The Vanquished Read Online Free Page B

accepted one and held it in the air. “To our success in Sonora.”
    Cosby took a quick swallow and set his glass aside on the polished surface of the desk. He adjusted the pince-nez on the bridge of his nose and used the flat of his hand to rub his belly with large, circular motions. He was, Crabb thought, disreputable in appearance and manners; but he had been a good soldier and his strategic wisdom was valuable. Cosby said, “I’ve just received the latest communications from the correspondents in Nicaragua. William Walker’s filibusters have taken over the government there and President Pierce gave formal recognition to Walker’s regime. But the Costa Ricans are up in arms and the most reliable estimates are that Walker’s position is precarious, at best.”
    â€œHe failed before,” Crabb said, “in Baja California. He’s an unstable man. We can’t count on him.”
    â€œWell,” Cosby observed, “it was his idea, anyway—not ours. I’ll be satisfied with a good deal less than Walker dreams of.”
    â€œIt was largely a pipe dream anyway. To take over all of Mexico while Walker moves north—to have our two victorious armies meet at Mexico City and proclaim the whole of Mexico and Central America a new republic—the idea was absurd, old friend, but I enjoyed the pleasures of speculating upon it for a while. No, I’m afraid we must confine ourselves to more modest gains. We haven’t the resources to recruit a force large enough to defeat Mexico, and the Mexican War is too recent in American memories. I doubt we could interest Washington in another war.”
    â€œI’ve reached the same conclusion,” Cosby said. His grunting manner of talk was almost animal in nature, Crabb thought; but he put away his dislike of the man because more was at stake than personal feelings. “Walker,” he said, “will have to look out for himself.”
    â€œThen that’s settled.” Cosby removed the pince-nez and blew on the lenses and set the device once more on his nose, and lifted his button eyes to Crabb. Crabb crossed his legs and went loose in the chair, gently swirling the brandy in his goblet and watching the brown liquid lick toward the edges of the glass. He said, “As we planned, I gave Gabilondo the excuse that we didn’t wish to subject women and children to the rigors of the overland journey. That should adequately explain why we’ll be traveling as a party of well-armed men only.”
    â€œAll right,” Cosby said. He lodged his thick elbows on the desk and used a pencil to draw aimless sketches on a notepad while he talked: “You’ll sail by the end of the week, then. I anticipate it will take you at least two months’ time to travel from El Monte overland past Jeager’s Ferry to the Concepcion. Meanwhile I’ll be gathering my force—say a thousand men—and I’ll sail around into the Gulf. We’ll land at Port Lobos and make our way upriver. I’ll expect to meet your column at El Altar or Caborca. By that time Pesquiera should have done a fair job of destroying Gandara’s power, and with any luck at all we should find Sonora in a state of abject confusion. I don’t expect much difficulty when it comes to unseating Pesquiera, if we have to, but I hope he’ll see our side of the matter and recognize that he’ll be better off with us than against us. It’s unfortunate we had to arm his men, but I suppose it’s the only way to cut down Gandara’s army. I must admit, though, that there are a few minor weaknesses in the plan.”
    â€œTo wit?”
    â€œWhat will your father-in-law think of our venture, once he finds out what we’re really doing?”
    â€œHe’ll still be getting back the properties that the Mexican government stole from him. I doubt he’ll complain. He seems to have lost interest in Mexican