Eyes of Eagles (24 page)

Bowie studied Jamie as they walked. He could detect no change in the man's demeanor. Jamie had just stretched a man out dead on the floor, either with a broken neck or a broken skull, and he had not changed expression yet. Fontaine had told Bowie that Jamie was very bright, and Bowie had realized almost instantly that he certainly was not dealing with some sort of dullard. Then he had to suppress a chuckle. When had he ever been terribly overcome with grief after a killing?

Now he knew why he had taken such an immediate cotton to the lad — they were both as much alike as two peas in a pod.

At the meeting, Fontaine and Smith were uncommonly blunt. “War is looming on the horizon, Jamie. I would guess no more than a year away. We need to know exactly where you stand.”

“I stand for Texas independence,” Jamie said without hesitation. “I thought I had made that clear.”

Fontaine nodded his head, as did Smith. “This is something we're asking of all our people, Jamie. You have not been singled out for questioning.”

“You have your answer,” Bowie said shortly. “Now, what about Santa Anna?”

“Santa Anna is no friend of ours,” Fontaine said. “We were all wrong about him.”

They certainly were. By now it was clear that Santa Anna was a tyrant. He was rapidly becoming a dictator, with the Mexican congress snugly in his pocket. Santa Anna had made it abundantly clear that under no circumstances was Texas to be free of Mexico's control.

But Santa Anna had made a few other mistakes along the way. One was allowing land to be more easily acquired, and two was modification of the laws allowing new settlers to come in, and come in they did, by the thousands.

Austin had smuggled a letter out of Mexico, the contents of which, had they been seen by Santa Anna, would have put Austin up in front of a firing squad. Austin had some pretty strong things to say about Santa Anna, and called for war.

“Our army?” Jamie questioned.

Smith smiled. “Loose and highly disorganized. It's far too soon to call openly for volunteers. But they will be there when the time comes.”

“And I am to do what?” Jamie asked.

“Wait,” Bowie told him. “That's all any of us can do.”

After Jamie had excused himself, saying he had some business to attend to, Fontaine looked at Bowie. “What do you think?”

“He's solid as an oak.”

“Tell us what happened across the street,” Smith urged.

“He killed a man with one blow from his fist,” Bowie said simply. “Dispatching him without a change of expression.”

“Do you think he's a killer without conscience?” Fontaine asked.

Bowie smiled. “No more than I am.”

* * *

Jamie rode toward the encampment of the Saxon gang with every intention of ending this years-long pursuit once and for all. But when he reached the camp, it was deserted. The coals were still hot and scraps of food and bits of ragged and discarded clothing were scattered about, but the Saxons and their followers were gone.

Jamie picked up their trail and found they had gone south for a few miles, then cut east toward the Sabine River. He followed the obvious trail for a few miles, then gave it up when it became clear the gang was quitting the hunt. For what reasons, Jamie did not have a clue.

“Good,” he muttered, and turned his horse's head north, toward Kate and home.

Everyone was both surprised and pleased to see him return so soon. Kate had feared that he might be gone for weeks, or even months. And, secretly, she feared for her husband's life, for she knew him better than anyone, and knew the chances he took. Hannah had explained the warrior's way to her. And even though Jamie had spent only a few years with the Shawnees, the lessons he had learned there were burned deep within him, and they would remain there all his life.

So for nearly a year, the political struggling and rumors of war were forgotten by those in the Big Thicket as they concentrated on their own struggling to stay alive, work their fields, and raise their families. Jamie did not know why the Saxon Brothers had given up their hunt for him, but he felt sure that one day he would meet them and it would have to be settled.

In the world outside the Big Thicket, events were rushing toward war. Santa Anna had sent his brother-in-law, General Martin Perfecto do Cos, to Saltillo, with orders to get rid of the Federalist governor and his staff, who were openly opposed to Santa Anna's dictatorial ways. War between the Texans and the forces of Santa Anna moved closer.

Sam Houston continued to tell his followers to stay calm. War was coming, but not just yet.

Over in San Felipe, a flamboyant young attorney, William Barret Travis had put together a small force of some twenty-five men. Hardly an army, but it was the beginning of one. Some say it was Travis and his little force, a few months later, who really fired the first shot of the revolution — but Texas was huge, and there were shots being fired all over the place, so no one is really sure.

Fontaine sent Bonham to fetch Jamie. Travis wanted to meet him. Jamie agreed, but could not understand why the special interest in him. There were hundreds of men who knew Texas better, so why him?

Bonham shrugged his shoulders. A few days later, at the rear of Smith's store, Fontaine cleared it up. “Because you represent what Texas is all about, Jamie. It doesn't make any difference whether you were born here, or not. At this point in time, most Texans have come in here from somewhere else. But you're free, and you're willing to die for that freedom. You're a little bit wild, and you don't give a tinker's damn whether others approve of that, or not. You're true to yourself and to your family. That's Texas. You stand up for what you believe in, and if the law, or lack of it, can't handle it, you will and to hell with those who don't have the backbone to fight for what they believe in. That's Texas, Jamie.” The government man smiled and called, “All right, Mr. Travis, please come in.”

Jamie Ian MacCallister and William Barret Travis shook hands and sized each other up. Jamie had heard that Jim Bowie and Travis did not really like one another, and Jamie could see why.

As they drank coffee and talked, Jamie could see that the two men were opposites. Bowie was wild and unruly and oftentimes quite unpredictable, while Travis was outwardly cold and calculating. But Travis was also hotheaded and did not like his orders questioned, and he was the sort who felt that his way was the only way. Regardless of that, Jamie and Travis, in only a few short hours that day, grew to like and respect each other. And Jamie could sense that Travis, like Bowie, was fearless. When everybody involved finally made their declaration and committed, it was going to be a matter of wills as to who would actually lead the Texas Army of Independence, Travis or Bowie.

Travis left Jamie with these words: “Stand ready for the call, Jamie MacCallister.”

“Blowhard,” Bowie muttered.

Jamie was back home in time to help with the spring planting.

* * *

On a warm and not unpleasant Saturday evening, when all were gathered at Jamie and Kate's for an evening of conversation and food and some hard cider for the men (the men didn't know it, but the ladies had a jug hid out behind the woodpile for themselves), Jamie broke the news to them all.

“I might get the call to go and fight at any time. So I've arranged for help to come over. Juan has brothers just recently moved into this area, and they're good people and need to work. I ...” He shook his head and smiled. “We don't even have an army yet. But Bowie, Travis, Smith, and Fontaine want me to leave the land and become a scout for them. I'm torn, I tell you.”

“Do you want to go, Jamie?” Kate asked.

“Yes. I do.”

“Then it's settled. You'll go.”

“Texas obviously needs you, Jamie,” Sam said. “I believe it's your duty.”

“Jamie,” Swede said, leaning closer. “We all live within shouting distance of each other. We've quite a little settlement here and we can put together a fighting force in a matter of seconds.”

That was true. Jamie had insisted upon all the women mastering rifle and pistol.

Jamie nodded his head. “All right. But I'll be gone for months, surely.”

Kate looked at him, her blue eyes twinkling. “But won't it be fun when you do return?”

* * *

Jamie reached San Felipe in time to speak briefly with a very excited Travis. “They've done it, lad!” Travis said. “General Cos has reopened the garrison and the customs house at Anahuac and is sending troops in to reinforce those stationed there. We grabbed a Mexican courier and took these dispatches from him.” He waved several papers under Jamie's nose. “But wait! There is more. Much more. In here,” he thumped the papers, “is a signed statement from a ranking Mexican general, clearly stating that when the conquest of Zacatecas is complete, Santa Anna himself will lead the Mexican Army to us and crush us!”

Actually, Travis's Spanish was not that good. Nowhere in the dispatches did it mention the word “crush,” which is
aplastar
. The word
castigar
was used, which meant punish or chastise.

“We ride for the garrison?” Jamie asked.

“We ride, lad!”

“How many in your army?”

“Twenty-five brave Texans and one cannon!” Travis said proudly.

Jamie blinked at that. “Against how many?”

“That's what you are to find out, Jamie. Ride like the wind and report back to me immediately.”

“Yes, sir, ah...?”

“Colonel, Jamie. In the Texas Army of Independence.”

“Yes, sir, Colonel Travis.”

When Jim Bowie heard of that he, too, became a colonel and started putting together his own command. It was sort of an odd way to fight a war.

“We'll meet you on your way back!” Travis shouted.

Jamie lifted a hand and was gone.

What Jamie found in the garrison at the tiny settlement of Anahuac was one officer and about fifty enlisted men. He learned this by sitting in a cantina and watching the post.

That the Mexican officer in charge was hated by most of the Mexican locals was summed up when a man engaged Jamie in conversation and called the Mexican officer a rotten son of a bitch.

But the man was watching Jamie closely, too closely. And Jamie sensed he was an informer and merely smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “I never get involved in local politics,” he told the man. “I'm from Louisiana over here visiting friends.” He jerked a thumb. “Up north.”

The man smiled and Jamie could see him relax. “You are wise, senor. If you are hungry, they serve excellent food here. I know. My sister is the cook!”

Jamie ate the hot spicy food and drank about a gallon of water to cool the flames. Then he began the long ride back east. About halfway there, he met Travis and his command.

“About fifty men, Colonel,” Jamie reported. “I only saw one officer. But that officer has spies all over the settlement. One approached me.”

“You obviously convinced him you were not involved in any skullduggery.”

“I believe so.”

“Good. Ride with me at the head of the column. We're on the march.”

On June the 29th, 1835, Colonel William Barret Travis and his small army, rode up to within shelling distance of the garrison in Anahuac and sent Jamie, under a white flag of truce, to relay a message.

“And that message is?” the officer in charge said with a sneer.

“Surrender, senor,” Jamie told him.

The Mexican commander spat on the ground by Jamie's feet. “There is your reply. Come the dawning, I will see you all dead!”

“I doubt it. But
gracias
anyway.” Jamie walked back to his horse and returned to Colonel Travis with the message.

“Make ready the cannon!” Travis ordered.

The cannonball crashed into the compound without killing anyone but scaring the hell out of everyone. The Mexican officer was certain that this tiny force was the vanguard of a much larger force and immediately ran up the white flag of surrender.

Travis rode up to the gate. “Stack your arms and deliver them to us. Tomorrow, at first light, you and your command will leave Texas.”

“Si, senor!” the officer said.

As he watched them leave just after dawn, Jamie wondered if all wars were as easily won as this one?

* * *

When Travis and his victorious force returned to San Felipe, they found, much to their surprise, that the majority of people there had suddenly had a change of heart and were soundly condemning Travis's actions at the Mexican garrison.

“You acted in haste!” one clearly frightened citizen told the startled Travis. “We could all be wiped out because of your brashness.”

Travis was furious, but managed to contain his anger when a committee from the town wrote a letter of apology to the commander of the small garrison at Anahuac. He even kept his temper in check when that same committee demanded that he do the same. He finally wrote the note of apology, but those that knew him could clearly see that beneath the words, it was definitely tongue in cheek. Jamie knew then that the seemingly straight-laced Travis had a wicked sense of humor.

Jamie kept in touch with Kate and his friends back in the thicket by posting letters to the village of San Augustine whenever he could, which was not often, for Travis had him riding all over the south part of Texas, gathering little tidbits of information. For the first time since leaving the Big Thicket, Jamie felt he was finally doing something worthwhile, both for the independence movement and for himself.