Ole Devil at San Jacinto (Old Devil Hardin Western Book 4) Read online

‘I heard a shot!’ the colonel bellowed, coming to a smart military halt a few feet from the other men and went on to ask a purely rhetorical question. ‘What’s been happening here?’

  ‘It commenced as an affair of honor,’ Hallistead replied, showing neither surprise at the newcomers’ arrival nor concern over Dumoulin’s obvious disapproval. He threw a pointed look at the still rigid and pallid faced Jaloux and Pierre-Quint, each of whom was now very ill at ease. Then he continued, ‘Unfortunately, colonel, there are those who appear to have a strange conception of what such an affair entails, or when it should be considered at an end.’

  ‘An affair of honor?’ Dumoulin repeated, as if such an idea had never entered his head. Then he glared at each of his subordinates in succession and with a scowl which his nephew, for one, sensed boded no good for them. However, instead of addressing any of the trio, he swung his gaze elsewhere and demanded harshly, ‘Is it usual in Texas to engage a man who is partially incapacitated, Captain Hardin?’

  Despite the question, Dumoulin did not really believe the young Texan would have agreed to fight a duel with either of the injured pair. In fact, from what he had seen of Ole Devil during the interview in Major General Samuel Houston’s tent, he was surprised that such an affair had happened. However, he had asked in the hope that his own men would do the honorable thing by correcting his apparently erroneous and unjustified conclusion.

  ‘It was against your nephew, who is totally capacitated, that Captain Hardin was engaged, colonel,’ Hallistead put in, before the young man in question could do as his uncle desired. ‘These gentlemen were his seconds.’

  Although annoyed by the interruption, as he had sensed that his nephew was going to make the explanation, Dumoulin decided to restrain his inclination to turn his wrath upon the speaker. Nobody could say exactly what rank, if any, Hallistead held in the Republic of Texas’s Army, xxiii but it was common knowledge that he stood very high in the commanding general’s favor.

  It was an awareness of Hallistead’s standing with Houston that had made the colonel accompany his wife, Corrinne, to the site of the duel. She had told him that some of his young officers were at the Grand Hotel and, in spite of his orders, were expressing their intention of seeking out Ole Devil Hardin and delivering a challenge to a duel. Arriving at the hotel, they had learned that the confrontation had already taken place and that the participants had set out for the confrontation. So they had followed in the hope that Dumoulin would be in time to intervene.

  Hearing the shot, the colonel had known he was too late to prevent the duel. However, on reaching the top of the hollow, he had discovered with relief that nobody was hurt. He still wanted to get to the bottom of the matter and find out why his orders had been disobeyed. In addition, there were other puzzling aspects that he wished to solve.

  ‘Did you exchange shots with my nephew, Captain Hardin?’ Dumoulin inquired, but in a considerably more polite tone.

  ‘Only I fired, sir,’ Alphonse Dumoulin declared, giving the Texian no chance or need to speak for himself. ‘Captain Hardin said, “J’ai oublie”.’

  ‘Very well!’ the colonel barked, eyeing the three now clearly worried young men malevolently. ‘Return to our lines immediately and without speaking to anybody. Consider yourselves under arrest. I’ll attend to you when I come back.’

  ‘May I say that Captain Hardin isn’t at fault, sir?’ young Dumoulin requested, standing fast while Jaloux and Pierre-Quint, the latter supporting his injured limb with his other hand, were almost scuttling from the hollow. On reaching the top, they stared ahead, then swung off at an acute angle. ‘The challenge was on my part and he behaved in a gentlemanly fashion throughout.’

  ‘I never thought it was otherwise,’ the colonel replied, with just a hint of softening in his stern attitude. ‘Now get going, damn you!’

  ‘Further to what the young man said, colonel,’ Hallistead remarked, as Alphonse Dumoulin followed his departing companions. ‘He’s lucky to be alive. Not every man in Captain Hardin’s position would have shown a similar restraint.’

  ‘Your officer’s behavior was misguided, but exemplary, sir,5 Ole Devil elaborated. ‘I didn’t consider that the matter called for the shedding of blood.5

  ‘My thanks for your forbearance, sir,’ Dumoulin answered, noticing how the Texian had not alluded to his relationship with the youngster. ‘Alphonse owes you his life. xxiv The hotheaded and prideful young fool—‘ He paused and stared up the slope in the direction taken by the errant trio and shook his head in puzzlement. ‘Yet he would have been the last I’d have expected to become involved in something like this. It’s not as if he’s like most of them, brought up to believe that the “code duello” is man’s primary reason for existing. Just the opposite, in fact. What’s more, now I come to think of it, he’s never been close friends, or even mixed much with any of that crowd.’

  ‘But he does have the advantage of being your nephew, colonel,’ Hallistead pointed out.

  ‘And what does that mean?’ Dumoulin demanded.

  ‘I’m afraid that this whole affair cuts deeper than your nephew’s hot-headed pride and misguided loyalty to the honor of your regiment,’ the entertainer warned. ‘In fact, at the risk of appending my nasal extremity where it has no right of entrance, I would suggest that you avail yourself of some reason to be rid of those two young fools before they cause some catastrophe in the regiment.’

  ‘Two young fools?’ Dumoulin queried.

  ‘You may also have to send your nephew home, to avoid any suggestion of favoritism,’ Hallistead admitted. ‘But his companions should go. They were willing to throw away his life as a means of extracting a spiteful vengeance upon Captain Hardin—’

  ‘I thought they’d got him into it!’ Dumoulin growled.

  ‘They did,’ Hallistead confirmed. ‘Nor, even if they had given a thought to the consequences, which is doubtful, did they care how the success of their nefarious—nay, infamous—scheme could cause grave dissension, perhaps worse, in the rest of the Republic of Texas’s Army.’

  ‘I’d like an explanation—!’ Dumoulin stated, eyeing the entertainer grimly.

  ‘Manny dear,’ Corrinne remarked, her voice suggesting that it too had been trained to reach the back row of a large theatre in the days when there were no acoustical aids to make this possible. She threw a pointed glance out of the hollow. ‘All this is very interesting and, obviously, the colonel is eager to hear more, but wouldn’t it be advisable for us to find somewhere less—open—to continue the discussion?’

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  ‘As ever, my dove, you are showing inestimable wisdom,’ Hallistead replied with a bow, employing the flamboyantly gallant manner in which he always addressed his wife. Having heard certain significant sounds beyond the rim, he guessed what had prompted her comment. ‘While I realize that you have many duties demanding your attention, colonel, may I suggest that you accompany us at least as far as the Grand Hotel and I will give you an explanation on the way.5

  T will,5 Dumoulin assented. ‘From what you’ve said so far, the sooner I get to the bottom of this affair, the better for all concerned.5

  ‘Tommy,’ Ole Devil drawled, as the party were walking towards the slope. ‘Go and tell Colonel Fog, with my compliments, what’s happened, and ask him if he’ll place the town off limits to all members of the Texas Light Cavalry until noon tomorrow.5

  ‘Smart thinking, captain,5 Dumoulin praised, as the little Oriental hurried away. ‘I’ll make sure that none of my men come into San Felipe before we march for Harrisburg in the morning. Let’s hope this business is all forgotten and we can get along with each other better when the rest of the Army joins us there.5

  ‘Yes, sir,5 Ole Devil replied, although he knew that if the assignment he was being sent on was a success everybody was likely to have too much to occupy them to worry about petty differences.

  ‘And now, sir,5 the colonel said, with an air of impatience, looking at Hallistead. ‘What have you to tell m
e?5

  ‘Reprehensible as the practice is,5 the entertainer commenced grandiloquently. ‘There are times when eavesdropping upon a private conversation is not only excusable, but mandatory. Such an occasion was presented to me earlier this afternoon when, driven by the irresistible urgings of my bodily functions, I was compelled to hide myself to the hotel’s toilet. Whilst sitting within I heard the two young men—‘

  At that moment, having ascended from the hollow as he was speaking, Hallistead’s explanation was brought to an end. Ahead of his party, some distance away, stood a good sized group of men. They had been gathering in much the same place when Corrinne had brought Dumoulin, and their excited chatter had caused her to make her suggestion about departing. Much to his relief, Ole Devil noticed that they

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  all appeared to be Texians and there were no obvious members of the New Orleans’ Volunteers present. His misgivings and sentiments on the latter point were soon proved to be justified.

  ‘What’s been coming off down there, Cap’n Hardin?’ called one of the crowd, as the Texian and his companions approached them. ‘Did you-all have to hand one of them high-faluting dudes from New Orleans his needings?’

  ‘Way they’ve been taking on airs since they got here,5 another of the assembly continued, ‘it’s sure enough time somebody did.’

  From the rumble of concurrence that arose, the speaker had expressed the feelings of all those around him.

  A surge of anger rose within Ole Devil as he listened to the comments and a low snort of indignation burst from Dumoulin. Having just endangered his life by taking a calculated risk to avert further dissension in the ranks of the Republic of Texas’s Army, he was in no mood to see his efforts brought to nothing by the behavior of men who had little to keep them occupied and so were ripe for mischief.

  Despite having been all too aware of the hostility which already existed between the Texians and the Creoles, Ole Devil had realized that there was no way he could avoid fighting the duel. Alphonse Dumoulin’s pride had been so aroused by his companions that no kind of refusal would have ended the matter. In fact, the Texian had sensed that the youngster would have gone as far as striking him as an added inducement if all else had failed.

  Studying Dumoulin’s nervous attitude and attempts to delay the proceedings, Ole Devil had been confident that he could terminate the affair without bloodshed provided it was not aggravated. However, if he had been struck, such leniency would have been out of the question. So he had agreed to the duel, gambling that the youngster’s perturbation was detrimental to accuracy. Nor, even after Hallistead had told him about the scheme hatched by Jaloux and Pierre-Quint, had he changed his mind about his line of action.

  Incensed by their treatment at Ole Devil’s hands and guessing what had caused it, the two young Creoles had been determined that they would take their revenge in spite of their superior’s comments on the matter. Nor had they expected any difficulty in obtaining help. Feelings were running high over the orders to leave in the morning for Harrisburg, and could be turned to their advantage.

  First the pair had spoken with their regiment’s fencing master. He was a noted duelist and generally ready to demonstrate his ‘courage’ on the ‘field of honor’. However, when they had told him of their wishes, he had said he would be willing to represent them had it not been for Colonel Dumoulin’s orders. Refusing to be thwarted, they had sought for another substitute.

  Finding a similar reluctance to disobey the commanding officer among the more likely potential candidates, Jaloux and Pierre-Quint had concluded they must try some other means. They had selected Alphonse Dumoulin, knowing he was unlikely to survive a duel with such a capable fighting man as Ole Devil had proved to be, because he was the colonel’s nephew. They had felt sure that, on hearing that he had been killed or wounded by the Texian, his uncle would withdraw the prohibition and so free the fencing master to uphold the ‘honor’ of the New Orleans’ Wildcats.

  Unfortunately for the pair, they had been discussing the fencing master’s reluctance and how they planned to overcome it while they, but not Dumoulin, were making use of the hotel’s toilet. Little knowing that they were being overheard, they had said enough for Hallistead to deduce what was a-foot and appreciate its implications. Sending his wife to inform Colonel Dumoulin, in the hope that he would arrive quickly enough to make an official intervention, the entertainer had intended to find and warn Ole Devil. However, he had been delayed by meeting a man who had something of importance to tell him. By the time they had concluded their business, the confrontation was already taking place.

  Guessing what the Texian had in mind, Hallistead had also duplicated the summation with regard to Dumoulin’s unsuitability for participation. So he had been willing to render his assistance. Appreciating the advisability of keeping the affair restricted to as few people as possible, he had used some information he had been given by Ole Devil during their first meeting as a means of persuading the Creoles to accept Tommy in the capacity of second, thus helping to hurry the proceedings along.

  Having achieved his purpose by bringing the duel to a bloodless conclusion, and allowing Dumoulin to emerge with honor, Ole Devil was now faced with an extension of the problem created by the Creoles’ scheme. He had known that they could not hope to keep the affair a secret, but counted upon it not arousing too much attention. As it had, he knew that he must prevent it from being exploited by his fellow Texians as an excuse for displaying dislike and resentment of their allies from the United States.

  Looking around the crowd, he recognized only a few of them and could count upon just two as friends. None of them were members of the Texas Light Cavalry. So he realized that he could not rely upon his rank, or military authority, to disperse them. Instead, he would have to employ the strength of his personality and try to subjugate them to his will. If he could, he might cause the affair to blow over—unless the angry Colonel Dumoulin said or did something to spoil his chances.

  Let that happen, the young Texian told himself, and the New Orleans’ Wildcats could not depart quickly enough to avoid further clashes.

  Chapter Seven – We’re Fighting A War

  ‘I thank you for taking such an interest, gentlemen,’ Ole Devil Hardin, in a tone which held no suggestion that the gratitude was genuine. Striding ahead of his companions, he hoped Colonel Jules Dumoulin would have the good sense to keep quiet. ‘But it was a private matter and has been settled with honor and to the satisfaction of both sides.’

  ‘Oh dear!’ Corrinne Hallistead ejaculated, stopping and waggling her right foot as the Texian spoke and increased his pace. ‘I seem to have a stone in my shoe. Could you lend me your arm for a moment, colonel?’

  ‘Certainly, madame,’ the burly Creole replied, guessing what the Texian was trying to do and not being averse to having an excuse to let him get on with it. Coming to a halt, he allowed the little blonde to brace herself against his arm. ‘Will you have to take the shoe off?’

  ‘I think not,’ Corrinne decided after a moment. She watched what was happening.

  ‘Did you—?’ a member of the crowd began, as the blonde made her request for help.

  ‘As I said,’ Ole Devil interrupted, conscious that he was moving forward alone and pleased by Corrinne’s intervention. The cold glare he directed at the speaker did as much as his chillingly prohibitive words to prevent the question from being completed. His hard eyes raked the rest of the assembly as he went on quietly, but with deadly emphasis. ‘And I’d be obliged if I don’t have to repeat it. The affair was private and I wouldn’t thank anybody who wasn’t involved for expressing an interest in it.’

  There the suddenly quiet and attentive crowd had it!

  The situation had been laid out as plainly as even the least discerning of them could desire!

  Looking at the straight backed young Texian standing before them, feet apart and thumbs tucked close to the weapons on his waist belt, every member of the crowd deduced that he wou
ld not countenance any further questions. What was more, they could tell he had every intention of enforcing his wishes. Knowing his well deserved reputation for being a ‘li’l ole devil for a fight’, they did not doubt he was capable of doing it if the need should arise.

  Everything, as Ole Devil was painfully aware, depended upon what happened next. From his examination, he felt sure that none of the crowd had had sufficient to drink to induce a frame of mind where any challenge must be taken up. For all that, somebody might feel it incumbent upon himself to do so.

  ‘By cracky, though, the cap’n’s right,’ declared one of the scouts who had been with ‘Deaf’ Smith at the Grand Hotel that afternoon and who now stood in the forefront of the crowd. ‘Seeing’s everything’s been settled fair ’n’ square, it ain’t nobody else’s never-mind.’

  ‘Way it strikes me,’ the second of the aged Chief of Scouts’ companions continued, from another part of the assembly. ‘What went on ’tween you-all ’n’ those other young fellers’s your own doings, cap’n. Which it ain’t the way of us Texians, no matter what folks does “otherwhere”, to go poking our noses into other folks’s personal ’n’ private doings. That’s what we’re set to fight Santa Anna over.’

  Studying the crowd’s reactions to the two comments, Ole Devil could see they were producing a desirable effect. Of course, the identities of the men who had made them was helping. ‘Deaf’ Smith and his small force of scouts were respected and admired by the majority of Texians, having been in the forefront all through the conflict. It had fallen upon them to investigate the rumors that the Alamo Mission had been taken. Given three days to complete the task, they had returned the following evening escorting the wife of Captain Almeron Dickinson—who, with her young daughter, had been present all through the siege—after her release by Santa Anna. What was more, the reference to the Texians’ trait of minding their own business could not be overlooked; particularly with one of the despised Louisianans in the vicinity.