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TWO
Once they reached Mexico City itself, it took them hours to get inside.
Lake and marshland surrounded it. After a night in abominable accommodations in the village at the
foot of the pass, they spent most of the morning tearing along at top speed between sheets of water
prickled with reeds, coming at last to one of the causeways raised by the Indians from whom the Spanish
had stolen the land. These cause­ways being the only means to cross the marsh, they were the ideal
places for the government to set up customs barri­ers and extract tolls from those bringing
merchandise-or anything else-into the city, with predictable results.
Familiar for years with the customs barriers around Paris and their jam of carriages, carts,
pack-animals, and basket-toting vendors all waiting to be passed by the bored and overworked
bureaucrats of the customs-house, January minded the wait less than some members of the party. But
even Dillard, though he muttered about how Old Hickory would deal with tariffs, by God, didn't seem
surprised.
By which January deduced the man from Tennessee had been in Mexico City before.
He could only be glad that they'd decided to have the valet Da Ponte buried at the church at the
mountain pass yesterday afternoon. Otherwise the customs inspectors would almost certainly have levied
duty on the body. Besides the enormous lines of ox-carts, coaches, burros laden with charcoal and
firewood, and herds of long-horned cattle and grunting swine, there were unexpected numbers of soldiers
on the causeway, even for a country that had been in a state of internal warfare, on and off, for the past
twenty-five years. When January asked his fellow-­passenger Herr Groellich about it, the German
replied, "Had you not heard, then? Every day new levies come in from the countryside, from as far off as
the Yucatan. Generalissimo Santa Anna gathers his Army of Operations, the greatest army of the world,
he says, to march north and punish the rebellious Americans who have seized the province of Texas."
At the mention of Texas, Dillard turned his head from gazing out at the crowding men in their
red-and-blue uni­forms. Watchful anger flickered in his dark eyes.
"I understand the Texians claim that the General­issimo's young brother-in-law, General Cós, made
con­cessions to them," the German went on, nervously straightening the bow of his green silk neck-scarf.
"In­cluding that the government of Mexico would respect the rights given them under the old constitution
of ten years ago."
"Of course, he had neither the right nor the authority to concede anything of the kind," put in his
partner, an­gling his head to peer over his spectacles. "If indeed he ever said any such thing at all, which
he now says he did not."
"What does he say about Texas?" demanded Dillard of Rose. "Does he mention that we-they-don't
have the right to govern themselves as we were promised? Or that the so-called government of this
country-that's supposed to believe in independence the way we do-is so misman­aged, a man can't hold
his own property safe there any­more?"
January knew that a reasoned discussion of govern­mental jurisdiction under the principles of federal
union as set out by Alexander Hamilton would only serve to make the situation worse, and so held his
peace. Rose replied tactfully, "Herr Groellich only remarks, sir, that the Americans at Béxar appear to