CHAPTER IV.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE INDIANS IN TEXAS.
While the two boys are waiting for their father's return, and wonderingwhat will be the next movement of the Comanches surrounding the ranchhome, let us turn aside for a moment to consider the state of affairsin Texas in this momentous year of 1835.
As said before, Texas and the territory known as Coahuila, lying on thesouthern bank of the Rio Grande River, formed one of the states of theMexican Confederation. At the time Texas became bound to Coahuila therewas a clause in the constitution which allowed her to become a separatestate whenever she acquired the requisite size, although what therequisite size must be was not specified.
The Texans were satisfied, at that time, to belong to the MexicanConfederation, but they soon discovered that to be tied fast toCoahuila was going to become very burdensome. The latter-namedterritory was inhabited almost entirely by Mexicans who had nothing incommon with the Americans, and these Mexicans kept the capital city ofthe state at Monclova or Saltillo, so that the settlers in Texas had tojourney five hundred miles or more by wagon roads for every legalpurpose. Besides this, the judiciary was entirely in the hands of theinhabitants of Coahuila, and they passed laws very largely to suitthemselves.
The first troubles came over the land grants. A number of men, headedby Stephen Austin, had come into Texas, bringing with them hundreds ofsettlers to occupy grants given to these leaders, who were known as_empresarios_, or contractors. Each settler's grant had to be recorded,and the settlers grumbled at journeying so far to get clear deeds totheir possessions. At the same time, Mexico herself was in a state ofrevolution, and often one so-called government would not recognise thegrant made by the government just overthrown.
The next trouble was with the Indians. The Comanches, Apaches,Shawnees, Wacos, Lipans, and separated tribes of Cherokees, Delawares,and Choctaws, some driven from the United States by the pioneers there,overran the northern and central portions of Texas, and those on thefrontier, like Mr. Amos Radbury, were never safe from molestation. TheMexican government had promised the settlers protection, but theprotection amounted to but little, and at one time only ninety soldierswere out to guard a frontier extending hundreds of miles, and where thedifferent tribes of the enemy numbered ten to twenty thousand. The onlything which saved the settlers from total annihilation at this time wasthe friendliness of some of the Indians and the fact that the red mencarried on a continual warfare among themselves.
Some of the Indian fights had been notable. One of the worst of themwas an encounter between a band of over a hundred and about a dozenwhites under the leadership of James Bowie, better known as Jim Bowie,of bowie-knife fame,--this knife having become famous in borderwarfare. In this struggle the whites were surrounded, and kept theIndians at bay for eight days, killing twenty odd of the enemy,including a notable chief. The loss to the whites was one killed andtwo wounded.
This fight had occurred some years before the opening of this tale,but, only a month previous to the events now being related, anotherencounter had come off, on Sandy Creek, but a few miles from theRadbury home. A party of French and Mexican traders, thirteen innumber, had gone up to the house of one John Castleman, and during thenight the Indians came up, murdered nearly all of the number, and madeoff with the traders' packs. Castleman hastened to Gonzales with thenews, and a posse was organised to follow the red men. This resulted inanother battle, in the cedar brakes along the San Marcos, and some ofthe Indians were killed. But the majority got away, taking most of thestolen goods with them.
The mentioning of these two encounters will show with what the earlysettlers of Texas had to contend while trying to raise their crops andattend to their cattle. Often a bold settler would go forth into thewilderness, erect his rude hut, and then never be heard from again, hishabitation being found, later on, either deserted or burnt to theground. And men were not the only sufferers, for women and childrenwere often either killed or carried off into captivity. Once twowell-known ladies were spirited away in the most mysterious fashion,and they were not returned to their homes until both had spent severalyears among the red people.
Dan and Ralph thought over many of these affairs as they set aboutpreparing the ranch home against any attack which might be made uponit. Ralph especially was much agitated, for, some six months before,several Indians had stopped at the ranch for the purpose of tradingponies, and one of them had eyed the soft-haired boy's scalp in amanner which had given the youth a shiver from head to foot.
"They sha'n't have my scalp," he murmured to himself. "I'll die first!"And, young as he was, it may be believed that he meant what he said.
"Do you see anything of father?" called out Dan, as he finishedinspecting the last of the pistols.
"No."
"He ought to be coming up by this time."
"I really think we ought to fire a shot for a signal."
"We'll wait a few minutes longer."
They waited--every minute seeming like ten. It was a clear, sunshinyday, and outside only a faint breeze stirred the trees, otherwise allwas silent. At the end of five minutes Dan stepped to the doorway.
"Father!" he called, at the top of his voice.
No answer came back, and then Ralph joined in the cry, which wasrepeated several times.
"He ought to hear that," said Ralph, as the silence continued. Then hisface grew pale. "Perhaps they have killed him, Dan!"
"I heard no shot; did you?"
"No, but some of the Indians may have bows with them. I heard one ofthose Indians who was here last say he didn't like the white man'sfire-bow because it made so much noise it scared all the game. Ifthey've got bows and arrows they could easily crawl up behind father,and----" Ralph did not finish in words, but his brother understood whathe meant only too well. Reaching for one of the pistols, Dan ranoutside of the door, and fired it off.
Mr. Radbury had gone for the deer with his gun slung over his back, sohe could easily fire a return signal if he wished. Eagerly the brotherslistened, but the exasperating silence continued.
Then, as Dan reloaded, Ralph fired a second shot.
"Something is wrong," said the older brother, after several moreminutes had gone by. "If father was coming with the deer he would be insight sure. Either the Indians have surrounded him or killed him, orelse they have got between him and the house so that he can't get in.I'm going up to the loft with the spy-glass and take a squint around."
Glass in hand, Dan ran up the rude ladder to the loft, which was somesix feet high at the ridge-pole and two feet high at the edge of thesloping sides. There were windows on all four sides, but those at theslopes were small and only intended for observation holes.
Ralph had closed all of the shutters, so the loft was almost dark. Withcaution Dan opened one shutter after another and swept the woods andcountry around with the glass.
He could not see the hollow, but at the crest of the hill by the cattleshed he made out the heads of several Indians gathered back of somebushes and talking earnestly. Presently the Indians, separated, and twoof the number walked off in the direction of the river, on the oppositeside of the ranch home.
"They are up to something," reasoned the boy, and took up a position onthe other side of the loft. From this point he could see a smallportion of the river as it wound in and out among the trees and brush.He waited impatiently for the Indians to reappear, and at last saw themcross a glade close to where he and his brother had met the half-breed.As the Indians came out into the open, Hank Stiger met them.
"He will join them now if he wasn't with them before," thought Dan, andin this he was right. The Indians and Stiger held a short talk, andthen all three disappeared in the belt of timber surrounding the burn.
"Can you see anything?" called up Ralph.
"Yes, several Indians, and Stiger has joined them."
"Stiger! And what of father?"
"I see nothing of him. Ralph, I am afraid we are in for it this time,and no mistake."
"Y
ou think the Indians really intend to attack us?"
"I do."
"Right away?"
"No, they will probably wait until it grows dark, especially now, afterthey have seen us barring the windows."
"Then I had better be ready to bar up the door, too."
"Yes, but keep a lookout for father. He may come in on the run, youknow."
Dan continued to use the glass, stepping from one window to another.But the Indians had disappeared from view, and not another glimpse of afeather or a painted face was to be seen.
Presently he found himself looking toward the burn. Back, in the timberbordering the river, was a tall tree which reared its head a score offeet above its fellow trees. As he turned his glass in that direction,something unusual in the top of the tree attracted his attention.
He gazed long and earnestly at the object, and at last made out theform of a man, who was waving some dark thing, probably his coat, toand fro.
"It must be father!" he thought. "I'll signal in return and make sure,"and catching up a bed sheet he stuck it out of the window for a minuteand swung it vigorously. As he did this, the party in the tree flung upthe coat and caught it, then disappeared from view. At once Dan drew inthe sheet, closed all the shutters of the loft, and went below.