Jim Bowie (5 page)

The Indians kept coming. Suddenly five rifles fired at the charging warriors. The smoke from the rifles filled the oak grove and made it hard to see. I could hear the pounding of the Indian horses’ hooves. Five more rifles fired. When the smoke cleared, I looked out from under the bush. The Indians had ridden back out of range of the rifles. Arrows were sticking out of some trees. I saw an arrow lying on the ground next to me. The men were quickly reloading their rifles.

“Do you think they’ll charge again, Jim?” Turner asked.

Jim looked out at the Indians. The chief who had spoken to Jim was riding up and down in front of the other Indians. We could hear him talking to the warriors.

“I think they’ll come again. I think that chief is trying to talk them into it.”

The chief turned his black horse toward us. He pointed his spear and yelled. His horse charged forward and the other Indians followed. Their war cries hurt my ears, and I crawled back under the bush. For several hours the oak grove was filled with smoke as the men fired at the Comanches, who charged us again and again. Late in the afternoon the Indians pulled back and we could see them talking. The tired Texans sat or lay on the ground as they waited for another attack.

Jim walked among the men. He asked each one how they were and how much ammunition they had left. Jim looked worried when he had finished checking the men. He walked to the center of a clearing and looked at the distant Indians. He turned back to the men, who were watching him.

“We’re nearly out of powder and ammunition. If they charge us again, you must be sure and make every shot count. It’s getting late. If we can hold out until dark, we might have a chance to get away.”

Turner wiped the black powder from his face.

“I tell you, Jim. I’d trade my part of that lost mine right now for a nice cold drink of water.”

“You have as much chance of finding that mine right now as you do of getting a drink,” Rezin said. “Where are we going to go when it gets dark, Jim?”

Jim looked at the sun as it began to set in the west.

“We’re going back to San Antonio. If you get lost, just head east until you hit the San Antonio road. There are too many Comanches around here to keep looking for that mine.”

A yell from the Indians sent the men running to find cover. The Indians charged toward the oak grove once again, but just before they came into range of the rifles, they turned their horses and rode toward the west. We all watched as the Indians disappeared into the distance.

“Do you think it’s a trick, Jim?” Turner asked.

“I don’t know,” Jim said. “We’re going to wait until it’s dark, then we’re headed back to San Antonio. Until then, be alert. The Indians might come back.”

We stayed in the oak grove long after the sun had set. There were clouds in the sky that covered the moon and the stars. This would be good for us as we made our escape. Finally Jim stood up.

“Let’s go,” he whispered. “Just walk your horses. Pay attention. We don’t know where those Indians might be.”

We headed back across the prairie toward San Antonio. I trotted ahead of the horses. I sniffed the air, but I did not smell anything—no war paint or strange horses. Jim rode behind the others. He constantly checked to see if the Indians were trailing us. After we had been traveling for several hours, he rode to the head of the column.

“I think we’re going to be all right,” he said. “I think the Indians have had enough.”

You could hear the men as they let their breath out.

“I tell you, Jim,” Rezin said. “That’s about as scared as I’ve ever been. We’ve been in some tight spots before, but never one as bad as this.”

I could see Jim smile.

“I think you’re right. That was a real tough spot. I hate to tell Mr. Veramendi that we didn’t find the mines, but at least we all have our scalps.”

A couple of days later we rode into San Antonio. The people on the streets looked at us as we headed toward our house. You could tell they were wondering where we had been and what we had been doing. A couple of dogs barked at me from the doorway of a house, but I didn’t care. It was good to be home.

For several months after the search for the lost mines, Jim stayed home and looked after his land. He and Ursula were happy, and Jim talked about never leaving San Antonio again. One day Mr. Veramendi called Jim to his office. I went with Jim to see the vice-governor. Mr. Veramendi smiled as we walked into his office.

“Jim. Good to see you. Sit down. Would you like something to drink?”

“No, thank you,” Jim said as he sat down. “What did you want to see me about, Governor?”

Mr. Veramendi looked at the papers on his desk for several minutes. Finally he looked up at Jim.

“I’m afraid that things aren’t going well. President Santa Anna thinks that all the new settlers are a danger to Mexico. He wants to stop any further settlements. He even wants to force the settlers who are here to leave. I’m afraid that there’ll be a war.”

“Do you really think Santa Anna will fight the settlers?”

Mr. Veramendi nodded.

“Yes I do, Jim. I’ve met the man. He’s very proud. He thinks the settlers want to take Texas away from Mexico. He thinks they want to join the United States. He thinks that this would be a great insult. I have heard he has sent a commander named Jose de las Piedras to Nacogdoches to take the weapons away from the settlers there. I’m afraid there will be a fight.”

“If he tries to take their weapons, there will be a fight,” Jim said. “What do you want me to do?”

“Take some men to Nacogdoches. See what’s going on and do what you can to see that he doesn’t harm the settlers.”

Jim stood up. “I better find some men.”

“I have already found you some. They’ll be in the plaza in the morning.”

Mr. Veramendi looked troubled.

“What else is wrong, Governor?” Jim asked.

“An epidemic of cholera is moving through the country. I’m afraid it will come here. It’s a deadly disease. I’m worried about our families.”

“I agree. You can’t stay here. I know, take everyone to Monclova. It’s healthier there. I think you’ll be all right there. After I check on Nacogdoches, I’ll come there to be with you.”

Mr. Veramendi smiled.

“That’s a good idea. I’ll leave in a couple of days. Tell Ursula she’ll come with us.”

Jim turned toward the door.

“I’ll see you in a couple of weeks. Take good care of Ursula.”

We walked back home. Ursula was sitting in the front room reading a book. She smiled as we walked in.

“What did my father want?” she asked.

Jim sat beside her. “I have to go to Nacogdoches on a mission for him. I should be back in a couple of weeks. He wants you to go to Monclova with him and your mother. I’ll come there when I get back.”

“Why does he want to go to Monclova? There’s a lot to do here. I have a lot of work to do on our home. I can’t go to Monclova for a few weeks. I’ll tell him I’m staying here.”

Jim took Ursula’s hand.

“Ursula, just go with him. It would upset him if he thought you didn’t want to go with him. There’s plenty of time to work on the house.”

Ursula looked at Jim and smiled.

“Oh, all right. I guess it will be fun to get out of town for a while. Don’t be gone too long. I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too. Now I have to get ready to leave. I’m supposed to leave in the morning.”

Early the next morning I trotted beside Jim’s horse as we rode to the plaza. A group of men waited for us. Jim stopped in front of the men.

“Everybody ready?”

“We’re ready,” one of the men said.

“Well then, let’s head for Nacogdoches.”

It took us several days to make the journey to Nacogdoches. As we came in sight of the city, a rider came toward us. The men readied their rifles as the rider came nearer. When he stopped his horse in front of Jim, we saw he was a settler.

“Hello. Would you happen to be Jim Bowie?”

“I am.”

The man smiled and stuck out his hand. “I’m sure glad to see you. My name’s Jenkins. I have a house right outside of town. We heard you were coming.”

“Are there Mexican soldiers in the area?”

“Yes. They’re in the town. They want us to give up our weapons, but we’re not going to.”

Jim looked toward the town.

“Would you show us where the best place to get these soldiers out of your town would be?”

The man turned his horse. “Follow me.”

Jim turned to the men behind him. “Come on, boys. We have to escort some soldiers out of town.”

AS WE approached THE TOWN, a sentry saw us and gave the alarm. We could see the townspeople running for their homes and the Mexican soldiers forming a line. Soon a bugle call could be heard.

Jim pointed toward the town.

“Come on, boys,” Jim called. He pointed toward the soldiers. “Let’s go get them.”

The men cheered and ran toward the soldiers. Soon rifle balls filled the air. I heard them as they whizzed by my ears. I dropped back behind the men. I saw Jim out in front. He was yelling and pointing his knife at the soldiers.

Soon black clouds of powder smoke filled the air and I could no longer see what was happening. I saw an open doorway and rushed inside. It was dark inside the house. As my eyes grew used to the darkness, I saw an enemy soldier pointing his rifle out of the window. I growled and bared my teeth at the man. He turned and pointed his gun at me. I barked and the man’s eyes grew wide. He dropped his rifle and turned and ran out of the back door. I was feeling proud of myself. I had scared off an enemy soldier. I turned to walk out of the door and I saw Jim standing there with his big knife in his hand. It was Jim who had scared the soldier, not me. I ducked my head and started to walk past Jim when he reached down and patted my head.

“Good boy. You showed me where that soldier was.” He patted me again.

I felt good again. I had helped. The shooting had stopped. We walked down the street. One of Jim’s men came running up to us.

“Jim, the enemy’s run away.”

“Where have they gone?” Jim asked.

The man pointed down the road.

“They went down that road. They were running as fast as they could. What do we do now?”

Jim looked where the man had pointed.

“We’re going to follow them. I want to make sure they don’t come back.”

Soon we were riding after the enemy. In a short period of time we could see the dust raised by their horses as they raced down the road. Before long we found the enemy resting by a stream. They were giving their horses a drink. We stopped in a small group of trees and watched them.

“They don’t know we’re here,” Jim said. “Get ready. When I tell you, fire your rifles then charge them. They’ll be surprised. Don’t give them time to shoot back.”

The men waited for Jim to tell them to shoot. When he gave the signal, the men fired their rifles. The enemy looked at the trees. They could see the smoke from our rifles. Then they saw the men as they charged from the trees. The men were yelling and shooting as fast as they could. The enemy took one look at the screaming Texans and ran away. We chased them for a while, and then Jim raised his hand to stop the attack.

“That’s far enough. Let them go. I don’t think they’ll come back.”

The men stopped and watched the enemy run away. We rode back to the stream and drank the cool water. Jim sat with his back against a tree. I lay beside him with my head in his lap. Now that the fighting was over, we were tired. One of the men walked over and sat beside Jim.

“What are we going to do now?”

Jim looked at the men lying under the trees.

“We’ll rest here until tomorrow and then head back to San Antonio. I’m ready to see Ursula again. They should be back from Monclova by now.”

That night I looked at the stars while Jim and the others slept. The moon was full and its light lit up the prairie. I was ready to get back home too. I missed Ursula. She was always nice to me. I could hardly wait for the morning to come. Finally the sun peeked above the horizon. The camp began to stir as the men woke up. I sat next to Jim, gnawing on a bone as he drank some coffee. The men were cooking their breakfast and getting ready to leave.

Suddenly I heard the sound of horses’ hooves. The rider was coming fast. Soon he was in view. Jim and the others watched him as he came closer.

“Can you tell who it is?” one of the men asked.

Jim shook his head.

“Not yet. He sure is in a hurry though.”

Finally the rider came close enough to recognize.

“That’s Turner. I’ve never seen him ride like that,” one of the men said.

Soon Turner dragged his horse to a stop in front of the campfire. He got down off his horse and walked over to Jim.

Jim stuck out his hand. “Good to see you, Turner. Looks like you’ve been riding hard. Have a seat and pour yourself some coffee.”

Turner looked at Jim.

“Thanks, Jim, but I’m afraid I have some bad news.”

“What is it, Turner?” Jim asked. “Is there another army coming?”

Turner shook his head. “No.” Turner looked down at the ground. “Jim, the cholera went through Monclova. Ursula, Mr. Veramendi, the whole family is dead.”

I looked up at Jim. His face was white. He did not say anything for a while. Finally he looked up. I saw a tear roll down his cheek.

“Come on, men. We have to get home,” he said softly.

“It makes me sad TO hear that Ursula died,” Princess said.

The old dog put his paw on her head.

“It made Jim sad too. For months he just wandered around their house. I think he expected Ursula to come out of one of the rooms. Jim was never the same after that.”

Butch rolled over and watched a cloud pass by.

“Tell us about some more Indian fights.”

The old dog yawned. He was thinking about the old days…

There were no more Indian fights. The days dragged into months and the months dragged into years. Jim tried to keep busy with his land, but he was not a good businessman. He lost a lot of his land. Jim tried to find the lost mines one more time, but had no luck. More people came into Texas, and the relationship with Mexico became worse and worse. Stephen Austin tried to calm things down, but young hotheads like William Travis kept things stirred up.