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 STRATEMEYER 
 
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FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS 
 
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REMEMBER THE ALAMO ! DOWN WITH SANTA ANNA ! ' " 
 

 ZlDerJcan TKIlar Series 
 
 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS 
 
 BY 
 
 EDWAED STRATEMEYEE 
 
 Author of " "With Taylor on the Eio Grande," " Under Scott in Mexico, 
 
 "Dave Porter Series," "Old Glory Series," "Pan-American Series," 
 
 " Lakeport Series," etc. 
 
 ILLUSTRATED BY LOUIS MEYNELLE 
 
 ' : J>h 
 
 BOSTON 
 LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO. 
 
Copyright, 1900, by Dana Estes & Company 
 Copyright, 1909, by Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co, 
 
 All Rights Reserved 
 
 For the Liberty of Texas 
 
 Set up and Electrotyped by Colonial Press, Boston 
 
 Printed by Berwick & Smith Co., Norwood 
 
PREFACE, 
 
 " For the Liberty of Texas " is a tale complete 
 in itself, but it forms the first of a line of three 
 volumes to be known under the general title of the 
 "Mexican War Series." 
 
 Primarily the struggle of the Texans for freedom 
 did not form a part of our war with Mexico, yet 
 this struggle led up directly to the greater war to 
 follow, and it is probably a fact that, had the 
 people of Texas not at first accomplished their 
 freedom, there would have been no war between 
 the two larger republics. 
 
 The history of Texas and her struggle for liberty 
 is unlike that of any other State in our Union, and 
 it will be found to read more like a romance than 
 a detail of facts. Here was a territory, immense 
 in size, that was little better than a wilderness, a 
 territory gradually becoming settled by Americans, 
 Mexicans, Spaniards, French, and pioneers of other 
 nations, a territory which was the home of the 
 bloodthirsty Comanche and other Indians, and 
 
 5 
 
6 PREFACE. 
 
 which was overrun with deer, buffalo, and the 
 wild mustang, and which was, at times, the gather- 
 ing ground for the most noted desperadoes of the 
 southwest. 
 
 This territory formed, with Coahuila, one of the 
 States of Mexico, but the government was a gov- 
 ernment in name only, and the people of Texas 
 felt that it was absolutely necessary that they 
 withdraw from the Mexican Confederation, in 
 order to protect themselves, their property, and 
 their individual rights, for, with the scheming 
 Mexicans on one side of them, and the murderous 
 Indians on the other, nothing was safe from 
 molestation. 
 
 The contest was fought largely by men who 
 knew little or nothing of the art of war, but men 
 whose courage was superb. At first only defeat 
 stared the intrepid band in the face, and hundreds 
 were lost at the Alamo, at the massacre of Goliad, 
 and elsewhere, but then there came upon the scene 
 the figure of the dashing and daring General Sam 
 Houston, and under his magnetic leadership the 
 army of the Mexican general, Santa Anna, was 
 routed utterly, and the liberty of Texas was 
 secured beyond further dispute. 
 
 Edward Stratemeyer. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I. The Home on the Frontier . . n 
 
 II. The Disappearance of the Deer 
 
 III. A Quarrel and Its Result 
 
 IV. Something about the Indians in 
 
 Texas 
 
 V. The Attack on the Ranch 
 
 VI. Poke Stover to the Front 
 
 VII. In and Out of the Burning Cabin 
 
 VIII. An Unsuccessful Pursuit . 
 
 IX. Big Foot and the Missing Papers 
 
 X. The Situation in Mexico . 
 
 XI. The Opening of the War . 
 
 XII. The March on San Antonio 
 
 XIII A Fight with a Puma 
 
 XIV. The Battle of Concepcion 
 
 XV. Dan Turns the Tables 
 
 XVI. After a Missing Mustang 
 
 XVII. The Grass Fight, and What Fol 
 
 lowed ..... 
 
 XVIII. Dan Comes to Grief . 
 7 
 
 19 
 28 
 
 36 
 
 44 
 S3 
 62 
 
 7i 
 
 81 
 
 89 
 
 97 
 
 105 
 
 113 
 
 121 
 
 129 
 
 137 
 
 145 
 154 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 XIX. The Cave in the Ravine . 
 
 XX. Flight and Pursuit . 
 
 XXI. What Happened to Ralph 
 
 XXII. The Attack on San Antonio 
 
 XXIII. The Surrender of the City 
 
 XXIV. A Midnight Discovery 
 XXV. March of Santa Anna into Texas 
 
 XXVI. Wild Turkeys and Another Trail 
 
 XXVII. The Mexican Army at San Antonio 
 
 XXVIII. Within the Walls of the Mission . 
 
 XXIX. The Fall of the Alamo . 
 
 XXX. Escaping to the River 
 
 XXXI. Something about General Sam 
 
 Houston ...... 
 
 XXXII. In Which the Texan Army Falls 
 
 Back 
 
 XXXIII. The Victory of San Jacinto . 
 
 XXXIV. Back to the Ranch — Conclusion . 
 
 161 
 169 
 177 
 185 
 194 
 204 
 212 
 223 
 
 233 
 
 242 
 250 
 257 
 
 265 
 
 274 
 283 
 293 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 " ' Remember the Alamo ! Down with Santa 
 
 Anna ! ' " . . . . . . Frontispiece 
 
 " ' You sha'n't leave this spot until you give 
 up that deer, and that's all there is 
 
 to it ! ' " 27 
 
 " Following the trail of the Comanches " . 70 
 " ' Hold on,' he cried to Henry Parker. 
 
 ' Something is in that bush ! ' " . . . 98 
 '"Hold back!' yelled Dan" . . . . 157 
 <" You rascal! Get back, or I'll shoot!'" . 212 
 " ' That's what I call a pretty good haul,' 
 
 cried Dan, enthusiastically " . . . 229 
 "He began to lower himself into the hole" 258 
 
FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE HOME ON THE FRONTIER. 
 
 " Dan ! Dan ! Come quick and see what I 
 
 brought down with the gun ! " 
 
 "Why, Ralph, was that you I heard shooting? 
 I thought it was father." 
 
 " No ; I was out, down by the river bank, and I 
 brought down the finest deer you ever set eyes 
 on. He was under the bunch of pecan-trees, and 
 I let him have it straight in the neck and brought 
 him down the first crack. Now what do .you 
 think of that ? " 
 
 Ralph Radbury's rather delicate face was all 
 aglow with excitement and pardonable pride, as he 
 spoke, leaning on his father's gun, a long, old- 
 fashioned affair that had been in the family's pos- 
 session for many years. Ralph was but a boy of 
 eight, although years of life in the open air had 
 given him the appearance of being older. 
 
12 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 " What do I think ? " cried Dan, who was 
 Ralph's senior by six years. " I think you'll 
 become a second Davy Crockett or Dan'l Boone 
 if you keep on. It's a wonder the deer let you 
 come so close. The wind is blowing toward the 
 stream." 
 
 " I trailed around to the rocks where we had 
 the tumble last winter, and then I came up as 
 silently as a Comanche after a scalp. I was just 
 about ready to fire when the deer took alarm, but 
 I caught him when he raised his head, and all he 
 gave was one leap and it was all over. Where is 
 father ? I must tell him." And Ralph looked 
 around impatiently. 
 
 " I don't know where father is, if he isn't down 
 by the river. I thought he went off to look up 
 those hogs that got away last Saturday. In these 
 times, so he says, we can't afford to lose six fat 
 porkers." 
 
 " Perhaps those rushers who were on their way 
 to Bexar rounded them up on the sly." 
 
 " No ; father put the crowd down for honest 
 men, and he rarely makes a mistake in judging a 
 man, Ralph. Either the hogs got away by them- 
 selves or else some of those sneaking Comanches 
 have been around again." 
 
 " Oh, Dan, that puts me in mind, — when I was 
 up at the rocks I was almost certain I saw one of 
 the Indians farther up the river. As soon as I 
 
THE HOME ON THE FRONTIER. 1 3 
 
 looked that way he dodged out of sight, so I only 
 caught one glimpse of him — if he really was an 
 Indian." 
 
 At his younger brother's words, Dan Radbury's 
 face took on a look of deep concern. " You are 
 not real sure it was an Indian ? " he questioned, 
 after a pause. 
 
 "No, but I'm pretty sure, too. But even if it 
 was an Indian it might have been Choctaw Tom, 
 you know." 
 
 "You're wrong there, Ralph. All the Caddo 
 Indians are friendly to the whites, and if it was 
 Tom he wouldn't hide away after you had spotted 
 him. More than likely it was a dirty Comanche, 
 and if it was — well, we had better tell father 
 about it, that's all." 
 
 "Why, you don't think — " Ralph paused, 
 abruptly. 
 
 " I know a Comanche isn't to be trusted. 
 Come, let us look at the deer, and let us try to 
 find father at the same time. Is the gun loaded ? " 
 
 "No." Ralph looked sheepish. "I — I was 
 so pleased to bring down the deer I forgot all 
 about loading again." 
 
 " Then you're not such a famous hunter, after 
 all, Ralph. The wise man, especially in these 
 parts, loads up before his gun-barrel has a chance 
 to cool. Put in your load at once, and I'll bring 
 along that Mexican escopeta father traded in for a 
 
14 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 mustang last week. I don't believe the old gun 
 is of much account, but it will be better than 
 nothing." 
 
 " Father wouldn't take it from the greaser if it 
 wasn't all right. But why must we both be 
 armed ? Do you think the Indians are close 
 by ? " 
 
 "As I said before, I don't believe in trusting 
 these bloodthirsty Comanches. Poke Stover 
 knows them like a book, and he says they are 
 just aching to go on the war-path, now the gov- 
 ernment is having so much trouble of its own." 
 
 "If the Indians are around it won't be safe to 
 leave the cabin alone," was the younger boy's 
 comment. 
 
 "I reckon we can leave it for awhile, Ralph. 
 We won't be gone more than an hour, at the 
 most," concluded Dan Radbury, as he disappeared 
 into the cabin for the firearm he had mentioned. 
 
 The scene was that of a typical frontier home, 
 in the heart of Texas, close to the Guadalupe 
 River, and about ten miles from what was then the 
 village of Gonzales. It was the year 1835, an d 
 the whole of northern and western Texas could 
 truthfully be put down as a " howling wilderness," 
 overrun with deer, bison, bears, and other wild 
 animals, wild horses, and inhabited only by the 
 savage and lawless Comanche, Apache, Cherokee, 
 and numerous other tribes of Indians. As regards 
 
THE HOME ON THE FRONTIER. 1 5 
 
 the rest of the State, it may briefly be stated 
 that this immense territory of thousands of square 
 miles contained not over twenty-two thousand 
 white and black people combined. How many 
 Indians there were is not definitely known, but 
 they have been estimated at fifteen to eighteen 
 thousand. The main cities were San Antonio 
 de Bexar, San Felipe de Austin, Nacogdoches, 
 San Augustine, Columbia, and the seaport town 
 of Velasco, but not one of these boasted of more 
 than thirty-five hundred inhabitants. 
 
 To this territory had come, three years before, 
 Amos Radbury, the father of the two lads intro- 
 duced at the beginning of this chapter. The 
 family were from Georgia, where Mr. Radbury 
 had once owned a large interest in a tobacco plan- 
 tation. But a disastrous flood had robbed him 
 not only of the larger portion of his property, but 
 also of his much beloved wife, and, almost broken- 
 hearted, the planter had sold off his remaining 
 interest in the plantation for five thousand dollars, 
 and emigrated, first to New Orleans, and then to 
 his present home. The trip from New Orleans 
 had been made in a prairie wagon, drawn by a 
 double yoke of oxen, and had consumed many weeks, 
 and that trip over the prairies, through the almost 
 trackless forests, and across numerous dangerous 
 fords, was one which the boys were likely never to 
 forget. On the way they had fallen in with a 
 
1 6 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 small band of treacherous Indians, but they had 
 been saved by the timely arrival of some friendly 
 Caddos, under the leadership of Canoma, a chief 
 well known throughout the length and breadth of 
 Texas. 
 
 On reaching the Guadalupe River, a stop of two 
 weeks had been made at Gonzales, and then Mr. 
 Radbury had obtained possession of a grant of 
 land embracing over five hundred acres, the tract 
 lying on both sides of the stream. The price paid 
 for the land was ten cents per acre. This is not 
 to be wondered at, since land in other portions of 
 the State was sold as low as two cents per acre ! 
 
 The three years spent in the wilderness had 
 done wonders for all of the members of the family. 
 The hard work of clearing off the timber, planting, 
 and of building a cabin and a cattle shelter, had 
 done much to make Mr. Radbury forget his grief 
 over the loss of his wife and property, and the 
 rough outdoor life had made Daniel Radbury 
 "as tough as a pine-knot," as he was wont to 
 say himself. It had likewise done much for little 
 Ralph, who had been a thin and delicate lad of 
 five when leaving the old home in the magnolia 
 grove in far-off Georgia. Even yet Ralph was not 
 as strong as Dan, but he was fast becoming so, 
 much to his parent's satisfaction. 
 
 Amos Radbury's venture had prospered from 
 the start. The land was rich and his crops were 
 
THE HOME ON THE FRONTIER. I J 
 
 consequently heavy, and no disease reached his 
 cattle, which speedily grew to the number of 
 several hundred heads. In addition to his beeves 
 he had nearly a hundred hogs, and during the last 
 year had taken to raising horses and mustangs, 
 for the market at Bexar, as San Antonio was 
 commonly called. 
 
 The raising of mustangs had been a source of 
 much satisfaction to the boys, who speedily learned 
 to ride so well that even the liveliest of the animals 
 failed to shake one or the other off, although, of 
 course, neither could do a thing when the beast 
 got down and began to roll over. 
 
 "It's immense, to ride like the wind!" Dan 
 would cry. " There is no better sport in the 
 world ! I don't wonder the Indians enjoy it so 
 much." 
 
 " Yes, the Indians enjoy it, and they'll enjoy 
 getting our mustangs, too, if we give them the 
 chance," had been Mr. Radbury's reply. But so 
 far only one mustang had been taken, and that 
 by a Comanche half-breed named Hank Stiger. 
 Stiger had been accused of the crime by Mr. 
 Radbury, but had pleaded his innocence, and the 
 pioneer had dropped the matter rather than have 
 more trouble, since it was known that the half- 
 breed and the Comanches in the neighbourhood 
 were closely related in all their underhanded work. 
 In those days it was no uncommon thing to hang 
 
1 8 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 a horse thief, but had this happened to Hank 
 Stiger, it is likely that the Comanches under 
 Bison Head, who had their hunting-grounds in the 
 Cross Timbers, so-called, of the upper Colorado 
 River, would have gone on the war-path imme- 
 diately following. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE DEER. 
 
 The cabin was a strongly built affair of rough 
 logs, fifteen feet deep by thirty feet long. It was 
 divided into two apartments on the ground floor, 
 the first used as a general living-room and the 
 second as a bedchamber. From the bedchamber 
 a rude ladder ran to a loft, used as extra sleeping- 
 quarters when the Radburys had company, and 
 also as a storeroom. There were two windows in 
 the sleeping-room below, and a window and a door 
 in the general living-room. Each of the windows 
 were shuttered with slabs of oak, secured, inside, 
 by square bars of ash. All of the furniture except- 
 ing one bed, a table, and two chairs was home- 
 made, and consequently rather primitive in style, 
 and built more for use than for ornamentation. 
 
 At one side of the living-room was a wide, open 
 fireplace, and here, above the mantel-shelf, hung 
 the old Mexican escopeta, or cavalry musket, which 
 Dan intended to take along on his expedition to 
 the spot where Ralph had brought down the deer. 
 Taking the gun down, the youth saw to it that the 
 
 »9 
 
20 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 weapon was loaded and ready for use, and rejoined 
 his brother. 
 
 In those days every Texan trusted his neighbour 
 implicitly, and nobody thought of locking up his 
 home even though he expected to be gone several 
 days, unless it was thought that unfriendly Indians 
 were about. The Radburys had gone away fre- 
 quently, leaving everything open, and had never 
 suffered, excepting as previously mentioned. Once, 
 on returning, they had found that some other set- 
 tlers from fifty miles away had stopped there over 
 night, but this was explained in a note stuck to the 
 eating-table, the "neighbour" offering to "square 
 up " on demand. When the two parties met, 
 Mr. Radbury told the other that the only way he 
 could settle up was by calling again, — which was 
 the usual Texan method of rounding out such 
 hospitality. 
 
 " I've a good mind to lock up," remarked Dan, 
 as he reached the dooryard. " I don't like this 
 idea of Indians spying about." 
 
 " Oh, come on," interrupted Ralph. " We won't 
 be gone long, and no Indian could do much in such 
 a short time." 
 
 The elder brother shook his head doubtfully. 
 "I don't know," he mused, but when Ralph took 
 hold of his arm, he suffered himself to be led 
 away ; and soon they were hurrying for the river. 
 There was quite a clearing to cross, and as they 
 
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE DEER. 21 
 
 gained the timber Dan paused to look back and 
 to gaze around them. But neither man nor beast 
 was in sight. 
 
 On hurried the two boys, through a tangle of 
 brush and tall pines, the latter of the long straw 
 variety and smelling strongly of turpentine where- 
 ever the last storm had broken off a top or a heavy 
 branch. Closer to the stream was a stately row 
 of cottonwoods, with here and there a fragrant 
 magnolia, which reminded the lads of the former 
 homestead left so many miles behind. It was the 
 spring of the year and the magnolias were just 
 putting forth their buds, and Dan paused for a 
 second to gaze at them. 
 
 "I'll tell you what, Ralph, it will be a long 
 while before Texas is as civilised as Georgia," he 
 observed. 
 
 "Will it ever be as civilised, Dan? I heard 
 father say last week, when he was talking to 
 Brossom, that he never thought it would be, — so 
 long as Texas was joined to Coahuila and belonged 
 to the Mexican Confederation. He said Texas 
 ought to be free." 
 
 " He is right, too, — we ought either to be free, 
 or else belong to the United States. It's all well 
 enough for the Mexicans living in Coahuila to be- 
 long to the Confederation if they want to, but 
 they don't care for us Americans, and they are 
 going to grind us under if they can." 
 
22 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 " But they were glad enough to have us come 
 in, weren't they ? — I mean at first." 
 
 " Yes, when Stephen Austin came in with his 
 first batch of emigrants they welcomed the new- 
 comers with open arms, and gave each man a large 
 tract of land for himself, one for his wife, and 
 more land for each child or servant, and they were 
 mighty glad to have other empresarios bring in 
 emigrants, too, so I've read in the papers. But 
 now they are getting afraid that the Americans 
 will overrule them, and there is bound to be a lot 
 of trouble sooner or later." 
 
 Ralph was anxious to show his brother his prize, 
 and as they neared the spot where the big deer 
 had been brought down he ran on ahead, and so 
 the talk on State affairs came to an end. But 
 Dan was right, there was much trouble ahead, as 
 we shall see as our story progresses. 
 
 The cottonwoods passed, the boys faced another 
 small clearing, where a forest fire years before had 
 lain many a towering pine low. Beyond this burnt 
 and barren spot were the pecan-trees overhanging 
 the river, where the deer had come to slake his thirst 
 when Ralph had trailed him and brought him low. 
 
 " Oh, Dan ! The deer's gone ! " 
 
 The cry came straight from Ralph's heart, as 
 with staring eyes he ran in under the pecan-trees 
 and gazed at the spot where the game had rested 
 less than an hour before. 
 
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE DEER. 23 
 
 "Gone?" repeated the brother. "Then you 
 didn't kill him ? " 
 
 " Yes, I did, — I am sure of it, for I turned him 
 over after he was shot. Could some wild animal 
 have carried him off ? " 
 
 " More than likely, although it would take a 
 pretty fair sized animal to tote a deer, especially 
 if he was as big as you say. Let us see if we can 
 find any tracks." 
 
 They began to search around the bank of the 
 stream, and soon discovered a number of foot- 
 prints. 
 
 " Indian moccasins ! " exclaimed Dan. " Ralph, 
 you were right about that Indian. He was watch- 
 ing you, and after you left the deer he came in and 
 took possession." 
 
 " But he hadn't any right to do that," burst out 
 the smaller boy, angrily. It cut him to the heart 
 to have his first big game taken from him. " It's 
 downright robbery." 
 
 " It certainly wasn't fair, but about its being 
 robbery, that's questionable. You shouldn't have 
 left your game without leaving something on top 
 of it, a knife or anything, just to show that you 
 were coming back for it." 
 
 " But this is father's land." 
 
 " It isn't fenced yet, and the Indians don't 
 recognise such ownership, anyway." 
 
 " But they must have known I was coming 
 
24 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 back. No one would throw away such choice 
 venison as that was." Ralph heaved a sigh. " I 
 wish I was a man, — I'd go after that redskin in 
 short order, and make him either give up the game 
 or bring him down with my gun." 
 
 " If you shot him you'd bring on a regular war, 
 more than likely. But if you wish, we can follow 
 this track for a stretch, and look for father at the 
 same time." 
 
 Ralph was more than willing to do this — any- 
 thing to learn what had really become of his game, 
 and so they continued up the river bank for the 
 best part of half a mile. Here they came to a 
 creek, leading directly west, and saw that the foot- 
 prints followed this new water-course. Along the 
 creek the way was rocky and uneven, and it was 
 plain to see where the deer had been dragged 
 along. 
 
 Ralph was going on, with his eyes bent to the 
 trail, when suddenly his brother caught him by 
 the arm, bringing him to a halt. In silence Dan 
 pointed to the opposite side of the creek, at a dis- 
 tance a hundred feet farther up the water-course. 
 
 " It's Hank Stiger, the half-breed ! " burst in a 
 low tone from Ralph's lips. " And see, he is ty- 
 ing my deer fast to his pony." 
 
 " You are right, Ralph." 
 
 " I'm not going to let him get away in this 
 fashion ! " went on the younger lad, excitedly. 
 
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE DEER. 2$ 
 
 « He's got to give up that meat, or I'm going to 
 know the reason why." 
 
 " Don't be rash. Hank Stiger is a bad man to 
 deal with." 
 
 " Are you going to let him go without doing 
 anything ? " demanded Ralph. " I'm sure you 
 wouldn't if it was your deer ! " he added, 
 bitterly. 
 
 " No, we'll talk to him and put our claim as 
 strongly as we can. But be careful, that's all." 
 
 With this caution Dan ran along the bank of 
 the creek until he reached the ford where the half- 
 breed had crossed. He went over, with Ralph 
 at his heels and both boys were within easy speak- 
 ing distance of Hank Stiger before the latter dis- 
 covered them. 
 
 " Hi there, Stiger ! what are you doing with that 
 deer ? " demanded Dan, as he came closer, with 
 his gun in both hands across his breast. 
 
 At the sound of the boy's voice the half-breed 
 turned quickly and his repulsive reddish-brown 
 face fell sullenly. He was a short, stocky fellow, 
 with a tangled head of hair and wolfish eyes which 
 betrayed the Comanche blood that flowed in his 
 veins from his mother's side. 
 
 " Who are you ? " demanded the man, hardly 
 knowing what to say, so completely had he been 
 taken by surprise. 
 
 "I am Dan Radbury, as you know very well. 
 
26 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 This is my brother Ralph, and he shot the deer 
 you are carrying off." 
 
 " Not much ! " ejaculated the half-breed. " I 
 brung that deer down myself — shot him through 
 the neck." 
 
 " It's not so ! " burst out Ralph. " The deer is 
 mine, I brought him down over in the pecan grove 
 on the river." 
 
 "Why, youngster, you're dead wrong, I tell you. 
 I shot this deer right down thar on this creek, two 
 hours ago. He limped off after I hit him, but I 
 followed the trail easily and found him in the 
 pecan grove, dead from whar I had struck him in 
 the neck." 
 
 This cool answer almost took Ralph's breath 
 away from him. " It was I struck him in the 
 neck, Hank Stiger, and the deer belongs to me, 
 and you sha'n't bluff me out of my meat, either." 
 
 "Hush, Ralph, don't be so headstrong," remon- 
 strated Dan, in low tones. "You'll gain a good 
 bit more by keeping cool." 
 
 At Ralph's words the half-breed let out a rough, 
 unnatural laugh. 
 
 " Boy, you must be daft, to tell me I don't know 
 when I bring down a deer. The deer is mine, and 
 if you shot at him you wasted your powder, that's 
 all." 
 
 So speaking, Hank Stiger swung himself on the 
 back of his mustang, which little beast looked all 
 
' you sha'n't leave this spot until you give up 
 that deer, and that's all there is to it ! ' " 
 
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE DEER. 2J 
 
 out of proportion to the deer and man mounted on 
 him. His gun was slung over his shoulder, and 
 there he allowed it to remain while he gathered up 
 the reins and urged his pony forward. 
 
 Ralph was white. As told before, he was but a 
 boy of eight, yet his life on the frontier had given 
 him the appearance of being ten or more. Rush- 
 ing in front of the mustang, he raised his gun 
 and pointed the muzzle at Stiger's head. 
 
 " Stop where you are ! " he cried, command- 
 ingly. " You sha'n't leave this spot until you give 
 up that deer, and that's all there is to it ! " 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 A QUARREL AND ITS RESULT. 
 
 It must be confessed that Hank Stiger was 
 badly frightened when Ralph confronted him with 
 the loaded gun. He was naturally not an overly 
 brave fellow, and while the boy before him was 
 young, yet he realised that Ralph could shoot as 
 well as many a man. Besides this, Dan was there, 
 and he was also armed, and now had his finger on 
 the trigger of the ancient cavalry musket. 
 
 " Don't shoot ! " The words came from Dan. 
 He could not help but admire his brother's pluck, 
 yet he was sorry that the affair had taken such 
 an acute turn. His caution was unnecessary, for 
 Ralph had no intention of firing, excepting Stiger 
 should attempt to rush by him or use the gun 
 slung on his shoulder. 
 
 The mustang took several steps, and then the 
 half-breed brought him to an abrupt halt. " You're 
 carrying matters with a putty high hand, to my 
 notion," he remarked, sarcastically. 
 
 An awkward pause followed, Ralph knowing not 
 what to say, and glancing at Dan, half afraid that 
 
 28 
 
A QUARREL AND ITS RESULT. 29 
 
 his brother would be tremendously angry with 
 him over the hasty threat he had made. Yet he 
 felt that he was in the right, and he kept his gun- 
 barrel on a line with the half-breed's head. 
 
 " Stiger, you might as well give up the deer," 
 said Dan, as quietly as he could. "It's Ralph's 
 first big game, and of course he feels mighty 
 proud of it. A good shot like you ought to be 
 able to bring down lots of game of your own." 
 
 Dan imagined that this tempered speech and 
 side praise would put the half-breed in good 
 humour, but he was mistaken. Stiger glanced 
 from one lad to the other, his face growing more 
 sullen each instant. 
 
 " This deer is mine, and you can't force me to 
 give it up," he muttered. " Put down that gun, or 
 we'll have trouble." 
 
 "You put down the deer, first," said Ralph, 
 sturdily. 
 
 " It's my deer, not yours, and I won't put it 
 down. I'm not afraid of two youngsters like 
 you." 
 
 Again Ralph's temper got the better of him. 
 "You shall put it down, Hank Stiger. You are 
 nothing but a horse-thief, and I — " 
 
 " Ha ! call me a hoss-thief ! " ejaculated the half- 
 breed, in a rage. " I won't stand that, boy. You 
 shall suffer for it." 
 
 "You are a horse-thief, and stole one of my 
 
30 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 father's animals last year. Now you want to steal 
 my deer, but you shall not do it. Dan, he's got to 
 give it up, hasn't he ? " 
 
 " Yes, he has got to give it up," answered the 
 older brother, seeing that matters had gone too 
 far for either of them to back down. Dan was 
 slow to make up his mind, but, once it was made 
 up, he was uncompromising to the last degree. 
 
 " Supposing I refuse to give up the deer ? " 
 came from the half-breed. He spoke in a brusque 
 manner, but there was a shade of anxiety in his 
 tone. 
 
 " You had better not refuse." 
 
 " You wouldn't dare to shoot at me." 
 
 "Don't you be too sure of that," put in Ralph. 
 " You must remember that father could have had 
 you shot down for a horse-thief, had he wanted to 
 do so. I don't want any trouble with you, but I 
 am bound to have my game." 
 
 "All right, then, you keep the game!" ejacu- 
 lated Hank Stiger, in deep rage, and, turning on 
 his mustang, he picked up the deer and flung it to 
 the earth. " But remember, I say I shot that 
 deer and that he is mine. Some day you'll rue 
 your work here, mark my words ! " And with an 
 angry shake of his dirty fist at them he kicked his 
 mustang in the sides and was soon lost to view in 
 the forest to the north of the creek. 
 
 The two boys watched bim carefully, and they 
 
A QUARREL AND ITS RESULT. 3 1 
 
 did not lower their guns until they were certain 
 that he had gone too far to turn and fire at them. 
 Then Ralph knelt over the deer and examined the 
 torn open neck. 
 
 "There, I was sure of it ! " he cried, trium- 
 phantly. " There is my bullet, and that's the only 
 shot he received." 
 
 " Let me see." Dan took the bullet. " You 
 are right, Ralph. But, even so, we have made an 
 enemy of Stiger for life. He will never forgive 
 you for calling him a horse-thief." 
 
 " I don't care, — I got the deer. Do you be- 
 lieve he'll come back to make more trouble ? " 
 
 "There is no telling. I think we had better 
 be getting back to the house, — father doesn't seem 
 to be anywhere about. There is a tree branch. 
 You can tie the game to that, and we can both pull 
 it down the creek to the river and then over to the 
 burn. It won't be worth while bringing a pony 
 out to do it." 
 
 Both set to work, and in a few minutes the deer 
 was fastened to the branch and slid into the creek. 
 The bottom was sandy, and the water made the 
 load slip along readily. The lads had just crossed 
 the burn with their drag when a gunshot rang out, 
 coming from the direction of the ranch home. 
 
 " Listen ! " ejaculated Dan. "A shot from the 
 house ! What can that mean ? " 
 
 He dropped his hold on the branch and leaped 
 
32 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 forward, unslinging the escopeta as he did so. For 
 a moment Ralph hesitated, not wishing to leave his 
 game again, but then, as his brother disappeared into 
 the belt of timber hiding the cabin from their view, 
 he also dropped his hold, feeling that, even though 
 a boy, his presence might be needed elsewhere. 
 
 When Dan reached the clearing about the ranch 
 home he found his father in the doorway, rifle in 
 hand, gazing anxiously in one direction and another. 
 Mr. Radbury was tall and thin, and constant expo- 
 sure to the sun had browned him considerably. A 
 glance sufficed to show what he really was, a 
 Southern gentleman of the old school, despite the 
 rough life he was at present leading. 
 
 " Dan ! " cried the parent, gladly. " I am happy 
 to see you are safe. Where is Ralph ? " 
 
 " He is just behind me, father. But what's the 
 trouble ? Has anything happened here while we 
 have been away ? " 
 
 " I hardly think so, but the Indians are around, — 
 I saw two of them directly across the river, and 
 half a dozen at the big tree ford, all Comanches, 
 and several of them in their war-paint. I was 
 afraid you had had trouble with them." 
 
 " No, we've had trouble with somebody else," 
 answered Dan, but before he could go any further 
 Ralph appeared. The tale about the deer and Hank 
 Stiger was soon told, Mr. Radbury listening with 
 close attention. 
 
A QUARREL AND ITS RESULT. 33 
 
 "And do you think I did wrong, father ? " ques- 
 tioned the youngest Radbury, as he concluded his 
 narrative. 
 
 " No, I can't say that, Ralph," was the grave 
 answer. " But I am afraid it will make us more 
 trouble all around. Stiger and Bison Head are 
 intimate friends, and if the Indians are going on 
 the war-path again, the half-breed may direct an 
 attack upon us. It was a great mistake to speak 
 about that stolen horse. We can't prove that 
 Stiger took it, although I am morally sure he 
 was the guilty party." 
 
 After a short talk, it was decided that Mr. 
 Radbury should go into the timber for the deer 
 alone, leaving Ralph and Dan to watch around the 
 cabin and the cattle shelter. At the shelter were 
 several cows, used for milking, and a number of 
 pigs. The other stock was off on the range 
 between the ranch and Gonzales, grazing. 
 
 " I'd like to know if the cattle are safe," re- 
 marked Dan, after his father had left. " If those 
 Indians should take it into their heads to round 
 them up and drive them off it would be a big 
 loss." 
 
 " Perhaps Hank Stiger will put them up to it," 
 returned his brother. " I suppose he is mad 
 enough to do most anything." 
 
 Leaving Ralph to see to the defences of the 
 ranch home, Dan hurried down to the cattle 
 
34 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 shelter. This was in plain view of the cabin and 
 could readily be covered from two firing-holes left 
 in the shutter which covered one of the windows 
 of the sleeping apartment. 
 
 Everything was as the youth had left it that 
 morning, and there were no indications that any 
 marauders had been around during the absence of 
 Ralph and himself. The gate to the cattle en- 
 closure was open, and some of the cows were out- 
 side. These he drove in and then barred up the 
 gate. 
 
 Back of the cattle shed, at a distance of several 
 hundred feet, was a slight hollow, where there was 
 a pool of water surrounded by mesquite-trees and 
 bushes. This pool could be seen only from the 
 back of the shed, and as Dan walked in that 
 direction, something caught his eye which instantly 
 arrested his attention. 
 
 It was a plume of feathers waving above the 
 bushes close to the pool. There was a similar 
 plume a short distance away. 
 
 "Turkey feathers," he muttered to himself. 
 " But there are no wild turkeys down there, and 
 I know it. Father was right, the Comanches are 
 watching our home and surrounding it." 
 
 As soon as he had made his discovery, Dan felt 
 inclined to run back to the cabin with all speed. 
 But this would let the Indians know that they were 
 discovered and probably make them hasten their 
 
A QUARREL AND ITS RESULT. 35 
 
 plans. So instead of running he took his time, 
 walked completely around the shed, stopped to pat 
 a favourite cow on the nose, and then sauntered 
 slowly to the cabin. 
 
 Once inside, however, his manner changed. 
 "Ralph, father was right, the Comanches are 
 on the war-path!" he exclaimed. "Bar up the 
 windows, and I'll look to it that every gun and 
 pistol in the house is ready for use." 
 
 "Then you saw more of them?" 
 
 " Yes, two down by the hollow." 
 
 " Do they know that you saw them ? " 
 
 " I hardly think so." Dan began to look over 
 the stock of pistols, several in number, including a 
 " hoss " nearly two feet long. " I wish father was 
 back," he added, anxiously. 
 
 " Shall I fire a signal ? " 
 
 " Not yet, for it may only make the Comanches 
 hurry up. But you can watch for father from the 
 doorway, and if you see him, beckon him to run 
 for it," concluded the elder brother. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 SOMETHING ABOUT THE INDIANS IN TEXAS. 
 
 While the two boys are waiting for their 
 father's return, and wondering what will be the 
 next movement of the Comanches surrounding 
 the ranch home, let us turn aside for a moment 
 to consider the state of affairs in Texas in this 
 momentous year of 1835. 
 
 As said before, Texas and the territory known 
 as Coahuila, lying on the southern bank of the 
 Rio Grande River, formed one of the states of 
 the Mexican Confederation. At the time Texas 
 became bound to Coahuila there was a clause in 
 the constitution which allowed her to become a 
 separate state whenever she acquired the requisite 
 size, although what the requisite size must be was 
 not specified. 
 
 The Texans were satisfied, at that time, to be- 
 long to the Mexican Confederation, but they soon 
 discovered that to be tied fast to Coahuila was 
 going to become very burdensome. The latter- 
 named territory was inhabited almost entirely by 
 Mexicans who had nothing in common with the 
 Americans, and these Mexicans kept the capital 
 
 36 
 
THE INDIANS IN TEXAS. 37 
 
 city of the state at Monclova or Saltillo, so that 
 the settlers in Texas had to journey five hundred 
 miles or more by wagon roads for every legal pur- 
 pose. Besides this, the judiciary was entirely in 
 the hands of the inhabitants of Coahuila, and they 
 passed laws very largely to suit themselves. 
 
 The first troubles came over the land grants. 
 A number of men, headed by Stephen Austin, had 
 come into Texas, bringing with them hundreds of 
 settlers 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 to their possessions. At the same time, 
 Mexico herself was in a state of revolution, and 
 often one so-called government would not recog- 
 nise the grant made by the government just over- 
 thrown. 
 
 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 the fron- 
 tier, like Mr. Amos Radbury, were never safe 
 from molestation. The Mexican government had 
 promised the settlers protection, but the protec- 
 tion amounted to but little, and at one time only 
 ninety soldiers were out to guard a frontier ex- 
 
38 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 tending hundreds of miles, and where the different 
 tribes of the enemy numbered ten to twenty thou- 
 sand. The only thing which saved the settlers 
 from total annihilation at this time was the friend- 
 liness of some of the Indians and the fact that 
 the red men carried on a continual warfare among 
 themselves. 
 
 Some of the Indian fights had been notable. 
 One of the worst of them was an encounter 
 between a band of over a hundred and about a 
 dozen whites under the leadership of James 
 Bowie, better known as Jim Bowie, of bowie- 
 knife fame, — this knife having become famous 
 in border warfare. In this struggle the whites 
 were surrounded, and kept the Indians at bay 
 for eight days, killing twenty odd of the enemy, 
 including a notable chief. The loss to the whites 
 was one killed and two wounded. 
 
 This fight had occurred some years before the 
 opening of this tale, but, only a month previous to 
 the events now being related, another encounter 
 had come off, on Sandy Creek, but a few miles 
 from the Radbury home. A party of French and 
 Mexican traders, thirteen in number, had gone up 
 to the house of one John Castleman, and during 
 the night the Indians came up, murdered nearly 
 all of the number, and made off with the traders' 
 packs. Castleman hastened to Gonzales with the 
 news, and a posse was organised to follow the 
 
THE INDIANS IN TEXAS. 39 
 
 red men. This resulted in another battle, in 
 the cedar brakes along the San Marcos, and some 
 of the Indians were killed. But the majority got 
 away, taking most of the stolen goods with 
 them. 
 
 The mentioning of these two encounters will 
 show with what the early settlers of Texas had to 
 contend while trying to raise their crops and 
 attend to their cattle. Often a bold settler would 
 go forth into the wilderness, erect his rude hut, 
 and then never be heard from again, his habitation 
 being found, later on, either deserted or burnt to 
 the ground. And men were not the only suf- 
 ferers, for women and children were often either 
 killed or carried off into captivity. Once two 
 well-known ladies were spirited away in the most 
 mysterious fashion, and they were not returned to 
 their homes until both had spent several years 
 among the red people. 
 
 Dan and Ralph thought over many of these 
 affairs as they set about preparing the ranch home 
 against any attack which might be made upon it. 
 Ralph especially was much agitated, for, some six 
 months before, several Indians had stopped at the 
 ranch for the purpose of trading ponies, and one 
 of them had eyed the soft -haired boy's scalp in a 
 manner which had given the youth a shiver from 
 head to foot. 
 
 " They sha'n't have my scalp," he murmured to 
 
40 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 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 finished inspecting 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, sunshiny day, and outside only a 
 faint breeze stirred the trees, otherwise all was 
 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 was repeated several times. 
 
 " He ought to hear that," said Ralph, as the 
 silence continued. Then his face 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 of those Indians who 
 was here last say he didn't like the white man's 
 fire-bow because it made so much noise it scared 
 all the game. If they've got bows and arrows 
 they could easily crawl up behind father, and — " 
 Ralph did not finish in words, but his brother 
 
THE INDIANS IN TEXAS. 4 1 
 
 understood what he meant only too well. Reach- 
 ing for one of the pistols, Dan ran outside of the 
 door, and fired it off. 
 
 Mr. Radbury had gone for the deer with his 
 gun slung over his back, so he could easily fire a 
 return signal if he wished. Eagerly the brothers 
 listened, but the exasperating silence continued. 
 
 Then, as Dan reloaded, Ralph fired a second 
 shot. 
 
 " Something is wrong," said the older brother, 
 after several more minutes had gone by. "If 
 father was coming with the deer he would be in 
 sight sure. Either the Indians have surrounded 
 him or killed him, or else 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 some six feet high at the 
 ridge-pole and two feet high at the edge of the 
 sloping sides. There were windows on all four 
 sides, but those at the slopes were small and only 
 intended for observation holes. 
 
 Ralph had closed all of the shutters, so the loft 
 was almost dark. With caution Dan opened one 
 shutter after another and swept the woods and 
 country around with the glass. 
 
 He could not see the hollow, but at the crest of 
 the hill by the cattle shed he made out the heads 
 
42 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 of several Indians gathered back of some bushes 
 and talking earnestly. Presently the Indians sepa- 
 rated, and two of the number walked off in the 
 direction of the river, on the opposite side of the 
 ranch home. 
 
 " They are up to something," reasoned the boy, 
 and took up a position on the other side of the 
 loft. From this point he could see a small por- 
 tion 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 them cross 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, and in this he was right. 
 The Indians and Stiger held a short talk, and then 
 all three disappeared in the belt of timber sur- 
 rounding 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." 
 
 " You think the Indians really intend to attack 
 us ? " 
 
 "I do." 
 
 " Right away ? " 
 
THE INDIANS IN TEXAS. 43 
 
 " No, they will probably wait until it grows 
 dark, especially now, after they have seen us bar- 
 ring 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, you know." 
 
 Dan continued to use the glass, stepping from 
 one window to another. But the Indians had dis- 
 appeared from view, and not another glimpse of a 
 feather or a painted face was to be seen. 
 
 Presently he found himself looking toward the 
 burn. Back, in the timber bordering the river, 
 was a tall tree which reared its head a score of 
 feet 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 the form of a man, who was 
 waving some dark thing, probably his coat, to 
 and 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 minute 
 and swung it vigorously. As he did this, the party 
 in the tree flung up the coat and caught it, then 
 disappeared from view. At once Dan drew in the 
 sheet, closed all the shutters of the loft, and went 
 below. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE ATTACK ON THE RANCH. 
 
 "Well, I've just seen father and signalled to 
 him." 
 
 " Where was he, Dan ? " 
 
 " In the top of the king pine by the river. He 
 was waving his coat to attract my attention. I 
 waved a bed sheet at him and then he threw his 
 coat up in the air and caught it, and got out of 
 sight as soon as he could." 
 
 "Then he was going off." 
 
 "Yes," answered Dan. For among these pio- 
 neers to throw an object from one and then catch 
 it meant to go away and return. " Probably he is 
 going away for assistance." 
 
 " I shouldn't think he would leave us alone," 
 mused Ralph, his face falling perceptibly. 
 
 " That makes me feel certain that the Indians 
 don't intend to attack us until dark. Perhaps 
 father heard some of their powwowing, or some 
 talk between them and Stiger. Anyway, I am 
 sure he is going away." 
 
 " Then we may as well close up tight." 
 
 44 
 
THE ATTACK ON THE RANCH. 45 
 
 " All but the door. But bring in all the buckets 
 full of water first. We may be in for a regular 
 siege of it." 
 
 Dan's suggestion was carried out, and the older 
 boy also made a raid on the cattle yard and 
 brought in one of the cows, tying her close to the 
 door. " Now we'll have milk and meat too, if the 
 worst comes to the worst," he observed. No 
 matter what else happened he did not intend to 
 be starved out. 
 
 Their regular chores done, the two boys locked 
 up below, but left the door unbarred, and then 
 went to the loft, taking with them their guns and 
 the spy-glass. 
 
 " I suppose we can count this something of a 
 fort," remarked Ralph. " But I don't care to play 
 soldier — I'd rather have the Indians leave us 
 alone." 
 
 " So would I. But I guess I can play soldier 
 if I have to," added Dan, with quiet emphasis. 
 Secretly he loved soldiering much better than life 
 on the ranch, but in those days he never dreamed 
 of the adventures on the battle-field which were 
 still in store for him. 
 
 The afternoon wore away slowly until the sun 
 began to set behind the timber west of the ranch. 
 In the meantime, the boys, having had no dinner, 
 grew hungry, and Ralph spent some time below in 
 boiling a pot of coffee and stirring and baking 
 
46 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 some ash-cakes, serving both with a bit of broiled 
 steak. 
 
 " It's too bad we can't have some venison," he 
 sighed to his brother. " But I reckon my first 
 big game is going to get us into a whole lot of 
 trouble." 
 
 " I reckon the Indians were getting ready to 
 come down on us, anyhow," answered Dan. "It 
 seems they can stay quiet just so long, and 
 then their animal nature breaks loose for a 
 shindy." 
 
 Dan had just returned to the loft after his 
 repast, when he uttered a shout. 
 
 " An Indian is coming toward the cabin, Ralph ! " 
 
 " Do you know him ? " 
 
 " No, but he is a Comanche." 
 
 " In war-paint ? " 
 
 " I don't know if it's war-paint or not, but he is 
 daubed full of all the colours of the rainbow." 
 
 " It must be war-paint. Is he alone ? " 
 
 " Yes, and riding a white pony. His gun is on 
 his back, and he doesn't look as if he was up to 
 mischief." 
 
 " Oh, I wouldn't trust him ! " cried the 
 younger lad. " He may be up to some of their 
 treachery." 
 
 " But I can't stop him from coming to the cabin. 
 I'll be on my guard, and you must be, too," con- 
 cluded Dan, and went below. With quickness he 
 
THE ATTACK ON THE RANCH. 47 
 
 hid away all the weapons but two pistols, one of 
 which he stuck in his shirt bosom and gave the 
 other to Ralph. 
 
 " We must keep apart," said Ralph. " Then if 
 he attacks one or the other the free one can fire 
 on him." 
 
 "That's good generalship," returned Dan, with 
 a grim smile. 
 
 By this time the Indian rider was close to the 
 dooryard, and Dan walked outside to meet him. 
 As soon as the youth appeared, the savage halted 
 his steed. 
 
 " How ! How ! " he said, in guttural tones, 
 meaning " How do you do ? " 
 
 " How are you ? " returned Dan. 
 
 "Wolf Ear is sick — got pain here," and the 
 red man pointed to his stomach. 
 
 " Sick, eh ? What have you been doing, — eat- 
 ing and drinking too much ? " 
 
 " No, Wolf Ear big sick two moons past, — 
 sick come back, — can't ride and must lay down," 
 groaned the savage, grating his teeth as if in 
 intense pain. " White boy help Wolf Ear, me lof 
 him." 
 
 Under ordinary circumstances Dan would have 
 been touched by this appeal, for he knew that the 
 Indians suffered just as many aches and pains as 
 did the white folks. 
 
 "I am no good at doctoring sick men," he 
 
48 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 answered. "Wolf Ear had better go back to his 
 own medicine man." 
 
 At this the Indian stared at the boy stolidly for 
 fully half a minute. He understood that he was 
 not wanted, and that he would not be allowed into 
 the cabin. 
 
 " White boy have no medicine for Wolf Ear ? " 
 he said, slowly. 
 
 " I don't know what would be good for you." 
 
 " Where white boy's fadder ? " 
 
 " He has gone away." A sudden idea came to 
 Dan's mind. " I think he has gone to Gonzales 
 to bring along some of the lumbermen to look 
 over the plans for a sawmill. There are about a 
 dozen men thinking of setting up a sawmill around 
 here." 
 
 The Indian pursed up his mouth, trying to con- 
 ceal his chagrin. " He come back soon ? " 
 
 " I expect him every minute. But you had bet- 
 ter not wait for him. Perhaps you'll feel better if 
 you wash off that war-paint on your face." 
 
 At this Wolf Ear scowled viciously. "White 
 boy big fool ! " he cried, and reached around for 
 his gun. But before he could raise the weapon 
 both Dan and Ralph had him covered with the 
 pistols. Not having seen the weapons while 
 speaking, the Indian was taken aback. 
 
 " Put that gun down," said Dan, sternly. " I 
 am not such a fool as you think." 
 
THE ATTACK ON THE RANCH 49 
 
 "Wolf Ear only make fun," grinned the savage, 
 feebly. " No mean to shoot." 
 
 " I don't like your fun, and I want you to leave 
 this place." 
 
 At once the red man straightened up like an 
 arrow on his pony. "Wolf Ear will go," he said, 
 loftily. " But Wolf Ear shall not forget you ! " 
 And he turned his steed to ride away. Evidently 
 he had forgotten all about his alleged pain. 
 
 " Dan, make him give up his gun," cried Ralph, 
 in a low voice. " If you don't he'll try to shoot us 
 as soon as he reaches cover." 
 
 "Halt!" exclaimed the older brother. "Wolf 
 Ear, you must leave your gun with us. You can 
 come back for it when my father is here." 
 
 At first the Indian pretended not to hear, then 
 he turned back to look at them, but without 
 stopping his pony. 
 
 " My firearm is mine," he said. " The white 
 boy shall not rob the poor Indian," and digging 
 his heels into his pony's sides he set off at a 
 breakneck pace for the nearest patch of timber. 
 Ralph was about to fire on him, but Dan stopped 
 the proceedings. 
 
 " No, let him go," he said. " Whatever happens, 
 don't give them the chance to say that we opened 
 the fight. If we start the affair we'll get into all 
 sorts of trouble with the agency." 
 
 Before they could argue the matter Wolf Ear 
 
50 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 had gained the timber. Both of the boys were 
 now in the doorway of the cabin. Bang ! went 
 the redskin's gun, and the bullet embedded itself 
 in the door-post close to their heads. Like light- 
 ning the boys leaped into the living-room and barred 
 the oaken barrier behind them. 
 
 " He has opened the attack ! " gasped Ralph, 
 the shot, coming so close, temporarily unnerving 
 him. " I told you he'd do it." 
 
 Dan did not answer, but, running to the closet, 
 brought out the best of the guns belonging to his 
 father. Leaping up to the loft, he opened the 
 firing-hole fronting the direction Wolf Ear had 
 taken, and squinted through. But the Indian 
 horseman was long since out of sight. 
 
 "Can you catch him?" asked Ralph, from the 
 foot of the ladder. 
 
 " No, he's gone." 
 
 "Do you think he'll bring the others down on 
 us now ? " 
 
 " No. They know we are armed, and they 
 couldn't rush across the clearing and break in 
 without one or more of them being shot, and they 
 are too afraid of their hides to undertake the job. 
 But they'll close in as soon as it's dark, beyond a 
 doubt." 
 
 " I hope father comes back by that time." 
 
 " So do I. Do you suppose they are driving off 
 the cattle on the range ? " 
 
THE ATTACK ON THE RANCH. 5 I 
 
 "There is no telling. For all we know they 
 may be up back of the cattle shed, too." 
 
 It was now so dark that but little could be seen 
 beyond the clearing immediately surrounding the 
 cabin. Each of the boys stationed himself in the 
 loft, Dan watching to the north and the east, and 
 Ralph to the south and west. 
 
 With the coming of night the silence seemed 
 more oppressive than ever, and only the occasional 
 mooing of the cow tied near the door broke the 
 stillness around the cabin. From the woods came 
 now and then the cry of a night bird, but that was 
 all. The breeze had died out utterly. 
 
 But presently came a cry that caused the hearts 
 of both lads to thump vigorously within their 
 breasts. It was the note of a night-owl, repeated 
 six times. 
 
 " That's a Comanche signal," said Dan, in almost 
 a whisper. " Ralph, they must be coming now, 
 and if they are, God help us to do our best in 
 repelling their attack ! " 
 
 " Amen ! " came almost solemnly from the 
 younger Radbury. " Can you make out anything 
 yet ? " 
 
 " No — yes ! Somebody is sneaking through 
 the timber toward the river. It's an Indian with 
 a gun ! He's turning toward the house, and two 
 other Indians are behind him ! " 
 
 Several minutes more passed — minutes that 
 
52 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 seemed like hours to the boys, whose hearts 
 thumped as never before. Both felt that a crisis 
 in their lives had arrived. 
 
 "They are coming, five strong," whispered Dan, 
 at last. "Perhaps I had better fire a pistol to 
 warn them off." 
 
 " Do it," answered his brother, and soon the 
 report broke the stillness. At the sound the Co- 
 manches came to a halt in the clearing, midway 
 between the cabin and the timber. The halt, 
 however, was only temporary, for an instant later 
 a wild war-whoop rang out, and they charged swiftly 
 on the ranch home ! 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 POKE STOVER TO THE FRONT. 
 
 " Here they come, Dan ! " 
 
 "Yes, Ralph. Watch your chance, and fire at 
 the fellow on the left. I'll take the one on the 
 right." 
 
 There was no time to say more, for now the 
 Comanches were close to the cabin. Both youths 
 were tremendously excited, but they felt that it 
 was a case of life or death, and did their best to 
 nerve themselves accordingly. Each picked his 
 man, and both guns rang out at the same time. 
 The reports had not yet died away when the red- 
 skin aimed at by Dan flung up one arm and sank 
 back, badly wounded in the side. Ralph had missed 
 his mark by a few inches. 
 
 The sudden attack brought the remaining Indians 
 to a halt, and for a second they appeared not to 
 know what to do next. Then the wounded man 
 staggered back toward the timber, and with another 
 war-whoop the others continued toward the cabin. 
 
 The boys had no time left to reload, and caught 
 up the pistols and let drive again. This time it 
 
 S3 
 
54 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 was Ralph who hit his man, a slight wound in the 
 leg. Hardly had the pistols belched forth than 
 the Indians opened fire, and four bullets buried 
 themselves close to the firing-holes in the loft 
 openings. 
 
 "They mean to overpower us if they can," cried 
 Dan. " We must load up as fast as we can ! " 
 
 The Indians, or at least the three that were not 
 wounded, had now gained the door, and were trying 
 to force it open. But their hatchets and the axe 
 they had brought along failed to make much of an 
 impression on it, and all they could do was to shout 
 in their rage and demand that the boys open the 
 door at once. 
 
 " Open ! Open ! " came in Wolf Ear's voice. 
 " Open, or we will scalp you ! " 
 
 " Go away, or we'll shoot you all down ! " 
 answered Dan, who had now reloaded his gun. 
 
 " We will not go away. What is in the house 
 belongs to the red man, and he must have it." 
 
 " It belongs to our father, and you shall not 
 have one thing," retorted Dan. 
 
 He had unbarred the shutter of one of the 
 upper windows, and now, leaning out swiftly, 
 he took aim at the forms grouped below, and 
 fired. 
 
 A howl went up, for the bullet had nipped one 
 red man in the ear and glanced along the shoulder 
 of a second. Then came a quick fire in return, 
 
POKE STOVER TO THE FRONT. 55 
 
 and Dan gave a scream that caused Ralph's heart 
 to almost stop beating. 
 
 " You are struck ? " queried the younger brother. 
 
 " It's not much," came from Dan, and, breathing 
 heavily, he flung to the window-shutter and bolted 
 it again. Then he came down the ladder, the 
 blood flowing from a wound in his neck. Had 
 the bullet come two inches closer, Dan would have 
 been killed on the spot. 
 
 The Indians were now trying to batter the door 
 down with a log of wood picked up close at hand. 
 The cow bothered them in their efforts, and one 
 of the red men had to take time to cut her loose, 
 at which the cow ran off to the cattle shed once 
 more. 
 
 Thus far three of the attackers had been 
 wounded, one quite seriously. The other two 
 continued to hammer away at the door, which 
 presently showed signs of giving way. 
 
 " Let us try to fire through the door," whispered 
 Ralph, when he saw that his brother was still able 
 to continue the struggle. " We may hit them, and, 
 anyway, we'll give them a scare." 
 
 Dan nodded, and both drew closer to the barrier 
 with their guns. But before they could level their 
 firearms, there came a report from the edge of the 
 timber next to the burn, and one of the Indians 
 was heard to yell in mortal agony and fall on the 
 doorstep. 
 
$6 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 " Somebody is coming ! " cried Dan, joyfully. 
 " It must be father ! " Then a second report rang 
 out, and another red man was struck, in the arm. 
 This was the savage who had previously been 
 nipped in the ear, and, without waiting for another 
 shot, he sped away in the darkness, and his two 
 companions after him, leaving the dead Indian 
 where he had fallen. 
 
 There was now no use of trying to fire through 
 the door, and Dan motioned Ralph to run up to 
 the loft. 
 
 " See if you can make out who it was that fired," 
 he said, "and if it is father, and he wants to come 
 in, call for me to open the door." 
 
 The boys had lit a single lantern, but now this 
 was put out, since they were afraid some treacher- 
 ous red man might still be lurking at hand, to fire 
 at them through a crack in the cabin walls. While 
 Ralph made his survey from above, Dan stood at 
 the door, his hand on the bar, ready to throw it 
 back on an instant's notice. 
 
 " A man is coming on the run ! " announced 
 Ralph, presently. " He is waving for us to open 
 the door. I can't make out who it is." 
 
 " Is it father ? " 
 
 " No, I can't make out — It's Poke Stover ! 
 Let him in, quick ! " 
 
 Back shot the bolt and up went the heavy bar, 
 and as the door was opened to the width of a foot, 
 
POKE STOVER TO THE FRONT. 57 
 
 the figure of a tall, heavily bearded frontiersman 
 slipped into the cabin. He helped hold the door 
 while Dan secured it again. 
 
 " Poke Stover ! " cried the youth. " I'm mighty 
 glad you've come ! " 
 
 " Are you and Ralph safe ? " was the question, 
 as soon as the man could catch his breath, for he 
 had been running with all the swiftness at his 
 command. 
 
 " Yes, although I've got a scratch on the throat. 
 But father — do you know anything of him ? " 
 
 "Yes, he has gone to Gonzales to bring help. 
 He says he signalled to you from the tall pine." 
 
 " So he did. Did he have a fight with any of 
 the Indians ? " 
 
 " Yes, he was attacked by Bison Head and 
 Hank Stiger, the half-breed. He put a bullet 
 through Stiger's left calf, and knocked the Injun 
 down with the butt of his gun. That's the reason 
 the two were not with the party that attacked the 
 cabin." 
 
 " How many are there, all told ? " asked Ralph, 
 who had come down the ladder again. 
 
 " Not more than ten, and one of 'em's dead 
 outside." 
 
 "And two or three of them are wounded," 
 added Dan. 
 
 " The wust on it is, they'll be gittin' thicker and 
 thicker," resumed the old frontiersman, who had 
 
58 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 drifted into Texas from Missouri several years ago, 
 and who had spent all of his life on the plains. 
 " I've half a notion as how Bison Head is tryin' 
 to git the whole Comanche nation on the war- 
 path." 
 
 " If that's the case, they may organise around 
 here," said Ralph. " How long do you suppose it 
 will be before father gets back ? " 
 
 " He said he would try to make it by daybreak," 
 answered Poke Stover. " It's accordin' as how he 
 finds his men." 
 
 The talking now dropped off, as the frontiers- 
 man said it would be best to remain silent and 
 keep on guard at the various port-holes in the 
 shutters. 
 
 Slowly the night wore away, until it was three 
 o'clock in the morning. Only one alarm had come, 
 but this had amounted to nothing. 
 
 " I see a light," announced Dan. " Can it be a 
 camp-fire ? " 
 
 "Not likely, lad," answered Stover. " Co- 
 manches on the war-path don't light 'em. It's 
 a signal." 
 
 " Another signal to attack ? " queried Ralph. 
 
 " More'n likely. We must keep our eyes peeled 
 for 'em." 
 
 Another half-hour dragged by, and the only 
 sound that broke the stillness was the morning 
 breeze, as it began to stir through the timber sur- 
 
POKE STOVER TO THE FRONT. 59 
 
 rounding the clearing. Outside not a soul was to 
 be seen. 
 
 " Perhaps that was a signal to withdraw," sug- 
 gested Dan. " I hope it was." But Poke 
 Stover shook his head, for he had seen much 
 of the Comanches and understood them thor- 
 oughly. 
 
 " They won't go until they've had another round 
 at ye," he said. "I'm expectin' 'em every minit 
 now." 
 
 Scarcely had he finished, when something at- 
 tracted Dan's attention back of the cattle shed. 
 An object was moving around. Presently it 
 started straight for the cabin. 
 
 " It looks like one of the cows — and it is," he 
 announced. " I wonder what started her up ? " 
 
 " Let me take a squint," said the frontiersman, 
 and covered the port-hole searchingly for half a 
 minute. Then he raised his rifle, took careful aim, 
 and blazed away. There was a grunt of dismay, 
 and an Indian, who had been driving the cow and 
 dodging directly behind, ran back, while the cow 
 kicked up her heels and flew in the opposite 
 direction. 
 
 "Thar, I reckon he'll know enough to keep back 
 after this," growled Poke Stover, with much self- 
 satisfaction. " He thought he was goin' to sneak 
 up unbeknown to us, but I crossed his trail fer him 
 that trip." 
 
60 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 " What do you suppose he was going to do, if he 
 had gotten close to the cabin ? " asked Ralph. 
 
 " He had a bunch of brush in his hand, lad, and 
 probably a bit o' fire about him, too, although I 
 allow as how I didn't see no light." 
 
 " Then he wanted to burn us out ! " ejaculated 
 the youngest Radbury. 
 
 "That was his game." 
 
 Ralph shivered at the thought. It was bad 
 enough to be shot at, but to be burned out ! He 
 wished daylight would come and his father would 
 return with the much-needed aid. 
 
 With the coming of daylight those in the cabin 
 could see with greater clearness under the tall 
 timber, and soon Poke Stover announced that 
 several Indians were in sight. 
 
 "They are making something," he announced. 
 " Looks like a stone - boat," meaning thereby 
 a sort of flat drag-sled often used for removing 
 stones from a field. 
 
 " I know what it is ! " exclaimed Dan. "It's a 
 shield ! One or two of them will come up behind 
 it. See if I am not right." 
 
 The three waited anxiously, Ralph fairly holding 
 his breath in expectancy. At last the shield, for 
 such it was, was done, and slowly two Comanches 
 came forward, holding it in front of them, and 
 taking care that neither should expose so much 
 as a hand or foot. 
 
POKE STOVER TO THE FRONT. 6 1 
 
 " Hang 'em ! " muttered the tall frontiersman, 
 and, taking deliberate aim at a slight crack in the 
 wooden shield, he fired. But the barrier was thick 
 and tough, and the bullet failed to penetrate to the 
 opposite side. 
 
 One of the Indians behind the shield carried a 
 bunch of dry grass and some brush, and as they 
 came closer this was lighted. Then the burning 
 stuff was hurled forward. It was tied into a 
 bundle with some strong vines, and had a stone 
 attached to give it weight. It landed on the roof 
 of the cabin, blazing brightly, then rolled off to a 
 spot directly below one of the windows. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 IN AND OUT OF THE BURNING CABIN. 
 
 " The roof is on fire ! " 
 
 " The wall is on fire under one of the sleeping- 
 room windows ! " 
 
 The first cry came from Ralph, who was in the 
 loft, the second from his brother, who saw the 
 flames and smoke coming through the cracks 
 where the wall and the flooring of the cabin joined. 
 The breeze was increasing, and soon both fires 
 were burning merrily, as if such flames were not 
 tending toward a tragedy. 
 
 " Some water — we must put it out ! " came 
 from Poke Stover, and, catching up one of the 
 buckets the boys had thoughtfully provided, he 
 ran to the window beneath which the conflagration 
 was spreading. " Unbar it, Dan, and I'll souse it 
 out. Look out that you don't expose yourself." 
 
 The shutter was unbarred and opened for the 
 space of several inches. At once the smoke 
 began to pour into the cabin, setting them all to 
 coughing. Then the breeze carried the smoke in 
 the opposite direction. 
 
 62 
 
THE BURNING CABIN. 63 
 
 Suddenly Poke Stover set down the bucket of 
 water and grabbed Dan's gun. A quick aim and 
 a flash, and one of the Comanches let go of the 
 shield and danced around with a broken elbow. 
 Then both of the enemy retreated far more 
 rapidly than they had come. 
 
 " Got him that trip," was the frontiersman's 
 satisfactory comment. " But be careful, Dan, 
 there are others watching us from the timber." 
 
 The shutter was pushed open a little more, 
 and with much skill Poke Stover dashed the 
 water on the blaze and put the most of it out. 
 Then he wet an old coat and beat out what 
 remained. 
 
 " It's a pity we didn't have no dirt handy to 
 shovel on," he said, pausing to catch his breath, 
 while Dan locked the shutter again. " We may 
 need this water afore we git through. How is it 
 up thar, Ralph ? " he called. 
 
 " It's burning pretty lively," was the reply. 
 " But perhaps we can beat it out with the coat." 
 
 "The Indians can spot you on the roof," said 
 Dan. 
 
 " Go down and unbar the door and swing it 
 partly open," said Poke Stover. "That will 
 attract the attention of the Injuns, and they won't 
 be a-lookin' at the roof. But wait a minit, till I'm 
 ready fer ye ! " he added, as he laboured up the 
 ladder with a second bucket of the precious water. 
 
64 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 The old coat was soused thoroughly, and Stover 
 opened the shutter nearest to the fire. 
 
 " Now go ahead ! " he called out, and Dan 
 opened the door, and swung it back and forth 
 several times. He also showed his hat on a stick, 
 and in a trice came several shots, one going 
 through the head-covering and entering the closet 
 in the corner. Then he swung the hat out again, 
 and another shot followed. 
 
 During this time the old frontiersman had 
 reached out of the upper window and beat out 
 part of the fire and hurled the remainder to the 
 ground, far enough away from the cabin to keep 
 it from doing further harm. One shot was aimed at 
 him, as the breeze exposed him through the smoke 
 to the Comanches, but this luckily flew wide of its 
 mark. 
 
 " By gosh, but that was a close shave ! " ejacu- 
 lated Stover, as he dropped back into the loft, 
 while Ralph closed the shutter. His beard was 
 singed in two places and his face was red and hot. 
 " It's a good thing that fire wasn't allow to gain 
 no more headway." 
 
 He bathed his face and took a drink of water, 
 and then all three began to speculate upon the 
 next probable movement of the Comanches. By 
 the clock on the living-room mantel it was now 
 half-past four. 
 
 "Father ought to be coming now," said Ralph. 
 
THE BURNING CABIN. 6$ 
 
 " But perhaps he has been unable to get anybody 
 to come back with him." 
 
 "Don't worry about that," returned Poke 
 Stover. " They'll all come if only they git the 
 word. The buck ague don't go around here." 
 By buck ague the frontiersman meant the fright 
 which occasionally takes possession of a pioneer or 
 soldier when facing Indians who are on the war- 
 path. 
 
 It was not long after this that the Indians be- 
 gan to show their activity once more. Others of 
 the tribe had arrived, until they numbered eighteen 
 or twenty, the majority of whom were armed with 
 guns, only one or two of the older warriors sticking 
 to their bows and arrows. 
 
 " I reckon they suspect we are waiting for help, 
 and they mean to do something before it gits too 
 late," observed Poke Stover. " Perhaps they'll 
 give us another rush before they withdraw fer 
 good. We had better inspect all of our shootin'- 
 irons, fer we may want 'em badly." 
 
 The frontiersman was right, the Comanches 
 were organising an attack, to be divided into three 
 parts, — one party to come from the timber skirt- 
 ing the burn, the second to come up behind the 
 cabin, and the third to make a dash from behind 
 the cattle shed. The first division carried a heavy 
 log, with which they hoped to batter down the door 
 in short order. 
 
66 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 "They are coming ! " The cry came from Dan, 
 who was watching the timber in front of the burn. 
 "There are six of them ! " 
 
 " Here comes another crowd from the shed ! " 
 ejaculated Ralph. 
 
 " They have divided up," said the frontiersman. 
 " Boys, I'm afraid we now have a stiff piece of 
 work cut out for ourselves. A third party is 
 coming from the rear, and there is no telling but 
 what there may be still more. We must do our best 
 and fight to a finish, for they are on the war-path 
 for fair, and they'll show us no mercy if once they 
 git at us. Load up and fire jest as quick as ye 
 can ! Give it to 'em hot ! " 
 
 As Poke Stover finished, he leaped to the win- 
 dow nearest to him, shoved the muzzle of his 
 weapon through the port-hole, and pulled the 
 trigger. A yell went up as one of the redskins 
 threw up his arms and fell. But then the others 
 came on faster than ever, yelling and shouting in 
 a manner to cause the stoutest heart to falter. 
 Surely, as Stover had said, it would be a fight to 
 the finish, and they were but three to seventeen. 
 
 Dan was at one port-hole and Ralph at another, 
 and now both fired simultaneously. Whether the 
 shots were effective they could not tell. Cer- 
 tainly none of the Indians dropped. 
 
 In two minutes more the Comanches were run- 
 ning around the house in every direction, trying 
 
THE BURNING CABIN. 6? 
 
 to batter down the door with the log, and likewise 
 trying to pry open several of the shutters with 
 their hatchets. 
 
 At such close quarters it was next to impossible to 
 fire on them, although several gun and pistol shots 
 were exchanged. Once an Indian fired through a 
 port-hole into the bedchamber, and the burning 
 gun-wad landed on one of the straw bedticks. 
 
 " Put it out ! " roared Poke Stover, and while 
 Dan trampled on the fire to extinguish it, the 
 frontiersman let the Indian have a shot in 
 return. 
 
 Crash ! crash ! The heavy bombardment on the 
 door was beginning to tell, and already there was 
 a long crack in the oaken slab, and the splinters 
 were flying in all directions. 
 
 " We'll take our stand here ! " cried Poke Stover, 
 motioning to a spot facing the door. " Give it to 
 'em the minit daylight shines through ! " And 
 they did, with such serious results that the party 
 with the ram dropped that instrument and ran to 
 the opposite side of the house. But their places 
 were quickly taken by others, and now it looked 
 as if the door must give way at any instant. 
 
 Suddenly, just when it looked as if the next 
 shock to the door must smash it into a hundred 
 pieces, there came a scattering volley of rifle-shots 
 from the timber near the river, answered almost 
 instantly by a second volley from the forest oppo- 
 
68 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 site. Then came a yell from the Comanches, and 
 a cheer in English. 
 
 " Hold the cabin ! We are coming ! " came in 
 Mr. Radbury's well-known voice, and never had it 
 sounded more comforting to the two boys than at 
 that moment. Then followed more shots, some 
 striking the cabin and others hitting the Indians, 
 who were so demoralised that for the moment 
 they knew not what to do. 
 
 " Down with the redskins ! " came in the tones 
 of a settler named Whippier, who had lost his 
 wife in a raid about a year previous. " Kill every 
 one of 'em ! Don't let them escape ! " 
 
 In his eagerness to annihilate those he so hated, 
 he rode to the front of the others, discharging his 
 gun and his pistol as he came, and then leaping 
 upon the nearest redskin with his long hunting- 
 knife. He brought the red man down with a 
 stroke in the breast, and was then laid low him- 
 self by Red Pony, an under chief, who was in 
 charge during the absence of Wolf Ear and Bison 
 Head. Red Pony then ran off for his very life, 
 followed by fourteen others, the remainder being 
 either killed or wounded. 
 
 " Boys ! Are either of you wounded ? " asked 
 Mr. Radbury, as he leaped from the mustang he 
 was riding, and rushed into the cabin. 
 
 " We are all right, father," answered both lads. 
 
 "Thank God for that!" murmured the parent, 
 
THE BURNING CABIN. 69 
 
 reverently. " But, see, your neck is bleeding," he 
 added, to Dan. 
 
 " It's only a scratch." 
 
 " Good. Poke, I see you managed to get to 
 them. You are a brave fellow, if ever there 
 was one." 
 
 "We've had a hot time of it, father," put in 
 Ralph. "If it hadn't been for Mr. Stover, I 
 don't know what we would have done." 
 
 " Ralph is right," assented Dan. " If he hadn't 
 put out the fire we would have been burnt out, 
 and the cabin would have gone up in smoke in the 
 bargain." 
 
 "I shall not forget your kindness, Poke," said 
 Mr. Radbury, taking the frontiersman's horny 
 hand. " But, as you are all right, I fancy I had 
 better join the others, and follow the miscreants." 
 
 "And I'll go with ye," said Poke Stover, who 
 disliked too much praise, although not averse to 
 some laudatory speech. "We ought to round 
 up every mother's son of 'em while we are 
 about it." 
 
 " Shall we go too ? " asked Dan. " I'd rather 
 do that than remain behind," he continued. 
 
 " You may come, if you'll promise to keep to 
 the rear," answered the father. " Remember, the 
 Indians are wily, and may set a trap for us." 
 
 All went outside, crawling through the battered 
 doorway, and were soon mounted on several extra 
 
yo FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 mustangs Mr. Radbury had brought along. The 
 planter informed them that he had brought with 
 him twenty-four men, including Jim Bowie, who 
 had happened to be in Gonzales at the time. 
 Soon the party of four were riding hard to catch 
 up with the other whites, who were following the 
 trail of the Comanches along the bank of the 
 upper Guadalupe River. 
 
"FOLLOWING THE TRAIL OF THE COMANCHES. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 AN UNSUCCESSFUL PURSUIT. 
 
 After leaving the vicinity of the cabin, the 
 Comanches struck a trail leading through a cedar 
 brake over the hill back of the cattle shed. Here 
 they came together, and without halting swept 
 straight along the Guadalupe River, as previously 
 mentioned. They felt that the whites would 
 follow them, and their one hope of safety lay in 
 gaining the wilderness about San Saba Hill, 
 sixty to seventy miles north of San Antonio. 
 
 The leadership of the whites naturally fell to 
 Colonel Jim Bowie, for he had been in numerous 
 Indian quarrels, and was a good man on the trail. 
 It may be here mentioned that Bowie, who was 
 afterward to become so well known in Texas, was 
 one of two brothers who came to that territory 
 from Louisiana, after having been engaged for 
 years in the slave-trade. The man was as bold 
 as he was daring, and it was said that he knew 
 not the meaning of the word fear. 
 
 The Indians were all on horseback, and as their 
 steeds had had a long rest they were fresh, and 
 
 71 
 
72 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 made rapid progress. On the other hand, the 
 mustangs of the whites were tired from the hard 
 night's ride from Gonzales and vicinity, and 
 they could not keep up the pace, although urged 
 to do their best by their riders. All of the 
 whites bewailed the fate of Whippier, and 
 swore to be revenged if given "the ghost of a 
 chance." 
 
 When Amos Radbury, Stover, and the two 
 boys gained the other whites, they found Bowie's 
 party fording one of the creeks running into the 
 Guadalupe. The Indians had passed there about 
 ten minutes before, and it was to be seen that 
 they had not even stopped to water their horses. 
 All of the settlers' horses were thirsty, and some 
 refused to budge from the stream until they had 
 slaked their thirst. 
 
 " Do you think they will be caught ? " asked 
 Dan, as he swept along beside his father. 
 
 " They will not oe caught if they can help it," 
 replied Mr. Radbury, with a faint smile. "They 
 know it will go hard with them if we do come up 
 with them." 
 
 "What of the wounded?" asked Ralph. But 
 his father merely shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 " They'll crawl off in the bushes, and either git 
 away, or die," answered Poke Stover, philosophi- 
 cally. To him the life of an Indian was of no 
 account. He had never considered that an Indian 
 
AN UNSUCCESSFUL PURSUIT. 73 
 
 might be educated into becoming a useful member 
 of the great human family. 
 
 On and on swept the little body of determined 
 whites, each with his gun in his hands, and his 
 eyes on the alert for the first sign of danger. 
 The trail was still along the river, but presently 
 it branched off, and entered an arrayo, or gully, 
 thick with thorny plants and entangling vines. 
 At the end of the arrayo was a rocky plateau, 
 and here for the time being the trail was lost. 
 
 "The Indian that's leading them knows his 
 business," remarked Colonel Bowie, as he brought 
 his command to a halt. 
 
 " That's right, but we'll soon be on his tail 
 ag'in," returned Poke Stover, who had come to 
 his side. " Let's spread out in a fan, colonel ; " 
 and this was done, each man examining his part 
 of the great semicircle with extreme care. A 
 short while after, the trail was again struck, and 
 they swept on. But at both this place and at 
 the ford valuable time had been lost. 
 
 Noon found the Comanches still out of sight and 
 hearing. But the trail was fresh and easily seen, 
 and it seemed only a question of endurance upon 
 one side or the other. 
 
 " If it wasn't for the jaded hosses," sighed Poke 
 Stover. His own steed was fairly fresh, but it 
 would have been foolhardy for him to have gone 
 on ahead of the main body, with perhaps only one 
 
74 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 or two others being able to do likewise. The 
 Comanches would have liked nothing better than 
 to have gotten at the whites one at a time. 
 
 As the afternoon came and went, the party in 
 pursuit began to grow hungry. A few of the 
 horsemen had brought rations with them, and 
 these were divided, each man and boy eating as 
 he rode on. Some of the men likewise carried 
 liquor, and this was also divided, although Ralph 
 and Dan procured drinks of water at a spring 
 instead. In those days it was share and share 
 alike with all of the settlers, and one man was con- 
 sidered as good as another so long as he was honest 
 and willing to work. For dandies, from Philadel- 
 phia, New York, or other large cities, the Texans 
 had no use, nor did they love those who tried to 
 show off their learning. They were whole-souled, 
 as it is called, to the core, and they wanted every- 
 body else to be so, too. 
 
 It was growing dark when Bowie called a halt 
 on the edge of a small clearing leading up to a hill 
 thickly overgrown with scrub pines. 
 
 " We must be careful here, men," he said. 
 "They may be scattered along yonder timber 
 belt, watching for us to uncover ourselves. We 
 had better move 'to the right and the left, and give 
 the old signal if any of the redskins appear in 
 sight." 
 
 The split was made, but the Radburys and Poke 
 
AN UNSUCCESSFUL PURSUIT. J$ 
 
 Stover kept together. One Indian was discovered, 
 and the settler who saw him at once shouted, as 
 prearranged. Then the Indians, seeing that the 
 attempt to draw the whites into the open had 
 failed, dashed along up the hillside, as rapidly 
 as the tangle of growth permitted. A number 
 of shots were exchanged, but nobody was hit. 
 
 During the afternoon one of the men had 
 brought down a wild turkey, and another several 
 hares, for game of all kinds was still thick. 
 
 "That will do for supper," said Mr. Radbury. 
 " But we will have to be careful how we build a 
 fire." 
 
 At seven o'clock the chase came to an end for 
 the day, the jaded ponies refusing to climb the hill 
 that loomed up before them. One of the ponies 
 was a bucker, and threw his rider over his head 
 into a mesquite-bush. 
 
 "Thet settles Bill Darson," drawled the Texan, 
 as he extricated himself from his difficulty. " When 
 the pony kicks, I kick, too. We don't go no fur- 
 ther jest now, hyer me ! " 
 
 But Bowie, Mr. Radbury, and several others 
 insisted upon gaining the brow of the hill, as 
 a point of vantage, and all plodded to the top, 
 where they went into camp in the midst of the 
 trees, half a dozen men being sent out to do picket 
 duty, so that Bison Head's band might not crawl 
 up during the night and surprise them. 
 
y6 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 "I'd like to know what became of Wolf Ear 
 and Hank Stiger," remarked Dan, as he flung 
 himself on the ground, glad enough to get out 
 of his high and uncomfortable Mexican saddle. 
 
 "They know enough to git out o' sight when 
 thar's a fight on," answered Poke Stover, with a 
 broad laugh. "Them kind o' varmin always does." 
 Usually the frontiersman spoke fair English, but at 
 times he dropped into the vernacular of the plains. 
 
 " I hope he doesn't go back to the cabin, now 
 it's deserted," put in Ralph. 
 
 " He may do that ! " burst out Dan. " I never 
 thought of it before." And he mentioned the 
 matter to his father. 
 
 " He will hardly dare to go back, for other 
 settlers will be coming up from time to time," 
 said Mr. Radbury. " He knows only too well 
 that he is already in bad favour with all straight- 
 forward men." 
 
 " He's a sneak," said Ralph. " But by the 
 way, father, you haven't told us your story yet, 
 although we have told ours." 
 
 " There is not much to tell, Ralph. I went for 
 the deer, as you know. I was dragging it back to 
 the cabin, when I caught sight of several Indians, 
 and, by their movements, I saw that they wanted 
 to cut me off and, more than likely, slay me. I at 
 once abandoned the deer and ran deeper than ever 
 into the woods." 
 
AN UNSUCCESSFUL PURSUIT. JJ 
 
 " Of course they followed you ? " came from Dan. 
 
 "Yes, they followed me, but only one or two 
 shots were exchanged, and I was not hit. I think 
 I wounded one Indian, but I am not certain. Then 
 I gave them the slip and climbed into the king 
 pine, as you boys named the tree. You remember 
 the signal I gave you ? " 
 
 "To be sure." 
 
 " I meant I would try to get help near by, if 
 possible. I had seen several lumbermen around, 
 and I fancied they might be down the river a mile 
 or so. I ran along the river with all my might, 
 and there met Poke Stover and told him what 
 was happening. He at once agreed to go to 
 your aid, and urged me to arouse the settlers 
 around Gonzales. He promised to hold the 
 cabin and stand by you as long as he could 
 draw his breath." 
 
 "And he did it ! " cried Ralph. " He's a noble 
 man." 
 
 " At first I could find nobody at home," went on 
 Mr. Radbury. "Joel Nalitt was away, and at the 
 Runyons' only the women folks were in. But over 
 to the Powers's ranch I met Powers, Anderson, 
 Striker, and a German, who was a stranger, and 
 they said they would all come along. Anderson rode 
 over to Whippler's, and those two brought along 
 the other men. It's too bad that Whippier was 
 killed." 
 
?8 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 All in the party agreed with Mr. Radbury in 
 this, although some said that it was better Whip- 
 pier should be killed than some man with a wife 
 and children. Whippier and his late wife had 
 never had any offspring. 
 
 The night was raw and cold, and toward morn- 
 ing a fine rain set in, adding greatly to the 
 discomforts of the whites. The game brought 
 down proved but a scanty meal all around, and 
 for breakfast there remained absolutely nothing. 
 
 "This is too bad," said Dan, referring to the 
 rain. He was soaked to the skin, and so was 
 everybody else in the party. 
 
 The trail was taken up as soon as it was light 
 enough to see, and the Indians were followed fully 
 fifteen miles, over a winding way leading over hills 
 and rocks, and through immense belts of timber 
 land. They had to ford several streams, and at 
 one of these points they stopped for an hour to 
 catch and cook some black bass, which were plenti- 
 ful. Toward nightfall the chase came to an end. 
 
 "It's no use," said one of the oldest of the 
 settlers. "They've got too good a start of us, 
 and it will be foolishness for a mere handful of 
 whites to ride right into the Indian country. 
 They'll lay a trap and massacre every one of us." 
 
 All of the others agreed with the spokesman, 
 and it was not long before the party was riding 
 back toward Gonzales. At first they followed the 
 
AN UNSUCCESSFUL PURSUIT. 79 
 
 winding trail, but, coming to one of the numerous 
 creeks of the vicinity, they branched off and took 
 almost a direct route to the town. 
 
 " Will you go back with us ? " asked Mr. Rad- 
 bury of Poke Stover, when it came time for the 
 Radburys to separate from the others. The ranch 
 home could be seen from the top of a neighbouring 
 hill, and all seemed to be as they had left it two 
 days before. 
 
 " Yes, I reckon I will," answered the frontiers- 
 man. " I ain't got nothin' else to do, and ye may 
 want an extra man about fer a day or two, jest for 
 to keep his eye open." 
 
 The storm had cleared away, and the sun 
 was shining brightly as the party of four rode 
 up to the battered door of the deserted cabin. 
 Down around the cattle shed the cows were 
 browsing away as usual, and several of the pigs 
 gave Ralph a grunt of recognition as he passed 
 them. 
 
 " Home again ! " cried Dan, and hopping to the 
 ground he crawled through the doorway into the 
 living-room of the cabin. As he went in he 
 noticed that the body of the dead red man had 
 been removed from the doorstep. 
 
 " Is it all right ? " asked Ralph, when a cry 
 from his brother aroused him. 
 
 " An Indian ! " came from Dan. He had dis- 
 covered a wounded red man lying on the floor in 
 
BO FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 the corner. Then he gazed around the room and 
 glanced into the sleeping apartment. 
 
 " Father, come in, quick ! " he went on. 
 "Somebody has been here, and has carried off a 
 dozen or more things. And your desk is broken 
 open, too, and all your papers are scattered about. 
 Did you have any money in the desk ? " 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 BIG FOOT AND THE MISSING PAPERS. 
 
 Dan's cry brought Mr. Radbury into the cabin 
 without further delay, followed by Ralph and Poke 
 Stover. 
 
 "What has been stolen?" queried Amos Rad- 
 bury. " I see that old Revolutionary sword of 
 your grandfather is gone." 
 
 " So are two of the pistols, and that half dozen 
 solid silver spoons mother got from Aunt Eliza- 
 beth," answered Dan. "But what of money in 
 the desk ? " 
 
 " I had but little — not over twenty dollars all 
 told, Dan." Mr. Radbury walked over to the 
 little desk, which was a rude affair made by him- 
 self during his leisure hours. "Yes, it's been 
 ransacked pretty thoroughly." 
 
 " Is anything missing ? " asked Ralph. 
 
 "I can't say." Amos Radbury looked over a 
 number of the papers. "I guess they are all 
 right. No, there is my discharge from the army, 
 after the war of 1812. The rascal who broke 
 open the desk took the pleasure of tearing that in 
 
 81 
 
82 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 half." He rummaged about a bit more. " Hullo, 
 it's gone ! " he cried. 
 
 " What's gone ? " came from both boys. 
 
 " The papers relating to this grant of land." 
 
 " Are you sure ? " asked Dan. 
 
 " Yes, it isn't anywhere about." 
 
 Mr. Radbury was more worried about the 
 papers pertaining to the land grant than over 
 anything else, and at once a search was instituted, 
 outside of the ranch home as well as indoors. It 
 proved of no avail, — the papers were gone. 
 
 " Will it do much harm ? " asked Ralph, who 
 knew very little as yet about real estate matters. 
 
 "It may and it may not," answered the father. 
 " Of course the grant is recorded, but with 
 matters in such a revolutionary state the records 
 may at some time be destroyed, and then some- 
 body else might come forward and claim this 
 grant." 
 
 " Well, I reckon you won't give it up, partner," 
 put in Poke Stover, suggestively. 
 
 "Not without a fight, Stover," was Mr. Rad- 
 bury's firm answer. " The land is mine, paid for, 
 and I'll hold it, papers or no papers, and no matter 
 how the affairs of the government turn." 
 
 " I wonder who was the thief," mused Dan. 
 "I don't believe it was an Indian. He might take 
 the other things, but he wouldn't know anything 
 about the papers, nor care for them." 
 
Oh, Luke ! See the Stars and Stripes ! Page 183 
 
It ain't the Cubans I'm talking about now Page 44 
 
BIG FOOT AND THE MISSING PAPERS. 83 
 
 " He might be cute enough to take the papers 
 just to throw us off the scent," suggested Ralph. 
 
 "You're wrong, Ralph, for he wouldn't know 
 one paper from another." 
 
 "But he'd know the land papers were impor- 
 tant, because of the seals on them," persisted 
 the youngest Radbury. 
 
 The Indian in the corner now demanded their 
 attention. He was plainly in a bad way, and Poke 
 Stover said it was very doubtful if he would live. 
 
 " If he does pull through it will only be because 
 he's a redskin and as tough as all creation," added 
 the old frontiersman. 
 
 In his guttural tongue the redskin appealed to 
 Dan for a drink of water. 
 
 " Certainly, I'll give you a drink," answered the 
 boy, kindly, and went out to get some water that 
 was cool. After the Indian had had his fill, Dan 
 used the remainder of the water in washing his 
 wounds and then bound them up. After this he 
 got out an old blanket, and he and Ralph placed 
 the wounded fellow on this. Before, the red man's 
 face had had a scowl on it, but now it became 
 more friendly. 
 
 "White boys heap good," he grunted. "Big 
 Foot no forget dem," and he nodded his head 
 suggestively. He had been shot in the leg, and 
 was suffering from loss of blood. 
 
 " Tell me who robbed the cabin," said Dan, for 
 
84 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 he felt that Big Foot had had nothing to do 
 with it. 
 
 The Indian knit his brow in speculation. 
 
 " White boy ask Big Foot hard question," he 
 said, presently. 
 
 " But you must know." 
 
 "Big Foot t'ink know, not sure. Big Foot 
 crawl in here out of hot sun. He half dead. 
 Udder man come, rob place while Big Foot half 
 dead." 
 
 " Well, who do you imagine the other man was ? 
 It couldn't have been one of your tribe." 
 
 " I t'ink him half my tribe. I t'ink him 'Meri- 
 can-Indian, um Hank Stiger." 
 
 " Hank Stiger ! " cried Dan. " Father, did you 
 hear that ? " 
 
 "What is it, Dan?" 
 
 " This Indian was half in a faint when the cabin 
 was robbed, but he thinks the thief was Hank 
 Stiger." 
 
 " That is not improbable, for Stiger was around 
 this vicinity and did not fight with the Comanches. 
 He could easily have come in after we went off on 
 the trail. When was the robbery committed ? " 
 
 " Him come in at the last sundown," answered 
 Big Foot, meaning the evening before. 
 
 "Alone?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " And which way did he go ? " 
 
BIG FOOT AND THE MISSING PAPERS. 85 
 
 The wounded red man could not answer this 
 query, and he now became so exhausted that the 
 others questioned him no further. 
 
 The fire was started up, and a generous meal 
 for all hands was prepared, of which the Indian 
 was given all that was good for him. Then the 
 red man went to sleep, while the Radburys began 
 to mend the battered door and put things into 
 shape generally. Poke Stover went off to the 
 timber, to find out what had become of Ralph's 
 deer, and to see if any of the enemy were still 
 lurking in the vicinity. 
 
 It was learned by nightfall that no Indians were 
 around for miles, and this made the Radburys 
 breathe much more easily. Strange to say, Stover 
 had found the deer just where Mr. Radbury had 
 left it, and now brought it in. 
 
 "A good shot, lad," said the old frontiersman to 
 Ralph. "No one could have made a better." 
 
 " Yes, it was a good shot," answered the boy. 
 " I'm afraid I'll not be able to do as well every 
 time." 
 
 "You mustn't expect it. If you could do as 
 well every time you'd be as fine a shot as Davy 
 Crockett himself." 
 
 " They tell me Crockett thinks of coming down 
 to Texas," put in Mr. Radbury. "They say he is 
 tired of things up in Tennessee." 
 
 "Yes, I heard he was coming down," replied 
 
86 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 Poke Stover. " Well, he's a wonderful old fighter, 
 and if we have any trouble with the Mexicans ye 
 can reckon on it as how he'll be to the front from 
 the very start." How true was the old frontiers- 
 man's prediction the future chapters of our tale 
 will show. 
 
 They hardly knew what to do with the Indian. 
 Stover wished to turn him out to shift for himself, 
 but the boys pleaded for the wounded red man, 
 and in the end he was allowed to remain where 
 he was. The Radburys retired to their sleeping- 
 apartment, while Stover made himself comfortable 
 in front of the big open fireplace. All, however, 
 slept, as the saying goes, "with one eye open." 
 
 The next week was a busy one. It was found 
 that not only had the Indians attacked the cabin, 
 but they had also tried to wreck the cattle shed, 
 and both structures had to be mended and put 
 into order. During the absence of the settlers 
 some of the cattle and the mustangs had strayed 
 away to other ranges, and these had to be rounded 
 up, for in those days men of limited means, like 
 Mr. Radbury, did not allow their live stock to 
 wander far away, to be rounded up once or twice 
 a year. If they had allowed this, cattle and ponies 
 might have gotten into the Indian country and 
 never been heard of again. 
 
 At the end of the week Poke Stover left, stat- 
 ing that he was going to make a trip to San 
 
BIG FOOT AND THE MISSING PAPERS. Zj 
 
 Antonio de Bexar, to learn how matters were going 
 politically. 
 
 "There may be a scrap on already," he re- 
 marked, "and, if so, I don't want to be sitting 
 here, sucking my thumbs." 
 
 "I admire your sentiment," replied Mr. Rad- 
 bury. " If there is trouble, can I rely upon you 
 to give me warning ? " 
 
 " Certainly," answered Poke Stover. 
 
 He left on Saturday morning, and on Sunday 
 Big Foot sat up for the first time. The Radburys 
 had done their best for him, and for this he was 
 extremely grateful. 
 
 " Big Foot pay back some day," he said. " Pay 
 back sure." The boys hardly gave attention to 
 these words, but had good cause to remember them 
 later. 
 
 During the next few months matters ran 
 smoothly, until one day when some of the set- 
 tlers from Gonzales came in. They reported 
 another Indian uprising farther eastward, and de- 
 clared that the local government was doing nothing 
 to check the red men. 
 
 " We must take the law into our own hands, 
 neighbour ^adbury," said one, who lived a mat- 
 ter of thirty miles away, yet considered himself 
 a fairly close neighbour. " The Mexicans don't 
 care a rap for us, and I reckon they'd just as 
 lief see the Injuns ride over us as not." 
 
88 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 " I trust Santa Anna does the right thing by 
 us," answered Mr. Radbury. 
 
 "I wouldn't trust any of 'em." 
 
 "Well, if they don't do right, they had better 
 look out for Sam Houston, or he'll be on their 
 heels." 
 
 "Yes, I've great faith in Houston," was the 
 other settler's answer. " He's a lawyer and a 
 fighter, and I reckon he can whip 'em both in 
 the court-room or on the battle-field." 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE SITUATION IN MEXICO. 
 
 In his conversation with his neighbour, Mr. 
 Radbury had mentioned Santa Anna, and it may 
 be as well to look for a moment at this remarkable 
 personage, who at that time, and for several years 
 to follow, was the most important man in Mexico. 
 
 Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna was born in 
 Jalapa, in 1795, and entered the army at an early 
 age. With Iturbide he joined in the revolution 
 and came out a brigadier-general, and was made 
 commandant of Vera Cruz. A few years later 
 he organised a revolt and overthrew the man he 
 had aided, and in 1828 he deposed Pedraza and 
 put Guerrero in his place. 
 
 So much of war would have satisfied any ordi- 
 nary man, but it did not satisfy General Santa 
 Anna, who was cruel and cunning to the last 
 degree, and prided himself on being "The Napo- 
 leon of the West," as he styled himself. He 
 wanted Mexico for his own, and in 1829 he de- 
 feated a large division of the Spanish army, that 
 
 89 
 
90 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 had landed at Tampico for the purpose of recon- 
 quering the country. 
 
 Having saved the Confederation, as he put it, 
 Santa Anna considered that he had more of a right 
 to Mexico than ever, and in 1832 he got into a 
 wrangle with Bustamente, who was then occupying 
 the Mexican presidential chair, with the result that 
 Bustamente was banished by Santa Anna's fol- 
 lowers, who forthwith made the general president. 
 At this Santa Anna went still further by dissolving 
 the Mexican congress, which action made him vir- 
 tually a dictator. How it was that the Mexicans 
 at large stood such treatment is one of the political 
 mysteries of the age that has never been explained. 
 
 Yet Santa Anna's dictatorship, if such it may 
 be called, was a position full of peril. There was 
 constant wrangling in nearly every state of the 
 Confederation, and in a number of places there 
 were actual outbreaks, which might have resulted 
 seriously had Santa Anna not nipped them promptly 
 in the bud. Stephen Austin had gone to Mexico 
 to further the interests of the Texan s, and been 
 there imprisoned for political reasons. This helped 
 along the war between Texas and Mexico, which 
 was bound to burst sooner or later. 
 
 The first dark cloud came in the passage of a 
 decree reducing the number of the militia to one 
 man for every five hundred inhabitants, and re- 
 quiring all the remaining armed persons to give up 
 
THE SITUATION IN MEXICO. 9 1 
 
 their weapons. The Texans refused to submit, 
 stating that they needed all the protection they 
 could get, on account of the Indians and because 
 of the desperadoes who flocked into the territory. 
 In the meantime Mexico had sent many of her 
 jailbirds to settle in Texas. 
 
 While this was going on, during the summer of 
 1835, Austin returned from his imprisonment in 
 Mexico, and was given a grand public banquet at 
 Brazoria. In his speech there he counselled mod- 
 eration, but declared that the civil government was 
 going to pieces, and that the Texans must take 
 care of themselves. He still believed in Santa 
 Anna and his golden promises, hoping against 
 hope for a peaceful change for the better. 
 
 At San Antonio were stationed five hundred 
 Mexican soldiers, under Colonel Ugartchea, and, 
 according to orders, this command commenced to 
 disarm such of the Texans as had failed to comply 
 with the decree regarding firearms. At Gonzales, 
 fifty miles to the eastward, the settlers had a four- 
 pounder, a brass cannon given to them by the 
 government for protection against the Indians. 
 
 "The people of Gonzales must give up the 
 cannon," said Colonel Ugartchea. "Tell them to 
 send it to Bexar without delay." 
 
 "We need the cannon," said the people of 
 Gonzales. " It's the only cannon we have along 
 the whole river front." 
 
92 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 " Santa Anna's orders must be obeyed," was 
 the Mexican colonel's comment, and he despatched 
 a force of one hundred and fifty dragoons, under 
 Captain Castinado, to take the cannon by force. 
 The Mexican soldiers arrived at the river on Sep- 
 tember 28th. On the opposite side of the stream 
 was Gonzales, but the ferry-boat was on that side, 
 too. 
 
 The Mexican commander waved for the boat, 
 but no attention was paid to his movement. Then 
 a horn was blown, but still the Texans paid no 
 attention. 
 
 " We will march to the ford," cried the Mexican 
 captain, and the dragoons started. But on reach- 
 ing the ford, half a mile below the town, they 
 found themselves confronted by Captain Albert 
 Martin, a merchant of the place, backed up by 
 several dozens of determined-looking Texans. 
 
 The alarm had now gone forth, and express 
 riders rode their steeds almost to death to summon 
 the people of Bastrop, Victoria, and other places. 
 Soon the settlers began to flock in, all on horse- 
 back and armed, ready to do or die for Texas, as 
 the case might be. With the number were Mr. 
 Radbury and Dan. Dan had been to Gonzales to 
 buy some household stores, and his father, hearing 
 of the uprising, had hastened down the river to 
 find his son and see that no harm befell him. This 
 had left Ralph home alone, saving for the company 
 
THE SITUATION IN MEXICO. 93 
 
 of Pompey Shuck, a negro, who had, during the 
 summer, followed Mr. Radbury from the old home 
 in Georgia and insisted that he be taken in and 
 set to work, "jess as on de ole plantation, Mars' 
 Radbury." Big Foot, the Indian, had departed 
 some time before Pompey's arrival. 
 
 " This looks like a fight, father," observed 
 Dan, as his parent joined him on the bank of 
 the stream, where Dan had gone, following 
 Captain Martin. 
 
 " It certainly looks like trouble," answered Mr. 
 Radbury, as he gazed at the Mexican dragoons 
 with anxiety. "That cannon may be responsible 
 for a whole lot of bloodshed." 
 
 " Well, they haven't any right to disarm us," 
 returned the youth, determinedly. "You'll fight 
 first, won't you ? " 
 
 " Perhaps I will ; it will depend upon circum- 
 stances," was the non-committal reply. Amos 
 Radbury was no "fire-eater," and, like Austin, 
 preferred a settlement without a passage at arms. 
 
 At the ford the Mexican commander had ridden 
 into the water to consult with the leader of the 
 Texans. 
 
 " I am sent here to obtain the cannon you are 
 holding," he said. " There is my order," and he 
 held it out. 
 
 " We don't dispute the order, captain," was the 
 reply. "But we consider it unjust to ask us to 
 
94 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 give up a piece that we may need against the 
 Indians." 
 
 "If you will give up the cannon you will be 
 protected." 
 
 "We haven't been protected for a long while. 
 We have had to protect ourselves." 
 
 " You are thinking of using that cannon against 
 the government," was the angry remark of the 
 Mexican commander. 
 
 " We are not thinking of doing so, — but it may 
 be we will be forced to do so," was the significant 
 reply. 
 
 "I am coming over, and I demand the cannon," 
 went on the Mexican leader, pompously. 
 
 " If you dare to come over, it will be at the peril 
 of your life," was the calm return. 
 
 The Mexican commander continued to bluster 
 and threaten, but all to no purpose, and at length 
 he withdrew his force from the ford, and went into 
 temporary camp in a valley opposite to Gonzales. 
 
 It was now night, and the town was at a white 
 heat. Meetings were held in half a dozen places, 
 and while some counselled delay others were for 
 forcing the fighting. In the end, however, it was 
 decided to wait, and in the meantime pickets were 
 sent out to watch the Mexicans so that they might 
 not enter Gonzales by stealth. 
 
 " I wonder if they will come over to-night," said 
 Dan, as he and his father picked their way along 
 
THE SITUATION IN MEXICO. 95 
 
 the river to where forty or fifty horsemen who 
 owned ranches in the vicinity had pitched their 
 headquarters, the taverns in the town being already 
 overcrowded. 
 
 " I doubt it, Dan. We have fully as many men, 
 if not more, and a Mexican soldier never loves to 
 fight in the dark." 
 
 " Perhaps the Mexican captain has sent back for 
 reinforcements." 
 
 " That may be. Well, all we can do is to watch 
 and be on guard." 
 
 By this it will be seen that Mr. Radbury was as 
 anxious as any one to keep the cannon. He had re- 
 fused to give up any of his firearms, and had buried 
 two of his pistols under the floor of the cabin home. 
 
 The night wore away without any alarm sound- 
 ing, and the next day the Mexican commander sent 
 another demand for the cannon, and on the day 
 following he asked that a time be set for a general 
 conference regarding the now precious bit of 
 property. 
 
 The conference was refused, and instead he was 
 asked to vacate his position so close to Gonzales. 
 This he would not do, and all of the settlers now 
 agreed that he was awaiting reinforcements from 
 Bexar. 
 
 " He will wait for Colonel Ugartchea to come 
 up with the balance of the command, and then 
 wipe us out altogether," said one. 
 
96 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 " Or perhaps he is waiting for Cos to come up," 
 said another. It was known that the Mexican 
 general, Cos, was on the march for San Antonio 
 de Bexar with six hundred additional troops for 
 the garrison of that city. 
 
 The morning of the first of October came foggy 
 and disagreeable. But little could be seen beyond 
 the river bank, and it was not known if the Mexi- 
 can command was advancing, retreating, or stand- 
 ing still. Again the leaders of the Texans met, 
 and it was unanimously decided not to delay action 
 longer, but if the Mexicans were still on the oppo- 
 site side of the stream to compel them to move 
 away before their force could be increased. Vol- 
 unteers were called for to cross the river with the 
 brass cannon and begin an attack, and a hundred 
 and sixty Texans rode to the front for that pur- 
 pose. Mr. Radbury was too loyal-hearted a man 
 to hang back, and as Dan begged very hard to go 
 too, he was permitted to join half a dozen young 
 men who brought up the rear. 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 THE OPENING OF THE WAR. 
 
 To get so many men across the river by boat 
 would have taxed the resources of Gonzales to the 
 utmost, so the majority of the Texans went around 
 by way of the ford, only a few going over in the 
 ferry with the four-pounder. 
 
 The trip was made during the night of October 
 first, and every man was cautioned 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 over a year, and 
 the two were warm friends. 
 
 "Or get a surprise," was the answer. "They 
 may be watching us just as hard as we are watch- 
 ing 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 band made its way through the 
 brush toward the spot where the Mexican com- 
 97 
 
98 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 mand 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 the extreme 
 right, down by the water's edge. 
 
 Here there was more than one little inlet to 
 cross, and while Dan's horse was picking his steps 
 the youth fancied he detected a sudden movement 
 among the bushes overhanging the water's edge. 
 
 " Hold on," he cried to Henry Parker. " Some- 
 thing is in that bush." 
 
 " Man or beast ? " whispered Henry, and placed 
 his hand to the trigger of his gun. 
 
 " I can't say. Wait till I investigate." 
 
 Leaving his mustang in his friend's care, Dan 
 leaped to the ground and ran close to the bushes. 
 As he did this, he stumbled into a hole and fell. 
 He picked himself up, and while doing so heard a 
 splash and saw some dark object disappear beneath 
 the river's surface. 
 
 " Come here ! Something is up ! " he called to 
 Henry, and at once his friend complied, and both 
 ran down to the water's edge and strained their 
 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 was a man." 
 
 " Then it must have been a Mexican ! " 
 
HOLD ON ! ' HE CRIED TO HENRY PARKER. 
 THING IS IN THAT BUSH ! ' " 
 
THE OPENING OF THE WAR. 99 
 
 " To be sure. Stay here and watch, and I'll go 
 down the stream a bit. He ought to come up 
 soon." 
 
 Dan had hardly spoken when he espied a head 
 coming up but thirty or forty 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 desire to open the war in 
 person, but his threat had considerable effect. 
 
 " No shoota me ! " cried the Mexican. " No 
 shoota ! " And then he continued to talk in 
 Spanish, which Dan and his friend understood, 
 but imperfectly. 
 
 " I want you to come back here," went on the 
 youth, and he pointed his gun. 
 
 At this the Mexican dove out of sight, not to 
 come up for a distance of a 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 to discharge any firearms 
 until we received orders. A shot down here would 
 alarm 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-sized stones. " Come back at 
 
IOO FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 once ! " he ordered, and, taking aim, he let drive 
 with 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 loud that 
 several Texans at once rode up to the vicinity to 
 learn what was the matter. 
 
 "Yes, he's got to come ashore," declared one of 
 the men. " He may be a spy 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 ; do you hear ? " 
 
 "Si, capitan " (" Yes, captain"), was the answer, 
 and without further ado the Mexican turned and 
 came back to the river bank. As he crawled out, 
 wet and muddy, he looked the picture of despair. 
 
 " It's Pietro the gambler, from Bastrop," said 
 one of the Texans, after a close scrutiny. "I'll 
 wager he was going to give us away to the 
 greasers in camp." 
 
 "No, no, me watch fight, dat's all, senor," said 
 the Mexican, who was noted not only for his skill 
 at cards but also for his skill at cheating. " Pietro 
 fight for Texans when fight 't all." 
 
 " That don't go down, you card-sharp ! " cried an- 
 other of the men. " I know him well, and he would 
 cheat his own grandmother if he could. Let us 
 make him a prisoner, at least until this business 
 we are on is over." 
 
THE OPENING OF THE WAR. IOI 
 
 So it was agreed, and despite the gamblers' 
 protests he was bound hands and feet and tied up 
 to a near-by tree. Had he not been captured, the 
 fight so close at hand would probably not have 
 come off. 
 
 On went the Texans, until a point was gained 
 overlooking the camping spot of the Mexicans. 
 The advance guard reported that Captain Casti- 
 nado was still at the place with his dragoons. 
 
 " Then we'll wait until daybreak and open up 
 on them," said the Texans, and went into tempo- 
 rary camp. It is doubtful if any of the number 
 closed his eyes for the balance of that never-to-be- 
 forgotten night. To them this contest was to be 
 like that of Concord and Lexington to the patriots 
 of 1775, — it was to mark the dawn of Texan 
 liberty. 
 
 The Mexicans had located at a spot called 
 DeWitt's mound ; while the Texans occupied a 
 position farther down the valley and close to the 
 river. As soon as it began to grow light, the four- 
 pounder was placed in position, and the rough but 
 rugged little army was drawn up in battle array. 
 Only here and there was there a man in uniform, 
 and the weapons were of all sorts and sizes. 
 Leaders and privates had come over, some 
 on horseback, some on ponies, and others on 
 foot. 
 
 " Give it to them ! " came the sharp order, when 
 
102 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 it was light enough to locate the Mexicans with 
 certainty, and the brass four-pounder belched 
 forth its contents, and the battle was opened 
 at last. 
 
 " Forward ! " was the cry down the line, and 
 away swept the Texans, in two long lines, Mr. 
 Radbury well to the front, and Dan not very far 
 behind. 
 
 The Mexicans had been taken completely by 
 surprise and for the moment knew not what to do. 
 But they quickly organised and returned the fire, 
 and then the Texans swept closer, and the con- 
 stant crack, crack, of the musketry could be heard 
 upon every side. 
 
 " Gracious, this is war, sure ! " cried Dan, as he 
 discharged his gun and proceeded to reload with 
 all speed, while still riding forward. "It looks 
 as if we were going to have a hand-to-hand en- 
 counter." 
 
 " Forward, for the liberty of Texas ! " shouted 
 one of the leaders, and a score of voices took up 
 the cry. " For the liberty of Texas ! For the 
 liberty of Texas ! " It was a battle-cry fit to 
 inspire any body of men. 
 
 The Mexicans could not withstand such an 
 onslaught, and, having fired several rounds, they 
 broke and began to retreat before the Texans 
 could get within two hundred yards of them. 
 Away they went for the road leading to San 
 
THE OPENING OF THE WAR. 103 
 
 Antonio, the Texans following them for some dis- 
 tance and then giving up the chase. 
 
 The first fight for Texan independence had 
 been fought and won, and a mighty cheer went up, 
 which was several times repeated. It was found 
 that four of the Mexicans had been killed and 
 several wounded, while the Texans had suffered 
 little or nothing. 
 
 " Father, we have gained the day ! " exclaimed 
 Dan, as he rode up to his parent. 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 
 by unnoticed." 
 
 "The government! What government?" put 
 in one old settler. "I acknowledge no govern- 
 ment 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'll show 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 regu- 
 larly formed Texan army inside of thirty days, or 
 else we'll have to pay the piper, and that means 
 
104 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 with Santa Anna that we'll either get a dose of 
 lead or else dance on nothing," meaning they 
 would all be shot or hung. This may seem an 
 extravagant statement, but in view of what fol- 
 lowed it was far from being so. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE MARCH ON SAN ANTONIO. 
 
 The Mexicans had been routed, and for over a 
 week matters went along quietly in the vicinity of 
 Gonzales ; that is, there was no further righting. 
 Meetings there were without number, and young 
 and old began to drill and to talk of nothing but 
 military matters. 
 
 " Will you join the army, father ? " asked Dan, 
 when, two days after the fight, he and his parent 
 returned to the ranch home. 
 
 "I do not see how I can avoid it," answered 
 Mr. Radbury. " Many of the neighbours are 
 going, and it might appear cowardly to hang back. 
 Besides, I must say that, after long thought, I 
 have come to the conclusion that there is nothing 
 for us to do but to fight for our rights." 
 
 " Hurrah ! I knew you would say that," cried 
 Dan. " We must be free by all means, and then 
 perhaps some day we'll become joined to the 
 United States." 
 
 " That is for after consideration," smiled Mr. 
 105 x 
 
106 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 Radbury, but the thought had often crossed his 
 own mind. 
 
 Ralph and the negro were anxious to hear the 
 particulars of what had occurred, and the boy- 
 listened to his brother's tale in open-mouthed 
 amazement. 
 
 " A real battle ! Oh, Dan, how I wish I had 
 been there ! " 
 
 " Well, to tell the truth, it was rather one-sided. 
 The Mexicans did not stand up in front of us 
 long." 
 
 " And what are they going to do next ? " 
 
 " Nobody knows. But there will be war, be- 
 yond a doubt." 
 
 " Oh, yes, I suppose General Santa Anna will 
 be as mad as a hornet when he hears of the affair. 
 And all over an old brass cannon, too ! " And 
 Ralph gave a laugh. 
 
 Matters were going along smoothly at the ranch, 
 for Pompey was a faithful worker and had dropped 
 into the routine without an effort. Mr. Radbury 
 was glad that he had come, for he felt that he 
 wanted a man around, in case the coming war 
 carried him a distance from home. 
 
 As intimated, the fight at Gonzales became the 
 talk of all Texas, and, the day after the contest, 
 the committee organised at San Felipe issued a 
 statement and called upon each man in Texas to 
 decide for himself whether or not he would submit 
 
THE MARCH ON SAN ANTONIO. 107 
 
 to the destruction of his rights and liberties by the 
 central government of Mexico, and stating that 
 the war had begun. 
 
 While meetings were going on in a dozen places 
 or more, and frontiersmen and settlers were hurry- 
 ing to the scene of action, a force of about forty 
 men, under the leadership of Captain Collingsworth, 
 gathered for the purpose of capturing Goliad, a 
 small town on the lower San Antonio River. 
 The river was gained on the night of October 9th, 
 and while scouts were out reconnoitring, the 
 brave little band was joined by Colonel Ben 
 Milam, an old Texan empresario, who had been 
 confined for political reasons in the jail at Mon- 
 terey. Of this gallant man we will hear more 
 later. 
 
 Finding the coast clear, the band entered the 
 town, and silently made their way to the quarters 
 of Lieutenant-Colonel Sandoval, the commandant. 
 They were less than a hundred feet from the 
 garrison when a sentry discovered them and gave 
 the alarm. The sentry was shot down on the spot, 
 and then the door was splintered to kindling-wood 
 with axes, and the Texans poured into the build- 
 ing, and the commandant was made a prisoner. 
 There was great surprise for several minutes, but 
 the Mexican soldiers had been taken off their 
 guard, and could offer little resistance. Twenty- 
 five were captured, and the rest escaped in the 
 
108 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 darkness. By this quick movement the Texans 
 gained a quantity of valuable army stores, horses, 
 three pieces of artillery, and five hundred guns 
 and pistols. 
 
 As Gonzales had been the starting-point of the 
 war, it now became the general centre for the 
 gathering Texan army, and by the middle of 
 October there were gathered there between three 
 and four hundred men who were willing and 
 anxious to serve their country. By common 
 consent Austin was appointed chief in command, 
 with the title of general. The volunteers, as they 
 were called, were formed into a regiment, with 
 John H. Moore as colonel. Old Colonel Milam, 
 who had just arrived from Goliad, was made chief 
 of a band of scouts, — men who did valiant ser- 
 vice from the beginning to the end of the war. 
 
 It was to this regiment that Mr. Radbury be- 
 came attached, and Dan and Ralph rode down to 
 Gonzales to see their parent join. As Mr. Rad- 
 bury was a veteran of the war of 1812, he was 
 given the position of a lieutenant. Drilling went 
 on constantly, and the little regiment was gotten 
 into the best condition that the means at hand 
 afforded. In the meantime other volunteers 
 poured in daily. 
 
 At first the Texans had thought to act only on 
 the defensive, but, as the days slipped by, the war 
 spirit grew on the settlers, and they said they 
 
THE MARCH ON SAN ANTONIO. I0O, 
 
 wanted the thing " over and done with," that they 
 might return to their homes and prepare for the 
 winter. It was then decided to march toward San 
 Antonio, to see if the Mexicans would come out of 
 the stronghold to do them battle. 
 
 "Good-bye, boys," said Mr. Radbury, when the 
 order was passed around to prepare for the march. 
 " It may be some time before I see you again." 
 
 " I wish I could go," answered Dan, pleadingly. 
 
 " Your time may come, Dan. But for the pres- 
 ent I think we have enough men for this expedi- 
 tion. I think you and Ralph will have enough to 
 do around the ranch, with me absent." 
 
 " But if I hear you are in trouble, father, I shall 
 come on at once," went on Dan, and from this 
 decision his parent could not dissuade him. 
 
 The troops were soon on the way, Dan and 
 Ralph riding several miles with their parent. 
 Then, at the top of the hill, they separated. But 
 the boys remained on the hill until the soldiers 
 were lost to sight in the distance on the dusty 
 plain below. 
 
 " Good-bye, and may success go with them ! " 
 cried Ralph, half sadly. " I do hope father comes 
 back safe and sound." 
 
 " If he doesn't, I shall take his place in the 
 ranks," replied Dan, quickly. " But come, we 
 must be getting home now, or Pompey will be 
 anxious about us." 
 
IIO FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 " Here comes a horseman, riding like the wind," 
 came from the younger Radbury, a moment later. 
 " I declare, it's Poke Stover ! " 
 
 " Hullo, boys ! " cried the old frontiersman, as 
 he came up. " What are ye a-doin' here ? " 
 
 " We just saw the troops off for San Antonio," 
 answered Dan. 
 
 " Gone this way ? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "When?" 
 
 "An hour ago. See that black line over 
 yonder ? That's our army." 
 
 " Whoopee ! I was afraid I'd be too late. Good- 
 bye. We are bound to bring them greasers to 
 terms this trip ! " And, with a wave of his som- 
 brero, Poke Stover rode off as rapidly as he had 
 come. 
 
 " He'll be a whole company in himself," was 
 Ralph's comment. " He doesn't think any more 
 of a Mexican soldier than he does of a fly, to 
 bother him." 
 
 They were soon on the way to Gonzales, where 
 they loaded their ponies with stores for the ranch. 
 This accomplished, they set on up the river, hop- 
 ing to reach the ranch home by night. 
 
 In those days the banks of the Guadalupe 
 River were altogether different from to-day. 
 Where numerous settlements now exist were 
 then immense belts of timber, with here and 
 
THE MARCH ON SAN ANTONIO. Ill 
 
 there a burn, or a stretch of thorns and entan- 
 gling vines. In some spots the banks were steep 
 and rocky as to-day, and these rocks were the 
 homes of numerous wild animals, including the 
 fierce Texan wolf, the puma, the jaguar, the wild- 
 cat, and the black bear. The stream was full of 
 fish, the best of which was the black bass, which, 
 I believe, still holds its own in many Texan waters. 
 
 As the boys passed along the narrow wagon 
 trail, which their father and other pioneers had 
 blazed for themselves, they kept their eyes on 
 the alert for any wild beasts that might appear, 
 having no desire to let a fierce and hungry wolf 
 pounce down suddenly upon themselves or their 
 steeds, or a black bear stalk out to embrace them. 
 Their packs lay behind them, and they held their 
 guns on the saddle in front. 
 
 They were thus passing through the largest of 
 the timber belts when the howl of a wolf reached 
 their ears. It was immediately answered by a 
 similar howl from another wolf. Both came from 
 directly in front. 
 
 " Hullo ! a wolf — two wolves ! " cried Ralph, as 
 he brought his pony to a halt. " I don't like that 
 much." 
 
 " Is your gun all right ? " came quickly from his 
 brother. 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 The two lads remained motionless in the saddle 
 
112 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 for several minutes, listening. No other howl 
 reached their ears, and the only sounds were 
 that of the rushing stream as it tumbled over 
 some rocks, and the cries of the night birds and 
 the humming of the insects. 
 
 " Let us set up a yell," suggested Dan. "That 
 may scare them off." 
 
 They called out at the top of their lungs several 
 times. One distant howl answered them, then all 
 became as silent as before. 
 
 " We may as well go on," said the older brother. 
 "We'll be as safe moving as standing still. But 
 keep your eyes peeled, Ralph." 
 
 They moved on slowly, with eyes turned to the 
 right and the left, and keeping as far as possible 
 from the brushwood and the low-hanging boughs 
 of the trees. The mustangs seemed to realise 
 that all was not right, and pricked up their ears 
 and smelled the air. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 A FIGHT WITH A PUMA. 
 
 " By George ! Something is wrong now ! " 
 
 It was Dan who uttered the words, as he again 
 drew rein, followed by Ralph. They had passed 
 along a distance of less than quarter of a mile, and 
 the end of the forest was still a goodly distance 
 ahead. 
 
 A fierce howling had arisen, followed by a snarl- 
 ing and a snapping which caused the hearts of both 
 boys to beat violently. The mustangs trembled, 
 and acted as if they wished to turn and run. 
 
 " It's a wildcat or a painter, or something, and 
 he's got into a fight with the wolves," continued 
 Dan, as he strained his ears to catch the sounds 
 of the encounter. "They are having a lively 
 tussle, aren't they?" 
 
 " Let them fight it out," answered Ralph, with 
 something of a shudder. " I hope they all kill 
 each other, too," he added. 
 
 The howling and snapping and snarling con- 
 tinued for several minutes, then gradually died 
 away in the distance. Still listening, they heard 
 »3 
 
114 F0R THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 some large beast trailing through the brush to one 
 side of them. They turned in the direction, and 
 levelled their guns, but the animal did not show 
 itself. 
 
 Darkness was now coming on, and the boys 
 wished themselves safe at the ranch. It was 
 one thing to ride through the timber in the 
 daylight ; it was quite another to do so at night, 
 and especially when the wild animals were on 
 the move. 
 
 "The worst of it is, one wild beast sets the 
 other to fighting," said Dan. 
 
 "And it's so dark a fellow can't see fifty feet 
 ahead of him." 
 
 What to do was indeed a question, but neither 
 of the lads wished to remain in the timber all 
 night, and, after another consultation, they decided 
 to rush their ponies along until the next burn was 
 gained. 
 
 " If we go fast enough, no wild animal will have 
 time to organise an attack," said Ralph. 
 
 The wind was coming up, setting the dying 
 leaves to scattering in all directions. As the wind 
 increased, the boughs of the trees swayed violently 
 over their heads. 
 
 Suddenly Dan, who was ahead, set up a shrill 
 cry of alarm. He had seen two eyes glaring 
 down at him from the branches of a tree he 
 was just passing. He tried to pull back his 
 
A FIGHT WITH A PUMA. 115 
 
 mustang, and on the same instant a huge puma, 
 or, as he is commonly called in the southwest, a 
 painter, landed almost directly on his pony's neck. 
 
 The attack was a fierce one, and had it not been 
 for a lucky accident either Dan or his steed must 
 have been killed within a few seconds, for the 
 puma is a heavy-built and powerful beast, and its 
 bite, or a stroke of its huge paw, is generally 
 meant to be deadly. 
 
 But, as mentioned before, Dan held his gun over 
 his saddle, and as the painter came down the 
 weapon went off, and the beast received the full 
 charge in the upper part of his left shoulder. 
 The wound did not kill him, or even seriously 
 wound him, but it shocked and surprised the 
 beast so much that he fell back, and tumbled to 
 the ground. 
 
 " Oh, Dan, look out ! " shrieked Ralph, and 
 pulled in his own steed. Then, as his brother's 
 mustang reared to one side, and the puma pre- 
 pared to make a second leap, he endeavoured to 
 get a bead on the beast. 
 
 The puma had struck on his back. Now he 
 had turned over and was crouching down, like 
 a cat getting ready to pounce upon a bird, his 
 bushy tail sweeping the grass with quick, nervous 
 motion. 
 
 Bang ! Ralph's gun spoke up just as the 
 painter was in the act of springing for Dan, and 
 
Il6 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 the shot took the beast in the stomach, making a 
 jagged and ugly wound. Again the beast dropped 
 back, uttering a mingled snarl of rage and pain. 
 The snarl was exactly like that the boys had 
 previously heard, and they felt that this must be 
 the beast that had gotten into the fight with the 
 wolves. Probably the wolves had gotten away 
 from him, and this and the taste of their blood 
 had angered him into making the present attack. 
 
 Both mustangs were now kicking and plunging, 
 and the boys had all they could do to keep their 
 seats. The steeds backed away from the wounded 
 painter, and then Dan's mustang started to bolt. 
 His course was under a tree with low branches, 
 and in a second the youth was brushed from his 
 back, and sent spinning to the ground. 
 
 Half stunned by his fall, Dan had yet sense 
 enough left to know that he must get away at 
 once or the painter would be on him to rend 
 him to pieces. He leaped up, and as the fierce 
 beast came on, grabbed the nearest tree limb, to 
 which he clung with might and main. 
 
 " He's coming ! " roared Ralph. " Pull yourself 
 up ! " And he started to reload with all possible 
 speed, no light task while on the back of a mustang 
 that was so nervous and inclined to bolt. 
 
 Dan was doing as advised, when the puma limped 
 up, his eyes blazing with a fury which is indescrib- 
 able. He did his best to make the leap, and his 
 
A FIGHT WITH A PUMA. W] 
 
 teeth struck one of Dan's boot heels. But the 
 boy kicked him away and drew himself still higher, 
 and for the moment was safe. 
 
 The wounds of the painter were now beginning 
 to tell upon him, and he could scarcely suppress a 
 whine of pain. But his savage nature was not yet 
 conquered, and, unable to leap directly into the 
 tree, he sprang for the trunk and came up, slowly 
 but steadily. When he was opposite to where 
 Dan lay, he paused, as if uncertain what should be 
 his next move. 
 
 If the puma was undecided, so was the youth. 
 If he leaped to the ground again he was certain 
 the beast would follow him, and he had no desire 
 to face the painter at such close quarters, espe- 
 cially as he had no weapon of any kind with him, 
 unless the jack-knife in his pocket might be 
 brought into play. 
 
 Ralph settled the question, both for his 
 brother and the puma. As the mustang refused 
 to come closer, the youngest Radbury slipped to 
 the earth and ran up directly under the bough 
 upon which Dan rested. At this point he could 
 get a fair view of the painter, and once more he 
 blazed away, aiming for the beast's neck and head. 
 
 Ralph's shot was all that could be wished for, 
 and it was lucky that, having fired, he leaped back, 
 for, the instant after, the painter came tumbling 
 down, with a thud that fairly shook the earth. 
 
Il8 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 The shock also brought down Dan, who landed 
 just in front of the beast and lost no time in 
 retreating to his brother's side. 
 
 " Good for you, Ralph ! " 
 
 " Look out, he's not dead yet ! " answered 
 Ralph. " See, he is going to make another 
 leap ! " 
 
 But in this the youngest Radbury was mistaken. 
 Fatally wounded, the painter was merely endeavour- 
 ing to get up on his legs, that he might crawl into 
 the bushes. He stood for a moment, then stum- 
 bled and fell flat. Twice did he try thus to 
 rise, then with a final whining growl he lay out, 
 stretched himself, and gave a quiver or two — and 
 all was over. 
 
 " He's dead," said Ralph, when he could collect 
 himself sufficiently to speak. He was trembling 
 like a leaf in a gale of wind. 
 
 " Don't be too sure, — they are as tough as a 
 pine-knot," answered Dan. " Load up again," 
 and he picked up his own gun, which had fallen 
 when he was thrown from his saddle. 
 
 But the puma was dead, beyond a doubt, and 
 they gradually drew closer to inspect the beast 
 they had brought down. He was at least four feet 
 long, and correspondingly tall and heavy, with a 
 powerful tail and a rather small head. His colour 
 was of a tawny tint, fading out to a dirty white 
 between the limbs. The tip of the tail was black. 
 
A FIGHT WITH A PUMA. 119 
 
 " He's a big fellow," remarked Ralph. " I wish 
 we could get that skin home. It would make a 
 splendid rug." 
 
 "That's true, Ralph, but do you want to stay 
 here long enough to skin him ? " 
 
 " No. But maybe we can tie him up in the tree 
 and come back for him to-morrow or next day." 
 
 This was decided upon, and then Dan set about 
 catching his mustang. The pony had run to a 
 considerable distance, but he knew Dan's whistle 
 well, and after this was repeated several times he 
 came back timidly, although he would not go 
 within a hundred feet of the dead puma. 
 
 Ralph carried a lariat, and this was tied to 
 the dead beast and the carcass was swung to the 
 breeze, so that the other beasts of prey might not 
 get at it. 
 
 " Of course the vultures and hawks may attack 
 him, but that can't be helped," said Dan. 
 
 The work finished, they lost no time in con- 
 tinuing on their way, riding rapidly, and keeping 
 their eyes and ears on the alert as before. But 
 nothing else happened to alarm them, and shortly 
 before midnight they came within sight of the 
 cabin. 
 
 " Home, sweet home ! " cried Ralph. " I'll tell 
 you I am glad to be back." 
 
 " And so am I," added Dan. " No more fights 
 with a painter for me." 
 
120 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 Pompey Shuck had heard them coming, and now 
 ran out with a lantern to take care of the horses, 
 just as he had been in the habit of doing for his 
 master in Georgia, years before. 
 
 " I'se dun glad to see yo' back," he said, with a 
 broad smile on his ebony face. " Did de sodgers 
 git away ? " 
 
 "Yes, they are off for San Antonio," replied 
 Dan. And then he told of the adventure in the 
 timber. 
 
 " A painter ! " gasped Pompey. " I declar' to 
 gracious, Mars' Dan, yo' an' Mars' Ralph dun 
 gittin' to be reg'lar hunters, he ! he ! I'se glad 
 dat beast didn't cotch dis chile ! " 
 
 " I'm not anxious to hunt any more, at least for 
 the present," said Ralph, soberly. "I'll go back 
 for that skin, and then I'm going to work around 
 the ranch, and wait for news from father and the 
 army." 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE BATTLE OF CONCEPCION. 
 
 At the time of the war between Texas and the 
 government of Mexico, San Antonio de Bexar 
 could truthfully be said to be a city of importance 
 gone to decay. Many of the churches, convents, 
 and missions were deserted and fast going to ruin. 
 The friars had returned to Mexico, and with them 
 had gone many of the best of the old Spanish 
 families, although here and there some Castilians 
 remained, to keep up the style of the times as best 
 they could. 
 
 All told, the city numbered about twenty-five 
 hundred inhabitants, the majority of whom were 
 Mexicans, with a fair sprinkling of American 
 trappers and traders. It was situated mostly on 
 the west bank of the river, at a point where both 
 banks of the stream were lined with pecan and 
 other trees. There were two large public squares, 
 once the scene of much gaiety, but now overrun 
 with grass and weeds, and between the two squares 
 stood the grand old buildings of the San Fernando 
 Church. On the east side of the river, about half 
 
122 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 a mile from the city proper, stood the mission, 
 with its church, convent, and walled courtyard, 
 commonly called the Alamo. 
 
 General Cos had now arrived at San Antonio 
 with six hundred Mexican militia, and as soon as 
 he learned that the Texan s were gathering for 
 another contest, he sent down to the Rio Grande 
 for additional troops and extra pieces of artillery. 
 In the meantime, the troops under Austin moved 
 up to Salado Creek, four miles from San Antonio. 
 
 The time was a momentous one, and, arriving at 
 the creek, the Texans sent forth a flag with a mes- 
 sage to General Cos, demanding the surrender of 
 the place. 
 
 " I refuse to surrender," was the Mexican com- 
 mander's answer. " And if you send another such 
 flag it will be fired upon." This, of course, 
 brought negotiations to a complete standstill. 
 Austin waited for reinforcements, and the Mexi- 
 cans spent the time in barricading the highways 
 leading out of the city and in strengthening 
 their several fortifications. 
 
 "We are not getting along very fast," remarked 
 Mr. Radbury, to one of his brother officers, while 
 in the camp at Salado Creek. 
 
 " I believe Sam Houston is coming on to take 
 charge," was the answer. " He's an old war-horse 
 and will be certain to lead us to victory." 
 
 Everybody felt that under Houston the Texan 
 
THE BATTLE OF CONCEPCION. 1 23 
 
 cause could not fail. But, although Houston came 
 up, he did not take command, declaring that the 
 expedition was in the hands of Austin, and that 
 he was needed elsewhere. 
 
 Several days passed, with much anxiety on both 
 sides, and then Colonel Bowie and Colonel James 
 W. Fannin were ordered to take a band of scouts 
 with them and reconnoitre the enemy's position, 
 with a view to moving the Texan army still closer 
 to San Antonio. 
 
 "We'll do it," said both officers, without hesita- 
 tion, and hurried off, taking about ninety men with 
 them. In this body was a detachment under Mr. 
 Radbury, and Poke Stover was also along. 
 
 The party moved along slowly and cautiously 
 through the clumps of trees and mesquite-bushes, 
 until some time during the afternoon, when they 
 came to a bend in the river known as the Horse- 
 shoe, where was located the Mission Concepcion. 
 
 "This is a strong position," said Colonel Bowie. 
 " The river and timber will shelter us from behind, 
 and in front is the bluff. It's an ideal place." 
 
 " You are right," said Colonel Fannin. " General 
 Austin cannot do better than bring the army here." 
 
 The orders had been to return, if possible, before 
 nightfall, but at this time in the year it grew dark 
 rapidly, and it was decided to go into camp for the 
 night ; and outposts were accordingly stationed in 
 all directions, that they might not be surprised. 
 
124 F0R THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 Although the Texans were not aware of it, the 
 Mexican scouts had been watching them closely, 
 and no sooner did the party go into camp than the 
 enemy resolved to surround them in the darkness, 
 and either shoot them all down, or take them 
 prisoners. For this purpose General Cos sent 
 out four hundred of his best troops, determined 
 to teach the Texans a lesson that they should 
 never forget. 
 
 Lieutenant Radbury, as we must now call him, 
 had charge of the outposts along the river, and, 
 anxious to see that his men did their duty, he 
 remained out with them, travelling slowly from 
 one sentinel to another. On duty at one point 
 was Stover, as alert as though after some big 
 game. 
 
 " Any alarm, Poke ? " asked the lieutenant, in a 
 whisper, for it was not known but that the Mexi- 
 cans might be close at hand. 
 
 " Yes, and no," answered the old frontiersman, 
 slowly. " Perhaps my hearsight is deceivin' me, 
 but I 'most reckoned as how I heard the creakin' 
 o' wheels about — thar they go ag'in ! " 
 
 He broke off short, and held up his hand for 
 silence. Both men listened intently, and from the 
 river bank they heard the steady, lumbering creak 
 as of heavy wagon wheels. 
 
 " Am I right, leftenant ? " demanded the fron- 
 tiersman, when the sounds had come to an end. 
 
THE BATTLE OF CONCEPCION. 1 25 
 
 " You are, Poke; do you know what it was ? " 
 
 " Can't say exactly." 
 
 " It was the creaking of artillery wheels." 
 
 " Whoopee ! Then they must be comin' over 
 fer fair ! " 
 
 " Yes. I will report at once." 
 
 Lieutenant Radbury lost no time in making his 
 way to the tent in which Colonel Fannin was por- 
 ing over an old map of San Antonio. 
 
 " I have to report the coming of some artillery," 
 he said, as he saluted. 
 
 "Artillery ? " repeated the commander. " Mexi- 
 can artillery ? " 
 
 " I think so, colonel." And Lieutenant Rad- 
 bury related as much as he knew. He had 
 scarcely finished, when Colonel Bowie came in 
 on the run. 
 
 " They are starting to surround us ! " he cried. 
 " They are bringing over men and cannon ! " 
 
 The whole camp was soon in alarm, and, after a 
 short talk among the officers, it was decided to 
 bring up the men in a semicircle, close to the 
 bluff's edge. While this was going on, a shot 
 rang out, and then another, showing that one of 
 the outposts had been fired upon. 
 
 As the night wore away, a heavy mist swept up 
 the river, and even when dawn came but little 
 could be seen. Yet, anxious to avenge the loss 
 at Gonzales, the Mexicans opened fire at once, 
 
126 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 which, however, did no harm. As the mists 
 cleared away, the Mexican cavalry surrounded 
 the whole front of the Texans' position. 
 
 " Give it to 'em ! " shouted the Texan officers. 
 " Give it to 'em hot ! " 
 
 The cry was drowned out by a solid fire from 
 the Mexicans, who continued to pour in volley 
 after volley just as fast as they could reload. 
 
 The Texans did not fire by volleys. The orders 
 were : " Fire at will, and make every shot bring 
 down a greaser ! " And there was a constant 
 crack ! crack ! and the Mexicans were seen to fall 
 in all directions. 
 
 Lieutenant Radbury now found himself under 
 actual fire, and instantly his mind took him back 
 to his service in the war of 1812. He carried a 
 rifle as well as a pistol, and did as good work as 
 any man on the field. 
 
 " They are preparing for a charge ! They are 
 bringing up a cannon ! " was the cry that soon 
 rang along the line, and then the Mexican bugler 
 sounded out the command, and the cavalry came 
 on with a rush calculated to sweep everything 
 before it. But the Texans stood firm. 
 
 " Drop 'em ! " roared Colonel Bowie. " The 
 first line, boys ! " And a score of shots rang 
 out, and the first row of saddles was emptied 
 almost completely. Some of the horses were 
 killed or wounded, and these, falling, caused some 
 
THE BATTLE OF CONCEPCION. I2j 
 
 confusion. In the meantime, other Mexicans con- 
 tinued to drop, and soon the cavalry retreated to 
 reform. 
 
 " Now they are going to use the cannon ! " was 
 the cry which went up directly afterward, and 
 then a four-pounder, stationed on a bluff, was dis- 
 charged. The cannon was aimed much too high, 
 and it is said that every shot from the piece went 
 over the Texans' heads. 
 
 The cavalry now came on again, and it was seen 
 that the Mexicans intended to shift the position of 
 the cannon so that they might enfilade the line, — 
 that is, shoot from one end to the other. 
 
 " Not much ye don't ! " sang out Poke Stover, 
 and, leaping to a slight knoll, he took careful aim at 
 one of the mules attached to the piece and fired. 
 Then he discharged his pistol at a second mule. 
 Both beasts were badly wounded, and, breaking 
 away, they tore first through the cavalry and then 
 through the infantry, throwing the latter into much 
 confusion. 
 
 " We have 'em on the run ! " Like magic the 
 cry arose from nearly every Texan's throat. The 
 cavalry had charged again, and again the leading 
 line had gone down. Now they were retreating, 
 with the infantry beside them. Seeing it was of 
 no use to remain longer, the cannoneer attempted 
 to spike the four-pounder, but a Texan sharp- 
 shooter cut him down in the act. 
 
128 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 " Come on, boys, let us follow 'em into San 
 Antonio ! " cried several, but this the leaders 
 would not allow, for they were only ninety strong, 
 and all were enhausted from the battle, which had 
 been sharp if not of long duration. So the Mexi- 
 cans were allowed to form in the plain half a mile 
 away, and from there they marched rapidly back 
 to the city. Their loss was sixty-seven killed and 
 forty wounded, which showed how deadly had been 
 the Texans' aim. The Texans lost but one killed 
 and several slightly wounded. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 DAN TURNS THE TABLES. 
 
 To the boys at the ranch the days passed im- 
 patiently enough. But few settlers came that way, 
 so that they were cut off almost entirely from com- 
 munication with the outside world. 
 
 The puma skin had been brought in and cared 
 for, and now they turned their attention to getting 
 ready for the winter, which was close at hand. 
 
 One day, unable to stand it longer, Dan rode 
 down to Gonzales for the news. He found the 
 town bubbling over with joy because of the vic- 
 tory at Concepcion. 
 
 "They can't stand up against our men," said 
 the storekeeper who was talking to Dan. "The 
 Texans are brave and nearly all good shots, and 
 they are fighting for their homes. The greasers, 
 on the other hand, are lazy and unreliable, paid to 
 do what they are doing, and consequently think of 
 nothing but saving their own skin." 
 
 " Oh, I reckon some of them are patriotic 
 enough," answered Dan. "But they are in the 
 minority." 
 
 129 
 
130 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 " How can they be patriotic, and follow such a 
 man as Santa Anna, who is continually leading all 
 Mexico by the nose ? No, they are doing it for 
 the pay, and nothing else." 
 
 At the post-office Dan found a brief letter from 
 his father, stating that he was well, and that if no 
 more fighting came off in the near future he would 
 come home on a short visit. So far there had 
 been no regular enlistments in the Texan army, 
 and volunteers came and went pretty much as 
 they pleased. 
 
 From the storekeeper Dan learned that several 
 bands of Indians had been seen in the vicinity, 
 moving to the west and north. Some were 
 Comanches, and others friendly Caddos. 
 
 "Well, I don't mind the Caddos," thought the 
 boy, " but I don't want to fall in with any more 
 Comanches." 
 
 He had thought to go home that afternoon, or 
 evening, as it is called in Texas, but, after learning 
 about the Indians, resolved to remain in Gonzales 
 all night and make the journey the first thing in 
 the morning. 
 
 On the outskirts of Gonzales was the farm 
 belonging to Henry Parker's father, and thither 
 he went, satisfied that he would be sure of 
 a warm welcome. He found Henry at home, 
 and also Mrs. Parker, Mr. Parker being away 
 on business. 
 
DAN TURNS THE TABLES. 131 
 
 "Why, of course you must stay," said Mrs. 
 Parker. " I am glad to have company." 
 
 The balance of the day passed pleasantly, and 
 after supper the young man and Dan took a stroll 
 up into the town to learn if any later news had 
 come in. 
 
 They had just gained the main street of the 
 town when Dan saw before him a figure that 
 looked familiar. He quickened his pace, and soon 
 ranged up alongside of the man, who proved to 
 be the half-breed, Hank Stiger. 
 
 Stiger was partly under the influence of liquor, 
 or otherwise he would not have shown himself in 
 Gonzales at that time, when the Indian raid was 
 still fresh in the settlers' minds. He glared angrily 
 at Dan when he saw the boy. 
 
 "Stiger, I want to have a talk with you," said 
 Dan, with more firmness than is usual in one of 
 his age. 
 
 "What you want now?" demanded the half- 
 breed. 
 
 " I want to know what you have done with my 
 father's papers." 
 
 " What papers do you mean ? " 
 
 "The papers you stole from my father's cabin 
 while we were out after the Indians." 
 
 " I was not near your house — I took no papers ! ' 
 cried the half-breed, fiercely. " Who says so tells 
 a lie." 
 
132 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 " I know you did take them, and unless you give 
 them up I will have you placed under arrest." 
 
 " Ha ! don't you talk to Hank Stiger that way, 
 or you will be sorry for it." The half-breed's hand 
 stole under his coat, and he showed the handle of 
 his hunting-knife. " Do you see dat ? " 
 
 Dan sprang back, for he knew how treacherous 
 the man before him could be. But now Henry 
 Parker stepped up. 
 
 "None of that, Stiger," he said, sharply, and 
 placed his hand on the handle of the pistol he 
 carried in his belt. 
 
 " He wants to make trouble for me. He says 
 I stole some papers," growled Hank Stiger, 
 sullenly. 
 
 "And I guess he is right, too," returned Henry. 
 " If I understand the matter, he has proof against 
 you." 
 
 " Ha ! did Big Foot tell — " Stiger broke off 
 short, realising that he was exposing himself. 
 
 "Yes, Big Foot told me everything," said Dan. 
 " And you must give up those papers, or take the 
 consequence." 
 
 Hank Stiger's face grew as dark as a thunder- 
 cloud. 
 
 "I'll pay off that Injun for it!" he cried. "I 
 knew he wasn't to be trusted, the skunk ! But I 
 ain't got no papers, never had 'em ! This is a put- 
 up job to get squar' on account o' that deer," he 
 
DAN TURNS THE TABLES. 1 33 
 
 continued, trying to change the subject. "You 
 got the deer, what more do you want ? " 
 
 " I am not talking deer now, — I am asking for 
 those papers, — and the other things which were 
 stolen," resumed Dan, doggedly. "What have 
 you done with them?" 
 
 " Find out fer yourself ! " growled Hank Stiger, 
 and turning swiftly, he started on a run for the 
 nearest corner. 
 
 " Stop ! or I'll fire ! " cried Henry Parker, as he 
 drew his pistol, but before he could make up his 
 mind whether or not he had a right to fire on the 
 half-breed, Stiger was out of sight. Dan ran after 
 him, and his friend joined in the chase. 
 
 Stiger's course was toward the river, and having 
 reached this, he leaped into a canoe which was 
 handy and began to paddle with all speed for the 
 opposite shore. A large lumber-raft was lying in 
 midstream, and this he kept as much as possible 
 between himself and his pursuers. 
 
 " He's bound to get away if he can," observed 
 Henry, as the pair gained the bank of the Guada- 
 lupe almost out of breath. 
 
 "Here is another canoe — let us follow him in 
 that," replied Dan. 
 
 Henry was willing, and they were soon on the 
 river. Dan could paddle well, and they made rapid 
 progress around the raft and in the direction Hank 
 Stiger was taking. 
 
134 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 Reaching the opposite shore at a point some 
 distance below Gonzales, the half-breed leaped 
 into the bushes and made his way to a pine grove 
 farther away from the bank. The pursuers fol- 
 lowed him to the point of embarkation with ease, 
 but here came to a halt. 
 
 " If it wasn't so dark we might follow his trail," 
 observed Henry. " But I can't see a thing under 
 the trees." 
 
 " Here it is," came from Dan, who was on his 
 hands and knees. " He went into the pines. I'm 
 going a bit farther," and he stalked off. Henry 
 remained behind to fasten the canoe, that the cur- 
 rent might not carry the craft off. 
 
 Dan had scarcely come up to the first row of 
 pines when he saw something moving over to 
 his left. Satisfied that it was Stiger, he sped 
 in the direction. The half-breed saw him, and 
 ran on. 
 
 " I've spotted him ! " cried Dan to his friend. 
 "Come on ! " 
 
 " All right, I'm coming ! " answered Henry. 
 
 On through the tall pines ran pursued and pur- 
 suers, until nearly quarter of a mile had been cov- 
 ered. Dan was in front, with Henry close behind. 
 
 "You are fools to follow me here!" roared 
 Hank Stiger, as he came to a halt. "Take that 
 for your foolishness." 
 
 " Hide ! he is going to fire ! " exclaimed Dan, 
 
DAN TURNS THE TABLES. 1 35 
 
 but before either he or his friend could gain any 
 shelter Hank Stiger discharged a pistol which 
 he carried. The bullet missed Dan, but struck 
 Henry Parker across the temple, and the young 
 man went down, stunned and unconscious. 
 
 The unexpected turn of affairs made Dan's heart 
 leap into his throat, and he felt how imprudent 
 both had been to thus expose themselves in such 
 an out of the way spot to a man in Stiger' s condi- 
 tion. He drew his own pistol, but the half-breed 
 knew enough to dart out of sight behind a thick 
 clump of bushes. 
 
 " Henry, are you badly hurt ? " questioned the 
 boy, anxiously, but no reply came back, and run- 
 ning to Parker, he found the young man flat on his 
 back and as still as death. 
 
 Never had Dan felt so badly as at this moment, 
 for if his friend was dead he felt that he would be 
 more or less responsible for the murder. 
 
 He bent down and made a closer examination, 
 and as he did this Henry gave a deep shudder and 
 opened his eyes for an instant. 
 
 "Thank God, he is alive!" burst from Dan's 
 lips. Then, noticing the blood trickling from 
 Henry's temple, he bound up the young man's 
 forehead with his handkerchief. 
 
 In the meantime, Hank Stiger was making a 
 detour, expecting to come up behind Dan and sur- 
 prise him. He had drank just enough to be utterly 
 
136 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 reckless, and carried his pistol in his hand ready 
 for another shot. 
 
 Providence saved Dan from the anticipated 
 attack. While Stiger was still two rods off, the 
 boy happened to turn and catch sight of him. His 
 pistol was still in his hand, and, without stopping 
 to think twice, he fired on the half-breed. 
 
 The effect of the shot was curious, and the feat 
 performed would be hard to duplicate. The bullet 
 from Dan's pistol struck the hammer of Stiger's 
 weapon, and while the pistol exploded and the ball 
 sank into the ground, the hammer was knocked 
 off and hit the half-breed in the cheek, inflicting 
 an ugly wound. The bullet itself, having hit the 
 hammer, glanced downward and lodged in Stiger's 
 leg, close to his half-bent knee. The man gave a 
 howl of pain and then fell flat. 
 
 In a moment Dan was ready for a second shot, 
 but it was not needed. Stiger's pistol was now 
 useless, and as he could not stand up, because of 
 the intense pain in his knee, handling his knife 
 was out of the question. As he sat up, the boy 
 faced him sternly. 
 
 " Up with your hands, Stiger," he said, sternly ; 
 and the hands went up, and Dan was master of 
 the situation. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 AFTER A MISSING MUSTANG. 
 
 " What are you going to do with me ? " asked 
 Hank Stiger, after a moment of painful silence, 
 during which Dan glanced toward Henry, to find 
 his friend reviving rapidly. 
 
 " You'll find out later, Stiger. I can tell you 
 one thing, you've gotten yourself in a pretty tight 
 box." 
 
 " It wasn't my fault, — you forced the shooting," 
 was the sullen response. " Why didn't you leave 
 me alone from the start ? " 
 
 " Because I am bound to have those papers and 
 the other articles you stole, that's why." 
 
 " I took nothing, I swear it." 
 
 " Do you expect me to believe you, — after what 
 has happened here, and after that affair of the 
 deer ? " 
 
 At this Stiger was silent. He wanted to get up 
 and rush at Dan, despite the levelled pistol, but the 
 wounded knee held him back. Had he been a full- 
 blooded Indian he would have suffered in silence, 
 *37 
 
138 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 but, being only a half-breed, and of poor Indian and 
 white blood at that, he groaned dismally. 
 
 " Dan ! " The cry came faintly from Henry, 
 who had slowly raised himself. "Where — what 
 — oh, I remember, now ! " And he sank back 
 again. 
 
 " It's all right, Henry ; I've made Stiger a 
 prisoner." 
 
 "A prisoner!" whined the half-breed. "Ain't 
 I suffered enough already? My leg is somethin' 
 fearful ! " and he groaned again. 
 
 " You brought it all on yourself, Stiger, so you 
 need not complain to me." 
 
 "I didn't, you — " 
 
 " I won't listen to any more explanations. 
 Throw your knife over here, and be careful you 
 don't hit anybody with it." 
 
 The half-breed fumed and raved, but all to no 
 purpose, and at last the knife came over, and was 
 followed by the broken pistol. 
 
 " Now don't you dare to move," went on Dan, 
 and then turned his attention to Henry. Not far 
 away was a little brook flowing into the Guadalupe, 
 and here Dan procured some water with which he 
 bathed his friend's wound. 
 
 The departure from the town shore had been 
 noted by several lumbermen, and, having heard 
 the pistol-shots, several came over to learn if a 
 fight was going on. By calling out, the lumber- 
 
AFTER A MISSING MUSTANG. 1 39 
 
 men managed to locate our friends and soon came 
 up to them. They listened to Dan's tale with 
 close attention. 
 
 "We ought to go fer to string the half-breed 
 up," was the comment of one of. the woodsmen. 
 " We've got enough trouble on hand without 
 allowin' sech chaps to make more." 
 
 "Thet's jest the size on it," added another. 
 " String him up on the spot." 
 
 But Dan would not countenance this, nor would 
 Henry, who had now fully recovered, although the 
 bullet had left an ugly scratch which he was bound 
 to wear to the day of his death. Finally a com- 
 promise was made with Stiger, who offered to 
 hobble down to the river, although scarcely able 
 to walk. The threat to hang him had rendered 
 the half-breed thoroughly sober. 
 
 The return to the town was made without inci- 
 dent, and at the local lockup Dan told his story, 
 and it was decided to keep Stiger a prisoner for 
 the time being. He was searched, and in one of 
 his pockets was found some small silver trinkets, 
 which Dan at once identified as belonging to his 
 father. But no trace was there of the papers 
 relating to the land grant. 
 
 " But these trinkets prove that Stiger was the 
 thief," said Dan. "I would like you to keep him 
 a prisoner until my father can come here and make 
 a regular charge against him." And so the matter 
 
140 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 was allowed to rest. Stiger was in a rage, and 
 vowed that he would surely get even with Dan 
 some day. 
 
 When Henry Parker arrived home his mother 
 was much alarmed to find that he had been shot. 
 Yet beyond the shock the young man had suffered 
 little, and after having the wound properly dressed 
 he felt as well as ever. 
 
 " I might rather have gone off to the war," he 
 grumbled. " Dan and I are getting all the fighting 
 by staying at home." 
 
 It was hardly daybreak when Dan started to 
 return to the ranch. He would not have gone 
 back at all just then, only he knew Ralph would 
 grow anxious if he did not return. As soon as he 
 could arrange it, the youth had determined to ride 
 over to where the army was encamped, to tell his 
 parent of the encounter with Stiger, and learn if 
 Mr. Radbury wished to take up the case. 
 
 Dan had not to take the trip alone, as two of 
 the lumbermen were going up the Guadalupe on 
 business. As yet only a small portion of the 
 Texans had joined the army, many of the others 
 having no idea that a regular revolution was at 
 hand. 
 
 "It won't amount to shucks," said one of the 
 lumbermen, as the three rode along the river trail. 
 " We'll have a lot of meetings and a scrimmage or 
 two, and then Santa Anna will come over with a 
 
AFTER A MISSING MUSTANG. 141 
 
 big army, and our leaders won't dare to call their 
 souls their own." 
 
 "I cannot agree with you," answered Dan. 
 " Our folks have suffered too much to turn back 
 now." 
 
 " But we ain't got no army, — only a lot o' 
 farmers and rancheros, and blacklegs who have 
 run away from the United States to escape 
 justice. Mexico has a finely trained lot o' 
 soldiers." 
 
 "Well, the United States didn't have any 
 trained army at the opening of the Revolution," 
 retorted Dan, warmly. "But we showed King 
 George's men a thing or two before we got 
 through with them." 
 
 " Well, if we do fight 'em and obtain our liberty, 
 what then ? " put in the second lumberman. "The 
 politicians will run everything to suit themselves. 
 We won't have any more rights than we have 
 now." 
 
 " Never mind, I think matters will be a good deal 
 better," answered Dan. "Anyway," he added, 
 with a peculiar smile, " do you believe in giving up 
 your arms ? " 
 
 " Not much ! " answered both lumbermen, 
 promptly. "That's a fool law." 
 
 " Then what are you going to do, if the greasers 
 demand your guns and pistols, as they demanded 
 that cannon ? " 
 
142 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 This proved a clincher, and the lumbermen 
 changed the subject. They were for peace, 
 but it may be as well to state here that, in 
 the end, they joined the army, and fought as 
 nobly for liberty as did the average Texan 
 soldier. 
 
 Before the journey was half over, it had begun 
 to rain, and by the time the ranch home was 
 reached, Dan and his companions were wet to the 
 skin. As it still poured down steadily, the lum- 
 bermen were glad to avail themselves of the Rad- 
 burys' offer to stay at the cabin for the balance of 
 the day. 
 
 " Hurrah for our side ! " cried Ralph, when told 
 of the battle at the Mission Concepcion. " If they 
 have a few more such fights, perhaps the Mexicans 
 will wake up to the idea that we have some rights 
 they are bound to respect." 
 
 He was glad to hear that Stiger had been 
 jailed, and sorry that Henry Parker had been 
 wounded. " Henry can make a charge even if 
 father doesn't," he said. 
 
 Ralph and Pompey had had troubles of their 
 own during Dan's brief absence. Two prize mus- 
 tangs, not yet broken in, had gotten out of the 
 corral near the cattle shed, and although the boy 
 and the negro had managed to round up one of the 
 steeds, the other had persisted in keeping just out 
 of their reach. 
 
AFTER A MISSING MUSTANG. 1 43 
 
 "I tried to lasso him," said Ralph, "but I 
 wasn't equal to it, and, of course, Pompey knows 
 nothing of a lasso." 
 
 " Well, we can go after him when the storm 
 clears away," answered Dan. 
 
 Pompey had prepared a substantial dinner, and 
 the balance of the day passed off pleasantly enough. 
 By morning the storm had cleared away, and the 
 lumbermen took their departure. Then Dan pro- 
 cured a lasso, and he and Ralph mounted their 
 steeds and set off on a search for the missing mus- 
 tang, which was a beauty, and which Mr. Radbury 
 prized very highly. 
 
 " He went off to the southwest," said Ralph, as 
 the brothers rode away. " Of course, there is no 
 telling how far he ran. I suppose it will be a good 
 deal like looking for a needle in a haystack to 
 locate him." 
 
 " Well, we can do our best, Ralph. I know 
 father set a great store by that white pony. He 
 was thinking of breaking him in for his own 
 use." 
 
 " I know it, and that is why I tried so hard to 
 capture him. But I can't get the hang of the 
 lasso," and Ralph shook his head, for he had tried 
 to land the loop over the mustang's head at least a 
 score of times. 
 
 " You'll learn in time. It's more the knack of 
 it than anything else. Come, let us hurry ! " and 
 
144 F0R THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 Dan set off at a gallop. He was thinking alto- 
 gether of the mustang, and never dreamed of the 
 other odd adventure in store for him, — an adven- 
 ture which was to make a soldier of him almost 
 before he was aware. 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 THE GRASS FIGHT, AND WHAT FOLLOWED. 
 
 The victory at Concepcion, as was natural, 
 greatly strengthened the cause of the Texans, 
 and immediately afterward the number of volun- 
 teers in the army increased. Seeing this, Austin 
 moved his command still closer, and settled into a 
 regular siege of San Antonio. The scouts, under 
 Colonel Bowie, surrounded the town, to give warn- 
 ing of the approach of any reinforcements for 
 General Cos, who remained within, still barricading 
 the streets and wondering how soon the revolu- 
 tionists would attack him. 
 
 In the meantime, a general meeting of citizens 
 and political leaders was held at San Felipe, and 
 at this convention, as it was termed, Austin was 
 elected as a commissioner to seek aid in the 
 United States. This left Austin's place in the 
 army vacant, and General Edward Burleson, an 
 old Indian fighter, was selected to fill the position. 
 
 General Cos was boxed up in San Antonio with 
 a force estimated at from twelve hundred to six- 
 teen hundred men. Many of his soldiers belonged 
 US 
 
I46 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 to mounted companies, and it became a problem, 
 not only how to feed the men, but also how to 
 feed so many animals. There were rations to hold 
 out for some time, but little forage. To make 
 the matter still more difficult for the Mexican 
 commander, Bowie and others ordered all the 
 grass in the immediate vicinity of San Antonio 
 burnt. This caused one or two small fires among 
 the huts on the outskirts of the town, and came 
 near to starting a panic. 
 
 At last General Cos felt that he must either have 
 forage for his soldiers' horses, or else slaughter 
 them, and he hired bodies of the Mexican farmers 
 to go out, during the night, to gather such grass 
 as could be gotten within a reasonable distance of 
 the town. These bodies of men invariably went 
 out under the protection of one or more companies 
 of cavalry. 
 
 The expeditions after forage brought on what 
 was called the Grass Fight. Among Bowie's 
 scouts was an old frontiersman called Deaf Smith, 
 and one day when Smith was out he discovered a 
 body of farmers and cavalry, about a hundred 
 strong. The panniers of the horses and mules 
 were stuffed with grass, but as the body was a 
 long way off, Smith mistook them for some troops 
 come to reinforce General Cos, and supposed the 
 stuffed panniers to be filled with silver to pay off 
 the Bexar garrison. 
 
THE GRASS FIGHT. 147 
 
 Without waiting to make certain about his dis- 
 covery, Deaf Smith rode pell-mell into the camp of 
 the Texans. " The reinforcements are coming ! " 
 he shouted. " Ugartchea is here ! " 
 
 "Ugartchea! Ugartchea!" was the cry taken 
 up on all sides, and it was not long before Colonel 
 Bowie set off with a hundred of the best Texan 
 horsemen to intercept the supposed newcomers. 
 
 The Mexicans saw them approach, but it was 
 too late to get back into San Antonio, and while 
 a few of the farmers managed to escape, the 
 Mexican cavalry took up a position in the bed of 
 a dry creek. The plight of those outside of the 
 city was seen by those within, and General Cos 
 instantly despatched more cavalry to the relief, 
 and also two pieces of artillery. 
 
 The creek, which was in reality a deep gully, 
 was overgrown on either side with tall brush, and 
 Bowie had some difficulty in bringing up his com- 
 mand to a firing position. But some of the scouts 
 could not be held back, and rushing up they 
 speedily laid several of the Mexicans low. 
 
 " Now then, fire on them ! " shouted Bowie, 
 when the proper range was obtained ; but the 
 Texans had scarcely opened up, when the relief 
 guard of the Mexicans swung into position behind 
 the Texans, and they found themselves caught 
 between two fires. They wheeled about, and 
 charged those behind them, who speedily scat- 
 
I48 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 tered in every direction, leaving their dead and 
 dying behind them. 
 
 In the meantime, the main body of the Texan 
 army was coming up, and, arriving at the gully, 
 they drove out the cavalry, killing a dozen or 
 more of them, and capturing many mules and 
 horses, and a large quantity of grass, the so- 
 called "silver" which was supposed to fill the 
 panniers, and which caused many a laugh for 
 long afterward. The loss to the Texans was 
 small. 
 
 In the midst of the conflict one of the offi- 
 cers dashed up to Amos Radbury. " Lieutenant, 
 several Mexicans are escaping in yonder direc- 
 tion," he said, pointing with his sword. "You 
 will take a detachment of twelve men, and go 
 after them." 
 
 " I will, major," answered the lieutenant, and 
 saluted. He was soon on the way, with Poke 
 Stover, and eleven others, for Poke happened to 
 be near him when the order was given. The 
 Mexicans they had been sent to capture were 
 four in number, and one of them looked like an 
 officer of considerable rank. 
 
 "I think we can ride them down, Poke," ob- 
 served Lieutenant Radbury, as he dashed over 
 the prairies at the full speed of his mustang. 
 
 "Well, we kin give 'em a putty tough ride fer 
 it, anyhow," drawled the frontiersman. 
 
THE GRASS FIGHT. 1 49 
 
 "We must catch them, if possible, before they 
 gain yonder timber land." 
 
 "Thet's so. If we don't, it won't be no easy 
 work to locate 'em in the brush." 
 
 The party of thirteen were all fair riders, but 
 for once the number seemed fated to be really 
 unlucky. Less than quarter of a mile had been 
 covered when one of the mustangs, going at full 
 speed, stepped into the hole of some wild animal, 
 and pitched headlong with a broken leg. The 
 rider behind the one to go down, pitched in on top 
 of him, and in a thrice there lay on the prairie a 
 mustang so badly injured that he had to be shot, 
 and two men so bruised that further pursuit for 
 them of the Mexicans was out of the question. 
 
 " Halt ! " cried Lieutenant Radbury, and 
 brought the balance of his command to a stand- 
 still. " Are you much hurt, Read well ? " 
 
 "I — I reckon not," was the answer, but when 
 Readwell attempted to stand up he found his foot 
 and back badly strained. 
 
 " And you, Alton ? " 
 
 " My left arm is bruised, — I don't know but 
 what it is broken." 
 
 "The mustang is done fer," put in Poke Stover, 
 after examining Readwell's steed. " Might as well 
 shoot him, and put him out of his misery." 
 
 This was ordered by the lieutenant, and the 
 command carried out on the spot. The second 
 
150 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 mustang was slightly injured, but could still be 
 ridden. 
 
 "Both of you had better go back, on the one 
 mustang," said Amos Radbury. "And, Glenwood, 
 you can go back with them, for fear they may have 
 trouble with other Mexicans who may be wander- 
 ing about." 
 
 So it was arranged, and this brought the lieu- 
 tenant's force down to ten men. The two 
 parties separated without delay, and those in 
 pursuit of the flying Mexicans went on as fast 
 as before. 
 
 But the delay had given the enemy an advan- 
 tage, and before the Texan s could come within 
 good firing distance the four Mexicans reached 
 the timber. At the edge they came to a halt. 
 
 " They are going to fire on us, leftenant ! " 
 cried Stover. 
 
 " Down ! " cried Amos Radbury, and the 
 Texans had scarcely time to drop to the shel- 
 tered sides of the steeds, a favourite trick with 
 old frontiersmen, when a volley sounded out, and 
 the bullets whistled over their heads. Another 
 volley followed ; then, as the Texans swept closer, 
 and fired in return, the Mexicans disappeared into 
 the timber. 
 
 Ordinary soldiers would have hesitated about 
 following the Mexicans into the forest, but all 
 of the Texans were expert in woodcraft, and 
 
THE GRASS FIGHT. 151 
 
 thought they could keep out of an ambuscade 
 as well in the woods as out of it. 
 
 " Stover, supposing you and Dilberry go ahead 
 and reconnoitre," suggested the lieutenant. " I 
 know I can trust you to keep out of trouble." 
 
 " Certainly, I'll go ahead, if ye want me to," 
 answered Poke Stover, in his free and easy man- 
 ner, and rode on with the other soldier mentioned. 
 As soon as they got into the thickets of the timber, 
 they dismounted, tied their steeds to a tree, and 
 advanced on foot. In the meantime, Amos Rad- 
 bury spread out the balance of his party into a line 
 fifty yards long, extending from a deep ravine on 
 the right to a steep hill on the left. He felt that 
 the Mexicans could not climb the hill very well, 
 for it was covered with large and loose stones, and 
 to take their ponies down into the ravine would be 
 equally difficult. 
 
 The advance of Stover and his companion was 
 necessarily slow, for they had no desire to be 
 picked off by some Mexican concealed behind a 
 tree. Yet they kept on for a dozen rods before 
 finding any trace of the enemy. 
 
 "The trail goes toward the ravine," said Stover, 
 presently. " They are following an old Comanche 
 path." 
 
 " Right ye air," answered the other frontiers- 
 man. "Years ago, them air Comanches had a vil- 
 lage in this ravine, erbout four miles from hyer." 
 
152 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 " I've heard tell on it, Dilberry, though I never 
 sot eyes on it myself. It war the home o' thet 
 Bison Head, the wust of 'em as ain't dead yet." 
 
 Having made certain that the Mexicans had 
 gone straight on for a goodly distance, the two 
 scouts so reported, and the entire party set off 
 along the ravine, which at some points was broad 
 and shallow and at others narrow and deep. 
 
 Suddenly the report of a gun rang out, com- 
 ing from a point where the ravine made an 
 abrupt turn to the north. Several other reports 
 followed. 
 
 "They must be shooting at something," said 
 Lieutenant Radbury. "But they are not aiming 
 at us, for no bullets have come this way, so far as 
 I can ascertain." 
 
 " Perhaps they are having a brush with some 
 Indians," suggested another of the party. "They 
 may — Hello, what's this coming along the trail ? 
 A white mustang, I declare, with a black blaze on 
 his forehead. None o' those greasers rode that 
 animal, I'm certain on it." 
 
 " A white mustang ! " cried Amos Radbury, and 
 then, as the animal came closer, he gave a start. 
 " It's the same, I declare ! " 
 
 " The same ? " queried Poke Stover. " What 
 do ye mean, leftenant ? " 
 
 "That mustang belongs to me. I was trying 
 to break him in when the call to arms came. He 
 
THE GRASS FIGHT. 1 53 
 
 must have gotten away from my boys. But what 
 is he doing away out here ? " 
 
 That question could not be answered just then, 
 and in another moment the white mustang was out 
 of sight. Then, as the firing ahead had ceased, 
 the movement forward was continued. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 DAN COMES TO GRIEF. 
 
 "Well, this looks as if it was going to be a 
 long-winded search." 
 
 " So it does, Ralph ; but you must remember 
 that a wild mustang who had been shut up in a 
 corral for a couple of weeks will feel very much 
 like stretching his legs when he gets out." 
 
 " We must have come at least eight miles." 
 
 " It's nearer ten." 
 
 "And we haven't seen the least sign of him." 
 
 "Oh, yes, we have; we discovered that trail." 
 
 " But we are not sure it was the mustang's." 
 
 " I take for granted that it was, for I do not 
 believe any other pony passed this way since it 
 rained." 
 
 The boys had not gone on straight ahead, but 
 in a grand semicircle, until the footprints men- 
 tioned had been discovered. Now they were 
 riding over a broad patch of prairie land, with a 
 belt of timber to the north and another to the 
 south. 
 
 "I wonder if there are any Indians in the 
 r 54 
 
DAN COMES TO GRIEF. 155 
 
 vicinity," resumed Ralph, a while later. " I won't 
 care to fall in with some of those Comanches who 
 made it so hot for us at the cabin." 
 
 " Oh, they were chased a good many miles off, 
 Ralph. Besides, they won't dare to show up here 
 while they know that all of our best fighters are 
 massing between Gonzales and San Antonio." 
 
 " I wonder how matters are going on at the 
 front. I should think our army would march on 
 Bexar without delay." 
 
 " They don't want to make an attack until they 
 are strong enough to overcome General Cos's 
 force. He may have considerable reinforcements 
 by this time." 
 
 So the boys talked and rode until noon was 
 passed. Both were now hungry, and coming to a 
 pool in the prairie surrounded by mesquite-trees 
 and bushes, they drew rein and tethered their 
 ponies, and sat down to enjoy the midday meal 
 they had brought along. 
 
 Pompey had packed for them a tempting ham- 
 per, and the boys remained over the repast rather 
 longer than anticipated. The sun shone bright, 
 and as there was no wind, the day was pleasant, 
 even though late in the season. 
 
 " I suppose some day all this territory will be 
 built up with towns and villages," remarked Dan, 
 as he dug his knife-blade into the earth in a medi- 
 tative way. "And when it is, I wonder if the 
 
156 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 boys of that generation will ever remember what 
 a howling wilderness it was in our generation." 
 
 "A few will, but not many," laughed Ralph. 
 "We are too much of a go-ahead people to do 
 much looking back." The youngest Radbury 
 leaped suddenly to his feet. " What's that, 
 Dan?" 
 
 The brother sprang up also, and gave a search- 
 ing glance in the direction Ralph pointed out. 
 
 " Unless I am greatly mistaken, it's the mus- 
 tang." 
 
 "Just what I thought. He seems to be grazing 
 just at the edge of the timber. How had we best 
 get at him ? " 
 
 The matter was talked over for several minutes, 
 and they came to the conclusion to ride to the 
 timber at some point below where the pony was 
 grazing and then work up behind him. 
 
 "Then, if he bolts, it will be for the prairie," 
 said Dan. " That will give me a chance to lasso 
 him." 
 
 The timber was soon gained, and they skirted 
 this with the silence of Indians until within a 
 hundred yards of the white mustang. Then the 
 older brother called another halt. 
 
 " Now you take the north side, and I'll keep to 
 the south," said Dan. " Have you got your lasso 
 ready ? " 
 
 Ralph had, and it was decided that he should 
 
" ' HOLD BACK ! ' YELLED DAN." 
 
DAN COMES TO GRIEF. 1 57 
 
 make the first throw, but not until Dan was pre- 
 pared to make the second. 
 
 With great caution the two boys advanced to the 
 point agreed upon. Then they rode out to where 
 the lassoes could be used freely. 
 
 In the meantime the mustang was grazing 
 peacefully, utterly unconscious of their presence 
 in the vicinity. But now, as they drew still closer, 
 he stopped cropping the grass and raised his head 
 as if to listen. 
 
 "Throw ! " cried Dan, and the lasso left Ralph's 
 hand with a whizzing sound. A few seconds 
 later Dan made his own cast. 
 
 As luck would have it, both landed over the 
 mustang's head, but while Dan's was drawn tight 
 with great quickness, Ralph's remained loose, so 
 that in a twinkle the mustang shook it off, and 
 then of course the line tightened around Dan's 
 lariat instead. 
 
 " Hold back ! " yelled Dan, as he saw Ralph sit 
 bewildered in the saddle. " Run off to the other 
 side ! " 
 
 The younger Radbury attempted to obey, but 
 as quick as a flash the mustang turned and rushed 
 forward, bringing the lasso around Ralph's own 
 steed. Then came a snap of the lariat, and Ralph 
 went down, with the mustang on top of him. 
 
 All this took scarcely more time than to de- 
 scribe it, and now Dan found himself holding the 
 
158 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 white mustang alone, with Ralph's lariat end 
 entangled in his own. Then off went the wild 
 animal, kicking and plunging in a desperate 
 fashion, which even the tightened leather about 
 his neck did not appear to hinder. His course 
 was straight for the timber, and he went on drag- 
 ging Dan's pony after him. It is true the pony- 
 might have held back, buc he was not well broken 
 for such a purpose, having participated in but few 
 round-ups. 
 
 " Look out ! You'll be killed ! " yelled Ralph, 
 as he struggled to get out from under his pony. 
 The wind had been knocked out of him, but other- 
 wise he was uninjured. 
 
 Dan scarcely heard him, so busy was he trying 
 to bring the white mustang to a halt. Soon he 
 disappeared into the timber, and then Ralph arose, 
 mounted the pony once more, and came after him. 
 
 The white mustang did not enter the forest far 
 before the lariat around his neck began to hurt 
 him. He tried to circle around several trees, and 
 thereby cut himself short to such an extent that 
 he was in great danger of choking to death. 
 
 " Hold my pony ! " shouted Dan to Ralph, and 
 slipped to the ground. The free end of the lariat 
 was passed around a tree and tied, and Dan sprang 
 forward toward the white mustang, who was now 
 acting as if ready to give up the battle. 
 
 " Easy now, easy," said Dan, soothingly, and 
 
DAN COMES TO GRIEF. 1 59 
 
 watching his chance, he hopped up on the mus- 
 tang's back. Immediately the animal bucked and 
 plunged, trying his best to throw his rider. The 
 lariat was depriving him of his wind, and of a 
 sudden he stopped short and trembled, as if about 
 to fall. 
 
 Not wishing to strangle the animal now he had 
 caught him, Dan cried to Ralph to come up and 
 help hobble the steed, that he might walk but not 
 run. At the same time he continued to talk sooth- 
 ingly to the mustang and patted him on the neck. 
 Then, fearing he would breathe his last if the lariat 
 remained as it was, he drew his knife and cut the 
 leather. 
 
 In a twinkle the whole manner of the mustang 
 changed, and, before Ralph could reach his big 
 brother's side, the steed was off like a streak of 
 lightning, with Dan clinging fast to his neck. 
 Over some low brush the pair went, and then 
 under some tall pines and out of sight. 
 
 " Hi ! hi ! " cried Ralph, but Dan had too much 
 to do to call back to him. On and on went the 
 mustang, and the youth could neither stop him, 
 nor did he dare try to leap to the ground, for fear 
 of a kick from one of those flying hoofs. It was 
 such a wild ride as Dan never forgot. 
 
 By instinct the white mustang seemed to know 
 the best course to pursue, and went on where the 
 trees were high branched and tolerably far apart. 
 
l6o FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 This was lucky for Dan, for had the limbs been 
 low he must certainly have been knocked off and 
 killed. He bent as low as he could. 
 
 "Go it, if you must," he thought, grimly. 
 "You'll get tired some time. But I hope you 
 don't go all the way to Bexar." 
 
 Fully two miles were covered, when the white 
 mustang came out of the woods at the edge of a 
 ravine. He ran like the wind until the very edge 
 was reached, then stopped short all in an instant. 
 
 Dan was holding on with might and main, but 
 no boy's grip could withstand such a shock, and 
 up flew his body, and over the pony's head he 
 sailed. Then he felt himself going downward, 
 toward the bottom of the ravine. Some brush- 
 wood scratched his hands and face, there followed 
 a great thump, — and then he knew no more. 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 THE CAVE IN THE RAVINE. 
 
 When Dan came to his senses all was dark 
 around him. The sun had set over the timber in 
 the west, and scarcely a sound broke the stillness 
 of the night. 
 
 For several minutes the youth could not imagine 
 where he was or what had happened. Then slowly 
 the realisation of the events just passed dawned 
 upon his muddled brain. 
 
 He tried to pull himself together and sit up, but 
 the effort was so painful he was glad enough to 
 give it up and rest just as he lay. The brushwood 
 had saved him from death, but it had not saved 
 him from a nasty fall on the flat rocks which 
 rested at the bottom of the ravine at this particular 
 point. 
 
 "It must be at least two or three hours since 
 I went over," he thought, dismally. " I wonder 
 what became of the mustang, and where Ralph 
 and the ponies are ? " 
 
 He tried to see the face of the silver watch he 
 carried, — an heirloom from his mother, — but it 
 161 
 
1 62 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 was too dark, and he had to give it up. Then he 
 attempted to call out, but his voice was so feeble 
 no one standing fifty yards off would have heard 
 it. And Ralph was miles and miles away, hope- 
 lessly lost in his hunt after his missing brother. 
 
 Not a bone had been broken nor a muscle 
 strained to any extent, yet it was almost daybreak 
 before Dan felt like getting on his feet, and in the 
 meantime he had fallen into a doze and dreamed 
 all manner of horrible dreams. When he awoke, 
 his mouth was parched for water, and his first 
 move was in the direction of the wet portion of 
 the ravine, beyond the rocks. 
 
 As it was the fall of the year, the night had 
 been cold, and after procuring a drink he was glad 
 enough to sit down again beside a fire made of 
 leaves and such small brush as was handy. He 
 was now hungry, but nothing was at hand to 
 satisfy the cravings of the inner man. His gun 
 had been left behind, but in his belt still rested 
 his hunting-knife, — something he had taken to 
 carrying constantly since the brush with the 
 Comanches. 
 
 Dan could not help but wonder what had become 
 of Ralph, and wished that he had some firearm by 
 which he might discharge a shot as a signal. 
 
 Slowly the morning wore away, and by noon the 
 lad felt that he must make a move. " I'll get out 
 of the ravine first," he thought, but this was no 
 
THE CAVE IN THE RAVINE. 1 63 
 
 easy matter, for the sides were steep and he was 
 still too weak to exert himself in climbing. 
 
 Presently he imagined that he heard, at a great 
 distance, the firing of a volley of shots. To make 
 sure he was right, he laid on the ground and lis- 
 tened. Soon the volley was repeated, and a number 
 of single reports followed. 
 
 "There is a fight on of some sort," he thought, 
 but could not locate the direction of the shots with 
 any degree of accuracy. " I trust Ralph is out of 
 danger." 
 
 He walked along the ravine, looking for some 
 convenient spot where he might ascend to the level 
 of the timber beyond, until he came to where there 
 was a split in the hollow. Here, in the centre of 
 the ravine, was a huge pile of rocks, overgrown 
 with a tangle of vines and thorns, which hid a cave 
 of fair dimensions. In those days this cave was 
 known to the Indians as the Haunted Rock. It 
 is said that many a Mexican trader was lured there, 
 only to be killed and robbed. 
 
 As Dan was passing the cave he saw, with much 
 surprise, a Mexican soldier leading two mustangs 
 into the opening. Each saw the other at the same 
 time, and instantly the Mexican set up a shout in 
 Spanish, and, letting go of the horses, levelled a 
 pistol at the boy's head. 
 
 Dan did not understand the Spanish, but he 
 understood the motion of the soldier. 
 
164 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 "Don't shoot!" he cried. "I am unarmed!" 
 And he held up his hands to verify his statement. 
 
 " You surrender ? " asked the Mexican, in broken 
 English. 
 
 " I suppose I'll have to," answered Dan. " But 
 what are you doing here, and why do you wish to 
 make me a prisoner ? I am not a soldier." 
 
 At this the Mexican shrugged his bony shoulders 
 and called out again in Spanish, whereupon three 
 other Mexicans showed themselves at the mouth 
 of the cave. 
 
 "Come in here, boy," said one of the three, 
 who was evidently a captain, by his uniform. 
 "Are you alone ? " 
 
 " I am," answered Dan, as he entered the mouth 
 of the cave. 
 
 " Where are the soldiers ? " 
 
 " What soldiers ? " 
 
 " The rascally Texans who were after us." 
 
 " I know nothing of any soldiers, captain." 
 
 " You are telling me the truth ? " And the 
 Mexican captain turned a pair of piercing black 
 eyes on the youth. 
 
 " I am, sir ; I have seen no soldiers for a week 
 or more, and they were nowhere about here." 
 
 Dan's frank manner apparently impressed the 
 Mexican officer favourably, for he breathed more 
 freely. He paused for a moment, as if in deep 
 thought. 
 
THE CAVE IN THE RAVINE. l6$ 
 
 " What brought you here, boy ? " 
 
 In a few simple words Dan told his tale. When 
 he mentioned the white mustang, two of the Mexi- 
 cans smiled. 
 
 "I saw him," said one. "He was, running like 
 the wind, — directly for those soldiers, too." 
 
 "And who are the soldiers you speak about?" 
 asked Dan. 
 
 " It is not for you to ask questions," answered 
 the captain, abruptly. " Sit down on yonder rock 
 and keep quiet. A noise might betray us, and 
 then it might become necessary to put a bullet in 
 you." 
 
 As there was no help for it, Dan walked still 
 farther into the cave, and sank down on the rock 
 pointed out. He noted that there were but four 
 of the Mexicans, and that each had a mustang that 
 seemed to be much exhausted. 
 
 " I reckon I am worse off than I was before," 
 was his mental comment, after reviewing the 
 situation. "These chaps are evidently in hid- 
 ing, and they won't let me go for fear of 
 exposing them. Well, I sha'n't stay any longer 
 than I have to." 
 
 In the matter of eating, the Mexicans were as 
 badly off as the youth. " You have had nothing, 
 eh ? " said one. " Well, we are just as hungry, 
 and perhaps more so. It cannot be helped, and 
 we must make the best of it." 
 
1 66 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 "But we can't remain here and starve to 
 death, " insisted Dan. 
 
 At this the Mexican drew up his face into a 
 scowl and turned away. To comfort themselves, 
 the men smoked cigarettes incessantly, being used 
 to the tobacco habit from childhood. Dan had as 
 yet found no comfort in the use of the weed. 
 
 While two of the Mexicans remained in the cave 
 to care for the mustangs, the others went out on 
 guard, one stationing himself just above the open- 
 ing and the other below. The numerous rocks 
 afforded both excellent hiding-places. 
 
 From those in care of the mustangs Dan learned 
 but little, yet, during the Mexicans' talk, the youth 
 managed to gain a bit of information which led 
 him to believe that there had been a battle, and 
 the four had become separated from their com- 
 panions and had been pursued. The Mexicans 
 thought to remain in the cave until night, and 
 then escape under cover of the darkness. 
 
 As the hours went by Dan became more 
 hungry, and with this empty feeling came one 
 of desperation. He must escape, be the cost 
 what it might. 
 
 " If only I could collar one of their mustangs, 
 and get away on it," he thought. " Perhaps I 
 might find those soldiers and have the Mexicans 
 made prisoners." 
 
 The more he thought of this plan the more did 
 
THE CAVE IN THE RAVINE. 1 67 
 
 it appeal to him, and then he cast about for some 
 means of putting it into operation. 
 
 The chance came shortly before sundown. A 
 distant shot was heard, and the two Mexicans in 
 the cave hurried to join their companions, to learn 
 what it might mean. Dan had cast himself down 
 as if asleep, and one of the soldiers did not, there- 
 fore, pick up his gun as he hurried past the entrance 
 of the cave. 
 
 No sooner were the men out of sight, than Dan 
 leaped upon the back of the nearest mustang, and 
 turned him straight for the entrance. He made 
 the animal do his best from the start, yet, as he 
 passed the entrance to the cave, he hung out from 
 the saddle and managed to pick up the gun that 
 rested against the wall. 
 
 " He is escaping ! " cried one of the Mexicans, in 
 Spanish, and leaped in front of the mustang. The 
 next instant the horse knocked him flat and galloped 
 over his body. 
 
 The Mexicans were bewildered, for, on the 
 brink of the ravine, one of them had caught 
 sight of several Texan soldiers in the distance. 
 If they fired on Dan, they would betray them- 
 selves, and, if they did not, the youth would surely 
 escape. 
 
 " After him ! " cried the captain, and two of the 
 soldiers made a dash for the boy. But they might 
 have as well tried to catch the wind, for the mus- 
 
1 68 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 tang was fresh from his rest, and Dan made him 
 
 do his level best. 
 
 Then along the ravine sped animal and boy, Dan 
 riding as never before, and expecting a shot at any 
 moment. He knew not where he was going, and 
 hardly cared, so long as he made his escape from 
 the Mexicans. 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 FLIGHT AND PURSUIT. 
 
 Lieutenant Radbury's party had come up to 
 the ravine at a point opposite to the cave, about 
 half an hour before Dan attempted to make his 
 escape. 
 
 "I see nothing of the Mexicans here," he 
 remarked to Poke Stover, as he swept the ravine 
 from one end to the other with his well-trained 
 eye. 
 
 " No more do I see anything," answered the old 
 frontiersman. "But they may be behind yonder 
 rocks, leftenant. If ye say the word, I'll climb 
 down and scout around a bit." 
 
 "There is a cave among yonder rocks," put in 
 another of the Texans. " It is called Haunted 
 Rock by the Indians. The Comanches used to 
 use it as a meeting-place when they were out 
 for plunder. I've often heard old Si Bilkens tell 
 about it." 
 
 "I have heard of such a cave," answered 
 Amos Radbury. " If the Mexicans knew of it, 
 they might think it just the right sort of a 
 169 
 
170 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 hiding-place. Yes, Poke, you can scout around. 
 But be careful. They may be watching for a 
 shot." 
 
 The frontiersman nodded, to show that he 
 understood, and went off immediately on foot, 
 it being impossible to go down the ravine's side 
 on mustang-back, no matter how sure-footed the 
 animal might be. 
 
 The descent into the ravine took time, and Poke 
 Stover was still some distance from the cave's 
 entrance when he heard a commotion among 
 the bushes and rocks. 
 
 "A mustang a-comin' this way," he muttered 
 to himself. "And somebody ridin', too. It must be 
 one of them dirty greasers trying to git away. I'll 
 cut him short." 
 
 He raised his rifle, and stepped out into the 
 open to get a better aim. Then of a sudden 
 his weapon dropped to his side. 
 
 " Dan ! Dan Radbury ! What in thunder are 
 you doing out here ? " 
 
 At first Dan did not hear the call, for the hoof- 
 strokes of the mustang made considerable noise on 
 the rocks over which he was clattering. But then 
 the youth caught sight of the old frontiersman and 
 his face beamed with joy. 
 
 " Poke Stover ! and is it really you ? " he 
 exclaimed. 
 
 " Yes. What are you doing here ? " 
 
FLIGHT AND PURSUIT. 171 
 
 " I just escaped from four Mexican soldiers, who 
 are hiding in a cave up the ravine." 
 
 " The greasers we are after ! " 
 
 " Are you after them ? They said something 
 about being followed." 
 
 " Yes, I am after them, and so is your father, 
 who is in command of our party." 
 
 " Father ! Where is he ? " 
 
 "At the top of the ravine — in that direction," 
 and Poke Stover pointed it out. " He jest sent 
 me out to do a bit o' scoutin'." 
 
 " To locate the greasers ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " I can tell you all about them. They are at 
 the cave on guard. I took this mustang from 
 them, and also this musket." 
 
 "Then thar won't be no need fer me to scout 
 any more, Dan, and we might as well join the 
 rest," answered Poke Stover. " We must capture 
 them greasers." 
 
 " How did you come to go after them ? " 
 
 Stover told the particulars as they were climb- 
 ing out of the ravine, Dan leading the mustang by 
 the head. In a short while, the youth was with 
 his father. 
 
 Of course the parent was astonished to find his 
 son in this wilderness, so many miles from the 
 ranch home, and Dan had to tell his story in 
 detail. 
 
172 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 " I am glad you are safe," said Amos Radbury. 
 « But what of Ralph ? " 
 
 " I can tell you nothing of him, father." 
 
 "We saw the white mustang twice, but nothing 
 of him," added Amos Radbury, thoughtfully. And 
 then he decided to go on a hunt for his boy as 
 soon as the affair of the four Mexicans was 
 settled. 
 
 To the others Dan pointed out the exact loca- 
 tion of the cave, and the entire party drew within 
 a hundred yards of the opening, without exposing 
 themselves. The Mexicans, also, kept out of 
 sight. 
 
 "We are now eleven to four," said Amos Rad- 
 bury. " I believe if they understood the matter, 
 they would surrender, rather than risk being shot." 
 
 " If they won't surrender I know what you can 
 easily do," returned Dan. 
 
 " And what is that ? " 
 
 " Starve them out. They are all as hungry as 
 bears, — and so am I, for the matter of that." 
 
 "An excellent idea. But if you are hungry, 
 here are rations in the saddle-bags," and Dan was 
 speedily supplied with sufficient food to stay his 
 hunger for the time being. 
 
 One of the party, who could talk Spanish flu- 
 ently, was now ordered to show a white hand- 
 kerchief tied to a stick, and this he did, moving 
 to the very edge of the ravine for that purpose. 
 
FLIGHT AND PURSUIT. 1 73 
 
 At first, owing, probably, to the darkness, the 
 Mexicans did not see the flag of truce, but at last 
 the captain came forward, and demanded to know 
 what was wanted. 
 
 " We want you to surrender," said the Texan. 
 
 " We will not do so, and you will attack us at 
 your peril," was the Mexican's sharp reply. 
 
 " You are but four, while we number twelve." 
 
 "We will fight, even so, sefior. A Mexican 
 never surrenders." 
 
 " What if we starve you out ? " 
 
 " You cannot do that. Still, you may try it, if 
 you wish," continued the capitan, hurriedly. If the 
 Americans tried starving them out, it would give 
 them time in which to perfect some plan for 
 escape. 
 
 The talk continued for several minutes, and then 
 the Texan came back with the information that the 
 enemy would agree to nothing. 
 
 " He's willing to be starved out," went on the 
 ranger. " But I think he wants the chance to get 
 away in the darkness." 
 
 " We will draw closer to the cave as the dark- 
 ness settles down," answered Amos Radbury. 
 This was the first time, as an officer, that he had 
 been sent out on a commission, and he was resolved 
 not to fail. 
 
 The night came on swiftly. Evidently a storm 
 was brewing, for not a star lit up the heavens. 
 
174 F0R THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 " We'll catch it, in more ways than one, soon," 
 said Stover to Dan, suggestively. 
 
 The Texans had had a small fire, but now this 
 was deserted, and the party moved down into the 
 ravine on foot. 
 
 Just as the first rain of the coming storm began 
 to fall, one of the men of the party set up a shout. 
 
 " There they go ! " 
 
 He was right. The Mexicans were making a 
 mad dash for liberty up the ravine, the four men 
 on three mustangs. 
 
 " Fire at them ! " ordered Lieutenant Radbury, 
 and instantly half a dozen shots rang out. None 
 of the enemy was hit, but two of the mustangs 
 pitched headlong, carrying three of the riders down 
 with them. The fourth Mexican, the captain, con- 
 tinued on his way, forcing his steed along at a 
 greater pace than ever. 
 
 Before those on the ground could rise, they 
 found themselves surrounded. 
 
 " Surrender ! " cried Lieutenant Radbury. " Sur- 
 render, or we must shoot you down ! " 
 
 " I surrender ! " cried one of the Mexicans. 
 " No shoot me ! " And he held up his hands. 
 
 But the others were game, so to speak, and, ris- 
 ing, they discharged their muskets, and continued 
 their flight on foot. They had scarcely gone a 
 dozen steps, when the Texans opened fire again, 
 and one dropped, shot through the heart. The 
 
FLIGHT AND PURSUIT. 1 75 
 
 second man was wounded, but kept on and disap- 
 peared up the side of the ravine, in a thick pine 
 brake, where all was now pitch dark. 
 
 " Make that man a close prisoner ! " shouted 
 Lieutenant Radbury to two of his followers. 
 " Come on ! " and he dashed away after the Mexi- 
 can captain. Several, including Poke Stover and 
 Dan, followed him, while others went after the 
 fellow in the pine brake. 
 
 It was largely a go-as-you-please hunt, for, as 
 mentioned before, the army was not yet sworn in, 
 and every man felt that he could do about as he 
 wished. 
 
 Before leaving the Mexican who had surren- 
 dered, Lieutenant Radbury had appropriated his 
 horse, consequently he readily outdistanced those 
 who followed. But he could not catch his 
 man, although he got close enough to note 
 that the fellow left the ravine where there was 
 a cut upward, and took to the timber on the 
 north. 
 
 " We can't follow him in this darkness," said 
 Amos Radbury. "We will have to wait until 
 morning. It is raining now, and probably there 
 will be an easy trail to follow." 
 
 They returned to the others, and then the entire 
 party went into camp in the cave the Mexicans had 
 just vacated, the horses being also brought in, to 
 keep them out of the storm, for it was now raining 
 
176 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 in torrents. A fire was kindled and a warm supper 
 prepared. 
 
 "Two out o' four," declared Poke Stover. 
 "That wasn't so bad, after all." 
 
 The captured Mexican was questioned, and said 
 the missing officer was Captain Arguez, from Santa 
 Cruz. 
 
 " He belongs to a most noble family," said the 
 prisoner. " He will never give up." 
 
 " He will if I lay my hands on him," said Amos 
 Radbury, quietly. 
 
 Both father and son were much worried over 
 Ralph, and wondered what had become of him. 
 It was agreed that while looking for Captain 
 Arguez they should hunt for the boy also. 
 
CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 WHAT HAPPENED TO RALPH. 
 
 " I'm lost, and that is all there is to it ! " 
 
 Ralph sat on the back of his mustang the pic- 
 ture of dismay. He had tried to follow his big 
 brother and had failed, and had spent the night on 
 the bank of the ravine, but at a point several miles 
 from the cave. 
 
 Ralph was not nearly as well versed in wood- 
 craft as his big brother, and he hardly knew how 
 to turn or what to do. All about him was one 
 vast wilderness, and the silence and loneliness 
 made him shiver in spite of himself. 
 
 " If I only knew what had become of him," he 
 said, over and over. " But perhaps he is dead ! " 
 And the tears started to his eyes. 
 
 He had eaten nothing since the evening before, 
 but he was too worried now to satisfy the cravings 
 of his stomach. He had his own mustang and 
 that of Dan with him, and they were feasting 
 on the rich grass close at hand. Procuring a 
 drink at a stream near by, he watered the animals 
 and set forth once again on the hunt. 
 177 
 
178 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 The day drifted by swiftly, and Ralph found 
 neither Dan nor the way out of the belt of timber. 
 He was now weak from so much travelling, and 
 was compelled to rest and partake of the scant 
 lunch still left in the hamper Pompey had provided. 
 
 As night came on so did the storm, and with the 
 first fall of rain he sought shelter under some over- 
 hanging rocks near the top of one side of the 
 ravine. 
 
 It was anything but a pleasant position, and no 
 wonder Ralph wished himself safe at home again. 
 
 The storm increased until the rain came down 
 in a deluge, forming a good-sized stream in the 
 basin of the ravine. Ralph was thankful that 
 there was but little thunder and lightning. 
 
 Having found a dry place in a corner of the 
 rocks, he was on the point of falling into a doze 
 when a clatter not far off aroused him. 
 
 " It must be Dan," he thought. " Dan ! Dan ! " 
 he cried, starting up. " Is that you ? " 
 
 At the sound of his voice the clatter ceased, and 
 only the violence of the storm broke the stillness. 
 Then Ralph called again, that his brother might 
 not go astray. 
 
 " Who calls ? " The voice was a strange one, 
 and the words were spoken with a Spanish accent. 
 Ralph fell back in dismay, but it was too late, and 
 soon the newcomer showed himself, riding a jaded 
 steed, and carrying a long horse-pistol in his hand. 
 
WHAT HAPPENED TO RALPH. 1 79 
 
 " Ha, boy, are you alone ? " demanded the man, 
 who was none other than Captain Arguez. 
 
 " I am," answered Ralph. 
 
 "And what brought you here ? " 
 
 " I was out looking for a lost mustang, and 
 missed my way." 
 
 " Ha, that is what the other boy told me ! " 
 muttered Captain Arguez, half savagely. 
 
 " The other boy ? Then you have seen my 
 brother ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Where is he now ? " 
 
 " I cannot tell you. He ran away, taking one 
 of my soldier's mustangs." 
 
 "But I don't understand," stammered Ralph. 
 " Are you a Mexican army officer ? " 
 
 " I am." 
 
 "And Dan was with you ? " 
 
 " I think he fell in with us by accident, and he 
 got away just as we were having a brush with some 
 of your accursed Americans." The Mexican cap- 
 tain looked around suspiciously. " You are quite 
 sure you are alone ? " 
 
 "Yes, senor." 
 
 "You have two ponies." 
 
 " One belongs to my brother. He got on the 
 white mustang, — the one that ran away, — and 
 that is the last I saw of him. You have no idea 
 where he is now ? " 
 
180 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 "Probably with the Texans who attacked my 
 party." 
 
 " And where are they ? " 
 
 Captain Arguez's brow grew dark. "You are 
 asking too many questions for a mere boy," he 
 growled. " I do not know where they are, nor 
 do I care, so long as they do not bother me any 
 more," and in this he spoke the exact truth. He 
 cared nothing for his men, and wished only to get 
 back to San Antonio in safety. 
 
 The Mexican had had nothing to eat through- 
 out the day, and was glad enough to avail himself 
 of what little was left in the hamper. Then he 
 put his mustang beside the others, and made him- 
 self as comfortable as possible near Ralph. 
 
 " Do you know the way to Bexar ? " he de- 
 manded. 
 
 Ralph shook his head. " I don't know the way 
 anywhere ; I am totally lost." 
 
 " From whence do you come ? " 
 
 "From the Guadalupe River, at least thirty or 
 forty miles from here." 
 
 " Then I must be almost as far from Bexar ? " 
 
 " Yes ; perhaps farther." 
 
 " It is too bad ! I was foolish. But let that 
 pass, what is done cannot be undone." 
 
 Captain Arguez had relapsed into Spanish, so 
 Ralph did not understand his last words. He 
 remained silent, wondering what the officer would 
 
WHA T HAPPENED TO RALPH. 1 8 I 
 
 say next. But instead of talking, the Mexican 
 rolled a cigarette, and began smoking vigorously. 
 
 Ralph was sleepy, and in spite of his repeated 
 attempts to keep awake, he soon dozed off, and 
 then fell into a sound slumber, from which he did 
 not rouse up until daylight. 
 
 The captain was asleep, snoring loudly, and with 
 a half-smoked cigarette between his fingers. At 
 first Ralph thought to leave without disturbing 
 him, but no sooner had the boy risen to his feet 
 than the Mexican opened his eyes and stared 
 about him. 
 
 " So it is morning ? " he muttered. " Very good. 
 Let us be on our way." 
 
 "I do not know which way to go," returned 
 Ralph. 
 
 "That is easily answered, boy. You will go 
 with me." 
 
 "With you?" 
 
 " Yes. I am lonely and want company." 
 
 " But you are going to San Antonio de Bexar." 
 
 " You are right. It is an ancient Mexican town, 
 and there you will be quite safe." 
 
 " But I don't want to go there, — I want to go 
 home." 
 
 " You will be better off with me ; anyway, you 
 must come on. If I let you out of my sight, and 
 you fall in with those Americans, you will betray 
 me to them. Come, we must lose no time." 
 
1 82 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 Ralph attempted to argue, but the Mexican 
 officer would not listen, and soon they were in 
 the saddle, riding side by side, and with the extra 
 mustang behind. Captain Arguez had noted how 
 the water was flowing in the ravine, and now he 
 crossed the hollow, and struck out down the 
 water-course, but on the opposite side to where 
 the Texans had encamped. 
 
 It must be confessed that Ralph felt more 
 downhearted than ever. It was true he had 
 wished for company, but this Mexican was not 
 desirable, and the thought of being taken to the 
 fortified town filled him with dismay. 
 
 Yet there was no help for it, and he rode along 
 as directed, and thus they journeyed for many 
 miles, until they struck a road leading directly 
 into San Antonio. Here Captain Arguez met the 
 Mexican who had escaped into the brush, and the 
 two compared notes, the result of which was that 
 both, along with Ralph, made a long detour to the 
 north and the west. 
 
 Once on the way the party passed several 
 Indians, but no words were exchanged. In this 
 party was Big Foot, the Comanche, who had been 
 nursed at the Radbury ranch, but Ralph did not 
 recognise the red man, for he was too far away. 
 
 The storm had let up a little during the day, 
 but now as night came on it broke forth once 
 more, as furiously as ever. 
 
WHAT HAPPENED TO RALPH. 1 83 
 
 "This just suits me," said Captain Arguez. 
 "It will wet us to the skin, to be sure, but it 
 will put the Texans off their guard." 
 
 Once during the afternoon Ralph had thought 
 to escape, but the captain had threatened to shoot 
 him on the spot, and the attempt had amounted to 
 nothing. The boy's weapons had been taken from 
 him, and the mustang belonging to Dan had been 
 appropriated by the Mexican private. 
 
 The private knew the vicinity of San Antonio 
 well, and said they had better halt at a certain 
 gully until two or three in the morning. This 
 was done, and by four o'clock they were safely 
 inside of San Antonio without the Texan pickets 
 being the wiser, the rain and darkness proving the 
 Mexicans' best ally. 
 
 As soon as he was safe, Captain Arguez went to 
 headquarters to report, taking the private and 
 Ralph with him. Ralph was put in a side room 
 of the quarters, and left under guard for several 
 hours. 
 
 "We have resolved to keep you here for the 
 present," said the soldier, who came to him at 
 last. 
 
 "Keep me here!" gasped Ralph. "What 
 for ? Surely you don't count me a prisoner of 
 war ? " 
 
 " Captain Arguez is convinced that your brother 
 was a spy, and that you will help him if you can. 
 
184 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 It will, therefore, be safer for us to keep you 
 here." 
 
 This was all the satisfaction Ralph could get, 
 and soon after he was marched away to the San 
 Antonio jail, there to remain for some time to 
 come. 
 
CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 THE ATTACK ON SAN ANTONIO. 
 
 "This looks like a hopeless task, father." 
 
 " So it does, Dan, but while I am willing to give 
 up looking for that Mexican captain, I am not 
 willing to give up looking for Ralph." 
 
 " Nor I. But the question is, which way shall 
 we turn next ? " 
 
 Amos Radbury shook his head slowly. The 
 party had been out in the timber two days, and, 
 though they had followed several trails, it had 
 availed them nothing. 
 
 " Perhaps Ralph went back to the ranch," 
 suggested Poke Stover. 
 
 " We found no trail leading in that direction," 
 said Lieutenant Radbury. 
 
 " That is true, but he might have gone back, 
 even so, lef tenant." 
 
 Amos Radbury shook his head slowly. "You 
 only wish to give me a little encouragement, Poke," 
 he said, with a sad smile. " I am afraid he has 
 fallen into the hands of the Indians." 
 18s 
 
1 86 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 " Talk about Indians, here come several Indians 
 now," put in Dan, who was riding beside his father. 
 "They look like Comanches, too." 
 
 The red men, who were three in number, had 
 appeared at the brow of a small hill. Now, on 
 discovering the whites, they seemed on the point 
 of turning to run away. 
 
 One, however, gave the Texans a searching look, 
 and then his face lit up with satisfaction. He 
 came running toward Dan, holding up both hands 
 in token of peace. 
 
 " Big Foot ! " exclaimed the youth, as he 
 recognised the Indian. 
 
 " Good Dan," answered the Indian. " I g/ad I 
 see you. How ! How ! " and he looked at Amos 
 Radbury and the others. 
 
 " I reckon this is the critter ye nursed at the 
 ranch," remarked Stover. 
 
 "It is," answered Dan. He turned to the 
 Indian. " So you are glad to see me, eh ? " 
 
 "Yes, much glad." The Indian looked at one 
 and another of the party. " Where little brudder 
 Raf?" 
 
 " Ralph is missing," put in Lieutenant Radbury ; 
 and then added, quickly, " Do you know anything 
 of him, Big Foot ? " 
 
 The Indian nodded slowly. 
 
 " You do ! " 
 
 " Yes, see little Raf wid Mexican soldiers." 
 
THE ATTACK ON SAN ANTONIO. 1 87 
 
 " With the Mexican soldiers ! " cried father and 
 son, simultaneously. " You are certain ? " 
 
 The Indian nodded again. 
 
 "When was this ? " 
 
 As well as he could, with his limited knowledge 
 of English, Big Foot told of the meeting with 
 Captain Arguez, the Mexican private, and Ralph. 
 " They all go into Bexar," he concluded. 
 
 "Then Ralph is a prisoner of the enemy," said 
 Amos Radbury. 
 
 " But will they hold a mere boy like that ? " 
 snorted Poke Stover. " It seems to me thet ain't 
 human nater, nohow." 
 
 " The Mexicans will do anything to harass 
 the Texans," answered the lieutenant, quietly. 
 " I don't know but what I would rather have 
 Ralph a prisoner in Bexar than lost in the 
 timber or in the hands of some treacherous 
 Indians." 
 
 "If only we could get into Bexar after him/' 
 sighed Dan. 
 
 "We'll get in pretty soon," returned another 
 member of the party. " I heard old Ben Milam 
 say that if our troops didn't start pretty soon he'd 
 form an attack on his own account." 
 
 Big Foot was anxious to learn what all the 
 trouble was about, and Dan explained to the 
 Indian. At the conclusion of the talk Big Foot 
 stared stolidly at Dan for fully ten seconds. 
 
1 88 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 " You say so, Big Foot go into Bexar an' hunt 
 out little Raf," he said at last. 
 
 " Oh, will you ? " cried Dan. " It will be very 
 kind." 
 
 " Big Foot not so kind as Good Dan," returned 
 the Indian. "Yes, will go right now. Where 
 Big Foot find Good Dan if have news for him ? " 
 
 "At the camp of the Texan army," answered 
 Dan, before his father could speak. Then he 
 turned to his parent. " Father, you must let me 
 go with you. I am sure I am old enough to fight." 
 
 " Why, Dan, you are but a boy ! " 
 
 "I think I can fight as well as some of the 
 men," said the youth, boldly. "I am a pretty 
 good shot, and I wouldn't be a coward and run," 
 he added, earnestly. " I don't want to go back to 
 the ranch alone." 
 
 " But life in the army is no easy thing, my son. 
 We may have untold hardships before this struggle 
 comes to an end." 
 
 " I am willing to take what comes. Please say 
 I can go." 
 
 Amos Radbury could not resist his son's appeal, 
 especially as he was glad to have the boy where he 
 might have an eye on him. So it was settled that 
 Dan should accompany his parent ; and thus did 
 the youth become a soldier to fight for the liberty 
 of Texas. 
 
 A while later Big Foot left, stating that he 
 
THE ATTACK ON SAN ANTONIO. 1 89 
 
 would endeavour to get into San Antonio that 
 night, and the party under the lieutenant rode off 
 to the camp of the Texan army. Here Amos 
 Radbury reported what he had done, and there, 
 for the time being, matters rested. 
 
 In the meantime, the Texan army had moved 
 slightly closer to San Antonio de Bexar, but, as 
 yet, nothing had been done toward storming the 
 town. Volunteers came and went, and the army 
 lacked so much of complete organisation that the 
 leaders hesitated upon opening an attack upon 
 such a force as General Cos had under him. 
 
 "If we lose, the Texan cause is lost for ever," 
 said one of the leaders. "We cannot afford to 
 put up the stake at this time." 
 
 Bowie, Crockett, and other scouts were off 
 doing duty of another kind, otherwise the attack 
 might have opened without delay. But now the 
 old veterans, especially those of the war of 1812, 
 became impatient, and among these was old Ben 
 Milam, previously mentioned. One day Milam 
 could contain himself no longer, and, rushing out 
 in front of the general headquarters, he swung 
 his hat into the air, and shouted at the top of 
 his lungs, "Who will follow old Ben Milam into 
 Bexar ? " 
 
 " I will ! " "I will ! " came from a score of 
 throats, and soon over a hundred men were 
 gathered around the old fighter. In the number 
 
I9O FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 were Amos Radbury, Poke Stover, and a party of 
 scouts who had served under Crockett. Dan, of 
 course, followed his father. 
 
 As soon as it was learned how enthusiastic the 
 soldiers were, it was decided that Milam's party 
 should meet on the following day at an old mill 
 near the camp. At this mill the company of vol- 
 unteers numbered exactly three hundred and one, 
 and this force was divided into two divisions, the 
 first under Milam and the second under Colonel 
 Frank W. Johnson. 
 
 " We will move on the town about three o'clock 
 in the morning," said Colonel Milam, and this was 
 done, the first division going down Acequia Street 
 and the second taking to Soledad Street. Both 
 streets led directly to the main plaza of San 
 Antonio, and each was heavily barricaded and 
 swept by General Cos's artillery. 
 
 The two divisions moved with caution, but as 
 they crept along between the low-lying stone 
 houses a Mexican sentinel saw the body under 
 Johnson, and gave the alarm. 
 
 " We are discovered ! " came the cry, and the 
 next instant the rifle of Deaf Smith spoke up, and 
 the sentinel fell dead where he had stood. 
 
 Further attempts at concealment were now use- 
 less, and both divisions rushed into the town as 
 far as possible. Johnson's command went as far 
 as the house of the vice-governor, Veramendi, 
 
THE ATTACK ON SAN ANTONIO. 191 
 
 and here sought shelter from the Mexicans, who 
 swarmed down upon them in great numbers. 
 
 " Dan, take care of yourself," cried Lieutenant 
 Radbury, who with his son had joined Colonel 
 Milam's division. "Don't run any risks if you 
 can help it." 
 
 " I'll stick close to you, father," answered Dan. 
 
 They were going down Acequia Street on a 
 dead run, every Texan firing as rapidly as he could 
 reload. 
 
 " The plaza ! The plaza ! " was the cry ; but that 
 square was still a hundred yards off, when the 
 Mexican garrison appeared, with their artillery, as 
 if ready to sweep the Texans from the face of the 
 earth. Then came the cry, " To shelter ! " and 
 Milam's men, about a hundred and forty strong, 
 broke into the nearest mansion, which was that of 
 De La Garcia. 
 
 " Drop ! " The cry came from Poke Stover, 
 and he called to Amos Radbury, as he saw a 
 Mexican in the act of picking off the lieutenant 
 from the garden of a residence opposite to that of 
 De La Garcia. He raised his gun to fire on the 
 man, but the weapon was empty. 
 
 Dan heard the cry and noted where Stover was 
 looking. He, too, saw the Mexican about to fire 
 on his father, and his heart leaped into his throat. 
 Then, by instinct more than reason, he raised his 
 own gun and blazed away. Both guns spoke up 
 
I92 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 at once, and Dan saw the Mexican throw up his 
 arms and fall backward. Then his father dropped 
 like a lump of lead. 
 
 "Father!" cried the boy, hoarsely, and knelt 
 beside his parent. " Are you hit ? " 
 
 "I — I guess not," stammered Lieutenant Rad- 
 bury. Then he passed his hand over his ear and 
 withdrew it covered with blood. " But I reckon 
 he nipped me." 
 
 "That's wot he did," put in Stover. "But 
 Dan plugged him for it," he went on, with much 
 satisfaction. 
 
 The Texans got into the house as soon as possi- 
 ble, much to the surprise and consternation of the 
 family, who protested in vain at the intrusion. 
 Once within, doors and windows were barricaded, 
 and the residence turned into a veritable fort. 
 
 It was now growing daylight, and without delay 
 the Mexicans began a furious onslaught. The 
 crack of musketry and the roaring of cannon was 
 incessant, but the Texans were wise enough to 
 keep out of sight, and but little damage to human 
 life was done. The Texans stationed themselves 
 at convenient loopholes and calmly picked off 
 every Mexican soldier who showed himself within 
 range. 
 
 "I wonder how the second division is making 
 out," said Lieutenant Radbury, as the day wore 
 away and the cracking of firearms continued. 
 
THE ATTACK ON SAN ANTONIO. 1 93 
 
 "They seem to be doing about as much firing 
 as we are." 
 
 "They are at the vice-governor's house," an- 
 nounced one of the other officers. "We could 
 join them were it not that the greasers are sweep- 
 ing Soledad Street with their twelve-pounder." 
 
 Rations were scarce and water was more so, yet 
 the men under Milam did not complain. They 
 had come to take the city, and they meant to 
 do it. 
 
 " I hope Ralph won't suffer through this," 
 remarked Dan, while on guard at one of the 
 loopholes, with his father not far away. 
 
 "We must trust for the best," answered Amos 
 Radbury, and breathed a silent prayer that all 
 might go well with his younger offspring. 
 
 As night came on it was resolved to dig a 
 trench across Soledad Street, so that the two 
 divisions might communicate with each other. 
 This was dangerous work, for the Mexicans kept 
 a strict guard and fired every time a head was 
 exposed to view. The trench was started at each 
 end and was completed long before daybreak. 
 While this was going on the Mexicans also dug 
 a trench, hoping thereby to catch the Texans in a 
 cross-fire, but the scheme failed. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 THE SURRENDER OF THE CITY. 
 
 " If only I was at liberty once again ! " 
 
 Ralph had said this to himself over and over, as 
 he sat on the hard wooden bench which served 
 him both for a seat and a couch in the little stone 
 cell which he occupied in the San Antonio lockup. 
 
 Several days had gone by, and no one had come 
 to see the youth but his jailer, who delivered food 
 twice a day, morning and afternoon. The jailer 
 spoke nothing but Spanish, so communications 
 between the two were limited. 
 
 Ralph often wondered what had become of Dan 
 and the white mustang. Was his brother lost in 
 the timber, or had he fallen in with the Indians ? 
 
 There was a tiny window in the cell, high up 
 over the couch. From this Ralph could get a 
 slight view of the river and of a patch of sky, and 
 that was all. 
 
 But one afternoon, when all was quiet, Ralph 
 noticed a shadow at the window, and, gazing up, 
 made out part of an Indian face stationed there. 
 Quickly he stood on the bench. 
 194 
 
THE SURRENDER OF THE CITY. 1 95 
 
 " Big Foot, — "he began, when the Indian let 
 out a low hiss of warning. 
 
 " Soldier hear Raf," said the Indian, in a whisper. 
 " Me come to find you, — tell fadder and Good Dan 
 would do dat." 
 
 " Father and Dan ! " returned the boy. " Then 
 they are together ? " 
 
 "Yes, both in big army outside of dis place. 
 Big Foot say he find Raf. Must go now. Maybe 
 save Raf soon. You watch ! " 
 
 And then the Indian disappeared as quickly as 
 he had come. By some means known only to 
 himself, he had found out where Ralph was located, 
 and had watched for thirty hours on a stretch for 
 a chance to communicate with the lad. He had 
 caught a sentinel off guard, and had mounted to 
 the window by means of a lariat thrown around 
 one of the, bars of the opening. As he leaped 
 down, the sentinel turned in time to catch him 
 winding up his lariat. 
 
 " What are you doing there ? " demanded the 
 Mexican. 
 
 " Indian squaw in dare ? " asked Big Foot, 
 meekly. 
 
 " No, we do not keep squaws here," answered 
 the Mexican. " Begone, or I'll shoot you ;" and 
 then, as the Comanche loped off, he resumed his 
 cigarette smoking. 
 
 The coming of Big Foot comforted Ralph 
 
I96 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 greatly, for he now knew that Dan was with 
 their father, and that both were in the army, out- 
 side of San Antonio. That night he slept 
 soundly. 
 
 He awoke to hear loud firing, showing that a 
 battle of some kind had started. The firing con- 
 tinued, and, before long, the lockup was struck by 
 a cannon-ball, although little damage was done. 
 The attack created a great confusion, and Ralph 
 was left largely to himself. 
 
 At night, while the sounds of firing still kept 
 up, Big Foot appeared, with both his lariat and 
 a short iron bar. Mounting to the window, in 
 the gloom, he called Ralph, and passed him the 
 bar. 
 
 "Break window and drop out," he whispered. 
 " Big Foot wait for you close to river." 
 
 He fell back, and with the bar Ralph set to work 
 to liberate himself. The masonry of the window 
 was old and loosened, and he soon had two of 
 the bars out, leaving a space just large enough to 
 admit of the passage of his body. 
 
 As he leaped into the window-opening, he heard 
 voices in the corridor, outside of the cell. Then 
 his jailer and a Mexican officer appeared at the cell 
 door. 
 
 " Ha ! he is escaping ! " roared the jailer, in 
 Spanish. " Stop ! " And he ran to Ralph, to 
 detain him, but the boy dropped to the court 
 
THE SURRENDER OF THE CITY. 1 97 
 
 outside, and scampered off as fast as his feet 
 would carry him. 
 
 An alarm at once sounded, and the cry arose 
 that the prisoners throughout the jail were rising. 
 This, of course, was not so, yet the excitement 
 was great within the walls, and, for the minute, 
 Ralph was allowed to depart unmolested. 
 
 In the darkness Big Foot joined him, and thrust 
 into his hands a stout club. " Club much good, 
 sometime," said the Comanche. " Knock down 
 Mexican, maybe, if in way." 
 
 He led the way down one street and another, 
 until the vicinity of the plaza was gained. 
 
 Suddenly, as they turned an alleyway, a volley 
 from the Mexican garrison was fired. 
 
 " Run ! run ! or get shot ! " shouted the Co- 
 manche, and then, as Ralph turned in one direc- 
 tion, the Indian turned in another, and, in a trice, 
 they became separated in the darkness. 
 
 Ralph kept on running, he knew not where, only 
 that he might escape the bullets, which appeared 
 to be flying in all directions. 
 
 He could not go around by the plaza nor by the 
 church, and so cut into a gloomy courtyard. Still 
 running, he reached the stone wall of a house. A 
 window was close at hand, and he leaped through 
 this, to pitch headlong on the floor beyond, too 
 exhausted to go another step. 
 
 As related before, the firing kept up all this 
 
I98 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 night, and was renewed with vigour in the morn- 
 ing. In the meantime, the trench across the 
 street had been completed, so that the two divi- 
 sions were in communication with one another. 
 It was fighting at close quarters, and San Antonio 
 looked as if in the throes of a big riot. 
 
 The Texans had been trying to bring a twelve- 
 pounder into position, but, so far, they had failed. 
 Now, however, it was mounted at a commanding 
 point, and fired several times, with fair effect. In 
 the meantime, Deaf Smith and a party began to do 
 some sharpshooting from the top of the vice-gov- 
 ernor's residence, but the Mexicans drove them 
 off, and Smith was severely wounded. 
 
 When Ralph came to himself, he found that he 
 was in a room that was pitch-dark. From a dis- 
 tance came a hum of voices, and the steady blows 
 of some blunt instruments, probably axes or picks. 
 The firing continued steadily. 
 
 He felt his way along from the room in which 
 he found himself to the one adjoining. From 
 this a stairs led upward, and he went to the upper 
 floor. Here, from a window, he saw part of the 
 fighting, and as the morning came, he saw still 
 more. 
 
 The noise below kept on steadily, and as day- 
 light advanced, the firing on all sides became 
 almost incessant. In the midst of this, there 
 came a loud hurrah, and a detachment of Texans, 
 
THE SURRENDER OF THE CITY. 1 99 
 
 under Lieutenant W. McDonald, ran out into the 
 street, and battered down the door of the very- 
 house where Ralph was in hiding. 
 
 " Hullo, a boy ! " shouted one of the Texans, as 
 he caught sight of Ralph. And then he con- 
 tinued, quickly, " By George ! ain't you Amos 
 Radbury's youngster ? " 
 
 "I am," answered Ralph. "And you are Mr. 
 Martin, from the Pecan Grove Ranch." 
 
 " Right, my lad. How in the world did you 
 come here ? " 
 
 " I just escaped from the lockup, and was trying 
 to reach the Texan lines. Do you know anything 
 of my father ? " 
 
 " Do I ? Why, he's in the house just below 
 here, along with your brother. We came — Back, 
 or you'll be shot ! " 
 
 Ralph retreated, and none too soon, for a second 
 later several bullets entered the window and buried 
 themselves in the wall opposite. The Mexicans 
 were firing from several roofs in the neighbour- 
 hood. This fire was returned with such good 
 interest that soon the Mexicans were as glad to 
 get out of sight as those who opposed them. 
 
 Ralph wished to join his father and Dan without 
 delay, but Mr. Martin held him back. 
 
 " Wait until dark," said the settler. " You are 
 fairly safe here, and it would be foolhardy to expose 
 yourself." 
 
200 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 " Do you think we will win out ? " asked the lad, 
 anxiously. 
 
 " I do, — but it is going to be a tougher struggle 
 than any of us expected." 
 
 On the morning of the third day of the attack 
 matters were at first quiet, but then came a fierce 
 fire by the Mexicans on the Texans' trench. The 
 sharpshooters were called again to the front, and in 
 an hour the enemy had stopped almost entirely. 
 
 " Here goes for another dash ! " came the cry 
 at noon, and sure enough another dash was led to 
 a house still closer to the plaza, and the build- 
 ing was soon in the possession of the Texans. 
 They were gaining their victory slowly but 
 surely. 
 
 At evening Colonel Milam attempted to leave 
 his own position to consult with Colonel Johnson, 
 still at the Veramendi house. " You must be 
 careful, colonel," came the warning, as the gallant 
 fighter stood in the courtyard. The words had 
 scarcely been spoken when a bullet took Milam 
 in the head, killing him instantly. 
 
 The loss at this critical moment was a severe 
 one, and the officers were called into hasty con- 
 sultation, the result of which was that Colonel 
 Johnson was placed at the head of the expedition. 
 
 The battle was now growing fiercer and fiercer, 
 and, angered over the loss of Colonel Milam, the 
 Texans forced their way to another house, which 
 
THE SURRENDER OF THE CITY. 201 
 
 fronted the Military Plaza and was but a block 
 from the Main Plaza. 
 
 " Down with the Mexicans ! Hurrah for the 
 liberty of Texas ! " were the cries, and the Texans 
 grew more enthusiastic than ever. In the midst 
 of this uproar Ralph discovered his father and 
 Dan at the doorway to one of the houses, and ran 
 to join them. 
 
 " Ralph, my son ! " cried Amos Radbury, and 
 caught the lad to his breast, and Dan hugged his 
 brother with a bear-like grip. " You are quite 
 well ? " 
 
 " Yes, father. But what a fight this is ! " 
 " Yes, and it will be worse before it is over." 
 " Did you see Big Foot ? " questioned Dan. 
 "Yes, he helped me to get out of prison." 
 There was no time just then to say more, for 
 the Texans were fighting hotly, holding several 
 houses and endeavouring to keep the Mexicans 
 out of such buildings where they might have an 
 advantage. 
 
 On the fourth day of the attack the Texans 
 fought their way to what was called the Zambrano 
 Row, which line of stone buildings reached to 
 one end of the Main Plaza. " Let us get to 
 the Main Plaza, and Cos will be done for ! " was 
 the cry. 
 
 From one house the Texans cut their way 
 through the thick stone walls to the next, until 
 
202 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 at last the whole row was theirs, and the Mexicans 
 were driven in every direction. 
 
 The Main Plaza could now be covered in part, 
 but during the coming night the Texans captured 
 still another building, called the Priest's House, 
 which fronted directly on the great square. As 
 soon as this was captured, the Texans barricaded 
 doors and windows, and made of the house a regu- 
 lar fort. 
 
 " We've got 'em on the run," said more than 
 one Texan, after the Priest's House had been bar- 
 ricaded, and this proved to be true. With both 
 the Military Plaza and the Main Plaza swept by 
 the' fire of the enemy, the Mexicans knew not 
 what to do. The citizens of the town were in a 
 panic, and men, women, and children ran the streets 
 as if insane. Then the cry went up in Spanish : 
 " To the Alamo ! To the Alamo ! " and away went 
 the civilians, some with their household effects on 
 their backs. Seeing this, the Mexicans also with- 
 drew, meaning at first to protect the inhabitants 
 (which was unnecessary, for the Texans did not 
 wish to molest them), and then to reorganise at 
 the Alamo for an attack on General Burleson's 
 camp. But at the Alamo things were in the 
 utmost confusion, and before General Cos could 
 call his troops together, some of them fled, making 
 straight for the Rio Grande River. 
 
 This wound up the fighting, and it was not long 
 
THE SURRENDER OF THE CITY. 203 
 
 before the Mexican general sent out a flag of 
 truce, asking upon what terms the Texans would 
 receive his surrender. The Texans were very- 
 lenient, and the matter was quickly settled. The 
 loss to the Texans had been about thirty killed 
 and wounded ; the loss to the Mexicans was six or 
 eight times greater. 
 
CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 A MIDNIGHT DISCOVERY. 
 
 In view of what was to follow at Goliad, it will 
 be well for us to look for a moment at the terms 
 which the Texans made with General Cos at the 
 time of the latter's surrender. 
 
 The Texans, having things all their own way, 
 might have been very dictatorial in their demands, 
 yet they agreed to allow General Cos and his offi- 
 cers to retain their arms and all of their private 
 property. The Mexican soldiers were to return 
 home or remain in Texas as they preferred, the 
 convicts which had been pressed into the service 
 were to be conducted across the Rio Grande River 
 under guard, and the sick and wounded were to 
 be left to the care of the Texans. On his retreat 
 General Cos took with him over eleven hundred 
 men, many of whom were armed against a pos- 
 sible attack by the Indians. 
 
 " I think he is getting off easy," observed Dan, 
 when it became known under what conditions the 
 Mexican commander was leaving. " I don't be- 
 lieve he would be so considerate with us." 
 
 204 
 
A MIDNIGHT DISCOVERY. 205 
 
 " Not by a long shot," put in Poke Stover. 
 " He'd be for treating us wuss nor prairie-dogs." 
 
 " Well, it is always best to be considerate," said 
 Amos Radbury. " It may be the means of bring- 
 ing this contest to a happier conclusion," 
 
 " Well, we're going to keep the regular muskets 
 and army stores, aren't we?" asked Ralph. 
 
 " Yes, all public property comes to Texas," said 
 his father. 
 
 General Cos left San Antonio on the 14th of 
 December, and on the following day General Bur- 
 leson resigned from the Texan army, and a good 
 many of the volunteers went home, to learn how 
 matters were progressing for the winter. On all 
 sides it was felt that no other movement of impor- 
 tance would occur for some time to come, for, in 
 those days in Texas, there were no railroads to 
 carry an army wherever wanted, and the distance 
 from San Antonio to the lower Rio Grande River 
 was a distance of several hundred miles. 
 
 "We may as well go home, too, boys," said 
 Lieutenant Radbury, two days after his com- 
 mander had resigned. " I am anxious to know 
 how Pompey is getting along." 
 
 " What of the white mustang ? " questioned 
 Dan. 
 
 " I reckon we will have to let the white mustang 
 take care of himself, — at least for the present," 
 smiled Amos Radbury. 
 
206 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 It was decided that Poke Stover, who had be- 
 come very much attached to the Radburys, should 
 accompany them, and, a few days later, they set out 
 for the ranch on the Guadalupe by way of Gonzales. 
 
 The stop at Gonzales was made to see what had 
 been done with Hank Stiger. 
 
 " He must not be given his liberty until he 
 confesses what he has done with my claim 
 papers," said Amos Radbury. • 
 
 The ride to Gonzales was made without special 
 incident, but along the whole of the road it was 
 seen that the people were aroused to the highest 
 pitch. Everybody wondered what Mexico would 
 do next. 
 
 It was a bitter cold day when Gonzales was 
 reached, and it looked as if the first norther of the 
 season was at hand. 
 
 " You're too late," said one of the citizens, to 
 Amos Radbury, as they rode 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 — " 
 
A MIDNIGHT DISCOVERY. 20 J 
 
 "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 we couldn'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, and 
 a 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 was away, and a new man had 
 taken his place, — a man who knew absolutely 
 nothing concerning the half-breed who had got- 
 ten away thus easily. 
 
 " We may as well go home," said the lieuten- 
 ant. 
 
 "I would like to see Henry Parker first," said 
 Dan, and received permission to take a run to 
 Henry's house, while his father did some neces- 
 sary trading. 
 
 Dan found Henry Parker as well as ever, and 
 hard at work preparing for the winter, for his 
 father could do but little. Henry was deeply 
 interested in the particulars of the attack on 
 San Antonio. 
 
208 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 " I wish I had been there," he cried. " But I 
 am going when the army reorganises ; mother and 
 father have promised it." 
 
 "There wasn't much fun in it," said Dan, 
 soberly. " It was real hard fighting from start 
 to finish. The fellows who went in for a mere 
 dust-up got left." 
 
 " Oh, I know war is no play, Dan. But I mean 
 to do my duty by Texas, and that is all there is to 
 it," concluded Henry Parker. 
 * Early the next morning the party of four began 
 the journey up the river to the ranch home. It 
 was still cloudy, and Ralph declared that he saw a 
 number of snowflakes come down, but the others 
 were not so sure of this. Yet the weather was 
 dismal enough. 
 
 "We are going to have a pretty heavy winter 
 for this section," said Amos Radbury, — and the 
 prediction proved a true one. 
 
 As they journeyed along, the wind swept mourn- 
 fully through the pines and pecans, but not once 
 did they catch sight of any wild animal, outside of 
 a few squirrels and hares. Some of these Poke 
 Stover brought down, "jest to keep his hand in," 
 as he declared. 
 
 While yet they were a long distance off, Pompey 
 saw them coming and ran forward to meet them. 
 
 " Bless de Lawd yo' is all safe ! " he cried. " I 
 dun fink one or de udder of yo' been shot suah ! " 
 
A MIDNIGHT DISCOVERY. 209 
 
 And he shook hands with his master and fairly- 
 embraced the boys. 
 
 "And how have you been, Pompey ? " asked 
 Amos Radbury. 
 
 " Fse been all right, Mars' Radbury. Had quite 
 a job 'tendin' to fings alone, but Fse dun gwine 
 an' done it, neberdeless, sah. But las' night Fse 
 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 de doah 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 de gun, an' he run away like 
 de Old Boy was after him, sah." 
 
 Asked to describe the stranger, Pompey gave a 
 fairly good description of him, and this fitted Hank 
 Stiger exactly. 
 
 " He is around for no good purpose," said Amos 
 Radbury. " Are all of the mustangs safe ? " 
 
 " Yes, sah. Fse dun watch dem de whole night, 
 sah." 
 
 "We must keep a watch to-night, too, and to- 
 
2IO FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 morrow we can go on a hunt and see if he is hid- 
 ing anywhere near." 
 
 In honour of the home-coming, Pompey, as 
 tired as he was, spread a generous table, and 
 all sat around this for several hours, eating, 
 drinking, and discussing the situation. The 
 Radburys were glad Poke Stover had accom- 
 panied them, for now the frontiersman could 
 help keep guard against the half-breed, should 
 the latter mean mischief. 
 
 The next day proved so stormy and cold that 
 the boys were glad to remain indoors. It did not 
 snow, but the rain was a half hail and the wind 
 was of the kind that reaches one's marrow. Only 
 Amos Radbury and Poke Stover went out, to the 
 cattle shed and the nearest range, and they 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 much afraid 
 of himself." 
 
 "Yes, but he'll want shelter somewhere," said 
 Ralph. 
 
 " Perhaps he has gone after the Comanches," 
 said Dan. " He may have been just on a journey 
 when Pompey saw him." 
 
 So the talk ran on, but nothing came of it. 
 That night, completely tired out, all retired early. 
 Just before he went to bed Dan looked out of the 
 
A MIDNIGHT DISCOVERY. 211 
 
 window and saw that it was clearing off, and that 
 the stars were trying to break through the clouds. 
 
 Down in a corner of the cattle shed rested a 
 small keg of powder which Amos Radbury had 
 brought home from Gonzales, for his stock of this 
 article had run low. As Dan lay in bed he could 
 not get this keg of powder out of his head. 
 
 " I hope it didn't get wet," he thought. " But 
 surely father must have covered it up with great 
 care." 
 
 For thinking of the keg, Dan could not get to 
 sleep, and at last he arose and walked out into the 
 living-apartment of the cabin. Here, in the middle 
 of the floor, he came to a sudden standstill, as a 
 noise outside reached his ears. 
 
 What the noise came from he could not deter- 
 mine. First there was a slight 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 him- 
 self, and, catching up his gun, he ran to the door 
 and threw it open. 
 
 What he saw surprised him beyond measure. 
 There, in the darkness, stood Hank 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 the open bung-hole ! 
 
CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 MARCH OF SANTA ANNA INTO TEXAS. 
 
 " You rascal ! Get back, or I'll shoot ! " 
 
 Such were the words which burst from Dan's 
 lips as soon as he recovered sufficiently from his 
 surprise to speak. 
 
 But Hank Stiger was already retreating, carry- 
 ing the lighted tinder in his hand. He could not 
 make out who was there, but saw it was somebody 
 with a gun, and the sight of the weapon was enough 
 for him. 
 
 " What's up ? " came from Poke Stover, who 
 had been snoring in the corner, and the old fron- 
 tiersman scrambled to his feet and joined Dan at 
 the doorway. 
 
 "There goes Hank Stiger! He was going to 
 blow up the cabin with our keg of gunpowder." 
 
 " Can it be possible ! I'll stop him." Stover 
 ran outside. "Stop, Hank Stiger, or you're a 
 dead man ! " he called out, loudly. 
 
 But the half-breed was now running like a deer 
 and paid no attention to the words. Taking hasty 
 
"'you rascal! get back, or i'll shoot!'" 
 
MARCH OF SANTA ANNA. 21 3 
 
 but careful aim at Stiger's legs, Poke Stover pulled 
 the trigger of his gun. 
 
 The report, which awakened all of the others, 
 was followed by a scream of pain from the half- 
 breed, who went a step or two more and then sank 
 in a heap. 
 
 " What does this mean ? " demanded Amos 
 Radbury, as he, too, seized his gun. "Are we 
 attacked by Indians ? " 
 
 " No, we were attacked by Hank Stiger," an- 
 swered Dan, and pointed to the keg of powder. 
 
 " My powder ! What was he going to do with 
 that ? " 
 
 " Blow us all sky-high." 
 
 " And you saw him ? " 
 
 "Yes, I caught him in the act of lighting the 
 fuse lying there." 
 
 " But how came you to be up ? " 
 
 " I was restless, — thinking about the keg and 
 other things." 
 
 " It must have been an act of Providence," mur- 
 mured Amos Radbury. " Who fired the shot ? " 
 
 " Poke Stover. He has gone after Stiger," con- 
 cluded Dan. 
 
 All ran out of the cabin, and found the frontiers- 
 man and the half-breed at the edge of the clearing. 
 Hank Stiger had been struck in the knee and was 
 evidently suffering great pain, for after screaming 
 for awhile he fell back in a dead faint. 
 
214 F0R THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 Stover and Pompey were for leaving him where he 
 had fallen, but neither Amos Radbury nor his sons 
 had the heart to do this, and in the end the half- 
 breed was carried to the cattle shed and put in the 
 corner from whence he had removed the powder. 
 All were anxious to question him about his actions, 
 but the wounded man was in no condition to talk. 
 
 " After this I'll put this powder in a safer place," 
 said Mr. Radbury, and stored it in a corner of the 
 dugout, under the living-room. 
 
 Hank Stiger's wound was dressed, and then 
 Pompey was set to watch him for the remainder 
 of the night. The negro was given a pistol and 
 was instructed to discharge it at the first intima- 
 tion of danger of any kind. 
 
 But the balance of the night passed quietly, and 
 toward morning Dan got into a sound sleep, from 
 which he did not awaken until long after the others 
 were up. 
 
 After breakfast Amos Radbury started to ques- 
 tion Hank Stiger. He found the half-breed rest- 
 ing easily, but in a sullen mood. At first he utterly 
 refused to talk. 
 
 "Very well," said Mr. Radbury. "If you won't 
 talk, neither shall you eat nor drink." 
 
 " Then take me back to the Gonzales lockup," 
 muttered Stiger. 
 
 "We will, — when we have the time. At pres- 
 ent we have other matters to attend to." 
 
MARCH OF SANTA ANNA. 21 5 
 
 Left once more in charge of Pompey, the half- 
 breed flew into a rage and muttered all sorts of 
 imprecations against those who had outwitted 
 him. Then, as the day wore on, he calmed down, 
 and tried to bribe the coloured man into giving 
 him something to eat and to drink. 
 
 Pompey was obdurate. " Can't do it, nohow," 
 he said. " It's ag'in Mars' Radbury's ordahs, sah." 
 
 A wounded man always craves water, and by 
 one o'clock in the afternoon the half-breed's 
 tongue was fairly lolling out of his mouth. He 
 stood it awhile longer, then summoned Pompey. 
 
 " Give me a drink, — I am dyin '." 
 
 " I dun tole you dat it was ag'in the massah's 
 ordahs, sah." 
 
 " He said I could have water if I would talk," 
 growled Stiger. 
 
 " Is yo' ready to talk ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 At once the negro called his master, who was 
 busy, with the boys and Poke Stover, in putting 
 down some hog-meat for the winter. Knowing 
 how greatly Stiger must suffer, Amos Radbury 
 went to him without delay. 
 
 " So you are willing to talk now, Stiger ? " 
 
 " How can I help myself ? " 
 
 "Then tell me why you tried to blow up my 
 cabin?" 
 
 " I wanted to git squar' fer havin' me locked up." 
 
2l6 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 "But you deserved to be locked up, after that 
 attack on Dan and Henry Parker." 
 
 At this the half-breed shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 "And you must remember perfectly well 
 what you did before that," continued Amos Rad- 
 bury. 
 
 " I didn't get Bison Head to attack you, — he 
 did that on his own account." 
 
 "But you came in afterward and robbed the 
 place. It is useless for you to deny any longer 
 that you took those papers relating to this grant 
 of land." 
 
 For several minutes Stiger was silent. At last 
 he lifted his eyes. 
 
 " Are you goin' to give me dat drink ? " he 
 asked, falling back into his Indian accent. 
 
 " Yes, — if you'll promise to tell me about the 
 papers." 
 
 "I — I will." 
 
 Pompey was at once sent for a pitcher of fresh 
 water, and when it arrived Hank Stiger grabbed it 
 with both hands and drained it dry. Nectar could 
 not have tasted sweeter to him. 
 
 " Now what did you do with the papers ? " 
 Amos Radbury asked, after Stiger had given a 
 long sigh of satisfaction. 
 
 "I — I lost 'em." 
 
 Instantly Amos Radbury's face flushed, and he 
 sprang to his feet. 
 
MARCH OF SANTA ANNA. 21 7 
 
 " Stiger, you are falsifying ! I do not believe 
 you ! " he exclaimed. 
 
 " It's de truf." 
 
 " It is not. You have either hidden the papers 
 or else given them to somebody." 
 
 At this the half-breed shrugged his shoulders 
 again. 
 
 "You cannot deceive me longer," went on the 
 settler. " By and by you will want food and more 
 water. You shall have neither." 
 
 " Goin' ter starve me to death ? " 
 
 " It will be your own fault. I am now treating 
 you with more kindness than you deserve. Many 
 a man would have strung you up to the nearest 
 tree for your misdeeds." 
 
 At this Hank Stiger winced, for he knew only 
 too well that Mr. Radbury spoke the truth. He 
 felt that he could not go too far or he might get 
 into deeper trouble. 
 
 "I'll tell yer all," he said at last. "But give 
 me somethin' to eat first." 
 
 " Not a mouthful until you have told your story. 
 Then you can have all the food and water you 
 wish, and we'll try to make you as comfortable 
 as we can." 
 
 This was the straw which broke the camel's 
 back, so far as Hank Stiger was concerned, and 
 with much hesitation he told his story, which in 
 substance was as follows : 
 
2l8 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 About six months before, he had fallen in with 
 a man of mixed American and Spanish blood 
 named Carlos Martine, who was anxious to 
 obtain possession of a large grant of land on 
 the Guadalupe from the Radbury claim north- 
 ward. 
 
 Carlos Martine was in league with a number of 
 Mexican officials, and had obtained ownership of a 
 large portion of the land without much difficulty. 
 But the best of the land, that fronting the river, be- 
 longed to Amos Radbury, and this Martine could 
 not obtain, although he tried to do so through a 
 certain John Morgan. Morgan had asked Mr. 
 Radbury to sell several times, but had been 
 refused. 
 
 Carlos Martine had had a hold on Hank Stiger, 
 and during the Indian raid had asked the half- 
 breed to obtain possession of the papers relating 
 to the land, if they could be found in the Radbury 
 cabin. What Martine was going to do with the 
 papers Stiger did not know. 
 
 Having obtained the papers, Hank Stiger had 
 gone off to Gonzales with them. From there he 
 had journeyed to Goliad, and there met Carlos 
 Martine. The latter had promised him twenty 
 dollars, Mexican money, for the documents, but 
 at the time of the meeting the half-breed had been 
 so intoxicated that he could not remember whether 
 he received the cash or not. Certainly, when he 
 
MARCH OF SANTA ANNA. 219 
 
 had sobered up, two days later, every cent of the 
 money was missing. 
 
 " And have you seen Carlos Martine since ? " 
 questioned Amos Radbury. 
 
 "No." 
 
 " Then you do not know where he is ? " 
 
 Once more Hank Stiger shrugged his shoulders. 
 "I think he got afraid and went to Mexico. A 
 good many people around Gonzales do not like 
 him, and I think he was afraid I would expose 
 him," he ventured. 
 
 Amos Radbury questioned the half-breed, and at 
 last concluded that the story must be largely true. 
 This being so, he ordered Pompey to fetch some 
 more water and prepare such a meal as might be 
 good for the sick man. The planter had had con- 
 siderable experience at doctoring, and he attended 
 to the wounded knee with almost as much skill as 
 a surgeon. 
 
 As Carlos Martine was out of reach, nothing 
 could at present be done toward getting back the 
 missing documents. 
 
 " But I shall fortify myself as much as possible," 
 said Amos Radbury ; and on the following day he 
 wrote down Hank Stiger's confession in full, made 
 the half-breed sign it with his mark, and had Poke 
 Stover witness the paper. 
 
 "Thet might not hold with the Mexican gov- 
 ernment," drawled the old frontiersman, " but I 
 
220 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 calkerlate 'twill hold with the government o' this 
 free an' enlightened State o' Texas, hear me ! " 
 And at this the others had to laugh. 
 
 The holidays came and went, and nothing of 
 more than ordinary interest happened at the 
 ranch. It was at times bitter cold, the sweeping 
 " northers," as they are called, hurling themselves 
 over Texas with great fury. During those times 
 everybody remained indoors hugging the fire. 
 Hank Stiger still kept to his couch at the cattle 
 shed, and was provided regularly with all that he 
 needed to eat and drink. If the truth must be 
 told, the half-breed was thankful that he had such 
 a comfortable home for the time being, knowing 
 it was much better than any the Indians could 
 offer him, or better than he would get at the 
 Gonzales lockup. 
 
 In the meantime, matters politically were in a 
 very mixed-up state throughout Texas. The ma- 
 jority of the settlers were for liberty, but some, 
 while wishing State rights, still thought it best 
 to remain in the Mexican Confederation, while 
 others wanted annexation to the United States 
 without delay. 
 
 Many meetings were held, but this only in- 
 creased the confusion, and though a portion of the 
 Texans set up a provisional government, others 
 continued to act largely on their own responsi- 
 bility. There were many wrangles and, to look 
 
MARCH OF SANTA ANNA. 221 
 
 back, it is a great wonder that anarchy did not 
 reign supreme. But it is a satisfaction to know 
 that, in the end, law and order conquered. With 
 the political troubles our tale has nothing to do. 
 
 While the Texans were speculating upon what 
 to do next, Santa Anna, in Mexico, was not idle. 
 At the head of a party peculiarly his own, he had 
 cut off many of the rights of the Mexican citizens, 
 and made himself virtually a dictator, although 
 still called simply the president. This accom- 
 plished, he set out to subdue Texas, the only spot 
 where his authority was resisted. 
 
 Santa Anna had sent out a small command to 
 relieve General Cos at San Antonio. The two 
 forces met at the Rio Grande River, and there 
 waited for further orders. Early in February, 
 General Santa Anna came up to Monova with 
 about four thousand troops. These soldiers were 
 joined by those on the Rio Grande, thus increasing 
 the Mexican army to about seven thousand. 
 
 The order now came for a direct advance upon 
 San Antonio, and the army set off on its weari- 
 some journey of about six hundred miles over a 
 plain which was hardly protected by any timber 
 from the cutting winter winds. Slow progress 
 was made, and, food falling short, the whole army 
 had to be put on short rations. Some of the 
 soldiers tried to desert, but these were promptly 
 shot by Santa Anna's orders. Whenever a settle- 
 
222 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 ment was passed, the inhabitants were made to 
 give the hungry Mexicans all the provisions they 
 could possibly spare. Once the whole army came 
 close to open rebellion, but Santa Anna's orders 
 were supreme, and on the 2 2d day of February, 
 1836, the first of his troops appeared within sight 
 of San Antonio ; and the war, which had hung fire 
 since the December before, was again begun. 
 
CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 WILD TURKEYS AND ANOTHER TRAIL. 
 
 One day, early in February, Amos Radbury 
 came riding back from a trip to Gonzales with 
 news that he had heard from Carlos Martine. 
 
 " The man has been at San Felipe," he declared, 
 "and I have it on good authority that he intends 
 to claim my land." 
 
 " Well, what are ye going to do ? " queried Poke 
 Stover, who was still at the ranch. 
 
 " I hardly know. But I wish I could have a talk 
 with Martine. It might be the means of saving a 
 good deal of trouble." 
 
 "Is Martine still at San Felipe ? " 
 
 " No, Gusher told me that he had gone to San 
 Antonio." 
 
 " Then why not take a trip to San Antonio and 
 find him ? " suggested the old frontiersman. " I 
 reckon that is what I would do." 
 
 " I think you are right, Poke, and I'll start to- 
 morrow," answered the planter. 
 
 He went in to talk the matter over with 
 223 
 
224 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 his sons, and the land claim was the chief 
 topic of conversation for the balance of the 
 evening. 
 
 "I now wish I had kept Hank Stiger here," 
 said Mr. Radbury. The half-breed had left the 
 ranch but three days before, apparently very 
 grateful for the manner in which he had been 
 treated. 
 
 "Well, one thing is certain," declared Dan, 
 " I don't stand for giving up the claim. I'll fight 
 first. Those Mexican officials can do as they 
 please, but they can't budge me." 
 
 " Good fer Dan ! " shouted Stover. " He's the 
 kind the State o' Texas will want in days to 
 come." 
 
 On the next day Mr. Radbury was too busy to 
 think of leaving the ranch. There was much 
 work at the cattle shed, part of which had been 
 blown down by a norther which had proved little 
 less than a hurricane. 
 
 In working upon the shed the planter had a 
 mishap. The rung of a short ladder broke 
 beneath his weight, and he came down flat on 
 his back. No bones were broken, but he was 
 hurt otherwise, and decided that it would be 
 best for him to keep off his horse for a week or 
 ten days. 
 
 He was apparently much worried to think he 
 could not see Carlos Martine, and, noticing this, 
 
WILD TURKEYS. 225 
 
 Dan went to him, and asked if he could not do 
 the errand. 
 
 « You, Dan ! " 
 
 "Yes, father. I know you think I am but a 
 boy, yet — " 
 
 " No, my son," interposed Mr. Radbury. " I 
 used to think you were but a boy, but, since you 
 showed your fighting qualities at Bexar, I have 
 changed my mind. You are but a boy in years." 
 
 " Then let me go and see if I can hunt up this 
 Carlos Martine. I can at least have a talk with 
 him, and learn how matters stand." 
 
 Amos Radbury shook his head, but in the end 
 he consented to let Dan go, providing Poke 
 Stover would accompany him on the trip. The 
 old frontiersman was willing, and early on the 
 following morning the pair set off on their mus- 
 tangs, each carrying his gun, which was now a 
 custom with all of the settlers. 
 
 In those days there were two main trails, or 
 wagon roads, crossing the Guadalupe River. The 
 lower trail was the one running through San Felipe, 
 Gonzales, and San Antonio, and this could very 
 properly be termed the main highway of Texas. 
 From fifty to a hundred miles north of this was 
 the trail running through Nacogdoches, and across 
 a hilly and uncultivated territory to San Antonio 
 and the Rio Grande. At San Antonio the two 
 trails came together in the form of the letter V, 
 
226 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 and in the notch thus formed stood the Franciscan 
 Mission, commonly called the Alamo, which means 
 the cottonwood-tree. Of this mission, which was 
 to be so bravely defended, we will soon learn many 
 interesting details. 
 
 The Radburys usually rode to San Antonio by 
 way of Gonzales, but Dan and Poke Stover decided 
 to ride through the timber lands to the northwest 
 until the upper trail was gained. This way might 
 be a trifle rougher, but it was no longer, and the 
 trees along the upper trail would serve to break 
 the force of the northers which were continually 
 sweeping the face of the country. 
 
 The two set off in high spirits, each with his 
 saddle-bags well stocked with provisions, and each 
 well armed. 
 
 "Who knows but what we may meet some 
 Indians on the way ? " said Dan. 
 
 "I doubt if the Indians are active now," replied 
 the old frontiersman. "They have had some 
 pretty good lessons lately, and, besides, they know 
 that all of the settlers are arming against the 
 Mexicans, and are, consequently, ready for them." 
 
 "Do you know why I came this way ? " went on 
 Dan, after a pause. 
 
 " I didn't calkerlate you had any perticklar 
 reason, Dan." 
 
 " I have an idea we can run across that white 
 mustang father lost." 
 
WILD TURKEYS. 22*J 
 
 " Humph ! That nag may be miles an' miles 
 away from this deestrict." 
 
 " That is true. But yesterday, when I rode up 
 to the edge of this timber, I caught sight of some- 
 thing that looked very much like the white 
 mustang." 
 
 " You did ! Then why didn't you say so afore ? " 
 
 " I didn't want to worry father. I thought I 
 would tell you, — when we got out, — and I've 
 done it," added Dan. 
 
 " Where did ye spot the critter ? " 
 
 " Right over to the left, near that fallen pine. 
 But I'm not sure it was the white mustang. But 
 it was some creature in white." 
 
 "If it wasn't the mustang, it couldn't be any- 
 thing else. There are no other white critters here, 
 — 'ceptin' it might be a silver deer, and they are 
 as scarce as snowstorms in July." 
 
 They were now in the timber, and moving along 
 at a steady gait. On all sides the ground was as 
 hard as a rock, and the keen air was bracing to 
 the last degree. A stiff breeze was blowing, 
 swaying the branches overhead, and occasionally 
 bringing down a belated nut on their heads. 
 
 By noon they calculated that they had covered 
 eighteen miles, which was not bad, considering the 
 nature of the ground they had traversed. With 
 the rising of the sun it grew warmer, and, seeking 
 a sheltered spot, they dismounted and partook of 
 
228 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 their midday meal. They had still twenty-six 
 miles to go, but hoped to cover that distance before 
 nightfall. 
 
 " I wonder how the garrison at San Antonio is 
 making out," said Dan, as they sat eating. 
 
 " Like as not a good many of the soldiers went 
 home for Christmas," returned Stover. "To my 
 mind, it's a great pity that Sam Houston ain't 
 succeeded in organising the army as he intended. 
 He seems to be the only leader who thinks that 
 Santa Anna will come over here with a big force 
 to knock the spots out of us. All the others are 
 quarrelling over politics and places." 
 
 " I don't think it's quite as bad as that," laughed 
 Dan. " But it seems to me they ought to get an 
 army together." 
 
 " The leaders ought to act in concert, Dan. If 
 they don't, their soldiers are licked afore they go 
 into battle," remarked the old frontiersman, sagely. 
 "What Texas needs most of all is one first-class 
 leader, whom all obey." And in this speech 
 Stover came very near to telling the exact truth. 
 
 The meal finished, they were soon in the saddle 
 again, and less than an hour later they came upon 
 the trail leading directly into San Antonio. There 
 was a hill of rocks on one side and a belt of timber 
 on the other, with here and there a water-course to 
 be crossed. 
 
 So far, nothing had been seen of any game but 
 
'"THAT'S WHAT I CALL A PRETTY GOOD HAUL ! ' CRIED 
 DAN, ENTHUSIASTICALLY." 
 
WILD TURKEYS. 229 
 
 a deer that was too far away to be brought down, 
 and a few hares, which neither took the trouble to 
 shoot. But now Poke Stover called attention to a 
 flock of wild turkeys resting along the rocks not 
 a hundred yards distant. 
 
 "A fine shot, Dan!" he whispered. "We can 
 make a good trade with 'em, down in Bexar." 
 
 "That's so," answered the boy. "I'm ready to 
 shoot when you are." 
 
 " Let us go into the timber, and come up in 
 front of 'em," suggested the old frontiersman. 
 "The rocks kind o' hide 'em from this p'int." 
 
 They dismounted and tied their mustangs to a 
 tree. Then, with guns ready for use, they 
 crept off in a semicircle, coming up to within 
 sixty yards of the turkeys before they were 
 discovered. 
 
 " Fire ! " cried Stover, and bang ! bang ! went 
 the two guns, one directly after the other. They 
 had loaded with large shot, and five turkeys fell, 
 two killed outright and the others badly wounded. 
 Rushing in, Stover quickly caught the wounded 
 ones and wrung their necks. 
 
 "That's what I call a pretty good haul," cried 
 Dan, enthusiastically. 
 
 " It's not bad, lad, although I've seen better. I 
 wish I could have gotten a second shot at 'em 
 We might have — " The old frontiersman broke 
 off short. " What's that ? " 
 
230 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 " It's a horse's hoofs on the trail," answered 
 Dan. " Somebody is coming this way." 
 
 He ran out of the bushes into which the wild 
 turkeys had fallen, and gazed along the road. 
 Just above was a curve, and around this came 
 sweeping something which caused his heart to 
 bound with delight. 
 
 It was the white mustang. 
 
 " By hookey ! " came from Poke Stover. " It's 
 him, eh, Dan ? " 
 
 " Yes. Oh, if only I had my lasso ! " For 
 that article was attached to the saddle of the 
 mustang in the timber. Dan was on the point 
 of crossing the trail when Stover caught him by 
 the arm. 
 
 " Don't scare the pony — " began the frontiers- 
 man, but he was too late. The white mustang 
 had caught sight of Dan and he came to a halt 
 instantly. Then he reared and plunged and swept 
 by, and the last they saw of him, he was running 
 toward San Antonio at the top of his speed. 
 
 "We've seen him, — and that's all the good it 
 will do us," remarked Poke Stover, as Dan gazed 
 blankly up the road, and then at his companion. 
 
 "Can't we catch him, Poke? Oh, we must!" 
 
 " Might as well try to catch a streak o' greased 
 lightning, lad." 
 
 " I don't know about that. He looked tired, as 
 if he had been running a long while." 
 
WILD TURKEYS. 23 I 
 
 " You are sure on that ? I didn't git no fair view 
 of the critter." 
 
 " Yes, he was covered with sweat. Perhaps 
 somebody else has been following him." 
 
 " Well, it won't do no harm to go after him, — 
 seein' as how he is steerin' in our direction," said 
 the old frontiersman, and, picking up the dead 
 turkeys, they ran for their mustangs and leaped 
 into the saddles. 
 
 Several miles were covered, and they were on 
 the point of giving up the chase when they en- 
 countered a settler with his prairie schooner, or 
 big covered wagon, on his way to Guadalupe. 
 
 " Ye-as, I seen thet air white critter jest below 
 yere," the settler drawled. " He war goin' 'bout 
 fifteen miles an hour, I reckoned. Looked tired. 
 I wanted to go arfter him, but Susy, she wouldn't 
 allow it." 
 
 " No, Sam Dickson, ye sha'n't go arfter no game 
 or sech," came from the interior of the schooner. 
 " Ye'll settle down an' go ter farmin', an' the 
 sooner the better 'twill be fer yer hide, mind me ! " 
 And the dark, forbidding face of a woman, some 
 years older than the man, appeared from behind 
 the dirty flaps of the wagon-covering. At once 
 the settler cracked his whip and drove on. 
 
 Poke Stover chuckled to himself. "Thar's 
 married life fer ye, Dan," he remarked. " Do 
 ye wonder I'm a single man ? " 
 
232 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 " My mother wasn't of that kind," answered the 
 youth, and then Stover abruptly changed the sub- 
 ject, and away they galloped again after the white 
 mustang, little dreaming of the trouble into which 
 that chase was to lead them. 
 
CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 THE MEXICAN ARMY AT SAN ANTONIO. 
 
 The day was almost spent when, from a slight 
 hill, they came in sight of San Antonio, the setting 
 sun gilding the tops of the church steeples, and 
 making the sluggish river appear like a stream of 
 gold. 
 
 " No white mustang yet," said Dan. " I reckon 
 we might as well give up the chase and go right 
 into the city." 
 
 " Not yet ! " cried Poke Stover, pointing with 
 his hand to the northwestward. "Thar ye are, 
 Dan ! " 
 
 Dan looked in the direction, and in a patch 
 of cottonwoods made out a white object, moving 
 slowly along. It was the mustang they were 
 after, so tired out that he could scarcely move 
 from one spot to the next. 
 
 " We've got him now ! " ejaculated the youth, 
 enthusiastically. " And just as I was ready to 
 give up, too ! Come on ! " 
 
 Away he swept, with all the quickness of which 
 his own wearied steed was capable, and Poke 
 233 
 
234 F0R THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 Stover followed him. The white mustang saw 
 them coming, and set off into the timber on a 
 feeble run. 
 
 The course of the pursued creature was around 
 the northern approach to San Antonio and then 
 toward the Medina River. Many times they 
 thought to give up the chase, but then the white 
 mustang seemed so near and so ready to drop that 
 they kept on until the river bank was gained. 
 Here the mustang disappeared into a pine brake ; 
 and it may be as well to add, right here, that 
 neither the Radburys nor Poke Stover ever saw 
 him again. 
 
 "Where is he?" asked Dan, a few minutes 
 after the animal had disappeared. " Do you think 
 he leaped into the water ? " 
 
 " I heard a splash," answered the old frontiers- 
 man. " There it goes again." He tried to pierce 
 the darkness with his eyes. " There is something 
 over yonder, that — Whoopee, Dan, look ! " 
 
 There was no need for Poke Stover to call the 
 boy's attention to what was on the other side of 
 the Medina, for Dan was already looking, " with 
 all eyes," as the saying is. He had made out a 
 number of Mexican cavalrymen, moving up and 
 down along the west bank, and now he noted 
 two pieces of artillery, which the cannoneers were 
 trying to run out on two rafts moored close at 
 hand. 
 
THE MEXICAN ARMY. 235 
 
 " The Mexican army, as sure as you are born ! " 
 cried Stover, in an excited whisper. " Lad, we 
 have made an important discovery. They must 
 be bound for Bexar ! " 
 
 "Yes, and there are thousands of them," an- 
 swered Dan. His heart was beating so rapidly 
 that he could scarcely speak. " Poke, what had 
 we best do ? " 
 
 " Find out what their game is, first, and then 
 ride back to Bexar as fast as our mustangs can 
 make it. If the garrison isn't warned, there will 
 surely be a great slaughter." 
 
 There was a stiff norther blowing, making the 
 swollen stream rough and dangerous to cross, and 
 the Mexicans were consulting among themselves as 
 to how they should proceed. With bated breath, 
 the boy and the old frontiersman watched every 
 movement, and, at the same time, tried to figure 
 up mentally how many Mexicans there were. 
 
 "At least a thousand," said Poke Stover, but, 
 as we know, he was mistaken ; the force of the 
 enemy numbered nearly seven times that many, 
 although, to be sure, they were not all in that 
 immediate vicinity. 
 
 "We will cross the river and investigate," said 
 one of the officers, presently, and a large flat- 
 bottomed boat was brought around and a dozen 
 soldiers leaped into it. 
 
 " We had better get out now," whispered Poke 
 
236 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 Stover, and turned his pony to ride away from 
 the river bank. 
 
 " Halt ! Who goes ? " came the cry, in Spanish, 
 from one of the Mexican guards. 
 
 " We are discovered," whispered Dan. " Come 
 on ! " 
 
 He turned away from the river bank and dove 
 straight into the pine brake. Then came a shot of 
 warning, but the Mexican fired high, not daring to 
 take aim for fear of hitting a friend. 
 
 The shot caused a commotion, and soon Dan and 
 Stover felt that they were being followed. They 
 tried to make their mustangs move on a run, but 
 the animals could not be urged farther. 
 
 "They will catch us, sure," gasped the boy, as 
 the steps of the enemy sounded nearer and nearer. 
 " What shall we do ? " 
 
 " Move to the right, and we'll see if we can't 
 throw them off the trail," answered Poke Stover. 
 
 To the right there was a slight hollow, filled 
 with mesquite-trees and bushes, and beyond this 
 was a sandy plain covered with cacti. But of the 
 latter both were ignorant. 
 
 Down into the hollow they dove, their horses 
 glad enough of the chance to get a drink at the 
 pool among the bushes. Under the mesquite-trees 
 they halted, and Stover went back to reconnoitre. 
 
 The scout was gone for fully quarter of an hour, 
 and came back chuckling softly to himself. 
 
THE MEXICAN ARMY. 2 37 
 
 "We threw 'em nicely," he said. "We are 
 safe now, providin' we don't make too much 
 noise." 
 
 " Then let us go on, Poke. We must carry the 
 news to Bexar." 
 
 " It's funny there are no scouts around," was 
 the old frontiersman's comment. " They ought to 
 be on the watch." But none of the Texan soldiers 
 were on guard, the greater portion of them being in 
 attendance at a Mexican fandango in the town, 
 never suspecting the attack so close at hand. 
 Santa Anna heard of this fandango, and would 
 have pushed forward to capture San Antonio at 
 once, but could not get his army across the Medina 
 River. 
 
 Leaving the pool, Dan and the frontiersman 
 ascended to the plain, and presently found them- 
 selves among the cacti. This was anything but 
 pleasant, and they had to pick their way with great 
 care in the darkness, and even then their steeds 
 often refused to budge, so prickly were the plants. 
 It was almost morning when they arrived in sight 
 of the jacals, or huts, which dotted the outskirts of 
 the city. 
 
 The pair at once sought out the commander of 
 the garrison, Lieutenant-Colonel William B. Travis, 
 who was still sleeping. Travis was a dashing young 
 soldier of twenty-eight, a lawyer by profession, and 
 a native of North Carolina. The commander was 
 
238 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 " red-hot " for independence, and one who never 
 gave up, as we shall soon see. 
 
 "So you wish to see me," he said to Stover, 
 whom he had met before. " It's rather an early 
 visit." 
 
 "I have to report that a large body of Mexi- 
 cans are approaching the town," answered the 
 old frontiersman, saluting in true military style. 
 " Young Radbury here and myself were down 
 along the Medina, when we spotted them trying 
 to bring a couple of cannon over on a raft." 
 
 " Mexican soldiers ? " exclaimed the lieutenant- 
 colonel. " You are certain of this ? " 
 
 " We are." 
 
 " How many of them do you think ? " 
 
 "At least a thousand." 
 
 The commander knit his brows in perplexity. 
 " It is odd none of my scouts have brought me 
 word. But a fandango — " He broke off short, as 
 another officer came in. " What is it, Chester ? " 
 
 " It is reported that some Mexican dragoons are 
 in the vicinity, colonel." 
 
 "These people here tell me a whole army is 
 coming. Where did your report come from ? " 
 
 " The church steeple. The dragoons are in the 
 vicinity of Prospect Hill," went on the officer, 
 mentioning a hill to the west of San Antonio. 
 
 " I must have the particulars of this without 
 delay," said the commander, hurriedly ; and while 
 
THE MEXICAN ARMY. 239 
 
 he questioned Stover and Dan he sent for several 
 scouts, who were hurried off to verify the reports. 
 When the scouts came back, they reported that 
 Santa Anna's army was coming straight for San 
 Antonio, several thousand strong. 
 
 The whole city was at once thrown into a com- 
 motion, and it was felt that the garrison could do 
 little or nothing toward defending the place. 
 
 " We are but a hundred and forty odd strong," 
 said Lieutenant A. M. Dickenson, one of the at- 
 tachees of the garrison. " We cannot hold the 
 plaza, no matter how hard we try. Let us retreat 
 to the Alamo, until we can summon reinforce- 
 ments." 
 
 The matter was hastily discussed, and it was 
 decided to retreat to the Alamo without delay. 
 Later on, express riders were sent off for help, — 
 but help never came for those who fought so nobly 
 and bitterly to the very last. 
 
 The retreat from the town to the mission was 
 necessarily a rapid one, for Santa Anna was ad- 
 vancing with all possible speed. Few stores could 
 be taken along, but as the garrison swept across 
 the plain lying between the city and the mission, 
 they came upon a herd of cattle, numbering thirty- 
 six heads, and drove these before them into the 
 mission's courtyard. 
 
 " Let us go with the soldiers ! " cried Dan, who 
 was as excited as anybody. " If there is a battle 
 
24O FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 ahead it will be all foolishness to attempt to look 
 for Carlos Martine." 
 
 "Well, lad, I'm willing," replied Stover. "But 
 I don't want to get you into trouble." 
 
 " I'll risk the trouble, Poke ; come on," and on 
 they went after the garrison. It was not long 
 before they reached the soldiers, who were just 
 rounding up the cattle mentioned, and in this 
 operation the two assisted. 
 
 It was felt that the soldiers might be besieged 
 in the Alamo for quite some time, so as soon as 
 the cattle were rounded up some of the men 
 visited the near-by houses, and collected all the 
 stores at hand, including a number of bushels of 
 wheat and some dried fruits. 
 
 In the meantime Santa Anna's army had 
 marched into San Antonio, and taken possession. 
 This done, the general held a consultation with 
 his leading officers, and sent out a flag of truce 
 toward the mission. 
 
 " Flag of truce," announced one of the guards. 
 
 "Very well, we'll see what they demand," 
 said Lieutenant-Colonel Travis, and despatched 
 Major Morris and Captain Marten to hold the 
 interview. 
 
 "General Santa Anna demands the immediate 
 surrender of the mission," said the official sent 
 out by the Mexican president. 
 
 "We will convey your message to our com- 
 
THE MEXICAN ARMY. 24 1 
 
 mander," replied the major of the Texans, and 
 withdrew. 
 
 Travis received the message with all the quiet 
 dignity for which he was noted. 
 
 " I will send him his answer at once," he re- 
 plied, and ordered a cannon-shot to be fired over 
 the heads of the Mexican army. 
 
 This threw the Mexicans into a rage, and they 
 quickly hung a blood-red flag from the tower of 
 the San Fernando Church in San Antonio. This 
 flag meant "no quarter," and, as it went up, sev- 
 eral cannon-shots were aimed at the Alamo ; and 
 thus was the battle begun. 
 
CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 WITHIN THE WALLS OF THE MISSION. 
 
 The Alamo church, the principal building of 
 the mission, was built in the form of a cross, of 
 rough stone, with walls several feet thick. At the 
 time of the battle which was to witness its downfall 
 the centre of the structure was roofless, but the ends 
 were well covered. The sides of the church were 
 over twenty feet high, and the windows were ex- 
 ceedingly narrow, for the building had been built 
 to resist attacks by the Indians. It faced both 
 the river and San Antonio proper. 
 
 Attached to the left wing of the church was a 
 large square called the convent yard, with walls of 
 heavy stone sixteen feet high. Spread out in front 
 of this yard, and beyond it, was the convent, two 
 stories high, and nearly two hundred feet long. In 
 front of the convent was a long and broad plaza, 
 covering over two acres, and surrounded by walls 
 at either end and by the convent in the rear, and 
 a house and wall in the front. On the right of the 
 plaza was a small prison and a gateway, and from 
 242 
 
WITHIN THE WALLS. 243 
 
 the corner of the prison there was a stockade of 
 cedar logs extending to the nearest corner of the 
 church. 
 
 For this extensive fortress, if such we may call 
 it, Lieutenant Travis had less than twenty cannon, 
 and the construction of the place was such that 
 but few of the pieces could be placed to advan- 
 tage, and even then hardly any of the soldiers 
 knew how to do any effective firing. 
 
 Next in command to Travis was Colonel James 
 Bowie, already mentioned in these pages, and 
 among the best of the fighters was Davy Crockett, 
 celebrated as a hunter and trapper, who had come 
 down to Texas, with twelve other Tennesseans, 
 about three weeks before the arrival of Santa 
 Anna. Crockett carried with him his favourite 
 rifle, "Betsy," and as a fighter on this memorable 
 occasion proved a whole host in himself. 
 
 "We'll whip 'em," said Crockett, confidently. 
 "They can't stand up against real Americans." 
 
 "You're right, Davy," answered Bowie. "An 
 American who isn't equal to a dozen greasers isn't 
 fit to live." And so the talk ran on from one to 
 another of the garrison. Once Crockett came to 
 Dan, and eyed him curiously. 
 
 " You're rather a young soldier boy," he 
 observed. 
 
 " Yes, sir, but I can shoot." 
 
 " Can you bring down a bird on the wing ? " 
 
244 F0R THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 " Yes, he can, and he has done it lots of times," 
 put in Poke Stover. 
 
 " If that's so, he's all right," said Crockett. 
 
 Santa Anna did not make an immediate attack 
 on the Alamo, for the reason that all of his troops 
 had not yet arrived, and because he wished to give 
 his soldiers a little rest after the long journey 
 northward. He ordered General Castrillon to 
 knock down some of the old houses near the 
 river, and construct a bridge with the timbers. 
 
 " They are going to build a bridge ! " was the 
 cry that went through the Alamo. 
 
 "A bridge? Where?" asked Crockett, and, 
 when told, he smiled, and patted his rifle. " Let 
 'em try it!" 
 
 The Mexicans did try, and soon a detachment 
 of at least a hundred were at work. About forty 
 of the garrison, led by Bowie and Crockett, opened 
 fire upon the workers, and at least a dozen were 
 killed. 
 
 " Down they go ! " was the cry. " Give 'em 
 another round ! " And again the rifles cracked 
 at a lively rate. With thirty killed outright, and 
 a number badly wounded, the Mexicans left the 
 river in a great hurry, and hid in the neighbour- 
 ing houses. 
 
 On February 24th, Travis sent out a strong ap- 
 peal for assistance. " I am besieged by a thou- 
 sand or more of Mexicans, under Santa Anna," he 
 
WITHIN THE WALLS. 245 
 
 wrote. " I have sustained a continual bombard- 
 ment for twenty-four hours, and have not lost a 
 man. The enemy has demanded a surrender at 
 discretion ; otherwise the garrison is to be put 
 to the sword if the place is taken. I have 
 answered the summons with a cannon-shot, and 
 our flag still waves proudly from the walls. / 
 shall never surrender, or retreat ! " Could any- 
 thing be more unflinchingly patriotic than that ? 
 
 This appeal was followed by another, and a des- 
 patch was sent to Colonel Fannin, at Goliad, asking 
 him to bring reinforcements without delay. 
 
 "They are drawing in closer to us," said Poke 
 to Dan, on the morning of the 25th, as the two 
 mounted one of the walls for a survey of the 
 situation. Far off, a portion of the Mexican army 
 could be distinctly seen. 
 
 " A division of the soldiers is approaching with 
 some cannon," answered the youth. He was right, 
 and presently Santa Anna attempted to plant a 
 battery three hundred yards south of the gateway 
 to the plaza of the mission. 
 
 " Shall we allow that? " asked the Texan com- 
 mander, while the Mexican soldiers were coming 
 up. 
 
 " No ! No ! " came back the cry. " Down with 
 the Mexicans!" And in less than five minutes 
 the garrison was pouring through the gateway and 
 out on the plain beyond. The sharpshooters were 
 
246 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 in front, and so deadly were their aims that the en- 
 emy was speedily forced to retreat, dragging their 
 cannon with them. 
 
 " Hurrah ! They are running ! " shouted the 
 Texan s, joyfully. This second repulse made them 
 more determined to resist than ever. 
 
 But when the following morning came, it was 
 seen that Santa Anna had taken advantage of the 
 darkness and planted the battery, anyway, and so 
 well was it protected that none of the guns from 
 the Alamo could reach it. But the sharpshooters 
 under Crockett watched the gunners, and one 
 Mexican was shot dead while in the very act of 
 discharging a shot at the plaza gate. 
 
 " It looks as if we might hold this place for an 
 indefinite period," said Dan, on the day following. 
 " That is, if we don't fall short of provisions." 
 
 "The meat we drove in will last us for some 
 time, lad," answered Stover. "And they have 
 found a lot of grain in one of the friar's houses. 
 But about holding the place, that's a question. 
 We are only about a hundred and fifty strong. 
 What if Santa Anna storms the place some night, 
 with several thousand men ? We'll all be put to 
 the bay'net afore sunrise." 
 
 " Do you really think he'll do such a barbarous 
 thing, Poke?" 
 
 " Think it ? I know it. He's one of the most 
 bloodthirsty Mexicans a man ever met. To sur- 
 
WITHIN THE WALLS. 2/tf 
 
 render to him would be foolish. We've got to do 
 as Travis says, fight or die." 
 
 "Then I'll fight, — and to the bitter end," 
 answered the boy, earnestly. The enthusiasm of 
 those around him had entered his soul, and he 
 had forgotten the meaning of the word fear. 
 
 As one day and another passed, Santa Anna's 
 army increased in size, and he succeeded in plant- 
 ing many other batteries around the Alamo. The 
 bombarding was continual, yet but few of the 
 Texans suffered from this, being well protected 
 by the heavy stone walls of the mission. 
 
 On the first of March, when the garrison was 
 much worn by constant guard duty, there was a 
 commotion during the night. At first it was 
 thought that the Mexicans had begun an attack, 
 but soon it was discovered that the newcomers 
 were Texans. They numbered thirty-two men 
 from Gonzales, who had stolen through the Mexi- 
 can lines with scarcely any difficulty. 
 
 "Henry Parker!" cried Dan, as he recognized 
 his friend in the crowd. " I never dreamed of 
 seeing you here." 
 
 " I couldn't stay behind, after I read Travis's 
 appeal for help," answered Henry Parker. " I 
 guess a lot more of our men are coming, too." 
 But in this Parker was mistaken ; none others 
 arrived at the ill-fated place. Colonel Fannin 
 started from Goliad with three hundred men 
 
248 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 and a few pieces of artillery, but his ammunition 
 wagon broke down, he had no rations but a little 
 rice and dried beef, and at the river his cannon 
 got stuck and could not be gotten across. So the 
 party returned whence it had come. 
 
 Henry Parker and the others had come in on 
 Monday night, and by Tuesday the last of Santa 
 Anna's troops arrived at San Antonio. Following 
 this came three days in which but little was done 
 upon either side. 
 
 "This looks as if the Mexicans were going to 
 give up trying to take the place," remarked Dan 
 to Stover, as both rested in one of the side rooms 
 of the convent on a litter of straw. 
 
 " Don't worry, lad ; it may be the calm afore the 
 storm," was the answer. " Sumthin' is bound for 
 to happen soon, hear me ! " 
 
 " If it doesn't, I'll be for going home," went on 
 Dan. "I believe I can get through the Mexican 
 lines just as well as Henry Parker and those 
 others." 
 
 " It would be risky, Dan, mighty risky." Poke 
 Stover puffed away thoughtfully at the corncob 
 pipe he was smoking. "We missed it altogether 
 on the white mustang and on Carlos Martine, 
 didn't we ? " 
 
 " Yes. I would like to know if Martine is still 
 in San Antonio." 
 
 "Like as not — and hobnobbing: with some of 
 
WITHIN THE WALLS. 249 
 
 them Mexican officers, too. Well, he sha'n't 
 have your pap's land, and that's all there is 
 about it." 
 
 So the talk ran on, man and boy hardly knowing 
 how to put in their time when not on guard duty. 
 At first the mission had proved of much interest, 
 with its quaint carvings and curious decorations, 
 but now even this was beginning to pall. 
 
 On Saturday Santa Anna called a counsel of 
 war, and at this it was decided that a general 
 assault should be made upon the Alamo at day- 
 break on Sunday. The assaulting troops num- 
 bered twenty-five hundred against a pitiful one 
 hundred and eighty-two Texans ! — and were di- 
 vided into four columns, the first of which was 
 under the command of General Cos, the same 
 Mexican who had surrendered to the Texans but 
 a short time before. 
 
 Each column of the attacking party was fur- 
 nished with ropes, scaling-ladders, crowbars, and 
 axes, as well as with their ordinary military 
 weapons. As the soldiers advanced, the cavalry 
 were drawn up in a grand circle around the Alamo, 
 so that no Texans might escape. In the mean- 
 time the blood-red flag of " no quarter " was still 
 flying high from the Mexican camp, and now the 
 band struck up the Spanish quickstep, " Deguelo," 
 or "Cut-throat," as an inspiration to the soldiers to 
 have no mercy on the rebels ! 
 
CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 THE FALL OF THE ALAMO. 
 
 " The enemy are upon us ! " 
 
 This cry, ringing clearly throughout the Alamo, 
 aroused everybody to action, and hither and thither 
 ran the soldiers to their various points of duty, — 
 some in uniform, and others just as they had leaped 
 up from their couches. 
 
 "Are they really coming?" demanded Henry 
 Parker, who had been sleeping beside Dan, in one 
 of the rooms of the convent. 
 
 "I reckon they are, Henry," was the quick 
 response, and up leaped the youth, and ran, gun in 
 hand, to where Poke Stover was doing guard duty. 
 
 " Are they coming, Poke ? " 
 
 " Yes, Dan, and plenty of 'em, too. They are 
 divided into several divisions." 
 
 There was no time to say more, for already one 
 of the divisions, commanded by Colonel Duque, was 
 attacking the northern wall. Here Lieutenant- 
 Colonel Travis commanded in person. The com- 
 mander was bareheaded, and carried a sword in 
 one hand and a pistol in the other. 
 250 
 
THE FALL OF THE ALAMO. 25 I 
 
 " Now, boys, give it to them hot ! " he shouted. 
 " Don't let them get over the wall. Fire to kill ! 
 Fire to save your own lives ! " And then the can- 
 non belched forth, followed by a crack-cracking of 
 the smaller firearms. The aim of the Texans was 
 so deadly that the column was repulsed for the 
 moment, and Colonel Duque was seriously wounded. 
 
 By this time the divisions to attack the other 
 sides of the mission had come up. As one column 
 tried to raise their scaling-ladders, Davy Crockett 
 threw his coonskin cap at them in defiance, and 
 laid one of the officers low with a shot from his 
 trusty "Betsy." Fifty other shots rang out, and 
 the morning air became heavy with the smoke of 
 rifles and cannon. 
 
 " We must beat 'em back ! " cried Stover, who 
 was close to Crockett, and as the old hunter blazed 
 away so did the frontiersman and Dan, and the 
 youth had the satisfaction of seeing the Mexican 
 he had aimed at go down, rope and gun in hand, 
 shot through the ankle. 
 
 The fighting was now incessant on all sides, but 
 gradually the Mexicans concentrated on the north- 
 ern wall. They were yelling like so many demons, 
 and their officers urged them forward by threats 
 and sword blows, until the first rank was fairly 
 wedged against the stone wall of the mission. A 
 cannon belched forth, doing fearful havoc, but those 
 in front could not retreat because of those pushing 
 
252 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 behind them, and in a twinkle one Mexican soldier 
 was piled above another, until the top of the wall 
 was gained, and, as one authority states, they came 
 " tumbling over it like sheep," falling, in some cases, 
 directly on the bodies of the Texan s below. 
 
 " The convent yard is taken ! " was the cry. 
 "To the convent! To the hospital!" And as 
 quickly as it could be done the Texans left the 
 yard. 
 
 In the crowd were Dan, Stover, and Henry 
 Parker. As the latter turned, a Mexican under- 
 officer aimed his pistol at the young man. 
 
 " Down, Henry ! " yelled Dan, but, before Parker 
 could drop, the pistol was discharged and Henry 
 Parker fell like a lump of lead, shot through the 
 brain. 
 
 The sudden death of his friend made Dan spell- 
 bound, and he gazed at the corpse in horror. Then 
 he felt his arm seized by Poke Stover, and in a 
 minute more found himself being hurried toward 
 the church. 
 
 "We can't do anything more," exclaimed the 
 old frontiersman. "They number ten to one, and 
 more. We are doomed, unless we can manage to 
 escape ! " 
 
 "Poor Henry ! " murmured Dan, when he could 
 speak. "What will his mother — " 
 
 " Yes, yes, lad, I know ; but we can't talk about 
 it now. Come on." 
 
THE FALL OF THE ALAMO. 253 
 
 "To where?" 
 
 "Anywhere, away from that howling, raging 
 mob of greasers. They'll show us no quarter." 
 
 "Travis is dead!" said somebody who was 
 passing them. " They fairly hacked him to 
 pieces ! " 
 
 As Stover and Dan ran into the church building, 
 there was a loud report in the courtyard. The 
 Mexicans had captured one of the cannon, and 
 turned it upon the long ward of the hospital build- 
 ing, and the grape-shot laid fifteen Texans low. 
 The Texans were now fighting from room to room 
 of the convent, and the whole place looked like a 
 slaughter-pen. 
 
 " To the church ! " came the cry. " To the 
 church ! Let the last stand be in the church ! " 
 The cry was taken up on all sides, and every 
 Texan who could do so ran for the church with all 
 possible speed. In the meantime, the stockade 
 had been carried, and fresh Mexican soldiers were 
 pouring over this in droves. 
 
 At the entrance to the church stood Davy 
 Crockett, clubbed rifle in hand, and with the blood 
 pouring from a wound in the head. 
 
 " Rally around me, boys ! " he shouted. " Don't 
 give up ! We are bound to whip 'em yet ! " And 
 as the first of the Mexicans came on, he laid two 
 of them low with one mighty blow of his favourite 
 " Betsy," that cracked the rifle in half. And, as 
 
254 F0R THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 the rifle fell, so did lion-hearted Davy Crockett, 
 to rise no more. 
 
 With the fall of Crockett, the other Texans, 
 especially those who had emigrated from Tennes- 
 see, fought like demons, and soon the whole church 
 was so thick with smoke that scarcely one man 
 could be told from another. In a side apartment 
 lay Bowie, suffering from a fall from a platform, 
 where he had been directing operations. As the 
 Mexicans swarmed into the room, Bowie raised 
 himself up and fired his pistols. Seeing this, the 
 Mexicans retreated, and fired on him from behind 
 the door, killing him almost instantly. 
 
 It had been decided that, should the worst 
 come to the worst, the Texans must fire the 
 powder-magazine located in one part of the 
 church. It was now seen that further resist- 
 ance would be useless. 
 
 "The magazine!" came from half a dozen. 
 " Blow the Mexicans up ! " 
 
 " I will ! " shouted back Major T. C. Evans, 
 commander of the artillery, and started forward 
 with a firebrand for the purpose. The Mexicans, 
 however, saw the movement, and before Evans 
 could go a dozen paces, a score of guns were 
 aimed at him, and he went down fairly riddled 
 with bullets. 
 
 " I'm shot ! " cried Poke Stover, in the midst 
 of the din and confusion, and clapped his hand tQ 
 
THE FALL OF THE ALAMO. 255 
 
 his left shoulder. He had been leading Dan to a 
 rear apartment of the church, between overturned 
 benches and sacks of wheat and rice. 
 
 "Shot?" gasped the boy. "Where? Oh, I 
 hope it isn't serious ! " 
 
 " It's in the shoulder," and the old frontiersman 
 gave a suppressed groan. 
 
 " Can I do anything for you ? " 
 
 " No ! no ! not now, Dan. Come, before it is 
 too late." 
 
 " Where to ? " 
 
 " Let us see if we can't hide from these blood- 
 thirsty greasers. It is worse than useless to stand 
 up ag'in 'em longer ! " 
 
 Again Stover caught hold of Dan, and the two 
 pushed on through the smoke and dust. Rifle- 
 shots still cracked out, and yells, screams, and 
 curses filled the air. The Alamo had fallen and 
 now the Mexicans were bent upon butchering 
 every Texan who still remained alive. Out of the 
 whole gallant garrison not one man was spared ! 
 
 Presently Dan and his companion entered a 
 small room but a short distance away from the 
 powder-magazine. Here all was pitch-dark, as the 
 room contained no window. There were boxes 
 and barrels stored here, but for what purpose 
 neither knew. Behind several of the boxes was a 
 niche about three feet square, and almost as deep. 
 
 " It's not much of a hidin'-place," said Stover, 
 
256 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 "but I reckon as how it's better nor nothin'. 
 Anyway, we can't do no more than try it. If 
 they root us out, we'll die game." 
 
 They squeezed themselves into the opening, 
 Stover with many a supressed groan over his 
 wounded shoulder, which pained him not a little. 
 Dan had been struck in the side with a flying bit 
 of masonry, and had an ugly scratch under his 
 arm in consequence, but just now he counted 
 this as little or nothing. The one thing was to 
 escape with their lives. To fight further would 
 indeed have been sheer foolishness. 
 
 The din was gradually subsiding, and only the 
 occasional yell of a Texan being massacred in cold 
 blood reached their ears. Dan could not keep 
 himself from shuddering. What a terrible Sunday 
 morning ! He thought of the ranch home, and of 
 his father and Ralph. Would he ever see those 
 loved ones again ? 
 
 " Hush ! " The warning came from Stover, 
 and he placed his hand over Ralph's mouth. 
 Footsteps were approaching the little room. 
 
 " Hunt the rats out ! " came in a rough Spanish 
 voice. " Hunt them out ! Don't let one of them 
 escape your bayonets ! " And then several Mexi- 
 can soldiers entered the room and began to rum- 
 mage among the boxes and barrels. 
 
CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 ESCAPING TO THE RIVER. 
 
 When the soldiers entered the little room, Dan 
 felt inclined to give himself and his companion up 
 as lost. He felt that the enemy would surely look 
 into the niche, for the officer meant that not a hole 
 or corner should be missed. 
 
 When first coming in he had loaded a pistol he 
 carried, — his gun had been lost in the fight in the 
 courtyard, — and he had done the same for the old 
 frontiersman. Boy and man held the pistols ready 
 for use. They did not mean to give up without a 
 final struggle at close quarters. 
 
 But just as one of the soldiers took hold of a big 
 packing-case that hid the pair from view, there 
 was a commotion in the church proper, followed by 
 the discharge of several rifles. Three Texans had 
 made a last stand, and were fighting back to back. 
 
 " Come, let us see what that means," cried the 
 Mexican officer, and ran from the little room, 
 followed by his companions. 
 
 Dan felt relieved for the moment, yet he knew 
 only too well that those Mexicans, or others, would 
 2 57 
 
258 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 soon be coming to give the place a thorough over, 
 hauling. 
 
 "They will kill us — " he began, when, on turn- 
 ing, his foot struck an iron ring in the flooring of 
 the niche. He felt of the ring and soon became 
 convinced that it was attached to a trap-door of 
 some kind. 
 
 " If it's a trap-door it must lead to a cellar ! " 
 said Stover, hurriedly. " I hope to heaven it does. 
 Try it, lad, an' be quick ! " 
 
 Both crawled from the narrow opening, and Dan 
 pulled upon the ring with all of his strength. Up 
 came a trap-door about two feet square. Beneath 
 this was a space of inky darkness. 
 
 " Don't mind the dark," went on the old fron- 
 tiersman. " Let me go fust, and be sure an' shet 
 the trap after ye ! " 
 
 He began to lower himself into the hole, and his 
 feet struck a flight of stone steps. Down this he 
 sped and soon reached a narrow passageway lined 
 with rough stone, from which the moisture oozed 
 into pools at his feet. 
 
 " I'll try to put them off the scent," said Dan, 
 and drew up one of the boxes in such a fashion that, 
 when the trap fell into place, the box came down 
 on top of it. Then he hastened to join Stover. 
 
 " I don't believe any of our soldiers knew of 
 this secret passage," said Stover. "I wonder 
 where it runs to ? " 
 
HE BEGAN TO LOWER HIMSELF INTO THE HOLE. 
 
ESCAPING TO THE RIVER. 259 
 
 "Perhaps it doesn't run to anywhere," replied 
 Dan. " Go slow, or you may dash your brains out 
 on the rough wall." 
 
 They moved along cautiously. The passageway 
 was not over six feet in height and from three to 
 four feet wide. It was uneven, but soon they 
 found themselves going downward and away from 
 the church and convent, as they learned by the 
 muffled noises overhead. 
 
 "This is some secret passage put in by the 
 friars, years ago," was Stover's comment, after 
 several hundred feet had been passed. " Like as 
 not they built it to escape in case the Injuns 
 attacked 'em." 
 
 " Well, if they did, it must lead to some place 
 of safety," answered Dan. " I sincerely hope it 
 does." 
 
 Stover was still suffering great pain, and he had 
 lost so much blood that he could scarcely walk. 
 
 " I must rest and try to bind up that wound," 
 he panted, and sank in a dead faint at Dan's feet. 
 
 Dan could do nothing in the darkness, and now 
 he resolved to risk a light, and lit the stump of a 
 candle which he usually carried with him when on 
 a hunting expedition. By these feeble rays he 
 bound up the wound as well as he was able and 
 also attended to his own hurt. Then, as Stover 
 gave a long sigh and opened his eyes, he blew out 
 the light. 
 
260 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 " Don't make a light ag'in," were the frontiers- 
 man's first words. " It may cost us our lives. 
 We will keep still and lay low," and then he 
 became partly unconscious again. 
 
 The hours which followed were like some hor- 
 rible nightmare to Dan, whose nerves had been 
 wrought up to the top notch of excitement by the 
 scenes in the courtyard and the church. From a 
 distance he heard calls and groans and an occa- 
 sional shot. The Alamo had fallen and now 
 Santa Anna was himself upon the scene, to make 
 certain that not one of the Texans should escape. 
 " I told them what to expect," he is reported to 
 have said, and then, when five men were brought 
 before him, and his own officer, General Castrillon, 
 interceded for the Texans, he gave Castrillon a 
 lecture for his soft-heartedness, and the prisoners 
 were speedily put to the bayonet. Such was 
 Santa Anna, now high in power, but who was 
 destined in time to be shorn of all rank and 
 to die in bitter obscurity. His last act of 
 atrocity at the Alamo was to have the bodies of 
 his victims piled up with layers of brushwood 
 and burned. 
 
 The hours passed, how slowly or swiftly neither 
 Dan nor Poke Stover knew. No one came to 
 disturb them, and at length the boy sank into a 
 doze due to his exhausted condition. 
 
 When he awoke he found the frontiersman also 
 
ESCAPING TO THE RIVER. 26 1 
 
 aroused. " I hope the sleep did ye good, Dan," 
 he said. 
 
 " Was I asleep ? I did not know it. How long 
 have we been here ? " 
 
 "I can't say." 
 
 " Have you heard anything more of the Mexi- 
 cans ? " 
 
 " Only a faint sound or two, comin' from behind. 
 I reckon we had best push on and see whar this 
 passage leads to." 
 
 They arose, to find their legs stiff from the 
 dampness of the passageway. At least three hun- 
 dred yards were passed, and still there seemed to 
 be no end. 
 
 " One satisfaction, we are gittin' farther away 
 from the church," observed Stover. " I can't 
 hear nuthin' now." 
 
 "Nor I, Poke. But did you notice how wet 
 the passageway is getting ? " 
 
 " I did, lad. We must be nigh to a spring or 
 else the river." 
 
 They went on again, but not for long. A hun- 
 dred feet further and they walked into water up 
 to their ankles. 
 
 " We are blocked," groaned Dan. " What if 
 we can't get out this way ? " 
 
 " I reckon ye had best strike another light." 
 
 This was no easy matter with their clothing 
 and everything else so damp. But finally the light 
 
262 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 was struck, and they pushed on into the passage- 
 way until the water was up to their waists. 
 
 " We can't go much farther," said Dan soberly. 
 " Do you think this leads to the river ? " 
 
 "I do ; but I can't say how far off the stream 
 is. Let us go a little farther." 
 
 A couple of rods were covered, and they sank 
 down until the water was up to Dan's neck. 
 
 " If I go any further I'll have to swim," he ob- 
 served, and just then the candle slipped from his 
 hand and fell into the water, leaving them in total 
 darkness. 
 
 As there seemed nothing else to do, they moved 
 back to the nearest dry spot and sank down to 
 rest and to consider the matter. 
 
 " We can stay here for several days, if we wish," 
 said Stover. " We have got enough to drink." 
 
 " Yes, but I've had nothing to eat since last 
 night." 
 
 " Neither have I. But I'd rather go hungry 
 nor fall into them greasers' hands." 
 
 " If the river is ahead we ought to see some 
 light, Poke." 
 
 " That's true, — if it's daylight outside. But 
 it may be night." 
 
 "Well, we can watch." 
 
 And they did, first one going down into the 
 water, and then the other. It was indeed night, 
 and it yet lacked several hours to daylight. 
 
ESCAPING TO THE RIVER. 263 
 
 At last Dan came back with a smile on his face. 
 
 " I swam a short distance down the passage- 
 way," he exclaimed, "and I saw a faint light. I 
 am sure it leads to the river." 
 
 "Then let us try our luck." 
 
 " Can you swim with that wounded shoulder ? " 
 
 " I can swim with one hand, lad, although I 
 allow it will be slower work than with two 
 hands." 
 
 "Then come on. If we can get away, the 
 sooner the better," returned the boy, and led the 
 way into the water once more. They walked as 
 far as they could and then began to swim. Stover 
 insisted on taking the lead. 
 
 " I'm used to scoutin'," he said. " We don't 
 want to run in no hornet's nest." 
 
 The water now reached almost to the top of 
 the passageway, and they had to move with cau- 
 tion for fear of striking their heads. The light 
 grew clearer and clearer as they advanced, until 
 Stover announced that he could see the river bank 
 ahead, with some roots of trees and bushes hang- 
 ing down in the passageway. 
 
 " Keep back, and I'll take a look out," he 
 whispered, and drew slowly to the end of the 
 opening. He was gone several minutes, during 
 which time Dan supported himself by clinging to 
 a jagged rock sticking out from overhead. 
 
 " Come on back ; we can't escape jest yet," 
 
264 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 whispered Poke Stover, on his return. "Come," 
 and he led the way up the passageway again. 
 
 "But why can't we escape?" asked Dan, 
 impatiently. 
 
 " Because there is a whole company of Mexican 
 soldiers encamped at the very spot where this 
 passageway leads into the stream," was the 
 answer that filled the youth with dismay. 
 
CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 SOMETHING ABOUT GENERAL SAM HOUSTON. 
 
 The Alamo had fallen, and now it was necessary 
 to figure up results. As said before, all of the 
 Texans, about one hundred and eighty in number, 
 had been slaughtered, while the loss to the Mexi- 
 cans was variously estimated at from three to five 
 hundred. The sights about the mission were 
 truly horrible, and never forgotten by those who 
 witnessed them. 
 
 It must be said, in all frankness, that the defence 
 of the Alamo was a mistake, for those gallant men 
 must have known that they could not hold out 
 against the overwhelming forces of Santa Anna. 
 And they did not remain there because all escape 
 was cut off, for they could have gotten away just 
 as easily as the reinforcements from Gonzales got 
 in. It was not until the final days of the siege 
 that the Mexicans drew around them closely. 
 
 Why, then, did they remain ? 
 
 The answer is one that every American boy 
 and man ought to remember with pride. They 
 remained because of the principle involved. They 
 265 
 
266 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 had staked their lives for liberty or death, and 
 they waged the contest to the bitter end. 
 
 The slaughter of the Alamo garrison thrilled 
 the hearts of the Texans as they had never been 
 thrilled before. Those who had been doubtful 
 before were now doubtful no longer. "We must 
 be independent," they said, "absolutely indepen- 
 dent. We must raise a regular army. We must 
 not be divided into factions, but must fight as one 
 man, and under one leader." And then they pre- 
 pared to strike one grand blow from which Santa 
 Anna should never be able to recover. 
 
 But of none of these things did Dan or Poke 
 Stover think as they rested in the dark passageway 
 just beyond the reach of the water from the river. 
 Both were cold and hungry and almost exhausted, 
 yet there was nothing at hand to eat, and rest 
 seemed out of the question. 
 
 "We must try to escape, as soon as it grows 
 dark," said the old frontiersman, and all through 
 that long, weary day they waited and watched for 
 the light to disappear up the passageway. At last 
 it was gone, and they swam again to the river, 
 making as little noise as possible. 
 
 At the opening were a number of bushes, and, 
 as they emerged among these, they heard the foot- 
 steps of a Mexican sentinel not a dozen feet off. 
 At a distance was the camp, with several fires 
 burning brightly. 
 
GENERAL SAM HOUSTON. 267 
 
 Suddenly Stover caught Dan by the arm, and 
 pointed to a tree overhanging the stream. Under 
 the tree was a long canoe with the paddle lying at 
 the bottom. 
 
 " We'll set the canoe adrift, and float down the 
 stream with it," whispered Stover, so softly that 
 Dan could scarcely hear him. "It's our one 
 chance." 
 
 They waited until the sentinel had turned to 
 walk to the other end of his station, then slipped 
 down and swam over to the canoe. It was drawn 
 partly up over some marsh-grass, and they easily 
 dislodged it. Then they turned it down the stream 
 and kept along with it as it floated, their heads up, 
 on the side opposite to the Mexican camp. 
 
 They expected that the Mexican sentinel would 
 discover the floating canoe, but such was not the 
 fact until they were twenty yards from the mouth 
 of the passageway. Then the Mexican turned 
 and stared stupidly. 
 
 "The canoe has drifted off," he murmured to 
 himself, in Spanish. "Well, it is not mine, so 
 why should I care ? Let the owner take care 
 of his property." And he resumed his walk. 
 
 As soon as they were out of the range of the 
 light from the camp-fires, Poke Stover crawled 
 into the canoe and took up the paddle. 
 
 " Stay where you are, Dan," he said. " They 
 needn't have but one of us to shoot at," and while 
 
268 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 Dan clung fast to the rear of the craft, Stover 
 paddled with all the vigour at his command, which 
 was considerable, considering his condition. 
 
 In ten minutes they were out of rifle-range, and 
 safe, and then the frontiersman sent the craft 
 ashore, and he and Dan climbed to the river bank. 
 " Thank God, we are out of that ! " exclaimed 
 Stover, fervidly, and Dan uttered a hearty 
 Amen. 
 
 " I think the fust thing we want to do is to git 
 sumthin' to eat," remarked Stover, after they had 
 rested for a bit. "I'm that hungry I could eat 
 most anything." 
 
 "I don't know this location at all, Poke. 
 Where are we ? " 
 
 "Not many miles from the Gonzales road, lad. 
 About a mile back is Nat Woodver's cabin. I 
 reckon as how we'll git a warm welcome there, if 
 Nat is able to give it to us." 
 
 They set out in the darkness, and reached the 
 cabin half an hour later. They found that the 
 settler was away, to join the army ; but his wife 
 and daughters were home, and they speedily 
 did all they could for our friends, giving them a 
 hot supper, and dressing the wounds as skilfully 
 as trained nurses. They had heard of the fall of 
 the Alamo, but had not imagined that all of the 
 garrison were slaughtered. 
 
 His awful experience had driven Carlos Martine 
 
GENERAL SAM HOUSTON. 269 
 
 entirely out of Dan's head, and all the youth 
 thought of now was to rejoin his father and his 
 brother. 
 
 " They will worry about us, Poke," he said. 
 " More than likely they will think us dead, for 
 they must know that all of the Texans in and 
 about San Antonio went to the Alamo when 
 Santa Anna appeared." 
 
 " You are right, lad ; we'll steer for the ranch the 
 first thing in the morning," answered Stover, and 
 this they did, riding two ponies that Mrs. Woodver 
 loaned them. 
 
 When the pair reached Gonzales they found the 
 town wild with excitement. The news of the 
 disaster of the Alamo had just come in, and by 
 the deaths of the thirty-two men from Gonzales 
 who had entered the mission shortly before it fell, 
 twenty women were left widows and twice as many 
 children fatherless. One woman went crazy, and 
 rushed about the streets crying for the Mexicans 
 to come and kill her, too. It is needless to add 
 that the Parkers were deeply affected over the loss 
 of Henry. 
 
 As Dan and Stover were about to start for the 
 trail leading up the Guadalupe, they met Amos 
 Radbury riding post-haste into Gonzales. 
 
 "My son!" cried the father, joyfully. "And 
 Poke, too ! I was afraid you were dead ! " 
 
 "We came close enough to it, father," answered 
 
270 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 Dan. And then he and the frontiersman told their 
 stories in detail. 
 
 " I would have gone with the men from Gon- 
 zales," said Lieutenant Radbury, "but I hated to 
 leave Ralph home with nobody but Pompey. 
 These are certainly terrible times. I wonder what 
 Santa Anna will do next ? " 
 
 " Perhaps he'll march on Gonzales," said the 
 youth. " It looks as if he meant to wipe out 
 everybody in Texas." 
 
 " The whole State is aroused now. It must and 
 will be a fight to the finish. If the Texans are 
 whipped, every ranch will go up in flames, and 
 every man will be butchered." 
 
 The party returned to Gonzales, for Amos Rad- 
 bury did not want to return to the ranch, now he 
 knew that Dan was safe. 
 
 While the siege of the Alamo was in progress, 
 the General Convention of Texas, which had been 
 called, met at Washington, and a declaration of 
 independence was adopted, and General Sam 
 Houston was unanimously reelected commander- 
 in-chief, with absolute authority over all army 
 forces, regular and volunteer. Heretofore, Hous- 
 ton had been little more than commander in name ; 
 now it was felt upon all sides that he must be given 
 the absolute authority that the situation demanded. 
 All other appointments which had been made in a 
 haphazard, irregular way were abolished. 
 
GENERAL SAM HOUSTON. 27 1 
 
 For the work that was ahead no better selection 
 of a leader than that of General Sam Houston 
 could have been made. Houston was born in 
 Virginia, in 1793, and at the age of nineteen he 
 enlisted for the war of 18 12, becoming an ensign, 
 and fought with such courage that he and General 
 Jackson became warm friends. At thirty years of 
 age he became a member of Congress, and five 
 years later he was made governor of Tennessee, 
 and was one of the most popular men in the West. 
 He was up for reelection, when some unfortunate 
 domestic difficulties overtook him, and he resigned 
 his position and plunged into the wilderness, taking 
 up his abode, later on, with some friendly Indians 
 with whom he had hunted years before. These 
 Indians elected him one of their great chiefs, and 
 in return for this, Houston went to Washington for 
 them and exposed a number of Indian agents who 
 had been defrauding the red men out of the allow- 
 ances made to them by the government. For this 
 these Indians swore undying friendship, and they 
 called Houston their best-beloved brother to the 
 day of his death. Because of his life among the 
 red men Houston frequently attired himself in an 
 Indian blanket and stuck in his hair the feathers 
 of a chief, a custom that was often followed by 
 other mighty hunters of this portion of our country. 
 
 Besides being governor of Tennessee, Houston 
 had been a lawyer of well-known reputation, and 
 
272 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 as such had closely studied legal affairs relating to 
 the United States, Texas, and Mexico. He saw, 
 long before war was declared, that Texas must one 
 day strike for freedom, and he resolved, after 
 leaving the Indians, to throw in his fortunes with 
 the Texans, or Texians, as some have called them. 
 As soon as he arrived he took hold, in his own 
 peculiar way, of certain public affairs, and at a 
 meeting at Nacognoches he was elected com- 
 mander of the forces of eastern Texas. This 
 was directly after the opening of hostilities at 
 Gonzales. 
 
 Had Houston been allowed to act as he wished 
 from the start, it is possible that the slaughter at 
 the Alamo might have been avoided, but, as men- 
 tioned before, matters, politically, were very much 
 mixed, and there were frequent clashes of authority. 
 Some secondary leaders took the liberty to do about 
 as they saw fit, and at one time it looked as if 
 Houston's command would fall to pieces. In the 
 midst of this came trouble with the Indians, but 
 this was patched up by the man who had lived 
 so long among them and who understood them 
 thoroughly. 
 
 As the Convention which had reelected Houston 
 commander-in-chief of the army was in session, the 
 President was handed a letter from Lieutenant- 
 Colonel Travis, making a last appeal for help. As 
 the letter was read there was wild excitement, and 
 
GENERAL SAM HOUSTON. 2?$ 
 
 then it was moved that the meeting adjourn and 
 the members march in a body to the relief of the 
 Alamo. 
 
 But Houston would not have this. " Your 
 place is here, gentlemen," he said. " Here, to pass 
 laws and make our State an assured fact. I will 
 take the field and organise a relief force, and I 
 give you my word that no enemy shall come near 
 you." The Convention settled down, and inside 
 of an hour Houston, accompanied by several of his 
 staff, was riding like the wind for Gonzales. 
 
CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 IN WHICH THE TEXAN ARMY FALLS BACK. 
 
 As the excitement in Gonzales continued, and 
 there was no telling what would happen next, 
 Amos Radbury resolved to remain in the town 
 for at least several days. 
 
 " If I am needed I shall reenter the army," he 
 said. 
 
 "Then I shall go with you," said Dan. 
 
 " But your side, my son — " 
 
 " My side is all right again. It was a mere 
 scratch." 
 
 "I wish I could call my wound a scratch," put 
 in Poke Stover. " But instead of getting better 
 my shoulder seems to get wuss, hang the luck." 
 
 " I think it would be a good plan for you to go 
 up to the ranch, and take it easy," said Amos Rad- 
 bury. " Pompey can wait on you, and at the 
 same time you can keep an eye on Ralph and 
 the place. I do not like to leave my boy and 
 the negro all alone." 
 
 "Then I'll go up to once," answered the fron- 
 tiersman. " I'm no good at fighting in the saddle, 
 
 274 
 
THE TEX-AN ARMY FALLS BACK. 2?$ 
 
 but perhaps I can mind things about the ranch, as 
 you say." And he departed up the Guadalupe 
 before night. His going was a great relief to the 
 planter, for he was afraid Ralph might get into 
 trouble if left to his own devices. And in this 
 he was not far wrong, for when Stover reached 
 the ranch he found that the youngest Radbury 
 had just heard of the fall of the Alamo, and was 
 going to ride off in the direction of San Antonio, 
 thinking to find his father and brother there. 
 
 In the meantime, General Houston, having heard 
 of the fall of the Alamo, at once sent word to 
 Colonel Fannin to blow up the powder-magazine 
 at Goliad, and abandon the place. "You must 
 hurry all you can," added the commander-in-chief, 
 " for the enemy is reported to be advancing 
 upon you." Fannin was to intrench at Victoria, 
 on the Guadalupe, and await further orders. 
 
 Colonel Fannin was in command of between 
 four hundred and five hundred men, the majority 
 of whom were volunteers from the United States, 
 including the New Orleans Grays, the Georgias, 
 the Alabama Red Rovers, and the Kentucky 
 Mustangs. On receiving Houston's order he sent 
 out one of his captains to bring in the settlers 
 and their families at Refugio. Before the settlers 
 could be assisted, the Texans were attacked by 
 an advance guard of Mexican cavalry, and then 
 Fannin sent out another body of men to help 
 
276 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 the first. There were several fierce skirmishes, 
 and the Texans tried to get away, but in the end 
 they were either shot down or taken prisoners. 
 
 Having tried in vain to give succour to those 
 sent to Refugio, Colonel Fannin started, several 
 days later, for Victoria, after dismantling his fort 
 and burying his cannon. Not a Mexican was in 
 sight as the troop, numbering about three hun- 
 dred, crossed the San Antonio River and marched 
 across the prairie, and coming to a fine bit of 
 grazing ground the colonel halted to give his 
 horses a chance to feed and to rest. 
 
 " We ought not to halt here, — we ought to 
 push on to the timber," said one under-officer, 
 and several others agreed with him, but the halt 
 was made, and time lost that proved fatal to the 
 entire expedition. 
 
 The soldiers had just resumed their march when 
 some Mexican cavalry were seen at a distance, in 
 front. Hardly had they spread out before the 
 Texans when a large force of Mexican infantry 
 appeared to the rear. This was at two o'clock 
 in the afternoon, and a little later the Texans were 
 entirely surrounded, and the Mexicans began a 
 furious attack. 
 
 The Texans formed into something of a square, 
 with the wagons in the centre, and the artillery at 
 the corners, and so withering was their fire that 
 the Mexicans were repulsed again and again, and 
 
THE TEXAN ARMY FALLS BACK. 277 
 
 retreated, leaving the prairie crimson with the 
 blood of the dead and wounded. With the Mexi- 
 cans were a number of Indians, but they quickly 
 retreated when their leaders were shot down by 
 the Texan sharpshooters. 
 
 As night came on, Colonel Fannin called his 
 men together, and asked them if they wished to 
 remain and fight it out, or try to escape to the 
 timber. " You can escape if you wish," he said, 
 "for the Mexicans are demoralised by the large 
 numbers that they have lost." 
 
 " We can't leave the wounded to be butchered," 
 was the reply. "We will stand by them to the 
 end," and so they remained. 
 
 In the morning it was seen that the enemy had 
 been reinforced, and once again the battle was 
 renewed, the Mexicans opening with their howit- 
 zers loaded with grape and canister, and doing 
 fearful damage. At last the Texans could stand 
 it no longer, and sent out a flag of truce, although 
 against Colonel Fannin's desire. 
 
 The flag was received, and it was arranged that 
 the Texans should surrender as prisoners of war, 
 to be treated according to the usages of civilised 
 nations. Their arms were then taken from them, 
 and they were marched back to Goliad, and placed 
 in an old church in that town. The wounded 
 were also brought in, but only a few received 
 medical aid. 
 
278 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 It had been stipulated that the prisoners' lives 
 be spared, yet when the capture of the Goliad 
 garrison was reported to General Santa Anna he 
 instantly sent word that all of the prisoners should 
 be taken out and shot! The command was an in- 
 famous one, yet it was obeyed almost to the letter, 
 only a handful of the Texans escaping out of 
 about three hundred. Small wonder was it that 
 Santa Anna was often termed the Mexican 
 butcher. 
 
 Houston's arrival at Gonzales did something 
 toward allaying the excitement, and in a short 
 time he gathered together some three hundred 
 men. But as report after report came in of the 
 advance of Santa Anna with a large force, he felt 
 that it would be useless to give battle, and began 
 to fall back toward the Colorado River, hoping 
 there to be joined by Fannin and others. He 
 took with him most of the inhabitants of Gon- 
 zales, and the town was left behind in flames. 
 
 With the army went Amos Radbury and Dan, 
 both well mounted and well armed. The first 
 stop was at Peach Creek, fifteen miles distant ; 
 and here, on the day following, over a hundred 
 additional volunteers joined Houston's command. 
 From Peach Creek the little army moved to 
 Nevada Creek, and here Houston delayed his 
 march in order that some of his men might bring 
 in a blind widow, who had been left at her home 
 
THE TEXAN ARMY FALLS BACK. 279 
 
 some distance back with her six children. When 
 the Colorado was gained, the army went into camp 
 at Burnham's Crossing, and then across the river 
 at Beason's Crossing. 
 
 Here the general received news of the surrender 
 of Fannin's force, brought by a settler from Goliad. 
 This was a great blow to Houston, and he felt that 
 he must fall back still farther, and wait for rein- 
 forcements from other sources before risking a 
 battle with the powerful Mexican general who was 
 bent upon crushing him. He began to fall back 
 to the Brazos River. 
 
 The retreat toward the Brazos caused much 
 murmuring. "Houston is a coward, — he won't 
 fight the greasers," said some, but others who un- 
 derstood their commander more thoroughly said 
 nothing and did as ordered. Once an under-officer 
 tried to start an open rebellion, but Houston threat- 
 ened to "lick him out of his boots," if he didn't 
 mind his own business. Then he made a little 
 speech, and told the men that he would soon give 
 them all the fighting they wanted, and "on the 
 top side," as he expressed it. Many of the vol- 
 unteers were of lawless character, and it needed 
 just such a man as the dashing and daring, yet 
 cautious, Houston to keep them in check and 
 make them do their best when the proper moment 
 arrived. 
 
 " What do you make of this, father ? " asked 
 
28o FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 Dan of his parent, when the retreat toward the 
 Brazos was ordered. 
 
 " I don't know what to make of it," answered 
 Amos Radbury. " I suppose General Houston 
 knows what he is doing." 
 
 " But see how the settlers are leaving their 
 homes. There is a regular panic among them." 
 
 " That is true, Dan. I wish I knew how Ralph 
 and Stover are faring at home." 
 
 " Can we get back to them ? " 
 
 " Hardly now, for we would most likely have to 
 pass right through Santa Anna's lines. I do not 
 believe it will be long before we have a big 
 fight." 
 
 " Do you believe it is true that Colonel Fannin 
 has been defeated ? " 
 
 "It may be so, for, judging by what took place 
 at the Alamo, Santa Anna must have a large army 
 concentrating here." 
 
 It was raining at the time ; indeed, it rained 
 now nearly every day, and the march was any- 
 thing but a pleasant one. Often the wagons and 
 cannon got stuck, and the men had to put their 
 shoulders to the wheels to help things along. Vol- 
 unteers came and went, and so did the settlers, 
 and sometimes the commander could not calculate 
 how many men he had to rely upon in case of 
 emergency. Yet on struggled the body until, on 
 March 28th, the army reached San Felipe. From 
 
THE TEXAN ARMY FALLS BACK. 28 1 
 
 here they went up the Brazos and encamped near 
 Groce's Ferry. 
 
 In the meantime, Santa Anna's army was press- 
 ing forward, but in several different ways. The 
 Mexican general had thought that the slaughter at 
 the Alamo and the massacre at Goliad would make 
 the Texans submit without further difficulty. He 
 had yet to learn that it was indeed liberty or death 
 with these stern people, who were so soon to risk 
 their all in one final contest. 
 
 One portion of the Mexican army, having gained 
 the Colorado, crossed in rafts, while another portion 
 moved upon San Felipe ; and then a portion of 
 the concentrated forces went to Fort Bend. From 
 here Santa Anna pushed on, through the rain and 
 mud, to Harrisburg, hoping to surprise the town ; 
 but, when he arrived, the place was practically 
 abandoned. 
 
 He wished most of all to capture the heads of 
 the government the Texans had set up, and, learn- 
 ing they were off for Galveston Island, he set out 
 on the march for New Washington, which is located 
 just north of Galveston Bay. 
 
 Houston, hearing that Santa Anna had at last 
 crossed the Brazos, began to march south to meet 
 him. The Texans encamped at Buffalo Bayou, 
 opposite to what was left of the smoking ruins of 
 Harrisburg. Every soldier was now more than 
 eager to fight. 
 
282 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 " Very well ; fight you shall," said General 
 Houston. 
 
 " We will ! We will ! " shouted the soldiers. 
 
 Then Houston continued : " Some of us may be 
 killed, and some must be killed. But, boys, re- 
 member the Alamo ! " 
 
 " Yes, we will remember the Alamo ! " came 
 back in a deep chorus. " Down with every Mexi- 
 can in the State of Texas ! " 
 
 Buffalo Bayou was crossed with great difficulty, 
 on rafts and by swimming, and the soaked and 
 weary army took its way to Lynch's Ferry, where 
 the Buffalo Bayou and the San Jacinto River join. 
 Here were found some rafts belonging to the 
 Mexicans, piled high with army stores, and these 
 were confiscated. Falling back to a shelter of 
 live-oaks, General Houston planted his cannon, 
 and then prepared to fight the enemy on sight. 
 
CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 THE VICTORY OF SAN JACINTO. 
 
 " I reckon we are in for it now, father." 
 
 " Yes, Dan, we shall soon see some heavy fight- 
 ing, I am afraid. I trust you come out of it 
 unharmed." 
 
 "And I hope you come out unharmed, too, 
 father," added Dan, earnestly. 
 
 The two sat under a live-oak, overlooking a 
 wide expanse of prairie, dotted here and there with 
 patches of timber. Behind them flowed the broad 
 and muddy stream, with a stretch of treacherous 
 marsh-land separating them from the water. The 
 soldiers had been formed into something resem- 
 bling companies, and Mr. Radbury had been as- 
 signed to his old position of lieutenant, with Dan 
 as one of the privates under him. 
 
 The Texans had gathered around in little knots 
 to discuss the situation in low tones. Under one 
 of the trees stood General Houston, clad in noth- 
 ing more striking than an old slouch hat, a shiny 
 black coat, and a light-coloured pair of trousers 
 which had long since seen their best days. His 
 283 
 
284 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS, 
 
 sword, also an old affair, was tied to his belt with 
 bits of a lariat. Altogether he looked anything 
 but a general bent upon leading a raw and un- 
 disciplined army to victory. 
 
 " We will win ! " he was saying. " We cannot 
 afford to lose. The whole fate of Texas hangs 
 
 upon our courage 
 
 Amos Radbury looked at Dan, and something of 
 a smile crossed his face. " Did you hear that, 
 lad ? " he asked. " I believe our general speaks 
 the truth. He is not a man to fail." 
 
 The day wore along until two in the afternoon, 
 when several cannon-shots were heard in the dis- 
 tance, and incoming scouts announced that Santa 
 Anna was coming, but not with his entire army. 
 The Mexican general had divided his forces again, 
 much to his disadvantage, as we shall see. 
 
 A light skirmish occurred late in the afternoon, 
 but Houston could not draw on a general engage- 
 ment, and while Santa Anna pitched his camp and 
 fortified it, the Texans remained on strict guard all 
 night, fearing a surprise. 
 
 In the morning General Cos arrived with five 
 hundred men, to reinforce Santa Anna, but the 
 soldiers were so tired out by a forced march they 
 could scarcely stand, and so for the time being the 
 Mexican general did nothing. In the meantime, 
 the Texans called a council of war. Some were 
 for attacking the Mexicans, and others wanted to 
 
THE VICTORY OF SAN JACINTO. 285 
 
 wait to be attacked. Houston said but little, yet 
 by his face he showed that some plan of action was 
 forming in his brain. 
 
 The council over, the commander called two 
 trusty scouts to him, and sent them off with axes 
 on a secret mission, which was to cut away the 
 bridge by which both armies had reached their 
 present encampments. This done, neither could 
 retreat, so the fight would have to be "to a finish." 
 
 " To arms ! " came the call in the middle of the 
 afternoon, and the solitary drum the Texans pos- 
 sessed began to roll. Then, as the men formed to 
 march, the single fifer struck up the popular tune 
 of the day, "Will You Come to the Bower ? " 
 
 " Dan, be careful of yourself ! " cried Amos 
 Radbury, as he pressed his son's hand. " Be care- 
 ful for my sake ! " And then he rushed off to lead 
 his men forward. Dan's face was pale, but his 
 clear eyes shone with a determination that could 
 not be mistaken. He would do his duty, come 
 what might. 
 
 "Vance's bridge has been cut down ! " came the 
 cry. " You must fight now to a finish ! Remem- 
 ber the Alamo ! " 
 
 "Remember the Alamo!" came back wildly. 
 "Remember the Alamo! Down with Santa 
 Anna ! " And then the long lines rushed on, 
 straight for the barricades which the Mexicans 
 had erected. 
 
286 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 The Mexicans were taken completely by sur« 
 prise, for it had grown so late that they had come 
 to the conclusion that hostilities would be put off 
 until the next day. Santa Anna was taking a nap 
 in his tent, while his officers lay around smoking 
 and playing cards. The soldiers were partaking 
 of such food as their scanty means afforded. 
 
 " Forward ! " came from the Texan officers. 
 " Forward ! Don't give them time to form ! " 
 And on swept the line, and crack ! crack ! went 
 the rifles and pistols. Some of the Mexicans tried 
 to return the fire, while others fell flat to avoid the 
 bullets. 
 
 " The cannon ! " shouted the Mexican general, 
 Castrillon, when a bullet killed him instantly. 
 Some of the cannoneers were already at the field- 
 pieces, but they could do little, for the Texans 
 were already upon them. The smoke was thick, 
 and the yelling upon both sides incessant. In the 
 midst of all was General Houston, firing his pistol 
 and using his sword to every possible advantage, 
 and calling to his men to remember the Alamo and 
 not let one Mexican get away. 
 
 Side by side Amos Radbury and Dan gained the 
 barricade. A Mexican loomed up before them and 
 the lieutenant despatched him with a pistol-shot. 
 Then over the barricade went father and son, Dan 
 using his empty gun as a club, and the lieutenant 
 drawing his bowie-knife, a weapon with which 
 
THE VICTORY OF SAN JACINTO. 287 
 
 nearly every Texan was provided. The Texans 
 came over at leaps and bounds, and charged 
 straight into the heart of the enemy's camp, 
 striking down every Mexican that opposed them. 
 
 Coming out of his tent, Santa Anna yelled to 
 his men to arm themselves and form into battle- 
 line. But the confusion was so great that none of 
 his followers paid attention to him. The Texans 
 were aroused as never before, and struck at the 
 Mexicans with such lightning-like rapidity that the 
 enemy was dazed, and scores of them fell upon their 
 knees begging for mercy. The shooting still con- 
 tinued, and now Dan was horrified to see his 
 father go down, stabbed in the leg by a Mexican 
 bayonet. 
 
 " Father ! " he yelled, hoarsely, and then turned 
 to the Mexican who had done the deed. The 
 fellow tried to pierce Dan with his steel, but 
 more by instinct than reason the youth leaped to 
 one side. Then Dan's gun came crashing down, 
 and the Mexican with it, his skull cracked by the 
 force of the blow. 
 
 A crowd was now rushing that way, a score of 
 Mexicans pursued by fully as many Texans, and 
 Dan had his hands full to keep his parent from 
 being trampled upon. There was a strange hum- 
 ming in the boy's ears, and he seemed to be lifted 
 up as though walking on air, while he panted for 
 breath. 
 
288 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 "Keep off, — he is my father!" he screamed, 
 and hurled one of the Mexicans to one side. Then 
 another came to take his place, and man and boy 
 rolled over on the prairie - grass close to the 
 wounded lieutenant. The Mexican had Dan by 
 the throat when a Texan, rushing forward, kicked 
 the enemy in the head, rendering him partly 
 unconscious. 
 
 Leaping up, Dan tried to collect his confused 
 senses. Texans and Mexicans were running in 
 every direction, but at a glance he saw that his 
 own side had the best of the battle, and a prayer 
 of thankfulness burst from his lips. Then he saw 
 General Houston go down, struck in the ankle by 
 a bullet. Yet the staunch commander kept to his 
 post. His horse was also shot several times. 
 
 At last the Mexicans were in full retreat. Para- 
 lysed with fear, some of them sought the open 
 prairie, where they were shot down by the Texan 
 sharpshooters, while others ran frantically for 
 where the Vance bridge had been located. Here 
 the banks of the river were high and rocky, and 
 but few escaped to the opposite side. 
 
 The battle had been fought and won, but the 
 end was not yet. On the prairie, one of the Mexi- 
 can commanders tried to make a stand, but the 
 Texans shot down the line almost as quickly 
 as it was formed. Then the Mexicans began to 
 throw down their firearms, and the officers held 
 
THE VICTORY OF SAN JACINTO. 289 
 
 up their swords, handles to the front, as a token 
 of surrender. 
 
 " It's too late to surrender ! " cried a number of 
 Texans. " Remember the Alamo ! " Meaning, 
 " Remember how you butchered our soldiers ! " 
 
 " Me no Alamo ! Me no Alamo ! " shrieked 
 many of the Mexicans. " Good Americano ! Me 
 no Alamo ! " They wished the Texans to under- 
 stand that they were not responsible for the 
 cold-blooded slaughter at the mission. At last 
 Colonel Almonte gathered together nearly four 
 hundred of the defeated and made a formal sur- 
 render, and to the everlasting honour of Texas be 
 it said that these prisoners were not maltreated. 
 
 The night that followed was one never to be for- 
 gotten. Santa Anna had escaped, and while some 
 ran around crying, "Santa Anna! Hunt down 
 Santa Anna ! " others procured from the Mexi- 
 cans' store a number of candles, which they lit, 
 and then formed a grand procession through the 
 live-oak grove and across the prairie, dancing and 
 yelling like a lot of Indians. The victory had 
 been so long delayed that now, when it was 
 really theirs, they were intoxicated with joy. 
 
 The contest had been a remarkable one in many 
 ways. The Texan army numbered exactly 743, 
 of whom eight were killed and thirty wounded. 
 Santa Anna's force numbered over sixteen hun- 
 dred, and of these, 630 were killed, two hundred 
 
29O FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 wounded, and 730 made prisoners. The enemy 
 had lost, in killed and wounded, more men than 
 the Texan army contained, and at the end of the 
 battle the Texans had more prisoners than they had 
 men in the ranks ! Besides prisoners, the Texans 
 took over a thousand firearms, two hundred sabres, 
 four hundred horses and mules, and about $12,000 
 in silver. Part of the money was divided among 
 the soldiers, each man receiving $7.50, and that 
 was his entire pay for the campaign. 
 
 The Texans were bound to find Santa Anna, 
 and scouts went out in all directions in search of 
 him. On the following day he was discovered in 
 the long grass near the edge of a ravine, on the 
 other side of the river. He tried to hide in the 
 grass, but was compelled to crawl out and sur- 
 render. At first he claimed to be a private, but 
 his jewels betrayed him, and then he said he was 
 one of Santa Anna's aides-de-camp. But no one 
 believed him, and he was taken into the Texan 
 camp without delay. Here there was a most 
 dramatic scene between General Houston and his 
 noted prisoner. Houston, exhausted and covered 
 with the dirt of battle, lay at the foot of a tree, 
 where he had just taken a nap after having his 
 ankle dressed. 
 
 "I am General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, 
 President of the Mexican Republic," said that 
 individual, as he bowed low and flashed his jewels 
 
THE VICTORY OF SAN JACINTO. 29 1 
 
 and military decorations before Houston. " I 
 claim to be a prisoner of war at your disposal." 
 
 General Houston regarded him in utter silence 
 for several seconds, a silence in which each man 
 measured the other thoroughly. Plainly Santa 
 Anna was disconcerted, and he looked around 
 nervously, as if expecting that at any moment 
 he might be shot in the back. Then Houston 
 waved him to a seat on a near-by box of ammuni- 
 tion. 
 
 An interpreter was called up, and Santa Anna 
 asked for a piece of opium, saying he was suffering 
 much pain. The opium was given him and this 
 quieted his nerves. 
 
 " That man may consider himself born to no 
 common destiny who has conquered the Napoleon 
 of the West," went on the Mexican general, bom- 
 bastically. " It now remains for him to be generous 
 to the vanquished." 
 
 Again Houston looked at him, a look that made 
 Santa Anna quail. 
 
 "You should have remembered that at the 
 Alamo," said the Texan commander. 
 
 " I am not to blame — I acted under the orders 
 of the government of Mexico," cried Santa Anna, 
 hastily, and tried to explain that there was a law 
 which held that prisoners taken with arms must 
 be treated as pirates. But Houston cut the inter- 
 preter short when translating the words. 
 
292 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 " Who is the government of Mexico ? " he 
 exclaimed. " You, and you alone, and you are 
 responsible for the law that made the slaughter 
 at the Alamo possible. And you are likewise 
 responsible for the massacre at Goliad ! " went 
 on Houston, with great intensity of feeling. 
 
 " No, no, you are mistaken," answered Santa 
 Anna, and then tried to excuse the massacre of 
 Fannin and his men in various ways. He wanted 
 to treat for peace and for his release, but Houston 
 told him that only the government of Texas had 
 jurisdiction in the matter. Then Santa Anna was 
 placed in a tent, given his private baggage, and a 
 strong guard was set, that some of the more head- 
 strong of the Texans might not kill him. 
 
CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 BACK TO THE RANCH CONCLUSION. 
 
 Immediately after the battle, Dan sought out 
 medical aid and had his father attended to. Mr. 
 Radbury was still unconscious, and for several days 
 it was not known whether he would live or die. 
 During all that time, his son remained at his side, 
 hoping and praying for the best. At last the 
 planter was pronounced out of danger, but the 
 wound had been a deep one and it was doubtful 
 if Mr. Radbury would ever be as strong again as 
 he had been. 
 
 While father and son were at the temporary 
 hospital which the Texans had opened, Dan 
 made a discovery which filled him with interest. 
 Among the Mexican prisoners that had been 
 taken, the youth found a man from San Antonio 
 whom he knew well, — a person who had joined 
 Santa Anna's army after the fall of the Alamo. 
 During a talk with this individual, he learned that 
 Carlos Martine was also in the army, having joined 
 at the same time. 
 
 " I must find that man and have a talk with 
 2 93 
 
294 F0R THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 him," said Dan to himself, and as soon as his 
 father was a little better he set out on his hunt. 
 
 He had not made many inquiries, when he 
 learned that Carlos Martine was dead, having been 
 shot down while trying to escape across the open 
 prairie, and the body had already been put away. 
 
 "But what of the dead — were the things in 
 their pockets buried with them ? " asked Dan of 
 one of the Texan guards. 
 
 " No, their pockets were emptied, and every- 
 thing found was turned over to the quartermas- 
 ter," was the reply, and then the youth went to 
 the officer named and told him of Martine and of 
 the missing papers. 
 
 " Here is a lot of stuff, Radbury. You can 
 look it over and see if there is anything there 
 belonging to your father." 
 
 Dan examined the pile with care, and presently 
 came upon the papers, safe and sound, just as they 
 had been stolen by Hank Stiger. 
 
 "They are here!" he cried, and passed them 
 over for examination. "Won't father be glad of 
 this ! " And off he ran a little later to tell his 
 parent. Amos Radbury could scarcely speak, but 
 his satisfaction shone in his eyes. 
 
 "It is a great relief," he murmured. "They 
 cannot disturb my home now." And then he 
 added with a sigh, " I wish I were there now ! " 
 
 "All in good time, father," said Dan, affection- 
 
BACK TO THE RANCH. 295 
 
 ately. "We have truly nothing more to fear. 
 Santa Anna is whipped and has already sent word 
 that his other troops must withdraw. The inde- 
 pendence of Texas is assured beyond a doubt." 
 
 Dan was right in what he said. Not long after 
 Santa Anna's defeat the remainder of his army 
 was in full retreat. As they fell back they were 
 closely watched by the Texans, but no further 
 fighting took place. 
 
 The government of Texas had retired to Gal- 
 veston, but as soon as the victory of San Jacinto 
 became known, President Burnett and his cabinet 
 hurried to the Texan camp and opened negotia- 
 tions with Santa Anna. The Mexican general 
 was ready to promise almost anything in return 
 for his liberty, and Houston suggested that he be 
 made to recognise the independence of Texas, 
 that the Rio Grande River should become the 
 boundary between the independent State and Mex- 
 ico, that all Texan prisoners should be released, 
 that all private property should be restored, and 
 numerous other things, all of which were after- 
 ward embodied in a treaty signed at Velasco, 
 
 Yet even then Santa Anna was not given his 
 liberty. The people were aroused to the depths 
 of their very souls and they feared that the " Mex- 
 ican Butcher " could not be trusted. Against the 
 advice of many he was put into prison, and it was 
 not until nearly a year later that he was allowed 
 
296 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 to return to Mexico. Here he found himself " out 
 in the cold " in more ways than one, and highly 
 disgusted he retired to his estate at Mango del 
 Clavo, not to be heard of again for some time to 
 come. 
 
 With the closing of the war matters waxed hot 
 in Texas politically, but with politics Amos Rad- 
 bury had little to do. As soon as he was able, he 
 returned to his ranch on the Guadalupe, where 
 both he and Dan were received in a warm manner 
 by Ralph and the ever faithful Poke Stover and 
 Pompey. 
 
 " You are both heroes," cried the youngest 
 Radbury. And then he added, with all the ardor 
 of youth : " How I wish I had been along ! " 
 
 " Never mind, lad, your time may come some 
 day," said Poke Stover. 
 
 " If it dun cum dat boy will prove as brave as 
 any of dem," said Pompey. " Yo' see, it's in de 
 Radbury blood, wot fit in de Rebolution, de wah 
 ob 18 12 and de Injun wahs. Da can't help it no 
 moah dan da kin help eatin', he ! he ! " And he 
 slapped his thigh enthusiastically. That evening 
 Pompey served the "spread of his life," as Dan 
 designated it, and never were a party happier than 
 the Radburys and Poke Stover as they sat and ate 
 and drank, and talked over the many things which 
 had happened since the first trouble with the 
 Indians. 
 
BACK TO THE RANCH. 297 
 
 "But I am glad it is over," said Amos Radbury. 
 " Glad it is over, and equally glad that we are all 
 home once more." 
 
 Here let us bring to a close this tale of the war, 
 "For the Liberty of Texas." Summer was now 
 at hand, and as soon as Dan felt rested he and 
 Ralph, assisted by Pompey, set to work to put the 
 ranch in order and attend to the stock, which had 
 suffered more or less from neglect. Later on, 
 both Mr. Radbury and Poke Stover joined in the 
 labour, and before fall everything was running as 
 smoothly as it had the spring previous. 
 
 The liberty of Texas had been assured, but the 
 people were not satisfied, and clamoured to be ad- 
 mitted to the United States. In a few years this 
 was accomplished, and Texas became as she is 
 to-day, the largest State in our glorious Union. 
 Then followed trouble about the boundary line 
 between the United States and Mexico, and soon 
 war was declared between the two principal re- 
 publics of North America. The further adven- 
 tures of the Radburys before this war and through 
 a portion of it will be told in the next volume of 
 this series, to be entitled, " With Taylor on the 
 Rio Grande," in which we shall meet all of our 
 old friends once more, and learn what they did to 
 defeat both their personal enemies and also the 
 enemies of their country. 
 
298 FOR THE LIBERTY OF TEXAS. 
 
 Yet for the time being all went well, and here 
 we will say good-bye, echoing the shout Ralph 
 gives as he dashes over the range on his pet 
 mustang : 
 
 " Hurrah for the liberty of Texas ! Hurrah for 
 the heroes of San Jacinto ! " 
 
 THE END. 
 
Mr. Stratemeyer's popularity will be increased by "Dave 
 Porter."— Times, Hartford, Conn. 
 
 DAVE PORTER SERIES 
 
 By EDWARD STRATEMEYER 
 
 VOLUME ONE 
 
 DA VE PORTER A T OAK HALL 
 
 Or the Schooldays of an American ^Boy 
 
 312 pages Illustrated Price $1.25 
 
 NJEVER was there a brighter, more manly, thoroughly up-to-date boy 
 than Dave Porter, and all boys who read about him, and girls too, 
 for the matter of that, will be sure to love him from the start. How, as 
 a green country boy, he went to Oak Hall, how he was hazed, and how 
 he had to fight his way through is told with a naturalness that is true 
 to life. 
 The story is told with great fidelity to real life. — Eagle, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 VOLUME TWO 
 
 DAVE PORTER IN THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 Or The Strange Cruise of the Stormy Petrel 
 
 286 pages Illustrated Price $1.25 
 
 T^AVE is the same bright, wide-awake youth he was at school, and his 
 
 adventures on shipboard and among the unexplored islands of the 
 
 South Seas will render him dearer to the hearts of the boys than ever. Dave 
 
 is trying to solve the mystery of his parentage, and several of his school 
 
 chums are with him during his wanderings, some sharing his perils. A 
 
 great tidal wave sends the ship into a strange harbor and there follows a 
 
 mutiny which places a number on board in great peril. 
 
 Mr. Stratemeyer's heroes are full of fun, and the activity that goes with youth, 
 strength and high spirits. They are all safe — they work hard and play fairly. 
 — Star, Washington, D. C. 
 
 Mr. Stratemeyer has seldom introduced a more popular hero than Dave Porter. 
 He is a typical boy, manly, brave, always ready for a good time if it can be obtained 
 in an honorable way. — Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wis. 
 
DAVE PORTER SERIES 
 
 By EDWARD 5TRATEHEYER 
 
 VOLUME THREE 
 
 DAVE PORTER'S RETURN TO SCHOOL 
 Or Winning the Medal of Honor 
 
 304 pages Illustrated Price $1.25 
 
 TN this volume the scene is shifted back to Oak Hall, and once again 
 *■ Dave becomes the centre of as interesting a group of schoolboys as it is 
 psssible to imagine. There is a strong plot, with plenty of fun, and not 
 a few rivalries on the athletic field, and the whole volume has a swing 
 and a dash that are irresistible. 
 
 A good wholesome story, full of fun and go. — Christian Work, JV. Y. 
 Hach story that comes from Edward Stratemeyer's pen is eagerly read. — Boston 
 Herald. 
 
 VOLUME FOUR 
 
 DAVE PORTER IN THE FAR NORTH 
 
 Or The Pluck of an American Schoolboy 
 
 285 pages Illustrated Price $1.25 
 
 TN this book Dave is still at his well-liked boarding-school, Oak Hall, 
 *■ with his lively but manly comrades, who rejoice with him that he not 
 only has discovered his parentage, but has a father and sister living, though 
 unaware of his existence. Dave cannot rest until he finds those of his 
 own family, and having secured leave of absence from school and accom- 
 panied by his chum, the son of a United States Senator, he goes to 
 England only to find that his father has left on an expedition to the upper 
 part of Norway. The boys follow in a most exciting pursuit which is 
 replete with adventure. 
 
 The success of the "Dave Porter Series" is already surpassing Mr. Stratemeyer's 
 previous triumphs. — American, Nashville, Tenn. 
 
 Dave Porter is a typical American schoolboy, a scholar, an athlete and a good 
 fellow. — Herald, Rochester, N. Y. 
 
GOOD BOOKS FOR BOYS 
 
 By EDWARD STRATEMEYER 
 
 TWO YOUNG LUMBERMEN 
 
 Or From Maine to Oregon for Fortune 
 
 320 pages Cloth Illustrated Price $1.25 
 
 A SPLENDID story, the scene shifting from Maine to 
 Michigan and the Great Lakes, and then to the Col- 
 umbia and the Great Northwest. The heroes are two sturdy 
 youths who have been brought up among the lumbermen 
 of their native State, and who strike out in an honest en- 
 deavor to better their condition. An ideal volume for every 
 wide-awake American who wishes to know what our great 
 lumber industry is to-day. 
 
 Mr. Stratemeyer s books ate not only entertaining but instructive. — Daily 
 Press, Portland, Me. 
 
 Profitable reading for its information concerning a great American indus- 
 try. — Outlook, New York. 
 
 The book is an excellent one for youngsters. — Republican, Springfield, 
 Mass. 
 
 A rattling good story. — Herald, Baltimore, Md. 
 
 Mr. Stratemeyer is able to give an air of reality to his work which com- 
 mends it. — Chicago News. 
 
 BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON 
 
 Or Two Boys' Adventures in South Africa 
 
 Illustrated by A. Burnham Shute 354 pages Price $1.25 
 
 RELATES the experiences of two boys, cousins to 
 each other, one American and the other English, 
 whose fathers are engaged in the Transvaal, one in farming 
 and the other in mining operations. While the two boys 
 are off on a hunting trip after big game the war between 
 the Boers and Britons suddenly breaks out, and while en- 
 deavoring to rejoin their parents the boys find themselves 
 placed between hostile armies. 
 
 A stirring story of the South African War. — ■ The Journal, Indianapolis , 
 Ind. 
 
 Mr. Stratemeyer certainly gets right next to the boys' heart in his excel- 
 lent stories of adventure. — News, Providence, R. I. 
 
 The author is one of the most accomplished writers for the young.— 
 San Francisco Chronicle^ 
 
THE COLONIAL SERIES 
 
 By EDWARD STRATEMEYER 
 
 Jmtbtr «f "Pan-American Series" "Old Glory Series" 
 " American Boys' Biographical Series," etc. 
 
 Six volumes Cloth Illustrated Price per volume, $1.25 
 
 TRAILS 
 TRADING POSTS 
 
 WITH WASHINGTON IN THE WEST 
 Or A Soldier Boy's Battles in the Wilderness 
 
 MARCHING ON NIAGARA 
 Or The Soldier Boys of the Old Frontier 
 
 AT THE FALL OF MONTREAL 
 Or A Soldier Boy's Final Victory 
 
 ON THE TRAIL OF PONTIAC 
 Or The Pioneer Boys of the Ohio 
 
 THE FORT IN THE WILDERNESS 
 Or The Soldier Boys of the Indian Trails 
 
 TRAIL AND TRADING POST 
 Or The Young Hunters of the Ohio 
 
 "Mr. Stratemeyer has put his best work into the 'Colonial Series."' 
 — Christian Register, Boston. 
 
 "A series that doesn't fall so very far short of being history itself." 
 — Boston Courier. 
 
 "The tales of war are incidental to the dramatic adventures of two 
 boys* so well told that the historical facts are all the better remem- 
 bered." — Boston Globe. 
 
 " Edward Stratemeyer has in many volumes shown himself master 
 of the art of producing historic studies in the pleasing story form." 
 — Minneapolis Journal. 
 
 " The author, Edward Stratemeyer, has used his usual care in matters 
 of historical detail and accuracy, and gives a splendid picture of the 
 times in general." — Milwaukee Sentinel. 
 
 " Told by one who knows how to write so as to interest boys, while 
 still having a care as to accuracy." — Commercial Advertiser, New York. 
 
 For sale by all booksellers^ or sent, postpaid, on receipt oj price by 
 
 LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO.. 
 BOSTON 
 
THE FAMOUS "OLD GLORY SERIES 
 
 By EDWARD STRATEMEYER 
 
 Author of " Tke Bound to Succeed Series? « The Skip and Shore 
 Series? " Colonial Series? ** Pan-American Series? etc 
 
 Six volumes Cloth Illustrated Price per volume $1,25 
 
 UNDER DEWEY AT MANILA 
 
 * Or The War Fortunes of a Castaway 
 
 A YOUNG VOLUNTEER IN CUBA 
 Or Fighting for the Single Star 
 
 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 Or Under Schley on the Brookrpa 
 
 UNDER OTIS IN THE PHILIPPINES 
 Or A Young Officer in the Tropics 
 
 THE CAMPAIGN OF THE JUNGLE 
 Or Under Lawtoa through Luzo» 
 
 UNDER MACARTHUR IN LUZON 
 Or Last Battles in the Philippine 
 
 "A boy once addieted to Stratemeyer stays by him." — The Living 
 
 Church. 
 
 " The boys' delight —she * Old Glory Series. » " — The Christian Ad- 
 vocate, New York. 
 
 " Stratemeyer 's style suits the boys." — JOHN TwunjXU, St#t. efAth- 
 tic Instruction, Bergen Co., Neva Jersey. 
 
 " Mr. Stratemeyer is in a class by himself when it comes to writing 
 about American heroes, their brilliant doings on land and sea." — Times, 
 Boston. 
 
 " Mr. Stratemeyer has written a series of books which, whilt histori- 
 cally correct and embodying the most important features of the Spanish- 
 American War and the rebellion of the Filipinos, arc sufficiently inter- 
 woven with fiction to render them most entertaining to young readers." 
 
 ' The Call, San Francisco, 
 
 
 
 ft 
 
 
 fbr sale by ail book—Uers-er a*U,po»tpald t em rmetpt ^fpHm by 
 
 Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co., Boston 
 
American Boys' Biographical Series 
 
 By EDWARD STRATEMEYER 
 
 VOLUME ONE 
 
 AMERICAN BOYS' 
 
 LIFE OF WILLIAM McKINLEY 
 
 300 pages Illustrated by A. B. Shute and from Photo- 
 graphs $1.25 
 
 HERE is told the whole story of McKinley's boyhood days, his life 
 at school and at college, his work as a school teacher, his glorious 
 career in the army, his struggles to obtain a footing as a lawyer, 
 his efforts as a Congressman and a Governor, and lastly his prosperous 
 career as our President, all told in a style particularly adapted to beys and 
 young men. The book is full of interesting anecdotes, all taken from 
 life, showing fully the sincere, honest, painstaking efforts of a life cut all 
 too short. The volume will prove an inspiration to all boys and young 
 men, and should be in every library. 
 
 For nearly a year Mr. Stratemeyer has been gathering material and 
 giving careful study to the life of the young William, his childhood, his 
 boyhood, and all his inspiring and romantic history. The story was near- 
 ing its end when th& awful finale came and tragedy ended the drama of 
 President McKinley's life. — iWw York Journal. 
 
 VOLUME TWO 
 
 AMERICAN BOYS' LIFE OF 
 
 THEODORE ROOSEVELT 
 
 300 pages i2mo Illustrated from Photographs $1.25 
 
 THIS excellent work for young 
 people covers the whole life of 
 our strenuous executive, as school- 
 boy, college student, traveler, author, 
 hunter and ranchman, as assembly- 
 man, as civil service commissioner, 
 as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, 
 as a daring rough rider, as Governor 
 of New York, and lastly as President. 
 Full of stories taken from real life 
 and told in a manner to interest both 
 young and old. 
 
 We unreservedly recommend Mr. Strate- 
 naeyer's books ror bovs. They are wholesome, accurate as to historical 
 detailb) and always interesUng-.— Boston Times, 
 
. • .■■;■..'-