The Second Western Megapack

by Various Writers

  They saw the camp fire glimmering feebly through the night, and they advanced boldly. It was so dark now that a human figure fifty feet away blended with the dusk, and the ground, softened by the rain, gave back no sound of footsteps. Nevertheless they saw on their right a field which showed a few signs of cultivation, and they surmised that Urrea had made his camp at the lone hut of some peon.

  They reckoned right. They came to clumps of trees, and in an opening inclosed by them was a low adobe hut, from the open door of which a light shone. They knew that Urrea and his officers had taken refuge there from the rain and cold and, under the boughs of the trees or beside the fire, they saw the rest of the band sheltering themselves as best they could. The prisoners, their hands bound, were in a group in the open, where the slow, cold rain fell steadily upon them. Ned’s heart swelled with rage at the sight.

  Order and discipline seemed to be lacking. Men came and went as they pleased. Fully twenty of them were making a shelter of canvas and thatch beside the hut. Others began to build the fire higher in order to fend off the wet and cold. Ned did not see that the chance of a rescue was improved, but the Panther felt a sudden glow when his eyes alighted upon something dark at the edge of the woods. A tiny shed stood there and his keen eyes marked what was beneath it.

  “What do you think we’d better do, Panther?” asked Obed.

  “No roarin’ jest now. We mustn’t raise our voices above whispers, but we’ll go back in the brush and wait. In an hour or two all these Mexicans will be asleep. Like as not the sentinels, if they post any, will be asleep first.”

  They withdrew deeper into the thickets, where they remained close together. They saw the fire die in the Mexican camp. After a while all sounds there ceased, and again they crept near. The Panther was a genuine prophet, known and recognized by his comrades. Urrea’s men, having finished their shelters, were now asleep, including all the sentinels except two. There was some excuse for them. They were in their own country, far from any Texan force of importance, and the night could scarcely have been worse. It was very dark, and the cold rain fell with a steadiness and insistence that sought and finally found every opening in one’s clothing. Even the stalking three drew their serapes closer, and shivered a little.

  The two sentinels who did not sleep were together on the south side of the glade. Evidently they wished the company of each other. They were now some distance from the dark little shed toward which the Panther was leading his comrades, and their whole energies were absorbed in an attempt to light two cigarritos, which would soothe and strengthen them as they kept their rainy and useless watch.

  The three completed the segment of the circle and reached the little shed which had become such an object of importance to the Panther.

  “Don’t you see?” said the Panther, his grim joy showing in his tone.

  They saw, and they shared his satisfaction. The Mexicans had stacked their rifles and muskets under the shed, where they would be protected from the rain.

  “It’s queer what foolish things men do in war,” said Obed. “Whom the gods would destroy they first deprive of the sense of danger. They do not dream that Richard, meaning the Panther, is in the chaparral.”

  “If we approach this shed from the rear the sentinels, even if they look, will not be able to see us,” said the Panther. “By the great horn spoon, what an opportunity! I can hardly keep from roarin’ an’ ravin’ about it. Now, boys, we’ll take away their guns, swift an’ quiet.”

  A few trips apiece and all the rifles and muskets with their ammunition were carried deep into the chaparral, where Obed, gladly sacrificing his own comfort, covered them against the rain with his serape. Not a sign had come meanwhile from the two sentinels on the far side of the camp. Ned once or twice saw the lighted ends of their cigarritos glowing like sparks in the darkness, but the outlines of the men’s figures were very dusky.

  “An’ now for the riskiest part of our job, the one that counts the most,” said the Panther, “the one that will make everything else a failure if it falls through. We’ve got to secure the prisoners.”

  The captives were lying under the boughs of some trees about twenty yards from the spot where the fire had been built. The pitiless rain had beaten upon them, but as far as Ned could judge they had gone to sleep, doubtless through sheer exhaustion. The Panther’s plan of action was swift and comprehensive.

  “Boys,” he said, “I’m the best shot of us three. I don’t say it in any spirit of boastin’, ’cause I’ve pulled trigger about every day for thirty years, an’ more’n once a hundred times in one day. Now you two give me your rifles and I’ll set here in the edge of the bushes, then you go ahead as silent as you can an’ cut the prisoners loose. If there’s an alarm I’ll open fire with the three rifles and cover the escape.”

  Handing the rifles to the Panther, the two slipped forward. It was a grateful task to Ned. Again his heart swelled with wrath as he saw the dark figures of the bound men lying on the ground in the rain. He remembered the one who was youthful of face like himself and he sought him. As he approached he made out a figure lying in a strained position, and he was sure that it was the captive lad. A yard or two more and he knew absolutely. He touched the boy on the shoulder, whispered in his ear that it was a friend, and, with one sweep of his knife, released his arms.

  “Crawl to the chaparral there,” said Ned, in swift sharp tones, pointing the way. “Another friend is waiting at that point.”

  The boy, without a word, began to creep forward in a stiff and awkward fashion. Ned turned to the next prisoner. It was the elderly man whom he had seen from the chaparral, and he was wide awake, staring intently at Ned.

  “Is it rescue?” he whispered. “Is it possible?”

  “It is rescue. It is possible,” replied Ned, in a similar whisper. “Turn a little to one side and I will cut the cords that bind you.”

  The man turned, but when Ned freed him he whispered:

  “You will have to help me. I cannot yet walk alone. Urrea has already given me a taste of what I was to expect.”

  Ned shuddered. There was a terrible significance in the prisoner’s tone. He assisted him to rise partly, but the man staggered. It was evident that he could not walk. He must help this man, but the others were waiting to be released also. Then the good thought came.

  “Wait a moment,” he said, and he cut the bonds of another man.

  “Now you help your friend there,” he said.

  He saw the two going away together, and he turned to the others. He and Obed worked fast, and within five minutes the last man was released. But as they crept back toward the chaparral the slack sentinels caughtsight of the dusky figures retreating. Two musket shots were fired and there were rapid shouts in Mexican jargon. Ned and Obed rose to their feet and, keeping the escaped prisoners before them, ran for the thickets.

  A terrific reply to the Mexican alarm came from the forest. A volley of rifle and pistol shots was fired among the soldiers as they sprang to their feet and a tremendous voice roared:

  “At ’em, boys! At ’em! Charge ’em! Now is your time! Rip an’ t’ar an’ roar an’ chaw! Don’t let a single one escape! Sweep the scum off the face of the earth!”

  The Ring Tailed Panther had a mighty voice, issuing from a mighty throat. Never had he used it in greater volume or to better purpose than on that night. The forest fairly thundered with the echoes of the battle cry, and as the dazed Mexicans rushed for their guns only to find them gone, they thought that the whole Texan army was upon them. In another instant a new terror struck at their hearts. Their horses and mules, driven in a frightful stampede, suddenly rushed into the glade and they were now busy keeping themselves from being trampled to death.

  Truly the Panther had spent well the few minutes allotted to him. He fired new shots, some into the frightened herd. His tremendous voice never ceased for an instant to encourage his charging troops, and to roar out threats against the enemy. Urrea, to his credit, made an attempt to organ
ize his men, to stop the panic, and to see the nature of the enemy, but he was borne away in the frantic mob of men and horses which was now rushing for the open plain.

  Ned and Obed led the fugitives to the place where the rifles and muskets were stacked. Here they rapidly distributed the weapons and then broke across the tree trunks all they could not use or carry. Another minute and they reached their horses, where the Panther, panting from his huge exertions, joined them. Ned helped the lame man upon one of the horses, the weakest two who remained, including the boy, were put upon the others, and led by the Panther they started northward, leaving the chaparral.

  It was a singular march, but for a long time nothing was said. The sound of the Mexican stampede could yet be heard, moving to the south, but they, rescuers and rescued, walked in silence save for the sound of their feet in the mud of the wind-swept plain. Ned looked curiously at the faces of those whom they had saved, but the night had not lightened, and he could discern nothing. They went thus a full quarter of an hour. The noise of the stampede sank away in the south, and then the Panther laughed.

  It was a deep, hearty, unctuous laugh that came from the very depths of the man’s chest. It was a laugh with no trace of merely superficial joy. He who uttered it laughed because his heart and soul were in it. It was a laugh of mirth, relief and triumph, all carried to the highest degree. It was a long laugh, rising and falling, but when it ceased and the Panther had drawn a deep breath he opened his mouth again and spoke the words that were in his mind.

  “I shorely did some rippin’ an’ roarin’ then,” he said. “It was the best chance I ever had, an’ I guess I used it. How things did work for us! Them sleepy sentinels, an’ then the stampede of the animals, carryin’ Urrea an’ the rest right away with it.”

  “Fortune certainly worked for us,” said Ned.

  “And we can find no words in which to describe to you our gratitude,” said the crippled man on the horse. “We were informed very clearly by Urrea that we were rebels and, under the decree of Santa Anna, would be executed. Even our young friend here, this boy, William Allen, would not have been spared.”

  “We ain’t all the way out of the woods yet,” said the Panther, not wishing to have their hopes rise too high and then fall. “Of course Urrea an’ his men have some arms left. They wouldn’t stack ’em all under the shed, an’ they can get more from other Mexicans in these parts. When they learn from their trailers how few we are they’ll follow.”

  The rescued were silent, save one, evidently a veteran frontiersman, who said:

  “Let ’em come. I was took by surprise, not thinkin’ any Mexicans was north of the Rio Grande. But now that I’ve got a rifle on one shoulder an’ a musket on the other I think I could thrash an acre-lot full of ’em.”

  “That’s the talk,” said Obed White. “We’ll say to ’em: ‘Come one, come all, this rock from its firm base may fly, but we’re the boys who’ll never say die.’”

  They relapsed once more into silence. The rain had lightened a little, but the night was as dark as ever. The boy whom the man had called William Allen drew up by the side of Ned. They were of about the same height, and each was as tall and strong as a man.

  “Have you any friends here with you?” asked Ned.

  “All of them are my friends, but I made them in captivity. I came to Texas to find my fortune, and I found this.”

  The boy laughed, half in pity of himself, and half with genuine humor.

  “But I ought not to complain,” he added, “when we’ve been saved in the most wonderful way. How did you ever happen to do it?”

  “We’ve been following you all the way from the other side of the Rio Grande, waiting a good chance. It came to-night with the darkness, the rain, and the carelessness of the Mexicans. I heard the man call you William Allen. My name is Fulton, Edward Fulton, Ned to my friends.”

  “And mine’s Will to my friends.”

  “And you and I are going to be friends, that’s sure.”

  “Nothing can be surer.”

  The hands of the two boys met in a strong grasp, signifying a friendship that was destined to endure.

  The Panther and Obed now began to seek a place for a camp. They knew that too much haste would mean a breakdown, and they meant that the people whom they had rescued should have a rest. But it took a long time to find the trees which would furnish wood and partial shelter. It was Obed who made the happy discovery some time after midnight. Turning to their left, they entered a grove of dwarf oaks, covering a half acre or so, and with much labor and striving built a fire. They made it a big fire, too, and fed it until the flames roared and danced. Ned noticed that all the rescued prisoners crouched close to it, as if it were a giver of strength and courage as well as warmth, and now the light revealed their faces. He looked first at the crippled man, and the surprise that he had felt at his first glimpse of him increased.

  The stranger was of a type uncommon on the border. His large features showed cultivation and the signs of habitual and deep thought. His thick white hair surmounted a broad brow. His clothing, although torn by thorns and briars, was of fine quality. Ned knew instinctively that it was a powerful face, one that seldom showed the emotions behind it. The rest, except the boy, were of the border, lean, sun-browned men, dressed in tanned deerskin.

  The Panther and Obed also gazed at the crippled man with great curiosity. They knew the difference, and they were surprised to find such a man in such a situation. He did not seem to notice them at first, but from his seat on a log leaned over the fire warming his hands, which Ned saw were large, white and smooth. His legs lay loosely against the log, as if he were suffering from a species of paralysis. The others, soaked by the rain, which, however, now ceased, were also hovering over the fire which was giving new life to the blood in their veins. The man with the white hands turned presently and, speaking to Ned, Obed and the Panther, said:

  “My name is Roylston, John Roylston.”

  Ned started.

  “I see that you have heard of it,” continued the stranger, but without vanity. “Yes, I am the merchant of New Orleans. I have lands and other property in this region for which I have paid fairly. I hold the deeds and they are also guaranteed to me by Santa Anna and the Mexican Congress. I was seized by this guerilla leader, Urrea. He knew who I was, and he sought to extract from me an order for a large sum of money lying in a European bank in the City of Mexico. There are various ways of procuring such orders, and he tried one of the most primitive methods. That is why I cannot walk without help. No, I will not tell what was done. It is not pleasant to hear. Let it pass. I shall walk again as well as ever in a month.”

  “Did he get the order?” asked Obed curiously.

  Roylston laughed deep in his throat.

  “He did not,” he said. “It was not because I valued it so much, but my pride would not permit me to give way to such crude methods. I must say, however, that you three came just in time, and you have done a most marvelous piece of work.”

  Ned shuddered and walked a little space out on the plain to steady his nerves. He had never deceived himself about the dangers that the Texans were facing, but it seemed that they would have to fight every kind of ferocity. When he returned, Obed and the Panther were building the fire higher.

  “We must get everybody good and dry,” said the Panther. “Pursuit will come, but not to-night, an’ we needn’t worry about the blaze. We’ve food enough for all of you for a day, but we haven’t the horses, an’ for that I’m sorry. If we had them we could git away without a doubt to the Texan army.”

  “But not having them,” said Obed, “we’ll even do the best we can, if the Mexicans, having run away, come back to fight another day.”

  “So we will,” said a stalwart Texan named Fields. “That Urrea don’t get me again, and if I ain’t mistook your friend here is Mr. Palmer, better known in our parts as the Ring Tailed Panther, ain’t he?”

  Ned saw the Panther’s huge form swell. He still wore t
he great serape, which shone in the firelight with a deep blood-red tinge.

  “I am the Ring Tailed Panther,” he said proudly.

  “Then lemme shake your hand. You an’ your pards have done a job to-night that ain’t had its like often, and me bein’ one of them that’s profited by it makes it look all the bigger to me.”

  The Panther graciously extended an enormous palm, and the great palm of Fields met it in a giant clasp. A smile lighted up the somber face of Mr. Roylston as he looked at them.

  “Often we find powerful friends when we least expect them,” he said.

  “As you are the worst hurt of the lot,” said the Panther, “we’re going to make you a bed right here by the fire. No, it ain’t any use sayin’ you won’t lay down on it. If you won’t we’ll jest have to put you down.”

  They spread a blanket, upon which the exhausted merchant lay, and they covered him with a serape. Soon he fell asleep, and then Fields said to Ned and his comrades:

  “You fellows have done all the work, an’ you’ve piled up such a mountain of debt against us that we can never wipe it out. Now you go to sleep and four of us will watch. And, knowin’ what would happen to us if we were caught, we’ll watch well. But nothing is to be expected to-night.”

  “Suits us,” said Obed. “Some must watch while others sleep, so runs the world away. Bet you a dollar, Ned, that I’m off to Slumberland before you are.”

  “I don’t take the bet,” said Ned, “but I’ll run you an even race.”

  In exactly five minutes the two, rolled in their own blankets, slept soundly. All the others soon followed, except four, who, unlike the Mexicans, kept a watch that missed nothing.

  CHAPTER III

  THE FIGHT WITH URREA

  Morning came. Up rose the sun, pouring a brilliant light over the desolate plains. Beads of water from the rain the night before sparkled a little while and then dried up. But the day was cold, nevertheless, and a sharp wind now began to search for the weakest point of every one. Ned, Obed and the Panther were up betimes, but some of the rescued still slept.