didnât even kiss her.â Two soldiers arrived.
âYou must come with us,â they told him.
âWhere?â Ellis asked.
âTo the cuartel at San Jerónimo.â The barracks were a dozen miles from Chihuahua.
Early in 1807, twenty-two ragged American soldiers were marched into the cuartel in Chihuahua, but the guard refused to allow Nolanâs men to talk with them. âWho are they?â Duncan asked a Spanish officer who had been friendly ever since Duncan had repaired his weapons.
âThey were with a Lieutenant Pike on the Rio Bravo above Sante Fe, in Spanish territory,â he answered. âThey were arrested and brought here so General Salcedo could question them.â
âWhere is Lieutenant Pike?â
âHe and a Dr. Robinson are at the house of Juan Pedro Walker, but donât toy to see them. The General forbade it.â Walker, an American, was commandant of the military academy, and Nolanâs slave, Caesar, lived with him as a servant.
Lieutenant Pike came to the plaza one morning to buy a straw hat, and stopped by Ellis, who had a stack of hats of all sizes. âYou must be Lieutenant Pike,â Ellis said. âIâm Ellis Bean, one of the Nolan men. They wouldnât allow us to talk to you.â Pike looked around to see if any soldiers were watching.
âI know,â he replied. âBut one of your men managed to slip away and see me. David Fero. He was a lieutenant in my fatherâs battalion. He begged me with tears in his eyes to get him out of here. I promised to do all I could for the lot of you. Iâm going to send the Natchez Herald the information he gave me on all of the prisoners, so their families will know theyâre alive.â He paused and looked around again. âI told General Salcedo the circumstances of your being with Nolan, that you were all innocent of wrong-doing and should be set free. He said he rescued you from a dungeon and has given you all the freedom it is in his power to give. Now itâs up to the king.â
Late in April, Pike and a few of his men, along with Dr. Robinson, were escorted to San Antonio on the way to Natchitoches. A month later, Ellisâ friend Moreno stopped in the plaza, as he often did. He shook hands without smiling. âI just learned that the viceroy has reprimanded General Salcedo for releasing Pike,â he said. âIt doesnât sound good for the rest of you.â He went on his way, shaking his head.
Ellis pondered his words. The only news we ever get is bad, he thought, feeling sick. Theyâll never let us go. Weâll all die here without ever seeing our families again.
One day early the following November, a soldier summoned Duncan to the cuartel , where he saw Joseph Reed, William Danlin, and Jonah Waters. Without explanation, they were locked in a room in the barracks. A few days later, Ellis, Ephraim Blackburn, David Fero, Zalmon Cooley, and Luciano Garcia were brought from San Carlos and San Jeronimo and placed in the same room.
âDoes anyone know why weâre here?â Fero asked.
âMaybe at last theyâre going to set us free,â Blackburn answered hopefully. âItâs high time they let us go.â
Wondering if that could be true, the prisoners waited, trying to recall their nearly forgotten homes and families. The next morning, Ellis turned pale when three black-robed priests solemnly entered the room to hear their confessions, for he knew that was what the Spaniards always did when men were about to be executed. Most were afraid to inquire about their fate, but Fero asked, âDoes this mean weâll be put to death?â
âWe donât know, señor," a priest answered. âThey havenât told us. Perhaps some of you may be.â
âI guess Iâm the one theyâre after,â Ellis said gloomily, and some of the others nodded in agreement. âBut if theyâve decided to shoot