"Cannot we move in a hollow square?"
"But what is a hollow square of fifty men? and against four times that number of cavalry, with lances and lazos? No, no; they would shiver it with a single charge. Our only hope is that we may be able to hold out until our absence from camp may bring a detachment to our relief."
"And why not send for it?" inquired the major, who had scarcely been asked for his advice, but whose wits had been sharpened by the extremity of his danger. "Why not send for a couple of regiments?"
"How are we to send, Major?" asked Clayley, looking on the major"s proposition as ridiculous under the circ.u.mstances. "Have you a pigeon in your pocket?"
"Why?--how? There"s Hercules runs like a hare; stick one of your fellows in the saddle, and I"ll warrant him to camp in an hour."
"You are right, Major," said I, catching at the major"s proposal; "thank you for the thought. If he could only pa.s.s that point in the woods! I hate it, but it is our only chance."
The last sentence I muttered to myself.
"Why do you hate it, Captain?" inquired the major, who had overheard me.
"You might not understand my reasons, Major."
I was thinking upon the disgrace of being trapped as I was, and on my first scout, too.
"Who will volunteer to ride an express to camp?" I inquired, addressing the men.
Twenty of them leaped out simultaneously.
"Which of you remembers the course, that you could follow it in a gallop?" I asked.
The Frenchman, Raoul, stood forth, touching his cap.
"I know a shorter one, Captain, by Mata Cordera."
"Ha! Raoul, you know the country. You are the man."
I now remembered that this man joined us at Sacrificios, just after the landing of the expedition. He had been living in the country previous to our arrival, and was well acquainted with it.
"Are you a good horseman?" I inquired.
"I have seen five years of cavalry service."
"True. Do you think you can pa.s.s them? They are nearly in your track."
"As we entered the prairie, Captain; but my route will lie past this motte to the left."
"That will give you several points. Do not stop a moment after you have mounted, or they will take the hint and intercept you."
"With the red horse there will be no danger, Captain."
"Leave your gun; take these pistols. Ha! you have a pair in the holsters. See if they are loaded. These spurs--so--cut loose that heavy piece from the saddle: the cloak, too; you must have nothing to enc.u.mber you. When you come near the camp, leave your horse in the chaparral. Give this to Colonel C."
I wrote the following words on a sc.r.a.p of paper:--
"Dear Colonel,
"Two hundred will be enough. Could they be stolen out after night? If so, all will be well--if it gets abroad...
"Yours,
"H.H."
As I handed the paper to Raoul, I whispered in his ear--
"To Colonel C"s own hand. Privately, Raoul--privately, do you hear?"
Colonel C. was my friend, and I knew that he would send a _private_ party to my rescue.
"I understand, Captain," was the answer of Raoul.
"Ready, then! now mount and be off."
The Frenchman sprang nimbly to the saddle, and, driving his spurs into the flanks of his horse, shot out from the pen like a bolt of lightning.
For the first three hundred yards or so he galloped directly towards the guerilleros. These stood leaning upon their saddles, or lay stretched along the green-sward. Seeing a single horseman riding towards them, few of them moved, believing him to be some messenger sent to treat for our surrender.
Suddenly the Frenchman swerved from his direct course, and went sweeping around them in the curve of an ellipse.
They now perceived the _ruse_, and with a yell leaped into their saddles. Some fired their escopettes; others, unwinding their lazos, started in pursuit.
Raoul had by this time set Hercules"s head for the clump of timber which he had taken as his guide, and now kept on in a track almost rectilinear. Could he but reach the motte or clump in safety, he knew that there were straggling trees beyond, and these would secure him in some measure from the lazos of his pursuers.
We stood watching his progress with breathless silence. Our lives depended on his escape. A crowd of the guerilleros was between him and us; but we could still see the green jacket of the soldier, and the great red flanks of Hercules, as he bounded on towards the edge of the woods. Then we saw the lazos launched out, and spinning around Raoul"s head, and straggling shots were fired; and we fancied at one time that our comrade sprang up in the saddle, as if he had been hit. Then he appeared again, all safe, rounding the little islet of timber, and the next moment he was gone from our sight. There followed a while of suspense--of terrible suspense--for the motte hid from view both pursuers and pursued. Every eye was straining towards the point where the horseman had disappeared, when Lincoln, who had climbed to the top of the rancho, cried out:
"He"s safe, Cap"n! The dod-rotted skunks air k.u.mmin "ithout him."
It was true. A minute after, the hors.e.m.e.n appeared round the motte, riding slowly back, with that air and att.i.tude that betoken disappointment.
Note. A motte is an eminence.
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE.
A SHORT FIGHT AT "LONG SHOT".
The escape of Raoul and Hercules produced an affect almost magical upon the enemy. Instead of the listless defensive att.i.tude lately a.s.sumed, the guerilleros were now in motion like a nest of roused hornets, scouring over the plain, and yelling like a war-party of Indians.
They did not surround the corral, as I had antic.i.p.ated they would. They had no fear that we should attempt to escape; but they knew that, instead of the three days in which they expected to kill us with thirst at their leisure, they had not three hours left to accomplish that object. Raoul would reach the camp in little more than an hour"s time, and either infantry or mounted men would be on them in two hours after.
Scouts were seen galloping off in the direction taken by Raoul, and others dashed into the woods on the opposite side of the prairie. All was hurry and scurry.