CHAPTER XI.
THE OPENING OF THE WAR.
To get so many men across the river by boat would have taxed theresources of Gonzales to the utmost, so the majority of the Texans wentaround by way of the ford, only a few going over in the ferry with thefour-pounder.
The trip was made during the night of October first, and every man wascautioned to be as silent as possible.
"We'll give them a surprise," said Dan to one of the young men, a_ranchero_ named Henry Parker. He had known Henry Parker for overa year, and the two were warm friends.
"Or get a surprise," was the answer. "They may be watching us just ashard as we are watching them."
"Pooh! I am not afraid of a greaser!"
"Neither am I. But it will pay to be careful."
They had passed the ford, and now in the utter darkness the little bandmade its way through the brush toward the spot where the Mexicancommand had been in camp before the fog settled down.
Coming closer, the Texans were spread out in a sort of skirmish line,with the four-pounder in the centre. Dan and his friend were on theextreme right, down by the water's edge.
Here there was more than one little inlet to cross, and while Dan'shorse was picking his steps the youth fancied he detected a suddenmovement among the bushes overhanging the water's edge.
"'HOLD ON!' HE CRIED TO HENRY PARKER. 'SOMETHING IS INTHAT BUSH!'"]
"Hold on," he cried to Henry Parker. "Something is in that bush."
"Man or beast?" whispered Henry, and placed his hand to the trigger ofhis gun.
"I can't say. Wait till I investigate."
Leaving his mustang in his friend's care, Dan leaped to the ground andran close to the bushes. As he did this, he stumbled into a hole andfell. He picked himself up, and while doing so heard a splash and sawsome dark object disappear beneath the river's surface.
"Come here! Something is up!" he called to Henry, and at once hisfriend complied, and both ran down to the water's edge and strainedtheir eyes to pierce the gloom and the fog.
"What did you see?"
"Something slipped into the water, and I am half of the opinion it wasa man."
"Then it must have been a Mexican!"
"To be sure. Stay here and watch, and I'll go down the stream a bit. Heought to come up soon."
Dan had hardly spoken when he espied a head coming up but thirty orforty feet away. It was the head of a Mexican soldier, evidently a spy.
"Halt there!" cried Dan. "Come back here, or I'll fire!"
It is doubtful if he would have fired on the swimmer, having no desireto open the war in person, but his threat had considerable effect.
"No shoota me!" cried the Mexican. "No shoota!" And then he continuedto talk in Spanish, which Dan and his friend understood, butimperfectly.
"I want you to come back here," went on the youth, and he pointed hisgun.
At this the Mexican dove out of sight, not to come up for a distance ofa rod or more.
"Shoot him--you have the right," urged Henry. "Or else I'll do it."
"Don't, Henry, it might be murder. Besides, we were ordered not todischarge any firearms until we received orders. A shot down here wouldalarm the whole Mexican camp."
"But we don't want that rascal to escape, Dan."
"I have it." Dan looked around and soon found several fair-sizedstones. "Come back at once!" he ordered, and, taking aim, he let drivewith one of the stones.
Dan had always been good at that sort of thing, and the stone landed,as intended, on the Mexican's back. He let out a howl of pain, so loudthat several Texans at once rode up to the vicinity to learn what wasthe matter.
"Yes, he's got to come ashore," declared one of the men. "He may be aspy who has been over to Gonzales, and carries some kind of a message."He raised his voice in Spanish. "Come ashore, or we'll shoot you; doyou hear?"
_"Si, capitan_" ("Yes, captain"), was the answer, and without furtherado the Mexican turned and came back to the river bank. As he crawledout, wet and muddy, he looked the picture of despair.
"It's Pietro the gambler, from Bastrop," said one of the Texans, aftera close scrutiny. "I'll wager he was going to give us away to thegreasers in camp."
"No, no, me watch fight, dat's all, senor," said the Mexican, who wasnoted not only for his skill at cards but also for his skill atcheating. "Pietro fight for Texans when fight 't all."
"That don't go down, you card-sharp!" cried another of the men. "I knowhim well, and he would cheat his own grandmother if he could. Let usmake him a prisoner, at least until this business we are on is over."
So it was agreed, and despite the gamblers' protests he was bound handsand feet and tied up to a near-by tree. Had he not been captured, thefight so close at hand would probably not have come off.
On went the Texans, until a point was gained overlooking the campingspot of the Mexicans. The advance guard reported that Captain Castinadowas still at the place with his dragoons.
"Then we'll wait until daybreak and open up on them," said the Texans,and went into temporary camp. It is doubtful if any of the numberclosed his eyes for the balance of that never-to-be-forgotten night. Tothem this contest was to be like that of Concord and Lexington to thepatriots of 1775,--it was to mark the dawn of Texan liberty.
The Mexicans had located at a spot called DeWitt's mound; while theTexans occupied a position farther down the valley and close to theriver. As soon as it began to grow light, the four-pounder was placedin position, and the rough but rugged little army was drawn up inbattle array. Only here and there was there a man in uniform, and theweapons were of all sorts and sizes. Leaders and privates had comeover, some on horseback, some on ponies, and others on foot.
"Give it to them!" came the sharp order, when it was light enough tolocate the Mexicans with certainty, and the brass four-pounder belchedforth its contents, and the battle was opened at last.
"Forward!" was the cry down the line, and away swept the Texans, in twolong lines, Mr. Radbury well to the front, and Dan not very far behind.
The Mexicans had been taken completely by surprise and for the momentknew not what to do. But they quickly organised and returned the fire,and then the Texans swept closer, and the constant crack, crack, of themusketry could be heard upon every side.
"Gracious, this is war, sure!" cried Dan, as he discharged his gun andproceeded to reload with all speed, while still riding forward. "Itlooks as if we were going to have a hand-to-hand encounter."
"Forward, for the liberty of Texas!" shouted one of the leaders, and ascore of voices took up the cry. "For the liberty of Texas! For theliberty of Texas!" It was a battle-cry fit to inspire any body of men.
The Mexicans could not withstand such an onslaught, and, having firedseveral rounds, they broke and began to retreat before the Texans couldget within two hundred yards of them. Away they went for the roadleading to San Antonio, the Texans following them for some distance andthen giving up the chase.
The first fight for Texan independence had been fought and won, and amighty cheer went up, which was several times repeated. It was foundthat four of the Mexicans had been killed and several wounded, whilethe Texans had suffered little or nothing.
"Father, we have gained the day!" exclaimed Dan, as he rode up to hisparent. Somehow, he had never felt so proud before in his life.
"Yes, we have gained the day," answered Mr. Radbury. "The question is,what next? You may be sure the government will not let this go byunnoticed."
"The government! What government?" put in one old settler. "Iacknowledge no government but that of the independent State of Texas!"And a cheer went up.
"Let us hope it will be so, neighbour Johnson," went on Mr. Radbury."But what if Santa Anna send out a large army to crush us?"
"He can't do it!" came from a dozen voices. "Let him come, and we'llshow him what real American blood and backbone can do."
"We must organise, and without further delay," said one of the leaders."We must have a regularly formed Texan army
inside of thirty days, orelse we'll have to pay the piper, and that means with Santa Anna thatwe'll either get a dose of lead or else dance on nothing," meaning theywould all be shot or hung. This may seem an extravagant statement, butin view of what followed it was far from being so.