Buchanan's Revenge Read Online Free PDF Page B

of Big Red Leech. And it had been that way for three years now, ever since the end of the war when Leech, with customary boldness, declared that his personal spoils of victory was the deserted mission near El Indio. Rechrist ened Fort Leech, fortified with cannon and manned by ten hand-picked veterans of the First Missouri Cavalry, Leech sallied forth from this stronghold to pillage, rob, rape and kidnap the Mexican population for fifty miles around. Those who could move out of the region did so in terror. Those who couldn't, and wanted to survive, made arrangements with Leech to pay him a regular tribute, a tax, and for that enjoyed "protection," both from the Leech Gang and the roving Mexican bandits. There were a few towns, though, that resisted. These he leveled, ruth lessly, and when the Governor of the State of Coahuila sent his personal army against Fort Leech, the ex-Missouri c avalryman leveled that, too.
    For three years he took everything he wanted —their money, their food, their wine, their women—and with stood every effort to drive him out or capture him. The gang, however, changed personnel from time to time and for various reasons. Some got themselves killed, either by Mexicans or by a fellow bandit. Some grew weary of the hot, humid climate and crossed over into Texas and headed north. Some even fell out with Big Red and either just did get away or filled a fresh grave. Others, like the Perrott brothers and Sam Gill, left the gang for brief periods —leaves of absence—and went to raise hell else where.
    All this was known about Leech to the delegation of four merchants who had chartered a stage in Browns ville and were journeying to see him. They had gotten word to Fort Leech that they had a proposition for him and Leech, curious, not only guaranteed them safe entry and return but had them personally escorted across the Rio.
    They were men of strength in their own right, these fo u r. That they were still survivors of the jungle that wa s Brownsville proved that. But the nearer they got to Fort Leech the more their apprehensions grew, the more they doubted the wisdom of the long trip to this rattler's n est . Supposing he didn't accept their proposition and decided instead to hold them all for ransom. Ezra Owens could just see his partner back in Brownsville laughing up r o a ri o usly at such a demand. Bert Bronsen thought about being held, too, but he was even more concerned about the tales of Leech's monumental drinking bouts, dru nks that were reputed to last for weeks on end, and when the fog of whisky finally cleared there was carnage al around. Leech, it was said reliably, had personally kill ed a hundred men in the past three years. Even in Brown sville, Bronsen knew, life wasn't that cheap a commodi ty . Not even their legendary sheriff, John Lime, slaugh tered in that style. The other two businessmen in t he delegation, Ed Boone and Brad Hagood, told them selve s they would be happy to be on their way back.
    Then they were entering the converted mission itself, starin g out at the up-to-date fortifications, the ready-look ing arr ay of cannons and U.S. Army-stolen equipment, and it w as too late now to be worrying about being in the hands of Big Red Leech. The coach was driven into a court ya rd, where a few men lounged in the shade, some still wearing remnants of the uniform they had fought t h e war in, but for every male present there were at least half d ozen girls in evidence—Mexican, Indian, even African and the envoys wondered if Leech was experi menting along the lines of that Brigham Young fellow over in Utah. ■<
    A light-skinned, sloe-eyed Negress, in fact, opened the massive door to the main house to them, startling them with the uninhibited casualness of her bared torso. Nor could she be wearing much more below than the bright- flowered skirt, they decided, as the girl led them down the corridor. She stopped at a pair of double doors and knocked softly.
    "Come on in!" a voice