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NEW
BOOK OF THE

WILD WEST the legends that defined the american old west

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The Oregon Trail Pony Express Little Bighorn Gold Rush

NINTH
 BOOK OF THE

WILD WEST
The American Old West has been immortalised in countless Hollywood
films, but what was life really like for settlers and Native Americans? Was it
really as violent and dangerous as the movies make out?
The All About History Book of the Wild West separates fact from fiction,
uncovering the fights for survival and the gruelling trials of the American
frontier. Trace the adventures that took people beyond the edge of the
map in search of gold, new land and trade goods, from the exploration of
Lewis and Clark to the challenges settlers faced on the Oregon Trail. Find
out why Jesse James and his infamous gang robbed banks and trains and
committed murder, how he met his grisly end and why he became an
American legend. Learn about Native American heroes, like Geronimo and
Sitting Bull, who fought desperately to hold on to their ancestral lands in
the face of unceasing encroachment from white settlers. Discover how the
Battle of the Alamo helped shape a nation and why Custer’s Last Stand
at the Battle of Little Bighorn still resonates today. Packed with incredible
images and insightful illustrations, this is the perfect companion for anyone
wanting to discover the Wild West for themselves.
 BOOK OF THE

WILD WEST Future PLC Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA

Bookazine Editorial
Editor Hannah Westlake
Designer Madelene King
Compiled by Philippa Grafton & Laurie Newman
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Book of the Wild West Ninth Edition (AHB4131)
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Part of the

bookazine series
CONTENTS
8 How was the 60 Last Orders at
Wild West Won? the Bar
Discover the wars, people and Step through the swinging doors of
events that moved the American the Old West’s watering holes
frontier westward
66 The Pony
20 Discovering the Express
American West Arduous, dangerous and vital to
Lewis and Clark’s dangerous expanding the frontier
journey into unknown terrain
70 How the Path to
26 The Rocky the West Led
Mountain to War
Fur Company Would the new states be Slave 100
How fur trappers mapped the wilds States or Free States?
of North America
74 The Apache Wars
30 The Indian How the Apache tribes fought for
Removal Act freedom and their homeland
How a forced exodus of Natives
became known as the Trail of Tears 78 Geronimo
Learn about Geronimo’s campaign
36 Davy Crockett for the Apache tribes
Was Davy Crockett really the king of
the wild frontier? 82 Wild Bill Hickok
How Wild Bill became an iconic
40 The Texas hero in the Old West
Revolution 86 Jesse James
How Texas became an independent
republic after a revolution The Robin Hood of Missouri or a 26
self-mythologising murderer?

42 The Battle of 90 When the

the Alamo Buffalo Roamed
The 13-day siege that killed all of
the Texian defenders The buffalo hunt was part business,
part ‘sport’ and part military strategy

46 Riding the 92 The Great

Oregon Trail Sioux War
How a spider’s web of wagon trails
opened up the west to settlement Fighting for control of the Black
Hills of South Dakota

50 The Mexican- 96 Sitting Bull

American War The Sioux chief was determined to
Tension between Mexico and protect traditional ways of life
America reach a crescendo
100 The Battle of
54 The State Made Little Bighorn
of Gold Custer’s fatal Last Stand
How the accidental discovery of against the united warriors of
gold in California changed the the Cheyenne, Arapaho and
128
state’s landscape Sioux tribes

6
 92

104 The Hunt for

Billy the Kid
The real history of the hunt that
made the lawman Pat Garrett
30
112 Wyatt Earp’s
Wild West
How Wyatt Earp took the law into
his own hands

124 Buffalo Bill Cody

America’s first great showman
practically invented the “Wild West”

128 Wounded Knee

The horrific massacre of Sioux
men, women and children

132 Butch Cassidy

Is Butch Cassidy the most
infamous figure of the Wild West?

20
136 How to Rob
a Train
How outlaws made their fortune

78 138 Closing the

American
Frontier
74 In 1890 the frontier was closed
and the Wild West lost its wildness

70

7
HOW WAS THE WILD WEST WON?

HOW WAS
THE WILD
WEST WON? From Jefferson to Geronimo, discover the wars, people
and events that moved the American frontier west
during the 19th century

4 July 1803

Louisiana Purchase
Washington, DC
On 4 July 1803, exactly 27 years after the American colonies declared their independence from
Britain, President Thomas Jefferson signed an agreement to buy a vast tract of North America
from France. By paying $15 million to Paris, Jefferson secured 2.14 million kilometre square of
territory stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border, nearly doubling the size
of the United States in the largest single land gain in American history. Jefferson initially only
sought to buy New Orleans and its environs, but Napoleon was bogged down in war with
Britain and the French colonies of the New World held little value to him. When the French
emperor offered a much larger area for less than three cents an acre, the American negotiators
were quick to agree. The land they bought eventually became part of 15 US states and two
Canadian provinces, taking in New Orleans, Denver, St Louis and Calgary.

8
 HOW WAS THE WILD WEST WON?

Lewis and Clark

St Louis, Missouri Territory
Two years, four months and ten days after
setting out, 32 men (and a dog) returned
to St Louis having travelled from the
Mississippi to the Pacific Ocean and back
again. Captain Meriwether Lewis and his
friend, Second Lieutenant William Clark,
had been commissioned to map the
newly acquired Louisiana Purchase and
to find a safe route across the continent,
allowing the USA to lay claim to the Pacific
coast before any European powers did.
The expedition largely travelled by boat,
following the course of the Missouri and
Columbia Rivers across the Great Plains
and Rocky Mountains. They encountered
at least 24 Native American tribes, without
whose help the expedition would have
starved during the winter months – only
the Teton-Sioux treated the white explorers
with a degree of suspicion. Along the way,
Lewis and Clark discovered more than 200
new plant and animal species and drew
140 maps of their route. One member of
the party died on the trip, probably caused
by appendicitis.
24 August 1812 8 May 1820
12 February 1809 The White House and The Missouri Compromise allows
Abraham Lincoln is born in Capitol are attacked by the slavery in western territories
a simple one-room log cabin British in the War of 1812 south of latitude 36°30′
Hodgenville, Kentucky Washington, DC Washington, DC

23 September 1806 16 September 1810 1822

20 June 1819 27 September 1821

SS Savannah becomes the first Mexico wins

steamship to cross the Atlantic independence from Spain
Liverpool, UK Mexico City, Mexico

Cry of Dolores
Dolores Hidalgo, Mexico
The small town of Dolores Hidalgo near
Guanajuato stamped its name in Mexican history
in September 1810 when Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla,
a Catholic priest, rang his church bells in the early
hours to gather his congregation. He spoke to the
assembled crowds, giving what became known
as the Grito de Dolores (Cry of Dolores), calling
on the people of his parish to leave their homes
and join him in a rebellion against the Spanish
Rocky Mountain Fur Company
colonial government. Six hundred men joined his St Louis, Missouri
insurrection and, although he would be captured An advert in an 1822 edition of the Missouri Republican sought out
and executed within a year, his was the first 100 men who were prepared “to ascend the river Missouri to its
step in the Mexican War of Independence. That source, there to be employed for one, two, or three years.” The work
conflict would end, 11 years later, with Mexico as an they were going to carry out was fur trapping, a lucrative trade since
independent country. beaver fur was highly fashionable at the time. The trappers were
often the first white men to explore the treacherous terrain, and it
was dangerous work. Among those employed by the Rocky Mountain
Fur Company was Hugh Glass, who would be abandoned without
supplies in the wilderness during an 1823 expedition and forced to
travel 200 miles back to Fort Kiowa alone.

9
HOW WAS THE WILD WEST WON?
Indian Removal Act
Washington, DC
President Andrew Jackson was an ardent believer
in manifest destiny, the idea that the USA should
expand into the west, but the inconvenient truth
was that Native American tribes already occupied
much of the land he coveted. His solution was
the Indian Removal Act, which allowed the
president to negotiate with tribes to move west
of the Mississippi in exchange for their ancestral
lands in the east. The act was controversial and
narrowly passed the House of Representatives; it
was particularly opposed by Christian missionaries.
However, Jackson was blunt – he saw the demise
of the Native American tribes as inevitable, a
judgement sadly proven true.
28 May 1830
4 July 1826
Thomas Jefferson dies
on Independence Day
Monticello, Virginia
10
Bonneville Expedition
St Louis, Missouri
Benjamin Bonneville left Missouri in May 1832 with 110 men and orders from John
Jacob Astor to establish a new fur trapping operation to rival the Hudson’s Bay
Company. The expedition trekked across present-day Wyoming, Idaho, Nevada
and Oregon and a secondary party discovered a route along the Humboldt River
and across the Sierra Nevada to California. Bonneville may have been laying the
groundwork for a possible invasion of California, then part of Mexico, and the path
he discovered was eventually used as the primary route to the gold fields during
the California Gold Rush. However, the expedition failed in its primary aim to
trap beaver fur – the Hudson’s Bay Company refused to allow their traders to do
business with Bonneville and many Native Americans also refused them.
4 March 1831
Davy Crockett loses his seat in the Congressional
Election after opposing the Indian Removal Act
Tennessee
1 November 1831 May 1832
Trail of Tears
Mississippi
The first tribe displaced by the Indian
Removal Act was the Choctaw nation,
who agreed to give up 11 million
acres of ancestral land in Mississippi
in exchange for 15 million acres in
Oklahoma. It was agreed that the
Choctaw would gather in November
1831 at Memphis and Vicksburg to
be relocated. However, conditions
were harsh and the US government
did little to relieve Choctaw suffering.
Flash floods prevented any travel by
wagon and rivers were clogged up
with ice. Rations were limited to a
handful of boiled corn, one turnip and
two cups of heated water per day, and
incompetent guides got the Choctaw
lost in the Lake Providence swamps. Of
17,000 Choctaws who left Mississippi,
up to 6,000 died en route on a trek
described by a tribal chief as a “trail of
tears and death”. However, few lessons
were learned and the removals of
the Chickasaw, Creek, Seminole and
Cherokee tribes would also turn into
death marches.
 HOW WAS THE WILD WEST WON?

Battle of the Alamo

San Antonio, Mexican Texas
The Texan Revolution that began at Gonzalez soon pushed Mexican troops out of the province, but
the Mexican government responded with a fierce counter-attack – and nowhere was it more vicious
than the Alamo. The Catholic mission and fortress, garrisoned by around 200 revolutionaries, was
surrounded by a Mexican army numbering around 1,800. A 13-day siege ended on 6 March when
the Mexicans launched a frontal assault. Two attacks were repulsed but a third broke the walls and
nearly all the revolutionary combatants were killed, including politician-turned-soldier Davy Crockett.
Although the Alamo was a defeat for the Texan revolutionaries, it was a turning point in the war. Buoyed
by a desire for revenge against General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, many Texans flooded to the
revolutionary armies and six weeks later the Mexicans were defeated at the Battle of San Jacinto. The
Mexican government withdrew from the province and Texas became an independent republic.

6-23 November 1833

4 March 1837
Mormons are forcibly evicted Andrew Jackson leaves the White
from Jackson County House after two terms as president
Missouri Washington, DC

2 October 1835 1836 6 March 1836

Texan Revolution Oregon Trail

Gonzalez, Mexican Texas
When Mexico won independence from Spain, the
province of Texas had a population of only 3,500.
Hoping that an influx of settlers would stop Native
American raids, the bankrupt Mexican government
allowed immigrants from the United States into
Texas. Soon Tejanos (Mexican-Spanish Texans)
were outnumbered by Anglos (English-speaking
Texans). Relations between the two groups were
tense and, in October 1835, the Anglos rose in
rebellion against the Mexican Army, earning a
victory in a small skirmish at Gonzalez. The Texan
journey to become the Lone Star State had begun.
Independence, Missouri
Fur trappers may have been among the first to explore the west,
but large-scale migration required an easier route than those which
the trappers were able to take. By 1836, a trail had been cleared from
Independence, Missouri to Fort Hall, Idaho. A missionary party led by
Henry Spalding and Marcus Whitman became the first wagon train
of migrants to set off to settle west via the trail. Each year the trail was
cleared a little further until it reached Oregon City, a stone’s throw
from the Pacific coast. Annual improvements also made the route
better, with bridges, ferries and resurfaced roads making the journey
quicker and safer. Some 400,000 people travelled along the Oregon
Trail to reach the coast and wagon trains continued to be the main
form of migration until the Transcontinental Railroad.

11
HOW WAS THE WILD WEST WON?

Donner Party Tragedy

Battle of the Neches
Tyler, Texas
In order to avoid relocation under the Indian Removal Act, many
members of the Cherokee nation moved to the new republic of Texas
during the 1830s. Initially welcomed by President Sam Houston, attitudes
began to change when Mirabeau Lamar was voted into power. He
demanded that the Cherokee move out of Texas and into the territory
provided for them by the USA. After only three days of negotiation, Texan
troops moved against the Cherokee. Eighteen were killed as the Cherokee
retreated into a ravine, the following day around 100 were killed near
the source of the River Neches. Faced with annihilation, the Cherokee
reluctantly moved out of Texas and into Indian Territory.
Nevada mountains
When 87 settlers left Missouri for California in May 1846,
they were full of hope for the future. Within months
their dream had turned into a nightmare. The pioneers
were led by George Donner and James Reed, but the
choice of route they made was not the best. They lost
time by following an alternative path that diverted from
the Oregon Trail and Reed killed a fellow settler in an
argument and was banished from the group. Wagons
and cattle were lost on the Humboldt River before the
party tried to cross the Sierra Nevada mountains in
November. A heavy snowfall trapped them on a high
pass and, as food supplies ran low, a group set out on
foot to seek help. Rescue parties eventually arrived after
four months, but not before several of the survivors had
resorted to cannibalism. The Donner Party was not the
only wagon train to suffer fatalities on the trek west,
but tales of desperate settlers eating each other led to it
becoming one of the most infamous.
25 April December 1846
Mexico declares
war on the USA
Mexico City
27 June 1844
Mormon leader Joseph Smith is killed
by a mob breaking into Carthage Jail
Carthage, Illinois

6 August-1 November 1838 15-16 July 1839 29 December 1845 Winter 1846-47

5 December 1839

Mormon War George Custer is born Annexation of Texas

New Rumley, Ohio
Missouri Texas
New Yorker Joseph Smith’s religious The life of the independent Texan republic was
visions led him to establish a new short. Most Texans favoured joining the United
Christian church, the members of which States, although there was little enthusiasm
were called Mormons. Smith and his for the cause in Washington, DC. Only when
followers moved west in 1831, settling President John Tyler moved into the White
around Independence, Missouri, a place House did things begin to change – Tyler was
which they thought would be the location fiercely independent of party politics and a great
for the City of Zion. However, tensions believer in westward expansion. Over his four
between the Mormons and the rest of years in office he gradually changed minds and,
the Missouri population quickly grew, under his successor James Polk, Congress passed
particularly as non-Mormons suspected a resolution accepting Texas as the 28th state.
that the newcomers sold their votes to
the highest bidder. During election day
in Gallatin County in 1838, a crowd tried
to prevent Mormons from voting and a
brawl developed. Attempts to calm the
situation failed and skirmishes broke
out between Mormon and non-Mormon
mobs, culminating in the Haun’s Mill
Massacre where 17 Mormons were killed.
Despite the killings, Joseph Smith and
the Mormon leaders were blamed for the
violence and nearly all Mormons were
forced to leave the state, retreating east
to Illinois.

12
 HOW WAS THE WILD WEST WON?

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Guadalupe Hidalgo, Mexico
Skirmishes along the unclear border between Mexico and the USA sparked open
conflict in 1846 when Mexican troops attacked American soldiers in the disputed
zone. However, Mexico was soundly defeated in the resulting war – several provinces
were occupied by the USA, and the army of Major General Winfield Scott even
captured Mexico City. The resulting peace treaty saw Mexico accept Texas (which
it had still claimed ownership of) as part of the United States, and it also ceded
the Mexican provinces of Alta California and Nuevo Mexico to the US – land that
subsequently became California and New Mexico. For the first time since westward
expansion had begun there was a clear border between the USA and Mexico.

1855

Colt’s Manufacturing
Company is formed
Hartford, Connecticut
5 March 1851

A Mexican raid kills Geronimo’s wife and

children, spurring him to retribution
Janos, Mexico

24 January 1848 2 February 1848

May-July 1857

Second Bonneville Expedition

attacks Apache tribes
Arizona

California Gold Rush

Sutter’s Mill, California
Early on a winter morning, James Marshall noticed some shiny
flecks in the water channel feeding a sawmill. He had discovered
gold. News quickly filtered out and, over the next seven years,
300,000 prospectors – nicknamed 49ers after the peak year of
the gold rush – flocked to California hoping to make their own
valuable discovery. Many travelled overland, diverting from the
Oregon Trail at Fort Hall in Idaho, others sailed from the east coast
on steamships. The population of California boomed and the land
was quickly adopted as a state after it was ceded from Mexico, but
most who sought a quick buck were disappointed as nearly all
prospectors failed. Those who did best were the merchants who
supplied the miners, but undoubtedly those who did worst were
the Native Americans who were driven off the land claimed by
Forty-niners – 100,000 were killed through violence or starvation
in what has subsequently been named the Californian Genocide.

13

Pony Express
St Joseph, Missouri
The Pony Express may have had a short life, but
during its 19 months of operation it helped to link
the east and west coasts as never before. Messages
and letters were carried by horse riders who set out
from Missouri and raced from one station to the
next, changing to a fresh horse at every stop, until
they reached the final destination at Sacramento,
California. It took about ten days to deliver a message Bombardment of Fort
from east to west, but even that was slow compared Sumter begins the Civil War
to the new technology that would soon render the
Pony Express obsolete: the telegraph.
11 September 1857 3 April 1860
Mountain Meadows Massacre
Mountain Meadows, Utah
The migrants who left Arkansas for California as part of the Baker-Fancher
wagon train crossed Utah Territory in the middle of the Utah War, a year-long
conflict between Mormons and non-Mormons. Suspicion of the settlers led
the Mormons to attack the wagon train, disguising themselves as Native
Americans to avoid reprisals. The settlers put up stern resistance until several
members of the Mormon militia approached under a white flag. The settlers
left the safety of their wagons and the Mormons turned on them, killing all
over seven years of age. Around 130 men and women were murdered in the
most infamous bout of paranoid hysteria that struck the west.
14
Dakota War
Dakota Territory
Fed up with settlers encroaching onto their territory and
late annuity payments from the US government, in 1862
the Dakota tribes along the Minnesota River decided to
act. When a Dakota brave killed five white settlers, his
tribal chiefs decided to respond with further attacks
aimed at pushing white settlers out of their reservation.
Over the next few months, several pitched battles
between the Dakota and the US Army gradually crushed
the natives, although not before 77 soldiers and up to
800 settlers were killed. Thirty-eight Dakotan prisoners
were sentenced to death, some of whose trials lasted
of only five minutes, and the rest of the Dakotans were
expelled and pushed further west. The United States
had sent a signal that it was prepared to act ruthlessly
against any Native Americans who defied its authority.
12 April 1861 1-3 July 1863
Battle of Gettysburg
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Fort Sumter, South Carolina
26 July 1863
December 1861-January 1862 Sam Houston,
Great Flood causes Founding Father
widespread damage of Texas, dies
California, Oregon and Nevada Huntsville, Texas
17 August-26 December 1862 21 August 1863
24 October 1861
Transcontinental Quantrill’s Raid
telegraph line is
Lawrence, Kansas
completed
The west was as fractured by the Civil War as the
Sacramento, California east – Texas and Louisiana were among the states
that seceded from the USA to form the Confederacy,
while Oregon and California remained loyal to the
Union. Although few set-piece battles took place
in the west, mainly due to a lack of Confederate
manpower, there were extensive guerrilla raids
carried out by roving bands of unofficial soldiers.
Among them were William Quantrill’s Confederate
raiders, who targeted the pro-abolition town of
Lawrence for retribution. Around 450 guerrillas
attacked the settlement, looting and killing any
men them came across; 164 died, most of whom
were civilians, several of whom had surrendered.
Quantrill had a list of men he specifically sought out,
including Senator James Lane who had led his own
raids against Confederate targets, but Lane escaped
through a cornfield.
 HOW WAS THE WILD WEST WON?

Hickok-Tutt shootout
Springfield, Missouri
The Wild West was a lawless place and it was often left for
people to find their own justice. Several disagreements over
unpaid gambling debts, a stolen watch and their mutual
affection for the same women led Davis Tutt and James
‘Wild Bill’ Hickok to face off in Springfield town square on a
hot summer morning in 1865. The two stood side-on to each
other, drawing and firing their pistols at the same time – the
first known quick-draw duel. Tutt’s shot missed, but Hickok
struck Tutt through the heart. Hickok was arrested and tried
for murder but controversially acquitted after the jury found
he acted in self-defence. The legend of Wild Bill was born.
Thirteenth Amendment
Washington, DC
As long as the United States had existed it was split into
states that outlawed slavery and states in which slavery
was legal; the resulting tension within the country
contributed to the outbreak of Civil War. At the end
of the conflict, slavery was abolished throughout the
nation by the adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment.
Areas in the west which had previously included slaves
– Texas, New Mexico Territory and Utah Territory –
now needed to manage the transition of hundreds of
thousands of people from slavery to freedom. However,
racial equality was still a long way off. Former slave
states passed racist Black Codes which discriminated
against freed blacks, and white supremacist
organisations like the Ku Klux Klan used violence and
intimidation in support of their twisted ideology.
13 February 1866
Brothers Jesse and Frank James commit
their first armed bank robbery
Liberty, Missouri
4 March 1869
Civil War hero Ulysses Grant
becomes president
Washington, DC

21 July 1865 18 December 1865 10 May 1869

15 April 1865

Abraham Lincoln is assassinated

Transcontinental Railroad
by a Confederate sympathiser Promontory Summit, Utah Territory
Washington, DC The ceremonial driving of a golden spike into the ground in Utah Territory officially opened the first
Transcontinental Railroad to through traffic. Travel across the United States was now quicker and more
comfortable, and migration to the west increased as the risks posed by the journey were reduced. However,
the railroad cut across migration paths on the Great Plains and had a catastrophic effect on the buffalo
population. Railroad companies initially employed buffalo hunters to help feed the labourers building the
line, then whole herds were wiped out to prevent them blocking the line – some companies even offered
buffalo hunting by rail, where hunters could shoot from the comfort of a train carriage.

15
HOW WAS THE WILD WEST WON?

Powell Geographic Expedition

Nevada
In reaching the confluence of the Colorado and Virgin Rivers in Nevada,
John Wesley Powell’s small party of explorers completed the first passage
by white men through the entirety of what they called Big Canyon.
Despite losing one of their three boats and having four out of ten men
leave the expedition – including three who walked away just two days
from their final destination and were never seen again – the three-month
mapping of the vast river valley was a great success. Powell returned for a
second expedition two years later, this time giving his destination a new
name: Grand Canyon.

Colt .45
Hartford, Connecticut
No self-respecting frontiersman would have left the house without
his revolver, and more than any other the Colt .45 was the gun that
won the west. The ‘Peacemaker’ became an instant favourite from
its introduction in late 1873 due to its balance and ergonomic design
and, by the end of the century, nearly 200,000 had been shipped to
customers for $17 by mail order. The six-shooter was the preferred
sidearm of gunmen on both sides of the law, including Wyatt Earp
and Jesse James, and was used in some of the most notorious
shootouts, battles, duels and murders of the Wild West.

30 August 1869 1 March 1872 1873

December 1872

Yellowstone National Park Buffalo Bill appears on

stage for the first time
Montana Territory and Wyoming Territory Chicago, Illinois
President Ulysses Grant put his signature to an act of dedication in 1872 which made Yellowstone the
first national park in the USA, and probably the world. Grant had been convinced by a number of vocal
explorers and scientists, the most enthusiastic of whom was Ferdinand Hayden, that the headwaters of
the Yellowstone River contained ecological treasures that should be protected by federal law. However,
the creation of “a public park or pleasuring ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people” was not
a universally popular measure – many locals feared that preventing Yellowstone being sold or settled
would restrict the local economy. Even after the foundation of the national park, the region remained
largely unexplored until a number of expeditions over the next two decades gradually revealed the
wonders of Yellowstone to the American people. The chance to see the Old Faithful geyser and grizzly
bears now draws 3.5 million visitors to Yellowstone every year.

16
HOW WAS THE WILD WEST WON?

2 August 1876

Wild Bill Hickok is shot and

killed while playing cards
Deadwood, Dakota Territory

24 November 1874

Barbed wire
DeKalb, Illinois
The patent that Joseph Glidden was granted in
1874 – a steel wire with sharp points at regular
intervals – was the invention that did more
than any other to tame the west. Land could be
enclosed and livestock contained at low cost for
the first time. Rather than cattle roaming across
the open range, the movement of whole herds
could now be controlled. However, the invention
of barbed wire also made the job of the cowboy
largely unnecessary and this iconic figure of the
west began to disappear.
HOW WAS THE WILD WEST WON?

Battle of the Little Bighorn

Little Bighorn River, Montana Territory
During a Sun Dance ceremony at Rosebud Creek, Lakotan leader Sitting Bull had a vision of “soldiers
falling into his camp like grasshoppers from the sky”. Later that month, his vision came true. The
US Army was planning to force the Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho back to their reservations and
away from the Black Hills, where prospectors had discovered gold. George Armstrong Custer, a Civil
War veteran who commanded the 7th Cavalry, spotted the Native American encampment and
decided to attack immediately – a big mistake. Stern defence drove the cavalry back and Custer was
surrounded, retreating to a hill with around 210 men. Not one of them survived the next wave of
Lakota and Cheyenne warriors. However, although Little Bighorn is famous as the site of Custer’s
last stand, it was also the location of the Native Americans’ last stand. The tribes scattered as US
reinforcements arrived; Sitting Bull escaped to Canada, many others returned to the reservations
and the Black Hills were forcibly ceded to the US.

5 September 1877

Crazy Horse, a Lakota veteran of Little Bighorn,

is fatally stabbed while under military guard
Fort Robinson, Nebraska

25-26 June 1876 26 October 1881

28 April 1881

Billy the Kid escapes from prison,

where he is awaiting execution
Lincoln County, New Mexico Territory

Gunfight at the OK Corral

Tombstone, Arizona Territory
Tombstone was typical of many frontier towns – it grew rapidly after the discovery of silver in the local
area and law enforcement struggled to cope with the bandits and criminals who flocked to the town.
A feud developed between town Marshal Virgil Earp and a gang of cattle and horse smugglers known
as the Cowboys, with repeated threats made by both sides. Things came to a head when Earp, with his
brothers Morgan and Wyatt and temporary policeman Doc Holliday, attempted to disarm five Cowboys
in a narrow street close to the rear entrance of the OK Corral. A gunfight followed during which 30
shots were fired in 30 seconds, killing three Cowboys and wounding Virgil, Morgan and Doc Holliday.
The gunfight was largely forgotten until it was resurrected as the subject of a Hollywood blockbuster,
and has now come to symbolise the brutality and danger of frontier justice.

18

Assassination of Jesse James
St Joseph, Missouri
By the 1880s, former Confederate soldier-turned-robber Jesse
James was living in fear. Driven into hiding by a $5,000 bounty for
his capture, he was living in Missouri with his wife, Zerelda, and
two brothers, Charley and Robert Ford. What James didn’t know
was that the Ford brothers had decided to betray him. When James
put down his pistols to dust a picture, Robert saw his chance. He
drew his own pistol and fired, hitting James in the back of his head.
The Ford brothers were arrested for murder but pardoned by the
state governor within a day, and another infamous anti-hero of the
Wild West passed into legend.
3 April 1882 19 May 1883
Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show
Omaha, Nebraska
As the western frontier began to close, a few pioneers began to see the
potential for profit by portraying the Wild West on stage. Among the first
was William ‘Buffalo Bill’ Cody, a former buffalo hunter turned showman.
He formed his own circus-like attraction, Buffalo Bill’s Wild West, which
toured throughout the US and Europe, combining re-enactments of
historical events with displays of sharp-shooting and horsemanship. Many
notable figures joined the troupe, including Sitting Bull, Calamity Jane
and Annie Oakley. The story they peddled was a romanticised view of the
western frontier, leading to the development of many half-truths that are
now indelibly linked with the Wild West.
HOW WAS THE WILD WEST WON?
Surrender of Geronimo
Skeleton Canyon, Arizona Territory
For over three decades, a medicine man had led raids against Mexico
and the United States as part of the long-lasting Apache campaign
to resist being moved onto reservations by the new white settlers.
Geronimo finally surrendered to First Lieutenant Charles Gatewood,
one of the few US soldiers with whom he had some respect, in 1886.
The US government took no chances with their new prisoner – he
had, after all, previously surrendered twice before fleeing to resume a
life of raiding. This time, Geronimo and his followers were kept under
close supervision at US forts in Florida, Alabama and Oklahoma. He
became something of a celebrity, appearing at the St Louis World Fair
in 1904 and meeting President Roosevelt in 1905. Geronimo died in
1909, having been both a prisoner and a celebrity for the last 23 years
of his life.
24 June 1889
Butch Cassidy robs
his first bank
Beaver, Utah Territory
4 September 1886 2 June 1890
7 March 1888
William Temple Hornaday
estimates that there are fewer
than 300 buffalo left in the wild
Great Plains
Western frontier
is closed
Washington, DC
Following the eleventh US Census, exactly 100 years
after the first, Superintendents Robert Porter and
Carroll Wright announced that there was no longer a
western frontier of the United States beyond which
there was unsettled territory. The United States
©Alamy, Daniel Mayer, Hmaag
had claimed and settled the entire landmass from
Boston to Los Angeles and New Orleans to Seattle.
The era of the Wild West was over. However, it was
an age of expansion that had come at a great cost.
The same census recorded a total of 248,253 Native
Americans living in the United States, down from
400,764 identified in the census of 1850.
19
discovering the american west
DISCOVERING THE
AMERICAN WEST
They ventured across the country through unknown terrain,
facing danger and discovery at every turn. This is the journey
of Lewis and Clark
hen the Revolutionary war ended in
W 1783, the founding fathers had grand
ideals of what the vast continent
had to offer, but little notion of
its sprawling landscape and what lived there. It
was an incredible wilderness full of possibilities
and dangers, from which Meriwether Lewis and
William Clark had no guarantee of a safe return.
The shape of the young American nation would
change drastically when Napoleon Bonaparte
offered to sell the French territory of Louisiana,
a colossal area of 2,144,500 square kilometres
that would double the size of the USA. President
Thomas Jefferson worked quickly to negotiate the
Louisiana Purchase for $15 million in 1803, and
he knew exactly what he wanted from it. He was
desperate to know if there was a Northwest Passage
that would connect the Mississippi and the Pacific
Ocean, thus greatly increasing trading possibilities,
20
and he had secretly asked Congress to approve
and fund the expedition six months before the
purchase was officially announced.
The president already had the perfect leader for
the expedition. Jefferson’s secretary, Meriwether
Lewis, was a military veteran in excellent physical
shape with a keen interest in the study of wildlife,
and his loyalty and dedication were unquestionable.
Lewis immediately began to prepare, taking lessons
in navigation and absorbing every piece of available
information about the geography and people of the
region. However, even with all his study, he knew
there would be myriad surprises ahead.
Lewis invited his former commanding officer,
William Clark, to join him as co-captain, a move
that partly stemmed from the diplomatic aspect
of the voyage. They would be the ones to convey
to the many Native American tribes on their way
westward that they were now living under new
discovering the american west

21
discovering the american west
masters – a difficult conversation they hoped
would be smoothed over with gifts, including a
specially minted coin and some demonstrations of
superior firepower. Clark’s experience as a soldier
and frontiersman combined with Lewis’s strong
leadership and diplomacy made them the perfect
match, and he readily agreed.
Lewis sailed the newly constructed narrowboat
from Pittsburgh down the Ohio River, and he met
with Clark near Louisville, Kentucky, before setting
up their winter training camp on Wood River.
There would be 33 core members of the Corps of
Discovery, which would finally set out on 14 May
1804 on the Missouri River.
The voyage did not get off to the best start.
Discipline was occasionally poor, and on 17 May,
three men were court-martialled for being absent
without leave. Meanwhile, Lewis was given his
own warning on 23 May, when he fell six
metres from a cliff before managing
to stop his fall with his knife,
just barely saving his own
life. There was no margin
for error, and the brooding,
solitary Lewis was reminded
that wandering alone was a
dangerous habit. Of course,
that would not stop him.
The weather was fine, but
it was hard going, with the A 1954 U.S. Postage Stamp
featuring Lewis
fierce Missouri River frequently and Clark
needing to be cleared to allow the
boats free passage, and mosquitoes, ticks
and illness proving to be a growing problem. It was
during this summer that the expedition suffered
its only fatality, when Sergeant Charles Floyd died
of appendicitis. However, Lewis’s journeys into the
woods provided them with an abundance of new
discoveries. A meeting with the Oto and Missouri
Native Americans on 3 August went very well,
with speeches and exchanges of gifts getting the
reception Lewis and Clark had hoped for.
Another successful meeting was held on 30
August, this time with the Yankton Sioux, and
the Corps of Discovery entered the Great Plains
22
in early September. It was here that the natural
history aspect of the mission really began, as never-
before-seen animals roamed. Beasts that seem
archetypally American today (elk, bison, coyotes
and antelope, for example) were a new discovery
by these awe-struck men from the east. But the
animals weren’t the only ones who called this
land home, and the expedition was about to be
reminded that, to some, they were trespassing.
Although every encounter with Native American
tribes had been peaceful so far, tensions quickly
ran high when they met the Teton Sioux (now
known as the Lakota Sioux) near what is now
South Dakota, in September. The travellers had
been warned that this tribe could be unfriendly,
and it seemed that conflict was inevitable following
a series of difficult meetings and demands for
one of their boats. Crisis was averted thanks to
the intervention of their chief, Black Buffalo,
although Clark’s diaries show that all
was not forgiven, referring to them as,
“vile miscreants of the savage race.” Lewis, Clark and their guide, Sacagawea, in the
Bitterroot Mountains (present-day Idaho)
They travelled on northwards,
reaching the Mandan settlements
(a heavily populated area with
more people calling it home than Having sent a small group back to St Louis with
Washington DC at the time) at samples of their findings, the Corps of Discovery
the end of October. Quickly, they set out again on 7 April. They made excellent
began work on their winter camp, time through unexplored country, and it became
Fort Mandan, as the cold weather clear that bringing Sacagawea was a wise decision
bit harder than the men had ever indeed. Not only did she help them to forage,
experienced. It was here that they made showing them what was edible and what wasn’t,
one of the most important decisions of their she also had the presence of mind to rescue
voyage. They hired the French-Canadian Toussaint important papers when a boat capsized. Then, at
Charbonneau, a fur trader, and his 16-year-old the start of June, everything nearly fell apart. They
Shoshone wife Sacagawea as interpreters. Lewis had reached a fork in the Missouri River, and Lewis
and Clark were heading to the mountains, and and Clark had to make a choice. If they chose
although they had no idea quite how colossal the poorly, they would be taken completely off course,
range was, they knew they would need horses. and it was an incredible relief when they reached
Native speakers would be invaluable for trade as the waterfalls they had been told they would find
well as safe passage. Sacagawea gave birth to her if they were on the right track. However, the right
son, Jean Baptiste (nicknamed Pomp by Clark), track was not an easy path to take, and the Great
during the winter, and many credit this woman Falls were another colossal challenge. There was
and her child accompanying the travellers with a constant threat from bears and rattlesnakes, and
being the reason they were treated so hospitably by several crewmembers were ill.
tribes they met on the rest of the journey. They would have to go the long way around,
29 kilometres over difficult terrain, carrying
everything that they needed. There was no way
back. Incredibly, the crew pulled together and
Lewis and Clark’s journey
westward would lead them accomplished this amazing feat. It’s a testament
along the Missouri Rive
r to the spirit of these men, their awareness of the
importance of their mission and the leadership of
Lewis and Clark that the only thing lost on this
brutal detour was time, and the dream of Lewis’s
iron-framed boat, which simply did not work.
Time, of course, was of the essence. Despite
making the right choice at a second set of forks,
winter was coming and there were still mountains
to climb. They needed to reach the Shoshone tribe
and trade for horses if they were to have any hope
of reaching their goal, and as they grew closer,
Sacagawea helped to navigate through the territory
of her youth. However, finding the tribe proved to
be difficult, and Lewis and a scout broke off from

“They had reached a fork in the Missouri
River, and Lewis and Clark had to make a
choice. If they chose poorly, they would be
taken completely off course”
the group while Clark continued with the rest of
the party up the river. Another crushing blow was
delivered when Lewis saw the full extent of the
mountains they would have to cross. There was no
Northwest Passage through the Rocky Mountains.
Finally, they found the Shoshone, who had never
seen anyone like these strangers before. Sacagawea
acted as an interpreter, and, while speaking,
realised that the tribe’s chief, Cameahwait, was her
brother. This amazing stroke of luck secured the
horses needed for their mountain crossing, after
two weeks resting at the Shoshone camp.
In September, they began their mountain
crossing at the Bitterroot Range with a Shoshone
guide named Old Toby. The weather was against
them, Toby lost his way for a while, and the group
faced the very real possibility of starvation over two
agonising weeks. They finally found their way to
the settlement of the Nez Perce on 23 September,
who decided to spare the lives of these wretched,
starving travellers. In fact, they were incredibly
hospitable, sheltering them for two weeks and even
teaching them a new way to build canoes. Their
first downstream journey may have seemed like
a blessed relief, but the rapids were fantastically
dangerous, and they were watched with great
interest as they made their way down the perilous
waters. Once again, they overcame the odds.
On 7 November, Clark was convinced that he
could see the Pacific, writing, “Ocean in view! O!
The Joy… This great Pacific Ocean which we have
discovering the american west
Sacagawea’s knowledge of the route ahead was
invaluable to Lewis and Clark’s expedition
been so long anxious to see. And the roaring or
noise made by the waves breaking on the rocky
shores (as I suppose) may be heard distinctly.” He
was sadly mistaken. They were 32 kilometres away,
and it would take more than a week in bad weather
to reach Cape Disappointment on 18 November.
Clark wrote that the, “…men appear much satisfied
with their trip, beholding with astonishment the
high waves dashing against the rocks and this
immense ocean.” They had reached the Pacific;
their mission was accomplished. Lewis and Clark
decided to take a vote on where to build their
winter camp, which is believed to be the first time
in recorded US history that a slave (York) and a
woman (Sacagawea) were allowed to vote. The
winter was tough, as endless rain dampened their
spirits, but in March they set out to return, using
Clark’s updated map. Their journey home may
have been shorter (a mere six months), but had its
own dangers, including a violent encounter with
Blackfeet Indians that resulted in two killings. They
finally arrived in St Louis on 23 September 1806,
almost two and a half years after setting off.
Lewis, Clark and the Corps of Discovery had
gone where no white man had gone before. The
discoveries they had made, from plant life to
animals (grizzly bears, bison, bighorns, wolves
and more) to the Native American tribes they met,
helped to bring a greater understanding of the
nation to Washington, and they changed the shape
of the burgeoning United States of America.
Life after the voyage
What became of the intrepid pair
once they returned
Lewis and Clark were hailed as national heroes,
and President Thomas Jefferson was eager to show
how pleased he was, giving both men political
appointments. However, in the case of Lewis, these
new honours did not help him to find any peace. He
struggled with his duties as governor of Louisiana
and frequently gave in to his dark moods and bur-
geoning alcoholism. It ended in tragedy when, on
his way to Washington on 12 October 1809, Lewis
shot himself.
Clark’s life makes for much happier reading.
He worked as an agent for Indian affairs and was
married in 1808, before becoming the governor
of the Missouri Territory for ten years. Despite
his harsh words for the Lakota Sioux after their
nearly violent encounter, Clark became renowned
for his fair treatment of Native Americans (with
some accusing him of being too sympathetic). He
also cared for the child of Sacagawea after she and
Toussaint left young Jean Baptiste (the baby Clark
had called Pomp) in his care. He continued to raise
Jean Baptiste after Sacagawea’s death in 1812, and
the young man would later travel to Europe and the
German court.
Portraits of William Clark (left) and Meriwether
Lewis (right) painted in c.1807
23
discovering the american west

On the trail
Track the intrepid explorers’ journey
10 08 05

04
09
across Louisiana Territory

01. Camp Wood 14 May 1804 06

After taking the river down from Pittsburgh and meeting Clark at
Louisville, this is where they begin preparing for the expedition.
Supplies are gathered, men are trained, and the importance of the
07
voyage is impressed upon everyone. Some disciplining of the men
is required before they set out.

02. Lakota Sioux 25 September 1804

Although they have experienced several peaceful encounters
with Native American tribes, the Corps of Discovery has a fraught
encounter with the Lakota Sioux on the river near what is now
Pierre, South Dakota. Without the interference of the tribe’s
chief, this could have been the end for everyone.

03. Fort Mandan October 1804 - April 1805

The travellers arrive at the Mandan-Hidatsa settlement and make
preparations for their winter camp, to be named Fort Mandan.
Lewis and Clark arrange for many of their discoveries and journals to
be sent back to St Louis, and Sacagawea joins the expedition.

04. The unknown fork 1 June 1805

The expedition reaches another crucial decision when they find an
unexpected fork in the Missouri. It’s a gamble to choose the right
direction, but they know that they have made the correct choice when
they see the Great Falls.

05. Great Falls 13 June 1805

They had been told about a great waterfall, but having been confronted with
the five cascades of the Great Falls, Lewis and Clark realise that going around over
ground will be a long, arduous and backbreaking process. However, there is at least
plenty of game to hunt.

06. Three Forks 22 July 1805

The Three Forks of the Missouri are uncharted when the expedition reaches this
crucial point. It is near the end of July and they know that if they end up taking the
wrong fork, crossing the mountains will become increasingly perilous.

07. Meeting the Shoshone 17 August 1805

Sacagawea is finally reunited with her people when the extensive search for the
Shoshone is over. Lewis and Clark need her to negotiate for horses, and they have
an unexpected stroke of luck when Sacagawea realises that the chief is her brother.

08. Bitterroot Mountains 11-23 September 1805

Accompanied by a Shoshone guide, the expedition sets out into the mountains.
They are ill-prepared for such a long journey through the Rockies and face horrible
weather conditions and the possibility of starvation.

09. Nez Perce 23 September - 7 October 1805

They finally find their way out of the mountains and straight into villages of the Nez
Perce Indians. The locals take pity on the starving, bedraggled men, and help them
to prepare for the final stage of their journey with new canoes.

10. Fort Clatsop 24 November 1805 - 23 March 1806

After one false alarm almost two weeks earlier, the Corps of Discovery finally arrives
at the Pacific Ocean. They take a vote as to where to build their winter camp, and
dream of home while Lewis works on a new and improved map.

notable Grizzly bear

The grizzly bears were
Prairie dogs
Lewis and Clark found
Bison
The explorers were

discoveries
far bigger than any they
had seen before. It took
more than ten shots to
bring down a single bear
when they faced one.
these creatures
fascinating, particularly
the way in which they
lived in connected burrows
(described as “towns”).
not prepared for the
experience of seeing
Bison in the wild. Lewis
wrote of a friendly calf that
was only scared of his dog.

24

03
02
Coyote
Described as “a prairie wolf”,
Lewis and Clark heard these
creatures howling in the
night. They were familiar
to European traders, but
unknown to the men.
01
Silver
sagebrush
First seen in October 1804,
the sagebrush, now known
as Artemisia cana, was
described as an “aromatic
herb”, and it spread through
great swathes of the West.
discovering the american west
Indian
tobacco
As a tobacco grower, Lewis
took particular interest in the
two species he encountered
on the trip, taking notes on
how the Arikaras tribe grew
and harvested their crops.
© Alamy, Getty Images, Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, M Matt Lavin
Douglas firs
Towards the end of the
voyage, they saw a
variety of fir trees,
with Lewis doing his
best to describe six in
his journal, including the
Douglas fir.
25
the rocky mountain fur company

The
Rocky
MounTain
FuR coMpany
The tough mountain survivalists that
revolutionised the fur trade, mapped
the wilds of North America, and almost
drove the beaver to extinction

hen you think of fur trappers, you

W probably imagine them catching

mink, fox and otter, to make into fur
coats. But in the 18th and early 19th
century, the most highly prized furs were actually
beaver pelts, to make into hats. These weren’t rough
‘Davy Crockett’ fur hats of the frontiersman, they
were the fine hats worn in Europe. Top hats, bowler
hats, the navy cocked hat and the army helmet – all
of these hats used felt made from the thick underfur
of the beaver. Prices for beaver pelts fluctuated
wildly, anything from five to 12 shillings depending
on the financial climate. More than 100,000 pelts
were exported to Europe every year. Beavers were
big business.
Beaver fur consists of a layer of long, coarse,
waterproof hairs on the outside, and a much softer
layer of shorter fur beneath that. This shorter fur has
microscopic hooks on each hair that snag on each
other when the fur is washed and treated. As the
hairs tangle together, they form a dense mat that
can be formed into rigid hats that are waterproof
and keep their shape. Beavers in the wild do not
hibernate. Instead they grow a thicker coat in winter
to protect against the cold. The colder the climate,
the thicker the beaver’s coat and so the most
valuable furs came from the beavers in the Rocky
Mountains of Canada and northwestern US.
By 1820, there were already three other fur
trapping companies operating there: the North
West Company and the Hudson’s Bay Company,
which were then British owned, and the American
Fur Company. These companies didn’t actually
trap beavers themselves. They relied on the Native
American tribes to do this for them, and the
companies instead built a network of permanent
trading posts, also known as ‘factories’, across the
region where Native American trappers could come
to exchange furs for guns, iron goods, wool blankets,
horses and, especially, whiskey. Alcohol wasn’t just

26
the rocky mountain fur company

Before
Europeans
came to the Great
Lakes region and
Canada, there were
over ten million
beavers living in
the wild

A trapper from the Rocky Mountain Fur

Company fords a mountain stream

27
the rocky mountain fur company

used to pay for the furs directly, it was used as a calling for “One Hundred enterprising young men… They had to be on the move constantly, living off
bargaining tool – drunk natives were much to ascend the river Missouri to its source, there to the land and making temporary bivouacs in the
easier to cheat. Selling alcohol to the be employed for one, two or three years.” wilderness. Many were killed by bears or elk. Others
Native Americans had been illegal in More than 150 men signed up (although fell to their death on the steep trails or drowned
America since 1802 but this was Beaver they were still referred to as ‘Ashley’s during river crossings. Even more simply froze or
only enforced for the American pelts that Hundred’) and they would form the starved to death. One of Ashley’s Hundred, Jedediah
government-run factories. The backbone of the Rocky Mountain Smith, was attacked by the Arikara tribe in 1823 and
private companies established had already been Fur Company. Rather than using 12 of his men were killed. A few months later he
their factories further north, worn by the Native Native Americans to do the was tackled to the ground by a grizzly bear, which
in wilder country and flouted trapping, the men were trained to broke his ribs and tore off his scalp and one ear. He
this restriction. This enabled
Americans were worth hunt and trap beavers themselves. survived the attack and a friend sewed his ear back
them to intercept the best more – body sweat ‘Enterprising’ doesn’t really do on. Then, in 1827, he was attacked again, this time by
quality furs, and at much lower made them more justice to the qualities required of the Mojave and ten of his men were killed and two
prices, although it was also more a mountain man. They lived lives of women kidnapped. He had another narrow escape
difficult and expensive to haul pliable incredible hardship and most of them the following year and only survived because he
trading supplies to the factories. did not live past middle age. Checking was away from his camp when Umpqua tribesmen
Then, in 1822, William Ashley, a General beaver traps involved wading or swimming attacked and massacred everyone there.
in the Missouri militia, placed a newspaper advert, out into fast-flowing mountain streams in winter. In order to trade with the Native Americans, the
other fur companies had to operate their network
of trading posts. As well as keeping them stocked
Attacks by Native American tribes
were a constant threat for the trappers with goods to exchange for furs, they needed to be
fortified, with their own garrison to protect them
from raiding parties of unfriendly tribes.

Beaver pelts were stretched onto

round wooden frames to dry them

A dried
beaver pelt
weighed about
750g. A standard
pack, 60 pelts pressed
and tied together,
weighed up
to 45kg

28

The annual trapper rendezvous drew white and Native
American trappers from hundreds of kilometres away
The Rocky Mountain Fur Company avoided the American fur companies would leave and
much of this expense by using what was known the Hudson’s Bay Company would have the only
as the ‘brigade-rendezvous’ system. The
mountain men weren’t loners – it was
impossible to survive alone in the
wilderness for long. Instead they Trappers
were organised into small teams competing
called brigades, under a boss against the Hudson’s
known as a ‘booshway’, from
the French word bourgeois.
Bay Company
Each brigade would search for lamented that the
beaver dams during the autumn initials HBC stood
and winter, but leave the beavers for ‘Here Before
alone until the early spring, when
their fur was thickest. Then they Christ’
would trap and skin as many pelts as
they could before bringing them all down
to a prearranged rendezvous point in the summer, ironically the switch may also have been because
usually along the Green River in what is now of the lucrative trade in beaver pelts across the
Wyoming. The rendezvous was a huge festival as
trappers sold their furs and then partied away a good
chunk of the proceeds over several weeks of riotous
celebration. The Rocky Mountain Fur Company
didn’t regard the mountain men as simply suppliers
either, they were also customers. By establishing the
rendezvous points up in the northern wild country,
they had a captive market to sell supplies back to
the trappers. Trapping equipment, guns, knives,
blankets, food and tobacco could be sold at grossly
inflated prices to trappers unwilling to make the
journey further south to the nearest trading post
themselves. In this way the company made a profit
off each end of the business.
During the 1830s, the beaver populations began
to decline steeply. The Rocky Mountain Company
had issued instructions that after trapping a beaver
dam, it should be left for the next two or three years,
to allow the beavers to reestablish themselves there.
But the high price of pelts inevitably led many
trappers to play fast and loose with this rule and in
any case, modern studies have shown that it can
actually take up to five years for beavers to return.
On top of this, the Hudson’s Bay Company adopted
an aggressive ‘scorched earth’ policy of deliberately
over-trapping in the Rockies, in order to drive local
populations extinct there. The company believed
that if they could remove the beavers from Oregon,
The Rocky MounTain FuR coMpany
Native Americans bring beaver pelts to white traders
Pacific to China. These eastern merchants were
reinvesting their profits into Chinese silk to bring
remaining source of beavers in the Canadian back to Europe, and its ready availability encouraged
north. In fact, all their depredations hatters to explore it as a substitute for beaver. In 1834
did was hasten the demise of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company was on the brink
the entire fur trade. All the fur of insolvency and sold its assets to its former rival,
companies were in competition the American Fur Company. But this was only a stay
with each other and as the of execution for the mountain men and after 1840
beavers grew more scarce, the there were no more rendezvous held. Some of them
price for each pelt rose and the moved on to trap beyond the Rocky Mountains,
incentive for trappers to hunt others became guides for the incoming waves of
down the remaining beavers settlers along the Oregon Trail. In their meticulous
grew ever greater. quest to locate every possible stream that might
In the 1840s silk started to harbour beavers, the trappers had incidentally
replace beaver as the preferred turned themselves into the greatest authority on the
material for hats. This was driven geography of the Pacific Northwest. The routes they
partly by the shortage of beavers, but discovered still bear their names and would later be
used by the next wave of fortune hunters during the
1848 Californian Gold Rush.
The real-life Revenant
Hugh Glass was a fur trapper, recruited by General
Ashley in 1823. On his first expedition he was
attacked by a grizzly bear and so badly mauled
that his companions were sure he would die of
his wounds. Two men were left behind to tend to
him and bury him afterwards but they claimed to
have been attacked by Arikara natives and forced to
flee. Glass crawled and dragged himself across 320
kilometres of wilderness to Fort Kiowa, without a
gun or provisions in a journey that took six weeks.
The story quickly made Glass into a legend and he
has featured in several films, including The Revenant,
starring Leonardo DiCaprio. However the 2015 film
is a highly fictionalised account, and the truth of the
story is hard to establish. The first printed account
of Glass’s survival feat appeared in 1825, written as
©Alamy, Look & Learn, Thinkstock
a literary piece in a Philadelphia journal, although it
was later picked up by several newspapers. We know
Hugh Glass was real because he is mentioned by his
bosses in letters, and wrote a few of his own. But even
though he was literate, Glass never wrote anything
about his own adventures and most of the details of Like most of the mountain men, the life
of Hugh Glass is surrounded by legend
the story are entirely speculative.
29
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
 —Sin embargo, señora, un ladrón de semejante estofa no puede
ser patrocinado por nadie. Horribles cosas se ven en las guerras
civiles; pero nosotros los franceses entraremos en Cádiz.
—Esa es mi esperanza.
—¿No tiene usted valimiento con los ministros liberales?
—Ninguno. Mi nombre solo les sonará a proclama realista.
—Entonces....
—Cuento con la protección de los jefes del ejército francés.
—Y con los servicios de un leal amigo... El objeto principal es
detener al ladrón.
—¡Detenerle y amarrarle y arrastrarle! —exclamé con furor—. Pero
deseo hacer mi justicia a espaldas de la curia, porque aborrezco los
pleitos, aun cuando los gane.
—¡Oh!, eso es muy español. Se trata, pues, de cazar a un hombre
¿por ventura eso es fácil todavía?
—Fácil no.
—Y para una dama...
—Pero yo no estoy sola. Tengo servidores leales que solo esperan
una orden mía para...
—Para matar...
—No tanto —dije riendo—. Esto le parecerá a usted leyenda
novela, romance o lo que quiera; pero no, mis propósitos no son tan
trágicos.
—Lo supongo... pero siempre serán interesantes... ¿Ha dejado
usted criados en Sevilla?
—Uno tengo a mis órdenes. Le mandé por delante, y en Cádiz está
ya.
—¿Vigilando...?
—Acechando.
—Bien: le seguirá de noche embozado hasta las cejas, espiará sus
acciones, se informará de su método de vida. ¿Y ese criado es fiel?
—Como un perro... Examinemos bien mi situación, señor conde
¿Se puede entrar en Cádiz?
—Es muy difícil, señora, sobre todo para los que son sospechosos
al gobierno liberal.
—¿Y por mar?
—Ya sabe usted que en la bahía tenemos nuestra escuadra.
—¿Cuándo tomarán ustedes la plaza?
 —Pronto. Esperamos a que venga Su Alteza para forzar el sitio.
—¿Y podrán escaparse los milicianos y el gobierno?
—Es difícil saberlo. Ignorarnos si habrá capitulación; no sabemos e
grado de resistencia que presentarán los insurgentes.
—¡Oh! —exclamé sin saber lo que decía, obcecada por mis
pasiones—. Ustedes los realistas no sirven para esto. Si Napoleón
estuviera aquí, amigo mío, mañana, mañana mismo, sí señor, mañana
sería tomada por asalto esa ciudad rebelde y pasados a cuchillo los
insensatos que la defienden.
—Me parece demasiado pronto —dijo Montguyon sonriendo—. En
fin, comprendo la impaciencia de usted.
—Sí, quien ha sido robada, vilmente estafada, no puede aproba
estas dilaciones que dan fuerza al enemigo. Señor conde, es preciso
entrar en Cádiz.
—Si de mí dependiera, señora, esta tarde mandaba dar el asalto —
repuso con entusiasmo—. Sorprendería a la guarnición, encarcelaría a
los diputados y a las Cortes, y pondría en libertad al rey.
—Ya eso no me importa tanto —dije en tono de conquistador—. Yo
entraría al asalto sorprendiendo la guarnición. Dejaría, a los diputados
que hicieran lo que les acomodase, mandaría al rey a paseo...
—¡Señora!...
—Buscaría a mi hombre, revolvería todos los rincones, todos los
escondrijos de Cádiz hasta encontrarle... y después que le hallara...
—Después...
—Después, señor conde... ¡Oh!, mi sangre se abrasa...
—En los divinos ojos de usted, Jenara —me dijo—, brilla el fuego
de la venganza. Parece usted una Medea.
—No me impulsan los celos —dije serenándome.
—Una Judith.
—Ni la idea política.
—Una...
—Parezca lo que parezca, señor conde, es preciso entrar en Cádiz.
—Entraremos.
—¿No sirve usted ahora en el Estado Mayor del general Bourmont?
—En él estoy a las órdenes de la que es imán de mi vida —repuso
poniendo los ojos en blanco.
—¿Será Bourmont nombrado comandante general de Cádiz, luego
que la plaza se rinda?
 —Así se dice.
—¿Hará usted prender a mi mayordomo?...
—Le haré fusilar...
—¿Me lo entregará atado de pies y manos?
—Siempre que no huya antes, sí, señora.
—¡Huir! Pues qué, ¿tendrá ese hombre la vileza de huir, de no
esperar?...
—El criminal, amiga mía de mi corazón, pone su seguridad ante
todo.
—¿No dice usted que hay una especie de escuadra?
—Una escuadra en toda regla.
—¿Pues de qué sirven esos barcos, señor mío —dije de muy ma
talante—, si permiten que se escape... ese?
—Quizás no se escape.
—¿De qué sirve la escuadra? —añadí con la más viva inquietud—
¿Quién es el almirante que la manda? Yo quiero ver a ese almirante
quiero hablar con él...
—Nada más fácil; pero dudo...
—Me ocurre que si hay capitulación, será más fácil atraparle...
—¿Al almirante?
—No; a... a ese.
—Sin duda. En tal caso se quedaría tranquilo en Cádiz, al menos
por unos días.
—Bien, muy bien. Si hay capitulación, arreglo, perdón de vidas y
libertad para todos... Señor conde, aconsejaremos al príncipe que
capitule... ¡Pero qué tonterías digo!
—Está patente en su espíritu de usted la obsesión de ese asunto.
—¡Oh!, sí. No puedo pensar en otra cosa. El caso es grave. Si no
consigo apoderarme de ese hombre... no sé... creo que me costará la
vida.
—Yo también le aborrezco... ¡Hombre maldito!... Pero le cogeremos
señora. Me pongo al servicio de este gran propósito con la sumisión de
un esclavo. ¿Acepta usted mi cooperación?
Al decir esto, me besaba la mano.
—La acepto, sí, hombre generoso y leal, la acepto con gratitud y
profundo cariño.
Al decir esto, yo ponía en mi semblante una sensibilidad capaz de
conmover a las piedras, y en mis pestañas temblaba una lágrima.
 —Y entonces —añadió Montguyon con voz turbada—, cuando
nuestro triunfo sea seguro, ¿podré esperar que el hueco que se me
destina en ese corazón no sea tan pequeño?
—¿Pequeño?
—Si es evidente, por confesión de él mismo, que ya tengo una
parte en sus sublimes afectos, ¿no puedo esperar...?
—¿Una parte? ¡Oh! no. Todo, todo.
El inflamado galán abrió sus brazos para estrecharme en ellos; pero
evadí prontamente aquella prueba de su insensato ardor, y
poniéndome primero seria y después amable, con una especie de
enojo gracioso y virtud tolerante, le dije que ni Zamora ni yo podíamos
ser ganadas en una hora. Al decir esto, violentos cañonazos me
hicieron estremecer y corrí al balcón.
—Son los primeros tiros de las baterías que se han armado para
atacar el Trocadero —me dijo el conde.
—¿Y esas bombas van a Cádiz?—pregunté poniendo inmenso
interés en aquel asunto.
—Van al Trocadero.
—¿Y qué es eso?
—Un fuerte que está en medio de las marismas.
—¿Y allí están...?
—Los liberales.
—¿Muchos?
— Mil y quinientos hombres.
—¿Paisanos?
—Hay muchos paisanos y milicianos.
—¡Oh!, morirá mucha gente.
—Eso es lo que deseamos. Parece que siente usted gran pena po
ello.
—La verdad —repuse, ocultando los sentimientos que bruscamente
me asaltaban—, no me gusta que muera gente.
—A excepción de su enemigo.
—Ese..., pero ¿estará en el Trocadero?
—¡Quién sabe!... Está usted aterrada.
—¡Oh!, yo quiero ir al Trocadero.
—Señora...
—Quiero ir al Trocadero.
 —Eso mismo deseamos nosotros —me dijo riendo—, y para
conseguirlo enviaremos por delante algunos centenares de bombas.
—¿Dónde está el Trocadero? —pregunté corriendo otra vez a la
ventana.
—Allí —dijo Montguyon asomándose y alargando el brazo.
Hízome explicaciones y descripciones muy prolijas de la bahía y de
los fuertes; pero bien comprendí que antes que mostrar sus
conocimientos deseaba estar cerca de mí, aproximando bastante su
cabeza a la mía, y embriagándose con el calor de mi rostro y con e
roce de mis cabellos.
 XXXIII

¡Qué aparato desplegaron contra aquellas fortalezas que se alzan

entre charcos salubres y que llevan por nombre el Trocadero! Desde
que llegó Su Alteza a mediados de agosto, no hacían más que
disparar bombas y balas contra los fuertes, esperando abrir brecha en
sus gloriosos muros. ¡Figúrese el buen lector mi aburrimiento
Considere con cuánta tristeza y tedio vería yo pasar día tras día sin
más distracción que oír los disparos y ver por las noches las
majestuosas curvas de los proyectiles. Me consumía en mi casa de
Puerto sin tener noticias del interior de Cádiz, ni esperanza de pode
penetrar en la plaza. Ni parecía aquello guerra formal y heroica como
creía yo que debían de ser las guerras, y como las que vi en mi niñez y
en tiempo del Imperio. Casi todo el ejército sitiador estaba con los
brazos cruzados: los oficiales paseaban fumando; los soldados hacían
menos pesado el tiempo con bailoteo y cantos.
No debo pasar en silencio que el duque del Infantado, que llegó de
Madrid en aquellos días, me llevó a visitar a Su Alteza, nuestro
salvador y el ángel tutelar de la moribunda España por aquellos días
Luis Antonio era un rubio desabrido, cuyo semblante respiraba
honradez y buena fe; pero la aureola del genio no circundaba su
frente. Fuera de aquel sitio, lejos de aquella deslumbradora posición y
con otro nombre, el hijo del conde de Artois habría sido un joven de
buen ver; mas no en tal manera que por su aspecto descollase entre la
muchedumbre. Para hallar en él lo que realmente le distinguía era
preciso que un trato frecuente hiciese resaltar las perfecciones
morales de su alma privilegiada, su lealtad sin tacha y aquel levantado
espíritu caballeresco sin quijotismo que le hacía estimable en la corte
de Francia. Era valiente, humanitario, cortés, puntual y riguroso en e
cumplimiento del deber. Si estas cualidades no eran suficientes a
formar un gran guerrero, ¿qué importaba? La pericia militar diéronsela
sus prácticos generales y nuestros desaciertos, que fueron el principa
estro marcial de la segunda invasión.
Recibiome Angulema con la más fina delicadeza y urbanidad; pero
de todas sus cortesanías la que más me agradó fue la de disponer e
asalto del Trocadero. «¡Al fin, al fin —exclamaba yo—, será nuestro e
horrible fuerte que nos abrirá las puertas de Cádiz!»
El 19 abrieron brecha; pero hasta la noche del 30 no se dio e
asalto, habiéndose guardado secreto sobre esto en los días anteriores
aunque yo lo supe por el conde de Montguyon, que no me ocultaba
nada referente a las operaciones. ¡Noche terrible la del 30 al 31 de
agosto! Noche que me pareció día por lo clara y hermosa, así como
por el estrépito guerrero que en ella resonara y las acciones heroicas
dignas de ser alumbradas por el sol... Apretado fue el lance del asalto
según oí contar, y Su Alteza y el príncipe de Carignan se portaron
bravamente, combatiendo como soldados en los sitios más peligrosos
No fue el hecho del Trocadero una de aquellas páginas de epopeya
que ilustraron el Imperio: fue más bien lo que los dramaturgos
franceses llaman succès d’estime, un éxito que no tiene envidiosos
Pero a la Restauración le convenía cacarearlo mucho, ciñendo a la
inofensiva frente del duque los laureles napoleónicos; y se tocó la
trompa sobre este tema hasta reventar, resultando del entusiasmo
oficial que no hubo en Francia calle ni plaza que no llevase el nombre
del Trocadero, y hasta el famoso arco de la Estrella, en cuyas piedras
se habían grabado los nombres de Austerlitz y Wagram, fue durante
algún tiempo Arco del Trocadero.
Yo me había trasladado a Puerto Real para estar más cerca. En la
mañana del 31, cuando vi pasar a los prisioneros hechos en los
fuertes, me sentí morir de zozobra. Entre aquellas caras atezadas a
cada instante creía ver la suya. Largo rato tardaron en pasar, porque
eran más de mil entre paisanos y militares. Creo que los miré uno po
uno; y al fin, cuando ya quedaban pocos, redoblé mi atención. ¡Oh
misericordioso Dios, qué estupendas cosas permites! En la última fila
casi solo, más abatido, más quemado del sol, más demacrado, con los
vestidos más rotos que los demás, pasó él, él mismo... no podía
dudarlo, porque le estaba viendo, viendo, sí, con mis propios ojos
arrasados de lágrimas. Llevaba la mano izquierda en cabestrillo, hecho
con un andrajo, y su paso era inseguro y como dolorido, sin duda po
tener lleno de contusiones el cuerpo. Al verle extendí los brazos y grité
con toda la fuerza de mi voz. Mi enamorada exclamación hizo volver la
cabeza a todos los que iban delante y a los curiosos que le rodeaban
Él, alzando los amortiguados ojos, me miró con expresión tan triste
que sentí partido mi corazón y estuve a punto de desmayarme. Creo
que pronunció algunas palabras; pero no oí sino un adiós tan lúgubre
como campanada funeral, y movió la mano en ademán de cariñoso
saludo, y pasó, desapareciendo con los demás en una vuelta de
camino.
Mi primera intención fue correr tras él: pero en la casa me
detuvieron. Cuando serenamente me hice cargo de la situación, formé
diversos planes; pero todos los desechaba al punto por descabellados
Pensándolo bien, comprendí que no era tan difícil conseguir su
libertad. Me congratulaba de que al cabo de tantas fatigas el destino
me le presentara prisionero, para poder decir con más calor que
nunca: «Ahora sí que no se me puede escapar.»
 XXXIV

Envié recados al conde de Montguyon; pero no se le podía

encontrar por ninguna parte. Unos decían que estaba en el Trocadero
otros que en el Puerto, otros que había ido a las fragatas con una
comisión. Por último, averigüé con certeza su paradero, y le escrib
una carta muy cariñosa. Mas pasó un día, pasaron dos, y yo me moría
de impaciencia, sin poder ver al prisionero, ni aun saber dónde le
habían llevado. El conde, robando al fin un rato a sus quehaceres, vino
a verme el día 4. Yo estaba otra vez medio loca; no tenía humor para
hacer papeles, y espontáneamente dejaba que se desbordasen los
sentimientos de mi corazón.
—¡Oh, cuánto me alegro de ver a usted! —le dije—. Si usted no
viene pronto, señor conde, me hubiera muerto de pena.
Con estas palabras, que creyó dictadas por un vivo interés hacia él
se puso el noble francés un poco chispo, que así denomino yo a
embobamiento de los hombres enamorados. Se deshizo en
galanterías, a las cuales daba cierto tono de intimidad cargante, y
después me dijo:
—Pronto, muy pronto, libertaremos a Su Majestad el rey de España
y entraremos en Cádiz. El sol de ese día, señora, ¡cuán alegremente
brillará sobre toda España, y especialmente sobre nuestros corazones
—Mi estimado amigo —indiqué riendo—, no diga usted tonterías.
Montguyon se quedó cortado.
—Basta de tonterías —añadí— y óigame usted lo que voy a decirle
Ya he encontrado al hombre que buscaba...
—¿Dónde... cómo... ese malvado?
—No es malvado.
—¿Cómo no? Me dijo usted que le había robado sus alhajas.
 —¡No es ese... por Dios! ¿Cuándo entenderá usted las cosas a
derecho?
—Siempre que no se me expliquen al revés.
—He encontrado a ese hombre... Pero entendamos. ¿No dije a
usted que había venido delante de mí un fiel criado de mi casa, el cua
entró en Cádiz?...
—¡Ah! sí... entró para observar los pasos del ladrón.
—Pues ese fiel criado tiene el defecto de ser algo patriota..
¡debilidades humanas! y como es algo patriota, se puso a pelear en e
Trocadero por una causa que no le importaba.
—Ya comprendo: y ha caído prisionero. ¿Le ha visto usted?
—Le vi cuando los prisioneros pasaron por aquí, pero no le he visto
más; y ahora, señor conde, quiero que usted me le ponga en libertad.
—Señora, si Cádiz se rinde pronto, como creo, y todo se arregla
espero conseguir lo que usted me pide.
—¡Qué gracia! Para eso no necesito yo de la amistad de un jefe de
brigada —dije con enfado—. Ha de ser antes, mañana mismo.
—¡Oh! Señora, usted somete mi amor a pruebas demasiado
fuertes.
—¿Quiere usted que dejemos a un lado el amor —le dije
poniéndome muy seria— y que hablemos como amigos?
Montguyon palideció.
—¿Esa persona —me dijo— interesa a usted tanto que no puede
esperar a que concluya la guerra, dando yo mi palabra de que e
prisionero será bien atendido?
—No basta que sea atendido —afirmé con resolución—. No basta
eso: quiero su libertad; quiero atenderle yo misma, cuidarle, curar sus
heridas, tenerle a mi lado, llevarle a sitio seguro...
Me expresé, al decir esto, con vehemencia suma, porque me era ya
muy difícil contener mi corazón, que iba al galope en busca de las
anheladas soluciones. El conde me oía con cierto terror.
—¿Tanto interesa a usted —repitió—, tanto interesa a usted... un
criado?
—No es criado.
—¿Tal vez un anciano servidor de la casa?
—No es anciano.
—¿Un joven?... Supongo que no será el ladrón.
—¿Qué ladrón?
 —El ladrón de quien usted me habló...
—¡Ah! No me acordaba... Ya no me ocupo de eso.
—¿Abandona usted la empresa de detener y castigar a ese
miserable?
—La abandono.
—¡Qué inconstancia!
—Yo soy así.
—Pero ese, ese otro... ¿interesa a usted tanto...?
—Muchísimo.
—¿Es pariente de usted?
—No. Es compañero de la infancia.
—¿Es militar?
—Paisano, señor conde —dije con el tono de severa autoridad que
sé emplear cuando me conviene—. Si se empeña usted en se
catecismo, buscaré otra persona más galante y más generosa que
sepa prestar un servicio, economizando las preguntas.
—Creo tener algún derecho a ello —repuso con gravedad.
—No tiene usted ninguno —afirmé con desenfado—, porque este
derecho yo sola podría darlo, y yo lo niego.
—Entonces, señora —objetó, encubriendo su ira bajo formas
urbanas—, he padecido una equivocación.
—Si cree usted que le amo, sí. La equivocación no puede ser más
completa.
Montguyon se levantó. Sus ojos, en los cuales se leía el furo
mezclado con la dignidad, me dirigieron una mirada que debía ser la
última. Yo corrí a él, y tomándole la mano le rogué que se sentase a m
lado.
—Es usted un caballero —le dije—. Ningún otro ha merecido más
que usted mi estimación, lo juro. Dios sabe que al decir esto hablo con
el corazón.
— Dios lo sabrá —repuso Montguyon muy afligido—; mas para mí
y de aquí en adelante, las palabras de usted están escritas en el agua.
—Considere las que le diga hoy como si estuvieran grabadas en
bronce. La que confiesa hechos que no le favorecen, ¿no tiene
derecho a ser creída?
—A veces sí. Confiéseme usted que su conducta conmigo no ha
sido leal.
 —Lo confieso —repliqué bajando los ojos, y realmente
avergonzada.
—Confiese usted que yo no merecía servir de juguete a una muje
voluntariosa.
—También es cierto.
—Declare usted que ama a otro.
—¡Oh!, sí, lo declaro con todo mi corazón, y si cien bocas tuviera
con todas lo diría.
El leal caballero se quedó atónito y espantado. Estaba, como ellos
dicen, foudroyé. Durante breve rato no me dijo nada; pero yo
comprendí su martirio y le tenía lástima. ¡Oh, qué mala he sido
siempre!
—Ese hombre... —murmuró Montguyon—, ese hombre...
—Ahora, reconociéndome culpable, reconociéndome inferior a
usted —dije—, le autorizo para que me abrume a preguntas, si gusta
y aun para que me eche en cara mi ligereza.
—Ese hombre... —prosiguió el francés—. Perdone usted; pero nada
es más curioso que la desgracia. El amor desairado quiere tener miles
de ojos para sondear las causas de su desdicha. Ese hombre... ¿quién
es?
—Un hombre.
—¿De familia ilustre?
—No, señor: de origen muy humilde.
—¿Le ama usted hace tiempo?
—Hace mucho tiempo.
—Él... ¿la ama a usted?
—No estoy muy segura de ello.
—¡Oh! ¡Qué iniquidad! Es un miserable.
—Un ingrato, y es bastante.
—¿Y a pesar de su ingratitud le ama usted?
—Tengo esa debilidad, que no puedo dominar.
—Aborrézcale usted.
—Si fuera fácil... Difícil cosa es esa.
—¡Es verdad, difícil cosa! —exclamó Montguyon con tristeza—. ¿Y
ese hombre...?
—¿Pero hay más preguntas todavía?
—No, ya no más. Me basta lo que sé, y me retiro.
 —Se conduce usted como un cualquiera —le dije afectuosa
deteniéndole—. Me abandona, precisamente cuando mi sinceridad
merece alguna recompensa. ¿Será posible que cuando yo empiezo a
tener franqueza, deje usted de tener generosidad?
—¡Oh! señora, toca usted una fibra de mi corazón que siempre
responde, aun cuando la hieran con un puñal.
—Sí, sí, amigo mío. Es usted generoso y noble en gran manera
Para que la diferencia entre los dos sea siempre grande, para que
usted sea siempre un caballero y yo una miserable, págueme usted
como pagan en todas ocasiones las almas elevadas. Pues yo me he
portado mal, pórtese usted bien conmigo. Haga cada cual su papel
Cumpla usted el precepto que manda volver bien por mal. Así crecerá
más a mis ojos; así me abatiré yo más a los suyos; así su generosidad
será mayor y mi culpa también, y usted tendrá en su vida una página
más gloriosa que la victoria que acaba de alcanzar frente al enemigo.
—Comprendo lo que usted me dice —murmuró el francés
descansando por breve rato su frente en la palma de la mano—. Yo
seré siempre digno de mi nombre.
—¡Caballero leal antes, ahora y siempre!
—Bien, señora —dijo levantándose y alargándome la mano, que
estreché cordialmente—. Lo que usted desea de mí es bastante claro.
—Sí.
—Y yo —añadió con manifiesta emoción— empeño mi palabra de
honor...
—¡Oh! Lo esperaba, lo esperaba.
—Bajo mi palabra de honor, haré cuanto esté en mi mano para
devolver a usted la felicidad, entregándole a su amante.
—Gracias, gracias —exclamé derramando lágrimas de admiración y
agradecimiento.
Saludándome ceremoniosamente, el conde se retiró. De buena
gana le habría dado un abrazo.
 XXXV

¡Cuántos días pasaron! Yo contaba las horas, los minutos, como s

de la duración de ellos dependiese mi vida. Entre españoles y
franceses era opinión corriente que la guerra acabaría pronto, que
Cádiz expiraba, que las Cortes se morían por momentos. Sin embargo
aún resistía el gobierno liberal y sus secuaces, como la bestia herida
que no quiere soltar su presa mientras tenga un hálito de existencia
Esta constancia no carecía de mérito, y lo tendría mayor si se
empleara en causa menos perdida. ¡Inútil sacrificio! No tenían
hombres, porque los alistamientos no producían efecto. No tenían
dinero, porque el empréstito que levantaron en Londres produjo... una
libra esterlina. Yo creo que si mi espíritu hubiera estado en disposición
de admirar algo, habría admirado la perseverancia de aquel gobierno
que no pudo encontrar en toda Europa quien le prestase más de cinco
duros.
Mi deseo era que se rindiese todo el mundo, que el rey y la nación
arreglasen pronto sus diferencias, aunque las arreglaran devorándose
mutuamente. Yo quería tener el campo libre para el desenlace de m
campaña amorosa, que veía ya seguro y feliz.
Casi todo septiembre lo pasaron Angulema y las Cortes en dimes y
diretes. Mil recados atravesaban la bahía en un bote; callaban los
cañones para que hablaran los parlamentarios. Tales comedias me
ponían furiosa, porque no se decidía la suerte de los infelices
prisioneros del Trocadero, que habían sido repartidos entre los
Dominicos del Puerto y la Cartuja de Jerez.
Montguyon me visitó el 12 para informarme de que había visto a
prisionero, cuyo nombre y señas le había dado yo oportunamente.
—Está sumamente abatido y melancólico —me dijo—. Se ha
negado a recibir los auxilios pecuniarios que le ofrecí de parte de
usted; pero se ha mostrado muy agradecido. Al oír que Jenara tenía
gran empeño en conseguir su libertad, pareció muy turbado
pronunciando palabras sueltas cuyo sentido no pude comprender.
—¿Y no desea verme?
—Parece que lo desea ardientemente.
—¡Oh! ¡Estas dilaciones son horribles! ¿Y qué más dijo?
—Cosas tristes y peregrinas. Afirma que desea la libertad para
conseguir por ella el destierro.
—¡El destierro!
—Dice que aborrece a su país, y que la idea de emigración le
consuela.
—Le conozco, sí... Esa idea es suya.
Otras cosas me dijo el conde; pero se referían al trato que se daba
a los prisioneros y a las excepciones ventajosas que él estableciera en
beneficio de mi amado. ¡Cuánto le agradecí sus delicadezas! Mientras
viva tendré buenos recuerdos de hombre tan caballeroso y
humanitario.
Interrumpidos los tratos por la terquedad de las Cortes, tomó de
nuevo la palabra el cañón, y el día 20 fue ganado por los franceses
con otro brioso asalto, el castillo de Sancti-Petri. Después de este
hecho de armas Angulema habló fuerte a los tenaces liberales
pegados como lapas a la roca constitucional, y les amenazó con pasa
a cuchillo a toda la guarnición de Cádiz si Fernando VII no era puerto
inmediatamente en libertad. El 26 se sublevó contra la Constitución e
batallón de San Marcial, que guarnecía la batería de Urrutia en la
costa; y la armada francesa, secundando el fuego de las baterías de
Trocadero, arrojaba bombas sobre Cádiz. No era posible mayo
resistencia. Era una tenacidad que empezaba a confundirse con e
heroísmo, y la Constitución moría como había nacido, entre espantosa
lluvia de balas, saludada en su triste ocaso, como en su dramático
oriente, por las salvas del ejército francés.
Por fin llegaba el anhelado día.
—Habrá perdón general —decía yo para mí—. Todos los
prisioneros serán puestos en libertad. Huiremos. ¡Cuán grato es e
destierro! Comeremos los dos el dulce pan de la emigración, lejos de
indiscretas miradas, libres y felices fuera de esta loca patria
perturbada, donde ni aun los corazones pueden latir en paz.
Montguyon me trajo el 29 malas noticias.
 —El duque ha resuelto poner en libertad a todos los prisioneros de
guerra. Pero...
—¿Pero qué?
—Ha dispuesto que sean entregados a las autoridades españolas
los individuos que en Cádiz desempeñaban comisiones políticas.
—¿Él está comprendido?
—Sí, señora. Desgraciadamente, se tienen de él las peores
noticias. Había recorrido los pueblos alistando gente por orden de
Calatrava; había venido desde Cataluña con órdenes de Mina para
realizar asesinatos de franceses. Había organizado las partidas de
gente soez que en el tránsito de Sevilla a Cádiz insultaron a Su
Majestad.
—¡Oh, eso es falso, falso, mil veces falso! —grité sin pode
contener mi indignación.
Y en efecto, tales suposiciones eran infames calumnias.
—Ha llegado al Puerto de Santa María —añadió Montguyon— e
señor don Víctor Sáez, Secretario de Estado. ¿Por qué no le ve usted?
—No quiero nada con hombres de ese jaez —repuse con enojo—
Usted me ha dado su palabra de honor; usted ha empeñado su
nombre de caballero, y con usted solo debo contar. ¡Oh, señor conde!
si mi prisionero es entregado a la brutalidad de las autoridades
españolas, sedientas hoy de sangre y de venganza, sospecharé que
usted me hace traición.
Palideció el caballero francés. Dirigiéndome una mirada desdeñosa
me dijo al despedirse:
—Todavía, señora, no sabe usted quién soy yo.
A pesar de mis propósitos, determiné visitar a Sáez, porque bueno
es tener amigos aunque sea en el infierno. Vencí mis recientes
antipatías, y tomando un coche me encaminé al Puerto de Santa
María. Era el 1.º de octubre, día solemne en los fastos españoles.
Hallé al buen canónigo más soplado y presuntuoso que nunca
como todo aquel que se ve en altura a donde nunca debió llegar; pero
contra lo que yo esperaba, recibiome afablemente, y no me dijo una
sola palabra acerca de mi conversión al absolutismo. Parecía no da
valor a estas pequeñeces, y ocuparse tan solo, como Jiménez de
Cisneros, en los negocios públicos de ambos mundos.
—Hoy es día placentero, señora, día feliz entre todos los días
felices de la tierra —me dijo—. Su Majestad don Fernando, ese ilustre
mártir de los excesos revolucionarios, es ya libre.
—¿Ya?
—Hoy nos le entregan. Al fin han comprendido esos locos que su
resistencia les podría costar muy cara, pero muy cara. El duque tiene
malas moscas.
—Felicitémonos, señor don Víctor —dije con afectado entusiasmo
—, de esta solución lisonjera. España y el mundo están de
enhorabuena. Mas para que se completara la dicha, convendría que
tantas y tan graves heridas no se ensañasen con la venganza y la
crueldad del partido vencedor, y que un generoso olvido de los errores
pasados inaugurase la venturosa era que empieza hoy.
—Así será, señora —repuso sonriendo de un modo que me pareció
algo hipócrita—. Su Majestad ha dado ayer en Cádiz un manifiesto en
que ofrece perdonar a todo el mundo y no acordarse para nada de los
que le han ofendido. ¡Cuánta magnanimidad! ¡Cuánta nobleza!
—¡Oh, sí, conducta digna de un descendiente de cien reyes, digna
de quien da el perdón y del pueblo que la recibe! Si Fernando cumple
lo que promete, será grande entre todos los reyes de España.
—Lo cumplirá, señora, lo cumplirá.
Aunque no tenía gran confianza en las afirmaciones de Sáez, d
crédito a estos propósitos por creerlos inspiración del duque de
Angulema.
Invitome luego a presenciar el desembarco de Su Majestad, a lo
que accedí muy gustosa. Nos trasladamos al muelle, y habiendo sido
colocada por un oficial francés en sitio muy conveniente para ver todo
presencié aquel acto, que debía ser uno de los más notables recodos
uno de los más bruscos ángulos de la historia de España en e
tortuoso siglo presente.
¡Espectáculo conmovedor! La regia falúa, cuyo timón gobernaba e
almirante Valdés, glorioso marino de Trafalgar, se acercaba al muelle
En ella venía toda la familia real, la monarquía histórica secuestrada
por el liberalismo. La conciliación ideada por cabezas insensatas era
imposible, y aquellos regios rehenes que la nación había tomado, eran
devueltos al absolutismo, contra el cual no podían prevalecer aún los
infiernos de la demagogia. En una lancha volvían del purgatorio
constitucional las ánimas angustiadas del rey y los príncipes.
Mientras el victorioso despotismo recobraba sus personas
sagradas, allá lejos, sobre la gloriosa peña inundada de luz y ceñida
por coronas de blancas olas, los pobres pensadores desesperados, los
utopistas sin ilusiones, los desengañados patricios lloraban sus
errores, y buscando hospitalidad en naves extranjeras, se disponían a
huir para siempre de la patria a quien no habían podido convencer.
Así acaban los esfuerzos superiores a la energía humana, las
luchas imposibles con monstruos potentes de terribles lazos, y que
hunden en el suelo sus patas para estar más seguros, como hunde
sus raíces el árbol. Tal era la contienda con el absolutismo. Querían
vencerle cortándole las ramas, y él retoñaba con más fuerza. Querían
ahogarle, y regándole daban jugo a sus raíces. ¡A vosotros, oh
venideros días del siglo, tocaba atacarlo en lo hondo, arrancándolo de
cuajo!... Pero advierto que estoy hablando la jerga liberal. ¡Qué horror
Verdad es que escribo veinte años después de aquellos sucesos; que
ya soy vieja, y que a los viejos, como a los sabios, se les permite
mudar de parecer.
Fernando puso el pie en tierra. Dicen que al verse en suelo firme
dirigió a Valdés una mirada terrible, una mirada que era un programa
político: el programa de la venganza. Yo no lo vi, pero debió de se
cierto, porque me lo dijo quien estaba muy cerca. Lo que sí puedo
asegurar es que Angulema, hincando en tierra la rodilla, besó la mano
al rey; que luego se abrazaron todos; que don Víctor Sáez lloraba
como un simple, y que los vivas y las exclamaciones de entusiasmo
me volvieron loca. Los franceses gritaban, los españoles gritaban
también, celebrando la feliz resurrección de la monarquía tradicional y
la miserable muerte del impío constitucionalismo. El glorioso imperio
de las caenas había empezado. Ya se podía decir con toda el alma
«¡Viva el rey absoluto! ¡Muera la nación!»
 XXXVI

Faltaba la solución mía. Mi corazón estaba como el reo cuya

sentencia no se ha escrito aún. El 1.º de octubre por la tarde y el día 2
hice diligencias sin fruto, no siéndome posible ver a Sáez ni a
Montguyon, a quien envié frecuentes y apremiantes recados. Ninguna
noticia pude adquirir tampoco de los prisioneros. Creo que me hubiera
repetido el ataque cerebral que padecí en Sevilla, si en el momento de
mi mayor desesperación no apareciese mi generoso galán francés a
devolverme la vida. Estaba pálido y parecía muy agitado.
—Vengo de Cádiz —me dijo—. Dispénseme usted si no he podido
servirla más pronto.
—¿Y qué hay? —pregunté con la vida toda en suspenso.
—Deme usted su mano —dijo Montguyon ceremoniosamente.
Se la di y la besó con amor.
—Ahora, señora, todo ha acabado entre nosotros. Mi deber está
cumplido, y mi deber es perdonar, pagando las ofensas con beneficios.
Yo me sentía muy conmovida y no pude decirle nada.
—Ni un momento he dudado de su hidalguía —indiqué con acento
de pura verdad—. A veces tropezamos en la vida con el bien y
pasamos sin verlo. Señor conde, mi gratitud será eterna.
—No quiero gratitud —díjome con honda tristeza—. Es un
sentimiento que no me gusta recibido, sino dado. Deseo tan solo un
recuerdo bueno y constante.
—¡Y una amistad entrañable, una estimación profunda! —exclamé
derramando lágrimas.
—Todo está hecho.
—¿Conforme a mi deseo...? ¡Bendito sea el momento en que nos
conocimos!
—Señora, su prisionero de usted está sano y salvo a bordo de la
corbeta Tisbe, que parte esta tarde para Gibraltar.
 —¿Y cómo?
—Por sus antecedentes debía ser condenado a muerte. Otros
menos criminales subirán al cadalso, si no se escapan a tiempo. Yo le
saqué anoche furtivamente de los Dominicos y le embarqué esta
mañana. Ya no corre peligro alguno. Está bajo la salvaguardia de
noble pabellón inglés.
—¡Oh, gracias, gracias!
—Además del servicio que a usted presto, creo cumplir un deber de
conciencia arrancando una víctima a los feroces ministros del rey de
España.
—¿Pues qué —pregunté con asombro—, Su Majestad no ha
ofrecido en su manifiesto de Cádiz perdonar a todo el mundo?
—¡Palabras de rey prisionero! Las palabras del déspota libre son las
que rigen ahora. Su Majestad ha promulgado otro decreto que es la
negra bandera de las proscripciones, un programa de sangre y
exterminio. Innumerables personas han sido condenadas a muerte.
—Esto es una infamia... Pero, en fin, ¿está él en salvo?...
—En salvo.
—¿Y sabe que me lo debe a mí..., sabe que yo...? ¡Oh, seño
conde!, no extrañe usted mi egoísmo. Estoy loca de alegría, y puedo
repetir con toda mi alma: «Ahora sí que no se me puede escapar.»
—Sabe que a usted lo debe todo, y espera abrazarla pronto.
—¿Cómo?
—Muy fácilmente. Comprendiendo que usted desea ir en su
compañía, he pedido otro pasaporte para doña Jenara de Baraona.
—¿De modo que yo...?
—Puede embarcarse usted esta tarde antes de las cuatro a bordo
de la Tisbe.
—¿Es verdad lo que oigo?
—Aquí está la orden firmada por el almirante inglés. Me la ha dado
con las que ponen en salvo a los exregentes Císcar y Valdés
impíamente condenados a muerte por el rey.
—¡Oh..., soy feliz, y todo lo debo a usted!... ¡Qué admirable
conducta!
Sin poder contenerme, caí de rodillas, y con mis lágrimas bañé las
generosas manos de aquel hombre.
—Así castigo yo —me dijo, levantándome—. Prepárese usted. A las
tres y media vengo a buscarla para conducirla a bordo del bote francés