For Want of A Hero
Two older
children, a boy and a girl, scooted closer and sat comfortably at his
feet. James looked at his three children
and smiled, “What kind of story would you like to hear?”
His son, Matthew, spoke
first, “A story about a hero!”
“Ah,” James
settled back in the rocking chair and his youngest, snuggled against his chest. The rain had steadied into a gentle patter on
the roof. “Then you will like this
story.”
“Have we heard it
before, father?”
James looked at
his oldest child, Juliana. She had the same
flashing, blue eyes as her mother.
He smiled, “No, I
have not told this story before. And the
best thing about this story, is that it all really happened.”
The children nodded
eagerly, and gathered closer, their eyes glittering brightly. James cleared his throat and began. “His name was Alejandro (Al-e-hondro) Montoya la Rosa Ramirez.”
“That is a long name,” Susanna murmured,
yawning as she tipped her head back against her father’s chest. James smiled again and stroked her smooth,
black hair.
“That it
was. He was a proud young man, and a
true mestizo.”
“A mestizo?” Juliana questioned.
“Stop
interrupting, I want to hear the story,” Matthew complained. He wrinkled his nose and glared at his two
sisters.
“A mestizo is
someone from multiple races,” James explained.
“This young man’s great grandfather had been a Spaniard, and he had
inherited some of his features: dark, blue eyes, and a firm jaw. His coppery, brown skin and straight, black
hair came from his grandmother’s side.
She had been a full blooded Comanche of the Huuzinuu, Timber People Band
of the south.”
“His only living relative was his sister. The rest of the family had been killed in an
Apache raid, shortly after he reached the age of sixteen years. He was skilled with a gun, as his father had
been a pistolero, gunslinger. Alejandro wasn’t quite as fast as his father,
but he was accurate. He didn’t lack
courage, and hired himself out as an armed escort to a wagon train that was
heading west, leaving his sister in the village. The family that took her in had been friends
of their family for many years.”
“There was work
enough to keep him occupied, but following a dusty trail of slowly lumbering
cattle and wagons soon wore thin on his nerves.
He had wanted adventure, something to distract him from his grief of
losing his family. Too often the broad
expanse of nothingness left his hands empty and his heart aching. Once they reached their destination, a friend
persuaded him to leave the wagon train and join a Comanchero band.”
“The Comancheros consisted of Hispanic
traders, half breeds, Indians, and other mestizos like himself which traveled
in bands and traded goods, tools, tobacco, guns, and gunpowder to the Great
Plains Indian tribes of New Mexico and west Texas. Some men grew increasingly wealthy trading
with the Indians. ”
“That must have been exciting!” Matthew
exclaimed.
“Well it wasn’t
too exciting, not at first. Sometimes
they got their trading supplies by questionable means. It wasn’t too long before trading led to
thieving, and thieving led to murder.
The band became increasingly bold and tried robbing a stage coach that
was escorted by the US Cavalry. That
fatal encounter was a turning point in Alejandro’s life. He did not wish to become a bandit, buried in
a shallow grave, with no one to know who he was.”
“It had been two
years, but he returned to his home village.
His sister was overjoyed to see him, and he longed for the peace that
she had. His short time as a bandit
hadn’t fulfilled his desire and need for acceptance, and his heart was twisted
with bitterness. He took note of how his
sister read daily from a small book and he concluded that it was from this
small book, she got her strength and peace.”
“When he asked her
what it was, she told him it was a Bible, and that it would change his
life. At first, he didn’t quite believe
her, but then one day, he found the small book laying on the stand next to his
bed. He picked it up and began to
read. His sister had marked several passages
and he read them with tears in his eyes.
He accepted the Lord Jesus as his Savior then.”
Juliana’s smile
widened, “I love this story, father. I
am glad he became a Christian.”
Matthew frowned,
“He still didn’t find the adventure he wanted.”
“The story isn’t
over yet children, we have scarcely started,” James assured them. His eyes lifted to the window, and watched
the rain trickle down the glass. After a
moment, he continued, “After a series of droughts, Alejandro decided to take
his sister east. They journeyed for
several weeks, finally arriving in Western Colorado. He was soon hired to work on a ranch by the
name of Pine Springs.”
“This was perhaps
the happiest time of their life. They
both settled in quickly to ranch life.
His sister was able to help the lady of the ranch with cooking,
cleaning, mending, and other household duties.
And Alejandro loved being in the saddle and working with horses. He proved to be a hard worker, and
trustworthy. He had the other men’s
respect. Not only that, but the small
pile of silver coins was growing in the leather bag he kept hidden under his
mattress. It wouldn’t be long before
they had enough money saved to buy a small ranch of their own.”
Matthew squirmed
and then placed a hand on his father’s knee.
James paused and looked at him questioningly. “Father,” Matthew blurted out. “How could they have enough for a ranch so
soon? Ranch hands do not get paid enough
to start their own ranch.”
James chuckled,
“Very true Matthew. I suppose that I
neglected to mention that Alejandro’s father had left a sizeable inheritance
for them. That money hadn’t been touched
until the day Alejandro used some of it, to present a small gift to the family who
had cared for his sister while he had been away, much of their inheritance was
still intact.”
“Well, it seems
that all is going very well for them.”
Matthew settled himself more comfortably, “He almost has enough to buy a
ranch, he loves horses, and everyone likes them.”
James shook his
head, “Not everyone. You see, the
rancher’s son had taken a particular disliking to Alejandro.”
Juliana brushed
the hair from her eyes, “Why is that father?”
“It seemed that
because the rancher’s son was already going to inherit his father’s land and
wealth, he hadn’t exerted himself to work very hard or make very many
friends. It was common knowledge that
Alejandro was saving for a ranch of his own.
He was smart, hardworking, honest, and would treat the men he hired with
respect. It wouldn’t be much of a
surprise that most of the men that were working for his father, would ride for
Alejandro once the rancher’s son became boss.”
“The rancher’s son
hated to lose. He envied the respect
that the other men gave Alejandro, and after Alejandro headed off a stampede,
he envied the courage the young man showed as well. Rather than exerting himself to become what
he envied, he put down Alejandro every chance he got. He insulted him, assigned him to do the least
liked jobs, and tried to make Alejandro’s life downright miserable. And because the father was busy and often on
trips, there was really no one to intervene on Alejandro’s behalf.”
“When the
rancher’s son learned that Alejandro had been a pistolero, he badgered him, trying to get Alejandro to draw on
him. Alejandro was faster than the young
man, he could have killed him in a split second before the rancher’s son even
had a chance to clear the holster. However,
he was a Christian. He wouldn’t allow
the young man’s foolishness, to influence him to act rashly.”
“The tension
mounted between the two. On several
occasions, Alejandro nearly confronted the rancher’s son. And then one day, an event happened that led
to the climax of changing everything. A
cougar had been attacking the livestock, several calves had been lost. The ranch could not suffer the loss of
livestock and so it was decided that the ranch hands would hunt the big cat,
and kill it.”
“This was the
opportunity that the rancher’s son had been waiting for, if he could kill the
big cat himself, he would secure himself a good position in the growing
community. Several other ranches in the
area also agreed to hunt the cat. The
big day arrived and the men were divided in groups. Alejandro was placed in the same group as the
rancher’s son. It was a big
disappointment for the young rancher.”
“The day wore on
without finding any fresh tracks. Then,
in the late afternoon, beside a pool of water, recent tracks were found. So eager was the rancher’s son, that he
insisted on riding ahead of the procession as the path became more narrow. So intent was he on following the tracks,
that he forgot to pay attention to his surroundings and he didn’t notice the
big cat perched on the rocks above him.
It was a good thing that Alejandro did, because just as the cougar
sprang, a shot rang out from Alejandro’s rifle.
The cat fell dead just beyond its intended victim. Had the cat been able, he would have most likely
broken the neck of the young rancher.”
“In view of that,
you might have thought that the rancher’s son would have been grateful to Alejandro
for saving his life, but he wasn’t. The
fact that it had been Alejandro to kill the cougar and not him, angered him
beyond reason.”
Juliana frowned. “He is a very selfish young man. To hold a grudge against Alejandro for no
reason!”
James smiled, “You
must remember that the rancher’s son wasn’t a Christian. And when one doesn’t follow the leading of
God’s word, they are more apt to make poor choices.”
“The story doesn’t
end there, however. A band of Comancheros
were in the area, and they needed money and supplies. They hadn’t had a successful raid in many
weeks and they were getting desperate.
They captured the rancher’s son and several other men while they were
branding cattle and demanded a ransom. It took only an hour for sufficient funds to
be raised, but the sheriff put together a posse to capture the renegade band as
soon as the men were ransomed. All that
was needed, was someone to deliver the ransom.
Because of the danger, none of the men were willing to risk their lives,
except for Alejandro.”
“He went up to the
cliffs and delivered the ransom. But the
Comanchero leader was a wily man and he sensed the trap. He decided to take a hostage to ensure a successful
escape. The unlucky man would be sold to
the Indians or across the border as a slave.
Such a fate was cruel one and each of the men cowered at such a thought. Without a word, Alejandro stepped forward and
it was understood by all that he would be the captive.”
“The men were
relieved and ashamed at the same time.
Relieved because it was not they who would be sentenced to certain
death, and ashamed because they lacked the courage to do that which Alejandro
was doing now. The rancher’s son, at last,
realized his own selfishness and almost volunteered to go in Alejandro’s place,
but the gentle shake of his head, made him remain silent.”
“As Alejandro rode
behind the Comancheros with his wrists bound, the men were sure that it would
be the last they ever saw of him. After
all, Alejandro himself knew the dangers and likelihood of rescue was slim. He had already asked the old rancher to care
for his sister, should he not come back.
Since he had been a young man of unusual strong confidence, the preparation
of a looming death, was a testament in itself,” James sighed deeply, and lapsed
into silence as he stared at the fire.
“But father, did
he die?” Juliana’s lips quivered.
“Of course he
died,” Matthew interrupted. “Heroes
always die, that is why they are heroes.”
“A hero is simply
an individual with courage to suffer adversity, nobly,” James said, “It doesn’t
necessarily mean someone who died.”
“Then did he die?”
James was
interrupted with the guard dog, Collie, barking outside. She was alerting them to a visitor. Matthew scrambled to his feet and raced to
the window. “It is Uncle Andro! Uncle Andro is here.”
Juliana tugged at
her father’s arm, “Please finish the story father, I must know how it
ends. Did Alejandro die?”
He smiled, “You
shall see for yourself in a moment.”
It was then that Uncle
Andro made an appearance, greeting James and the children. His wife appeared and embraced the man
tightly, “Alejandro, my brother, we are so glad you could visit us.” She squeezed his hand.
Juliana stared at
her uncle before her eyes widened. “You
mean, you are Alejandro? Alejandro
Ramirez?”
The strong, broad
shoulder man flashed a bright smile. His
blue eyes dancing. “Yes.”
Matthew grinned, “So
you lived! I knew you would.”
“But, what
happened to the rancher’s son, did he ever become a Christian?”
For a moment, both
Alejandro and James locked eyes. Then
Alejandro, in his gentle and quiet
manner, nodded. “Yes, yes he did.”
James 3:13
Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out
of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
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