Chapter XI. The Spaniard's Offer

The Free Rangers

by Joseph A. Altsheler

The afternoon passed without incident in the log prison save
another and very welcome visit from Luiz, who brought water and some
cloth bandages to be used on Paul's shoulder. Henry and Long Jim,
familiar with hurts, dressed it carefully and skillfully. Paul's
healthy blood would quickly do the rest.

"It will be stiff a little for three or four days," said Henry,
"but you'll forget in a week that you ever had it."

Then he turned to Luiz.

"We'd like to thank you," he said, "I know you don't understand
our words, but maybe you take our meaning."

Luiz nodded violently, smiled at the boy, and then held out his
hand in quite an American fashion. His face expressed not only
understanding but gratitude as well. Henry, of the acute eye and
retentive mind, took a second look. Then he remembered.

"The man whom the buffalo was about to gore and run over!" he
exclaimed. "Well, I am glad I was there to help you, and it seems
that a lucky chance has made us a friend."

He took the proffered hand and shook it heartily. When Luiz had
gone he explained to the others.

"He is surely a friend," he said, "and we have certainly had a
piece of good fortune."

But Long Jim instantly demurred.

"Henry," he said, "you're a smart fellow, but you're talkin'
real foolish. It wuz your good heart that done it. Ef it hadn't
told you to help him when that mad bull wuz about to run over him and
gore him an' trample him clean out uv sight in the earth, he wouldn't
a-been here now, grinnin' at you an' with the gratitude oozin' out uv
him all over."

Just before the sunset the door was opened again and Braxton
Wyatt thrust in his hateful face. Behind him stood four Spanish
soldiers.

"I hope you are enjoying yourselves," he said with irony. "We'd
rather be here, as we are, than be in your place, having done what
you have done," exclaimed Paul passionately.

Wyatt paled a little, but instantly recovered himself.

"A bear can growl a lot when it's in a trap but growling doesn't
help it out," he said airily.

" We kin do more than growl. We've got sharp teeth, too, ez you
ought to know," said Tom Ross, the man of few words.

"I'll admit that you have had some successes in the past," said
Wyatt, smiling maliciously, "but your time is done. We are the
victors, and you'll never get out of this."

The four as if by common consent turned their backs upon him and
did not utter another word. The renegade understood the contempt
expressed by those four silent backs, and the willful flush broke
through the tan of his face. He had never hated them more
bitterly.

"Come you, Henry Ware," he said roughly, "Captain Alvarez wishes
to ask you some questions.

"I wouldn't go, Henry," said Long Jim. "I wouldn't hev a word to
say to that Spaniard or to this white Injun either."

"He will go, whether willingly or unwillingly," said Braxton
Wyatt. "I've men enough here to drag him."

"I will go willingly, Jim," said Henry addressing himself to his
comrade rather than to the renegade. "It cannot do any harm, and it
may help."

"Yes, it is wiser," said Paul.

"So long, boys," said Henry. "I'll be back pretty soon."

He stepped out, calmly ignoring the existence of Braxton Wyatt,
and placed himself in the center of the little group of soldiers.
His manner indicated clearly that he would make no attempt to escape.
And, armed though the four soldiers were, and unarmed though their
captive was, they breathed four simultaneous sighs of relief. Henry
Ware, boy though he was, with his great height and powerful
shoulders, chest, and limbs, was a truly formidable figure.

Braxton Wyatt turned the key noisily in the huge padlock that
held the door.

"There," he said, "I think we've got that cattle securely
fastened in the pen!"

Henry knew that the insulting words were intended for his ear,
but he gave no sign of hearing them. He stood expressionless
awaiting the word to the soldiers to march. Braxton Wyatt quickly
gave it. He was angrier than because he could not stir Henry Ware,
whom he hated most of all, to open anger.

The march led straight to the Chateau of Beaulieu, across
well-trimmed sward, and Henry's alert eye took in everything, the
pretentious house, so unlike anything erected by his own people in
Kentucky, the low outbuildings, and the occasional gleam of a
uniform.

But Henry did not observe at this moment with any eye to the
escape of himself and his comrades. His condition of mind was
spiritual and he felt a satisfaction for which he could not have
accounted if he had tried. He felt sure that his friends and he
would escape. He did not doubt it even now, when only one of the
five was free in the woods out there. The spring sun was setting in
great clouds of red and gold fire, a pleasant coolness was coming
over the heated landscape, and every building, fence, and tree was
touched by a soft but vivid light.

Braxton led the way into the house and into a great room, where
Francisco Alvarez sat in a high chair, keeping state like a feudal
lord. He waved his hand and the soldiers withdrew. Then he said to
Braxton Wyatt:

"I wish to speak alone, absolutely alone, to Senior Ware, and I
must ask you to leave us for a little while."

Braxton turned on his heel, his anger but half concealed, and
the Spaniard smiled to himself. Francisco Alvarez was a wily man, a
reader of the minds of others, and he did not object to the present
displeasure of Wyatt.

But he said nothing until the renegade was gone. Henry,
meanwhile, had quietly taken his seat in a cane chair. He was not of
any mind to stand in the presence of this man who bore himself as if
he were master of everything by right divine.

Francisco Alvarez observed the act and understood its meaning.
He smiled again to himself. He had not misjudged the youth, and it
confirmed him in the plan that had come suddenly into his cunning
mind.

"Senior Ware," he said, veiling his voice and speaking with a
velvety courtesy that was unusual in him, "I have brought you here to
tell you first that I repent my act to-day, by which I placed your
comrade's life in seeming danger. I was hasty, but I had been goaded
greatly, and it may be, too, that I was influenced by the sinister
advice of one who hates you and your friends in a manner almost
beyond belief. Besides, the swordsman had orders not to slay."

Henry Ware looked at him in great surprise.

Five minutes ago he would not have dreamed it possible that he
could hear such a speech in such a tone from Francisco Alvarez. He
waited to see what it meant. Alvarez regarded him in a sort of
kindly contemplation, as a man would look upon a youth for whom he
had benevolent plans.

"We have been enemies so far," he resumed in his winning tone,
"you and your comrades against myself and my people. But I have
learned one thing, and I am confirmed in it by the opinion of others;
boy as you are, you are the strongest and most dangerous of the five
who oppose me; you are the leader."

The words, although true, were those of compliment and flattery,
and Henry felt the touch of poison in the silky tone. He stiffened
himself slightly as if he would resist a danger, unknown as yet, but
all the more to be dreaded on that account. He still remained
silent.

"Yes, you are the strongest and the one most to be feared,"
continued Alvarez musingly, "I am not saying it to flatter you, but
because it is a matter that I have weighed well for reasons
pertaining to statecraft. There sentiment or personal liking cannot
count. I have plans, large plans, in regard to this country. I
suppose that every ambitious man who comes here has them. How can he
help it when he sees so vast and fertile a land, inhabited only by
savages? My plan, I believe, is right, in accordance with
probability and justice. You, Senior Ware, are a representative of a
race that has crossed the mountains into a new region. You have
there, in Kaintock, thin and feeble settlements that must soon be
crushed."

Henry spoke for the first time, but he showed no excitement,
although his heart had begun to beat faster.

"I think you are wrong, Captain Alvarez," Henry said. "The
settlements in Kentucky have already driven back some formidable
forays, and they grow stronger every day."

"Forays of savages only. What could they do if a force of white
men, a powerful force, armed with cannon came?"

"But will they come?" asked Henry pointedly.

"Ah, I see you are clever," said Alvarez, still smiling. "You
and the other youth, Cotter, are educated, and you must realize the
truth of what I say. Yes, that force will come. Your Eastern
colonies are about to be defeated by the King of England. You are
rebels, and there is no place for defeated rebels but the depths of
the wilderness. Spain has been coquetting with these colonies, but
she will come back to the side of the English monarchy where she
belongs. The monarchies must stand together against all rebels."

"How do you know that Spain will help England to fight us?"
asked Henry.

Alvarez smiled once more, but the smile now, instead of being
merely winning, was superior.

"It is a long distance from here to Europe," he replied,
"but news may come even into the depths of the woods. I have many
friends in Spain, friends near the court, who inform me whenever the
wind changes."

Henry did not like, that superior smile. It was a mistake of
Francisco Alvarez, a mistake that many strong men make, to assume a
patronizing manner even for a moment in the presence of another who
was also strong. Henry's intuition at once put him on guard at all
points.

"I have heard," he said, "that Bernardo Galvez, the Spanish
Governor General at New Orleans, is no friend of the British power.
But why do you discuss these things with me or tell me of them?"

"It is because I have considered you and recognize your worth,"
replied Alvarez slowly. "Why rush on to destruction with the foolish
rebels? No, do not speak! Pay good heed to what I say. There is
more passing on this Continent than you think. Great events are about
to occur. I do not speak merely of the war between the rebels - or,
if you prefer it, the Americans - and the English, but of another
change.

"Spain is seated at New Orleans near the mouth of the
Mississippi, which flows through a larger area of fertile and
temperate country than any other river in the world. The waters of
hundreds of navigable streams converge there, and it must become the
rival of London and Paris. What can Quebec, Boston, New York, or
Charleston be to New Orleans? Can Spain give up such a site and such
a vast and fertile territory as Louisiana? Never! And here is the
greatest opportunity in the world for strong men! Come with me!
Bring your friends with you. We need such as you! I offer you a
career that could not even enter your dreams in the woods of
Kaintock!"

A deep, red flush overspread Henry's face.

"Do you think that we could fight against our own people," he
exclaimed. "Do you think that we are made of such stuff as that
miserable renegade, Braxton Wyatt?"

Alvarez did not flinch. His words had been delivered with
extraordinary emphasis, and they carried the ring of his own
conviction. His great plan possessed him, and he saw before him an
instrument of which he could make good use.

"I do not ask you to go against your own people," he replied.
"Remain in Louisiana. Great work can be found here for you and your
friends. And where Kaintock is concerned another way could be made.
It is far from the Eastern colonies, divided by mountains, the
forest, and Indians. Where could they find a better friend to whom
to turn than the King of Spain? And they will surely need a powerful
friend!"

Henry gazed at him in amazement, and yet he felt a certain
respect for the scope and largeness of the man's plan, repellent
though the plan was to him. He saw that Alvarez was not an ordinary
man, that he was one with whom the people for whom he cared would
have to reckon. But he was not afraid, nor was he tempted for a
moment by the promise of a glittering future that Alvarez held Out to
him. He felt an immense indignation, but he was still master of
himself, and he replied quietly.

"I could not leave my own people, nor would any of my comrades.
The air of Louisiana does not suit us. We are accustomed to a colder
climate. We feel, too, that Kaintock can take care of herself. Nor
is it sure that the Eastern colonies will be crushed by the King.
But, should they be, Kentucky would never desert them to join
Spain."

Alvarez frowned, and his temper began to rise. Henry was
showing more finesse and more knowledge of the world and its events
than he had thought possible in one just come out of the woods.

"By entering my service, by becoming a lieutenant of mine, you
have all to gain and nothing to lose," he said, resuming his
customary tone of superiority.

Henry instantly felt the change of manner and resented it. "I
could not dream of accepting such an offer," he said, "but, if I
should, I'd merely take the place that you've already given to
Braxton Wyatt, a renegade. He thinks it is his, and you have made
him think it is his. If you do not keep faith with him how could I
believe that you would keep faith with me?"

The dark blood of anger flushed the Spaniard's face. He half
rose from his seat and then sat down again.

"I have made you an offer," he said, "one that any youth or
young man should be proud to accept, and you insult me by saying that
you doubt my faith. You are a child, a backwoodsman, and an ignorant
fellow!"

"I am not ignorant about some things of importance," replied
Henry calmly, "but, if I were low enough to be tempted by your offer,
I should still be wise enough to know that a man who plots against
his own superior officer could not be trusted by me."

"What do you mean?" asked Alvarez, paling for a moment.

"Is it not true that by fair or foul means you expect shortly to
succeed Bernardo Galvez as Governor General of Louisiana?"

The Spaniard's hand flew to his sword hilt. Such things as
these were not to be known by everybody. But Henry met his gaze
steadily, and the hand fell away from the sword-hilt. He had gone
too far already. He was sorry that he had turned the professional
swordsman loose on Paul - it had been an unwise deed - and another
act of violence in a single day was unworthy a man of his
self-control. No, a new and better plan came suddenly into his
mind.

The two sat for a few moments gazing steadily at each other.
Alvarez was in the higher chair, and that gave him the physical
advantage, but the look of the fearless youth was like the sharp
sword that cuts scornfully through the maze and web of intrigue and
trickery. Alvarez was forced to turn his gaze aside, and his soul
was full of tumult and anger because he had to yield. The new plan
that he had conceived in regard to this daring boy now seemed a
peculiarly happy thought. Henry's pride and spirit must be broken,
and he, Francisco Alvarez, was the man for the task. He clapped his
hands and a soldier entered. He sent a message by him and several
more came, accompanied by Braxton Wyatt. Alvarez motioned Wyatt to a
seat.

"Senior Wyatt," he said in his slow, precise English, "I have
been having a talk with your friend, your former friend here, and I
find him to be as unworthy as you have described him to be. I
offered only kindness to himself and his friends. I chose to believe
that they had been merely foolish, misled by ignorance, but his reply
has been only to insult me and to blacken you."

The renegade did not seek to conceal the joy that shone in his
eyes. He had been in fear when he was sent out of the hall, in fear
lest Alvarez had some plan by which he would suffer, and now it was
obvious that nothing had been changed.

"It is his character," said Wyatt. "He is vicious and the truth
has never been in him."

Henry did not know what all this talk meant, but he refused to
notice Braxton Wyatt. His manner indicated that the renegade had
ceased to exist, and it made Wyatt furious.

"You tell the truth," continued Alvarez, "but he is dangerous,
too, as you told me, a strong, wily fellow, and I shall not take any
chances on his escape. See, I am providing against it."

A soldier entered, bearing balls and chain, and Alvarez pointed
to Henry. The youth sprang to his feet. He knew that this was
intended as an indignity, and his mind rebelled.

"Put them on him," said Alvarez, and the soldiers approached.
Henry hurled the first back and then the second, but the others were
about to fling themselves upon him in a heap, when a voice from the
door cried:

"Stop!"

It was not a loud voice, but one full of dignity and command,
and the soldiers instantly fell back.

A tall man, robed in black, and with a thin face, smoothly
shaven and austere, stood in the doorway. The eyes, usually
benevolent and kindly, sparkled with indignation, and one hand was
uplifted in rebuke.

"Father Montigny!" said Henry, under his breath.

"Who says 'stop!' here, where I command?" Alvarez exclaimed, and
then he paled at sight of the priest. The Spaniard was a bold man,
but he wished no conflict with Holy Church.

"I said 'stop,'" replied the priest with calm dignity, advancing
into the room. "Francisco Alvarez, you were about to perform a deed
unworthy of yourself, one that you would have cause to regret. There
is no war between Louisiana and Kaintock. What right have you to put
this youth in chains?"

He took a step further, and the rebuking hand was still
uplifted. The soldiers shrank back and more than one crossed
himself. Yet they were relieved, as Father Montigny had interfered
with a task that they did not like.

"I have the utmost respect for Holy Church," replied Alvarez,
though it cost him an effort to utter the words, "but I am in command
here and all military affairs fall under my jurisdiction. This young
man is a dangerous spy and plotter from Kaintock, one who has used
force against us. He and his comrades seized one of our boats and
that was an act of war."

"He is a good youth," said Father Montigny. "He and his comrades
did me a great service. I know that his motives are good, and I will
not see him treated in such barbarous fashion."

The face of Alvarez darkened. This was more than he could
stand.

"I am the judge in these matters," he replied, "and I tell you,
Father Montigny, that you must not interfere. Your order, the
Capuchins, are in power now at New Orleans, as I know, but the
Jesuits may come back. I should favor their returning."

"It is not a question of Capuchin or Jesuit," replied Father
Montigny sternly, "and you, Francisco Alvarez, should know it. It is
a question of you and what you are doing here. You need not make any
threats against me, I care for none of them, but Bernardo Galvez, the
Governor General at New Orleans, shall know of what is passing at
Beaulieu."

The face of Alvarez contracted into a terrible frown.
Nevertheless he feared the unarmed priest.

He was helpless against him and he feared, too, that if he
persisted Father Montigny would quickly learn of other and deeper
matters. He broke into a short and by no means hearty laugh.

"Perhaps I was going rather far," he said, "but this youth has
provoked me beyond endurance. Take away those things, Gaspar."

The Spaniard whom he indicated took the irons, and Henry sat
down again in his chair. The threatened ignominy had stung him
deeply and he said under his breath: "I thank you, Father Montigny."
Then Alvarez ordered Henry to be taken away, also.

Henry arose without resistance, and walked from the hall with
the soldiers. As he passed, Father Montigny put his hand on his
shoulder and said:

"I am your friend, my son."

Henry said nothing but gave him a look of deep gratitude as he
walked proudly out.