The House Of Crow Collection

3. The Rancho

As the horsemen and carts arrived at the rancho, a crowd of more than twenty people shouted greetings. The group was mostly vaqueros and Indian house servants. A woman and a young girl stood in front of the group. As the carts stopped and the men dismounted, everyone rushed forward to greet their friends and loved ones.

Crow and LeRue stood apart from the others. They watched as Hernando and Carlos approached them with the woman and the girl. Crow was struck by the beauty of the girl. Though she was young, she had a presence about her. Hernando said to the women, “These men are Señor Crow and Señor LeRue. They are responsible for the safe return of Carlos and the others. This is my wife, Señora Carmen Batista and our daughter, Francisca.”

The woman and the girl wore bright, white dresses. Each had their hair pulled back in a bun. The woman was striking in her mature beauty. With a voice pleasant to the ear, she said in Spanish, “Welcome to our home. I am grateful to you both for saving the lives of my son and our people.”

Crow, obviously uncomfortable, turned to LeRue. LeRue responded, “Estamos encantados de que podríamos estar de servicio. (We are happy that we could be of service.)”

“You speak Spanish well Señor LeRue,” replied Señora Batista.

“I"m a Texican Señora and a citizen of Mexico. Isaiah speaks some Spanish, but is not fluent.”

In English, she replied, “We will try to speak English until you are comfortable, Señor Crow. We are preparing a meal for you, but you will want to freshen yourselves first.” The Señora motioned to one of the Indian servants who rushed over. “Take these gentlemen to the guest room.” To Crow and LeRue she said, “I will send Carlos for you when the meal is ready.”

As Crow and LeRue were led to the hacienda, Francisca turned to her brother. “They are interesting men.”

Carlos, at first distracted, looked at the two departing men and then at his sister. “Yes, interesting, and perhaps… handsome?”

Francisca"s face flushed, “I meant only in the way they dress and speak!”

Carlos, with a knowing smile that seemed to infuriate his sister more, replied “Of course, the way they dress and talk. They are fascinating.”

Before Francisca could respond, her mother said, “Come, Francisca, we must see that everything is ready for our guests.”

With an indignant glare at her brother, Francisca joined her mother as she walked to the hacienda.

Hernando, placing his hand on his son"s shoulder asked. “Do I owe these men, Carlos?”

“Yes father, we had no idea the bandits were on the hill. Crow and his friend did not have to do what they did. Had they not stepped in, we all would have died.”

“The man Crow, there is something about him, something different.”

“LeRue told me on the ride back that Indians raised Crow. Do you see that shirt he wears under his coat, with the tufts of hair and the quill work? LeRue said that is a Crow Indian war-shirt, and that Crow had been what is called a Dog Soldier.”

“I am looking forward to dinner. I want to learn more about these men.”

Carlos, remembering Francisca"s reaction to Crow thought, "You are not the only one who wants to learn more, father."

Carlos and his father headed to the hacienda. In one of the small whitewashed cottages, the wounded vaquero lay upon his bed. His face was slowly regaining its color. His anxious wife sat, while his two teenage sons stood next to the bed. “I will be fine. The ball passed through. You must not worry.”

His wife, silent tears slowly rolling down her cheeks, reached out and took his callused hand. “We could not help but to be concerned about you.”

One of the boys asked, “Poppa, the two men in buckskins, they saved your lives?”

“Oh, you should have seen it!” his father replied, a spark of excitement in his eyes. “The big one, the one called Crow; he shot the bandit leader while riding on horseback! He let out a yell that made our hair stand on end. He had an axe in his hand, and he rode right into the middle of those bandits! It was something to see. He is el Guerrero (a warrior)!”

The boys were spellbound as their father told his story. Later, after their father slipped off into sleep, they met with the other young men who lived at the rancho. The story spread about the buckskin Guerreros and the one they now called "el hombre con el hacha" ("the man with the axe").