Episode
#312
Part Two of Five
Once out of Santa Elena, Marta turned to Tessa. "All right. What terrified you so much that you left so suddenly?"
"A dangerous ghost from the past," said Tessa.
"How dangerous?" asked Elena.
"He knew me at Señor Torres'," replied Tessa
"How well did he know you?" asked Josephine.
"What do you mean?" asked Tessa.
"You know exactly what I mean," replied Elena.
"I bested his brother in a duel while I was disguised as a boy. Then, I bested him. I was still disguised but I think he knew I was a girl."
"Could he confuse you with Elena and myself?" asked Elena.
"Maybe. It has been some time but I like what you are thinking," replied Tessa.
That night, the Alvarado hacienda was being watched.
Alonso Orvieta had hidden himself in some brush and was using a spyglass to get a better view. After seeing that woman in the square, he now had her name and had found out where she lived by talking to Colonel Montoya. He could have sworn that he'd seen her before, at Señor Torres', but that wouldn't be possible unless she'd been in disguise. During the conversation with Montoya, the colonel had mentioned a bandit queen. If this Señorita Alvarado was indeed at Señor Torres' academy all those years ago, then she could very well be that bandit, and he could use that knowledge to his advantage. All he needed was proof, which was why he was watching the place.
His efforts were soon rewarded when the bandit queen herself rode out of the Alvarado stable, on one of Señorita Alvarado's horses. He hadn't seen the Queen sneak into the stable, which could only mean that she had come from inside the hacienda. Looking at her through the spyglass, there was no mistaking it - this was indeed the same woman he'd seen in the square. Once she was out of sight, he went to where his horse was hidden and followed her. As he rode, it hit him where he'd seen her before - this woman was none other than Diego, that brat that had had his brother kicked out of the academy and had humiliated him the very next day. Seething, Alonso urged his mount to go faster, not wanting to miss this golden opportunity to finally get his revenge. As he neared the town, he saw 'Diego' go inside the doctor's office. He decided to wait on the outskirts, to catch her on the return trip.
A few hours later, his chance finally came. The Queen left the office and headed back the same way she'd come. As soon as she passed him, he called out.
"Hola! 'Diego'."
It worked. She stopped and turned her horse around to face him.
"What did you call me?"
"Oh come now. You didn't think I'd forgotten, did you? Diego, the little brat who got Tomàs kicked out of the academy, not to mention the defeat and humiliation of yours truly the next day."
"Tomàs got himself kicked out and I just happened to be better than…I mean…I don't know what you're talking about."
Chuckling, Alonso dismounted and walked over to the Queen. "Too late. And I already know everything, Queen… or should I say Señorita Alvarado."
"What are you talking about?"
"I've been watching your hacienda all evening. I saw Señorita Alvarado go in, and the Queen come out. And no one had entered the stables. The only explanation is that the Queen and the Señorita are one and the same. And I knew I'd seen you somewhere before when I saw you in the square this morning. Then it hit me - I saw you at the academy. Which means that you, Señorita Alvarado, know how to use a sword, and therefore are the only woman who could masquerade as this bandit queen."
Tessa climbed off of Chico and stood face to face with Alonso, her hand gripping her sword ready to pull it out if need be.
"The only real proof is your word against mine."
"Who would the Colonel be more likely to believe? After all, you're already one of his top suspects."
"And what now - you're going to turn me in for the reward?"
"That depends on you."
"Meaning?"
"The war ruined my family, as it did so many others. I barely have enough money to make ends meet. Now, the way I see it, I have two options. One, I could turn you in and collect the reward on your head. Or two, you could rob a few haciendas for me…if you don't want me to resort to option one."
"You're blackmailing me?"
"Blackmail is…such an ugly word. I prefer to think of it as bargaining. You do what I want, and I keep my mouth shut."
Tessa pulled out her sword and put the point against his chest. "And what if I just kill you right here?"
He laughed in her face. "We're not that far from town. You would be arrested for murder. You'd still lose."
She returned her sword to the ring at her side. "And what if I simply refuse to play your little game? You'll go straight to Montoya?"
"Exactly."
"I'm not going to steal from the dons for you. It's not the way I work. I only steal what has already been stolen from the people."
"You help the needy. And I happen to be very needy at the moment. If you don't help, I'm sure Montoya will - once he finds out what I know. You don't have to decide right now. Think about it. And if you decide that your life is more important than the dons' money, then meet me in La Luna Canyon at midnight tomorrow. Adíos."
With that, Alonso mounted his horse and rode back to the hotel. Tessa climbed back onto Chico and headed home. She needed to come up with a plan.
Act Two
That same morning, as the ladies raided the pueblo's stores, Roman, Fenner, Juan Pablo and Grisham rode out and headed north. After several hours, they found tracks of a herd of wild horses near La Purissima Concepción Mission. Roman pulled his horse to a stop and looked down at the horse tracks.
"What is it, Roman?" asked Fenner.
Roman pointed east. "There. See that cloud of dust in the distance? It looks like many horses about two miles away."
The men urged their mounts forward. Twenty minutes later, they heard the trumpeting of a horse and saw a big black stallion rise up on his back legs, challenging them, then race away. They saw the herd of about forty animals gallop across the plain, and chased them towards the San Rafael Mountains.
"We have them now," laughed Grisham as he raced ahead. The herd turned into the mountains and disappeared. Grisham ground to a halt.
"Where did they go?" asked Fenner as he came to a halt next to the American.
Juan Pablo walked his horse around and motioned to the men. "There is a canyon back there," he said and led the way. It took three hours to maneuver through the canyon when Juan Pablo stopped suddenly.
In front of them, the valley floor spread out to a flat desert-like plain, carpeted with lush wild grass and speckled with wild flowers that came up to the bellies of the horses. In the distance sprawled the Sierra Nevada Mountains; to the right were the massive Tehachapi Mountains. The men could see where the herd had trampled the grass and they followed. They rode carefully so as not to spook the Tule elk and antelope that they came across occasionally. Coming to a creek, they watered their mounts and retightened the cinches.
"We have about an hour before dark," said Juan Pablo. "Let's try and find a place to camp."
"There appears to be a stand of trees about a mile north," said Grisham.
The men mounted and, shortly, they were setting up camp. After their dinner, they cleaned up and lay down on their bedrolls and watched the seemingly endless stars overhead.
Dawn was barely breaking when Fenner awoke and froze. "Roman, wake up."
Roman, Juan and Grisham woke and sat up. Grisham reached for his pistol but a look from Juan Pablo stopped him.
Around the men were some thirty Indians with spears. With the Indians was a man in the uniform jacket of the Spanish Army, but he was not a Spaniard.
The Indians motioned with their spears for the men to get up and start walking. Several Indians gathered their bedrolls, weapons and horses. They walked northeast and whenever one of then started to slow down, they were jabbed by a spear point.
After four hours, they came to a village by a huge lake. Men dressed in buckskin loincloths, women in long buckskin skirts and naked children lined up and formed a channel for the prisoners to walk through. The Indians eyed them and the Spaniards were nervous - all the adults, males and females, were armed with spears.
The four men were forced into a conical hut made of willow poles that had been bent over and tied and then covered with tule grass. Inside, the floor was covered with thick layers of tules and then covered with dirt.
"Well done, Grisham," said Fenner. "Josephine will be a widow before we are married."
"How was I to know there were hostile Indians here? The Chumash are not normally hostile," replied Grisham.
"They are not Chumash," said a man as he entered the ap - the house.
"If they are not Chumash, who are they?" asked Juan Pablo.
"They are Yokuts and they do not appreciate trespassers on their land," replied the man. "Especially those wearing a uniform."
"Pablo?" asked Grisham as he stared at the former soldier who was dressed as the Indians.
"Sì. I am Pablo. The man you left to die."
The Captain of the Guard paled. "I was a little busy running for my life."
"Once you got away, you couldn't come back and rescue me? You and Montoya left me to die."
"It was your own fault for shooting a member of their tribe. You had orders not to harm any Chumash."
"How was I to know that she was a blood sister to the Chumash?" the man insisted. "You should have known. It was your duty to tell us."
"But I didn't know, either, until later," replied Grisham. "What are you going to do to us, get your revenge?"
"That is up to them, I will not kill you but they probably will."
"How is it that you are not dead, then?" asked Fenner.
"I was alone and I posed no threat to them," replied Pablo. "How does it feel to be totally helpless?"
When Grisham had no answer, Juan Pablo up the thread. "You know, Grisham, if we somehow manage to live through this, Tessa and Elena will skin you alive."
Pablo held up a hand for quiet. "Tessa? Are you speaking of Señorita Alvarado?"
"Sí. We are looking for four white mares for Roman's and Fenner's wedding. Roman is to marry Tessa's duenna Marta."
Pablo appeared to think for a moment, then turned and left the ap. Perhaps a quarter of an hour later, two women came into the ap with food.
"Condemned men's last meal?" asked Roman.
The women left and Pablo returned.
"I spoke with the chieftain and you will not be killed. You will be free to go in the morning," said the ex-soldier.
"I don't understand. Why would you help us?" asked Juan Pablo.
"I owe Señorita Alvarado. She saved my life. I treated her shamefully and then she, in turn, kept me from being roasted alive by the Chumash. I have nothing to repay her with except for your lives. If it was just Grisham I wouldn't, but you three are friends of the Señorita's so I will."
"You don't think you could help us round up four white mares do you?" asked Fenner.
Pablo laughed. "You mean El Diablo and his harem? The Yokuts are terrified of him. They fear him more than all the Spanish muskets. Let me see what I can do."
That same evening, Tessa, dressed as the Queen, rode out to La Luna Canyon to meet her blackmailer. She hoped against hope that Alonso would go along with her plan. There had already been too many senseless deaths. When she reached the canyon, Alonso stood next to his horse, glancing at his pocket-watch. On seeing her, he snapped the watch shut and pocketed it.
"Right on time, Reina. I see that you have decided your life was more important than your integrity."
"I just want to get this over with so you can go away and leave me be."
"No matter. Which hacienda are you going to hit first?"
"Actually, I wanted to talk about that. You see, there's to be a double wedding in a few days and…"
Alonso broke into a smile. "If you really don't want to do this, you could always marry me. With your skills and my… other abilities, we would be an unstoppable team."
Tessa dismounted and walked to Alonso, her face curled into a sneer of contempt. "Are you insane? First, you want me dead and now you want to marry me?" And she spat in his face. "You disgust me!"
Alonso laughed and wiped the spittle from his face with his sleeve. "There is someone else? Ah, yes. The doctor. Amusing. Don't you think you are a little out of his league? And what could he possibly have that I do not?"
"Class."
"Perhaps, but he has no title and no money. Do you really think the dons will approve your marrying so far below your class?"
"I have my uncle and Don Hidalgo to back me."
Alonso leaned his head forward. He towered over her. "Then let them. Exactly why would you think that I would want to marry a bitch like you? You are no decent woman; you are fit only for thieving street brawlers - or that foreign doctor. I hear he drinks too much."
Tessa felt her stomach knot. "What do you understand of love?"
He straightened and shrugged. "Then marry him. With my blessing. You deserve each other."
She smiled. "And then I will be happy. And that is something you will never understand." And the truth of it warmed her heart. "I was telling you that there will be a double wedding in a few days. Everyone will be there, even the servants. The haciendas will be empty. I have to be at the ceremony, but I can leave the reception quietly and meet you here at… perhaps eight in the evening? We will have free rein of the haciendas while everyone is at the party. Noone has to get hurt."
"Then that is how we will do it. But, if you don't come, I am going straight to Montoya."
"I'm counting on it."
"What did you say?"
"Nothing."
The two remounted their horses and rode away from each other, Tessa smiling to herself.
The next morning, forty Yokuts and five Spaniards crept through the brush carrying hemp rope. The herd stood grazing in a boxed canyon.
A Yokut signaled that El Diablo was at an overcropping, watching his harem.
After Juan Pablo, Fenner and Grisham rode into the canyon, the Indians tied five ropes around a tree at one side on the canyon mouth and strung it across to a large boulder. Then, they piled brush against the ropes to camouflage them. When secured, they crept into the canyon.
El Diablo snorted and suddenly found a lasso around his neck. He reared on his back legs and charged the man who held him. As the horse charged, Roman leapt out of the way but held the rope fast.
In the canyon below, the Spaniards threw their ropes and lassoed the four white mares while the Indians lassoed ten other mares. Wild horses were never exactly cooperative, even when caught. Fenner threw his lariat and caught the horse he was after. He wrapped the rope around the cantle to help secure the animal. The mustang tore down a small incline as Fenner held his horse firm. The force of the yanking of the rope caused Fenner's saddle to pull loose and Fenner found himself flying through the air with his saddle close behind. Two Indians threw their ropes and snagged the white mare while Fenner untangled himself.
Juan Pablo easily caught his target and tossed the rope to two Indians who held the animal while the Don raced after another horse. He caught sight of a bay mare and went after her. As he rounded a boulder, a rattlesnake struck at his mount, missing but causing the horse to rise up on his hind legs, unseating Juan Pablo. He hit the ground and found himself face to face with the snake.
A gunshot rang out and a bullet caught the snake in the head. Juan Pablo turned to see Pablo replacing his pistol. Juan Pablo raised his hand in thanks and got up, located his horse, inspected it for injuries and remounted. The rest of the herd charged to the end of the canyon and then milled around as they found their way blocked by the brush and camouflaged ropes. The Indians opened the trap so that the captured horses could be led out and then retied the ropes.
As they rode into the village, Pablo leaned over to Juan Pablo. "They have never had an opportunity to capture such a large herd. They will keep these and soon they will have what other tribes in this part of California don't have."
Juan Pablo dismounted and turned to the ex-soldier. "Tell the Wot that his people were invaluable. I offer him this bay in gratitude," he said as he handed the Wot the lead rope.
The Wot took the rope and clasped his right hand on Juan Pablo's shoulder as he grinned at the Don.
For the next three days, the Indians and Spaniards broke the wild mustangs to a certain degree. While the four white mares and the black stallion were saddle-broken, the Indians preferred to semi-break their horses without saddles. The Indians also used a rope harness instead of the bridles that the Spaniards used.
That night, the village celebrated the roundup of the horses. A bonfire was lit and the women prepared the meal. As the Spaniards joined the villagers, a gourd of Manzanita cider was passed round and they all drank deeply. Each man was given a bowl and they gathered food from large communal baskets.
"What all do we have here?" asked Fenner of Pablo.
"Let's see, we have currant berries, piñon nuts, tule grass tubers, cooked cow parsnips, stinging nettles and sarcodes or snow plants. And here are my favorite, fresh water clams. Dessert will consist of opuntia nopales," said Pablo.
As the celebration continued, the Wot came to the bonfire and the people quieted. The Spaniards looked at Pablo.
"He is going to offer a prayer," said the former soldier.
My words are tied in one
with the great mountains,
with the great rocks, with the great trees, in one with my body
and my heart.
Do you all help me
With supernatural power.
And you, Day and you, Night
See me
One with this world.
As the Wot finished, the people started dancing. Later, the men showed their guests how to play Yokut darts.
Juan Pablo and Pablo walked to the edge of the lake.
"Pablo, this lake seems huge. Do you have any idea how big it is?"
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