Juan Seguin

by Robert E. Hollmann

  “All right,” Travis said. “Let’s go see Bowie. I want you to leave tonight.”

  We walked across the courtyard to Bowie’s room. Davy Crockett was there watching one of Bowie’s sisters-in-law wipe his head with a wet rag.

  “How’s he doing, Davy?” Juan asked.

  Davy shook his head. “Not too good. His fever won’t come down. I’m not sure he knows I’m here.”

  Travis stood back as Juan walked over to Bowie’s bed. “Jim, it’s Juan. I need to ask you something.”

  Bowie opened his eyes. They were red and he blinked as sweat ran into them. He stared at Juan.

  “Who are you?” he asked.

  “Juan. Juan Seguin.”

  Slowly Bowie recognized the man standing in front of him. “Juan. Good to see you. How are you doing?”

  “I’m fine, Jim. I need to ask a favor of you. Colonel Travis wants me to deliver a message to the government. My horse is hurt. Can I borrow your horse?”

  Bowie blinked his eyes as he listened to Juan. “Sure you can, Juan. He’s a good, strong horse. He’ll get you there fast.”

  Bowie closed his eyes and soon he was asleep. Crockett followed us as we walked outside.

  “Well,” Travis said. “Let’s get your horse ready. I have the message for you. You can leave as soon as it gets dark.”

  Juan looked at the wall where his men huddled together against the wind. “I’ll be ready, but first I need to talk to my men.”

  I followed Juan as he walked away from Travis and Crockett. I looked up at the sky. It would be dark soon.

  Chapter Twenty

  The men were sitting against the wall, eating beef roasted over their small fire, as we walked up to them. Juan and I sat down and warmed our hands.

  “Do you want some food?” Andres asked.

  I took a piece of meat and blew on it to cool it. Juan shook his head.

  “I have something to tell you,” he said. “Colonel Travis is afraid that none of his messengers have reached the government or Colonel Fannin. He wants to send a messenger who is familiar with the country and who speaks Spanish.”

  The men looked at Juan. “Is he asking for a volunteer?” one of them asked.

  Juan smiled. “No. He’s already picked the man he wants to go.” Juan paused. “He wants me to take the message.”

  The men sat silently. Some slowly chewed their food. Juan took a deep breath and said, “I told him I didn’t want to go. I don’t want to leave you. You came to the Alamo because of me. I don’t want you to think I’m running away and leaving you here.”

  Andres wiped his hands on his pants. He looked at the other men, then turned to Juan. “We’ve discussed the possibility that none of the messengers have made it through the enemy lines. We’ve seen the enemy army grow larger each day. We know that if more men don’t come we can’t hold off Santa Anna. We believe that you can make it through. We have faith in you, Juan. And don’t worry. We’re here because we want to be. Because we want Texas to be free. So take the message. Bring more men back to us so we can defeat Santa Anna and make Texas free. We’ll be watching for you.”

  I watched Juan’s face. I thought I saw tears fill his eyes. He ducked his head for a moment, then stood up. He walked over and shook each man’s hand.

  “Good-bye, my friends. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” We walked back across the courtyard. Travis had our horses saddled and waiting for us. Davy Crockett was standing next to Travis. He smiled at us as we walked up. Colonel Travis handed Juan some saddlebags.

  “Here are the messages I want you to take to Houston or Fannin or the government. Find the first one you can and let them know how badly we need more men. Tell them I’ll fire the cannon three times a day to let them know we are still holding out. Tell them to bring food and ammunition. Good luck, Captain Seguin.”

  Juan took the saddlebags and tied them onto his saddle. We climbed into our saddles and looked down at Davy Crockett. He shook my hand then turned to Juan. Juan took his outstretched hand.

  “Now, Juan, you get back here soon. We still have to decide who’s the best shot.”

  Juan grinned at Davy. “Don’t worry, Davy. I’ll be back before you know it. I’m going to feel bad about beating you in the shooting contest. I guess people will have to change all the stories they’ve been telling about you as being the world’s best shot.”

  “We’ll just have to see, Juan. Another reason you need to get back soon is, John MacGregor and I are tired of listening to the enemy band all night. He’s going to get his bagpipes and I’m going to get my fiddle and we’re going to have a contest to see who can play the loudest. I know you don’t want to miss that.”

  Juan smiled. “I can’t wait to hear that, Davy.”

  Travis walked over to Juan. “Go over by the gate. Davy and some men are going to slip out on the other side and fire at the enemy to get their attention. When you hear the shooting start, you can slip out of the gate and hopefully the enemy will be too busy shooting at Davy to see you leave.”

  Juan nodded. “I’ll see you soon, my friends.”

  We walked our horses over to the gate. We watched as Davy and a few men slipped out of the Alamo. Time seemed to stop as we waited for the shooting to start. Finally we heard shots from the other side of the Alamo. Men were yelling and we heard the enemy firing back at Davy. The sentry opened the gate and we rode out of the Alamo.

  We rode toward the Gonzales road. The night was dark. Clouds covered the moon and there were no stars in the sky. We found the road and rode away. We heard the shooting fade away as the men ran back into the Alamo. Our horses’ hooves sounded loud in the night.

  Suddenly up ahead we saw a fire. We knew it was an enemy position. It was too late to turn off the road. We stopped our horses and looked at the fire glowing in the night.

  “What are we going to do, Juan?” I asked.

  “Just stay close to me. Be ready and do what I do. We are ranchers out looking for stray cattle. Be calm and it will be all right.”

  We rode slowly toward the fire. As we got near the camp a voice called out.

  “Halt! Who goes there?”

  I could see several dark shapes stand up beside the fire. As we stopped our horses I could see the shapes were enemy soldiers. Each one held a rifle that was pointed right at us.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Juan and I sat on our horses watching as the enemy soldiers pointed their guns at us.

  “Who are you?” one of the men shouted.

  “We’re friends,” Juan answered. “We have a small ranch not far from here. Some of our cattle wandered off and we were looking for them. It got dark and we got lost. We were nearly shot by the rebels in the Alamo. We’re just going home.”

  “We heard the firing. We wondered what was happening.”

  We saw the soldiers lowering their guns. One of them waved to us.

  “Come on in. Sit by the fire and warm yourselves. It’s cold tonight.”

  We rode slowly toward the fire. We had our hats pulled low across our faces, and we wore serapes to keep out the cold wind and to hide our guns. We looked around the camp. There were no horses. That was good. The men sat down by the fire and laid their rifles beside them. We were now getting near to the fire. I could feel its heat.

  One of the soldiers looked at us and smiled. “Get off your horses and visit awhile. Tell us of the news you have heard about the Texas army.”

  I looked at Juan. He rode straight for the fire. One of the soldiers moved over to make room for his horse. Juan looked at me and nodded. He kicked his horse with his spurs and the horse leaped over the fire and disappeared into the darkness on the other side of the camp. I was right behind Juan. I could hear the soldiers yelling. Suddenly I heard a shot. I ducked and the rifle ball flew above my head. Other shots rang out in the night. I could see Juan leaning low in his saddle as his horse galloped away from the camp.

  Soon we were back on the Gonzales road. We rode as fast as we could for
several miles. Finally we stopped to let our horses catch their breath. We listened for the sounds of horses running after us, but all we heard was our horses’ heavy breathing.

  “That was close,” I said.

  Juan patted his horse on the neck. “Too close. I’m glad they didn’t have any horses. I think we’re all right now. Jim was right. This horse is strong and fast. I’m glad I have him.” He turned his horse and began to ride away. “Let’s get going. We have a long way to go.”

  Several days later we rode into the camp of the Texas army. We were both disappointed to see that the army was much smaller than we had expected. Several tents were standing at the far end of the camp. We rode toward the tents and got off our horses in front of the largest one. We walked up to the man who was standing guard in front of the tent.

  “Is General Houston here?” Juan asked.

  “Who wants to know?” the sentry said.

  “I’m Captain Juan Seguin. This is my friend, Pablo. We’ve just come from the Alamo with a message from Colonel Travis for General Houston.”

  The sentry turned and walked into the tent. We could hear the sound of voices as he spoke with someone. At last he came back out.

  “Go on in, Captain.”

  We walked inside the tent and saw Sam Houston sitting on a small bed, writing on a little table. Houston looked up as we walked in. He smiled and stood up. Houston was a tall man. He seemed to fill up the tent as he walked toward Juan.

  “Good to see you, Captain Seguin. What news have you brought me?”

  Juan handed Houston the saddlebags.

  “Colonel Travis sent this letter to you. I haven’t read it.”

  Houston took the saddlebags and sat back down on the bed. He opened them and took out the letter. He read the letter and then placed it on the table next to the bed.

  “Travis wants more men. I’ve received several letters from him asking for more men. You’ve seen the army outside. I don’t have any men to send him right now. I’m recruiting men as fast as I can, but it’ll be a while before I have enough to march to the Alamo.”

  Houston rubbed his eyes. He seemed very tired. “I told Bowie to blow up the Alamo and leave San Antonio. He and Travis didn’t do it, and now they’re penned up and I can’t get them out.”

  Houston stood up and paced up and down in the tent.

  “Is the Alamo surrounded?”

  Juan nodded. “Yes. The enemy is receiving more men every day. I don’t think it will be too long before they attack.”

  Houston tightened his jaw. “I’ve ordered Colonel Fannin to leave Goliad and bring his army here. When they get here we might have enough men to go to the Alamo.”

  “What do you want me to tell Colonel Travis?” Juan asked.

  “Nothing,” Houston said.

  “What do you mean?” Juan asked.

  “What I mean, Captain Seguin, is that you’re not going back to the Alamo.”

  Juan and I looked at each other. We thought of the friends we had left in the Alamo. We had to get back.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “I’ve told you, Captain Seguin, you’re not going back to the Alamo. I need you here.” Houston frowned as he looked at Juan.

  “But, Sam,” Juan said. “I have to go back. I told my men when I left that I would come back.”

  Houston stood up. He walked over and put his hand on Juan’s shoulder. “I know how you feel. I want to jump on my horse and ride to the Alamo as fast as I can. But that’s not what’s best for Texas. Those men in the Alamo are allowing us to build an army by keeping Santa Anna there. We must take advantage of the time they are giving us. You can do those men more good by helping to raise an army to defeat Santa Anna than by going back by yourself.”

  I looked at Juan. I thought he was going to cry. “So you are saying you will not help the men in the Alamo? That you are going to let them die so you have time to build an army?”

  Houston looked Juan in the eye. “I’m saying if I march to the Alamo right now, it won’t do those men any good. We don’t have enough men or ammunition to make a difference. By raising an army we can fight Santa Anna on our terms and drive him from Texas. I need you to work with me to raise that army. I pray that we can do this in time to march to the Alamo.”

  Juan looked at the floor. I knew Houston was right. Juan knew it too. Finally he looked at Houston. “All right, Sam. I’ll help you raise your army. I know there are still many people around here who will fight for Texas. But I want your word that you will march to the Alamo as soon as you can. We have to reinforce the men there.”

  Houston smiled. “Juan, as soon as the army’s ready, I’ll lead them to the Alamo.”

  We walked outside the tent. A cold breeze swept through the camp. I pulled my serape tightly around me. I looked at the men sitting around the campfires trying to get warm. There were no uniforms. Every man wore the clothes he had. There were all types of weapons. I thought, There is no way you could call this group an army. Then I remembered the men we had left behind at the Alamo. They were the same type of men. They had no uniforms. They had all types of weapons. I decided that uniforms don’t make soldiers. Fighting spirit does. I knew the men in the Alamo had that spirit, and I believed that the men huddled around the small campfires had it too.

  Juan and I spent the next few days riding around the countryside getting men to come with us to the army. Most men came willingly. A few stayed with their families. Houston’s army was slowly growing. He moved the army to the town of Gonzales. Colonel Fannin had not arrived, and Houston sent several messengers to him telling him to come to Gonzales.

  When we arrived in Gonzales, we learned that thirty-two men from the town had ridden to reinforce the Alamo. This was good news. Maybe more men had gone to the Alamo and the old mission would be all right after all.

  Some of our men served as scouts for the army. They rode out onto the prairies searching for any sign that Santa Anna’s army was coming to us. As the days passed, Juan worried more and more about the men in the Alamo. Each day he would talk to Houston about taking the army and marching to San Antonio. Houston would shake his head and tell Juan that the army was not ready yet.

  Sometimes when I was out riding on the prairie, I would hear the far-off sound of a cannon being fired. The sound made me glad, because it meant that the men in the Alamo were still alive. As we rode through the countryside, we saw many empty houses. The families had left and were hurrying toward the United States border. They were afraid that Santa Anna would win the war, and they wanted to be out of Texas before that happened.

  One day Juan and I were sitting in a small tent. We were talking about the war and wondering how our friends in the Alamo were doing. We heard the sound of horse’s hooves pounding down the dusty street. The rider stopped his horse in front of our tent and hurried inside. I recognized him as one of our scouts.

  “Juan, come with me at once,” he said.

  Juan stood up and looked at the man. “Where are we going, Jose?”

  The rider pointed to the outskirts of town. “There are two men over there that want to talk to you.”

  “Bring them here,” Juan said.

  The rider shook his head. “I think it’ll be better if you talk to them out there first.”

  We followed the rider to a tree outside of town. Two men waited for us under the tree. Juan recognized them as men who had ranches near San Antonio.

  “Hello, my friends,” Juan said. “Why do you want to see me?”

  The two men looked at each other. One of them stepped forward. “We have news of the Alamo. A few days ago Santa Anna attacked the mission.”

  Juan listened carefully to the man. “What happened?” he asked.

  The man took a deep breath. “All of the defenders were killed. The Alamo has fallen.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  JUAN STARED AT THE MAN. “What did you say?” he asked.

  “The Alamo was attacked by Santa Anna’s army. The men fought as h
ard as they could but they were all killed.”

  “Did you see this?”

  “My friend and I were looking for lost cattle. We heard the firing and rode to see what was happening. We watched the battle from a small hill. When the battle was over, we rode into San Antonio and the mayor told us that Santa Anna ordered him to gather the bodies of the Texans and burn them. He told us that all the Texans had died.”

  Juan looked down at the ground. I knew he was thinking about all the friends we had left at the Alamo. Finally he looked at the men.

  “Come with me. We must tell General Houston what happened.”

  The men followed us to General Houston’s tent. Juan and I listened as the men told him their story. When they had finished, General Houston dismissed them. The men left and Houston turned to us.

  “We can’t let this story be spread around the camp,” he said quietly. “It would be bad for the men to hear about this until I check it out.”

  “Don’t you believe these men?” Juan asked.

  Houston sat on his bed and rubbed his eyes. “I’m afraid that their story is true. But we must be sure. They could be spies sent from Santa Anna to hurt the morale of the men.”

  He turned to a man who was standing in a corner of the tent. “Deaf, come here,” he said.

  The man walked toward Houston. Deaf Smith was one of the best scouts in the Texan army. He stopped in front of Houston.

  “Deaf, ride toward San Antonio. See if you can find out what really happened. I find it hard to believe that everyone was killed. Maybe you can find some who got away.”

  The scout walked silently out of the tent. Houston watched him go. “They call him Deaf, but I think he hears what he wants to. He’ll tell us what really happened. Until then, don’t let those men tell their story to anyone.”

  Juan and I walked outside. We watched the men in the camp as they prepared meals on their small fires.

  “Do you believe them, Juan?” I asked.

  Juan stared in the direction of the Alamo. “Yes, I do.