The Lost Gold of the Montezumas: A Story of the Alamo

  CHAPTER XVI.

  THE ARMY OF SANTA ANNA.

  "Houston? You here? I've something to show you. Hurrah for Texas!"

  The commander-in-chief had been sent for days earlier, and he had comein haste, for a fast-riding courier had brought him word that SantaAnna and his army were already across the Rio Grande.

  "Bowie! Thank God!" almost roared the old hero, springing forward."Oh, Bowie! I'd begun to believe you were dead."

  "Not a bit of it!" shouted back Bowie. "I've won a pot of money forour side. Here it comes."

  A train of horses was filing through the gate-way of the Alamo. Theywere not the worn-out animals which had travelled so fast and so far,for Crockett had made the rangers give up as many quadrupeds as werenecessary for the wounded men and the money-packs. Three horses,indeed, bore sadder burdens, for the dead also had been brought in.These had halted outside the walls and a burial party was at work.

  "It costs us something to win freedom," was the sombre comment ofGeneral Houston. "Many another brave fellow must go down before weclean out the Greasers and the redskins. Now, Bowie, come in and tellme what this means."

  They walked on into an inner room of the fort, but not even to Houstondid Bowie as yet unfold the secret of the cavern.

  "Too many know it already, or half know it," was the thought he did notput into words. He told all about the Spanish dollars and doubloons,however. In turning them over to the state, less the small sums agreedupon as the allowance of his men, he stipulated that the first use madeof any money should be for provisions, powder and ball, for the defenceof the Alamo.

  "Houston," he said, with emphasis, "my notion is that it can't get hereany too quick. Travis is wrong. Santa Anna will march straight forthe Alamo."

  "He may. He may," replied the general. "At all events, I must set outwith the cash. I must send you all the help I can right away. Then Imust raise troops and march to meet the Mexicans. It's a blue time forTexas, but this is a ray of light."

  It was only one ray, for in all other directions the prospect seemeddark. His own preparations for departure were made at once, and in thegloom of that very evening he rode away.

  "We must go all night," he said, "and not a soul outside the fort mustknow what we're taking with us."

  About an hour later, eleven men sat together in the upper corner roomof the convent building, and every man of them bound by an oath and byhis word of honor to keep secret all he might hear.

  "Boys," said Bowie to his own men, "if Travis and Crockett are let inand no more, the secret is just as safe. I don't feel as if they wereoutsiders."

  "Just the same as ourselves," replied Jim Cheyne. "They're to help usgit up the expedition. But what about the gold bars we fetched thistime? They'd tell it all if we showed 'em now."

  "Keep 'em for expenses when we are ready for business," said Bowie. "Ididn't say a word of them to Houston. We can hole them right here inthe corner of this room. Safe as a bank."

  "And if Santa Anna captures the fort, what then?" asked Joe.

  "Nobody 'll ever hear of any gold he got here," replied Bowie, grimly."If one of his men found it, he'd take it away from him and have himshot for desertion."

  The bars belonging to the men were brought, and they made only a smallpile, after all, when packed in a corner, under the couch, with oldsaddles stuffed in front of them. Red Wolf's prizes, of course, werenot included.

  "Ugh!" said Castro, after watching the operation. "Big Knife killTravis. Kill Crockett. No kill all Texan. Heap shut mouth.Montezuma talk, all bad medicine."

  "All right, Castro," said Bowie. "When my time comes I shall die."

  "What does he mean?" asked Travis.

  "You couldn't root it out of him," said Bowie. "He believes that everywhite man who meddles with this stuff is bound to go under. It'spoison."

  "Out with your yarn, then," said Crockett. "I'll take my chances. Youkin name the day for my funeral."

  Steadily, from step to step, the colonel told the story of his raidinto Mexico. Not a word was uttered by anybody else until he came tothe description of the cavern.

  "Ugh!" exclaimed Castro. "Heap bad medicine. Now Travis go under.Crockett lose hair."

  He evidently did not wish to hear any more himself, but curiosity is astrong tether, and, after all, he was an Indian, and upon him themysterious peril might not have so much power. Red Wolf knew thesecret already, and nothing evil had as yet happened to him. The chiefremained, therefore, in silence, while Bowie told of the humansacrifices, the fate of Tetzcatl, and the heaps of ingots, tons andtons of them.

  "Go for it?" shouted Travis. "Of course we will. As soon as we'vebeaten the Greasers I'll raise the men that can ride across Mexico toget the stuff out of that cave. It's a wonderful thing to know, butwhen you come to think of it, it's the most natural thing in the world.Montezuma and Guatamoczin did exactly what you and I would have done,both before Cortez came and afterwards. We wouldn't have given it upneither, and they didn't."

  "Thar's heaps of human natur' in this world," remarked Crockett. "I'dha' bet they'd ha' done just exactly what they did do. There's nothingcurious about it."

  "No more there is about their idols," added Travis. "They kept themjust as all the other heathen do in Asia and Africa. Hundreds ofmillions of idol-worshippers go it right along, with the missionariesamong 'em. They kill the missionaries, too, now and then. Some eat'em, and these fellows cut their throats and pitch 'em into a hole."

  It seemed as if every trace of anything mysterious or improbabledeparted from the old legend of the Aztec gold and silver the momentthe truth concerning it came out to be studied by such matter-of-factmen as these. Their hard common sense took it like any other businessaffair, and they were almost ready to name beforehand the men theymeant to take with them on the expedition they planned to secure thetreasure.

  After telling the story, however, Bowie grew silent and moody. Helooked around him upon the bare walls of the room. He passed a handover the low couch upon which he was sitting. He hardly seemed tolisten to what the others were saying. When at last there was a pauseand a silence, he arose to his feet, and a shadow, darker than usual,was on his face.

  "Travis," he said, "I want to get out of this room. It's close andhot. I somehow don't like it. It keeps me thinking of Tetzcatl, too,and of all he said when we talked with him here. He was a kind ofdevil, he was. I'm glad he went down into that chasm. If it's goodand deep he 'll stay there."

  He strode rapidly out of the room, and they heard Castro mutter,--

  "Big Knife too much talk. Montezuma talk bad medicine. All lose hair.Ugh!"

  Red Wolf had listened but he had said nothing, for nothing was left himto tell. He was a proud young brave, however, for the Big Knife, thegreat white chief, had praised him tremendously, and his own father hadmore than once said, "Heap young brave."

  "Ugh!" said Castro, laying a hand upon the arm of his son; and theyarose and followed Bowie until they stood with him in the plaza.

  "Well, Castro?" asked Bowie. "What is it?"

  "Want horse," said the Lipan chief. "Good pony. Ride heap. SeeMexican. Come tell Bowie. Sleep now. Go before sun."

  "Bully!" exclaimed Bowie. "I'll give you the best critters in thefort. I want to know just where Santa Anna is. What you two wantfirst, though, is to sleep about ten hours and eat all you can hold."

  Castro meant just that, for even the tough sinews of a Lipan warriorcould feel the strain they had borne. Away he went with Red Wolf, andnow the colonel's face grew brighter, for half the garrison wasgathering around him.

  "I can't talk much now, boys," he said. "You know about all there isto tell, but I'll add one thing."

  He pointed westward in silence for a moment, and his eyes wore almost adreamy look as he went on:

  "All that land, clean through to the Pacific, must belong to Texas.Somewhere in yonder among the mountains, in the rocks and in thegullies, there is more
gold and more silver than the world has ever yetheard of. The new Gulf republic must take in New Mexico, and Arizona,and California, and it will become the treasure-house of all the timeto come. We are poor now, but we shall be the richest people on earth.Only we must understand one thing at the outset. Gold is like freedom.Every pound of it that was ever won was somehow paid for in blood. I'mready to give mine, right here, if I'm called for. Now I'm going infor a hammock. I'm clean used up."

  It was past the middle of February, in the year 1836. The weather hadbeen stormy, but was now better, bearing few traces of winter as it isin more northerly latitudes. It was a season of the year that could beexpected to favor military movements, but the Mexican commander hadbeen disappointed and seriously delayed during all the earlier part ofhis invasion. The rains and mud had been in the way of heavyprovision-trains and artillery.

  A little after sunrise on the morning after the arrival of thereturning raiders, the sentry relieved at the Alamo gate-way reportedthe departure, an hour earlier, of Castro and his son.

  "Gone on a scout," said Travis. "Hope they'll have good luck. Wedon't know half enough just now."

  All that day was spent by the small garrison of the fort in what theycalled getting ready for a better state of things. They expectedreinforcements and supplies, but Crockett and Bowie, rather than evenTravis, insisted upon putting all they had in the best possible order.A strict account of rations was taken. Cannon were carefully cleaned,and most of them needed it. Every weapon, large or small, was broughtout for inspection or repairs. Every ounce of powder was measured asif it were gold. At least a dozen men were kept at work mouldingbullets, and for this purpose a number of leaden filigree ornamentswere taken from the window casings of the old church.

  "Best that can be did with 'em," remarked Crockett. "Church lead is asgood as any other to kill Greasers with."

  The supply of water was sure, for the Spanish builders had constructedaqueducts which brought an abundance, like springs within the walls.

  The men were in high spirits over their work, and even Colonel Bowielost some of the gloom which had been upon his face.

  "Crockett," he remarked, however, "I hope Houston 'll make good time.We shan't be ready for Santa Anna an hour too soon."

  "Travis hardly believes he's comin'," replied Crockett. "He reckonsthe old monte-player will strike for the middle of the State and thecoast towns."

  "Not and leave the Alamo behind him," said Bowie. "We'll have thefirst fight right here, and it 'll be a hard one."

  So they talked and worked, and the day passed and another night cameand went. It was a little after the middle of the next day that abrace of mustangs were reined in upon the brow of a low hill lookingsouthward.

  "Ugh!" exclaimed one of them. "Red Wolf heap look. Santa Anna come!"

  The younger rider was silent, but he was looking. For the first timein their lives they had seen an army. The southerly prairie was nearlylevel, traversed along its farther border by a winding stream of water.On this side of the stream, in long lines, in columns and indetachments, marched several regiments of infantry attended bybatteries of light artillery. On their flanks and in the advance rodestrong bodies of lancers. There were flags and pennons, and theserried bayonets wore a warlike look. There were even bands of music.

  "Heap Mexican!" exclaimed Red Wolf. "Tell Big Knife."

  "Alamo men all die," replied Castro.

  He did not move, however, during several minutes, for the bugles of thelancers and the shouted orders of the infantry commanders had called ahalt. Very shortly there were sufficient indications that the invadingforce had marched far enough for that day and that it was now goinginto camp.

  It was by no means a perfectly organized army, and there was a sad lackof precision in its movements, but its dispositions for camping weretolerably well made. Tents were put up for officers, but the rank andfile were expected, evidently, to bivouac. There would be littlehardship in that, but if the Lipan scouts had been able to make acloser inspection, they might have noted that the entire array of overfive thousand men wore a hard-travelled, worn-out appearance, as ifthey had been pushed and as if it were really about time that theyshould have a rest.

  There were clumps of trees on the prairie. Wood could be cut and firescould be made, but before the first smoke began to rise Castro wheeledhis horse.

  "Ugh!" he said. "Ride now. Kill pony. Comanche no come."

  He had been staring at point after point to discover if any of his oldenemies were acting with the Mexicans. If they were, none of themcould as yet be seen among the troops of Santa Anna.

  He and his son disappeared over the rolls of the prairie, and, unlessthey should be intercepted, there would be news for the garrison of theAlamo.

  Not in the centre of the Mexican camp, but on the bank of the river, alarge and nearly new marquee tent had been put up as the first orderfor a halt was given. At a little distance a fire had been quicklykindled and cooking was already going on. In front of the tent stood agroup of officers and they were chatting merrily.

  "We will crush the Alamo like an eggshell," asserted one of them.

  "It will surrender at discretion on our arrival," added another!

  "Travis will never be so foolhardy as to resist an overwhelming force,"remarked a third; but he added to the dark-faced man in the middle ofthe group, "General, what are we to do after dinner? I'm tired ofinspecting."

  "So are the men," responded the general. "I think we shall havesomething better. We can empty a coop."

  He pointed as he spoke at a spot of ground fifty yards from the tent,at the right, where several ragged _peons_ were at work with stakes andcord. They were already constructing a cockpit, for the Mexicancommander did not propose to let so small a matter as the conquest ofTexas deprive him of his favorite amusement. Moreover, on the bank ofthe river, beyond the cockpit, were drawn up two large wagons, and eachof these was almost over-piled with wicker coops, the occupants ofwhich were from time to time crowing defiantly at each other. If thearmy was to rest there while the Texans were getting ready to receiveit, more than one of the coops might possibly be emptied by theproposed combats of the gallant poultry.

  Meantime, the disposition of battalions, regiments, and batteries wasleft haphazard to subordinates who had no fowls to think of, and thegeneral and his brilliant staff went in to dinner.