Frank in the Woods

by Harry Castlemon

  CHAPTER XV.

  Caught at Last.

  "But that isn't all the story," said the trapper, again filling hispipe. "As soon as the Greasers had got out o' sight, I galloped backtoward the road an' tuk the back track, intendin' to find Cap'nMorgan, an' tell him that the Mexikins were kalkerlatin' on ketchin'him, an' then go on with my dispatches.

  "I had paid purty good attention to what the gen'ral had told thewomen, an' I knowed exactly what road to take to find the cap'n'scamp; an' you'd better believe I rid _some_. Purty soon some oneyelled out:

  "'Who goes there?'

  "'Friend!' I shouted, 'an' I want to see Cap'n Morgan to onct. I'vegot some news for him.'

  "You'd better believe the ole cap'n opened his eyes when I told himmy story; an' arter furnishin' me with a fresh hoss--the best one inthe camp--he set to work gettin' ready for the Greasers. I didn't muchlike the idee o' startin' out agin, for I didn't know the short cutsthrough the country as well as I ought to, an' the cap'n had no guideto send with me. But I knowed that them letters must be in Alamo bynight, an' I shouldn't ever be able to look ole Bill Lawson in theface agin if I didn't obey my orders; so, arter biddin' the boysgood-by, an' wishin' 'em good luck in fightin' the Mexikins, I setout.

  "I did plenty of doublin' an' twistin' to get clear o' the Greasers,for I met 'em about half way atween the mountains an' the house wherewe had stopped, goin' up to ketch the cap'n. They war in high spirits,but when they come down agin, about two hours arterward, they wererunnin' like white-heads, an' the Texas boys were close at theirheels.

  "I war used to hard work, but when I got off my hoss that night inAlamo, I war about as tired a man as you ever see. Two days arterwardI war back in Monterey agin. Ole Bill didn't know me, for my face warpurty well cut up. I told him the story of the Mexikin gen'ral, an'arter talkin' the matter over, me an' him concluded we would capturethat Greaser, an' started up to head-quarters to have a talk with thekurnel about it.

  "'You can't do it, boys,' says he. 'If Cortinas war an Injun, youwould be jist the fellers to do it; but you don't know enough aboutsoldierin'. Howsomever, you can try.'

  "The next mornin', when me an' Bill rid up to the kurnel'shead-quarters to bid him good-by, you wouldn't a knowed us. We hadpulled off our huntin'-shirts an' leggins, an' war dressed in reg'larMexikin style. We left our rifles behind, an' tuk carbines in theirplace. We didn't like to do this; but if we had carried our longshootin'-irons into a Mexikin camp, any one would a knowed what wewar. We had our six-shooters and huntin'-knives stowed away in ourjackets.

  "'Good-by, kurnel,' said Bill, shakin' the ole soldier's hand. 'We'llketch that Greaser, or you'll never see us agin.'

  "'Do your best, boys,' said the kurnel. 'Bring back the Greaser, an'the thousand dollars are yourn.'

  "We follered the same path that the gen'ral had led me--takin' keernot to ride too fast, 'cause we didn't know what we might have for ourhosses to do--an' afore dark we come to the house where me an' myguide had stopped, an' knocked at the gate. When it war opened wecould see that the place war full o' Greasers; but that didn't troubleus any, for we knowed that we should have to go into their camp if wewanted to ketch the gen'ral. We told the Greaser that come to thegate, that we were Mexikin soldiers, an' wanted to stay there allnight, an' he war as perlite as we could wish--asked us to walk in,an' sent a man to take keer of our hosses.

  "This war the first time we had met a soldier in our new rig, an' wewere a little afeered that he might diskiver who we were; but we couldboth talk Spanish as well as he could, an' the rascal didn't suspectus.

  "We asked to see the commandin' officer, an' when we found him wereported to him as scouts belongin' to Gen'ral Santa Anna'shead-quarters, an' that we had come with very important news forGen'ral Cortinas. What that news was we didn't know ourselves; but weknowed that we could get up a purty good story when the time come.

  "'All right,' said the Greaser cap'n. 'I'm goin' up to Gen'ralCortinas' camp to-morrow, an' you can ride right up with me.'

  "We touched our hats to him an' left the room. I hated mighty bad tosalute that dirty Greaser jest as I would my kurnel. I had rather puta bullet in his yaller hide; but we war in for it, an' we knowed thatthe hull thing depended on our behavin' ourselves properly. As wepassed out o' the house we met the women, an' I begun to shake in myboots agin, 'cause I knowed them women had sharp eyes, an' I warafeered it war all up with us. But they didn't suspect nothin', an' Iknowed that we war safe; 'cause if they couldn't see through the gamewe war playin', nobody could.

  "Wal, we went out into the yard an' eat supper, an' lay down aroundthe fire with them ar dirty Mexikins, an' listened to their insultin'talk agin the Americans, an', in course, jined in with 'em. Theythought me an' ole Bill war lucky dogs in bein' with a great gen'rallike Santa Anna; but I couldn't see what there war great in a man who,with an army o' fifty thousand men, would run from six thousand. Butwe told 'em a good many things about the gen'ral that I guess theynever heered afore, an' we hadn't heered of 'em neither; but theybelieved every thing we said war gospel truth, an' we made ourkalkerlations that in less nor a month the American army would all beprisoners.

  "The next mornin' we made an 'arly start, an' that arternoon drew upin the Mexikin camp. It war a purty sight, I tell you--nothin' to beseen but white tents as far as our eyes could reach. There warn't lessnor a hundred thousand men in that ar camp, an' I begun to feel rathershaky when I thought of our small army at Monterey. While me an' Billwar lookin' about, a spruce little Greaser come up, an' said thatGen'ral Cortinas war waitin' to see us. We found the rascal in a largetent, with a sentry afore the door, an' when I sot eyes on him, myfingers ached to ketch him by the throat. He looked jest as he didwhen me an' him set out from Monterey together, only he had on a blueuniform.

  "'Wal, boys,' said he, smilin' an' motionin' us to set down, 'Iunderstand that you're from Gen'ral Santa Anna, an' have news for me.'

  "'Yes, gen'ral,' said ole Bill, takin' off his slouch-hat, an'scratchin' his head as if thinkin' what to say. 'We've got news foryou. If you want to ketch Cap'n Morgan an' his band o' cutthroats,I'll tell you jest how you can do it.'

  "'How can it be done, my good feller,' said the gen'ral, rubbin' hishands. 'I thought I should capture him the other night, but he had toomany men for me.'

  "'Wal,' said ole Bill, 'me an' this feller here'--pintin' to me--'warin Monterey yesterday, an' heered an order read to Cap'n Morgan tomarch out o' the city at midnight, an' jine Cap'n Davis at Alamo. Now,if you want to ketch him, all you have got to do is to take fifty men,an' wait for him in the mountains. He has got jest twenty-eight men inhis company.'

  "'I'll do it,' said the Greaser. 'But I'll take a hundred men, to makesure of him. Which road is he going to take?'

  "'That's what we can't tell exactly,' said ole Bill. 'But me an' thisfeller thought that we would come an' tell you, so that you could haveevery thing ready, an' then go back and find out all their plans.'

  "'Very well,' said the Greaser; an', arter writin' somethin' on apiece o' paper, he handed it to ole Bill, sayin': 'Here's a pass foryou an' your friend to go in an' out o' the lines whenever you please.Now, you go back to Monterey, an' find out all Cap'n Morgan's plans,an' I'll go out with a hundred men an' ketch him.'

  "This war exactly what me an' Bill wanted. We were afeered at firstthat he would send some one else instead o' goin' himself; but now weknowed that we war all right; the gen'ral war ourn, an' no mistake.

  "As soon as we got out o' sight o' the camp, we made good time, an'afore midnight we war in the kurnel's head-quarters. As soon as heheered our story, he sent for one o' his officers, an' told him tomarch 'arly the next evenin' with eighty men, an' draw up an ambush,in a deep gorge, through which ran the road that led to Alamo. An' heordered Cap'n Morgan, who had reached Monterey the day afore, to beready to march through that gorge at midnight.

  "Arter me an' Bill had rested a little while, we set out on freshhosses, an', in a few hours, were back in the Mexikin c
amp agin. Thatarternoon we rid out, side by side, with Gen'ral Cortinas, an' aboutten o'clock in the evenin' we reached the gorge. Every thing war assilent as death; but I knowed that eighty Western rifles war stowedaway among the trees, on each side o' the road, an' behind 'em warsturdy hunters an' trappers, achin' to send a bullet in among us.

  "Arter the gen'ral had fixed his men to suit him, we drawed back intothe bushes, an' waited for Cap'n Morgan to come up. Jest a littleafore midnight we heered a faint tramp, an' in a few minits therangers swept down into the gorge. For a minit nothin' war heered butthe noise o' their hosses' hoofs on the road. It war a fine sight tosee them brave men ridin' right down into that ambush, knowin', asthey did, that death war on each side o' them. Nigher an' nigher theycome; an' the gen'ral war about to give the order to fire, when, allto onct, a yell like an Injun's burst from among the trees, an' thereports of eighty rifles echoed through the mountains. You never seeda more astonished Greaser nor that Gen'ral Cortinas war about thattime.

  "'_Carrajo_,' he yelled, 'you have betrayed me.'

  "'Shouldn't wonder if we had, you tarnal yaller-hided scoundrel,' saidole Bill; an' afore the Greaser could make a move, we had him by thearms, an' two six-shooters were lookin' him in the face. His cowardlymen didn't fire a shot, but throwed down their guns, an' run in everydirection. But our boys closed up about 'em, an' out o' them arhundred men that come out to ketch Cap'n Morgan, not half a dozenescaped. The only prisoner we tuk back to Monterey war the gen'ral."

  After Dick had got through his tale, the hunters held a consultationover the state of their larder. As their coffee, bread, and othersupplies were exhausted, and they did not like the idea of living onvenison and water, they concluded to break up camp. The next morningthey packed their baggage into the sled, and, taking a last look atthe place where they had spent so many happy hours, set out for UncleJoe's cabin, which they reached a little before dark.