Jim Kane - J P S Brown (12 page)

"What are you doing here, Lion? How come you
have made this your
querencia
?
Why aren't you in Norte
ñ
a?"

"
The coyotes are getting too numerous and bold
in Norteña. They are rabid and crazy for Lion meat."

"What have you been doing, Lion?" Kane
asked.

"
I have been buying for the shrill California
Greek."

"
You mean Panapoulous, the one with the feedlot
in California?

"That one." I

"
What kind of cattle could you find here that he
could profitably feed?"

"
Cheap ones. He likes the cheap."

"
Be careful. He will make a mistake and blame it
on you."

"
Who can hurt the reputation of a Lion?"

"
He knows nothing about this country."

"
But I do. I prowl for him."

"He will panic on you over the time and distance
involving his money."

"
What can he do but wait and worry a little to
make his money?"

"
He can squeak."

"
Squeaks cannot be heard from so far away."

"
Well, you'll have no time to help me if you are
buying for him."

"
All my time will be for you. But we will talk
about it tomorrow. These drinks have tickled me. Today is the first
day of the
Carnaval
in
preparation of Lent. We will play tonight and get drunk at the dances
with the
mascaritas
,
the little masked ones. All of them will love gringos. Just be
careful you don't get a
mucho
,
a male one."

The Lion put on a white shirt and he and Kane went
down to Teresita's kitchen. The
vaqueros
were still at the table. They were loudly drunk now.
They all, except for the big man who had spoken to Kane earlier,
greeted the Lion with cheerful respect.

"
Here is the
gringo
again. He comes with the Lion to finish us off Lion,
what does this
gringo
have
that enables him to take you away from your Sunday afternoon loving?
Do you love
gringos
more?
Do you love dollars more than lying with your woman?"

The Lion walked up to the big man.

"
Juan," the Lion said. "I want you
meet my friend, Jim Kane. Jim Kane, this is Juan Vogel, a love of God
when he is sober but vile when he is drunk."

Kane and Juan Vogel shook hands.

"
Sit down here beside me,
gringo
,
and have a drink with me and tell me how you plan to screw us poor
Mexicans. Look, I have plenty of money. I give you a chance to take
it. Sit down and drink with me." He pulled out a large roll of
pesos and laid it on the table. The Lion sat down. Kane sat down and
lit a cigarette. Juan Vogel watched him.

"
And a left-handed gringo at that. To finish off
the screwing he is going to do it left-handed?

"
All right, Juan. What is it? I recommended the
man to you. He is my friend," the Lion said.

"
So he is the friend of a cat. Do cats have
friends? Maybe other cats are their friends. And for the loving and
hunting only. Are you a lover,
gringo
?
Or are you a hunter? Maybe a lover and a hunter. To finish us off.
Why are you here? Who invited you? Do you come here to love our women
and hunt us? Are you here to finish us off in a green-eyed,
left-handed way?"

"
I'm here for the
Carnaval
,"
Kane said.

"
A lie. You are here to buy cattle."

"
Sell me some then."

"
How strong is your left hand,
gringo
?"
a very brown, white-headed
vaquero
,
his face oily and shiny from too many days drinking, asked.

"
Why?"

"Play Juanito the
vencidos
,
arm wrestling."

Kane ignored him.

"Play him
vencidos
,
Juan," the
vaquero
said.

"You know the game,
gringo
?
Do they play
vencidos
in
the United?" Juan Vogel asked.

"
Surely."

"
We play it often here. Here we play it to keep
our minds off how poor we are."

"
You don't look poor to me."

"That is because I am good at
vencidos
.
I get money from the rich at
vencidos
because my arm is strong from working."

He moved his chair under him so that his chest was
against the table. He put his elbow on the table so that his upper
arm was flat on the top of the table, his hand relaxed.

"
A hundred pesos that I beat you,
gringo
."

"
Eight dollars?"

"
No. Here nothing of dollars. Here pesos
Mexicanos."

The Lion threw a 100-peso bill down on the table in
front of Vogel.

"
I'll cover it, Juan. And I'll cover any more
you want to bet against the
gringo
."

Kane moved up to the table and locked hands with Juan
Vogel. Vogel was strong even after many days of drinking but he
lacked will. The lock gave evidence that he would have to endure to
win and his heart quit on him and he let Kane win it. "
Gringo
hijo de la
. . .he said and sat back
laughing.

"Five hundred pesos on the right hand," he
said when he had recovered. The Lion laid down the money.

"
You cover my money this time, gringo,"
Juan Vogel said.

Kane took two $20 bills out of his pocket, covered
the bet, and shoved the Lion's money back across the table to him.
They contested each other again. Kane had a clean shirt on, was
bathed and rested. His hide was dry and his head was clear. The first
wrestling had warmed him and given him confidence. Vogel's graying
hair was matted on his forehead with sweat that ran from under his
big hat. His face oozed with oil. The moisture of him ran through a
thick growth of whiskers, over his chin, down his neck, and popped
through his dirty shirt. He took Kane's hand and his hand was
shaking. The two men bore against each other and held. Kane saved
himself, waiting for the man to lose his will again. They pushed each
other until each was well into his reserves and Kane started feeling
the test of his own will. Then Kane found one more bucketful, gambled
on it and threw it in, and put down Juan Vogel's hand.

The Lion bought drinks for everyone and Juan Vogel
began a long vigil of Kane. After a time of drinking with Vogel Kane
asked him what was bothering him.

"
Nothing. I guess nothing,
gringo
.
Let's get out of here. It is time for the dances and the
mascaritas
."

They walked to the Tecolote Bar. The place smelled
strongly of urine. The first casualties of
Carnaval
had fallen and were lying on the floor of the saloon and
in drying urine and broken glass on the back patio, their mouths
breathing the floor, their bodies so slack their shirttails and
trousers had parted, showing bare lengths of their backs and tops of
their buttocks. The Tecolote was a serious place. The fun of
Carnaval
had no place there. At the Tecolote Juan Vogel dismissed
the
vaqueros
who had
been freeloading on him. He and Kane and the Lion drove in Kane's car
to a dance across the railroad tracks in Old Town.

Mascaritas
crowded the
dance. They were dressed in long, shapeless gowns that covered them
from the peaked and hooded masks on their heads to their shoes. They
wore cloth gloves and long sleeves. They spoke in voices held
artificially high so no one could tell whether they were male or
female. They danced only with the men at the dance who were not
costumed.

Juan Vogel danced with every
mascarita
who would have him. He frolicked. He stomped. He sought
liberally with his hands to ascertain the sex of each
mascarita
he could get on the dance floor. He gravely insulted a
slight
mascarita
who
had been pleased with Juan Vogel's advances until they became
inordinately crude. This
mascarita
removed his disguise and threw a beer bottle at Juan
Vogel. The companions of the abused man took him in hand and Juan
Vogel, Jim Kane, and the Lion laughingly left the dance.

They went to the Paris de Noche saloon and sat at a
table. A small band of
tambores
played the waltzes of Sinaloa.

Dancers danced the fluid prance of the
rancherita
.
Three
mascaritas
came
in to join the dancing. They stopped at Kane's table. One of them, in
a fluorescent-orange, satiny costume, took Kane by the hand and led
him to the dance floor. Kane towered over the girl. He was sure she
was a girl because she smelled, moved and, when she relaxed her vocal
chords, sounded like a girl. She could have weighed no more than
eighty pounds.

"
You are American?" the voice shrilled from
behind the mask in English.

"
Yes. Who are you?"

"
Your friend."

"
What is your name?"

"
Carnaval."

"
Where did you learn English?"

"
Someday I tell you."

"
What do you look like? Take off the mask."

"That is all you Americans know. Take it of.
Take it off. I am ugly. That is why I wear the mask."

After the dance Kane left the girl and went back to
the table with Juan Vogel and the Lion.

"
We had better go now. Juan Vogel is very
drunk," the Lion said.

"I think I'll stay. I like the little one I was
dancing with."

"
Don't be fooled," Juan Vogel said. "They
are all
putos
, queers,
taking this opportunity to impersonate the women.`'

"
Not that one," Kane said.

"
It is a
puto
,"
Juan Vogel said. "Do you like
putos
?"

"
No."

"
Maybe you like real men then."

"
I like women. I also know one when I dance with
one no matter how many masks or gowns she wears."

"
You will find out that decent women of this
town do not come to cantinas. This is a decent town and we protect
our women. We do not allow them to come to places like this, nor do
they wish to. We know where our women belong,
gringo
.
Our women stay at home. They do not live in the bars like the
gringas
. Go ahead,
gringo. Take the
mascarita
out.
Make love to it. Male or female it is good enough for you."

"
Vámonos
," the
Lion said. "Let's go. It is late and we must work early
tomorrow. "

They left the Paris de Noche. The Lion drove the car.
Kane sat between the Lion and Vogel. "Where do you want us to
leave you?" the Lion asked Juan Vogel.

"
To my house," Juan Vogel said drunkenly.
The Lion drove away from the center of town and the saloons. Juan
Vogel laid his head back on the seat. Kane thought, Good, he has
given up.

"
I do not wish to accompany the
gringo
as he goes in pursuit of pig slop," Juan Vogel
said. He had awakened with rancor.

"You weren't doing so bad dancing with the pigs
when you felt good," Kane said, laughing.

"
I never have anything to do with
mascaritas
,
nor with
gringos.
"

"
You danced with the
mascaritas
.
You were caressing them in your way, " Kane laughed.

"I will pass all my mascaritas on to you. I will
trade them to you,
gringo
.
Do you have a sister? A wife? I have never taken a
gringa
.
That is something I have always wanted to do. Nor have I taken a
gringo
. How about it,
gringo
? How would you
like it?" He slapped his hand down on Kane's knee. He slapped
Kane's thigh. He grabbed so hard at Kane's groin that if he had
succeeded he would have ruptured Kane. Kane chopped with the edge of
his hand at Juan Vogel's throat. He missed the throat and only
thumped him on the chest. Juan Vogel punched Kane in the eye and
bright little stars lit up the inside of Kane's head. Kane caught the
next punch in both hands and forced Juan Vogel's hands down and went
for his throat. He got both thumbs on Juan Vogel's windpipe,
straddled him, and forced his upper body over the back of the seat.
Juan Vogel had a powerful neck and made it difficult for Kane to
choke him by hunching his shoulders and pressing down with his chin.
Kane bent him farther over the back of the seat and found less
resistance there. He wrapped his fingers around Juan Vogel's neck and
began to cut off the air supply.