the woods. Hullo! Men! There they come! Forward! Double lines.
Horses outside."
"Whoop! Whoop!" came fiercely from Castro and his son.
"I reckon we"ve been watched for somehow," growled Jim. "We"ll show "em a good fight for the pewter, but don"t I wish thar was more of us!"
It seemed as if the loads of dollars added to the desperate courage of the men, and they made ready for the coming fight as if more than their own lives were depending upon it.
The horses were ranged in parallel lines, and the riflemen walked on in the s.p.a.ce between. It was a kind of travelling breastwork, and it must have had a dangerous look to an outsider. A number of wild hors.e.m.e.n, therefore, contented themselves, for the present, with whooping loudly and riding around at safe distances. There were a great many of them, but Castro declared that the entire force under Great Bear had not made its appearance.
"It looks bad for our side," said Bowie. "It"s a long time since any Comanche war-parties have ventured in as far as they have this season.
Santa Anna was quite enough for us to handle without the redskins."
He hardly knew, at that moment, how dark a cloud seemed to be hanging over Texas in those closing days of the winter of 1835-1836. All things had been going wrong. There were quarrels among leaders, and even Houston had lost, apparently, a great deal of his popularity. As Crockett expressed it,--
"The cusses expect the old man to do some things that can"t be did."
There were a great many things that he could not do. Nevertheless, he worked unceasingly. He made visits of inspection here and there. He made speeches, printed patriotic appeals in the newspapers, and argued with timid or disaffected settlers.
It all seemed to be of little use. The Indians were busy on the borders. Reports of the feeling in the Congress of the United States were discouraging. All the while, moreover, every arrival from south of the Rio Grande told of the extensive preparations which the Mexican president was making for an invasion. He was said to have gathered a force that would prove overwhelming, and he had declared death to all rebels.
"If we don"t look out," said Crockett to Travis that afternoon, as they stood together in the open gate-way of the Alamo, "the Greasers "ll catch us all in bed. But don"t I wish I knew what had become of Bowie and his men?"
"They won"t fetch back any gold," replied Travis; "but I"d like to see them if they rode in as bare as redskins."
"Colonel," exclaimed Crockett, "give me a dozen men and let me take a scout over the south prairie. I might have some kind o" luck. Might knock over a Comanche."
"Let you have "em?" said Travis, with sudden energy. "Take "em! I"ll come right along with you. I"m dog tired of loafing in this coop. Get your men."
The rangers of the garrison were as weary of inaction as was their commander, and double the number called for almost insisted upon mounting for the proposed scout.
"The fort "ll keep till we git back," remarked Crockett; "but if I don"t git out of it and shoot something I shall spile."
There were very good military reasons for precisely such an errand of inquiry. The vicinity of prowling savages was pretty well known, and it was desirable to learn as much more as possible.
The party from the fort rode out, therefore, and they were well upon their way, but they were not near enough to hear the whoops of Great Bear"s warriors nor the cracking of the first rifles which replied.
There had been a steady onward march of Bowie"s men, without any other change in the situation than an increase in the number of their enemies.
"Boys," the colonel said, "we"ve gained about a mile and a half, but they"re closing in on us a little. Let "em have a pill first chance you get. Halt!"
There they stood, their rifles levelled across the saddles. It was hardly worth while to waste their small stock of powder upon swiftly careering hors.e.m.e.n, although now these were frequently within range.
"I"ll take that drove," exclaimed Jim, as several of the whoopers wheeled into a closely gathered group.
"Got him!" he shouted, as his rifle cracked.
"One more," added Bowie. "Hold your fire, men. It won"t do to have too many guns empty at one time."
The backs of two mustangs were empty, however, and the yells which followed were those of angry braves who had been stung to rashness rather than intimidated. Of course, they all wheeled away at first, taking their dead comrades with them.
The Texans again moved steadily forward, but hardly more than a quarter of a mile had been gained before Bowie shouted,--
"Here they are, men! The whole band has got in on us this time.
They"re gathering for a rush. Ready! Die game!"
A swarm,--a cloud,--an overwhelming torrent of the fierce cavalry of the plains, was forming in loose but effective array to sweep in upon their victims. What could six rifles and two bows do against such a storm as was now about to burst?
"Die like men!" shouted Bowie. "Kill every redskin you can draw a bead on!"
Crack, crack, went rifle after rifle, and not a shot was thrown away; but the Comanches were whooping forward upon their charge and all would soon be over.
"Hullo! What"s that?" shouted the colonel.
"Whoop!" yelled Castro. "Rifle!"
"Ugh!" said Red Wolf. "Heap Texan! Comanche lose hair!"
Sharp, rapid, utterly unexpected, was the rattle of rifle-shots from away beyond the cloud of pony riders. Down went horse and man in quick succession.
"Travis and the rangers!" yelled Jim Cheyne.
"The boys have come! Thank G.o.d!" gasped Bowie. "Five minutes more and Houston wouldn"t have had a dollar of this stuff."
Not even then was he wasting a thought upon his own life or upon the lives of those who were with him.
It was a terrific surprise to the red riders. They were smitten as by lightning. They could have no idea of the numbers of their new a.s.sailants, and they were in wholesome dread of the marksmanship of the Texans. Well they might be!
Wheeling into a line at the order of their commander, the rangers were deliberately picking off warrior after warrior until their rifles were empty.
"Forward! Charge!" shouted Travis.
"Come on, fellers!" yelled Crockett. "It"s Bowie and the boys! Don"t you miss a shot."
They were not missing so long as any human target was within pistol range, but the targets were getting away. This was not at all what they had counted on. They fought for a moment, of course, for they were warriors, and their flights of arrows were not sent in vain.
Right through them rode the rangers, leaving three of their number on the gra.s.s, while several more carried with them well-aimed arrows.
"Hot work," laughed Travis, "but here we are! Bowie, old fellow!
Hurrah!"
Away wheeled the stricken Comanches, for the rangers were reloading.
The savage rush was over and the next business was to get out of rifle range.
It was a curious spectacle. There stood Crockett, the rough old bear hunter, the sarcastic humorist, the lank, lantern-jawed frontiersman, hugging Colonel Bowie. It almost seemed as if he were crying.
"Hurrah!" he shouted. "I kind o" knowed they hadn"t wiped him out."
"Crockett, old boy!" said Travis. "Give him a chance to speak. You are choking him."