before noon, the ship glided into Santa Cristobal Bay. Standing on the rim and watching the anchor go down, Ole Devil and Di exchanged glances. The girl had tidied up her appearance and donned clothes from her war bag. Apart from a black eye and swollen top lip, she showed no evidence of the fight. With his men tired from their long, hard ride, Ole Devil had not sent them after Madeline. He had doubted whether she would cause any more trouble.
Going down the slope towards the water’s edge, young Ole Devil Hardin felt a sense of elation. The ship had brought the rifles. Now it was up to him to see that they reached General Houston.
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i Rio Bravo: the Mexicans’ name for the Rio Grande.
ii Texian: an Anglo-U.S.-born citizen of Texas, the ‘i’ being dropped from usage after the Mexican War of 1846-48.
iii Chicano: a Mexican-born citizen of Texas.
iv In addition to withdrawing, Houston had wanted to adopt what would one day become known as a ‘scorched earth’ policy. He had sound reasons for such a measure. By burning their homes, crops and other foodstuffs which they could not carry with them, the Texians would have left their enemies with a difficult supply problem which would increase, rather than diminish, the further Santa Anna advanced beyond the Rio Grande. Despite having this explained to them, there had been such strenuous opposition and refusal that Houston had been compelled to drop the proposal.
v Another reason for the nickname had arisen out of the fact that other men before the old timer in the cantina had commented upon him being a ‘lil ole devil’ in a fight.
vi What happened to the knife after the Alamo is told in The Quest for Bowie’s Blade.
vii Until the visits by Commodore Perry U.S.N.’s flotilla in 1853-54, there was little contact between Japan and the United States of America.
viii In the game of faro, the first card of the deck is called the ‘soda’ and the last is the ‘hock’
ix Joseph ‘Old Joe’ Manton, gunsmith of London, England, an early maker of percussion-fired weapons.
x Jonathan Browning, gunsmith father of master firearms’ designer, John Moses Browning. John Moses appears in Calamity Spells Trouble.
xi The Texians had suggested that, after annexation, in view of the vast area of land which would be involved, Texas could be divided into three or four separate States.
xii Creole; a Mexican of pure Spanish blood.
xiii The wakizashi was traditionally carried thrust through the girdle, but Tommy Okasi had had his fitted with belt slings since arriving in the United States.
xiv Due to its Mexican connotations, Texians rarely used the word ‘cinch’.
xv A more detailed description of the ‘high cavalry twist’ draw is given in Slip Gun.
xvi A description of Occidental archery techniques is given in Bunduku.
xvii The majority of ‘Kentucky’ rifles were made in Pennsylvania.
xviii Despite the difficulty of transporting it with the magazine in position, Jonathan Browning had produced a comparatively simple repeating rifle that was capable of a continuous fire unequalled by contemporary weapons. For all its advantages, it never achieved the fame which it deserved. During the period when he was manufacturing it, between 1834 and 1842, he lacked the facilities for large-scale production. In later years he would have been able to do so, but the development of metallic cartridges and more compact, if less simple to construct, repeating arms had rendered it obsolete.
xix Knobhead: derogatory name for a mule.
xx Cargador: second-in-command and assistant pack-master.
xxi Grulla: a bluish-grey horse much the same color as a sandhill crane.
xxii The formation and organization of a mule train, including the function of the bell-mare is given in detail in Get Urrea!
xxiii The investigation was successful. On being told about the spy and asked if he had seen anything suspicious, First Sergeant Gladbeck remembered finding Juglares in the wine cellar and realized that it was directly beneath the General’s office. Comparing the time at which Gladbeck had met the major domo with the information given in Ole Devil’s report, Houston deduced that Juglares must be their man. So a trap had been laid. Calling Colonels Bowie and Travis in for a conference, Houston made sure that the major domo heard it would be one of considerable importance. He had been caught on top of the wine-rack and met the appropriate end for a spy.
xxiv Aparejo: type of packsaddle used for carrying heavy or awkwardly shaped loads.
xxv The full story of why Ole Devil had to leave Louisiana may be told one day.
xxvi As the use of a saddle boot as a means of carrying a rifle was not yet widely practiced, Grivaljo had not noticed the Browning.
xxvii Carronade: a short-barreled, large caliber, compact cannon with a limited range used as a broadside weapon on some classes of warship.
xxviii The damage had gone unnoticed and unsuspected until late that afternoon. On running into a squall, the Destructor brig’s violent motions had completed the work which had been done by Tommy Okasi’s saw. First one of the carronades, then the others in rapid succession, broke free. Careering about the heeling deck, the angle of which had altered with sudden and unexpected speed as the weight upon it kept shifting, the guns created havoc and chaos. In addition to killing and injuring several members of the crew, one of them collided with and brought down the forward mast.
No fool, Lieutenant Givaljo realized that he had been tricked and drew fairly accurate conclusions as to why it had been done. However, in view of the fact that considerable damage had been inflicted upon the brig - not the least of which was the loss overboard of all the broadsides’ armament - he had accepted that it would be impossible for him to return in the hope of intercepting the ship which he suspected the Texians were awaiting at Santa Cristobal Bay.
Being aware of what his fate would be when his superiors heard of
what had happened, Grivaljo took the battered brig into a small, deserted bay on the coast of Texas under the pretence of making sufficient repairs to let them reach Matamoros. While the work was being carried out, he deserted and, later, surrendered to the garrison at a Texian town. On discovering that he had gone, the rest of the crew followed his example.
xxix Before their conduct had made the United States too hot to hold them and they had fled to Texas, Madeline and her husband - whose full name was Randolph Galsworthy Buttolph - had operated a high-class combined brothel and gambling house in New York. While there, Madeline had earned a well-deserved reputation for being able to quell - by physical means if necessary - the toughest and most recalcitrant of their female employees or competitors.
xxx The self-defense system known as yawara had its origins in Okinawa over a thousand years ago. Having been forbidden by the invaders who had conquered their home land to own or carry weapons of any kind, the Okinawans had developed and perfected the use of the innocuous-looking kongo stick which became known as the ‘six inches of death’ because of its lethal capabilities. It was so simple to manufacture that, if one had to be discarded for any reason, there would be no difficulty in replacing it. The kongo’s small size made concealment easy and carrying had been no problem.
