Hell of a Place to Die by Paul Bedford

Author:Paul Bedford [Bedford, Paul]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Robert Hale
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

If our situation had not been so precarious I might well have appreciated the truly outstanding scenery. We were making good time on our journey to Perote, the next settlement of any size on the way to the capital. High up in the hills, with the morning air comparatively fresh, a fine day beckoned, yet its magic was lost on us all. The previous night had taken too heavy a toll. Seven sons of Texas, strong and true, would not be returning home to the twenty-eighth state.

And how had they died? Defending their families from marauding Comanches? Apprehending dangerous pistoleros? No, their lives had been squandered protecting a corrupt and venal former dictator, solely bent on recovering his tainted throne.

My thoughts turned to more practical matters. What could Ana have been thinking, allowing herself to be carried off by Tylee? Quite possibly she had been given no choice. He was a powerful, well-made young man and the rangers had doubtless been fighting for their lives.

From just behind me Kirby’s voice cut in with an almost uncanny remark.

‘He ain’t gonna like it none, you losing his newfangled rifle and all!’

I took his meaning, but chose to be deliberately obtuse.

‘All what?’

There were times when I just longed to hear the English language spoken correctly. The bastardized version favoured by those colonials was, at times, really just too awful to bear. This was one of those times.

Yet Kirby was having none of it.

‘Don’t get ornery with me, you black-hearted English cockchafer!’

His response took me completely by surprise, but then inevitably raw anger began to surge through me. Brutally reining in my horse, I twisted in the saddle to reprimand him.

‘I could have your stripes for such blatant insubordination, Sergeant!’

Completely contrary to expectations, a wry smile appeared on his weathered face.

‘Mighty handy I ain’t wearing any then, sir!’

Before I had time to respond to that he continued: ‘And don’t it feel better to breathe some fire? A conniption fit kind of sets you up.’

I could feel my jaw drop. The man was incorrigible and yet I now perceived his real purpose.

‘Very well, Kirby. You’ve made your point, but don’t go making a habit of it.’

The man flipped his slouch hat by way of acknowledgement before moving off down our much-reduced line.

We had by now left Xalapa well behind and were again heading west towards the nation’s capital city. Moving swiftly, we had managed to avoid any further contact with the Saint Patrick’s Battalion, which entirely suited me. They had proved to be a determined and aggressive foe and we could not afford another such victory.

Although my black mood had lifted I was still no nearer to finding a solution as to how to prise Ana out of the naval officer’s clutches.

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