Gone to Texas by Don Worcester Page B

thought, feeling elated. At least it won’t be much longer.
    A few days later, a guard ordered the four prisoners to follow him to the prison yard, where a troop of cavalry waited. A sergeant beckoned toward four saddled horses, and the prisoners mounted and accompanied the cavalry out of the city on a road leading southwest. Shocked at this unexpected development, Ellis spoke to the sergeant, who appeared friendly. “Where are you taking us?” he asked, his fears rising.
    â€œTo the Castle of San Diego at Acapulco,” the sergeant replied, looking from one to another of the prisoners. “But you don’t look like dangerous men to me.”
    I wonder what that means, Ellis thought. For one thing, he knew, it meant that Moreno’s friends couldn’t help him now. Damn. I should have gone with María when I had the chance.
    In ten days, they reached the city of Chilpancingo, and several days later came out of the mountains and saw the white-washed houses of Acapulco gleaming below them on a narrow strip of land between the mountains and the white sand of the curving bay. Beyond was the Pacific Ocean, deep blue broken by white-caps rolling toward the beach. Ellis gazed at the magnificent sight, holding his breath in awe.
    â€œI’m afraid this is your home now,” the sergeant said, inclining his head toward the huge, star-shaped fortress of San Diego, at the apex of a hill near the bay. It was bristling with cannons. “I hope it won’t be forever. Good luck, señor. ” Ellis saw that he was sincere, and felt his blood turn to ice.
    As they rode down from the heights, Ellis felt like he had crawled under a heavy blanket, for the air grew hot and humid, and beads of sweat rolled down his face. Under the lush growth of many kinds of trees were countless varieties of ferns and plants with brilliant red or yellow flowers. Along the shore in the distance, tall coconut palms, their tops ringed with graceful fronds, stood like sentinels. Ellis gazed around him in amazement—he’d never seen anything like it before.
    The troops and prisoners followed the trail winding down to the beach across the bay from the sleepy village of Acapulco. Ellis shaded his face with a shackled hand, for the reflection of the sun off the white houses hurt his eyes. The few people they met moved slowly, blinking in the bright sunlight as they stared at the prisoners. They looked up at the castle, then at the prisoners, and shook their heads, as if they knew they’d never see those bearded men again.
    On up the hill by a winding road they went, until the castle loomed directly over them, much more forbidding than it seemed when they were looking down on it from the mountains. As they rode through the gate and across the drawbridge, Ellis gazed up at the awesome towers and felt fear. I’m glad I won’t be alone, he thought.
    The prisoners dismounted and stood stiffly while an officer read their names. When his name was called, Ellis stepped forward and a lieutenant beckoned him to follow. He looked back and saw the others weren’t coming. At the side of the castle, the lieutenant stopped at a narrow door with a small opening in it. The hinges creaked as he opened the door and gestured for Ellis to enter. They creaked again as he closed and locked it.
    Ellis stared at the cell in the dim light, a cubicle only three feet wide and seven feet long. At one end was a small grated window that let in a little air and light. He leaned down to peer through the opening in the door and saw a soldier standing guard. “Where are my friends?” Ellis asked him.
    â€œTogether in a big room.” Ellis swore.
    Before dark, the lieutenant returned, accompanied by a soldier carrying Ellis’ blanket, old clothes, and a straw mat for a bed. The lieutenant handed Ellis a bowl with a piece of bread and a chunk of tough beef in it, and a pot of water. “Why can’t I be with my