CHAPTER XIX
THE RACE FOR THE BOAT
Five men, or rather four men and a boy, rode down the banks of the SanAntonio, always taking care to keep well in the shelter of the timber.All the men were remarkable in figure, and at least three of them wereof a fame that had spread to every corner of Texas.
The one who rode slightly in advance was of gigantic build, enormouslythick through the shoulders and chest. He was dressed in brightly dyeddeerskin, and there were many fanciful touches about his border costume.The others also wore deerskin, but theirs was of soberer hue. The manwas Martin Palmer, far better known as the Panther, or, as he loved tocall himself, the Ring Tailed Panther. His comrades were "Deaf" Smith,Henry Karnes, Obed White and Will Allen.
They were not a very cheerful five. Riding as free lances, because therewas now practically no organized authority among the Texans, they hadbeen scouting the day before toward Goliad. They had learned that Fanninand his men had been taken, and they had sought also to discover whatthe Mexican generals meant to do with the troops. But the Mexicanpatrols had been so numerous and strong that they could not get closeenough to Goliad. Early in the morning while in the timber by the riverthey had heard the sound of heavy firing near Goliad, which continuedfor some time, but they had not been able to fathom its meaning. Theyconcluded finally that a portion of Fannin's men must have been stillholding out in some old building of Goliad, and that this was the laststand.
They made another effort to get closer to the town, but they were sooncompelled to turn back, and, again they sought the thickest timber alongthe river. Now they were riding back, in the hope of finding some Texandetachment with which they could cooeperate.
"If we keep huntin' we ought to find somebody who can tell ussomethin'," said the Panther.
"It's a long lane that has no news at the end," said Obed White, with anattempt at buoyancy.
"That's so," said "Deaf" Smith. "We're bound to hit a trail somehow an'somewhere. We heard that Fannin's men had surrendered an' then we heardthat firin'. But I guess that they wouldn't give up, without makin' goodterms for themselves, else they would have held out as the boys did inthe Alamo."
"Ah, the Alamo!" said Obed White. His face clouded at the words. He wasthinking then of the gallant youth who had escaped with him from thedungeon under the sea in the castle of San Juan de Ulua, and who hadbeen his comrade in the long and perilous flight through Mexico intoTexas. The heart of the Maine man, alone in the world, had turnedstrongly to Ned Fulton, and mourning him as one dead he also mourned himas a son. But as he rarely talked of the things that affected him most,he seldom mentioned Ned. The Panther was less restrained.
"We've got a big score to settle for the Alamo," he said. "Some goodfriends of mine went down forever in that old mission an' there was thatboy, Ned Fulton. I s'pose it ain't so bad to be cut off when you're old,an' you've had most of your life, but it does look bad for a strong,fine boy just turnin' into a man to come straight up ag'inst the deadwall."
Will Allen said nothing, but unbidden water forced itself to his eyes.He and Ned had become the strongest of friends and comrades.
"After all that's been done to our people," said the Panther, "I feellike rippin' an' r'arin' an' chawin' the rest of my life."
"We'll have the chance to do all of it we want, judgin' from the waythings are goin'," said "Deaf" Smith.
Then they relapsed into silence, and rode on through the timber, goingslowly as they were compelled to pick their way in the underbrush. Itwas now nearly noon, and a brilliant sun shone overhead, but the foliageof young spring was heavy on trees and bushes, and it gave them at thesame time shade and shelter.
As they rode they watched everywhere for a trail. If either Texans orMexicans had passed they wanted to know why, and when. They came at lastto hoofprints in the soft bank of the river, indicating thathorses--undoubtedly with men on their backs--had crossed here. Theskilled trailers calculated the number at more than fifteen, perhapsmore than twenty, and they followed their path across the timber and outupon the prairie.
When the hoofprints were more clearly discernible in the grass they sawthat they had been made by unshod feet, and they were mystified, butthey followed cautiously or, for two or three miles, when "Deaf" Smithsaw something gleaming by the track. He alighted and picked up a paintedfeather.
"It's simple now," he said. "We've been followin' the trail of Indians.They wouldn't be in this part of the country, 'less they were helpin'the Mexicans, an' I guess they were at Goliad, leavin' after thebusiness there was finished."
"You're right, Deaf," said Karnes. "That 'counts for the unshod hoofs.It ain't worth while for us to follow them any longer, so I guess we'dbetter turn back to the timber."
Safety obviously demanded this course, and soon they were again in theforest, riding near the San Antonio and down its stream. They struck thetrail of a bear, then they roused up a deer in the thickets, but biggame had no attraction for them now, and they went on, leaving bear anddeer in peace. Then the sharp eyes of the Panther saw the print of ahuman foot on the river bank. He soon saw three or four more such tracesleading into the forest, where the trail was lost.
The five gathered around the imprints in the earth, and debated theirmeaning. It was evident even to Will Allen that some one without a horsehad swum the river at that point and had climbed up the bank. They couldsee the traces lower down, where he had emerged from the water.
"I figger it this way," said the Panther. "People don't go travelin'through this country except on horses, an' this fellow, whoever he is,didn't have any horse, as we all can see as plain as day."
"An' in such times as these," said "Deaf" Smith, "fellers don't goswimmin' rivers just for fun. The one that made these tracks was in ahurry. Ain't that so, Hank?"
"'Course he was," replied Karnes. "He was gettin' away from somewherean' from somebody. That's why he swam the river; he wanted the SanAntonio to separate him from them somebodies."
"And putting two and two and then two more together," said Obed White,"we draw the conclusion that it is a fugitive, probably one of our ownTexans, who has escaped in some manner from his prison at Goliad."
"It's what we all think," said the Panther, "an' now we'll beat up thesethickets till we find him. He's sure to keep movin' away from Goliad,an' he's got sense to stay in the cover of the timber."
The forest here ran back from the river three or four hundred yards, andthe five, separating and moving up the stream, searched thoroughly. Thehunt presently brought the Panther and Obed White together again, andthey expressed their disappointment at finding nothing. Then they hearda cry from Will Allen, who came galloping through the thickets, his facewhite and his eyes starting.
"I've found Ned Fulton!" he cried. "He's lying here dead in the bushes!"
The Panther and Obed stared in amazement.
"Will," exclaimed the Panther, "have you gone plum' crazy? Ned waskilled at the Alamo!"
"I tell you he is here!" cried the boy, who was shaking with excitement."I have just seen him! He was lying on his back in the bushes, and hedid not move!"
"Lead on! Let's see what you have seen!" said Obed, who began to sharein the boy's excitement.
The Panther whistled, and Smith and Karnes joined them. Then, led byWill Allen, they rode swiftly through the bushes, coming, forty or fiftyyards away, into a tiny grassy glade. It was either Ned Fulton or hisghost, and the Panther, remembering the Alamo, took it for the latter.He uttered a cry of astonishment and reined in his horse. But Obed Whiteleaped to the ground, and ran to the prostrate figure.
"A miracle!" he exclaimed. "It's Ned Fulton! And he's alive!"
The others also sprang from their horses, and crowded around theiryouthful comrade, whom they had considered among the fallen of theAlamo. Ned was unconscious, his face was hot with fever, and hisbreathing was hard and irregular.
"How he escaped from the Alamo and how he came here we don't know," saidObed White solemnly, "but there are lots of strang
e things in heaven andearth, as old Shakespeare said, and this is one of the strangest of themall."
"However, it's happened we're glad to get him back," said the Panther."And now we must go to work. You can tell by lookin' at him that he'sbeen through all kinds of trouble, an' a powerful lot of it."
These skilled borderers knew that Ned was suffering from exhaustion.They forced open his mouth, poured a drink down his throat from a flaskthat Karnes carried, and rubbed his hands vigorously. Ned, after awhile, opened his eyes and looked at them dimly. He knew in a vague waythat these were familiar faces, but he remembered nothing, and he feltno surprise.
"Ned! Ned! Don't; you know us?" said Will Allen. "We're your friends,and we found you lying here in the bush!"
The clouds slowly cleared away from Ned's mind and it all came back, theterrible and treacherous slaughter of his unarmed comrades, his ownflight through the timber his swimming of the river, and then the blank.But these were his best friends. It was no fantasy. How and when theyhad come he did not know, but here they were in the flesh, the Panther,Obed White, Will Allen, "Deaf" Smith and Henry Karnes.
"Boys," he asked weakly, "how did you find me?"
"Now don't you try to talk yet a while, Ned," said Obed White, veilinghis feeling under a whimsical tone. "When people come back from thedead they don't always stay, and we want to keep you, as you're anenrolled member of this party. The news of your trip into the beyond andback again will keep, until we fix up something for you that will makeyou feel a lot stronger."
These frontiersmen never rode without an outfit, and Smith produced asmall skillet from his kit. The Panther lighted a fire, Karnes chippedoff some dried beef, and in a few minutes they had a fine soup, whichNed ate with relish. He sat with his back against a tree and hisstrength returned rapidly.
"I guess you can talk now, Ned," said Obed White. "You can tell us howyou got away from the Alamo, and where you've been all the time."
Young Fulton's face clouded and Obed White saw his hands tremble.
"It isn't the Alamo," he said. "They died fighting there. It wasGoliad."
"Goliad?" exclaimed "Deaf" Smith. "What do you mean?"
"I mean the slaughter, the massacre. All our men were led out. They weretold that they were to go on parole. Then the whole Mexican army openedfire upon us at a range of only a few yards and the cavalry trod usdown. We had no arms. We could not fight back. It was awful. I did notdream that such things could be. None of you will ever see what I'veseen, and none of you will ever go through what I've gone through."
"Ned, you've had fever. It's a dream," said Obed White, incredulous.
"It is no dream. I broke through somehow, and got to the timber. Maybe afew others escaped in the same way, but all the rest were murdered incold blood. I know that Santa Anna ordered it."
They knew perfectly well that Ned was telling the full truth, and thefaces of all of them darkened. The same thought was in the heart ofevery one, vengeance for the deed, but however intense was the thoughtit did not approach the feeling of Ned, who had seen it all, and who hadbeen through it all.
"I guess that was the firing we heard," said Smith, "when we thought itwas the boys making a last stand at Goliad. I tell you, comrades, thismeans the freedom of Texas. No matter how the quarrel came about nopeople can stand such things."
"It's so," said the others together.
They did not declaim. They were of a tribe that was not given much towords, but they felt sure that their own resolve to fight until noMexicans were left in Texas would now be shared by every Texan.
After Ned rested a while longer and ate more of the good soup, he toldthe full story of the great and tragic scenes through which he hadpassed since he became separated from them. Seasoned as they were, thesemen hung with breathless interest on every detail. He told themeverything that had passed in the Alamo during the long days of thesiege. He told of Crockett and Bowie and Travis and of the finalassault.
The Panther drew a deep breath, when he finished that part of the story.
"They were certainly great men in the Alamo, them fellers," he said,"and when my time comes to die I believe I'd rather die that way thanany other."
Ned did not linger long over the tale of Goliad. He could not yet bearthe detailed repetition.
"I think we'd better make for the coast," said "Deaf" Smith, when hehad finished. "Our forces in the field are about wiped out, an' we'vegot to raise a new army of some kind. We can look for our government,too. It's wanderin' aroun', tryin' to keep out of the hands of SantaAnna. We haven't any horse for you now, Ned, but you can ride behindWill Allen. Maybe we can get you a mount before long."
They remained in the timber the rest of the day, in order that Ned mightrecover sufficiently for the journey. About the middle of the afternoonthey saw a dozen Mexican cavalrymen on the plain, and they hoped thatthey would invade the timber. They were keyed to such a pitch of angerand hate that they would have welcomed a fight, and they were more thanconfident of victory, but the Mexicans disappeared beyond the swells,and every one of the men was disappointed.
At night they began their march toward the north, and continued almostuntil morning. Ned, riding behind Will Allen, scarcely spoke. ObedWhite, then and afterward, observed a great change in him. He seemed tohave matured suddenly far beyond his years, and Obed always felt that hehad some unchanging purpose that had little to do with gentleness ormercy.
They slept in the timber until about 10 o'clock, and then resumed theirride northward, still holding to the opinion that the peripatetic Texangovernment would be found at Harrisburg, or somewhere in its vicinity.In the afternoon they encountered a Mexican force of eight mounted men,and attacked with such vigor that Ned and Will, riding double, werenever able to get into the fight. Two of the Mexicans fell, and the restgot away. The Texans were unharmed.
The Panther, after a chase, captured one of the horses, and brought himback for Ned. They also secured the arms of the fallen Mexicans, one ofthese weapons being an American rifle, which Ned was quite sure hadbelonged to a slaughtered recruit at Goliad. They also found a letter inone of the Mexican haversacks. It was from General Urrea to GeneralSanta Anna, and the Panther and his comrades inferred from the directionin which its bearer had been riding that the dictator himself had leftSan Antonio, and was marching eastward with the main Mexican army.
"I have to inform you," ran a part of the letter, "that your orders inregard to the rebels at Goliad were carried out, in my absence, by thebrave and most excellent Colonel Portilla. They were all executed,except a few who escaped under cover of the smoke to the timber, but ourcavalrymen are sure to find in time every one of these, and inflict uponthem the justice that you have ordered.
"I shall march north, expecting to meet your excellency, and I trustthat I shall have further good news to report to you. There are now norebel forces worthy of the name. We shall sweep the country clean. Ishall send detachments to take any Americans who may land at the ports,and, cooeperating with you, I feel assured, also, that we shall captureevery member of the rebel government. In another month there will not bea single Texan in arms against us."
Ned read the letter aloud, translating into English as he went, and whenhe finished the Panther burst into a scornful laugh.
"So, the rebels are all killed, or about to be killed!" he said. "An'there won't be one Texan in arms a month from now! I'm willin' to givemy word that here are six of us who will be in arms then, roarin' an'rippin' an' t'arin'! They'll sweep the country clean, will they? They'llneed a bigger broom for that job than any that was ever made inMexico!"
The others made comment in like fashion, but young Fulton was silent.His resolution was immutable, and it required no words to assert it.
"I guess we'd better take this letter with us an' give it to SamHouston," said "Deaf" Smith. "Houston has been criticized a lot for notgatherin' his forces together an' attackin' the Mexicans, but he ain'thad any forces to gather, an' talk has never been much good againstcannon ba
lls an' bullets. Still, he's the only man we've got to fallback on."
"You keep the letter, 'Deaf'," said the Panther, "an' now that we've gota horse for Ned I guess we can go a little faster. How you feelin' now,Ned?"
"Fine," replied Ned. "Don't you bother about me any more. I started onthe upgrade the moment you fellows found me."
"A good horse and a good rifle ought to be enough to bring back thestrength to any Texan," said Obed White.
They resumed their journey at a faster pace, but before nightfall theymet another Texan who informed them that large forces of Mexicans werenow between them and Harrisburg. Hence they concluded that it was wiserto turn toward the coast, and make a great circuit around the forces ofSanta Anna.
But they told the Texan scout of what had been done at Goliad, and badehim wave the torch of fire wherever he went. He rode away with a faceaghast at the news, and they knew that he would soon spread it throughthe north. As for themselves they rode rapidly toward the east.
They spent the night in a cluster of timber, and the Panther wasfortunate enough to shoot a wild turkey. They made Ned eat thetenderest parts, and then seek sleep between blankets. His fever was nowgone, but he was relaxed and weak. It was a pleasant weakness, however,and, secure in the comradeship of his friends, he soon fell into a deepslumber which lasted all the night. The others had planned an earlystart, but, as Ned was sleeping with such calm and peace, they decidednot to disturb him, knowing how much he needed the rest. It was threehours after sunrise when he awoke, and he made many apologies, but therest only laughed.
"What's the use of our hurryin'?" said "Deaf" Smith. "It'll take sometime for Sam Houston to get any army together, an' we might keep in goodshape until he gets it. Here's more beef soup for you, Ned. You'll findit mighty fine for buildin' up."
Two or three hours after they started that day they came to a largetrail, and, when they followed it a little while, they found that it wasmade by Mexicans marching south, but whether they belonged to the mainforce under Santa Anna or that under Urrea they could not tell.
It was evident that the northern road was full of dangers and they rodefor the coast. Several small Texan vessels were flitting around thegulf, now and then entering obscure bays and landing arms, ammunitionand recruits for he cause. Both Smith and Karnes were of the opinionthat they might find a schooner or sloop, and they resolved to try forit.
They reached, the next day, country that had not been ravaged by thetroops of Santa Anna, and passed one or two tiny settlements, where theytold the news of Goliad. The Panther, Smith and Karnes were well knownto all the Texans, and they learned in the last of these villages that aschooner was expected in a cove about forty miles up the coast. It wouldundoubtedly put in at night, and it would certainly arrive in two orthree days. They thought it was coming from New Orleans.
The little party decided to ride for the cove, and meet the schooner ifpossible. They could reach it in another day and night, and they wouldawait the landing.
"We've got good friends in New Orleans," said Smith, as they rode overthe prairie. "You'll remember the merchant, John Roylston. He's for usheart and soul, an' I've no doubt that he's sendin' us help."
"All the Texans owe him a debt," said Ned, "and I owe him most of all.His name saved my life, when I was taken at San Antonio. It had weightwith Santa Anna, and it might have had weight with him, too, at Goliad,had he been there."
They rode steadily all the next day. Their horses were tough mustangs ofthe best quality, and showed no signs of weariness. They passed througha beautiful country of light rolling prairie, interspersed with fineforest. The soil was deep and rich, and the foliage was already in itstenderest spring green. Soft, warm airs swept up from the gulf. Five ofthe riders felt elation, and talked cheerfully. But Ned maintained asomber silence. The scenes of Goliad were still too vivid for him torejoice over anything. The others understood, and respected his silence.
They camped that night as usual in the thickest forest they could find,and, feeling that they were now too far east to be in any serious dangerfrom the Mexicans, they lighted a fire, warmed their food, and madecoffee, having replenished their supplies at the last settlement. ObedWhite was the coffee maker, heating it in a tin pot with a metal bottom.They had only one cup, which they used in turn, but the warm food anddrink were very grateful to them after their hard riding.
"Keeping in good condition is about three-fourths of war," said Obed inan oracular tone. "He who eats and runs away will live to eat anotherday. Besides, Napoleon said that an army marched better on a fullstomach, or something like it."
"That applied to infantry," said Will Allen. "We march on our horses."
"Some day," said Ned, "when we've beaten Santa Anna and driven all theMexicans out of Texas, I'm going back and hunt for Old Jack. He and Iare too good friends to part forever. I found him, after abandoning himthe first time, and I believe I can do it again, after leaving him thesecond time."
"Of course you can," said the Panther cheerily. "Old Jack is a horsethat will never stay lost. Now, I think we'd better put out our fire andgo to sleep. The horses will let us know if any enemy comes."
All were soon slumbering peacefully in their blankets, but Ned, who hadslept so much the night before, awakened in two or three hours. Hebelieved, at first, that a distant sound had broken his sleep, but whenhe sat up he heard nothing. Five dusky figures lay in a row near him.They were those of his comrades, and he heard their steady breathing.Certainly they slept well. He lay down again, but he remained wideawake, and, when his ear touched the ground, he seemed to hear the faintand distant sound again.
He rose and looked at the horses. They had not moved, and it was quiteevident that they had detected no hostile presence. But Ned was notsatisfied. Putting his rifle on his shoulder he slipped through theforest to the edge of the prairie. Long before he was there he knew thathe had not been deceived by fancy.
He saw, two or three hundred yards in front of him, a long file ofcavalry marching over the prairie, going swiftly and straight ahead, asif bent upon some purpose well defined. A good moon and abundant starsfurnished plenty of light, and Ned saw that the force was Mexican. Therewere no lancers, all the men carrying rifles or muskets, and Nedbelieved that he recognized the younger Urrea in the figure at theirhead. He had seen the young Mexican so often and in such vivid momentsthat there was no phase of pose or gesture that he could forget.
Ned watched the column until it was hidden by the swells. It had neverveered to either right or left, and its course was the same as that ofhis comrades and himself. He wondered a little while, and then he felt asuspicion which quickly grew into a certainty. Urrea, a daring partisanleader, who rode over great distances, had heard of the schooner and itsarms, and was on his way to the cove to seize them. It was for Ned andhis friends to prevent it.
He returned, and, awakening the others, stated what he had seen. Then headded his surmise.
"It's likely that you're guessin' right," said "Deaf" Smith. "TheMexicans have spies, of course, an' they get word, too, from Europeansin these parts, who are not friendly to us. What do you say, boys, allof you?"
"That Urrea is bound for the same place we are," said Obed White.
"That we've got to ride hard, an' fast," said the Panther.
"It's our business to get there first," said Karnes.
"Let's take to the saddle now," said Will Allen.
Ned said nothing. He had given his opinion already. They saddled theirhorses, and were on the plain in five minutes, riding directly in thetrail of the Mexican cavalry. They meant to follow until nearly dawn,and then, passing around, hurry to the cove, where the schooner, withouttheir warning, might be unloading supplies before nightfall into thevery arms of the Mexicans.
Before dawn they faintly saw the troop ahead, and then, turning to theleft, they put their mustangs into the long easy lope of the frontier,not slowing down, until they were sure that they were at least three orfour miles beyond the Mexicans. But they contin
ued at a fast walk, andate their breakfasts in the saddle. They rode through the same beautifulcountry, but without people, and they knew that if nothing unusualoccurred they would see the sea by noon.
Ned went over their directions once more. The cove ran back from the seaabout a mile, and its entrance was a strait not more than thirty yardswide, but deep. In fact, the entire cove was deep, being surrounded byhigh forested banks except at the west, into which a narrow but deepcreek emptied. The only convenient landing was the creek's mouth, andthey believed that they would find the schooner there.
Ned, in common with the others, felt the great importance of the missionon which they rode. Most of the Texan cannon and a great part of theirrifles had been taken at the Alamo and Goliad. But greater even than theneed of arms was that of ammunition. If Urrea were able to seize theschooner, or to take the supplies, the moment after they landed, hewould strike the Texans a heavy blow. Hence the six now pushed theirhorses.
At ten o'clock, they caught a glimpse of the sea upon their right. Fiveminutes later they saw a cloud of dust on their left, less than a mileaway. It was moving rapidly, and it was evident at once that it was madeby a large body of horse. When the dust lifted a little, they saw thatit was Urrea and his men.
"It's likely that they have more information than we have," said thePanther, "an' they are ridin' hard to make a surprise. Boys, we've gotto beat 'em, an', to do it, we've got to keep ahead of our dust all thetime!"
"The greater the haste, the greater the speed just now," said ObedWhite.
They urged their horses into a gallop. They kept close to the sea, whileUrrea was more than half a mile inland. Luckily, a thin skirt of timbersoon intervened between Mexicans and Texans, and the six believed thatUrrea and his men were unaware of their presence. Their own cloud ofdust was much smaller than that of the Mexicans, and also it mightreadily be mistaken for sea sand whipped up by the wind.
Ned and the Panther rode in front, side by side, Smith and Karnesfollowed, side by side, too, and behind came Obed White and Will Allen,riding knee to knee. They ascended a rise and Ned, whose eyes were thekeenest of them all, uttered a little cry.
"The schooner is there!" he exclaimed. "See, isn't that the top of amast sticking up above those scrub trees?"
"It's nothing else," said Obed White, who was familiar with the sea andships. "And it's bound, too, to be the schooner for which we arelooking. Forward, boys! The swift will win the race, and the battle willgo to the strong!"
They pressed their horses now to their greatest speed. The cove and theship were not more than a half mile away. A quarter of a mile, and theskirt of timber failed. The Mexicans on their left saw them, andincreased their speed.
"The schooner's anchored!" exclaimed Obed, "and they are unloading!Look, part of the cargo is on the bank already!"
With foot and rein they took the last ounce of speed from their horses,and galloped up to a group of astonished men, who were transferring armsand ammunition by small boats from a schooner to the land Already morethan a hundred rifles, and a dozen barrels of powder lay upon the shore.
"Back to the ship! Back to the ship!" cried Ned, who involuntarily tookthe lead. "We are Texans, and a powerful force of Mexicans will be hereinside of fifteen minutes!"
The men looked at him astonished and unbelieving. Ned saw among them afigure, clad in sober brown, a man with a large head and a broad,intellectual face, with deep lines of thought. He knew him at once, andcried:
"Mr. Roylston, it is I! Edward Fulton! You know me! And here are CaptainPalmer, 'Deaf' Smith, Henry Karnes, Obed White and Will Allen! I tellyou that you have no time to lose! Put the supplies back on theschooner, and be as quick as you can! Captain Urrea and two hundred menare galloping fast to capture them!"
Roylston started in astonishment at the appearance of Ned, whom he, too,had believed to be dead, but he wasted no time in questions. He gavequick orders to have the arms and ammunition reloaded, and directed thetask himself. The Panther sprang from his horse and walked back to theedge of the wood.
"Here they come at a gallop," he said, "and we need time. Boys, hand meyour rifles, as I call for them, an' I'll show you how to shoot."
The Panther did not mean to boast, nor did the others take it as such.He merely knew his own skill, and he meant to use it.
"Do as he says," said "Deaf" Smith to the others. "I reckon that, asDavy Crockett is dead, the Panther is the best shot in all Texas."
The Mexican cavalry were coming at a gallop, several hundred yards away.The Panther raised his long, slender-barreled rifle, pulled the trigger,and the first horseman fell from the saddle. Without turning, he heldout his hands and Smith thrust the second rifle into them. Up went theweapon, and a second Mexican saddle was empty. A third rifle and a thirdMexican went down, a fourth, and the result was the same. The wholeMexican troop, appalled at such deadly shooting, stopped suddenly.
"Keep it up, Panther! Keep it up!" cried Smith. "We need every minute oftime that we can get."
While the Mexicans hesitated the Panther sent another fatal bullet amongthem. Then they spread out swiftly in a thin half circle, and advancedagain. All the six Texans now opened fire, and they were also helped bysome of the men from the boat. But a part of the attacking force hadgained cover and the fire was not now so effective.
Nevertheless the rush of the Mexicans was checked, and under thedirections of Roylston the reloading of the schooner was proceedingrapidly. They hoisted the last of the powder and rifles over the side,and two of the boats were putting back for the defenders. The schooner,meanwhile, had taken in her anchor and was unfurling her sails. Roylstonwas in one of the boats and, springing upon the bank, he shouted to thedefenders:
"Come, lads! The supplies are all back on board! It's for your livesnow!"
All the men instantly abandoned the defence and rushed for the bank, thePanther uttering a groan of anger.
"I hate to leave six good horses to Urrea, an' that gang," he said, "butI s'pose it has to be done."
"Don't grieve, Panther," cried Smith. "We'll take three for one lateron!"
"Hurry up! Hurry up!" said Roylston. "There is no time to waste. Intothe boats, all of you!"
They scrambled into the boats, reached the schooner, and pulled theboats to the deck after them. There was not a minute to lose. Theschooner, her sails full of wind, was beginning to move, and theMexicans were already firing at her, although their bullets missed.
Ned and Will Allen threw themselves flat on the deck, and heard theMexican bullets humming over their heads. Ned knew that they were stillin great danger, as it was a mile to the open sea, and the Mexicansgalloping along by the side of the cove had begun a heavy fire upon theschooner. But the Panther uttered a tremendous and joyous shout ofdefiance.
"They can't hurt the ship as long as they ain't got cannon," he said,"an' since it's rifles, only, we'll give it back to 'em!"
He and the other sharpshooters, sheltering themselves, began to rake thewoods with rifle fire. The Mexicans replied, and the bullets pepperedthe wooden sides of the schooner or cut holes through her sails. But theTexans now had the superiority. They could shelter themselves on theship, and they were also so much better marksmen that they did muchdamage, while suffering but little themselves.
The schooner presently passed between the headlands, and then into theopen sea. She did not change her course until she was eight or ten milesfrom land, when she turned northward.
CHAPTER XX
THE CRY FOR VENGEANCE
As soon as the schooner was out of range Ned and his comrades stood upon the deck, and looked back at the long low coastline, which hadoffered to them so much danger. At first they saw Mexican horsemen onthe beach, but as they went further and further out to sea theydisappeared.
A strong wind hummed through the sails and the schooner, heeling over alittle, went swiftly northward, leaving a long white wake. Ned and hiscomrades sat on the benches that ran around the sides of the deck. Someof the rich brown color
faded from the Panther's face, and his eyeslooked a little bit uneasy.
"I'm glad to be here," he said, "glad to be out of reach of theMexicans, but I wish I was on somethin' a lot steadier than this."
Obed White, familiar with the waters of the Maine coast, laughed.
"This is just a spanking good breeze," he said. "Look how the wavesdance!"
"Let 'em dance," said the Panther, "an' they can do my share of dancin',too. I never felt less like roarin' an' t'arin' an' rippin' in my life."
"Any way, we're getting a fine rest," said Will Allen. "It's pleasant tobe out here, where nobody can drop suddenly on you from ambush."
The schooner made another curve to the eastward, the water becamesmoother and the Panther's qualms disappeared. Food and water werebrought to them on deck, and they ate and drank with good appetites.Then John Roylston, who had gone below, as soon as they were out ofrange, reappeared. He went directly to Ned, shook hands with him withgreat energy, and said in a tone of deep gratitude:
"I had given you up for lost. But you reappeared with your friends, justin time to save the most valuable of all cargoes for the Texans. Ishould like to hear now how you rose from the dead, because I had directinformation that you were in the Alamo, and I know that everybody thereperished."
"I come, nevertheless, as the bearer of bad news," said Ned, with Goliadfresh in his mind.
"How is that?"
Then Ned told for the second time the dreadful deed done by order ofSanta Anna, and it seemed to him as he told it that all the details wereas vivid and terrible as ever. His desire for revenge upon the dictatorand the Mexicans had not diminished a particle. Roylston's face, usuallya mask, showed horror.
"It was an awful thing to do," he said, "but it means now that SantaAnna will never conquer Texas. No man can do such a deed and yettriumph. Now, tell me how it is that you are not among the slain in theAlamo." Ned related the story anew, and he dwelt upon the fact thatSanta Anna had spared him at the mention of Roylston's name. But whenthe story was finished, the merchant was silent for quite a while. Nedknew by the contraction of the lines upon the great brow that he wasthinking. At last, he broke the silence.
"No doubt you have wondered that my name had so much influence withSanta Anna," he said. "I have hinted at it before, but I will explainmore fully now. I am, as you know, a merchant. I trade throughout thewhole southwest, and I have ships in the Gulf and the Caribbean. One ofthem, the 'Star of the South,' on which we now are, can show her heelsto anything in these seas.
"Earlier in my life I came in contact with Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna.Like many others I fell for a while under his spell. I believed that hewas a great and liberal man, that he would even be able to pull Mexicoout of her slough of misrule and ignorance. I helped him in some of hisyoung efforts. The splendid hacienda that he has near Vera Cruz wasbought partly with money that I furnished.
"But our friendship could not last. Vain, ruthless, cruel, but withgenius, Santa Anna can have no friends except those whom he may use.Unless you submit, unless you do everything that he wishes, you are, inhis opinion, a traitor to him, a malefactor and an enemy, to be crushedby trickery or force, by fair means or foul. How could I have continueddealings with such a man?
"I soon saw that instead of being Mexico's best friend he was her worstenemy. I drew away in time, but barely. I was in Mexico when the breakcame, and he would have seized and imprisoned me or had me shot, but Iescaped in disguise.
"I retained, too, a hold upon Santa Anna that he has sought in vain tobreak. Such a man as he always needs money, not a few thousands, butgreat sums. He has been thrifty. The treasury of Mexico has beenpractically at his mercy, but he does not trust the banks of his ownland. He has money not only in the foreign banks of Mexico, but alsolarge amounts of it in two of the great banks of London. The Englishdeposits stand as security for the heavy sums that he owes me. His armis long, but it does not reach to London.
"He cannot pay at present without putting himself in great difficulties,and, for the time being, I wish the debt to stand. It gives me a certainpower over him, although we are on opposite sides in a fierce war. Whenyou gave him my name in San Antonio, he did not put you to death becausehe feared that I would seize his English money when I heard of it.
"The younger Urrea has heard something of these debts. He is devoted toSanta Anna, and he knew that he would have rendered his chief an immenseservice if he could have secured his release from them. That was what hetried to force from me when I was in his hands, but you and your friendssaved me. You little thought, Edward Fulton, that you were then savingyour own life also. Otherwise, Santa Anna would have had you slaininstantly when you were brought before him at San Antonio. Ah, howthoroughly I know that man! That he can be a terrible and cruel enemy hehas already proved to Texas!"
The others listened with deep interest to every word spoken by Roylston.When he was through, the Panther rose, stretched his arms, and expandedhis mighty chest. All the natural brown had returned to his cheeks, andhis eyes sparkled with the fire of confidence.
"Mr. Roylston," he said, "the hosts of our foe have come an' they havedevoured our people as the locusts ate up Egypt in the Bible, but Ithink our worst days have passed. We'll come back, an' we'll win."
"Yes," said Ned. "I know as truly as if a prophet had told me that we'llsquare accounts with Santa Anna."
He spoke with such sudden emphasis that the others were startled. Hisface seemed cut in stone. At that moment he saw only the Alamo andGoliad.
The "Star of the South" sped northward, and Edward Fulton sat long onher deck, dreaming of the day when the Texans, himself in the firstrank, should come once more face to face with Antonio Lopez de SantaAnna.
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