For the Liberty of Texas

  CHAPTER XXIV.

  A MIDNIGHT DISCOVERY.

  In view of what was to follow at Goliad, it will be well for us to lookfor a moment at the terms which the Texans made with General Cos at thetime of the latter's surrender.

  The Texans, having things all their own way, might have been verydictatorial in their demands, yet they agreed to allow General Cos andhis officers to retain their arms and all of their private property.The Mexican soldiers were to return home or remain in Texas as theypreferred, the convicts which had been pressed into the service were tobe conducted across the Rio Grande River under guard, and the sick andwounded were to be left to the care of the Texans. On his retreatGeneral Cos took with him over eleven hundred men, many of whom werearmed against a possible attack by the Indians.

  "I think he is getting off easy," observed Dan, when it became knownunder what conditions the Mexican commander was leaving. "I don'tbelieve he would be so considerate with us."

  "Not by a long shot," put in Poke Stover. "He'd be for treating us wussnor prairie-dogs."

  "Well, it is always best to be considerate," said Amos Radbury. "It maybe the means of bringing this contest to a happier conclusion."

  "Well, we're going to keep the regular muskets and army stores, aren'twe?" asked Ralph.

  "Yes, all public property comes to Texas," said his father.

  General Cos left San Antonio on the 14th of December, and on thefollowing day General Burleson resigned from the Texan army, and a goodmany of the volunteers went home, to learn how matters were progressingfor the winter. On all sides it was felt that no other movement ofimportance would occur for some time to come, for, in those days inTexas, there were no railroads to carry an army wherever wanted, andthe distance from San Antonio to the lower Rio Grande River was adistance of several hundred miles.

  "We may as well go home, too, boys," said Lieutenant Radbury, two daysafter his commander had resigned. "I am anxious to know how Pompey isgetting along."

  "What of the white mustang?" questioned Dan.

  "I reckon we will have to let the white mustang take care ofhimself,--at least for the present," smiled Amos Radbury.

  It was decided that Poke Stover, who had become very much attached tothe Radburys, should accompany them, and, a few days later, they setout for the ranch on the Guadalupe by way of Gonzales.

  The stop at Gonzales was made to see what had been done with HankStiger.

  "He must not be given his liberty until he confesses what he has donewith my claim papers," said Amos Radbury.

  The ride to Gonzales was made without special incident, but along thewhole of the road it was seen that the people were aroused to thehighest pitch. Everybody wondered what Mexico would do next.

  It was a bitter cold day when Gonzales was reached, and it looked as ifthe first norther of the season was at hand.

  "You're too late," said one of the citizens, to Amos Radbury, as theyrode up to the lockup.

  "Too late?"

  "Yes."

  "What do you mean?" asked Dan.

  "You're after that Hank Stiger, I take it?"

  "We are."

  "He skipped out, day before yesterday."

  "Broke jail?"

  "Well, not exactly that, Radbury. Louis Reemer was a-watching of him,and Louis got drunk and left the jail door unlocked, and----"

  "And Stiger walked out, I suppose," finished Lieutenant Radbury,bitterly.

  "We allow as how he run out--an' putty quick-like, too."

  "Did anybody make a hunt for him?"

  "To be sure. But he had two or three hours the start of us, and so wecouldn't find his trail."

  "Reemer ought to be locked up himself."

  "We ducked him in the horse-trough. But he wasn't so much to blame,after all. We had a jollification because of the capture of Bexar, anda good many of the men weren't jest as straight as they might be."

  With a heavy heart, Amos Radbury rode down to the jail. But Reemer wasaway, and a new man had taken his place,--a man who knew absolutelynothing concerning the half-breed who had gotten away thus easily.

  "We may as well go home," said the lieutenant.

  "I would like to see Henry Parker first," said Dan, and receivedpermission to take a run to Henry's house, while his father did somenecessary trading.

  Dan found Henry Parker as well as ever, and hard at work preparing forthe winter, for his father could do but little. Henry was deeplyinterested in the particulars of the attack on San Antonio.

  "I wish I had been there," he cried. "But I am going when the armyreorganises; mother and father have promised it."

  "There wasn't much fun in it," said Dan, soberly. "It was real hardfighting from start to finish. The fellows who went in for a meredust-up got left."

  "Oh, I know war is no play, Dan. But I mean to do my duty by Texas, andthat is all there is to it," concluded Henry Parker.

  Early the next morning the party of four began the journey up the riverto the ranch home. It was still cloudy, and Ralph declared that he sawa number of snowflakes come down, but the others were not so sure ofthis. Yet the weather was dismal enough.

  "We are going to have a pretty heavy winter for this section," saidAmos Radbury,--and the prediction proved a true one.

  As they journeyed along, the wind swept mournfully through the pinesand pecans, but not once did they catch sight of any wild animal,outside of a few squirrels and hares. Some of these Poke Stover broughtdown, "jest to keep his hand in," as he declared.

  While yet they were a long distance off, Pompey saw them coming and ranforward to meet them.

  "Bless de Lawd yo' is all safe!" he cried. "I dun fink one or de udderof yo' been shot suah!" And he shook hands with his master and fairlyembraced the boys.

  "And how have you been, Pompey?" asked Amos Radbury.

  "I'se been all right, Mars' Radbury. Had quite a job 'tendin' to fingsalone, but I'se dun gwine an' done it, neberdeless, sah. But las' nightI'se dun got scared, mars'," and Pompey rolled his eyes mysteriously.

  "Got scared? At what?"

  "A man, sah, wot was a-creepin' around de ranch, sah, peepin' in dedoah an' de winders, sah."

  "A man?"

  "Hank Stiger, I'll wager a dollar!" cried Dan.

  "It must have been that fellow," added Ralph.

  "What became of the man, Pompey?" went on Mr. Radbury.

  "I can't say as to dat, sah. As soon as I dun spot him, sah, I got degun, an' he run away like de Old Boy was after him, sah."

  Asked to describe the stranger, Pompey gave a fairly good descriptionof him, and this fitted Hank Stiger exactly.

  "He is around for no good purpose," said Amos Radbury. "Are all of themustangs safe?"

  "Yes, sah. I'se dun watch dem de whole night, sah."

  "We must keep a watch to-night, too, and to-morrow we can go on a huntand see if he is hiding anywhere near."

  In honour of the home-coming, Pompey, as tired as he was, spread agenerous table, and all sat around this for several hours, eating,drinking, and discussing the situation. The Radburys were glad PokeStover had accompanied them, for now the frontiersman could help keepguard against the half-breed, should the latter mean mischief.

  The next day proved so stormy and cold that the boys were glad toremain indoors. It did not snow, but the rain was a half hail and thewind was of the kind that reaches one's marrow. Only Amos Radbury andPoke Stover went out, to the cattle shed and the nearest range, andthey were glad enough to come in long before evening.

  "Hank Stiger won't stir around much in this weather," observed Mr.Radbury, as he shook the water from his greatcoat. "He's too muchafraid of himself."

  "Yes, but he'll want shelter somewhere," said Ralph.

  "Perhaps he has gone after the Comanches," said Dan. "He may have beenjust on a journey when Pompey saw him."

  So the talk ran on, but nothing came of it. That night, completelytired out, all retired early. Just before he went to bed Dan looked outof the window and saw that it was cle
aring off, and that the stars weretrying to break through the clouds.

  Down in a corner of the cattle shed rested a small keg of powder whichAmos Radbury had brought home from Gonzales, for his stock of thisarticle had run low. As Dan lay in bed he could not get this keg ofpowder out of his head.

  "I hope it didn't get wet," he thought. "But surely father must havecovered it up with great care."

  For thinking of the keg, Dan could not get to sleep, and at last hearose and walked out into the living-apartment of the cabin. Here, inthe middle of the floor, he came to a sudden standstill, as a noiseoutside reached his ears.

  What the noise came from he could not determine. First there was aslight bump, and then a rolling sound, and then he heard a scratching,as of steel upon flint.

  "I'm going to investigate this," he said to himself, and, catching uphis gun, he ran to the door and threw it open.

  What he saw surprised him beyond measure. There, in the darkness, stoodHank Stiger. The half-breed had a bit of lighted tinder in his hand,and at his feet lay the keg of powder with a long fuse attached to theopen bung-hole!