Frank in the Woods

by Harry Castlemon

  CHAPTER XIV.

  A Brush with the Greasers.

  Dick replenished his pipe and prepared to rest, after his tale wascompleted, when Frank suddenly inquired:

  "Dick, how came that scar on your face?"

  The "scar" Frank had reference to, was an ugly-looking wen, extendingentirely across the trapper's face, and completely "spilin' his goodlooks," as he sometimes used to remark.

  "That war done in a fight with some tarnal Greasers," answered Dick."I come mighty nigh havin' my neck stretched that night, an' the wayit happened war this:"

  After a few whiffs at his pipe, he continued:

  "When our government war settlin' our little dispute with the MexikinGreasers, I, like a good many other trappers, thought that I shouldlike to take a hand in the muss. I hate a Greaser wusser nor I do anInjun. So, arter a little talk, me an' Bill jined a company o' Rangersthat war raised by an ole trapper we used to call Cap'n Steele. A'mostevery man in the company war a trapper or hunter, for the cap'nwouldn't take only them as could show the claws o' three or fourgrizzlies they had rubbed out, an' as many Injun scalps.

  "Wal, when we got together, I reckon we war about the roughest lookin'set o' men you ever see. Each one dressed as suited him best, an' allarmed with rifles, tomahawks, an' huntin'-knives. But our looks didn'tseem to set ole Gen'ral Taylor agin us, for when we rode up to hiscamp, an' our cap'n had told him what we war, an' what we could do, heseemed mighty glad to see us; and we war sent to onct to thequarter-master, an' detailed to take care o' his cattle an' hosses,fight guerrillas, an' carry letters from one place to another. Weknowed the country purty well, for there were few of us that hadn'ttraveled over it more'n onct in our lives; but whenever we war sentoff anywhere we used to have a Mexikin guide, who showed us the shortcuts through the mountains.

  "Wal, just arter the battle o' Monterey, our company war cut up intolittle squads, an' scattered all over the country; some went with thegen'ral, an' some war put in Cap'n Morgan's company, an' sent scoutin'around, an' four of us war left at Monterey with the quarter-master.

  "One day ole Bill come to me an' said:

  "'Dick, the kurnel wants to see you. I guess he's got some businessfor you to 'tend to.'

  "I went up to the head-quarters, an' the kurnel told me that he hadsome very important letters which he wanted to send to Major Davis,who was then stationed at a little town called Alamo, an' as I had thefinest hoss in the town, he thought it best to send me. Alamo war onthe other side o' the mountains, an' about a hundred an' fifty milesoff. As the kurnel had said, I had the best hoss in the hull camp,an', in course, it wouldn't have been no trouble to have gone there ifthe country had been clear--the ride wasn't nothin'; but the Mexikinswar comin' down toward Monterey, an' the kurnel thought that they wargoin' to try to take the city from us agin. I knowed there war dangerin it, but I didn't mind that. I war used to it, an' if I got into ascrape, it wouldn't be the first one I war in; so I started off artermy hoss, an' in a few minits I war ready an' waitin' at the kurnel'sdoor for the letters. Purty soon he come out an' give 'em to me,sayin':

  "'Now, Dick, be mighty keerful of 'em, 'cause there's some news in 'emthat I shouldn't like to have the Mexikins get hold of. This man,'pintin' to a Greaser that stood a little behind me, holdin' his hoss,'will be your guide. He knows all about the mountains.' Then, movin'up a little closer to me, he whispered: 'He'll bear watchin', I think;I don't know much about him, but he is the only man I have got to sendwith you, an' them letters must be in Major Davis's hands by to-morrownight.'

  "'All right, kurnel,' I answered; 'I'll look out for him. I never seea Greaser yet that could pull the wool over my eyes. I'll give theletters to Major Davis afore this time to-morrow. Good by.' An' me an'the guide rid off.

  "As soon as I had got out of the city, I turned to have a look at myguide, an' I thought, as the kurnel had said, that he would bearwatchin'. He war the most villainous lookin' Mexikin I ever sot eyeson. He war a young feller, not more'n twenty-two or twenty-three yearold; but he had an eye that looked like an eagle's, an' it wasn'tstill a minit. He war dressed in a reg'lar Greaser's rig, with aslouch hat, short jacket, all covered with gold lace, an' pantaloons,wide at the bottom, an' open on the side as far as his knees. He had asplendid hoss, an' war armed with a carbine, short saber, an' a lasso;an' I knowed that if me an' him got into a muss, that lasso wouldbother me more'n his sword or shootin'-iron. The Greasers, as agen'ral thing, ain't no great shakes at shootin', an' in arough-an'-tumble fight they ain't nowhere; but them ar raw-hidelassoes ar the meanest things in the world to fight; they'll have oneof 'em around your neck afore you know it. I had a little experiencein that line afore I got back. Arter we had got outside o' the picketsa little way, he turned in his saddle, an' tried to commence a talkwith me in Spanish; but I made him believe that I couldn't understanda word he said. I thought that if I should tell him that I couldn'ttalk his lingo, it would make him a little keerless; an' so it did.

  "We rid all day as fast as our hosses could travel, an' afore dark wegot acrost the mountains, an' stopped afore a little house, where theguide said would be a good place to pass the night. I didn't much likethe idee; had rather camp right down in the woods; but, in course,that would only put him on the look-out, an' I knowed that the bestway to do war to act as though I thought every thing war all right. Aman come to the gate as we rid up, an', as soon as he see my guide, hetouched his hat to him in reg'lar soldier style. The guide answeredthe salute, an' asked the man, in Spanish:

  "'Are you alone, Jose?'

  "'Yes, gen'ral,' answered the man. Then making a slight motion towardme, which, I made believe I didn't notice, he asked:

  "'But the American?'

  "'O, he can't understand Spanish,' said my rascally guide. 'No fear ofhim; he thinks it's all right. Did you receive my letter?'

  "'Yes, gen'ral,' answered the man, touching his hat agin.

  "'Don't make so many motions, you fool,' said my guide; 'the Americanis not blind. You got my letter all right, you say? Then Bastian, withfive hundred men, will be here at midnight?'

  "'Yes, gen'ral.'

  "The guide seemed satisfied, for he got off his hoss, an' motioned me,with a good many smiles an' grimaces, to do the same. I could see thatI war in a purty tight place, an' I had a good notion to draw one o'my six-shooters an' kill both o' the rascals where they stood. But,thinks I, there may be more of these yere yaller-bellies around heresomewhere, an' besides, if I wait, I may get a chance to capture thegen'ral, for my guide war none other than Gen'ral Cortinas, an' one o'the best officers the Mexikins had. He had bothered us more'n theirhull army, an' the kurnel had offered to give a thousand dollars forhim alive, or five hundred for his scalp. I didn't care a snap for themoney, 'cause it warn't no use to me on the prairy; all I wanted war agood Kentucky rifle, plenty o' powder an' lead, an' a good hoss, an' Iwar satisfied. But I wanted to capture that gen'ral, an' take him intocamp, for he war a nuisance. In battle he never showed no quarter,an' if he tuk any prisoners, it war only that he might let his men trytheir hands at shootin'. He seemed to understand fightin' better northe rest o' the Mexikins, an' it showed that he war a brave fellerwhen he would come right into camp, with sich a price sot on his head.

  "I warn't long in makin' up my mind what I ought to do, an' I got downoff my hoss, as though there warn't a Greaser within a hundred mileso' me; but, instead o' givin the hoss into charge o' the man, I hithim a cut with my whip that sent him flyin' up the road. I knowed thathe wouldn't be far off when I wanted him, an' I knowed, too, that mysaddle an' pistols war safe, 'cause nobody couldn't ketch him besidesme. Arter goin' a little way up the road, he turned an' looked back,an' then jumped over a hedge into a field, an' begun to eat. I couldsee that the Mexikins didn't like it a bit, for they looked at eachother an' scowled, an' Jose said:

  "'_Carrajo!_ do you s'pose the American suspects any thing, gen'ral?'

  "'It don't make no difference whether he does or not, said my guide,turnin' on his heel
, an' motionin' me to follow him to the house;'he's in our power, an' don't leave this place alive.'

  "Now, you wouldn't have called that very pleasant news, I take it.Wal, it did make me feel rather onpleasant; but I didn't exactlybelieve what the ole rascal had said about my not goin' away alive.Thinks I, shootin' is a game two can play at, an' as long as you don'tbring them tarnal lassoes round, I'm all right. I had never seed asix-shooter afore I went into the army, but I had l'arnt to use 'ema'most as well as I could my rifle. I found that they war mighty handythings in a fight. I had four of 'em, two in my huntin'-shirt, and twohad gone off with my hoss; an' I knowed that when the time come Icould get up a nice little fight for the Greasers.

  "There war only two women in the house, an' they seemed mighty glad tosee him, an' sot out a cheer for him; but they scowled at me, an' leftme to stand up. But that didn't trouble me none, for I helped myselfto a seat, an' listened to what my guide war sayin' to 'em. He warmighty perlite, an' talked an' laughed, an' told the women as how hewar goin' to rub me out as soon as his men come; an' then he wargoin' to pitch into Cap'n Morgan, who war out scoutin' with hiscompany, an' had camped a little piece back in the mountains.

  "It war the kurnel's order that I should see him as we passed throughthe mountains, an' send him to Monterey to onct, afore the Mexikinscould ketch him. But my rascally guide had heered the order, an' hadled me out o' my way, so that I shouldn't see him. I listened withboth my ears, an' arter I had heered all the rascal's plans, whichwere purty nicely laid out for a boy, I made up my mind that he wouldbe a leetle disappointed when he tried to ketch Cap'n Morgan.

  "In a little while the man that had tuk charge o' the gen'ral's hosscome in, an' I soon found out that he war the man that war expected todo the business of cuttin' my throat. But the gen'ral told him not totry it till midnight, when he would have plenty of men to back him up.This showed me that, brave as the young Greaser war when leadin' hismen, he didn't like the idee o' pitchin' into an Americansingle-handed. I guess he knowed by my looks that I could do somepurty good fightin'.

  "Arter eatin' a hearty supper, an' smokin' a cigar with the gen'ral, Iwrapped myself up in my blanket, which I had tuk from my saddle aforelettin' my hoss go, an' laid myself away in one corner of the room.The Mexikins didn't like this, an' one o' the women made me understandby signs that there war a bed for me up stairs. But I thought that mychances for escape would be much better where I war; so I motioned herto go away, an' pretended to go to sleep. The gen'ral an' his man hada long talk about it, an' I expected every minit to hear him tell thefeller to shoot me. If he had, it would have been the signal for hisown death, for I had both my revolvers under my blanket. But no sichorder war given, an' finally the gen'ral, arter tellin' the man tokeep a good watch on me, went into another room an' went to bed, an'his man stretched himself out on his cloak, right afore the door.

  "Wal, I waited about two hours for him to go to sleep, an' then madeup my mind that I might as well be travelin'. So I throwed off myblanket an' war risin' to my feet, when 'bang' went the feller'spistol, an' the bullet whizzed by my head an' went into the wall. Iwarn't more'n ten feet from him, an' I'll be blamed if he didn't missme. The next minit I had him by the throat, an' a blow from the buttof one o' my six-shooters done the work for him. I dragged him awayfrom the door, jumped down the steps, an' made tracks through thegarden.

  "The night war purty dark, but I knowed which way to go to get out o'the yard, which war surrounded by a palin' eight foot high. You'dbetter believe I run _some_; but I hadn't gone twenty yards from thehouse afore I run slap agin somebody. I thought at first that it warthe gen'ral, an' I muzzled him. '_Carrajo!_ what does this mean?' saidthe Mexikin, in Spanish. As soon as I heered his voice, I knowed thathe warn't the feller I wanted; most likely he war one o' the men thegen'ral had been expectin'; so I give him a settler with my knife, an'tuk to my heels agin.

  "The pistol that the Mexikin had fired in the house had set the womena goin'; an', when I reached the fence, I heered 'em yellin' an'wailin' over the feller I had knocked down. I didn't stop to listen to'em, but jumped over into the field where my hoss war, an' commencedwhistlin' for him. I thought he war a long while a coming an' I ranalong whistlin', an' wonderin' where he had gone to. Purty soon Iheered his whinny, an' see him comin' toward me like mad; an' rightbehind him war three or four Mexikins, with their lassoes all ready toketch him. But my hoss war leavin' 'em behind fast; for the way hecould climb over the ground when he onct made up his mind to run, wara caution to them Greasers. He come right up to me, an' in a minit Iwar on his back.

  "I now felt safe. The first thing I did war to pull out myhuntin'-knife an' fasten it to my wrist with a piece o' buckskin;then, drawin' one o' my revolvers, I turned in my saddle, an' thoughtI would stir up the Greasers a little, when all to onct somethin'struck me in the face like a club, an' I war lifted from my saddleclean as a whistle, and the next minit I war bumpin' an' draggin' overthe ground in a mighty onpleasant kind of a way. One o' the Greasershad slipped his lasso over me, an' war pullin' me along as fast as hishoss could travel. I fell right flat on my face, an' every step theGreaser's hoss tuk plowed my nose in the ground, an' my eyes war sofull o' dirt an' blood that I could scarcely see.

  "But I war not quite so fast as the Greaser had thought for. The lassohadn't gone down round my neck, but had ketched jest above my chin. Ihadn't never been in sich a mighty onpleasant fix afore, but I warn'tlong in gettin' my wits about me. Reachin' up with my huntin'-knife, Imade a slash at the lasso, an' the next minit wor standin' on my feetagin. I had hung onto my revolver, an', drawin' a bead on the Greaserthat had ketched me, I tumbled him from his saddle in a twinklin'. Myhoss hadn't run an inch arter I war pulled off his back, an' I warsoon in the saddle agin.

  "I knowed I war safe now, for, as I galloped over the field, I see theGreasers travelin' down the road as though Gen'ral Taylor's army wararter 'em. They war three to my one, but didn't think themselves amatch for a single American."