CHAPTER XXV.
FORWARD!
In the meanwhile, Master Lovel made his men row vigorously, in order toreach land as soon as possible. But whatever desire he might have forhaste, it was impossible for him to reach the shore so soon as he mighthave wished, for not knowing the coast, and steering, as it were,blindly, his boat ran several times upon submarine reefs, which causedhim to lose a considerable amount of time by forcing him to change hiscourse; hence, when he at last reached the shore, the Captain had landedlong before.
The old sailor had his boat tied up to the Captain's, in order that theycould be used if required, and then leaped ashore, followed by his men,and advanced cautiously inland. He had not proceeded many yards,however, ere a tremendous noise reached his ears, and he saw the sailorswho accompanied the Captain debouch from the hollow way in disorder, andclosely pursued by Mexican soldiers.
Master Lovel did not lose his heart under these critical circumstances:instead of rushing into the medley, he ambushed his men behind a clumpof Peru and mahogany trees that stood a short distance off, and preparedwith perfect coolness to make a diversion in favour of his comrades whenthe favourable moment arrived.
The Texans, with their backs to a rock, not ten yards from the sea, werefighting desperately against an immense number of enemies. A minutelater, and all would have been over, but suddenly the cry of "Forward!_Texas y Libertad!_" was raised in the rear of the Mexicans,accompanied by a tremendous noise and a deadly discharge, almost atpoint-blank range, scattered terror and disorder through their ranks. Itwas Master Lovel effecting his diversion, in order to save his Captain,or his adopted son, as he called him in his simple devotion.
The Mexicans, who already believed themselves victors, were terrified atthis unforeseen attack, which, owing to the vigour with which it wascarried out, they supposed to be made by a considerable body of theseterrible freebooters, commanded by the Jaguar, whose reputation wasalready immense in the ranks of the American army. Persuaded that theTexans had landed in force, and had only given way in order to make themfall more surely into the trap, they hesitated, fell back in their turn,and finally being seized with a panic terror which their officers couldnot succeed in mastering, they broke and fled in all directions,throwing their arms away.
The Texans, revived by the providential arrival of the old sailor, andexcited by their Captain's voice, redoubled their efforts. Tranquil tieda handkerchief round his thigh, and supported by Quoniam, who, duringthe action, had not left him for an instant, he retreated to the boats,leading Carmela, and followed by the Captain and his brave sailors. Thelatter, like lions at bay, turned at each instant to dash with axes andbayonets at the few soldiers their officers had at length succeeded inrallying, but who did not venture to press too closely the terribleadversaries, whom, since the beginning of the action, they had learnedto appreciate and consequently to fear.
Still fighting, the sailors at length reached the boats prepared fortheir reception. Captain Johnson ordered the wounded to be placed in thelaunch, and getting into the other boat with Tranquil, Quoniam, and thesound men, he put off from the shore, towing the boat that served as anambulance. This daring retreat, effected under the enemy's fire, wascarried out with admirable precision and skill. One part of the crew ofthe pinnace fired at the Mexicans who lined the beach, while the otherportion pulled vigorously in the direction of the brig.
Ere long the coast disappeared in the fog, the shouts of the enemybecame less distinct, the shots ceased, the lights flashing on the shoredied out one after the other, and all grew silent again.
"Ah!" the Captain said with a sigh of relief, as he offered his hand toMaster Lovel, "without you, father, we were lost."
"Aha!" the old sailor answered with a hearty grin, and rubbing his handsjoyously, "I suspected that if you had a secret from me, it was becauseyou meditated some act of folly, so that is why I came after you."
The Captain merely replied to his worthy mate's remark by a freshsqueeze of the hand. Carmela, with her hands clasped and eyes raisedabove, was praying fervently, while returning thanks to Heaven for hermiraculous deliverance.
"This is the girl you have saved," Tranquil said; "it is to you I owethe recovery of my daughter, and I shall not forget it, Captain."
"Nonsense, old hunter," the Captain said, laughingly, "I only kept thepromise I made you; did I not pledge myself to help you, even at therisk of my life?"
"And you were uncommonly near losing your stake," Master Lovel observed."After all, though," he added gallantly, "though I am no connoisseur, Ican perfectly understand a man risking his skin to board so neat acorvette."
This sally restored the gaiety of the sailors, which the grave eventsthat had occurred had temporarily dissipated.
"Are we really out of danger, father?" the maiden asked with a shudderof fear, which she was unable to conceal.
"Yes, my child; keep your spirits up," the hunter answered, "we are nowin safety."
At this very moment, the sailors, as if wishing to confirm theCanadian's assurance, or perhaps with the wish to mock the enemies theyhad so barely escaped, struck up one of those cadenced songs which serveto mark time, and the words of which each repeats as he lays out on hisoars. Master Lovel, after turning and returning several times theenormous quid that swelled his right cheek, made a signal to the crew ofthe pinnace, and struck up in a rough voice a stanza, which all repeatedin chorus after him. This song, which was as interminable as a sailor'syarn, would, in all probability, have lasted much longer, if the Captainhad not suddenly ordered silence by an imperious gesture.
"Is a new danger threatening us?" Tranquil inquired anxiously.
"Perhaps so," the Captain replied, who had for some time been scanningthe horizon with a frowning brow.
"What do you mean?" the hunter asked.
"Look!" the Captain said, extending his hand in the direction of thefishing Tillage, to which we before alluded.
Tranquil hastily took up the night glass: a dozen large boats, crowdedwith soldiers, were leaving a small creek, and pulling out to sea. Thewater was lumpy, the breeze blew strongly, and the over-crowded longboat advanced but slowly, as it was compelled to tow the pinnace. Theperil which they fancied they had escaped, burst out again in adifferent shape, and this time assumed really terrific proportions, forthe Mexicans were rapidly approaching, and would soon be within gunshot.
The brig, whose tall masts were visible, was, it is true, only twocables' length, at the most, from the Texan boats, but the few men lefton board were not nearly sufficient to make the requisite manoeuvres toenable the brig to help its boats effectually. The position grew witheach moment more critical, and the Captain sprang up.
"Lads," he said, "the ten best swimmers among you will jump into thesea, and go to the ship with me."
"Captain," the hunter exclaimed, "what do you propose doing?"
"To save you," he simply answered, as he prepared to carry out hisdesign.
"Oh, oh," Master Lovel said hastily, "I will not allow such an act ofmadness."
"Silence, sir," the Captain interrupted him rudely. "I am the solecommander."
"But you are wounded!" the Master objected. In fact, Captain Johnson hadreceived an axe stroke, which laid open his right shoulder.
"Silence! I tell you. I allow no remarks."
The old sailor bowed his head, and wiped away a tear. After squeezingthe hunter's hand, the Captain and his ten sailors leaped boldly intothe sea, and disappeared in the darkness. At the news of fresh danger,Carmela had fallen, completely overwhelmed, in the bottom of the boat.Master Lovel, leaning out, tried to discover his chief. Heavy tearscoursed down his bronzed cheeks, and all his limbs were agitated by aconvulsive quivering. The Mexicans approached nearer and nearer; theywere already close enough for the number of their boats to bedistinguished, and a schooner was already leaving the creek, and comingup under press canvas, to ensure the success of the attack.
At this moment a mournful cry, desperate as the last shriek
of a dyingman, came over the waters, and terrified all the men whom no dangercould affect.
"Oh, the unhappy man!" Tranquil cried, as he rose and made a move toleap overboard. But Lovel seized him by the waist belt, and in spite ofhis resistance, compelled him to sit down again.
"What are you about?" he asked him.
"Well," Tranquil replied, "I want to pay my debt to your captain; herisked his life for me, and I am going in return to risk mine to savehim."
"Good!" the Master exclaimed, "By heaven! You are a man. But keep quiet,that doesn't concern you; it is my business."
And ere Tranquil had time to answer him, he plunged into the waves. TheCaptain had presumed too much on his strength, he was hardly in thewater ere his wound caused him intolerable suffering, and his arm wasparalyzed. With that tenacity which formed the basis of his character,he tried to contend against the pain, and overcome it, but nature hadproved more powerful than his will and energy, a dizziness had comeover his sight, and he felt himself slowly sinking. At this moment heuttered that parting cry for help to which Lovel had responded by flyingto his aid. Ten minutes passed, minutes of agony, during which thepersons who remained in the boat scarce dared to breathe.
"Courage, my lads," the panting voice of Lovel was suddenly heardsaying, "he is saved!"
The sailors burst into a shout of joy, and laying on their oars,redoubled their efforts. A frightful discharge answered them, and theballs flattened against the sides of the pinnace and dashed up the wateraround. The Mexicans, who had come within range, opened a terrible fireon the Texans, but the latter did not reply.
A dull noise was heard, followed by cries of despair and imprecations,and a black mass passed to windward of the long boat. It was the brigcoming to the assistance of its crew, and in passing it sunk anddispersed the enemy's boats.
When she set foot on the deck of the brig, Carmela, at length succumbingto her emotions, lost her senses. Tranquil raised her in his arms, and,aided by Quoniam and the Captain, carried her hastily down to the cabin.
"Captain," a sailor shouted, as he rushed after him, "the Mexicans, theMexicans!"
While the Texans were engaged in taking their wounded aboard, feelingconvinced that the Mexican boats had been all, or at any rate themajority of them, sunk by the brig, they had not dreamed of watching anenemy they supposed crushed. The latter had cleverly profited by thisnegligence to rally, and collecting beneath the bows of the brig, hadboldly boarded her, by climbing up the main chains, the spritsails, andany ropes' ends they had been able to seize. Fortunately, Master Lovelhad the boarding nettings triced up on the previous evening, and throughthis wise precaution on the part of the old sailor, the desperatesurprise of the Mexicans did not meet with the success they anticipatedfrom it.
The Texans, obeying the voice of their Captain, took up their weaponsagain and rushed on the Mexicans, who were already all but masters ofthe forepart of the ship. Tranquil, Quoniam, Captain Johnson, and Lovel,armed with axes, had flown to the front rank, and by their exampleexcited the crew to do their duty properly. There, on a limited space often square yards at the most, one of those fearful naval combats withoutorder or tactics began, in which rage and brutal strength representscience. A horrible struggle, a fearful carnage, with pikes, axes, andcutlasses; a struggle in which each wound is mortal, and which recallsthose hideous combats of the worst days of the middle ages, when brutestrength alone was the law.
The White Scalper had never before fought with such obstinacy. Furiousat the loss of the prey he had so audaciously carried off, half mad withrage, he seemed to multiply himself, rushing incessantly with savageyells into the densest part of the fight, seeking Carmela, and longingto kill the man who had so bravely torn her from him. Accident seemedfor a moment to smile on him, by bringing him suddenly face to face withthe Captain.
"Now for my turn," he exclaimed with a ferocious shout of joy.
The Captain wised his axe.
"No, no!" said Tranquil, as he threw himself hurriedly before him; "thisvictim is reserved for me; I must kill this human-faced tiger. Besides,"he added, with a grin, "it is my profession to kill wild beasts, andthis one will not escape me."
"Ah," the White Scalper said, "it is really fatality which brings youonce more face to face with me. Well, be it so! I will settle with youfirst."
"It is you who will die, villain!" the Canadian replied. "Ah, youcarried off my daughter and fancied yourself well concealed, did you?But I was on your trail; for the last three months I have been followingyou step by step, and watching for the favourable moment for vengeance."
On hearing these words the Scalper rushed furiously on his enemy. Thelatter did not make a movement to avoid him; on the contrary, he seizedhim in his powerful arms, and tried to throw him down, while stabbinghim in the loins with his dagger. These two men, with flashing eyes andfoaming lips, animated by an implacable hatred, intertwined breast tobreast, face to face, each trying to kill his adversary, caring littleto live provided that his enemy died, resembled two wild beastsdetermined to destroy each other.
Texans and Mexicans had ceased fighting as if by common accord, andremained horrified spectators of this atrocious combat. At length theCanadian, who had been severely wounded before, fell, dragging his enemydown with him. The latter uttered a yell of triumph, which was soonconverted into a groan of despair: Quoniam rushed madly upon him, but,unfortunately, he had miscalculated his distance, and they both fellinto the sea, which closed over them with a hollow and ill-omenedsound.
The Mexicans, deprived of their Chief, now only thought of flight, andrushed in mad disorder to their boats; a moment later, they had allquitted the brig. Quoniam reappeared, the worthy Negro was dripping withwater. He tottered a few paces and fell by the side of Tranquil, to whomCarmela and the Captain were paying the most assiduous attention, andwho was beginning to recover his senses. A few minutes later the hunterfelt strong enough to try and rise.
"Well!" he asked Quoniam, "Is he dead?"
"I believe so," the Negro replied; "look here," he added, as he offeredhim a small object he held in his hand.
"What is it?" the hunter asked.
Quoniam shook his head mournfully. "Look at it," he said.
After having attentively regarded the Negro for an instant, whosefeatures expressed singular despondency, strange in a man of this stamp,he asked him in alarm:--
"Are you seriously wounded?"
The Negro shook his head.
"No," he said, "I am not wounded."
"What is the matter, then?"
"Take this," he said, stretching his arm out a second time, "take thisand you will know."
Astonished at this singular persistence, Tranquil stretched out his arm,too.
"Give it here," he said.
Quoniam handed him an article which he seemed anxious to conceal fromthe persons present; the Canadian uttered a cry of surprise on seeingit.
"Where did you find this?" he asked anxiously.
"When I rushed on that man, I know not how it was, but this chain andthe articles attached to it were placed, as it were, in my hand. When Ifell into the sea, I clung to the chain; there it is, do what you pleasewith it."
Tranquil, after again examining the mysterious object, concealed it inhis chest, and gave vent to a profound sigh. All at once, Carmelastarted up in horror.
"Oh, look, look, father!" she shrieked, "Woe, woe, we are lost!"
The hunter started at the sound of the girl's voice, and his eyes filledwith tears.
"What is the matter?" he asked in a weak voice
"The matter is," the Captain said rudely, "that unless a miracle takeplace, we are really lost this time, as Do?a Carmela says."
And he pointed to some thirty armed boats, which were pulling up andconverging round the brig, so as to enclose it in a circle, whence itwould be impossible for it to escape.
"Oh! Fate is against us!" Carmela exclaimed in despair.
"No, it is impossible," Tranquil said quickly; "God will n
ot abandon usthus!"
"We are saved!" Master Lovel shouted; "we are saved! Look, look! Theboats are turning back!"
The crew burst into a shout of joy and triumph; in the beams of therising sun, the _Libertad_ corvette could be seen passing throughGalveston straits, hardly two cannon shots' distance from the brig. TheMexican boats pulled at full speed in the direction of land, and soonall had disappeared. The brig drifted down to the corvette, and bothreturned to their old anchorage, which they reached an hour later.
The two ships had scarce let their anchor fall, ere a boat camealongside the brig, from the fort, containing; the Jaguar and ElAlferez. The prisoners had been handed over to the Jaguar, who, whileordering them to be closely watched, thought it advisable to let themmove freely about the fortress.
The success of the two hazardous expeditions attempted by the Texans,had given the cause they defended a great impulse. In a few hours therevolt had become a revolution, and the insurgent Chiefs men whoseexistence must henceforth be recognised. The Jaguar desired to pushmatters on actively, and wished to profit by the probable discouragementof the Mexicans to secure the surrender of the town without a blow, ifit were possible.
In his conversation with Colonel Melendez, the young Chief had purposelystartled him with the news of the success of the two expeditions,calculating for the success of future operations on the stupor GeneralRubio would experience on being told of them. But ere undertakinganything, the Jaguar desired a conference with his friends, in order tosettle definitively the way in which he must behave under such seriouscircumstances, as he was not at all anxious to assume the responsibilityof the undertaking that might be formed. This was acting not only withprudence, but also with perfect self-denial, especially after the way inwhich he had behaved since the commencement of hostilities, and the highposition he had attained among his party.
But as the heart of even the purest and most honourable man is neverexempt from those weaknesses inherent in human nature, the Jaguar,though perhaps not daring to avow it to himself had another motive thaturged him to go aboard the brig so speedily. This motive, of athoroughly private nature, was the desire to learn as soon as possiblethe result of the expedition attempted by Captain Johnson and Tranquilagainst the rancho of the White Scalper.
Hence, the young man had scarce reached the deck, ere, without returningthe salutes of his friends who hurried to greet him at the ladder, heenquired after Tranquil, feeling justly surprised at not seeing himamong the persons assembled. The Captain gave him no other answer than asign to follow. The young man, not understanding this reserve, thoughfeeling seriously alarmed, went below, where he saw Tranquil recliningin a berth, and a weeping female seated on a chair by his side. TheJaguar turned pale, for in the female he recognized Do?a Carmela; hisemotion was so extreme, that he was obliged to lean against thepartition lest he should fall. At the sound of his approachingfootsteps, the maiden raised her head.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, clasping her hands with joy, "It is you! You havecome at last then!"
"Thanks, Carmela," he replied in a gasping voice; "thanks for thiskindly greeting! It proves to me that you have not forgotten me."
"Forget you, to whom, next to my father, I owe everything! Oh, you knowthat was impossible."
"Thank you once again. You do not, you cannot know how happy you renderme at this moment, Carmela. My whole life, employed in your service,would not suffice to repay the good you do me. You are free at last!Brave Tranquil, I felt sure that he would succeed!"
"Alas, my friend, this success costs him dear."
"What do you mean? I trust that he is not dangerously wounded?"
"I fear the contrary, my friend."
"Oh! We will save him."
"Come hither, Jaguar," the hunter then said in a feeble voice; "give meyour hand, that I may press it in mine."
The young man walked quickly up to him.
"Oh, with all my heart!" he said, as he held out his hand.
"The affair was a tough one, my friend," the Canadian went on; "that manis a lion."
"Yes, yes, he is a rude adversary; but you got the better of him atlast?"
"Thanks to Heaven, yes; but I shall keep his mark all my life, if Godpermit me to rise again."
"Canarios! I trust that will soon happen."
The hunter shook his head.
"No, no," he answered, "I am a connoisseur in wounds, through havinginflicted a good many, and received more than my proper share: these areserious."
"Have you no hopes of recovery, then?"
"I do not say so, I merely repeat that many days will pass ere I canreturn to the desert," the hunter replied, with a stifled sigh.
"Nonsense, who knows? Any wound that does not kill is soon cured, theIndians say, and they are right. And what has become of that man?"
"In all probability he is dead," Tranquil said, in a hollow voice.
"That is all for the best."
At this moment Captain Johnson opened the door.
"A boat, bearing a flag of truce, is hailing the brig; what is to bedone?" he asked.
"Receive it, Sangre de Dios! my dear Johnson. This boat, if I am notmistaken, is a bearer of good news."
"Our friends would like you to be present to hear the proposals whichwill doubtless be made."
"What do you say, Tranquil?" the young Chief asked, turning to the oldhunter.
"Go, my boy, where duty calls you," the latter answered; "I feel that Ineed repose. However, you will not be away long."
"Certainly not, and so soon as I am at liberty again I will return toyour side, but merely to have you carried ashore; your condition demandsattention you cannot obtain here."
"I accept, my friend, the more so as I believe the land air will do megood."
"That is settled then," the Jaguar said, joyously; "I shall be backsoon."
"All right," Tranquil replied, and fell back in his berth.
The young man, after bowing to Carmela, who returned the salute with agentle and sad glance, left the cabin with the Captain and returned ondeck.
[In our next volume, "THE WHITE SCALPER," we shall again come across allthe characters of this long history, for the great stake is about to beplayed for: liberty and tyranny are at length face to face, and thedestiny of a people will probably depend on the fate of a battle.]
THE END.
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