[Texas Rangers 06] - Jericho's Road (30 page)

“
None. I think they may have found somethin’ else for him to do. I’m lookin’ to be advanced to lieutenant any time now. Maybe even captain.”

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That’d be nice.” Saying so put a sour taste in Andy’s mouth.

Donahue said, “Go back to patrollin’ your section of the river. I expect you’re about out of supplies?”

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Pretty near.”

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I’ll send a pack mule out tomorrow with coffee and sugar and salt. As for meat, I see lots of cattle and hogs runnin’ loose.”

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They all belong to somebody.”

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Meskins. If they holler, tell them this is a tax they owe for us keepin’ them safe.”

Safe. Andy considered the irony. These people along the river were subject not only to banditry from both sides but to harassment by those Rangers who considered every Mexican suspect. The few American settlers were not much better off, for they were particular targets of Mexican outlaws still trying to avenge Santa Anna’s defeat.

At times Andy thought seriously about giving this part of Texas back to the horned toads, the scorpions, and the sharp-toothed javelinas. They had a prior claim.

Donahue turned downriver, and Andy proceeded upriver. He found the lame horse contentedly grazing in the river’s grassy floodplain. The limp was less pronounced. Andy tossed a loop around the animal’s neck and led him to his makeshift camp. He found his saddle hanging from a tree limb so wild animals would not gnaw on it. Len’s work, he guessed. Now Andy had two horses and two saddles. He was coming up in the world.

An old man crossed at a shallow point, urging a burro along with a willow switch. He saw Andy and veered away. Andy had seen the old man and the burro before, and the old man knew Andy to be a Ranger. Everybody up and down this stretch of the Rio Grande did. It would be a long time before these river people trusted the Rangers, Andy thought. And some Rangers would never come to trust the people who lived along the river. The gulf between the two cultures was too wide to bridge, at least for now.

A trail led northward from this shallow crossing. Andy saw a procession coming from the north. He counted four men on horseback. A buggy trailed behind, carrying two women. As it came closer he saw that they were Juana and Teresa McCawley. One of the horsemen was Big Jim. The others were some of his cowboys.

Andy rode out to meet them. The riders drew guns, then put them away as they recognized him. He suspected he knew their mission before they told him. “Headin’ down to see Tony?” he asked McCawley.

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We haven’t heard a thing about him since we were down here the last time. The womenfolks are worried.”

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I always figure if it’s bad news you’ll hear about it soon enough. Since I haven’t heard anything, I’ll bet Tony is all right.” He tipped his hat to the two women.

Mrs. McCawley said, “You look thin, Andy.”

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Eatin’ my own fixin’s, ma’am. Nobody would ever hire me as a cook.”

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If you’ll come up and spend a few days with us, we’ll put some weight back on you.”

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It’d pleasure me, ma’am, but I don’t see as I can.”

Teresa asked, “Have you seen Farley?”

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Now and again. He’s closer to the main camp, so he slips down there and gets himself a decent meal when he knows the sergeant’s not around.”

Mrs. McCawley said, “It isn’t far from here to my brother Lupe’s ranch. He knows you now, so you could go over there when you get hungry.”

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He might not like havin’ a Ranger show up. Anyway, it’s illegal for me to cross the river.”

She frowned. “It’s too bad people have to draw boundaries. There was a time when the river made no difference.”

McCawley drew up beside Andy. “The trail has been unusually quiet. I’ve heard that Jericho has been hirin’ a lot of men, but we didn’t run into any. Not them or hardly anybody else. Makes me wonder.”

“
I had a visit with him. Maybe he’s reformed.”

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I wish I could believe that, but I know him too well. He has a hunger that can’t be satisfied. Most people get drunk on whiskey. He gets drunk on acquisition.”

Andy watched Big Jim and the buggy go into the river. The cowboys remained behind.

Andy asked one, “You-all aren’t goin’ to stay with them all the way?”

A cowboy replied, “Big Jim said we wouldn’t be welcome down there. He feels like they’ll be safe enough since the womenfolk are kin to Chavez.”

Andy feared McCawley might be stretching his luck in view of Chavez’s dislike for him. Perhaps Chavez would not raise a hand against his sister’s husband, but some of his followers might not be so reluctant. The McCawleys were almost out of sight when several riders came up from the south and met them. They halted briefly, then went on, escorted by what Andy assumed must be Chavez men. He saw no sign of hostility. Soon the procession moved beyond his view, hidden by the brush.

Andy asked the cowboy, “You-all goin’ to stay and watch till they come back?”

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No, they figure to be there for several days. We’ll come back to meet them when it’s time.”

Andy considered. “Maybe things’ll stay quiet for a while. Chavez wouldn’t seem likely to set up any raids while his kin are there. He wouldn’t want his sister to see him as a bandit. She thinks of him as a hero.”

The cowboy said, “I’ve got a cousin who steals horses, but I keep tellin’ myself he’s not a thief. He just knows how to get them cheap.”

Len was waiting at the rendezvous point where he usually met Andy. He said, “Got orders from Sergeant Donahue. He says for everybody to gather their stuff and go back to the main camp.”

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Does he think the raids are over with?”

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He ain’t one to explain why he does things. He’s generally got a reason whether it’s a good one or not.”

The change suited Andy. His stomach had complained for days about his shortcomings as a cook. Maybe now he could get a few solid meals. “I’ll be along as soon as I can. Meet you at your camp.”

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I’ll see if I can catch a couple of fish while I’m waitin’.” Len had grown up on a river. Fishing was second nature to him.

Andy said, “If a fat little shoat was to wander by with no earmarks on him, that’d suit me better than fish.”

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I ain’t even seen a javelina lately.”

It was almost dark when they rode into the main camp. Len suggested they report to the camp cook first. The sergeant could wait. Pablo bade them welcome and gave Andy a pitying look. He said, “Pretty soon you get so thin the wind carries you away. You better take two plates.”

When they carried their food to a wooden table, Farley came over. He said nothing in greeting but came right to the point. “Seen anything of the McCawleys?”

Andy knew which McCawley Farley was really interested in. “Several days ago. They went over to Lupe Chavez’s to see about Tony.”

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To Chavez’s?” Farley looked as if Andy had struck him. “And they ain’t come back?”

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Not unless it was today, after I left.”

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From what I hear, there’s fixin’ to be bad trouble down there. They’re liable to get caught in the middle of it.”

Disturbed, Andy put down his fork. “What kind of trouble?”

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The sergeant ain’t talkin’ but some of the boys say he’s pulled all of us back so we won’t get in Jericho’s way. His spies have told him Jericho’s fixin’ to hit Chavez like Sam Houston hit Santy Anna.”

Andy found the idea hard to accept. “And Donahue figures to just let it happen? The Rangers are supposed to try and stop that kind of thing.”

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Donahue’s been chompin’ at the bit, wantin’ to go down there and do it hisself. But the law don’t allow it, so he’s standin’ back and lettin’ Jericho do it for him.”

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Jericho’s pulled raids over there before.”

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Not like this. He’s been hirin’ men anywhere he can get them. They don’t have to be cowboys. They’ve just got to be ready and willin’ to use a gun.”

Len listened gravely. “Maybe it’s just as well to let the thing get settled for once and for all. It’s been brewin’ a long time.”

Farley said, “But once the shootin’ starts, a bullet won’t care who’s in the line of fire. Women, kids … that girl of McCawley’s”

Andy tried to rationalize. “Chavez is nobody’s fool. Maybe he’s already got wind of what’s comin’.”

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He’s not God. He can’t know everything. His people will be outnumbered. They won’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell.”

Andy wrestled with his conscience. The simplest course would be to remain neutral and let things play out on their own. The conflict was inevitable. The only question was when and where. It was not his business. He had no kin in the fight. Nobody could fault him if he could do nothing about it.

Well, there was one thing he could do. He could carry a warning to Chavez. At the least he could try to get the McCawleys out of harm’s way before the attack. He felt he owed them that. But to do so would violate his orders and the prohibition against Rangers crossing the river.

He did not ponder long. He rose from the table, leaving his supper half eaten. “Tell the sergeant I’ve just resigned.”

That would take care of the legalities.

Len spilled half a cup of coffee. “What’re you fixin’ to do?”

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If I don’t tell you, you won’t have to lie to him.”

Farley smacked the palm of his hand upon the table. “You’re thinkin’ the same thing I am. I’m goin’ with you.”

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Every time we ride together, you get yourself hurt and then blame me for it. You’d risk it for Lupe Chavez?”

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To hell with Chavez. I’m thinkin’ about the McCawleys.”

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One McCawley, anyway. Are you forgettin’ she’s a Mexican?”

Farley said, “She’s just half.” He told Len, “Tell the sergeant I resigned too.” He hurried to saddle his horse. Andy had to hustle to catch up with him.

Both horses had been ridden during the day, so Andy had to caution Farley to slow down. “We can’t help anybody if we kill these horses.”

Farley reluctantly pulled down to a brisk trot. “First shallow crossin’ we come to, we better take it. The sergeant can’t stop us if we’re on the other side.”

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Good idea,” Andy said. Farley still had the wily instincts cultivated during his long hide-and-seek relationship with the state police after the war. They put the horses into the river half a mile farther on.

Stopping on the south bank to let the animals rest, Andy saw several riders moving at an easy lope on the other side. He sensed that they were Rangers. “Donahue didn’t waste much time comin’ after us.”

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We’ve rained on his barbecue. He’s figured on Jericho wipin’ out Lupe Chavez and his whole outfit. The border would quieten down after that, and Donahue could claim the credit.”

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And get a promotion.”

Farley said, “I’ve got no use for Chavez, and Jericho ain’t any better. The border would be better off without them. But I’d hate for somethin’ to happen to the McCawleys.”

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Especially Teresa.”

Farley did not respond.

They skirted along the Rio Grande. The terrain and thorny vegetation were similar to that on the Texas side. The sandy soil was the same, the air the same, but Andy had an uneasy sense of being an unwelcome intruder, treading on forbidden ground. A couple of hundred yards made a tremendous difference.

Farley had the same reaction. He said, “I feel like a carpetbagger at a Confederate reunion. We’re a couple of gringos on the wrong side of the river. Targets for any Mexicans that come along.”

Andy still saw Rangers riding along the northern bank. “Better here than over there. Donahue could probably chew up an iron bar and spit it at us.”

He pondered the incongruity of his being on this mission with Farley. He had ridden with the dour Ranger before but always because he had been obliged to do so. Neither he nor Farley had ever pretended to like each other. At best their relationship had been one of forced tolerance.

He knew Farley was correct about the risk. The hostile feeling here against Americans in general and Texans in particular ran strong. A man could be killed for nothing more than being light-skinned and blue-eyed, just as on the other side some had been murdered for no better reason than that their faces were dark. Unreasoning hatred was not confined to one race.

Darkness overtook them. Farley said, “This part of the country ain’t overrun with landmarks, even in the daylight. In the dark, how’re we goin’ to know when we reach the road to Chavez’s place?”

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I think I’ll recognize it.”

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Think? Thinkin’ ain’t knowin’.”

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If you’ve got a better idea, tell me about it.”

They rode most of the night, stopping once to rest the horses. Andy tried to sleep but could not. His skin prickled with anxiety. For all he knew, this might be the day Jericho planned to attack. However, daylight brought no sign of invasion, no distant gunfire. He said, “Looks like we’ll make it in time.”