Jim Bowie Read online

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Jim Bowie by Robert E. Hollmann

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Jim Bowie

  By Robert E. Hollmann

  Copyright 2012 by Robert E. Hollmann

  Cover Copyright 2012 by Ginny Glass and Untreed Reads Publishing

  The author is hereby established as the sole holder of the copyright. Either the publisher (Untreed Reads) or author may enforce copyrights to the fullest extent.

  Previously published in print, 2006.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold, reproduced or transmitted by any means in any form or given away to other people without specific permission from the author and/or publisher. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to the living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  This electronic book has been produced from the print edition. Untreed Reads has retained punctuation from the original edition per the author’s request.

  Other Titles in the Lone Star Legends Series and Untreed Reads Publishing

  The Alamo

  Davy Crockett

  Juan Seguin

  Susannah Dickinson

  William B. Travis

  http://www.untreedreads.com

  Lone Star Legends Series

  Jim Bowie

  By Robert E. Hollmann

  To Biscuit: A Good Dog

  Acknowledgements

  Many people gave invaluable assistance in the writing of this book. I want to thank Eric Sanchez and Naomi Chapman, two students, who read the transcript and provided insight into what works for young readers. I want to thank Tammie Sanchez and Linda Pierce for their suggestions and comments. I want to thank Ben Ellison of Benjamin’s photography for the book picture. Thanks to my two good friends, Mignon Johnson and Freda Redd, for their encouragement and interest. As usual, I want to thank my daughters, Kristina and Kasey, and my son, Rob, for their support. Also thanks to my wife, Kathy, for all you do.

  Robert E. Hollmann

  Odessa, Texas

  August 2005

  Chapter One

  The old dog wandered slowly across the yard to the little cabin. The hard-packed dirt of the front yard hurt his paws. The noonday sun was hot and the old dog was looking for a cool place to lie down. Stopping in front of a half filled bowl of water, he lapped up some. He looked at an old bone that lay next to the bowl, but there was no meat on it, so he walked on. He walked around the corner of the house and found a shady spot. The old dog stretched and lay down with his head on his paws. He yawned once and was soon asleep.

  “Grampa. Wake up.”

  The sudden noise startled the old dog and he jerked his head up. He yawned again as he searched for the source of the noise that had woken him up. Two small puppies were racing toward him. Their ears flapped and their tongues hung from the sides of their mouths as they ran. The old dog put his head back on his paws and closed his eyes.

  He felt the small dogs come to a stop beside him. He heard them panting. Finally one of them said, “Get up, Grampa. We want to play with you.”

  Slowly the old dog opened his eyes and looked at the puppies.

  “Go away. It’s too hot to play. Besides, I’m tired.”

  The girl puppy walked over and licked the old dog’s face.

  “Please, Grampa. We like to play with you.”

  The old dog stretched and slowly stood up.

  “Now, Princess, I like to play with you and Butch too. But it’s too hot right now. We would all get sick playing in this hot sun.”

  Butch jumped at a passing butterfly and then sat next to the old dog.

  “Well, there’s nothing to do. Daddy is out hunting and Momma is watching the sheep. We want to do something.”

  The old dog found a softer spot and lay down again.

  “You can take a nap with me.”

  “No. We don’t want to take a nap,” both puppies howled at once.

  “Well, I do. Now don’t bother me.” The old dog closed his eyes.

  Princess walked over and lay down beside him.

  “At least tell us a story.”

  Butch ran over and plopped down next to Princess.

  “Yeah. Tell us the one about when you were young and were friends with that big man.”

  The old dog opened one eye.

  “Big man? Oh, you must mean Jim Bowie. Why, I’ve told you that story a hundred times, don’t you want to hear something else?”

  “No.” Both puppies shook their heads. “We want to hear that one.”

  The old dog sat up and scratched his ear with his hind foot.

  “Well now, let’s see. That was a long time ago. I was no bigger than you are now. I was living in Louisiana. My parents had both died and I was all by myself in the swamps. It was hard to stay alive then. There was not much food that I could catch, and there were a lot of things that wanted to catch me.”

  Both of the puppies sat up and watched the old dog. He looked far away, looking at something from long ago.

  “I was walking through the swamps one day and I heard voices. Back then I didn’t know what humans were, so I hid in a bush by the riverbank. Pretty soon I saw two young men walking through the trees. They had a net and some rope and I could hear them talking. I was scared because I didn’t know what they were going to do. I lay down as low as I could under that bush and watched them walk by. They stopped right next to my bush and I heard them talking…”

  “Jim, you’re crazy to want to try and wrestle an alligator. Ma is going to skin you if she finds out.”

  “Well, Rezin, she won’t know if you don’t tell her. I think it’s fun to wrestle an alligator. Now, let’s go find one.”

  “I watched the two men walk away. They seemed like they were pretty nice. I decided to go after them and see what happened. I stood up and started to follow the men when I heard a sound behind me. I turned and saw a big alligator with his mouth wide open…coming right for me.”

  Chapter Two

  The old dog laid his head back on his paws and closed his eyes.

  “Grampa,” Princess called out. “Wake up. Tell us the rest of the story.”

  The old dog opened his eyes and yawned. He looked at the two puppies watching him with wide eyes.

  “Oh, all right. Now where was I? Oh, yes. The alligator was coming right for me. I turned and tried to run up the bank, but it was wet and I slipped down toward the alligator. I turned to run again and I felt the alligator bite down on my tail. I yelped and tried to pull away
, but the alligator was too strong. I felt myself being pulled toward the alligator and there was nothing I could do about it. I knew I was a goner.”

  The old dog shivered as he thought about being food for the alligator. “Just when I had given up all hope, I heard something crashing through the bushes. I looked up and saw the young man called Jim leap off the riverbank with a yell. He flew over me and landed on the alligator’s back. The alligator was surprised and opened his mouth. I jumped away, but part of my tail fell off. I ran under the bush where I had been hiding and watched as Jim sat on the alligator’s back and grabbed the alligator’s jaws, holding his mouth shut. Jim was yelling and holding on as tightly as he could, while the alligator moved his body from side to side, trying to throw Jim off his back.”

  Princess snuggled up to the old dog while Butch stood up and said, “If I had been there, I would have grabbed that alligator’s tail and bitten it clean off. That’s what I would have done.”

  The old dog shook his head and continued his story.

  “Jim was holding on for dear life, and I could tell that the alligator was getting tired. I looked up and saw Jim’s brother, Rezin, looking down at the fight….”

  “Hold on, Jim. I think he’s giving up.”

  Jim’s face was turning red and he was breathing hard, but he held on to the alligator’s jaws. The movement of the gator’s tail was getting slower and slower. All at once, Jim hopped off the alligator and turned him over on his back. Jim began to rub the gator’s stomach, and soon the alligator was asleep. Jim slowly stood up and smiled at his brother.

  “Wow, that sure was fun. That gator was strong. I was worried there for a little while.”

  Rezin walked down next to Jim. “You better be worried. That gator tore your shirt. Remember what Ma told you? ‘Don’t be wrestling alligators and don’t be tearing up your clothes.’ You’re going to be in more trouble with her than you were with that alligator.”

  Jim looked at the rip in his shirt and shrugged.

  “I’ll tell her I caught it on a tree. She can’t get mad about that.”

  “Jim, you can’t lie to Ma. She sees right through you every time. Well, we best be getting back home. I think that alligator will be waking up pretty soon.”

  Rezin walked up the riverbank. Jim looked over at the bush where I was hiding.

  “Hold on, Rezin.”

  Jim walked over to the bush and knelt down to look at me. He held out his hand.

  “Come here, pup,” he said.

  I backed further under the bush and growled, trying to sound mean. Jim smiled and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a piece of meat and held it toward me.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked. “Wrestling alligators always makes me hungry.”

  I sniffed at the meat. It had been a while since I had eaten. It smelled good. I looked at Jim. He seemed friendly. I took a step forward and licked the meat. It tasted good. I took the meat from Jim’s hand and began to chew it. It sure tasted good. Jim rubbed his hand on my head while I ate. When I was finished I licked his hand to let him know he was my friend. Jim felt my tail where the alligator had bitten it.

  “You’re sure lucky, pup. That alligator wanted you for supper.”

  “Come on, Jim,” Rezin called. “We have to get home. Ma will be mad enough about your shirt without us being late for supper.”

  Jim picked me up and rubbed my head. I snuggled against him. I felt safe for the first time in a long while.

  “You taking that pup home?” Rezin asked.

  Jim nodded.

  “I can’t leave him out here to be alligator food. He looks like a good pup. He could stand some good food, and Ma’s the best cook around.”

  I watched Rezin shake his head.

  “You’re always picking up strays, Jim. What are you going to call him?”

  Jim looked at the alligator that was beginning to stir. He reached down and felt the stump of my tail where the alligator had bitten it.

  “I think I’ll call him Gator. Let’s go. Ma will have supper waiting.”

  Chapter Three

  AS Jim carried me through the swamps I began to relax. Soon I fell asleep and did not wake up until I heard Rezin call out.

  “Hello. We’re home. Is supper ready?”

  I looked up and saw a small cabin sitting in the center of a clearing. Smoke drifted from the chimney and a small woman stood in the doorway watching us. She waved then walked back into the house. Jim carried me inside the cabin.

  “Hey, Ma. We got something for this dog to eat?”

  I watched the old lady as she looked me over.

  “Where did you get this mutt? He looks like gator food.”

  Jim laughed. “He nearly was. See his tail? A gator bit it off. I reckon he just needs some good food and he’ll make a fine-looking dog.”

  The old lady shook her head as she put some meat scraps in front of me. “I swear, Jim Bowie. You’re always bringing home strays. Well, go wash up. Supper’s ready. Then take off your shirt so I can mend it. I guess you’ve been wrestling alligators again.”

  * * *

  The next few years were some of the happiest of my life. Jim and I roamed the swamps together. He grew into a strong man and I grew into a pretty good dog, if I do say so myself. We had a lot of fun. Jim wrestled alligators from time to time and we hunted and fished and spent our time outdoors. Sometimes Rezin would come with us, but mostly it was me and Jim.

  There was one man who didn’t like Jim. He was the local sheriff who also served as a banker. One day Jim and I walked into his office.

  “Hello, Norris,” Jim said. “I need to talk to you.”

  “Have a seat.” He motioned to a chair. “What can I do for you?”

  “Well you see, I need a loan. I have a chance to do some business, but I need some money to get the business started.”

  The banker leaned back in his chair. “I don’t think I can help you. I know some of the people you do business with, like that pirate, Jean Lafitte. I don’t think it would be smart for me to loan you money.”

  Jim leaned forward in his chair. “Now, look here, Norris. Mr. Lafitte is not involved in this business, and even if he were, as long as I pay you back, why do you care who is in it?”

  “I care because it’s my money, and I don’t have to give it to somebody if I don’t want to. I think you need to take your mangy dog and get out of my office.”

  Jim stood up. “Now look here, Norris. Just because you don’t like me doesn’t mean you can talk bad about my dog.”

  Jim took a step toward the banker. Norris reached into his desk and pulled out a pistol. He fired it at Jim, but Jim ducked and the ball hit the wall. Jim looked at the banker through the curling smoke.

  “I’ll go. But I won’t forget this.”

  I followed him out of the office. We walked down the street and saw Rezin walking toward us. He had a package under his arm.

  “What’s the shooting all about?” he asked.

  Jim looked back at the office where Norris was peeking out of a window.

  “I asked Norris for a loan and he didn’t want to give it to me. He insulted Gator, and when I stood up he shot at me. I didn’t have a weapon, so I left. I reckon I’ll see him again sometime.”

  Rezin handed the package to Jim.

  “I think you might need this. I had it made especially for you.”

  Jim took the package and unwrapped it. Inside was the biggest knife I had ever seen. The blade was long and curved at the end. It had a sharp point for stabbing, but it also had a sharp edge for cutting. The hand guard covered Jim’s big hand. The upper edge was wide enough to block the thrust of another knife. Jim held the knife and swung it in a circle.

  “There is some weight to this. This is the best knife I have ever seen. Where did you get it?”

  “I had the blacksmith make it. With all the fights you’re getting into lately, I decided you needed some way to protect yourself.”

  Jim took the scabba
rd from Rezin and slipped the knife into it.

  “Thanks, Rezin. I appreciate this.”

  Rezin walked over and put his arm around Jim’s shoulder.

  “Jim, I think it would be a good idea for you to get out of here for awhile. You have some pretty strong enemies. Norris is the sheriff, and he could make it really hard on you.”

  Jim thought about what Rezin had said.

  “You could be right, but I don’t know where I would go.”

  “Jim, there’s a place where land is free for the taking. Where you can hunt and fish as much as you like. I even heard there are gold mines there.”

  “Really? Where is this place?”

  “Texas. I hear that you can do whatever you want there and nobody will bother you.”

  Jim reached down and scratched my ears.

  “Texas. That’s part of Mexico. I hear that the Mexican government doesn’t want people coming in and taking land without permission.”

  “Well, it’s not hard to get permission. They want settlers. And a man like you could do well there. You could make a fortune.”

  “How about you, Rezin? You coming with me?”

  Rezin shook his head. “Jim, I can’t leave Ma right now. You know she’s getting old. I need to look after her. But you get settled and get a big place, then send for us. We’ll come live with you.”

  Jim stared into the distance. He appeared to be trying to see Texas.

  “You make it seem real tempting, Rezin.”

  “You need to give it a try, Jim. You don’t have anything to lose and a whole lot to gain. Besides, if you stay here you’re going to end up in jail, or dead.”

  Jim straightened up. He looked at the knife that Rezin had given him. He glanced back at the office where Norris still watched him from the window. He looked down at me and smiled.

  “Well, Gator. It looks like you and me are going to Texas.”

  Chapter Four

  “OW! Butch, let go of my ear!” Princess yelped.

  The old dog looked up to see Butch pulling on one of Princess’ ears with his teeth.

  “Here, Butch. Stop that right now,” Gator said. “What’s wrong with you?”