The Valiant Runaways [24]
and die
from the earth before they are threescore and ten, to be no more
remembered than the beasts of the field?"
"I hope you'll win to-morrow," cried Roldan, his young mind moved to
pity, and profoundly disturbed. "You can never get California away from
the Spaniard, and I can't wish you to; but you might, if you rallied all
the Indians to you, become powerful enough to live in the way you like
best, and I hope you will. Why should men say: 'I am better than you; I
will make you like myself?' How do we know? I have ridden like the wind,
and coliared a bull with the best vaquero in the Californias, but I am
afraid my mind has had fifteen years of siesta. Now--well, I shall be
governor of the Californias one day, and then I shall send all the
Indians back to the mountains."
Anastacio put out his hand, and the two civilisations decreed by Nature
to stand apart from the beginning to the end of time clasped in brief
friendship.
"I will be your friend," said the Indian, "and the white man need not
despise the friendship of a great chief. California is a fair land.
Others will come to it besides the Spaniard. If Anastacio has thousands
of Indians to run to his call they will fight when he bids them."
"Caramba! you are right," exclaimed Roldan. "Those Americans--"
"American boys?" asked Adan, eagerly.
"Now," said Anastacio, "I sleep. Awake me when the sky turns grey."
He stretched himself out and slept at once. The boys drew close together
and speculated upon the fateful morrow. They agreed to remain close
together, out of sight of the enemy, but where they could watch the
Indian forces. If Anastacio fell they would flee at once.
X
The small Californian force--it numbered little over two hundred men--
was under the command of Juan Pardo Mesa, a captain notable for his
victorious encounters with Indians and for his knowledge of their
cunning. He was on the alert at dawn next morning, and long before the
sun had spurned the tops of the Coast range, his assumption of meditated
treachery was confirmed. A rising wind had set the young redwoods in
motion. Before long the practised eye of Captain Mesa saw an increased
agitation among the feathery branches, his ear caught a slight
crackling. His men were flat on the ground. He stood in the shadow of a
large oak. A moment later a dusky form crept out to where the brush grew
more sparsely, hesitated a moment, and apparently passed back word that
all was well; he was immediately followed by many of his kind; and the
lower slope of the mountain, burnt bare by fire, seemed suddenly
swarming with huge black rats.
Mesa waited until they were well away from cover, then gave the expected
order: two hundred muskets, carbines, and flintlock pistols were
discharged, and one piece of artillery.
But Anastacio, no mean general himself, was also on the alert for the
unexpected. In a few moments he had marshalled his forces in the form of
a hollow square, and ordered them to discharge their arrows from a
recumbent position. Owing to the heavy shadows, the aim of the
Californians had been uncertain, and only a few of the Indians had
fallen. Roldan and Adan were safe behind two large redwoods just above
the Indian army.
The firing continued steadily all the morning, but resulted in few
mortal wounds. There was not a poisoned arrow in the pueblo. The balls
did more serious damage, and several Indians rolled groaning down the
slope. The rest were undaunted. They were more than two to one, and had
implicit faith in their chief's assurance that they were bound to rout
the Spaniard.
Under cover of the cloud of smoke his weapons had raised despite a
strong wind, Mesa executed two flank movements, justifying the tactics
of Anastacio: he detached forty men from the main body and directed them
to attack the Indians on both sides and to cut off their retreat to the
forest. They were almost upon the north and south ends of Anastacio's
square--after making a detour and advancing from a distance--when the
boys shouted a
from the earth before they are threescore and ten, to be no more
remembered than the beasts of the field?"
"I hope you'll win to-morrow," cried Roldan, his young mind moved to
pity, and profoundly disturbed. "You can never get California away from
the Spaniard, and I can't wish you to; but you might, if you rallied all
the Indians to you, become powerful enough to live in the way you like
best, and I hope you will. Why should men say: 'I am better than you; I
will make you like myself?' How do we know? I have ridden like the wind,
and coliared a bull with the best vaquero in the Californias, but I am
afraid my mind has had fifteen years of siesta. Now--well, I shall be
governor of the Californias one day, and then I shall send all the
Indians back to the mountains."
Anastacio put out his hand, and the two civilisations decreed by Nature
to stand apart from the beginning to the end of time clasped in brief
friendship.
"I will be your friend," said the Indian, "and the white man need not
despise the friendship of a great chief. California is a fair land.
Others will come to it besides the Spaniard. If Anastacio has thousands
of Indians to run to his call they will fight when he bids them."
"Caramba! you are right," exclaimed Roldan. "Those Americans--"
"American boys?" asked Adan, eagerly.
"Now," said Anastacio, "I sleep. Awake me when the sky turns grey."
He stretched himself out and slept at once. The boys drew close together
and speculated upon the fateful morrow. They agreed to remain close
together, out of sight of the enemy, but where they could watch the
Indian forces. If Anastacio fell they would flee at once.
X
The small Californian force--it numbered little over two hundred men--
was under the command of Juan Pardo Mesa, a captain notable for his
victorious encounters with Indians and for his knowledge of their
cunning. He was on the alert at dawn next morning, and long before the
sun had spurned the tops of the Coast range, his assumption of meditated
treachery was confirmed. A rising wind had set the young redwoods in
motion. Before long the practised eye of Captain Mesa saw an increased
agitation among the feathery branches, his ear caught a slight
crackling. His men were flat on the ground. He stood in the shadow of a
large oak. A moment later a dusky form crept out to where the brush grew
more sparsely, hesitated a moment, and apparently passed back word that
all was well; he was immediately followed by many of his kind; and the
lower slope of the mountain, burnt bare by fire, seemed suddenly
swarming with huge black rats.
Mesa waited until they were well away from cover, then gave the expected
order: two hundred muskets, carbines, and flintlock pistols were
discharged, and one piece of artillery.
But Anastacio, no mean general himself, was also on the alert for the
unexpected. In a few moments he had marshalled his forces in the form of
a hollow square, and ordered them to discharge their arrows from a
recumbent position. Owing to the heavy shadows, the aim of the
Californians had been uncertain, and only a few of the Indians had
fallen. Roldan and Adan were safe behind two large redwoods just above
the Indian army.
The firing continued steadily all the morning, but resulted in few
mortal wounds. There was not a poisoned arrow in the pueblo. The balls
did more serious damage, and several Indians rolled groaning down the
slope. The rest were undaunted. They were more than two to one, and had
implicit faith in their chief's assurance that they were bound to rout
the Spaniard.
Under cover of the cloud of smoke his weapons had raised despite a
strong wind, Mesa executed two flank movements, justifying the tactics
of Anastacio: he detached forty men from the main body and directed them
to attack the Indians on both sides and to cut off their retreat to the
forest. They were almost upon the north and south ends of Anastacio's
square--after making a detour and advancing from a distance--when the
boys shouted a