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Authors: Robert E. Hollmann

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BOOK: Jim Bowie
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The streets of San Antonio were alive with activity as we searched for the home of Juan Veramendi. I had to dodge horses and wagons as we rode down the street. Jim saw a man he knew and called to him.

“Hey, Ben. I thought they’d have run you out of Texas by now.”

The man smiled as he walked over to Jim. He shook Jim’s hand.

“Now why would they want to do that? It’s been a while since I’ve seen you, Jim. Heard a lot about you. I think your knife is more famous than you are.”

Jim turned to his friends.

“This is Ben Milam. I’ve known him for some time.”

Jim looked down the street. “Ben, can you tell us where Juan Veramendi lives? Stephen Austin told us to look him up. We also need to find a man named Juan Seguin.”

“Well, you’re in luck. Both of those gentlemen are at the Veramendi house right now. I just left them.” Milam looked around the street to make sure no one was listening. “I’m glad you’re here, Jim. I think there’s trouble coming, and we can use a man like you.”

“I didn’t come here to get in a fight, Ben. I could have stayed home and had all the fighting I wanted. We’re interested in finding some land and starting a ranch.”

I walked over to Milam. He reached down and scratched my ears.

“This mutt yours?” he asked.

Jim nodded. “His name’s Gator. I don’t think he’s good for much except alligator bait.”

I licked Milam’s hand. He looked down at my face.

“Jim, I don’t believe you. If you thought that, you wouldn’t let him follow you all over Texas.”

“Well, do you know where the Veramendi house is?”

Milam nodded.

“Go down the street to the church. Take the street to the right. It’s the big house on the corner. When you get through there, come find me and we’ll talk about old times.”

Jim turned his horse in the direction indicated by Milam.

“Thanks, Ben. I’ll find you later.”

Shortly, Jim tied his horse in front of a large house and walked up to the front door. I stood beside him as he knocked. Soon a servant opened the door and asked what Jim wanted. Jim pulled the letter from Austin out of his pocket.

“I have a letter from Mr. Stephen Austin, introducing me to Mr. Juan Veramendi. I heard that Mr. Juan Seguin was here. I was hoping to speak with him too.”

The servant took the letter and walked back into the house. Shortly he came back and said, “Mr. Veramendi will see you.”

Jim turned to his friends. “Go find us a place to stay. I’ll meet you at the cantina later.”

Nobody stopped me, so I followed Jim into the house. The thick adobe walls made it cool inside. We followed the servant into a large room. Two men were sitting around a big table talking. The men got to their feet as we entered the room. The servant bowed to the men and said. “This is Mr. Jim Bowie.”

The servant left the room as the two men walked over to Jim and shook his hand.

“Mr. Bowie. Welcome to my home. I am Juan Veramendi, and this is Juan Seguin.”

“Just call me Jim. Thanks for seeing me, Mr. Veramendi.”

“What can we do for you, Jim?”

The men sat down around the table.

“My friends and I are looking for some good land to start a ranch. Mr. Austin said you might be able to help us find that land.”

“There’s some very nice land in Texas.” Veramendi looked at Juan Seguin. “But, I’m afraid that there’s a problem with the government in Mexico. They’re worried about all the settlers from the United States coming to Texas. They think that the settlers want to take Texas away from Mexico and join the United States. They’re not willing to give land to new settlers because of this.”

Jim sat back in his chair.

“Mr. Veramendi, I didn’t come to take Texas away from anybody. I only want a chance to start a new life.”

Veramendi smiled. “I understand. I didn’t mean that you couldn’t get some land. Only that it will take some work.”

Just then a small dog came running into the room. He was barking and showing his teeth to me. I jumped up from where I was lying and charged at the dog. He turned and ran yelping toward the door. Suddenly a woman stepped into the doorway and picked up the dog. I stopped at her feet.

“Chico. You should not be coming into this room while these men are talking.”

I looked at her face and then back at Jim. I could tell he thought the same thing that I did. This was the most beautiful woman we had ever seen.

Chapter Seven

“Who was the beautiful woman?” Princess asked.

“Be quiet and let him tell the story,” Butch told her.

“Make me,” Princess said.

Butch jumped on her and they rolled across the yard, barking and nipping at each other’s ears.

“You two go fight somewhere else. I’m going to take a nap.”

The old dog turned away from the puppies. They came running toward him with their tongues hanging out and their ears blowing in the breeze. They skidded to a stop beside the old dog.

“No. Go on with the story. We’ll be good.”

The old dog looked off into the distance.

“I remember it like it was happening now. The lady stood there holding that yapping dog and looking at Jim and me. She smiled and the whole room seemed to light up. Mr. Veramendi walked over to her…”

“Ursula. This is Mr. Jim Bowie. Mr. Bowie, this is my daughter, Ursula.”

Jim stood and bowed.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Veramendi.”

“Thank you. Please call me Ursula.”

She looked down at me and patted my head.

“Is this your dog?”

Jim nodded. “Yes. His name is Gator.”

She held her little dog down next to my face, and he snapped at me. I jumped back and growled. Jim walked over and grabbed me by the skin of my neck. He pulled me away.

“Gator. You go outside. Right now.”

I hung my head and started to walk toward the door.

“No. Mr. Bowie, please. It was Chico’s fault. Gator did nothing wrong.” Two other women walked into the room. Ursula handed her dog to one of them and walked over to me. She knelt down and rubbed my head between my ears. I wagged my tail and licked her hand. Her hand was soft and it felt good on my head.

Mr. Veramendi pointed to the other women.

“Mr. Bowie, these are my other daughters, Juana and Gertrudis.” Jim nodded to the women. Ursula stood up. She took her dog from Juana, then turned to Jim.

“Tonight there’s a party in the town square. You should come. It’ll be fun.”

“Thank you. I’ll tell my friends. They’d probably like to go to a party after so many nights camping out on the trail.”

The ladies left and the men sat back at the table.

Juan Seguin looked at Jim. “I think you’ll like it in Texas. There are many opportunities here.”

“I think I’ll like it here too,” Jim said as he looked at the door where the ladies had gone. “All I want is an opportunity. If you’ll help me, I think we will all be happy.”

Mr. Veramendi stood. “Juan, take Jim and show him and his friends where they can stay. Jim, I think you should come to the party tonight. We’ll have a chance to visit about some plans I have.”

Soon Jim, Juan Seguin, and I were walking into the cantina. We saw our friends sitting at a table and we walked over to them.

“Howdy, Jim,” Turner said. “We couldn’t find a place to stay so we came on in here.”

Jim and Juan sat down and I curled up at Jim’s feet.

“That’s all right. Juan will show us where we can stay. You boys need to clean up. We’ve been invited to a party tonight.”

“That sounds good to me,” Turner said. “I hope they have some good food. I’m tired of eating the food we had on the trail. Good home cooking would sure hit the spot.”

“There will be plenty of food,” Juan said. “There will be many people there. It’ll be good for you to meet them.”

“We look forward to it, Juan,” Jim said. “Come on, boys. Juan is going to get us a place to stay.”

The men got up to follow Juan. I watched Jim. I could tell he was thinking about what Mr. Veramendi was going to talk to him about. I could also tell he was thinking about Mr. Veramendi’s daughter.

Chapter Eight

It was a beautiful night. The moon was full and the stars filled the sky. The plaza was crowded with people, and the sounds of guitars and fiddles floated through the air. The smell of food cooking made my mouth water. Jim and I walked through the crowd of people. We saw Mr. Veramendi sitting at a table, and we walked over to him. Mr. Veramendi smiled as he saw us standing there. “Jim, I’m glad you came. Please sit down.” Jim sat down across from Mr. Veramendi. I started to lie at his feet, but the smell of the food made me walk around to different tables. At each table I would sit and stare at the people sitting there. I would look as hungry as I could until someone would hand me a piece of meat.

The food tasted as good as it smelled, and soon I was too full to eat anymore. I walked back over to Jim and curled up under the table next to Jim’s feet.

I heard Jim talking to Mr. Veramendi.

“You said you had some plans. Would you mind telling me what they are?”

Mr. Veramendi chuckled. “Not at all. Because I think you can be a part of them. I think it’s fortunate that you came to San Antonio. I’m aware of your reputation. You’re the kind of man I need.”

Jim leaned forward in his chair. I could tell he was very interested in what Mr. Veramendi was going to say.

“Jim, I am going to be appointed vice-governor of the province of Texas and Coahuila. That will give me a great deal of influence. I’ll be able to see you get all the land you want. But Jim, there’s a greater plan. A plan that will make us very rich.”

Jim sat back in his chair. “I like the sound of the word ‘rich.’ What’s your plan?”

Mr. Veramendi looked around to make sure that no one was listening.

“There’s a story that I’ve heard for many years. West of San Antonio there’s an old mission called Santa Cruz de San Saba. Not far from there, there’s said to be a mine. In the mine it is said there’s a fortune in silver. Enough to make many men rich.”

“How does this involve me?” Jim asked.

“I can’t go look for the mine. I need a man I can trust. A man who is not afraid to go to that area and search for the mine.”

“What’s there to be afraid of? Are there ghosts guarding the mine?”

Mr. Veramendi shook his head.

“Not that I know of. There’s something much worse. Comanche Indians roam that area. Have you heard of the Comanche?”

Jim shook his head. “No.”

“Jim, these are the most warlike Indians we have in Texas. They ride their horses like they are part of the animals. They have no fear. And they do not like anyone coming into their territory. The mission there is abandoned, and the Comanches are the reason.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“I want you to take some men to San Saba and find the mine. I’ll see you have the supplies you need. We can be partners.”

“When do you want me to go?”

“It won’t be for a while. I’ll be appointed vice-governor next week. I’ll see you have your land. We need to plan your search carefully. If word of this search gets out, there’ll be many people looking for the mine. I want you to pick your men carefully. Be sure you can trust them.”

Jim looked over to the table where his friends were sitting. “I can trust those men. I think I’ll ask my brother, Rezin, to come too.”

Mr. Veramendi shook Jim’s hand. “We’ll talk about this some more later. Now enjoy the party.”

Ursula walked over to the table and sat down. Mr. Veramendi smiled at her.

“Are you having a good time, Daughter?”

“It’s a nice party.” She looked at Jim. “Most of these men cannot dance. They stomp around and yell and think they’re dancing.”

Jim smiled at her. “I’m afraid I would be one of those men. I never learned to dance in the swamps.”

“Where are your sisters?” Mr. Veramendi asked.

“Gertrudis is dancing. She doesn’t mind the stomping and yelling. Juana is talking to Dr. Alsbury. I think she likes him.”

Mr. Veramendi looked over at Juana and Dr. Alsbury.

“He seems like a nice man. I don’t mind Juana talking to him.” Mr. Veramendi stood up. “I must say good night. I have much to do tomorrow. Please stop by tomorrow, Jim. We can talk some more.”

Jim watched Mr. Veramendi walk away. He turned to Ursula.

“Well, Ursula. If you can stand some stomping and yelling, I’d like to dance with you.”

Ursula held out her hand.

“It would be my pleasure, Jim.”

Hours later, after the party had ended, Jim and I walked along the banks of the San Antonio river. It was quiet and Jim did not talk as we walked along. I could tell he was thinking. A fish jumped in the river and I watched the ripples as they widened and then disappeared. Jim reached down and scratched my ears.

“Let’s go get some sleep, Gator. I need to see Mr. Veramendi tomorrow. I think we’re going to be glad we came to Texas.”

Chapter Nine

The next year flew by. Jim and Mr. Veramendi spent a lot of time together discussing land deals and planning the search for the lost mines near San Saba. Jim also spent a lot of time with Ursula. They went for walks by the river and rode to the nearby prairies for picnics. I enjoyed these outings. Ursula was always nice to me. On the picnics she always brought me a special treat. I had fun chasing rabbits on the prairies, although I never caught one.

One day I was chasing a rabbit in some tall grass. I heard the grass rustling to my right. I bounded through the grass and came face to face with a large rattlesnake. We stared at each other for a moment. The snake began to rattle, and I turned and ran as hard as I could for Jim and Ursula. I crawled under the wagon and lay there until they were ready to leave.

Jim was happier than I had ever seen him. He went on trips for Mr. Veramendi, who was now the vice-governor. He met some important people on his trips. Soon Jim owned a lot of land. His friends were able to get some land also, but no one had as much land as Jim. People liked him, and even the government officials he met wanted to be his friend.

One fine April day, Jim and Ursula were married. The wedding was a big event in San Antonio. After the wedding everyone attended a large party. Ursula was beautiful in her wedding gown, and Jim looked like a gentleman in his new clothes. They made a fine-looking couple. The party lasted all night. There was a band for people who wanted to dance, and there was a lot of good food. I visited nearly every table and was so full I had to lie down and take a nap.

BOOK: Jim Bowie
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