must go to the stables, where he will remove them. Then a man on the wall will lower a rope to pull you up and bring you to me. With me youâll be safe.â
Ellis thought about it some more, recalling Manuel Morenoâs assurance that his influential friends would secure his release. If I try to escape I may fail, and they wonât be able to help me after that. Then he remembered the men whoâd escaped at Nacogodoches, and the calamity that it had meant for the others.
âI canât do it,â he told her solemnly. âIt wouldnât be fair to my friends, for theyâd surely suffer for it.â
âYour first duty is to yourself,â MarÃa said firmly. âGod will take care of your friends. I have money and horses; you will have whatever you want without risk of recapture. I have haciendas âyou can stay at any of them, and no one will ever know.â
Ellis was rising on his elbows, ready to accept her offer, when a soldier called the prisoners to their evening meal. âCome to me early in the morning,â Maria said, and told him where to find her.
Ellis thought of nothing else that night, and slept fitfully. One moment he was ready to go; the next he was sure it would be a mistake. If they recaptured him, or if her husband found out, no telling what would happen. In Mexico City, Morenoâs friends would free him without such risks.
Still undecided, at daybreak he asked the officer in command of the cavalry for a soldier to accompany him to a shop, then hurried to the house where MarÃa waited by an open window, a gray shawl framing her oval face. Ellis gave the soldier a coin and told him to buy some spirits. âIâll wait for you here,â he said.
âItâs now or never,â Maria told him. âThereâs no time to lose. I can hide you so youâll never be found.â
âAre you absolutely sure?â he asked. âIf they find me, theyâll probably shoot me.â
âYes, yes,â she said impatiently. âTrust me and have no fear. Soon we will be able to ride away together. Though Iâm part Indian, I know youâre too honorable to abandon me. But we must hurry!â
Ellis gazed at her lovely face, his thoughts racing. It just might work out, and if he wasnât discovered, they could make it to the States one day. Heâd be proud to have her for his wife. While she fidgeted nervously, he thought again about Morenoâs assurance. But supposing his friends failed? What then?
âHurry!â MarÃa exclaimed.
âAll right,â he said, âIâll chance it.â Just then, the soldier shouted, and Ellis turned to see him running toward them.
âThe captain says to come pronto ,â he said, breathing hard. âTheyâre ready to leave and are waiting for you. Donât make him angry at both of us.â
Ellis turned to MarÃa, holding his hands out with palms upward in a gesture of resignation. âAdios, my lady,â he said. âIâll never forget you.â Then, as best he could in his shackles, he hurried after the soldier.
âGo with God, señor," Maria called after him, tears streaming down her face.
Another week of travel through the mountains brought-them to the Valley of Mexico, and Ellis gazed down in awe at the splendid city. As soon as they free me, he thought, Iâll go back and find MarÃa. The prisoners were immediately confined with several hundred other culprits. Ellis watched for Morenoâs friends, wondering how long it would take them to obtain his release. The third day, a well-dressed young man came to see him.
âSeñor Bean,â he said, âDon Ramóon Iglesias sent me to tell you he is working to free you, but it may take a month, maybe many months. He asks if you need money, and advises you to be patient.â Ellis thanked him and shook his head. I have money, and being patient is what I do best, he
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