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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Ahead of the Army, by W. O. Stoddard
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Ahead of the Army
+
+Author: W. O. Stoddard
+
+Illustrator: C. Chase Emerson
+
+Release Date: December 5, 2007 [EBook #23744]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AHEAD OF THE ARMY ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+AHEAD OF THE ARMY
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+[Illustration: IT WAS SEVERE WORK, BUT IT WAS DONE WITH EAGER ENTHUSIASM
+(See page 277)]
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+AHEAD OF THE ARMY
+
+by W. O. STODDARD
+
+AUTHOR OF "THE ERRAND BOY OF ANDREW JACKSON," "JACK MORGAN,"
+"THE NOANK'S LOG," ETC.
+
+ILLUSTRATED BY
+C. CHASE EMERSON
+
+BOSTON
+LOTHROP PUBLISHING COMPANY
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+COPYRIGHT, 1903, by LOTHROP PUBLISHING COMPANY.
+ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
+
+Published June, 1903
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+PREFACE
+
+Lest any one should suspect exaggeration in the pictures of Mexican
+affairs in the old time, which are presented by Señor Carfora, it may be
+well to offer a few facts by way of explanation. During sixty-three
+years of the national life of the Republic of Mexico, from the
+establishment of its independence in 1821 to the year 1884, nearly all
+of its successive changes of government were accompanied by more or less
+violence and bloodshed. There have been fifty-five Mexican Presidents;
+at one revolutionary period, four within three months, and to this list
+must be added two emperors and one regency. Both of the emperors were
+shot, so were several of the Presidents, and nearly all of the others
+incurred the penalty of banishment. How this came to be so will possibly
+be better understood by the young Americans who will kindly travel with
+Señor Carfora and his generals and his two armies, commanded for him by
+General Scott and General Santa Anna. It is the wish of the author that
+all his young friends may cultivate a deeper and kinder interest in the
+wonderful land of Anahuac and its people. The now peaceful and rapidly
+improving republic of the South is, in fact, only a kind of younger
+brother of the United States. Mexico has no more sincere well-wisher
+than
+
+                                                    William O. Stoddard.
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+CONTENTS
+                                                                    Page
+
+Far-away Guns                                                         11
+The Race of the Goshawk                                               22
+The Fortune of War                                                    47
+Completely Stranded                                                   69
+The Work of the Norther                                               84
+Forward, March                                                        99
+The Land of the Montezumas                                           119
+Out of the Tierra Caliente                                           136
+Leaving the Hacienda                                                 157
+Pictures of the Past                                                 167
+Ned's News                                                           181
+A Storm Coming                                                       193
+The Revolution                                                       207
+The Despatch-bearer                                                  221
+Under Fire                                                           240
+General Scott and His Army                                           254
+The Mountain Passes                                                  267
+Señor Carfora Trapped                                                281
+The Stars and Stripes in Tenochtitlan                                294
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+                                                                    Page
+
+It was severe work, but it was done with eager enthusiasm   Frontispiece
+"Do you see that? What does it mean?"                                 30
+"We have orders to take care of you"                                 114
+Ned saw a long, bright blade of a lance pointed at his bosom         286
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+
+
+AHEAD OF THE ARMY
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+FAR-AWAY GUNS
+
+
+"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
+
+The long surges of the Gulf of Mexico were beating heavily upon the
+sandy beach of Point Isabel, but the dull and boding sounds were not the
+roar of the surf. There came a long silence, and then another boom. Each
+in succession entered the white tents of the American army on the
+upland, carrying with it a message of especial importance to all who
+were within. It was also of more importance to the whole world than any
+man who heard it could then have imagined. It spoke to the sentries at
+their posts, and compelled them to turn and listen. It halted all
+patrolling and scouting parties, making them stand still to utter sudden
+exclamations. More than one mounted officer reined in his horse to
+hear, and then wheeled to spur away toward the tent of General Zachary
+Taylor, commanding the forces of the United States upon the Rio Grande.
+
+In one small tent, in the camp of the Seventh Infantry, the first boom
+stirred up a young man who had been sleeping, and he may have been
+dreaming of home. He was in the uniform of a second lieutenant, and in
+one respect he was exactly like all the other younger officers and most
+of the men of that army, for never before had they heard the sound of a
+hostile cannon. War was new to them, and they were not aware how many of
+them were now entering a preparatory school in which they were to be
+trained for service in a war of vastly greater proportions and for the
+command of its contending armies, on either side.
+
+Up sprang the young lieutenant and stepped to the door of his tent. He
+was short, strongly built, and his alert, vigorous movements indicated
+unusual nerve, vitality, and muscular strength.
+
+"Grant, my boy," he muttered to himself, "that comes from the fort! The
+Mexicans are attacking! It's more than twenty miles away. I didn't know
+you could hear guns as far as that, but the wind's in the right
+direction. Hurrah! The war has begun!"
+
+He was only half right. The war had been begun long years before by
+aggressive American settlers in the Spanish-Mexican State of Texas. Now,
+at last, the United States had taken up the same old conflict, and only
+about half of the American people at all approved of it.
+
+Grant did not linger in front of his tent. He walked rapidly away to
+where stood a group of officers, hardly any of them older than himself.
+
+"Meade," he demanded of one of them, "what do you think of that?"
+
+"I think I don't know how long that half-finished fort can hold out,"
+responded Lieutenant Meade, and half a dozen other voices instantly
+agreed with him as to the perils surrounding the small besieged
+garrison.
+
+It was hardly possible, they said, that it could hold out until the
+arrival of the main army. This, too, would have to fight all the way
+against superior numbers, but that was a thing which it could do, and
+they were all wild with eagerness to be on the march, in answer to the
+summons of those far-away guns.
+
+There were no railroads to speak of, and only the first small beginnings
+of telegraphs in the year 1846. The news of the first fighting would
+therefore be slow in reaching the President and Congress at Washington,
+so that they might lawfully make what is called a formal declaration of
+war. Much had already been taken for granted, but the American
+government was at that hour anxiously leaning southward and listening
+for the expected roar of Mexican cannon. It came, as rapidly as General
+Taylor could send it. A swift despatch-boat, with all her canvas up,
+went speeding across the gulf to New Orleans. Thence, in the hands of
+special couriers, it would gallop all the remaining distance. Meantime,
+the struggle at the Rio Grande frontier would continue, just as if all
+the legal arrangements had been made, but it would be weeks before
+Europe could be advised of what was going on. All this, too, when this
+fight over the annexation of Texas was about to lift the Republic into a
+foremost place among the nations. It was to give her all the Pacific
+coast which she now has, except Oregon and Alaska, with the gold of
+California and the silver of the mountains. Among its consequences were
+to be the terrible Civil War, the abolition of slavery, the acquisition
+of the Sandwich Islands, and many another vast change in the history of
+our country and in that of these very European nations which were then
+ignorantly sitting still and thinking little about it, because they had
+no ocean cable telegraphs to outrun the swift clipper ships.
+
+There were couriers racing inland in all directions to tell the people
+of Mexico, also, that war had come, but the despatches of the general
+commanding their forces on the Texas border were carried by a swift
+schooner from Matamoras, on the coast, directly to Vera Cruz. A
+messenger from that port had before him a gallop of only two hundred and
+sixty miles to the city of Mexico. President Paredes, therefore, had
+full information of the attack on the American fort sooner than did
+President Polk by a number of very important days.
+
+These were bright May days, and during all of them there were other
+things going on which had a direct relation to the cannon-firing and the
+siege. For instance, all the commerce between Mexico and the rest of the
+world was deeply interested, and so were all the warships of the United
+States, which were prepared to interfere with that commerce pretty soon,
+and shut it off. There were merchant vessels at sea to whose captains
+and owners it was a serious question whether or not cruisers carrying
+the Stars and Stripes would permit them to reach their intended port
+and deliver their cargoes. Whatever may have been the case with all the
+rest of these vessels, one of them in particular appeared to be rushing
+along in a great hurry at the very hour when Lieutenant Grant woke up so
+suddenly and walked out of his tent.
+
+She carried an American flag, somewhat tattered, and she was spreading
+quite as much canvas as a prudent skipper might have considered safe
+under the strong gale that was blowing. She was bark-rigged, of about
+four hundred tons burden, and was headed westward in the Nicholas
+Channel, off the northerly coast of the Island of Cuba. There was a high
+sea running, but the ship stood up well, and the few men who were on
+deck could get about easily. Even a boy of apparently not over
+seventeen, who came to a halt near the mainmast, managed to keep his
+balance with some help from a rope. That he did so was a credit to him,
+and it helped to give him a sailor-like and jaunty air. So did his blue
+trousers, blue flannel shirt with a wide collar, and the sidewise pitch
+of his tarpaulin hat. He might as well have remarked aloud that he was
+one of those boys who are up to almost anything, and who think small
+potatoes of a mere storm at sea. Near him, however, stood a pair of men,
+either of whom might have felt as much at home under another flag than
+the one which was now fluttering its damaged bunting above them. The
+shorter of the two was a very dark-faced gentleman of perhaps forty,
+with piercing black eyes. In spite of his civilian dress, he wore an
+expression that was decidedly warlike, or soldierly.
+
+"Captain Kemp," he said to his companion, "will you be good enough to
+tell me why we are in the Nicholas Channel?"
+
+"No, Señor Zuroaga," growled the large-framed, roughly rigged and
+grim-looking sailor. "I'm cap'n o' this ship, and I don't give
+explanations. We've had gales on gales since we left port. One course is
+as good as another, if you're not losing distance. We'll reach Vera Cruz
+now three or four days sooner than we reckoned. All those war insurance
+risks were paid for for nothing."
+
+"I'm not so sure of that," was slowly and thoughtfully responded. "Not
+if one of Uncle Sam's officers should get a look into the hold of this
+ship."
+
+"You're a Mexican, anyhow," said Captain Kemp, surlily. "You know enough
+to keep your mouth shut. You don't really have to know anything about
+the cargo. Besides, it was peace when we sailed. We shall make a safe
+landing,--if nothing happens on the way."
+
+"Captain," said the Mexican, "it does not take long to make a
+declaration of war when both sides are determined to have one."
+
+"You're wrong there, Señor Zuroaga," replied the captain, emphatically.
+"Mexico doesn't want a brush with the States. She isn't strong enough.
+The Yankees can whip her out of Texas any day."
+
+"That is not the point at all," replied Zuroaga, sadly. "The fact is,
+the Texan Yankees want a war for revenge, and the American party in
+power would like to annex a great deal more than Texas. President
+Paredes needs a war to keep himself in power and help him put on a
+crown. Old Santa Anna wants a war to give him a chance to return from
+exile and get control of the army. If we ever do reach Vera Cruz, we
+shall hear of fighting when we get there."
+
+"Perhaps," said the captain, "but it will be only a short war, and at
+the end of it the United States will have stolen Texas."
+
+"No, señor," said Zuroaga, with a fierce flash in his eyes. "All
+educated Mexicans believe that Texas or any other of the old Spanish
+provinces has a right to set up for itself. Almost every State has
+actually tried it. We have had revolution after revolution."
+
+"Anarchy after anarchy!" growled the captain. "Such a nation as that
+needs a king of some kind, or else the strong hand of either England or
+France or the United States."
+
+"Mexico! A nation!" exclaimed Señor Zuroaga, after a moment of silence.
+"We are not a nation yet. Within our boundaries there are several
+millions of ignorant Indians, peons, rancheros and the like, that are
+owned rather than ruled by a few scores of rich landholders who
+represent the old Spanish military grants. Just now President Paredes is
+able to overawe as many of these chiefs as he and others have not
+murdered. So he is President, or whatever else he may choose to call
+himself. The mere title is nothing, for the people do not know the
+difference between one and another. Now, Captain Kemp, one sure thing is
+that the Yankees have taken Texas and mean to keep it. They will fight
+for it. One other sure thing is that General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna
+will come back if he can, to carry on that war and supersede Paredes.
+If he does so, there is danger ahead for some men. He will settle with
+all his old enemies, and he loves bloodshed for its own sake. When he
+cannot be killing men, he will sit in a cockpit all day, just for the
+pleasure of seeing the birds slaughtering one another. I believe he had
+my own father shot quite as much for love of murder as for the
+opportunity it gave him for confiscating our family estates in Oaxaca."
+
+"You seem to have enough to hate him for, anyhow, and I don't blame
+you," replied the captain, as he turned away to give some orders to the
+sailors, and all the while the boy who stood near them had been
+listening.
+
+"Well, Ned Crawford," he muttered to himself, "that's it, is it? Father
+didn't seem to believe there would be any war. He said there would be
+plenty of time, anyhow, for this old _Goshawk_ bark to make the round
+trip to New York by way of Vera Cruz."
+
+A great lurch of the ship nearly swung him off his feet just then, and
+he was holding on very firmly to his rope when he added:
+
+"He said I'd learn a great deal all the way, and I shouldn't wonder if
+I'm learning something new just now. What do they mean by that
+dangerous cargo in the hold, and our being captured by American ships of
+war? That's a thing father didn't know anything about. I guess I can see
+how it is, though. Captain Kemp isn't an American, and he'd do almost
+anything to make money. Anything honest, I mean. How it does blow! Well,
+let her blow! Father said he was putting me into a first-rate commercial
+school, and here I am right in the middle of it."
+
+Ned was indeed at school, and he seemed likely to have unexpected
+teachers, but so is every other wide-awake young fellow, just like
+Ulysses Grant and his crowd of young associates in their hot weather war
+school over there on the Texas border.
+
+Señor Zuroaga also had now walked away, and Ned was left to hold by his
+rope, looking out upon the tossing sea and wondering more and more what
+sort of adventures he and the _Goshawk_ might be so swiftly racing on
+into.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+THE RACE OF THE GOSHAWK
+
+
+A long day had passed and a dark night had come. The air of it was hot
+and sultry over all the regions around the Gulf of Mexico. Something
+appeared to be weighing it down, as if it might be loaded with the great
+events which were about to come.
+
+It was gloomy enough at and around the besieged American fort on the
+Texas side of the Rio Grande, but every now and then the darkness and
+the silence were broken by the flashes and thunders of the Mexican
+artillery, and the responses of the cannon of the bravely defended
+fortress. This was already partly in ruins, and the besiegers had good
+reasons for their expectation that in due season they were to see the
+Stars and Stripes come down from the shattered rampart. It did not seem
+to them at all possible that the small force under General Taylor,
+twenty miles away at the seaside, could cut through overwhelming
+numbers to the relief of the garrison.
+
+It was just as dark in the American camp on the coast, but there were
+many campfires burning, and by the light of these and numberless
+lanterns there were busy preparations making for the forward march,
+which was to begin in the morning. There was an immense amount of
+anxiety in the minds of all the Americans who were getting ready, but it
+was only on account of the fort and garrison, for that little army had a
+remarkable degree of confidence in its own fighting capacity.
+
+It is never as dark on the land, apparently, as it is at sea, where even
+the lights hung out by a ship seem to make all things darker, except the
+white crests of the billows. One ship's lantern, however, was so hung
+that it threw down a dim light upon a pair who were sitting on the deck
+near the stern.
+
+"Señor Zuroaga," said one of them, "I wish it was daylight."
+
+"So do I," responded his companion, with hardly a trace of foreign
+accent. "The storm's nearly over, but I had so much on my mind that I
+could not sleep. The fact is, I came up to try and make up my mind where
+we are. I must reach Vera Cruz before Santa Anna does, if I can. If I
+do not, I may be shot after landing. I shall be safer, too, after
+President Paredes has marched with his army for the Rio Grande. So I
+hope for war. Anyhow, the commander at Vera Cruz is a friend of mine."
+
+"I guess I understand," said Ned. "I heard what you said about the way
+things are going. But what did you mean about our being in the Nicholas
+Channel? What has that got to do with it?"
+
+"Talk Spanish!" replied the señor, with whom the boy appeared to be upon
+good terms. "I do not want any of those sailors to understand me, though
+I'm very glad that you can. How did that happen?"
+
+"Well," said Ned, "father's been all his life in the Cuban and Mexican
+trade, and I'm to grow up into it. I can't remember just when they began
+to teach me Spanish. I was thinking about the war, though. If it's
+coming, I want to see some of the fighting."
+
+"You may see more than you will like," said his friend in his own
+tongue. "Now, as to where we are, remember your geography."
+
+"I can remember every map in it," said Ned, confidently.
+
+"Good!" said the señor. "Now! You know that the Gulf Stream runs along
+the coast of Florida. Our road from Liverpool to the gulf was to have
+taken us by that way. Instead of that, we came around below the Bahama
+Islands, and here we are off the north coast of Cuba. Captain Kemp's
+reason is that there might be too many American cruisers along the
+Florida coast, and he does not care to be stopped by one of them, if the
+war has already begun. We would not be allowed to go any further."
+
+"I see," said Ned. "Of course not. They would stop us, to keep us from
+being captured by the Mexicans when we got to Vera Cruz."
+
+"Not exactly," said the señor, half laughing, "but it might cost your
+father and his partners their ship and cargo. That is the secret the
+sailors are not to know. Away up northward there, a hundred miles or so,
+are the Florida Keys, and among them is the United States naval station
+at Key West. There are ships of war there, and Captain Kemp will not
+sail any nearer to them than he can help. Ned, did you have any idea
+that you were sitting over a Mexican powder-magazine?"
+
+"No!" exclaimed Ned. "What on earth do you mean?"
+
+"I think I had better tell you," said the señor. "I half suspected it
+before we sailed, and I learned the whole truth afterward. The New York
+and Liverpool firm that your father belongs to sent on board an honest
+and peaceable cargo, but there was a good deal of room left in the hold,
+and the captain filled it up with cannon-balls, musket-bullets, and
+gunpowder from the English agents of no less a man than General Santa
+Anna himself. It is all for his army, whenever he gets one, but it goes
+first to the castle of San Juan de Ulua, at Vera Cruz. If war has been
+declared, or if it has in any way begun, the whole thing is what they
+call contraband of war, and the _Goshawk_ is liable to be captured and
+confiscated."
+
+"Phew!" whistled Ned. "Wonder how father'd like that! Anyhow, we don't
+know there's any war."
+
+"We'd be in trouble anyhow," said the señor. "But we are all in the dark
+about it. We have been over three weeks on the way, and all the war news
+we had when we started was nearly a month old. We can only guess what
+has been going on. Here we are, though, in a storm that is driving us
+along first-rate into the Gulf of Mexico. We may be four days' sail from
+Vera Cruz in a bee-line, and the _Goshawk_ is a racer, but we may not be
+able to make a straight course. Well, well, the captain will keep on all
+the canvas that's safe, and we may get there. Hullo! the day is
+beginning to dawn. Now our real danger begins."
+
+He said no more, and Ned walked forward with something altogether new on
+his mind. An American boy, crammed full of patriotism, and wishing that
+he were in General Taylor's army, he was, nevertheless, by no fault of
+his own, one of the crew of a ship which was carrying ammunition to the
+enemy. He almost felt as if he were fighting his own country, and it
+made him sick. He had an idea, moreover, that Señor Zuroaga was only
+half willing to help his old enemy Santa Anna.
+
+"I don't care if Captain Kemp is an Englishman," he said to himself, "he
+had no business to run father and his partners into such a scrape."
+
+That might be so, and perhaps neither Kemp, nor Zuroaga, nor even Ned
+himself, knew all about the laws of war which govern such cases, but
+just then there flashed across his mind a very dismal suggestion, as he
+stared down at the deck he stood on.
+
+"What," he asked himself, "if any accident should touch off those
+barrels of powder down there? Why, we'd all be blown sky-high and
+nobody'd ever know what had become of us. There'd be nothing but chips
+left."
+
+He tried not to think about that, and went below to get his breakfast,
+while Captain Kemp ordered his sailors to send up another sail,
+remarking to Señor Zuroaga:
+
+"We must make the most we can of this wind. Every hour counts now. I'll
+take the _Goshawk_ to Vera Cruz, or I'll run her under water."
+
+"Have you any idea where we are just now?" asked the señor.
+
+"Well on into the gulf," said the captain, cheerfully. "We made a
+splendid run in the night, thanks to the gale. I hope it will blow on,
+and I think there is no danger of our being overhauled until we are off
+the Mexican coast. I wish, though, that I knew whether or not the war
+has actually been declared."
+
+"The declaration isn't everything," replied the señor. "If there has
+been any fighting at all, American cruisers have a right, after that,
+to question ships bound for a hostile port, and to stop and seize all
+contraband of war. After goods are once seized, it isn't easy to get
+them back again."
+
+"Sail ho!" came down from aloft at that moment.
+
+"Where away?" called back the captain.
+
+"Northerly, sir. Looks like a shark, sir."
+
+"Can you make out her flag?" was inquired, almost anxiously.
+
+The man on the lookout plied his telescope a full half-minute before he
+responded:
+
+"Stars and Stripes, sir. Sloop-o'-war, sir. She's changin' her course,
+and she's makin' for us, I reckon."
+
+"Let her head!" growled the captain. "This bark'll bear more sail. Hoist
+away there, men. Let her have it! Señor, there's one thing I'll do right
+off. It may be our best chance if she should overhaul us."
+
+He did not explain his meaning just then, but another sail went up and
+something else came down. In a few minutes more, when Ned came on deck
+again, he suddenly felt worse than ever. Not long before, when the sun
+was rising, he had been on an American ship, with the flag of his
+country flying above him, but now his first glance aloft drew from him a
+loud exclamation, for he found that while below he had apparently been
+turned into an Englishman, and away up yonder the gale was playing with
+the Red Cross banner of the British Empire. He stared at it for a
+moment, and then he made an excited rush for Señor Zuroaga. He might
+have reached him sooner, but for a lurch of the _Goshawk_, which sent
+him sprawling full length upon the deck. It did not hurt him much,
+however, and as soon as he was on his feet, he blurted out, angrily:
+
+"Señor! I say! Do you see that? What does it mean?"
+
+The Mexican laughed aloud, but not only Ned Crawford but several of the
+sailors were eyeing that unexpected bunting with red and angry faces.
+They also were Americans, and they had national prejudices.
+
+"You don't like the British flag, eh?" he said. "I do, then, just now.
+An American cruiser would not fire a shot at that flag half so quick as
+it would at your own."
+
+"Why wouldn't she?" asked Ned.
+
+[Illustration: "DO YOU SEE THAT? WHAT DOES IT MEAN?"]
+
+"Because," said the señor, a little dryly, "the American skipper hasn't
+any British navy behind him, ready to take the matter up. It's a
+protection in case we can't outrun that sloop-of-war. The men won't care
+a cent, as soon as they know it's only a sea dodge to get into port
+with."
+
+Sailor-like, they were indeed easily satisfied with whatever the captain
+chose to tell them, and on went the _Goshawk_ as a British craft, but
+she was nevertheless carrying supplies to the Mexican army.
+
+Señor Zuroaga had brought up a double spy-glass of his own, and, after
+studying the stranger through it, he handed it to Ned, remarking:
+
+"Take a look at her. She's a beauty. She is drawing nearer on this tack,
+but nobody knows yet whether she can outrun us or not."
+
+Ned took the glass with an unexpected feeling growing within him that he
+hoped she could not do so. He did not wish to be caught on board a
+British vessel taking powder and shot to kill Americans with. As he put
+the glass to his eyes, however, the sloop-of-war appeared to have
+suddenly come nearer. It was as if the _Goshawk_ were already within
+reach of her guns, and she became a dangerous thing to look at. She was
+not, as yet, under any great press of canvas, for her commander may not
+have imagined that any merchant vessel would try to get away from him.
+There were two things, however, about which nobody on board the
+_Goshawk_ was thinking. The first was that, while the American
+ship-of-war captain had not heard the firing at the fort on the Rio
+Grande, he was under a strong impression that war had been declared. The
+other thing came out in a remark which he made to a junior officer
+standing by him.
+
+"It won't do!" he declared, emphatically. "I don't at all like that
+change of flags. It means mischief. There is something suspicious about
+that craft. We must bring her to, and find out what's the matter with
+her."
+
+The distance between the two vessels was still too great for anything
+but a few signals, to which Captain Kemp responded with others which may
+have been of his own invention, for the signal officer on board the
+Yankee cruiser could make nothing of them. The _Goshhawk_, moreover, did
+not shorten sail, and her steersman kept her away several points more
+southerly, instead of bringing her course nearer to that of the cruiser.
+
+"I see!" said her captain, as he watched the change. "She means to get
+away from us. It won't do. As soon as we are within range, I'll give
+her a gun. She may be a Mexican privateer, for all I know."
+
+At all events, under the circumstances, as he thought, the change of
+flags had made it his duty to inquire into her character, and he decided
+to do so, even if, as he said, he should have to send one shot ahead of
+her and then a dozen into her.
+
+There is something wonderfully exciting about a race of any kind. Men
+will make use of anything, from a donkey to a steamboat, to engineer a
+trial of speed and endurance. Then they will stand around and watch the
+running, as if the future welfare of the human race depended upon the
+result. Even the _Goshhawk_ sailors, who had previously grumbled at the
+British flag above them, were entirely reconciled to the situation, now
+that it included the interesting question whether or not their swift
+bark could show her heels to the cruiser. They were very much in doubt
+about it, for the ships of the American navy had a high and well-earned
+reputation as chasers. They might have been somewhat encouraged if they
+had known that the _Portsmouth_, sloop-of-war, had been at sea a long
+time without going into any dock to have her bottom scraped clean of its
+accumulated barnacles. She was by no means in the best of training for
+a marine race-course.
+
+An hour went by and then another. The two vessels were now running on
+almost parallel lines, so that any attempt of the sloop to draw nearer
+cost her just so much of chasing distance. It might be that they were,
+in fact, nearly matched, now that the wind had lulled a little, and both
+of them were able to send up more canvas without too much risk of having
+their sticks blown out of them. It looked like it, but the Yankee
+captain had yet another idea in his sagacious head.
+
+"Let her keep on," he said. "The old _Kennebec_ is out there, somewhere
+westerly, not far away. That vagabond may find himself under heavier
+guns than ours before sunset. Lieutenant, give him a gun."
+
+"Ay, ay, sir!" came back, and in a moment more there was a flash and a
+report at the bow of the _Portsmouth_.
+
+Both range and distance had been well calculated, for an iron messenger,
+ordering the _Goshhawk_ to heave to, fell into the water within a hundred
+yards of her stern.
+
+"That's near enough for the present," said the American commander, but
+Captain Kemp exclaimed, in astonishment:
+
+"They are firing on the British flag, are they? Then there is something
+up that we don't know anything about. We must get away at all risks."
+
+They were not doing so just now, although another change of course and a
+strong puff of the gale carried the _Goshhawk_ further out of range. The
+fact was that her pursuer did not feel quite ready to land shot on board
+of her, believing that he was doing well enough and that his prize would
+surely be taken sooner or later. Besides, if she were, indeed, to become
+a prize, no sound-minded sea-captain could be willing to shoot away her
+selling value or that of her cargo.
+
+Noon came, and there did not appear to be any important change in the
+relative positions of the two ships. At times, indeed, the _Goshhawk_ had
+gained a quarter-mile or so, but only to lose it again, as is apt to be
+the case in ocean races. She was not at all tired, however, and both of
+the contestants had all the wind they needed.
+
+Two hours more went slowly by, and Captain Kemp began to exhibit signs
+of uneasiness at the unexpected persistence with which he was followed.
+
+"What on earth can be the matter?" he remarked, aloud. "I'd have thought
+she'd get tired of it before this--"
+
+"Captain!" sharply interrupted Zuroaga, standing at his elbow, glass in
+hand. "Another sail! Off there, southerly. Seems to be a full-rigged
+ship. What are we to do now?"
+
+"Keep on!" roared the captain, and then he turned to respond to a
+similar piece of unpleasant information which came down from the
+lookout.
+
+"We'll soon know what she is," he remarked, but not as if he very much
+wished to do so. "What I'd like to do would be to sail on into the
+darkest kind of a rainy night. That's our chance, if we can get it."
+
+It might be, but at that very moment the commander of the _Portsmouth_
+was asserting to his first lieutenant:
+
+"There comes the _Kennebec_, my boy. We'll have this fellow now. We'll
+teach him not to play tricks with national flags and man-o'-war
+signals."
+
+The race across the Gulf of Mexico was now putting on new and
+interesting features, but Ned Crawford, posted well forward to watch the
+course of events and what might have been called the race-course, sagely
+remarked:
+
+"I don't know that two horses can run any faster than one can. We are as
+far ahead as ever we were."
+
+That would have been of more importance if the newcomer had not been so
+much to the southward and westward, rather than behind them. She was, of
+course, several miles nearer to the _Goshhawk_ than she was to the
+_Portsmouth_, and neither of these had as yet been able to make out her
+flag with certainty. That she was a full-rigged ship was sure enough,
+and if Ned had been upon her deck instead of upon his own, he would have
+discovered that she was heavily armed and in apple-pie order. At this
+very moment a burly officer upon her quarter-deck was roaring, angrily,
+in response to some information which had been given him:
+
+"What's that? A British ship chased by a Yankee cruiser? Lieutenant, I
+think the _Falcon_'ll take a look at that. These Yankees are getting too
+bumptious altogether. It's as if they thought they owned the gulf! Put
+her head two points north'ard. Humph! It's about time they had a
+lesson."
+
+There had been some temporary trouble with the flag of the _Falcon_, but
+it had now been cleared of its tangle, and was swinging out free. It was
+of larger size than the British bunting displayed by the Goshawk. It was
+only a few minutes, therefore, before Captain Kemp had a fresh trouble
+on his mind, for his telescope had told him the meaning of that flag.
+
+"Worse than ever!" he exclaimed. "She'd make us heave to and show our
+papers. Then she'd hand us right over, and no help for it. No, sir! Our
+only way is to scud from both of them. Some of our English frigates are
+slow goers, and this may be one of that kind."
+
+He was in less immediate peril, perhaps, because of the determination of
+the angry British captain to speak to the Yankee first, and demand an
+explanation of this extraordinary affair. This it was his plain duty to
+do, and the attempt to do it would shortly put him and all his guns
+between the _Portsmouth_ and the _Goshhawk_. This operation was going on
+at the end of another hour, when Captain Kemp's lookout shouted down to
+him:
+
+"Sail ho, sir! 'Bout a mile ahead o' the British frigate. Can't quite
+make her out yet, sir."
+
+"I declare!" groaned the captain. "This 'ere's getting kind o' thick!"
+
+The weather also was getting thicker, and all three of the racers were
+shortly under a prudent necessity for reducing their excessive spreads
+of canvas. The first mate of the _Goshhawk_ had even been compelled to
+expostulate with his overexcited skipper.
+
+"Some of it's got to come down, sir," he asserted. "If we was to lose a
+spar, we're gone, sure as guns!"
+
+"In with it, then," said the captain. "I wish both of 'em 'd knock out a
+stick or two. It'd be a good thing for us."
+
+At all events, a lame horse is not likely to win a race, and the
+_Goshhawk_ was doing as well as were either of the others.
+
+Under such circumstances, it was not long before the _Falcon_ and the
+_Portsmouth_ were within speaking-trumpet distance of each other, both
+of them losing half a mile to the _Goshhawk_ while they were getting
+together. Rapid and loud-voiced indeed were the explanations which
+passed between the two commanders. At the end of them, the wrath of the
+Englishman was turned entirely against the culprit bark, which had
+trifled with his flag.
+
+"We must take her, sir!" he shouted. "She's a loose fish o' some kind."
+
+It was while this conversation was going on that Señor Zuroaga, after
+long and careful observations, reported to Captain Kemp concerning the
+far-away stranger to the westward.
+
+"She is a Frenchman, beyond a doubt. Are all the nations making a naval
+rendezvous in the Gulf of Mexico?"
+
+"Nothing extraordinary," said the captain. "But they're all more'n
+usually on the watch, on account o' the war, if it's coming."
+
+It was precisely so. War surely brings disturbance and losses to others
+besides those who are directly engaged in it, and all the nations having
+commercial relations with Mexico were expecting their cruisers in the
+gulf to act as a kind of sea police. Moreover, a larger force than usual
+would probably be on hand and wide awake.
+
+The day was going fast, and the weather promised to shorten it. Ned was
+now wearing an oilskin, for he would not have allowed any amount of rain
+to have driven him below. He and all the rest on board the _Goshhawk_
+were aware that their pursuers were again beginning to gain on them
+perceptibly. It was a slow process, but it was likely to be a sure one,
+for the men-of-war could do better sailing in a heavy sea and under
+shortened canvas than could a loaded vessel like the saucy merchant
+bark.
+
+"I'm afraid they'll catch us!" groaned Ned. "I s'pose they could make us
+all prisoners of war,--if there is any war. Oh, I wish all that powder
+and shot had been thrown overboard!"
+
+It did not look, just now, as if the Mexican army would ever get any
+benefit from it, for even the French stranger to leeward seemed to be
+putting on an air of having evil intentions. Captain Kemp had made her
+out to be a corvette of moderate size, perhaps a sixteen-gun ship, and
+she would be quite likely to co-operate with the police boats of England
+and America in arresting any suspicious wanderer in those troubled
+waters.
+
+Darker grew the gloom and a light mist came sweeping over the sea. Both
+pursuers and pursued began to swing out lights, and before long the mate
+of the _Goshhawk_ came to Captain Kemp to inquire, in a puzzled way:
+
+"I say, Cap'n, what on earth do you do that for? It'll help 'em to
+foller us, and lose us all the benefit o' the dark."
+
+"No, it won't," growled the captain. "You wait and see. I've sighted one
+more light, off there ahead of us, and I'm going to make it do something
+for the _Goshhawk_. Those other chaps can't see it yet."
+
+"What in all the world can he be up to?" thought Ned, as he listened,
+but the cunning skipper of the bark had all his wits about him.
+
+The lookouts of the men-of-war had indeed been taking note thus far of
+only their own lanterns and the glimmer on their intended prize. They
+may even have wondered, as did her own mate, why she should aid them in
+keeping track of her. At all events, they had little doubt of having her
+under their guns before morning. Señor Zuroaga himself sat curled up
+under his waterproof well aft, and now and then he appeared to be
+chuckling, as if he knew something which amused him. Half an hour later,
+when all the lights of the _Goshhawk_ suddenly went out, he actually
+broke into a ringing laugh. Her course was changed to almost due north
+at that very moment. This would bring her across the track of the
+_Portsmouth_ and within a mile of that dangerous cruiser's bow guns.
+They might not be quite so dangerous, however, if her gunners should be
+unable to see a mark at that distance through the mist. The fifth light,
+dead ahead, now became itself only the fourth, and it was immediately
+the sole attraction for the watchers in the rigging of the several war
+police-boats. This stranger was going westwardly, at a fair rate of
+speed, and its light was exceptionally brilliant. In fact, it grew more
+and more so during an anxious thirty minutes that followed, but it was
+the French corvette which first came within hailing distance, to receive
+an answer in angry Portuguese, which the French officers could not make
+head or tail of. Even after receiving further communications in broken
+Portuguese-Spanish, all they could do was to compel the Brazilian
+schooner, _Gonzaga_, laden with honest coffee from Rio for New Orleans,
+to heave to as best she might until the next arrival came within hail.
+This proved to be the British frigate, and her disappointed captain at
+once pretty sharply explained to the Frenchmen the difference between a
+two-master from Rio and a British-Yankee runaway bark from nobody knew
+where. Then came sweeping along the gallant _Portsmouth_, and there was
+need for additional conversation all around. Some of it was of an
+exceedingly discontented character, although the several captains were
+doing their best to be polite to each other, whatever derogatory remarks
+they might feel disposed to make concerning the craft which was carrying
+Ned Crawford and his badly wounded patriotism.
+
+Far away to the northwest, hidden by the darkness, the _Goshhawk_ was
+all this while flying along, getting into greater safety with every knot
+she was making, and Captain Kemp remarked to Ned:
+
+"My boy, your father won't lose a cent, after all--not unless we find
+Vera Cruz blockaded. But our danger isn't all over yet, and it's well
+for us that we've slipped out of this part of it."
+
+"Captain Kemp!" exclaimed Ned, "I believe father'd be willing to lose
+something, rather than have the Mexicans get that ammunition."
+
+"Very likely he would," laughed the captain, "but I'm an Englishman, and
+I don't care. What's more, I'm like a great many Americans. Millions of
+them believe that the Mexicans are in the right in this matter."
+
+That was a thing which nobody could deny, and Ned was silenced so far as
+the captain's sense of national duty was concerned.
+
+Hundreds of miles to the westward, at that early hour of the evening,
+far beyond the path of the storm which had been sweeping the eastern and
+southern waters of the gulf, the American army, under General Taylor,
+lay bivouacked. It was several miles nearer the besieged fort than it
+had been in the morning, for this was the 8th of May. There had been
+sharp fighting at intervals since the middle of the forenoon, beginning
+at a place called Palo Alto, or "The Tall Trees," and the Mexicans had
+been driven back with loss. Any cannonading at the fort could be heard
+more plainly now, and it was certain that it had not yet surrendered.
+
+Near the centre of the lines occupied by the Seventh Regiment, a young
+officer sat upon the grass. He held in one hand a piece of army bread,
+from which he now and then took a bite, but he was evidently absorbed in
+thought. He took off his hat at last and stared out into the gloom.
+
+"The Mexican army is out there somewhere," he remarked, slowly. "We are
+likely to have another brush with them to-morrow. Well! this is real
+war. I've seen my first battle, and I know just how a fellow feels under
+fire. I wasn't at all sure how it would be, but I know now. He doesn't
+feel first-rate, by any means. Those fellows that say they like it are
+all humbugs. I've seen my first man killed by a cannon-ball. Poor Page!
+Poor Ringgold! More of us are to go down to-morrow. Who will it be?"
+
+Very possibly, the list of American slain would contain the
+announcement that a mere second lieutenant, named Ulysses S. Grant, had
+been struck by a chance shot from one of the Mexican batteries.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+THE FORTUNE OF WAR
+
+
+The morning of the 9th of May dawned brightly on the ocean and on the
+shore. There was a heavy sea running on the Gulf of Mexico, but the wind
+that was blowing was little more than a ten-knot breeze. Before this, at
+distances of a few miles from each other, a trio of armed vessels,
+representing three of the great powers of the world, were dashing along
+under full sail, as if they were in a hurry. They were so, for they all
+were searching hungrily after a double-flagged bark, which they had
+caught the day before, but which had managed to escape from them in the
+night. She had done it mysteriously and impudently. Instead of her,
+there now toiled along, away behind them, a dingy-looking Brazilian
+coffee schooner, the skipper of which did not conceal his satisfaction
+over the idea that he had unintentionally aided some other sailor--he
+did not care who--to get away from all those war-sharks. Well to the
+westward, with every sail spread that she could carry, the _Goshhawk_
+sped along in apparent safety, but she was once more carrying the
+American flag, and Ned Crawford, busy below at his breakfast, felt a
+great deal easier in his patriotic mind. He could almost forget, for the
+moment, that he was taking a cargo of the worst kind of contraband of
+war goods to the armies of the enemies of his country. He was shortly on
+deck again, to be heartily greeted by Captain Kemp with:
+
+"Hullo, my boy, where are all your ships of war?"
+
+Ned took a long, sweeping glance around the horizon, and replied:
+
+"It looks as if we'd lost 'em."
+
+"We've done it!" chuckled the captain. "I think we'll not see any more
+of that lot. We made a fine run in the night, and we may be within three
+days' sail of Vera Cruz. But that depends a great deal on the wind and
+on our luck in keeping out of difficulties."
+
+The captain turned away to his duties, and Ned went forward among the
+sailors. He could always manage to have good chats with them, and they
+were especially ready just now to discuss the war and their chances for
+running against more cruisers. Ned did not count as one of them exactly,
+but he was not to be looked down upon as a mere passenger. His father
+had sent him out as a kind of honorary supercargo, or ship's clerk, in
+the hope that he might learn something which would be of use to him when
+he should grow up into a full-sized merchant. Perhaps he had already
+found out a number of things upon which his father had not calculated
+when he said good-by to him. He was about to learn some other things
+which were not upon the ship's books, for he had reached the heel of the
+bowsprit, where Señor Zuroaga was standing, gazing dreamily westward.
+
+"Good morning, señor!" said Ned. "We did get away."
+
+"I don't know how good a morning it is for me," replied the dark-faced
+Mexican, wearily. "I may have only three or four days to wait before I
+shall know whether or not I am to be shot at Vera Cruz by order of his
+Excellency, President Paredes. My best chance is that he cannot know
+that I am coming. After I get ashore, my life may very soon depend upon
+his being beaten out of power by the armies of the United States."
+
+"It couldn't be so in any other country," said Ned. "What have you ever
+done against him?"
+
+"I won't say just now," replied the señor, "but he knows that I am his
+enemy. So I am of Santa Anna, if he is to get back. He murdered my
+father and confiscated our property in Oaxaca. Do you know where that
+is?"
+
+"No," said Ned; "I don't know anything about the States of Mexico. It's
+hard enough to keep track of the United States. They make a new one
+every few weeks. They may have let in half a dozen while we've been at
+sea."
+
+"No," said Zuroaga, "but they've tightened their grip on Texas, and I
+hope they'll hold on hard, if only to keep Paredes and Santa Anna from
+murdering all the best men in it. Well, Oaxaca lies due south of the
+State of Vera Cruz, and I can escape into it if I have half a chance.
+I'd be safe then, for I have plenty of friends there. We have owned huge
+tracts of land in Oaxaca ever since the Spaniards conquered Mexico."
+
+"How did your folks get so much of it?" inquired Ned.
+
+"I'll tell you," said the señor, proudly, and with a fiery flash in his
+coal-black eyes. "A man by the name of Hernando Cortes really conquered
+Mexico, without much help from the King of Spain. The king made a great
+deal of him for it, at first. He made him a marquis, which was a great
+thing in those days, whatever it is now. He also gave him a royal grant
+of some of the land he had won for Spain. This land was the valley of
+the Tehuantepec River, that empties into the Pacific Ocean near the
+eastern boundary of Oaxaca. So his title was Marquis del Valle, and his
+descendants hold a great deal of that land to this day. I am one of
+them,--one of the Marquisanas, as they call us. I am a direct descendant
+of Hernando Cortes, and that isn't all. One of my ancestors married an
+Aztec princess, and so I am also descended from the Montezumas, who were
+emperors of Mexico before the Spaniards came. I'm an Indian on one side,
+and I've more than one good reason for hating a Spaniard and a tyrant."
+
+Ned Crawford had read the story of the conquest of Mexico, like a great
+many other American boys. That is, he had read it as if it had been a
+tip-top novel rather than a reality. He had admired Hernando Cortes, as
+a hero of fiction, but here he was, now, actually talking with one of
+the hero's great-great-grandchildren, who was also, after a fashion,
+one of the Montezumas. It was like a short chapter out of some other
+novel, with the night race of the _Goshhawk_ thrown in by way of
+variation. He was thinking about it, however, rather than asking
+questions, and the señor went on:
+
+"It's a rich, beautiful country, all that eastern part of Oaxaca. There
+are splendid mountains and great forests of mahogany, rosewood, and
+pine. Through it runs the Coatzacoalcos River, northerly, to the gulf.
+Along the rivers and through the mountain passes, there is an old road
+that Cortes himself made to lead his little army across to the Pacific."
+
+"I'd like to go over on it!" exclaimed Ned. "I guess I will, some day. I
+want to know all about Mexico."
+
+He made up his mind, from what his companion went on to tell him, that
+there would be a great deal worth seeing, but at that time nobody was
+dreaming how many Americans, older and younger, were soon to travel over
+the old Cortes road. California was to be annexed, as well as Texas, and
+before Ned Crawford would be old enough to cast his first vote, there
+was to be a great tide of eager gold hunters pouring along what was
+called the Tehuantepec route to the placers and diggings.
+
+The days of California gold mining had not yet come, and while Ned and
+the señor talked on about the terrible history of Mexico, with its
+factions, its bloody revenges, its pronunciamentos, and its fruitless
+revolutions, the _Goshhawk_ sailed swiftly along toward Vera Cruz and the
+powder-needing garrison of the castle of San Juan de Ulua.
+
+Whether or not the war had actually begun was still a puzzling question
+in the mind of Captain Kemp, but he would have had no doubt whatever if
+he had been with General Taylor and his remarkable gathering of young
+students of the art of war. They all obtained several important lessons
+that day. One of these was that it is both difficult and dangerous for
+an advancing army to push on through dense bushes and high grass in hot
+weather, with Mexican lancers ready to pounce upon them among the lanes
+of the chaparral. It was found, not only before but after the short,
+sharp collision with the Mexican forces at Resaca de la Palma that a
+number of valuable lives had been lost in the bushy wilderness.
+
+The American army moved slowly forward, and before nightfall the long
+lines of its blue uniforms went over the prairie rolls in full sight of
+the fort. The Stars and Stripes were still flying above the badly
+damaged ramparts, and cheer after cheer went up from thousands of
+throats, including those of the rescued garrison. They had not really
+lost many men, killed or wounded, but among the killed was their
+commander, Major Brown, after whom the fort was now named. In later
+years, a town grew up around the site of the frontier fortress, and it
+is called Brownsville. General Taylor's men had triumphantly cut their
+way through the difficult twenty miles from the sea to the siege, but
+perhaps any individual hero among them might have safely quoted the wise
+remark of Lieutenant Grant, as he looked at the fort and recalled his
+exploits of the day.
+
+"Well, after all," he said to himself, "I don't know but what the battle
+of Resaca de la Palma would have been won just as well if I had not been
+there."
+
+Long years afterward, it was to be said of a number of other battles
+that they would not have been won just as well if he had not been there
+to win them, and the same would be equally true of several of his young
+companions, as inexperienced as himself, and as ignorant of the great
+things before them in the far future.
+
+Their army went into camp near the fort; and the Mexican forces, for the
+greater part, were believed to have retreated across the Rio Grande.
+
+It is said that after every storm there comes a calm, but it was not a
+pleasant calm in the neighborhood of the American camp. There were all
+the while strong parties of Mexican lancers hovering around in all
+directions, on the lookout for imprudent stragglers, and a sharp watch
+had to be kept to guard against sudden dashes at the outposts, for the
+"rancheros," as the Mexican horsemen were called, were both well-mounted
+and enterprising. There was yet another kind of calm of a curious
+character. General Taylor absolutely did not know what to do next, and
+he could not know until after he should hear from the President what the
+statesmen in Congress had decided. Beyond a doubt, war was going on
+right here, but there was a dispute as to the nature of it and as to
+what was to be done with it. The Mexican geographers claimed that the
+southern boundary of Texas, even if it had been legally annexed to the
+United States, was at the Nueces River, and that all their country
+south of that line was still their own. According to them, therefore,
+General Taylor's army was not in Texas at all, but in Mexico. On the
+other hand, the American geographers placed the boundary at the Rio
+Grande, many miles south of the Nueces, and claimed that the forces
+defeated by General Taylor had invaded the United States. If both
+parties were right, then it might have been said that all that land
+between the rivers did not belong to anybody until the title to it
+should be settled by a military court and gunpowder arguments. That was
+really the way in which it was finally settled, and there is now no more
+dispute about it. History tells us that so have all the great national
+land titles of the world been argued and determined.
+
+There was what some people call a waiting spell, and all things on sea
+or land might be spoken of as feverishly quiet for a day or two. In the
+afternoon of the third day, however, there was a sort of change in the
+weather at one spot away out on the gulf. There was not a cloud in the
+sky, indeed, and the _Goshhawk_ was skimming along under full sail so
+steadily that part of her crew had nothing better to do than to lie
+around on the deck, and feel satisfied that the breeze was so very good.
+In the same manner, the American soldiers in the neighborhood of Fort
+Brown were lying around in and out of their tents, and wishing that they
+had more shade to protect them from the hot sun of Texas or Mexico,
+whichever it might be. At that hour, however, there arrived upon the
+_Goshhawk_ a bit of unexpected news which awakened everybody, for the man
+at the lookout announced, excitedly:
+
+"Schooner under Mexican flag, sir! Well away to loo'ard. Looks as if she
+might come pretty nigh us."
+
+"Just the thing I wanted!" shouted Captain Kemp, springing to his feet.
+"We'll bear away for her. Up with the British flag, too. She'd shy the
+Stars and Stripes. They wouldn't tell us what the news is, either."
+
+Once more, therefore, the _Goshhawk_ became an Englishman, and her chase
+after the latest news did not have to be a long one. Not many minutes
+later, the two vessels were within hailing distance, and the stranger
+spoke first, in a tone of evident anxiety:
+
+"What ship is that?"
+
+"_Goshhawk_, from Liverpool to Vera Cruz, with supplies for the Castle of
+San Juan de Ulua. What ship is that?"
+
+"Schooner _Tampico_, from Havana to Matamoras, with supplies for General
+Ampudia," came much more cheerfully back. "We had to run away from
+Matamoras in ballast to escape the gringos. Their cruisers are around
+like hawks. You won't get to Vera Cruz if they can help it."
+
+Captain Kemp already knew something about the reckless ways of
+men-of-war, but he did not say so. He merely responded:
+
+"Is that so? How about the war? We've no news at all."
+
+"War?" shouted the Mexican skipper, triumphantly. "Why, there have been
+three great battles already. We have whipped the Americans! General
+Taylor is surrounded, and will have to surrender. So will the fort on
+the Rio Grande. We shall drive the gringos out of Texas. I did not know
+until now that you British were going to help us."
+
+There could be no further conversation, for the _Goshhawk_ was sweeping
+on out of hearing, but Ned Crawford exclaimed, indignantly:
+
+"Our army defeated? How can that be? I don't believe it!"
+
+Everybody on deck could hear the captain when he laughingly responded:
+
+"The victories were won in that fellow's head, most likely. He was on
+board his schooner at Matamoras, and he didn't see it done. All he knows
+is that the war is really begun. It takes a long time, men, to make
+either an American or a British army think of surrendering. We shall
+hear a good deal more about those battles one of these days. I'd like to
+read the newspaper reports, though, on both sides."
+
+"They would be good fun," dryly remarked Señor Zuroaga. "There is nobody
+on earth that can win victories like a newspaper editor."
+
+"Hullo!" suddenly exclaimed Ned. "Something's the matter with the
+captain! Did you hear that?"
+
+There was quite enough to hear. A long, loud hail that came down from
+the rigging was followed by almost a yell from Captain Kemp.
+
+"We're chased again!" he said. "Thank God, she's astern! Men, we're in
+for it! Now for Vera Cruz or a prison! I'm ready!"
+
+Rapid orders went out, but hardly anything more could be done to
+increase the speed of the ship. In fact, the lookout must almost have
+taken it for granted that the strange sail away off yonder belonged to a
+United States cruiser. Very likely it did, but it would have to draw a
+good deal nearer before there could be any absolute certainty. In the
+meantime, all on board the _Goshhawk_ might attend to whatever duties
+they had, and discuss the remarkable tidings brought by the Mexican
+schooner. While doing so, they could hardly have guessed correctly what
+was doing and saying on board the other vessel which had caused their
+anxiety. She was, indeed, a man-of-war, and she had received from a
+returning army transport ship a whole lot of fresh news from General
+Taylor's army, by way of Point Isabel on the coast, where he had been
+encamped. Something like this had been shouted across the water by an
+enthusiastic officer of the transport:
+
+"Awful fightin'! Half a dozen battles! Taylor's whipped the Greasers
+into smithereens! He's goin' to march right on into Mexico. I don't keer
+if Uncle Sam annexes the hull half-Spanish outfit. I'm goin' in for one
+o' them there big silver mines, if we do. Hurrah for Gineral Taylor!"
+
+A chorus of ringing cheers had answered that, but here, also, there were
+men of experience ready to question the entire accuracy of such
+tremendous war news. The one thing, however, which was brought out
+clearly to the mind of a naval commander was his greatly increased duty
+of watchfulness to prevent any kind of munitions of war from reaching
+the Mexican ports. That was the reason why he was now following at his
+best speed what might after all prove to be an entirely innocent trader.
+He even went below to consider the matter, and it was a full hour later
+when the officer in charge of the deck came hastily down to tell him:
+
+"Same fellow we chased before, sir. I've made him out. He's under
+British colors again. Are we to chase?"
+
+"Chase, sir?" roared the captain. "Of course we must chase! We know what
+it means now. The old _Portsmouth_ must catch that rascal this time.
+I'll come on deck."
+
+Just as good glasses as those on board of her had been watching her
+during that hour of swift sailing, and Captain Kemp was even now
+lowering his telescope with what sounded like a sigh of relief.
+
+"Mate," he said, "it's the same sloop that followed us before. It makes
+me feel better. We know what's about the best she can do. If this wind
+holds, I think we can fetch Vera Cruz at nightfall. No one Yankee'd
+dare to follow us under the guns of San Juan de Ulua."
+
+"I reckon not," slowly responded the mate of the _Goshhawk_, "but we
+don't need to get under that chap's bow-chasers, either."
+
+"No," said Captain Kemp, "but I'll risk a shot or two."
+
+Ned Crawford heard him, for he had been following him pretty closely, to
+know what was coming.
+
+"I don't know," he was thinking, "how far one o' those cannon of hers'll
+carry. I don't believe, either, that they can hit a mark that is
+plunging along as we are. It'd be worse than shooting at a bird on the
+wing. Still, it's kind of awful to be shot at by our own people."
+
+The sailors of the _Goshhawk_ were also thinking, and they were beginning
+to look at one another very doubtfully. Not only were they Americans,
+most of them, but they had not shipped for any such business as this,
+and they did not fancy the idea of being killed for nothing. Moreover,
+Ned himself heard one of them muttering:
+
+"There's an ugly look to this thing. If a shot from that cruiser were to
+strike us amidships, we'd all be blown into the air."
+
+Decidedly that was not a pleasant thing to think of. Neither was there
+any great amount of comfort in a suggestion made by another of the men:
+
+"Well, we'd never know what hurt us. We must keep out o' range."
+
+Not long afterward there was a flash at one of the bow-ports of the
+cruiser. The report which followed was a peremptory order to heave to,
+under penalty of consequences. The gun was shotted, and a great many
+eyes watched anxiously for the dipping of that well-aimed ball of iron.
+It skipped from crest to crest of several waves before it sank, and then
+Captain Kemp shouted:
+
+"All right, men! Half a mile short! We shall get there. The coast's in
+full sight now, and we've less than five miles to run."
+
+"Ay, ay, sir!" came back from them, half cheerfully, but one voice was
+heard to grumble:
+
+"It's all right, is it? Well, if it wasn't for that half-mile o'
+shortage, there'd be a mutinee-e on board o' this ship. I'd start it. I
+ain't a-goin' to get myself knocked on the head by Uncle Sam's own men."
+
+There would very likely have been a mutiny, even as it was, if there had
+now been time for it to take shape. Thus far, the excitement of the
+chase had been in the captain's favor, but the seamen would have been
+legally justified in resisting him and bringing the ship to. His
+authority would have ceased, for he had no right to compel them to break
+the law or to run the risk of a broadside from a man-of-war.
+
+Nearer, nearer, nearer, came both the dim outline of the Mexican coast
+and the white sails of the pursuing _Portsmouth_. Louder and more
+ominous grew the but half-suppressed murmurs of the sailors, but Captain
+Kemp's face was now wearing a hard, set look, and he was known to be a
+dangerous man to deal with. Something, which looked like the handle of a
+pistol, stuck out of one of his side pockets, and his fingers wandered
+to it now and then, as if he might be turning over in his mind the
+possibility of soon having to shoot a mutineer. Ned was staring
+anxiously back at the Yankee cruiser at the moment when his shoulder was
+gripped hard, and Señor Zuroaga almost whirled him around, exclaiming:
+
+"Look! Look yonder! That's the Castle of San Juan de Ulua! Oh, but don't
+I wish it were a half-mile nearer! Hear that firing?"
+
+The guns of the _Portsmouth_ were indeed sounding at regular intervals,
+and she was evidently almost within range. She was also, however, well
+within the prescribed distance line which a hostile cruiser may not pass
+without being regarded as making the attack herself. Beyond a doubt,
+too, there must have been observers at the fort, who were already
+watching the operations of the two approaching vessels. Minutes passed,
+which were counted by Ned with a heart that beat so he almost thought he
+could hear it.
+
+"I think we are safe now," began the señor, but he had been looking at
+the fort, and there was one important fact of which he was not aware.
+
+Only a couple of minutes earlier, the captain of the _Portsmouth_ had
+shouted angrily to his first lieutenant:
+
+"No, sir! I will not let her get away. I will take her or sink her! Out
+with that starboard battery, and let them have it!"
+
+Around swung the sloop, like the perfect naval machine that she was, and
+there quickly followed the reports of several guns at once. It was not a
+full broadside, but there was enough of it to have sunk the _Goshhawk_,
+if the iron thrown had struck her at or near the water-line. None of it
+did so, but the next exclamation of Señor Zuroaga was one of utter
+dismay, for the foremast of the bark had been cut off at the cap and
+there was a vast rent in her mainsail. Down tumbled a mass of spars and
+rigging, forward, and the ship could no longer obey her helm.
+
+"All hands cut away wreckage!" shouted Captain Kemp. "We're all right.
+She won't dare come any nearer. Hurrah!"
+
+It was a deep, thunderous roar from the castle which had called out that
+apparently untimely hurrah. It was the voice of a 64-pounder gun from
+the nearest rampart, and the shot it sent fell within ten feet of the
+_Portsmouth's_ bows.
+
+"Hullo!" exclaimed her captain, more angrily than ever. "We've run in
+almost to pointblank range of those heavy guns. About! About!
+Lieutenant, we must get out of this."
+
+"All right, sir," was anxiously responded. "It isn't worth while to risk
+any more shot of that size--not for all there's likely to be under the
+hatches of that wretched bark. I think we barked her, anyhow."
+
+He may have meant that for a kind of small joke, but she had been worse
+hurt than he could know, for one 32-pounder shot had shattered her
+stern, barely missing her sternpost and rudder gearing, and she was no
+longer the trim and seaworthy vessel that she had been. One more heavy
+gun had sounded from the seaward battery of the castle, but her garrison
+had been in a genuinely Mexican condition of unreadiness, and it was
+several minutes before they could bring up more ammunition and make
+further use of their really excellent artillery. During those minutes,
+the _Portsmouth_ had ample opportunity given her to swing around and
+sweep swiftly out of danger. She had barely escaped paying dearly for
+her pursuit of the _Goshawk._ Her satisfaction, however, consisted only
+in part of the damage she had done to the bark, for, in getting around,
+she had let drive her entire larboard broadside. It was a waste of
+ammunition, certainly, but no Yankee man-of-war commander would ever
+have forgiven himself if he had failed to make a good reply to a shot
+from the Castle of San Juan de Ulua. Moreover, the sloop's gunners were
+ready to swear solemnly that every ball they had sent had hit the fort.
+
+The excitement on board the _Goshhawk_ had been at fever heat, but it was
+now diminishing rapidly, for she did not contain a man who was not well
+pleased to see the _Portsmouth_ give the matter up. All signs of mutiny
+disappeared, of course, for there was no more duty of a military
+character to be required of the men. The bark was soon set free of her
+wreckage, and prepared to make her way in still further, under the
+protection of the fort batteries. Captain Kemp was too busy for any kind
+of conversation, and Señor Zuroaga came aft, to where Ned was curiously
+studying the work of the 32-pound shot at the stern. The señor leaned
+over the side and did the same for a long moment before he remarked:
+
+"We have had a narrow escape. A few feet lower, and that shot would have
+let the water in. Fifty feet forward, and it would have touched off the
+gunpowder. As it is, our voyage is ended, and I shall know, in an hour
+or two, whether or not I am to be shot in the morning."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+COMPLETELY STRANDED
+
+
+"There don't seem to be any Mexican warships in the harbor," said Ned to
+the señor, as they looked landward from the deck of their badly mauled
+bark. "There isn't one in sight to come out after that sloop."
+
+"There are two good reasons for it," growled the señor, gloomily. "One
+is that there isn't any harbor here. Nothing but an open roadstead,
+exposed to all the storms that come, so that to anchor off Vera Cruz is
+to run a fair chance of being wrecked. The other is that my unfortunate
+country has no navy. There isn't a Mexican vessel afloat that would care
+to go out after a Yankee man-of-war. We are not yet a nation, and I'm
+half-afraid we never will be. This war may do something for us. There
+they come! I shall know very soon now."
+
+As he spoke, he pointed at several boats which were pulling out toward
+the _Goshawk._ Some of them appeared to come from the wharves of the
+city, but one, which was nearer, was evidently from the castle, and it
+was in this that the señor took the deepest interest. Besides its
+half-dozen of oarsmen, it contained a tall man in a gorgeous uniform,
+and it was only a minute or so before Zuroaga exclaimed:
+
+"Yes, that is Colonel Guerra himself. I am glad he is all alone!"
+
+The bark was now drifting pretty rapidly landward, under such canvas as
+she had left, and the _Portsmouth_ was safely out of range of the
+Mexican guns, which were throwing away an occasional shot at her. She
+had not been touched by one of them, and she had the honor of being the
+first United States ship to try her batteries upon the renowned old
+Spanish fortress. It was, indeed, a well-built fortification, and it
+carried many guns, most of which had been brought over long ago from the
+foundries of old Spain. It did not stand upon the main shore, but on an
+island about half a mile out, and it therefore seemed unassailable,
+except from the sea or by heavy siege-guns on the shore. It had been one
+of the last places surrendered when the Spanish government reluctantly
+gave up Mexico. From that day onward, in each of the successive
+revolutions, it had been a first object with each new tyrant of the
+nominal republic or empire to get control of the fortress, which
+dominated nearly all of the commerce of Mexico with the outer world. At
+the present time, it was commanded by an officer whom President Paredes
+believed that he could trust--or he would have shot him. This, of
+course, was the main reason for the dark doubts of Señor Zuroaga. On the
+other hand, it might be taken into account that any prominent Mexican
+officer, like Colonel Guerra, would be willing to strengthen himself for
+such political changes as were entirely likely to come. For the sake of
+old friendship and family ties, for instance, he might be even desirous
+of binding to his own interests a man who was known to have a large
+number of personal adherents in the important State of Oaxaca.
+
+That very man stood aft upon the deck of the _Goshhawk_ when the boat of
+Colonel Guerra touched her side, but he did not at once come forward to
+extend a greeting. That ceremony was performed sufficiently well by
+Captain Kemp, and the responses of the castle commander were to the last
+degree enthusiastic. According to him, indeed, the fort could not have
+held out against a siege for a week without the powder in the hold of
+the bark. Therefore, it might be that not much of it was likely to be
+distributed among the other forces of Mexico. The captain had many
+things to say, but before long Colonel Guerra walked slowly aft without
+anybody following him. He may have merely desired to look over the side
+and examine the injuries inflicted by the shot of the _Portsmouth_, for
+that was the first thing he did, without so much as appearing to
+recognize any human being in the neighborhood. One of the two persons
+who were there, however, drew slowly near him, and, as he did so, he
+heard the colonel mutter, in a very low tone:
+
+"My dear friend, you have done well to bring me the powder. Thank you
+for your devotion to me and to Santa Anna, but you are in deadly peril.
+The orders of Paredes are out against you. General Morales, whom Paredes
+trusts, will soon be here to supersede me, but he will really come to
+hold this place for our general when he returns from exile. Consider
+that I do not know that you are here, for my next in command is a spy on
+me. This ship will never put to sea again. The captain and crew will be
+cared for, but that gringo boy is not safe, now that there has been
+bloodshed on the Rio Grande. Take him with you to the house of your
+cousin, Colonel Tassara, in the lower part of the city. Then get away to
+Oaxaca as soon as you can. President Paredes is still in the city of
+Mexico, and he will not go to take command of the army in the north for
+some time. You and I believe, of course, that he is really gathering it
+to have it led by our one-legged hero, Santa Anna. Paredes, however,
+suspects that a revolution is springing up under him, and he is watching
+for it. Of course, for that reason, he would shoot you at once as a
+returned conspirator against him. As for that matter, be careful how you
+land, for there are many spies. No doubt you can go where you please,
+after you get back among your own people. Farewell, but do not speak to
+me."
+
+He turned and strolled carelessly away, and the señor bowed his head for
+a moment, as if in deep thought, while Ned Crawford was aware of an
+entirely new idea, which had crept into his mind as he had listened to
+the warning utterances of Colonel Guerra.
+
+"I declare!" he said to himself, "he believes that Señor Zuroaga brought
+the powder, and he didn't. He believes that the señor is going in for
+old Santa Anna, and he isn't. He believes that the señor and I are
+enemies of Paredes, and so we are. I am! I hope that he'll be beaten out
+of his boots by General Taylor, and then upset by the new revolution. I
+guess he's right, though, about this ship, and I must find out how I can
+send a letter home. I want father and mother to know all about this
+business. Go ashore and hide? I'm ready for that, but I'd like to get a
+good look at the old city somehow."
+
+Ned had been laboring under many perplexities and a great deal of
+depression of spirits during several days, but now he felt a kind of
+exhilarating fever creeping all over him, and at first he did not know
+exactly what it might be. When his father had taken him with him across
+the Atlantic,--it seemed so long ago now,--he had gone eagerly enough,
+and he had had a grand time looking at Liverpool and London. It had been
+a rare treat for a youngster who had but recently passed up from a
+grammar school into the counting-room of a New York shipping-house.
+After that, when he had been sent on this trip, to make his voyage home
+by way of Mexico, he had considered himself exceedingly lucky. But what
+was all that in comparison with this in the way of strange and wild
+adventure? Why, he had sailed through a naval engagement, cannonading
+and all, and right on out of that into a full-grown war and a half-grown
+revolution. The thrill which went over him was, therefore, the adventure
+fever. Something like this fever, in the veins of all sorts of men,
+young and old, has made the world what it is, discovering its new
+countries, its new sciences, its new institutions, and leading it
+forward and upward out of its old-time dullness and barbarism. So Ned
+stood straighter and felt older and had a pair of very brave, bright
+eyes when he walked forward to try and have a few words with Captain
+Kemp.
+
+"Captain," he asked, "when can I go ashore?"
+
+"Not quite yet," said the captain. "Don't bother me now. Of course, the
+ammunition for the castle goes out first. Then all the rest of the cargo
+must go ashore as fast as it can, and you are bound to attend to that.
+I'm glad that all of it is apparently on English account, and not for
+the American part of the concern. That makes all things easy. I hardly
+know what to do with the ship, though. We can't repair her here."
+
+That was evidently the disadvantage of having a vessel get out of order
+in a place where there were no good dockyards. As for the unlading,
+there were already "lighter" barges on their way from the fort, and
+others, no doubt, would soon be on hand from the city. Haste was the
+main object, under the circumstances, and the entire work would be
+rapidly accomplished.
+
+Zuroaga went below, and Ned followed him, for there was nothing more
+that he could do on deck just then.
+
+"Señor," he asked, as soon as they were in the cabin, "how can I send a
+letter home? I don't know exactly what to say, either."
+
+"Say anything you please," replied the señor. "Your letter will go by
+the mail of the English consul, and the mails for England will not be
+meddled with by the Mexican authorities."
+
+"I'll sit right down and begin one," said Ned, but the señor interrupted
+him very soberly with:
+
+"One word before you begin, please. I know you overheard what Colonel
+Guerra said to me. You and I must get on shore as soon as we can, and it
+will not do for either of us to remain in Vera Cruz. I have decided
+that I must take you with me to Oaxaca."
+
+"Well," hesitated Ned, "I understand that you must go, but what am I in
+danger of if I should stay here?"
+
+"Edward, my dear fellow," said the señor, "I will tell you, and you had
+better put it into your letter. First, you just wait and see what
+becomes of the _Goshhawk_. She will never sail out of the Gulf of Mexico
+again. The captain and crew will get away as best they can, and I can't
+tell how long it will be before they can do it. Meantime, you would be
+around on shore, and you would be known for a Yankee, a gringo. That
+might mean danger for you from any evil-minded Mexican. Some of this
+coast population are worse than savages, and they all carry knives.
+You'd never know who hurt you."
+
+"That's awful!" exclaimed Ned. "I never thought of that."
+
+"There is another reason," calmly continued the señor, "for your not
+lingering down here in the _tierra caliente_--the hot country--any later
+in the season. It is the yellow fever, and that is pretty sure to show
+itself before long. It takes people from the north quicker, a good deal,
+than it does those who were born here. I have even heard that there is
+a rumor of some cases occurring already. Your father is an old friend of
+mine, and he would never forgive me if I were to permit you to be
+exposed to it, when you can so easily get away into the uplands, where
+it is never heard of. Be a good clerk now, and attend to your cargo, and
+be glad that it hasn't been sent to the bottom of the gulf."
+
+Ned had been thinking of that pretty seriously, and he sat down to write
+his home letter, well pleased that he had nothing to do with the
+unloading of the contraband of war part of the cargo. With reference to
+that, moreover, he had learned from Zuroaga that a Mexican
+post-commander of the rank of Colonel Guerra was a kind of local
+military dictator. Only so much of the ammunition as he might see fit to
+send would ever find its way into any other hands than his own. The
+señor had added that it was almost the same with whatever customs duties
+were collected by the civil officers of the port, with the one drawback
+that a dishonest army collector, if discovered, might possibly get
+himself shot as a kind of supposable revolutionist, stealing the profits
+of the others.
+
+The lighter barges were now swarming around the bark, and a hundred busy
+workmen were doing their best, quite patriotically, for the guns and
+gunners of the castle. It was easy to see that the American sailors did
+not fancy that job, and were willing to keep out of it. So they
+sauntered around, attending to a few ship's duties here and there, while
+now and then one or another of them might have been heard to grumble his
+unwillingness to ever again go to sea under an English captain. The
+truth was that they had excellent reasons for discontent concerning the
+scrape into which they had been led, and they were well aware that they
+had not yet by any means seen the end of it. Almost the best they could
+hope for was that they were to be sent back to some country of Europe,
+on some ship or other which had not yet arrived at Vera Cruz, and which
+might not sail away with them on board for a number of weeks to come.
+Any man among them was now almost willing to have had the _Portsmouth_
+sink the _Goshhawk_.
+
+Heavy shot may be craned over into boats, and kegs or barrels of
+gunpowder may be let down tenderly, gently, as well by moonlight and
+lantern-light as by any other. Therefore, the coming on of night did not
+interfere with the landing processes. Moreover, any amount of sleep may
+be performed by a healthy boy in a battered ship lying safely at
+anchor. So Ned made up, more or less, for the sleep he had lost during
+the long race of the _Goshhawk_, and it was not early when he came on
+deck the next morning. When he did so, he found his duties as nominal
+supercargo cut out for him, and Captain Kemp appeared to be especially
+anxious that a son of one of the owners should supervise whatever was to
+be done with the peaceable part of his cargo. He even explained to Ned
+that he might yet be called upon in some law court to testify to the
+honest accuracy of all the papers he was now to sign.
+
+"It'll take about two days more," he told him, "and you mustn't go
+ashore till the ship's empty. The American consul hasn't taken his
+passports yet, but he expects to get away soon, somehow or other. Most
+likely, he'll be taken off by a ship of war. So, perhaps, will other
+Americans. You might wait and get away then, if you think best, but you
+can't hope to ever go on this ship."
+
+Ned had an increasingly strong feeling that he did not now care to go on
+that or any other craft of war or peace. He would much rather go to
+Oaxaca than to New York, and he felt more sure than ever that his
+father would not wish him to run any risk of the dreadful yellow fever.
+So he worked on industriously, learning a great deal concerning the
+processes required in getting a cargo out of a ship. During several
+hours, he was so occupied that he almost forgot the existence of his
+Mexican friend, but he was dimly aware that a small rowboat had come to
+the off-shore side of the ship, and had shortly pulled away without any
+interference on the part of the officials, military or civil. Perhaps
+she was understood to have come there by order of Colonel Guerra. Toward
+nightfall, however, that boat came again, as she did before, not running
+in among the barges, but seeming to avoid them. There were five men in
+her, and one of them stood up to say to a sailor at the rail:
+
+"I wish to see young Señor Carfora. Is he on board?"
+
+"Hullo!" thought Ned. "That's the Spanish name Señor Zuroaga told me I
+was to go by." Then he sang out aloud, as he hurried across the deck,
+"Here I am. What do you want of me?"
+
+"Lean over and talk low," responded the man in the boat, but the one
+sailor near them did not understand a word of Spanish, and he might
+suppose, if he wished to do so, that it was something about the cargo.
+Ned himself listened eagerly, while the speaker went on: "I am Colonel
+Tassara. Señor Zuroaga must not come to the ship again. I will be here
+to-morrow evening. May I be assured that you will then be ready to come
+to my house?"
+
+"Tell him of course you will!" said a voice behind Ned, peremptorily,
+and it was Captain Kemp who had come over for a few words with Tassara.
+
+"I'll be ready, colonel," said Ned, when his turn came to speak, and the
+boat pulled away, leaving him and the captain by themselves.
+
+"It's a good arrangement for you, my boy," said the captain. "Unless I
+am mistaken, though, there are signs of the worst kind of a
+northeasterly storm. This is a dangerous anchorage for that sort of
+thing. I don't think I shall risk having too many men on board when the
+norther gets here. The cargo will be all out, and the ship's well
+insured. The American consul doesn't know a thing about the ammunition
+or the running away from the cruisers. He has enough else on his hands
+just now."
+
+Ned did not care a great deal about that, but he was more than ever in a
+hurry to see the end of his supercargo business. The fact was that an
+air of something like mystery appeared to be gathering around him, and
+there is a tremendous fascination in anything mysterious. What if he
+were now getting right in behind the war, after a fashion, and at the
+same time into the darkest kind of revolution or rebellion against the
+power of President Paredes, in company with that wonderful adventurer,
+General Santa Anna, and all the desperate characters of Mexico?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+THE WORK OF THE NORTHER
+
+
+During the rest of that day and the earlier part of the next the weather
+continued fairly good, and the unloading went steadily on. In the many
+intervals of his duties, Ned tried hard to drive his mental fever away,
+and amused himself as best he might. The city itself was worth looking
+at, with its tiers of streets rising one above another from the shore.
+He saw several churches, and some of them were large, with massive
+towers and steeples.
+
+"The Mexicans must have been richer than they are now," he said to
+himself, "when those things were built. They cost piles of money."
+
+He had no idea how rich a country it is, or how much richer it might be,
+if its wonderful natural resources were to be made the most of. As for
+the city, he had heard that Vera Cruz contained about seven or eight
+thousand people, besides its military garrison, its foreigners, and a
+continually varying mob of transient visitors from the interior. Zuroaga
+had told him, moreover, that it was from the latter that any gringo like
+himself would be in danger of violence. They were a vindictive,
+bloodthirsty class of men, most of them, for they retained undiminished
+the peculiar characteristics of their Indian ancestors.
+
+"I don't care to run against any of them," thought Ned. "I don't like
+this _tierra caliente_ country, anyhow. It's too hot to live in."
+
+Then he thought a great deal of the wonderful land of forests and
+mountains which lay beyond the fever-haunted lowlands, and he longed
+more and more for a good look at the empire which Hernando Cortes won
+from the old Montezumas and their bloody war-god, Huitzilopochtli.
+
+In the afternoon of the second day the sky was manifestly putting on a
+threatening aspect. The wind began to rise and the sea began to roughen.
+The men discharging the cargo hastened their work, and it was evident
+that the last of the lighter barges would soon be setting out for the
+shore. Ned was staring at them and recalling all the yarns he had heard
+concerning the destructive power of a gulf "norther," when Captain Kemp
+came walking slowly toward him, with a face which appeared to express no
+sort of unusual concern for anything in the world. Nevertheless, he
+said:
+
+"Get ready now, Ned, as sharp as you can. There comes your boat. I shall
+send some papers by the colonel. Señor Zuroaga's luggage all went on
+shore yesterday. I think some other men will have to be looking out for
+themselves before long. If the _Goshhawk_ should drag her anchors and go
+ashore, I hope there won't be too much sea running for good boats to
+live in."
+
+"I'm all ready now!" exclaimed Ned, as he sprang away, but he went with
+a curious question rising in his mind: "What if a cable were more'n half
+cut through? Wouldn't it be likely to break and let go of an anchor, if
+it were pulled at too hard by a gale of wind? I don't really know
+anything about it, but Señor Zuroaga thinks that Captain Kemp is a
+curious man to deal with. Father thinks that he is a good sailor, too."
+
+All the wardrobe that Ned had on board was easily contained in a
+waterproof satchel of moderate size, and he was half-glad now that
+there was no more of it, it went so quickly over into the large yawl
+that was waiting alongside when he returned on deck. It was a four-oared
+boat, and Colonel Tassara, at the stern, beckoned to him without
+speaking, as if he might have reasons for silence as well as haste.
+
+"In with you, Ned," said Captain Kemp. "I'll try to see you within a day
+or two. Take good care of yourself. Good day, colonel."
+
+The Mexican officer only bowed, and in a moment more the yawl was
+fighting her difficult way over the rapidly increasing waves, for the
+first strength of the norther had really come, and there might soon be a
+great deal more of it,--for the benefit of the _Goshhawk_.
+
+"There!" muttered Captain Kemp, as he saw them depart, "I haven't more
+than a good boat's crew left on board. We'll take to the life-boat as
+soon as the cable parts. There isn't any use in trying to save this bark
+under all the circumstances. I've done my duty. I couldn't have
+calculated on heavy shot first, and then for a whole gang of cruisers
+watching for me off the coast. This 'ere norther, too! Well, I didn't
+make the war, and I don't see that I ought to lose any money by it. I
+won't, either."
+
+Whatever was his exact meaning, the mate and four other men who remained
+evidently agreed with him, from what they were shortly saying to one
+another. It might also have been taken note of by a careful observer
+that the mate was a Scotchman, and that the four others were all from
+Liverpool. Whoever had put so much contraband of war on board the
+_Goshhawk_ had not entrusted it entirely to the eccentricities of a lot
+of out-and-out American sailors, with peculiar notions concerning their
+flag.
+
+On went Colonel Tassara's yawl, and it was not likely to meet any other
+boat that evening. As the rollers increased in size momentarily, Ned
+began to have doubts as to whether such a boat had any reasonable hope
+of reaching the shore. It was now pitch-dark also, and he could but feel
+that his adventures in Mexico were beginning in a remarkably unpleasant
+manner. The landing could not have been made at any place along the
+beach, where the surf was breaking so dangerously, and it looked almost
+as perilous to approach the piers and wharves.
+
+"How on earth are we to do it?" exclaimed Ned, in English, but no
+answer came from the hard-breathing rowers.
+
+Colonel Tassara seemed now to be steering a southerly course, instead of
+directly landward, and Ned calculated that this would carry them past
+all of the usual landing-places. It also gave them narrow escapes from
+rolling over and over in the troughs between several high waves. On the
+whole, therefore, it was a pretty rough boating excursion, but it was
+not a long one. It did take them almost past the city front, and at last
+Ned thought he saw a long, black shadow reaching out at the boat. It was
+better than a shadow, for it was a long wooden pier, old enough to have
+been built by Cortes himself. The waves were breaking clean over it,
+but, at the same time, it was breaking them, so that around in the lee
+of it the water was less boisterous, and the yawl might reach the beach
+in safety. There was no wharf, but all Ned cared for was that he saw no
+surf, and he felt better than he had at any moment since leaving the
+_Goshhawk_. It was the same, for they said so, emphatically, with the
+boatmen and Colonel Tassara.
+
+"One of the men will take your bag," said the colonel to Ned, as soon as
+they were out on shore. "We will go right along to my house, and we
+shall hardly meet anybody just now. I'm glad of that. Santa Maria, how
+dark it is getting! This will be the worst kind of norther."
+
+A couple of lanterns had been taken from the boat. They had previously
+been lighted by the colonel with much difficulty, and without them it
+would have been impossible to follow the stony, grassy pathway by which
+Ned Crawford made his first invasion of the Mexican territory. He did
+not now feel like annexing any of it, although Mexican patriots asserted
+that their title to Vera Cruz or the city of Mexico itself was no better
+than their right to Texas. His gloomy march was a short one, and only a
+few shadowy, unrecognized human beings passed him on the way.
+
+The party came to a halt before a one-story stone dwelling, with a long
+piazza in front of it, close to the weedy sidewalk of a crooked and
+straggling street. It was apparent that this was not in the aristocratic
+quarter of the city, if it had one. A door in the middle of the house
+swung open as they arrived, and the boatman who carried Ned's bag put it
+down on the threshold. The lanterns went away with him and his fellow
+rowers, but other lights made their appearance quickly,--after the door
+had closed behind Ned and Colonel Tassara. Not one of the boat's crew
+had obtained a peep into the house, or had seen any of its occupants.
+Ned was now aware that he had entered a broad hall-like passageway,
+which appeared to run through the house, and to have several doors on
+each side. One of these doors had opened to let the new light in, and
+through it also came Señor Zuroaga, two other men, and a young girl, who
+at once threw her arms around the neck of Colonel Tassara.
+
+"O father!" she exclaimed, "I am so glad! Mother and I were so
+frightened! We were afraid you would be drowned."
+
+"My dear little daughter," he responded, sadly, "I fear there will be
+more than one lot of poor fellows drowned to-night. This storm is
+fearful!"
+
+It seemed, in fact, to be getting worse every minute, and Ned was
+thinking of the _Goshhawk_ and the state of her cable, even while he was
+being introduced to the pretty Señorita Felicia Tassara, and then to her
+mother, a stately woman, who came to meet her husband without
+condescending to say how badly she had been alarmed on his account.
+
+"She's just about the proudest-looking woman I ever saw," thought Ned,
+for, although she welcomed him politely, she at once made him aware
+that she did not consider him of any importance whatever. He was only a
+young gringo, from nobody knew where, and she was a Mexican lady of high
+rank, who hated Americans of all sorts.
+
+Ned's only really hearty greeting came from Señor Zuroaga, who seemed to
+him, under the circumstances, like an old friend.
+
+"Carfora, my dear fellow," he said, "you and the colonel must come in to
+your supper----"
+
+"Why, señor," expostulated Ned, "I'm wet through, and so is he."
+
+"I declare!" exclaimed Zuroaga. "What's in my head that I should
+overlook that? You must change your rig. Come this way with me."
+
+Ned followed him, bag in hand, through a narrow passage which opened at
+the right, and they went on almost to the end of it. The room which they
+then entered was only seven feet wide, but it was three times as long,
+and it was oddly furnished. Instead of a bedstead, a handsome hammock,
+with blankets, sheets, and a pillow in it, hung at one side, and the
+high window was provided with mosquito nettings. There was no carpet on
+the floor, but this was clean, and a good enough dressing-bureau stood
+at the further end of the room. Before the mirror of this, the señor set
+down the lamp he had been carrying, and said to Ned:
+
+"My dear Carfora, I have explained to the haughty señora that you are
+the son of an American merchant, and of a good family, so that she will
+not really treat you like a common person. She is descended from the
+oldest families of Spain, and there is no republicanism in her. The
+sooner you are ready, the better. I will be back in five minutes."
+
+Open came the bag, but the best Ned could do in the way of style was a
+very neat blue suit. What he would have called the swallow-tails, which
+Señora Tassara might have expected as the dinner dress of a more
+important guest, could hardly be required of a young fellow just escaped
+from a norther. As soon as he felt that he had done his best, he turned
+toward the door, but it opened to let in Señor Zuroaga in full
+regulation dinner costume. How he could have put it on so quickly
+puzzled Ned, but he asked no questions. It was quite possible, however,
+that even the descendant of Cortes and the Montezumas was a little bit
+in awe of the matronly descendant of the ancient Spanish grandees. She
+might be a powerful personage in more ways than one. At all events, Ned
+was led out to the central hall and across it, to where an uncommonly
+wide door stood open, letting out a flood of illumination.
+
+"Walk in, señors," said Colonel Tassara, from just inside this portal,
+and the next moment Ned was altogether astonished.
+
+He had been impressed, on reaching this house, that it was an old and
+even dingy affair, of no considerable size, but he did not yet know that
+the older Spanish mansions were often built with only one story and
+around a central courtyard. Moreover, at least in Mexico, they were apt
+to show few windows in front, and to be well calculated for use as a
+kind of small forts, if revolutionary or similar occasions should ask
+for thick walls, with embrasures for musketry. One glance around Señora
+Tassara's dining-room was enough to work a revolution in Ned's ideas
+relating to that establishment. It was large, high-ceilinged, and its
+carpetless floor was of polished mahogany. The walls and ceiling were of
+brilliant white stucco. Upon the former were hung several trophies of
+weapons and antlers of deer. In the centre, at the right, in a kind of
+ornamental shrine, was an ivory and ebony crucifix, which was itself a
+priceless work of art. The long dining-table had no cloth to conceal the
+fact that it was of the richest mahogany, dark with age and polished
+like a mirror. On the table was an abundance of fine china ware, none of
+it of modern manufacture, but all the more valuable for that reason. At
+the end nearest Ned stood a massive silver coffee-urn, beautifully
+molded, and it was not wonderful that he stood still a moment to stare
+at it, for it had taken him altogether by surprise.
+
+Almost instantly a change came over the dark, handsome features of
+Señora Tassara. She smiled brightly, for Ned's undisguised admiration of
+that mass of silver had touched her upon a tender spot, and she now
+spoke to him with at least four times as much cordiality as she had
+shown him in the hall.
+
+"Ah, my young friend," she said, turning gracefully toward him, "so you
+are pleased with my coffee-urn? No table in your city of New York can
+show anything like it. It is of the oldest Seville workmanship, and
+there are not many such remaining in all the world. It is an heirloom."
+
+"Señor Carfora," at that moment interrupted Colonel Tassara, "I will
+show you something else that is worth more than any kind of silver
+ware. Take a good look at this!"
+
+He stepped to a trophy of arms which hung upon the wall near him, and
+took from it a long, heavy sword, with a worn-looking but deeply chased
+gold hilt. He drew it from the sheath, gazing with evident pride at its
+curving blade of dull blue steel.
+
+"I think you have never before seen a sword like that," he said. "It may
+have been made at Toledo, for all I know, but it is centuries old. It
+was won from a Moor by an ancestor of mine, at the taking of Granada,
+when the Moorish power was broken forever by the heroes of Spain. Who
+can tell? It may have come down from the days of the Cid Campeador
+himself."
+
+Whoever that military gentleman may have been, Ned had no idea, but he
+determined to find out some day, and just now he was glad to grasp the
+golden hilt, and remember all that he had ever heard about the Moors. He
+had not at all expected to hear of them again, just after escaping from
+a norther in the Gulf of Mexico, but, without being aware of it, he was
+learning a great deal about the old Spanish-Mexican aristocracy, and
+why it could not easily become truly republican, even in the New World,
+which is beginning to grow old on its own account.
+
+Dinner was now ready, and Ned voted it a prime good one, for it
+consisted mainly of chicken, with capital corn-cakes and coffee. It was
+a tremendous improvement upon the dinners he had been eating at sea,
+cooked in the peculiar style of the caboose of the _Goshhawk_.
+
+One large idea was becoming firmly fixed in the acute mind of the young
+adventurer, and it tended to make him both watchful and silent. Not only
+was he in a country which was at war with his own, but he was in a land
+where men were apt to be more or less suspicious of each other. It was
+also quite the correct thing in good manners for him to say but little,
+and he was the better able to hear what the others were saying.
+Therefore, he could hardly help taking note that none of the party at
+the dinner-table said anything about the powder on the _Goshhawk_, or
+concerning a possible trip to be made to Oaxaca by any one there. They
+all appeared ready, on the other hand, to praise the patriotism,
+statesmanship, and military genius of that truly great man, President
+Paredes. They made no mention whatever of General Santa Anna, but they
+spoke confidently of the certainty with which Generals Ampudia and
+Arista were about to crush the invading gringos at the north, under
+Taylor. They also were sure that these first victories were to be
+followed by greater ones, which would be gained by the President
+himself, as soon as he should be able to take command of the Mexican
+armies in person. If any friend of his, a servant, for instance, of the
+Tassara family, had been listening, he would have had nothing to report
+which would have made any other man suppose that the rulers of Mexico
+had bitter, revengeful foes under that hospitable roof.
+
+The dinner ended, and Ned was once more in his room, glad enough to get
+into his hammock and go to sleep. If the norther did any howling around
+that house, he did not hear it, but he may have missed the swing motion
+which a hammock obtains on board a ship at sea. His eyes closed just as
+he was thinking:
+
+"This is great, but I wonder what on earth is going to happen to me
+to-morrow."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+FORWARD, MARCH
+
+
+The sun of the next morning arose upon a great deal of doubt and
+uncertainty in many places. Some of the soldiers of General Taylor's
+army were altogether uncertain into what bushes of the neighboring
+chaparral the norther had blown their tents, and they went out in search
+of their missing cotton duck shelters. The entire force encamped at the
+Rio Grande border was in the dark as to what it might next be ordered to
+do, and all sorts of rumors went around from regiment to regiment, as if
+the rumor manufacturer had gone crazy. General Taylor himself was sure
+of at least the one point, that he had no right to cross the muddy river
+in front of him and make a raid into Mexico until he should hear again
+from the government at Washington, and be officially informed that the
+war, which he was carrying on so well, had really begun. He and all his
+army believed that it was already going on, and they grumbled
+discontentedly that they were compelled to remain in camp, and watch for
+ranchero lancers on Texan soil, if it was legally Texan at all, until
+permission arrived to strike their tents and march forward.
+
+The news of the fighting and of what were described as the great battles
+on the Mexican border had reached New Orleans and Key West. It was
+travelling northward at full speed, but it had not yet been heard by the
+government or by the people of the North and West. None of these had as
+yet so much as imagined what a telegraphic news-bringer might be, and so
+they could not even wish that they had one, or they would surely have
+done so. The uncertainties of that morning, therefore, hampered all the
+councils of the nation. Almost everybody believed that there would soon
+be a war, although a great many men were strongly opposed to the idea of
+having one. Taking the war for granted, however, there were doubts and
+differences of opinion among both military and unmilitary men as to how
+it was to be carried on. Some were opposed to anything more than a
+defence of the Rio Grande boundary-line, but these moderate persons were
+hooted at by the out-and-out war party, whom nothing promised to
+satisfy but an invasion which intended the capture of the city of
+Mexico. Nothing less than this, they said, would obtain the objects of
+the war, and secure a permanent peace at the end of it. Then, supposing
+such an invasion to be decided on, an important question arose as to how
+and where the Mexican territory might best be entered by a conquering
+army. Many declared that General Taylor's forces were already at the
+right place for pushing ahead, but the commander-in-chief, General
+Winfield Scott, by all odds the best general the country possessed,
+responded that the march proposed for Taylor was too long, too
+difficult, and that it was likely to result in disaster. The shorter and
+only practicable route, he asserted, was by way of the sea and Vera
+Cruz. He was also known to be politically opposed to any war whatever.
+Thereupon, a number of prominent men, who disagreed with him, set
+themselves at work to have him removed or put aside, that a commander
+might take his place who was not so absurdly under the influence of
+military science, common sense, and of the troubles which might be
+encountered in marching seven hundred miles or more through an enemy's
+country. There were, it was said, eloquent politicians, who did not
+know how to drill an "awkward squad," but who felt sure of their ability
+to beat Old Scott in such an agreeable affair as a military picnic party
+to the city of Mexico.
+
+The young military scholars in the camp near Fort Brown were ignorant of
+all this. They were satisfied with their present commander, as well they
+might be, for he was a good one. They were satisfied with themselves,
+and were enthusiastically ready to fight anything which should be put in
+front of them. They were dreadfully dissatisfied with camp life,
+however, and especially with the fact that they and all the other raw
+troops of that army were forced to undergo a great deal of drill and
+discipline in hot weather. Perhaps, if this had not been given them,
+they would hardly have rendered so good an account of themselves in the
+severe tests of soldiership which they underwent a few months later.
+
+The first doubt that came to Ned Crawford that morning, as his eyes
+opened and he began to get about half-awake, related to his hammock and
+to how on earth he happened to be in it. Swift memories followed then of
+the norther, the perilous pull ashore, the arrival at the Tassara place,
+and the people he had met there. He recalled also something about
+silver coffee-urns and Moorish warriors, but the next thing, he was out
+upon the floor, and his head seemed to buzz like a beehive with
+inquiries concerning his immediate future.
+
+"Here I am," he said aloud. "I'm in Mexico; in Vera Cruz; at this house
+with Señor Zuroaga; and I don't know yet what's become of the _Goshhawk_.
+I don't really ever expect to see her again, but I hope that Captain
+Kemp and the sailors didn't get themselves drowned. I must see about
+that, first thing. Then I suppose I must see the American consul, write
+another letter home, see the merchants our goods were delivered to,--and
+what I'm to do after that I don't know."
+
+There was a loud rap at his door just then, and in a moment more he was
+almost repeating that speech to Señor Zuroaga.
+
+"Please say very little to Colonel Tassara or anybody else in this
+house," replied the senor, emphatically. "Get used, as soon as you can,
+to being called Carfora. We must make you look like a young Mexican
+right away. I've bought a rig which will fit you. It is well that you
+are so dark-complexioned. A red-haired fellow would never pass as you
+will. All the American residents of Vera Cruz are already under
+military protection, and I am glad there are so few of them, for there
+are said to have been two or three assassinations. Part of the mountain
+men who are loafing in town just now are wild Indians, as reckless and
+cruel as any of your Sioux warriors on a war-path. Come along to
+breakfast. You won't meet the ladies this time, but I believe the señora
+and señorita like you a little, because you had the good taste to admire
+their silver and china."
+
+"Oh, that old coffee-urn!" said Ned. "Well, it's as fine as anything I
+ever saw, even in a jewelry window."
+
+"Yes," laughed the señor, "but the señora wants to have the American
+consul killed because he told her she had better have that thing melted
+and made over into one of the modern patterns. She will never forgive
+him. Tell her again, when you have a chance, that the old-time Seville
+silversmiths could beat anything we have nowadays, and she will love
+you. I do not really believe myself that we are getting much ahead of
+those ancient artists. They were wonderful designers."
+
+Ned was willing to believe that they were, and he made up his mind to
+praise Señora Tassara's pet urn to the best of his ability.
+
+He was not to have an opportunity for doing so immediately. Their
+breakfast was ready for them in the dining-room, but they were allowed
+to eat it by themselves. It seemed to Ned a very good one, but several
+times he found himself turning away from it to stare at the silver
+marvel and at the weapons on the walls. There was no apparent reason for
+haste, but neither of them cared to linger, and before long they were
+out on the piazza in front, Zuroaga with his hat pulled down to his eyes
+and his coat collar up. Ned was at once confirmed in his previous idea
+that the house was anything but new, and to that he added the conviction
+that it was much larger than it had appeared to be in the night. He
+believed, too, that it must have cost a deal of money to build it long
+ago. He had only a moment for that calculation, however, for his next
+glance went out toward the gulf, and he came near to being astonished.
+The path which he had followed in coming up from the shore had been a
+steep one, and he was now standing at a place from which he had a pretty
+good view of the tossing water between the mainland and the castle of
+San Juan de Ulua. The old fortress was there, unharmed by the norther,
+but not in any direction, as far as his eyes could reach, was there any
+sign of a ship, at anchor or otherwise.
+
+"Señor!" he exclaimed. "What has become of them? They are all gone! Do
+you suppose they have been wrecked?"
+
+"Not all of them, by any means," replied the señor, but he also was
+searching the sea with a serious face. "As many as could lift their
+anchors in time to make a good offing before the norther came were sure
+to do so. If there were any that did not succeed, I can't say where they
+may have gone to just now."
+
+"The _Goshhawk_--" began Ned, but the señor gripped his arm hard, while
+he raised his right hand and pointed up the road.
+
+"Silence!" he commanded, in a sharp whisper. "Look! there he comes.
+Don't even call him by his name. Wait and hear what he has to say. He
+can tell us what has become of the bark. They are a used-up lot of men."
+
+So they were, the five who now came walking slowly along from somewhere
+or other on the coast upon which the disastrous storm had blown.
+
+"Captain Kemp and the crew of his life-boat," thought Ned, but he obeyed
+the señor at first, and was silent until the haggard-looking party
+arrived and came to a halt in front of him. Then, however, he lost his
+prudence for a moment, and anxiously inquired:
+
+"Were any of you drowned?"
+
+"Not any of us that are here," responded the captain, grimly. "No, nor
+any other of the _Goshhawk_ men, but there are more wrecks in sight
+below, and I don't know how many from them got ashore. Our bark stranded
+this side of them, and she's gone all to pieces. We took to the
+life-boat in time, but we've had a hard pull of it. We went ashore
+through the breakers, about six miles below this, and here we are, but I
+don't want to ever pass such another night. I'm going on down to the
+consul's now, to report, and Ned had better be there as soon as he can.
+Then, the sooner he's out o' Vera Cruz, the better for him and all of
+us."
+
+"I think so myself," said Señor Zuroaga. "Don't even stay here for
+breakfast. Nobody from here must come to the consul's with Señor
+Carfora."
+
+"Of course not," said the captain, wearily, and away he went, although
+Ned felt as if he were full to bursting with the most interesting kind
+of questions concerning the captain's night in the life-boat and the
+sad fate of the swift and beautiful _Goshhawk_.
+
+"Come into the house," said the señor, "and put on your Mexican rig. I
+have a message from Colonel Guerra that we must get away to-night. I
+must not bring any peril upon the Tassara family. Up to this hour no
+enemy knows that I was a passenger on the powder-boat, as they call it."
+
+"All right," said Ned. "I'll write one more letter home. I couldn't get
+out of the city in any other way just now, and I want to see Mexico."
+
+That idea was growing upon him rapidly, but his next errand was to the
+señor's own room, to put on what he called his disguise. He followed his
+friend to a large, handsome chamber in the further end of the house,
+and, as he entered it, his first thought was:
+
+"Hullo! are they getting ready for a fight?"
+
+In the corners of the room and leaning against the walls here and there
+were weapons enough to have armed half a company of militia, if the
+soldiers did not care what kinds of weapons they were to carry, for the
+guns and swords and pistols were of all patterns except those of the
+present day. Ned saw at least one rusty firelock, which put him in mind
+of pictures he had seen of the curious affairs the New England fathers
+carried when they went to meeting on Sunday. He had no time to examine
+them, however, for here were his new clothes, and he must be in them
+without delay. He admired each piece, as he put it on, and then one look
+into the señor's mirror convinced him that he was completely disguised.
+He had been turned into a somewhat stylish young Mexican, from his
+broad-brimmed straw hat to his Vera Cruz made shoes. He still wore a
+blue jacket, but this one was short, round-cornered, and had bright
+silver buttons. His new trousers were wide at the bottoms, with
+silver-buttoned slashes on the outsides below the knees. He had not worn
+suspenders on shipboard, but now his belt was of yellow leather and
+needlessly wide, with a bright buckle and a sword-catch on the left
+side. As to this matter, the señor showed him a short, straight,
+wide-bladed sort of cutlas, which he called a machete.
+
+"That is to be yours," he said. "You need not carry it in town, but you
+will as soon as we get away. You will have pistols, too, and a gun. It
+won't do to go up the road to Oaxaca unarmed. Now you may make the best
+of your way to the consul's, and I'll stay here to finish getting
+ready."
+
+He appeared to be laboring under a good deal of excitement, and so, to
+tell the truth, was the disguised young American. Out he went into the
+hall, trying hard to be entirely collected and self-possessed, but it
+was only to be suddenly halted. Before him stood the stately Señora
+Tassara, and clinging to her was the very pretty Señorita Felicia, both
+of them staring, open-eyed, at the change in his uniform. The señorita
+was of about fourteen, somewhat pale, with large, brilliant black eyes,
+and she was a very frank, truthful girl, for she exclaimed:
+
+"Oh, mother, do look at him! But it does not make a Mexican of him. He's
+a gringo, and he would fight us if he had a chance. I want them all to
+be killed!"
+
+"No, my dear," said the señora, with a pleasant laugh. "Señor Carfora
+will not fight us. He and his ship brought powder for Colonel Guerra and
+the army. I am sorry he must leave us. You must shake hands with him."
+
+"Oh, no!" said the wilful Felicia, spitefully. "I don't want to shake
+hands with him. He is one of our enemies."
+
+"No, I'm not!" stammered Ned. "But did you know that our ship was
+wrecked in the norther? If you had been on board of her when she went
+ashore, you would have been drowned. The men in the life-boat had a hard
+time in getting ashore. I'm glad you were at home."
+
+"There, dear," said her mother. "That is polite. You heard what Señor
+Zuroaga said about the wrecks. They were terrible! Can you not say that
+you are glad Señor Carfora was not drowned?"
+
+"No, mother," persisted Felicia. "I'll say I wish he had been drowned,
+if--if he could have swum ashore afterward. Good enough for him."
+
+Señora Tassara laughed merrily, as she responded:
+
+"You are a dreadfully obstinate young patriot, my darling. But you must
+be a little more gracious. The gringo armies will never come to Vera
+Cruz. They are away up north on the Rio Grande."
+
+"Well, mother, I will a little," said the señorita, proudly. "Señor
+Carfora, your generals will be beaten all to pieces. You wait till you
+see our soldiers. You haven't anything like them. They are as brave as
+lions. My father is a soldier, and he is to command a regiment. I wish I
+were a man to go and fight."
+
+Her eyes were flashing and she looked very warlike, but the only thing
+that poor Ned could think of to say just then was:
+
+"Señora Tassara, if you are not careful, somebody will get in some day
+and steal your beautiful coffee-urn."
+
+"Ah me!" sighed the señora. "This has been attempted, my young friend.
+Thieves have been killed, too, in trying to carry off the Tassara plate.
+There would be more like it, in some places, if so much had not been
+made plunder of and melted up in our dreadful revolutions. Some of them
+were only great robberies. I understand that you must go to your
+business now, but we shall see you again this evening."
+
+"Good morning, Señora Tassara," said Ned, as he bowed and tried to walk
+backward toward the outer door. "Good morning, Señorita Tassara. You
+would feel very badly this morning if you had been drowned last night."
+
+The last thing he heard, as he reached the piazza, was a ringing peal of
+laughter from the señora, but he believed that he had answered politely.
+
+He knew his way to the office of the American consul, and the distance
+was not great in so small a town, but as he drew near it, he saw that
+there was a strong guard of soldiers in front of the building. They
+were handsomely uniformed regulars from the garrison of San Juan de
+Ulua, and there was cause enough for their being on duty. All up and
+down the street were scattered groups of sullen-looking men, talking and
+gesticulating. None of them carried guns, but every man of them had a
+knife at his belt, and not a few of them were also armed with machetes
+of one form or another. They would have made a decidedly dangerous mob
+against anything but the well-drilled and fine-looking guards who were
+protecting the consulate. Ned remembered what Felicia had said about her
+soldiers, and he did not know how very different were these disciplined
+regulars from the great mass of the levies which were to be encountered
+by the troops of the United States. He was admiring them and he was
+thinking of battles and generals, when one of the most ferocious-looking
+members of the mob came jauntily sauntering along beside him. He was a
+powerfully built man, almost black with natural color and sunburn. He
+was not exactly ragged, but he was barefooted, and his broad-brimmed
+sombrero was by no means new. A heavy machete hung from his belt, and he
+appeared to be altogether an undesirable new acquaintance. Ned looked
+up at him almost nervously, for he did not at all like the aspect of
+affairs in that street. He was thinking:
+
+"I guess they were right about the excitement of the people. This isn't
+any place for fellows like me. I must get out of Vera Cruz as soon as I
+can. It's a good thing that I'm disguised. I must play Mexican."
+
+At that moment a good-natured smile spread across the gloomy face of his
+unexpected companion, and he said, in a low tone of voice:
+
+"Say nothing, Señor Carfora. Walk on into the consulate. I belong to
+General Zuroaga. There are four more of his men here. We have orders to
+take care of you. You are the young Englishman that brought us the
+powder. There was not a pound to be bought in Vera Cruz, but some of
+those fellows would knife you for a gringo."
+
+[Illustration: "WE HAVE ORDERS TO TAKE CARE OF YOU"]
+
+Quite a useless number of queer Spanish oaths were sprinkled in among
+his remarks, but Ned did not mind them. He only nodded and strictly
+obeyed the injunction against talking, even while he was asking himself
+how on earth his friend, the señor, ever became a general. He concluded,
+for the moment, that it might be a kind of militia title, such as he had
+heard of in the United States. However that might be, he and his
+guide soon reached the door of the consulate, and he himself was
+promptly admitted, as if the keeper of the door had been expecting to
+see him. There were guards inside the house as well as in the street,
+and they motioned Ned on through a narrow entry-way, at the end of which
+was an open room. He passed on into this, and the next moment he was
+exclaiming:
+
+"Hullo, Captain Kemp! I'm so glad you are here! What am I to do next?"
+
+"Almost nothing at all," said the captain, quietly. "Just sign your
+papers and get away. The consul himself has gone to the city of Mexico,
+with United States government despatches for President Paredes, and we
+shall finish our business as easy as rolling off a log. You have nothing
+to do with the wrecking of the _Goshhawk_, for you weren't on board when
+she parted her cable. But just look at those people!"
+
+Ned did so, for the room, a large and well-furnished office, was almost
+crowded with Americans of all sorts, mostly men, whose faces wore varied
+expressions of deep anxiety.
+
+"What are they all here for?" asked Ned.
+
+"Safety!" growled the captain. "And to inquire how and when they can
+find their way out of this city of robbers. I hear that a whole
+regiment is to be on guard duty to-night, and that the mob is to be put
+down. If I ever see your father again, I'll explain to him why I sent
+you away."
+
+Before Ned could make any further remarks, he was introduced to the
+vice-consul, a dapper, smiling little man, who did not appear to be in
+the least disturbed by his unpleasant surroundings. Almost a score of
+papers, larger and smaller, required the signature of the young
+supercargo of the unfortunate _Goshhawk_. They were speedily signed,
+although without any clear idea in Ned's mind as to what they all were
+for, and then Captain Kemp took him by the arm and led him away into a
+corner of the room.
+
+"Ned, my boy," he said, "you see how it is. You must keep away from the
+seacoast for awhile. After things are more settled, you can come back
+and get away on a British, or French, or Dutch vessel, if the port isn't
+too closely blockaded. Whether I shall get out alive or not, I don't
+know. You haven't enough money. I'll let you have a couple of hundred
+dollars more in Mexican gold. You'd better not let anybody suspect that
+you carry so much with you. This country contains too many patriots who
+would cut their own President's throat for a gold piece. Don't ever show
+more than one shiner at a time, or you may lose it all."
+
+Ned took the two little bags that were so cautiously delivered to him,
+and while he was putting them away in the inner pockets of his jacket,
+his mind was giving him vivid pictures of the knives and machetes and
+their bearers, whom he had seen in the street.
+
+"Captain," he said, "those fellows out there wouldn't wait for any gold.
+A silver dollar would buy one of them."
+
+"Half a dollar," replied the captain. "Not one of them is worth a
+shilling. They ought all to be shot. But look here. I mustn't come to
+Colonel Tassara's place again. I find that he is under some kind of
+suspicion already, and President Paredes makes short work of men whom he
+suspects of plotting against him. Go! Get home!"
+
+"That's just about what I'd like to do," said Ned to himself, as he
+hurried out of the consulate, but the next moment his courage began to
+come back to him, for here was Señor Zuroaga's ferocious-looking
+follower, and with him were four others, who might have been his cousins
+or his brothers, from their looks, for they all were Oaxaca Indians, of
+unmixed descent. Their tribe had faithfully served the children and
+grandchildren of Hernando Cortes, the Conquistador, from the day when he
+and his brave adventurers cut their way into the Tehuantepec valley.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+THE LAND OF THE MONTEZUMAS
+
+"Father Crawford, do read that newspaper! The war has begun! They are
+fighting great battles on the Rio Grande! Oh, how I wish you hadn't sent
+Ned to Mexico! He may get killed!"
+
+She was a woman of middle age, tall, fine-looking, and she was evidently
+much excited. She was standing at one end of a well-set breakfast table,
+and was holding out a printed sheet to a gentleman who had been looking
+down at his plate, as if he were asking serious questions of it.
+
+"My dear," he said, as he took the paper, "I knew it was coming, but I
+didn't think it would come so soon as this. I don't really see that Ned
+is in any danger. Captain Kemp will take care of him."
+
+"But," she said, "the _Goshhawk_ may be captured."
+
+"No," replied Mr. Crawford, confidently. "She hasn't sailed across
+prairie to the Rio Grande. There won't be any fighting at Vera Cruz for
+ever so long. There can't be any on the sea, for Mexico has no navy. The
+_Goshhawk_ is entirely safe, and so is Ned. It'll be a grand experience
+for him."
+
+"I don't want him to have so much experience at his age," she said,
+anxiously. "I'd rather he'd be at home,--if there's going to be a war."
+
+"I've often wished that I could see a war," replied her husband, as he
+glanced over the black-typed headings of the newspaper columns. "I've
+travelled a good deal in Mexico, and I wanted Ned to learn all he could
+of that country. He will hardly have any chance to do so now."
+
+"He might see too much of it if he were taken prisoner," she exclaimed.
+"I can't bear to think of it! Oh, how I wish he were at home!"
+
+Mr. Crawford was silent, and again he appeared to be thinking deeply. He
+was not a pale-faced man at any time, but now his color was visibly
+increasing. His face was also changing its expression, and it wore a
+strong reminder of the look which had come into his son Ned's
+countenance when the fever of Mexican exploration took hold of him.
+People say "like father, like son," and it may be that Ned's readiness
+for a trip into the interior belonged to something which had descended
+to him from a father who had been willing to educate his son for the
+southern trade by sending him to sea with Captain Kemp. The United
+States has had a great many commercial men of that stamp, and there was
+a time when almost all the navy the nation possessed was provided by the
+merchant patriots, who armed and sent out, or themselves commanded, its
+fleets of privateers. Very likely the Crawfords and a number of other
+American families could point back to as adventurous an ancestry as
+could any Spaniard whose forefathers had fought Moors or won estates for
+themselves in Mexico or Peru. As for Mrs. Crawford, she was hardly able
+to drink her coffee that morning, after reading the newspaper, and she
+might have been even more willing to have Ned come home if she had known
+what had become of the _Goshhawk_, and in what company he was a couple of
+hours after she arose from her table.
+
+Company? That was it. He was now walking along one of the streets of
+Vera Cruz with a squad of men of whom she would have decidedly
+disapproved, but whose character her husband would have understood at
+sight. Ned's first acquaintance, Pablo, as he called himself, with his
+four comrades, made up so thoroughly Mexican a party at all points that
+it was in no danger of being interfered with by the mob. Every member of
+this had seen, often enough, the son of some wealthy landholder from the
+upland country attended by a sufficient number of his own retainers to
+keep him from being plundered, and it was well enough to let him alone.
+On they went, but it was by a circuitous route and a back street that
+they reached the Tassara place. Even then, they did not enter it by the
+front door, but by a path which led down to the stables in the rear of
+the house. No outsider would afterward be able to say that he saw that
+party of men march into the courtyard to be welcomed by Colonel Tassara
+and the mysterious personage whom Ned was trying to think of as General
+Zuroaga.
+
+"He may be of more importance than I had any idea of," said Ned to
+himself, "and I wish I knew what was coming next."
+
+He was not to find out immediately, for Zuroaga motioned him to go on
+into the house, while he himself and Tassara remained to talk with
+Pablo and the other machete-bearers.
+
+Hardly was Ned three steps inside of the dwelling, when he was met by
+Señora Tassara, apparently in a state of much mental agitation.
+
+"My dear young friend!" she exclaimed, "I am so glad you have escaped
+from them! Come in. We shall have no regular dinner to-day. You will eat
+your luncheon now, however. We are all busy packing up. We must set out
+for the country as soon as it is dark. The colonel's enemies are
+following him like so many wolves! Felicia, my dear, you will see that
+Señor Carfora is properly attended to."
+
+The saucy señorita was standing a little behind her mother, and she now
+beckoned to Ned, as if she had no hostility for him whatever.
+
+"Come right along in," she said, peremptorily. "I must eat my luncheon,
+too. I want to hear where you have been, and what you have been doing.
+Is there any more news from the war? Have your gringo generals been
+beaten again? Tell me all you know!"
+
+She was evidently in the habit of being obeyed by those around her, and
+Ned felt decidedly obedient, but this was his first intimation that it
+was fully noon. Time had passed more rapidly than he had been aware of,
+for his mind had been too busy to take note of it. He was hungrily ready
+to obey, however, especially concerning the luncheon, and his first bit
+of news appeared to please his little hostess exceedingly.
+
+"Not another ship is in," he told her, "and I don't believe there is
+going to be any war, anyhow, but I saw some of your soldiers. They were
+guarding the American consulate from the mob. They were splendid-looking
+fellows. Is your father's regiment of that kind of men?"
+
+"Father's regiment?" she said, angrily. "That's just the difficulty now.
+He hasn't any soldiers. Those that he had were taken away from him. So
+he must go and gather some more, or President Paredes will say that he
+is not patriotic. They took his old regiment away from him after he had
+made it a real good one. Tell me about your gringo soldiers. Are there a
+great many of them? Do they know how to fight? I don't believe they do."
+
+She was all on fire about the war and her father's enemies, and Ned was
+ready to tell her all he knew of the American army, if not a little
+more. At least, he described to her the elegant uniforms which were
+worn on parade occasions by the New York City militia regiments,
+feathers, flags, brass bands, and all, rather than the external
+appearance of any martial array that General Taylor was likely to take
+with him when he invaded Mexico. Felicia was especially interested in
+those magnificent brass bands and wished that she could have some of
+them taken prisoners to come and play in front of her house, but all the
+while they were talking he was glancing furtively around the room. This
+had undergone a remarkable change during his brief absence. The trophies
+of arms were all gone, and the wonderful Seville coffee-urn had
+disappeared. Perhaps it had walked away, beyond the reach of possible
+thieves, and with it may have gone the other silverware of the Tassara
+family. Señorita Felicia's quick eyes had followed his own, for she was
+watching him.
+
+"Yes, Señor Carfora," she said, "it's all gone. The china is all stored
+away in the deep cellar. I don't believe they could find it, and if they
+did they could not carry it away to melt it up and make dollars of it.
+That's what they did with all the silver one of my aunts had, except
+some spoons that were hid in the stable, under the hay. One of the
+robbers went into the stable to hunt, too, and a good mule kicked him
+dead. If anybody comes to rob this house while we are gone, I wish he
+might be kicked by one of our mules at the hacienda. He would not steal
+any more."
+
+Ned had other things to tell her, about the United States forts, troops,
+and ships of war, and she had stories to tell with excited vivacity that
+set forth sadly enough the wretchedly unsettled condition of her
+country, which she appeared to love so well, after all. Troubled as it
+was, it was her own land, and she hated its enemies.
+
+It was a hot, oppressive day, with a promise of greater heat soon to
+come, and the weather itself might be a good enough reason why any
+family should be in a hurry to get out of the _tierra caliente_. As for
+the removal of valuable property, Ned had already learned that Vera Cruz
+was haunted not only by bad characters from the interior, but by
+desperadoes from up and down the coast and from the West India Islands.
+He was not near enough to hear, however, when Zuroaga remarked to his
+friend Tassara:
+
+"You are right, my dear colonel. The Americans will hold the Texan
+border with a strong hand, but if Paredes does not promptly come to
+terms with them, we shall see a fleet and army at Vera Cruz before long.
+This is the weak point of our unhappy republic."
+
+"I think not," replied Tassara, gloomily. "I wish it were a solid
+nation, as strong as the castle out yonder. Our weak point is that we
+are cut up into factions, and cannot make use of the strength that we
+really have undeveloped. As for anything else, one case of yellow fever
+was reported yesterday, and I am informed that his Excellency, President
+Paredes, talks of coming here shortly to confer with Colonel Guerra.
+That may mean trouble for him, and neither you nor I would wish to be
+brought before any such council of war as might be called together."
+
+"It might not consist altogether of our friends," said Zuroaga. "In my
+case, if not in yours, it might be followed quickly by an order for a
+file of soldiers and a volley of musketry. I should not look for mercy
+from a tiger."
+
+"On the other hand," responded the colonel, "it would be well for him to
+be careful just now. He will need all the strength he can obtain."
+
+"Humph!" exclaimed Zuroaga. "He will try to leave no living, or, at
+least, no unimprisoned enemies behind him when he marches for the
+border."
+
+It was plain that they were not to be numbered among their President's
+friends, whether or not they were altogether just to him. Bloody
+severity in putting down sedition was the long-established custom in
+Mexico, and one man might not be more to blame for it than another. It
+had been handed down from the old days of Spanish rule, and the record
+which had been made is not by any means pleasant reading.
+
+When the luncheon was over, the señorita left Ned to himself, appearing
+to feel somewhat more friendly than at first, but still considering him
+as a gringo and a foreigner. She said she had some things to pack up,
+and he went to look after his own. These did not require much packing,
+and before long he had again found his way out to the courtyard and the
+stables. These were indeed the most interesting spots about the place,
+for they contained all the men, the horses, and the mules. Ned shortly
+concluded that here were also gathered most of the firearms and at least
+a dozen of the wildest kind of Mexican Indians, all ragged and all
+barefooted. Preparations for a journey were going forward under Señora
+Tassara's direction, and Ned pretty quickly understood that the men
+were a great deal more afraid of her than they were of her husband. He
+felt so himself, and he instantly got out of her way, as she told him to
+do, when he unwisely undertook to help her with her packing.
+
+The horses were of several sorts and sizes, and more like them were
+shortly brought in. One large spring wagon and a covered carryall
+carriage were in good order. Both were of American manufacture, and so
+was the harness of the teams which were to draw them. Ned was feeling a
+certain degree of curiosity as to what kind of carriage was to carry
+him, when Señor Zuroaga beckoned him to one side and said:
+
+"We shall be with Colonel Tassara's party only the first day. But I have
+been thinking. When we were on the _Goshhawk_, you told me that you had
+never ridden a horse in your life----"
+
+"Why, I'm a city boy," interrupted Ned. "There isn't any horseback
+riding done there. I'd rather go on wheels."
+
+"Of course you would," laughed Zuroaga. "But there won't be any use for
+wheels on some of the roads I am to follow. I've picked you out a pony
+that you can manage, though, and you will soon learn. You will have to
+be a horseman if you are to travel in Mexico."
+
+"So father used to tell me," said Ned. "He can ride anything. Which of
+these is my horse? They all look skittish----"
+
+"Neither of these would do for you," replied the señor. "But listen to
+me sharply. Twice you have called me general. Don't do it again until we
+are beyond the mountains. I'm only a plain señor in all this region of
+the country. I only hope that some men in Vera Cruz do not already know
+that I am here. If they did, I am afraid I should not get out so easily.
+This is your horse. He is a good one."
+
+Hitched to a post near the wall was a fat, undersized animal, black as
+jet, and with more mane and tail than was at all reasonable. He carried
+a Mexican saddle with wooden stirrups and a tremendous curb-bit bridle.
+In front of the saddle were pistol holsters, and behind it hung an
+ammunition case, as if Ned were about to become a trooper. He went to
+examine the holsters, and found that each of them contained a large
+horse-pistol with a flintlock. He also found powder and bullets in the
+case, and he wondered whether or not he would ever be able to shoot
+anybody with one of those heavy, long-barrelled things without having
+something to rest it on.
+
+"I practised for an hour once in a pistol-gallery," he remarked, "but it
+wasn't with anything like that."
+
+"You didn't hit centre even then, eh?" laughed the señor. "Well, not
+many men can do much with them, but they are better than nothing. They
+are too heavy for a hand like yours. Here is your machete. Put it on."
+
+Ned felt a queer tingle all over him, as he took the weapon and hitched
+it at his belt. Then he drew it from the sheath and looked at it,
+swinging it up and down to feel its weight. It was a straight, one-edged
+blade, with a sharp point, and a brass basket hilt, and he remarked:
+
+"Señor Zuroaga, I could hit with that, I guess."
+
+His face had flushed fiery red, and it could be seen, from his handling
+of the machete, that his muscles were unusually strong for his size and
+age. The señor nodded his approbation, as he remarked:
+
+"I think you will do. There is fight in you, but I hope we shall have no
+fighting to do just now. I shall try to find a safe road home."
+
+"A fellow could cut down bushes with this thing," said Ned.
+
+"That's exactly what our rancheros use them for," replied the señor.
+"They will do almost anything with a machete. They will cut their way
+through thick chaparral, kill and cut up beef cattle, split wood, fight
+men or animals, and on the whole it's about the most useful tool there
+is in a Mexican camp or hacienda."
+
+"What's that?" asked Ned.
+
+"Any kind of farm with a house on it," said the señor. "You may have to
+learn all about haciendas before you get home."
+
+"Just what I'd like to do," said Ned. "I'll learn how to ride, too. How
+soon are we to set out?"
+
+"Not till after dark," said the señor. "But you need not be in any hurry
+to get into the saddle. You will have quite enough of it before you get
+out of it again. There is a long ride before us to-night."
+
+"I'm ready," replied Ned, but nevertheless he looked at that Mexican
+saddle with doubtful eyes, as if he were thinking that it might possibly
+prove to be a place of trial for a beginner.
+
+At that very hour there were several gentlemen in uniform closeted with
+Colonel Guerra in one of the rooms of the Castle of San Juan de Ulua.
+The colonel appeared to have been giving them a detailed report of the
+condition of the fortress and of its means for defence, whether or not
+he had stated exactly the amount of the ammunition brought him by the
+ill-fated _Goshhawk_. Other subjects of conversation must now have come
+up, however, for one of them arose with great dignity of manner,
+remarking:
+
+"My dear colonel, I am glad that I shall be able to make so encouraging
+a report to his Excellency. As for Colonel Tassara, we shall serve our
+warrant upon him some time to-morrow. We are informed that, beyond a
+doubt, the traitor Zuroaga intends to return from Europe shortly. As
+sure as he does, he will be engaged in dangerous intrigues against the
+existing order of things, and the good of the country requires that he
+shall be brought to justice before he can put any of his nefarious plans
+in operation. At the same time, we are assured that the invaders upon
+the Rio Grande will soon be defeated yet more thoroughly."
+
+All the rest had arisen while he was speaking, and one of them, a fat,
+short man in a brilliant uniform, added, enthusiastically:
+
+"We feel that we can rely upon you, Colonel Guerra. We pity the gringos
+if they should attempt to beleaguer this impregnable fortress. For my
+own part, I believe that Colonel Tassara's court martial can have but
+one result. His disobedience must be paid for with his life. All
+conspirators like Zuroaga should be shot as soon as they are captured.
+This is not a time, my friends, for undue leniency."
+
+"Gentlemen," responded Colonel Guerra with graceful courtesy, "I bid you
+all a brief farewell with sincere regret. Your visit has given me
+unmixed satisfaction. Do not forget that all of you are to dine with me
+to-morrow. From my very heart I can echo your noble sentiments of valor
+and patriotism and of devotion to our beloved commander-in-chief, his
+heroic Excellency, President Paredes."
+
+Then followed smiles and handshakings of mutual confidence all around,
+and the visiting officers took their departure. Hardly had the door
+closed behind them, however, before Colonel Guerra again sat down,
+hoarsely muttering between his set teeth:
+
+"The snake-hearted villains! What they really hoped for was to find the
+fort and garrison in bad condition and unprovided, so that they might
+ruin me. They want my disgrace and removal, to make room for one of
+them. I don't believe they will catch either Tassara or Zuroaga this
+time. The colonel will soon raise his new regiment, and my old friend
+will be down in Oaxaca in safety, waiting for the hour that is to come.
+Paredes would give something to see my last letter from Santa Anna."
+
+So there were many plots and counterplots, and the politest men might
+not be always what they seemed.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+OUT OF THE TIERRA CALIENTE
+
+
+Those were days of great commotion in the Congress of the United States.
+The whole nation, South as well as North, was divided in opinion as to
+the righteousness and expediency of the war with Mexico. There were two
+great parties, both of which have long since passed away, for the
+question of the annexation of Texas is no longer before the people, and
+all this was more than half a century ago. One of the parties called
+itself "Whig," but its enemies described its members as "Coons," in the
+habit of roosting up a tree out of reach. The other party called itself
+"Democratic," while its opponents lampooned its members as "Loco-focos,"
+comparing them to the blue-headed sulphur matches of that name, which
+were largely manufactured and did not burn very well. Party feeling ran
+high, and the debates in Congress were red-hot. The Democratic
+President, James K. Polk, was a man of far greater ability and
+statesmanship than his party enemies were willing to give him credit
+for, and he was supported by a brilliant array of politicians. On the
+other hand, the Whig party contained a number of our most distinguished
+statesmen, and, curiously enough, most of the generals of the army,
+including Winfield Scott and Zachary Taylor, were well-known Whigs. It
+was not altogether unnatural, therefore, that the Democratic party in
+power should wish to put the command of any army preparing for the
+invasion of Mexico into the hands of officers who were in favor of the
+war which they were to carry on. Questions like this, and some others
+relating to the unprepared condition of the American army for so
+tremendous an undertaking, were responsible for the fact that there was
+a long delay in all military operations, even after the hard and
+successful fighting done by General Taylor's forces at the Rio Grande.
+
+American cruisers were tacking to and fro over the waters of the Gulf of
+Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, without any especial errand of which their
+commanders were aware. Regiments of eager volunteers were forming in
+several of the States, and were trying hard to discover officers who
+knew how to drill and handle them. The politicians were everywhere
+calling each other harder and harder names. Not one soul in all the
+United States, however, knew anything of a party of mounted men, a
+carriage, and a spring-wagon, which quietly made its way out of the city
+of Vera Cruz, not long after sunset, one sultry and lazy evening. At the
+head of this cavalcade rode two men, who sat upon their spirited horses
+as if they were at home in the saddle. At their right, however, was a
+young fellow on a black pony who was entirely satisfied with the fact
+that the beast under him did not seem to have any spirit at all. He was
+at that moment steadying his feet in the stirrups, and remarking to
+himself:
+
+"I'm glad none of them saw me mount him. I got upon a high box first,
+and even then my machete was tangled with my legs, and I all but fell
+over him. I'll get the señor to show me how, or I'll be laughed at by
+the men."
+
+He was doing fairly well at present, for the road went up a hill, and
+the night was not one for foolishly fast travelling. He could listen all
+the better, and one of his companions was saying to the other:
+
+"My dear Zuroaga, we have gained four miles. Every one of them is worth
+something handsome to you and me. In my opinion, we did not get away a
+moment too soon to save our necks."
+
+"Not one minute!" replied the other, with strong emphasis. "Not even if
+Guerra can succeed in gaining for us the best part of another day, as he
+believed he could. Perhaps our best chance, after all, is that he has
+only one company of lancers, and that any officer sent with it might
+have instructions which would take him by another road than this."
+
+"The inspector-general had with him an escort of his own," said Tassara.
+"If he should send those fellows, they would be likely to know how to
+find us. They are not under the orders of Guerra."
+
+"If," exclaimed Zuroaga, fiercely, "they do not overtake us until after
+the middle of our second day out, I believe they would be unlucky to try
+to arrest us. I hope they will be wise, and not tire out their horses
+with too much haste. I feel as if I could shoot pretty straight if I
+should see them coming within range."
+
+"So could I," replied Tassara.
+
+The road which they were then following ran between cultivated lands on
+either side. It was not tree-shadowed, and, as Ned looked back, the
+moonlight showed him something that made him think rapidly. Additional
+horsemen had joined them after they had left the city behind them, and
+it occurred to him that arrangements had been made beforehand for
+something like a small war. There were not less than twenty armed men,
+besides himself and the pair who were with him. For some reason or
+other, moreover, the wagon, which was drawn by four mules, and the
+carriage, drawn by a pair of fine animals of the same sort, were driven
+on well in advance. It appeared, therefore, as if no danger was expected
+to meet them from the opposite direction, and that Señora Tassara and
+her daughter were fairly well protected from any peril which might come
+after them along the road from Vera Cruz. The next thing that struck
+Ned, little as he knew about war, was that these horsemen were riding
+two and two, not in a straggling procession, but in as perfect order as
+if they had been trained cavalry. If he had known a little more, he
+would have declared:
+
+"That is just what they are."
+
+He might not also have known that all but six of them were from the
+Tassara estates, and that the odd half-dozen were lifelong servants of
+the proscribed descendant of Hernando Cortes. If he could have
+understood those men, he might also have comprehended one important
+feature of the tangled politics of Mexico, and why ambitious military
+men were every now and then able to set up for themselves, and defy the
+central government until it could manage to capture them, and have them
+shot as rebels. Wiser men than he, looking at the matter from the
+outside, might also have understood how greatly it was to the credit of
+President Paredes that he was making so good a stand against the power
+of the United States while hampered by so many difficulties. Ned was no
+politician at all, and it was a mere impulse, or a tired feeling, which
+led him to pull in his pony and let the men catch up with him, so that
+he might chat with them, one after another, and get acquainted. He found
+that they were under no orders not to talk. On the contrary, every man
+of them seemed to know that Ned had come home from the school which he
+had been attending in England, and that he had been instrumental in
+procuring powder and bullets for them and for the Mexican army. They
+were full of patriotism of a peculiar kind. It would have made them
+fight gringos or any other foreigners to-day, and to-morrow to fight as
+readily in any causeless revolution which their local leaders might see
+fit to set going. They were eager for all the news Ned could give them,
+and he was soon on good terms with them, for he took pains not to let
+them know how uncomfortable he felt in that saddle. They surely would
+have despised any young Mexican who had forgotten how to ride while he
+was travelling in Europe.
+
+Hour after hour went by, and on every level stretch of road the wheeled
+vehicles were driven at a moderate trot. The horses of what Ned called
+the cavalry also trotted occasionally, but it was well for him that his
+pony did not seem to know how. Whenever he was asked to go faster, he
+struck into a rocking canter, which was as easy and about as lazy as a
+cradle, so that his rider received hardly any shaking, and was able to
+keep both his seat and his stirrups. Brief halts for rest were made now
+and then. Bridges were crossed which Ned understood were over small
+branches of the Blanco River, but they were still in the lowlands when,
+at about midnight, the little column wheeled out of the road and went on
+for a hundred yards or more into a magnificent forest, where the
+moonlight came down among the trees to show how old and large they were.
+
+"Halt! Dismount!" came sharply from Colonel Tassara. "It is twelve
+o'clock. We have made over twenty miles. We will camp here until
+daylight. Pablo, put up the tents."
+
+Every rider but Ned was down on his feet in a twinkling, but he remained
+upon his pony's back as still as a statue. He saw a white tent leave the
+top of the baggage in the wagon and set itself up, as if by magic.
+Another and another followed, and he said to himself:
+
+"They are little picnic tents. One is for the señora and Felicia; one
+for the colonel; and one for Señor Zuroaga. Not any for me or for the
+men. Oh, dear! How shall I ever get down? I can't move my legs. If I
+can't, I shall have to go to sleep in the saddle!"
+
+That was just what he might have done if it had not been for his kind
+and thoughtful friend, the general,--if he was one,--for Zuroaga now
+came to the side of the pony to inquire, with a merry laugh:
+
+"How are you now, my boy? I knew how it would be. Tired out? Stiff with
+so long a ride? Lean over this way and I'll help you down. Come!"
+
+Ned leaned over and tried to pull his feet out of the stirrups. They did
+come out somehow, and then he made an extra effort not to fall asleep
+with his head on the general's shoulder.
+
+"Used up completely!" exclaimed Zuroaga. "Can you walk? Stretch your
+legs. Kick. It's your first long ride? You'll soon get used to it.
+There! Now I'll put you into my tent, but we must be on the march again
+by six o'clock in the morning. You can sleep till breakfast."
+
+"I can walk, thank you," responded poor Ned, and he did so, after a lame
+and awkward fashion, but he was glad to reach the tent. "It's big enough
+for two," he said, as he crawled in.
+
+"Is it?" said the general. "Bah! I do not use one half the time. I am a
+soldier and a hunter, and I prefer to bivouac in such weather as this. I
+must be on the lookout, too, to-night. Crawl in and go to sleep."
+
+Ned was already in. Down he went upon a blanket, without even unbuckling
+his machete, and that was the last that he knew that night of the camp
+or of anybody in it. Probably, nothing less than the report of a cannon
+fired over that tent would have aroused him to go for his horse-pistols
+or draw his Mexican sabre.
+
+Señora Tassara and her daughter had disappeared immediately, and they,
+also, must have been wearied with their long, hot journey, but all the
+rest of the party were old campaigners, and they were ready to take care
+of the horses and eat cold rations, for no fires were kindled.
+
+A few minutes later, if Ned had been awake instead of sleeping so
+soundly, he might have heard what two men were saying, in half-whispers,
+close to the door of his tent.
+
+"Colonel," said Zuroaga, "we are well-hidden in here. The bushes are
+very thick along the edge of the road."
+
+"Hark!" interrupted Tassara. "Do you hear that? There they are!"
+
+"I hear them," replied the general. "It may be so. If it is, they have
+followed us well. But there cannot be more than half a dozen of them. It
+is not any mere squad like that that we need be afraid of."
+
+"This may be only an advance party, I think," said his friend,
+thoughtfully. "A larger force may be on our trail before to-morrow
+night. But they must not take us. They might merely arrest me, to have
+me shot at Vera Cruz, but they would cut down you and poor young Carfora
+at once. He is an American, and they would show him no mercy."
+
+There had been a sound of horse hoofs on the road, and it had gone by,
+but before Zuroaga could make any response to so gloomy a prophecy, his
+own man, Pablo, stood before him. Pablo had been running fast, but he
+had breath enough left to say, quite coolly and not loudly:
+
+"Lancers, general. Officer and four men. They have been running their
+horses, and they won't travel far to-morrow. I was in the bushes."
+
+"All right, Pablo," said Zuroaga. "It was kind of Colonel Guerra to
+order them to use up their horses. We shall not hear of that squad
+again. Put Andrea on watch, and go to sleep. Our first danger is over."
+
+Pablo bowed and turned away without another word, and Zuroaga resumed
+his conference with Tassara, for those two were brave men, and were
+well-accustomed to the peril-haunted lives they were leading.
+
+"Colonel," he said, "it is evident that my young friend Carfora must go
+with you. He is not fit for a swift ride of three hundred miles.
+Besides, he must have any chance which may happen to turn up for
+getting home. Will you take care of him? He is a fine young fellow, but
+he cannot ride."
+
+Therefore the pony and that saddle had done something good for Ned, and
+Colonel Tassara cheerfully responded:
+
+"With great pleasure, my dear general. I shall be glad to make American
+friends. I may need them. He will be safe enough with me, but I fear it
+will be a long time before he can get out of Mexico. As for me, I shall
+meet more than a hundred of my own men at Orizaba, ready to escort me
+across the sierra into my own State of Puebla. After that, my reputation
+for loyalty will soon be reëstablished by raising my new regiment. I
+think, however, that it will not march into the city of Mexico until his
+Excellency President Paredes has set out for the Rio Grande, or as far
+north as the luck of this war will permit him to travel. Very possibly,
+he may be hindered by the gringos before he reaches the border. Carfora
+will remain with me until then. You are right. He would not be safe
+anywhere else. As for yourself, you must push on."
+
+"I think," said Zuroaga, "that I shall be almost safe after I am a few
+miles beyond Teotitlan. I may have a fight or two on the way. Carfora
+must not be killed in any skirmish of that kind. You will not see me
+again, dead or alive, until a week or two after the Americans have taken
+the city of Mexico, as in my opinion they surely will. I shall be there
+then, with five hundred lancers, to uphold the new government which will
+take the place of the bloody dictatorship of Paredes, unless the new
+affair is to be Santa Anna. In any event, I shall be able to help you,
+and I will."
+
+"You are a gloomy prophet," responded Tassara, "but you are an old
+student of military operations. Do you really think the Americans will
+capture our capital? It will be well defended."
+
+"Bravely enough, but not well," replied Zuroaga. "We have not one
+scientific, thoroughly educated engineer officer fit to take charge of
+the defences against, for instance, General Scott. Not even Santa Anna
+himself, with all his ability, is a general capable of checking the
+invaders after they have taken Vera Cruz, and that they will do. He is a
+scheming politician rather than a military genius. He and Paredes and
+some others whom you and I could name must be whipped out of power
+before we can put up an entirely new government, better than any we have
+ever had yet. What do you think about it?"
+
+"Think?" exclaimed Tassara, angrily. "I think it will be after you and I
+are dead and buried before this miserable half-republic, half-oligarchy,
+will be blessed with a solid government like that of the United States."
+
+"And that, too, might get into hot water," muttered his friend, but
+neither of the two political prophets appeared to have much more to say.
+They separated, as if each might have something else to employ him, and
+shortly all the night camp in the grand old forest seemed to be asleep.
+
+The remaining hours of darkness passed silently, and the sun arose with
+a promise of another hot day. Small fires were kindled for
+coffee-making, but the preparations for breakfast were hurried. Before
+six o'clock the mules were harnessed, the horses were saddled, and all
+things were made ready for a diligent push southward. It had been a
+difficult business to get Ned Crawford out of his tent, but here he was,
+trying his best to move his legs as if they belonged to him. His coffee
+and corn-cakes did a great deal for him, and he made out to pretend to
+help Pablo in getting the fat pony ready for the road. Then, however, he
+was willing to see Pablo walk away, and he bravely led the pony to the
+side of what may have been an old and apparently abandoned ant-hill.
+
+"I can get on board," he said, as if his patient quadruped had been the
+_Goshhawk_. "I saw how some of them mounted. You put your left foot into
+the stirrup, and then you make a kind of spring into the saddle. If my
+knees will bend for me, I can do it without anybody's help."
+
+It was the ant-hill that helped him, for he did not make any spring.
+After his foot was in the stirrup, he made a tremendous effort, and he
+arose slowly, painfully to the level of the pony's back. Then his right
+leg went over, and he was actually there, hunting a little nervously for
+the other stirrup, with his machete away around behind him.
+
+"Glad you have done it!" exclaimed a decidedly humorous voice near the
+pony's head. "We are all ready to be off now. Before long, you will be
+able to mount as the rancheros do, without touching the stirrup. But
+then, I believe that most of them were born on horseback."
+
+They also appeared to be able to do pretty well without much sleep, for
+Ned could not see that they showed any signs of fatigue. The
+camping-place was speedily left behind them, but it was no longer a
+night journey. Ned was almost astonished, now that the darkness was
+gone, to discover that this was by no means a wild, unsettled country.
+Not only were there many farms, with more or less well-built houses, but
+the cavalcade began to meet other wayfarers,--men and women,--on foot
+and on horseback, and hardly any of them were willing to be passed
+without obtaining the latest news from Vera Cruz and from the war.
+
+"I guess they need it," thought Ned. "The general says there are no
+newspapers taken down here, and that, if there were, not one person in
+five could read them. They seem a real good-natured lot, though."
+
+So they were, as much so as any other people in the world, and they were
+as capable of being developed and educated to better things. As to this
+being a new country, it came slowly back into Ned's mind that there had
+been a great and populous empire here at a time when the island upon
+which the city of New York was afterward built was a bushy wilderness,
+occupied by half-naked savages, who were ready to sell it for a few
+dollars' worth of kettles and beads.
+
+"I guess I'm beginning to wake up," thought Ned. "When the _Goshhawk_ was
+lying in the Bay of Vera Cruz, I was too busy to see anything. No, I
+wasn't. I did stare at the Orizaba mountain peak, and they told me it is
+over seventeen thousand feet high. First mountain I ever saw that could
+keep on snow and ice in such weather as this. I don't want to live up
+there in winter. Well! Now I've seen some of the biggest trees I ever
+did see. I wonder if any of them were here when the Spaniards came in. I
+guess they were, some of them."
+
+He was really beginning to see something of Mexico, and it almost made
+him forget the hardness of that unpleasant saddle. At the end of another
+mile, he was saying to himself:
+
+"That field yonder is tobacco, is it? The one we just passed was
+sugar-cane, and Pablo said the plantation across the road was almost all
+coffee. He says that further on he will show me orange groves, bananas,
+and that sort of thing. But what on earth are grenaditas and mangoes?
+They'll be something new to me, and I want to find out how they taste."
+
+Nothing at all of a military or otherwise of an apparently dangerous
+character had been encountered by the fugitive travellers when, at about
+the middle of the forenoon, they came to a parting of the ways. A
+seemingly well-travelled road went off to the left, or southward, while
+the one they were on turned more to the right and climbed a hill, as if
+it were making a further effort to get out of the _tierra caliente_. A
+great many things had been explained to Ned, as they rode along, and he
+was not surprised, therefore, when Señor Zuroaga said to him:
+
+"My young friend, this is the place I told you of. We must part here.
+You and your pony will go on with Colonel Tassara, and I will take my
+chances for reaching my place of refuge in Oaxaca. It is not a very good
+chance, but I must make the best of it that I can. Take good care of
+yourself. I have already said good-by to the señora and the señorita. I
+think they will soon be out of danger."
+
+Ned was really grateful, and he tried to say so, but all he could think
+of just then was:
+
+"General Zuroaga, I do hope you'll get through all right. I hope I shall
+see you again safe and sound."
+
+"You never will," said Zuroaga, as he wheeled his horse, "unless I get
+out of this Cordoba road. It is a kind of military highway, and I might
+meet my enemies at any minute--too many of them."
+
+"Good-by!" shouted Ned, and the general, who was still a great mystery
+to him, dashed away at a gallop, followed by Pablo and the wild riders
+from the Oaxaca ranches.
+
+The cavalcade had hardly paused, and it now went on up the long, steep
+slope to the right. Not many minutes later, it was on high enough ground
+to look down upon the road which had been taken by Zuroaga. Ned was not
+looking in that direction, but at some snow-capped mountains in the
+distance, northward, and he was saying to himself:
+
+"So that is the Sierra Madre, is it? This country has more and higher
+mountains in it-- Hullo! What's that? Is she hurt?"
+
+His change of utterance into an anxious exclamation was produced by a
+piercing scream from the carriage, and that was followed by the excited
+voice of Señora Tassara calling out:
+
+"Husband! The general is attacked! Look! Hear the firing!"
+
+"O father! Can we not help him?" gasped Señorita Felicia.
+
+Her mother was holding to her eyes with trembling hands what Ned took
+for an opera-glass, and he wished that he had one, although he could
+make out that something like a skirmish was taking place on the other
+road. It was too far to more than barely catch the dull reports of what
+seemed to be a number of rapidly fired pistol-shots.
+
+"They are fighting!" he exclaimed. "I wish I was there to help him! He
+may need more men. I could shoot!"
+
+Whether he could or not, he was almost unconsciously unbuckling the
+holster of one of his horse-pistols, when the señora spoke again.
+
+"Santa Maria!" she exclaimed. "The dear general! They are too many for
+him. Madre de Dios! Our good friend will be killed!"
+
+"Give me the glass, my dear," said her husband. "Your hands are not
+steady enough. I will tell you how it is."
+
+"Oh, do!" she whispered, hoarsely, as she handed it to him. "They are
+lancers in uniform. Oh, me! This is dreadful! And they may follow us,
+too."
+
+Colonel Tassara took the glass with apparently perfect coolness, and
+Ned took note that it did not tremble at all, as he aimed it at the
+distant skirmish. It was a number of seconds, however, before he
+reported:
+
+"Hurrah! The general rides on, and he rides well. I feel sure that he is
+not badly wounded, if at all. He has now but three men with him. There
+are riderless horses. There are men on the ground. There are four only
+that are riding back toward the Cordoba road. Thank God! The general has
+made good his escape from that party of unlucky lancers. He is a
+fighter!"
+
+Then he lowered the glass to turn and shout fiercely to his own men:
+
+"Forward! We must reach Orizaba before the news of this skirmish gets
+there, if we kill all our horses doing it. Push on!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+LEAVING THE HACIENDA
+
+
+It was near the close of a bright summer day, and a deeply interested
+company had gathered in the dining-room of the Crawford home in New
+York. Dinner was on the table, but nobody had yet sat down. The number
+of young persons present suggested that Ned must have older brothers and
+sisters.
+
+"Father Crawford," exclaimed one of the grown-up young men, "what is
+this about another letter from Edward? I came over to hear the news."
+
+"Letter?" said Mr. Crawford. "I should say so! I guess I'd better read
+it aloud. It was a long time getting out and coming around by way of
+England. There are all sorts of delays in war-time. It is the last of
+three that he wrote before escaping into the interior of Mexico with his
+new friends. I am glad that he did go with them, though, and there must
+be other letters on the way. We shall hear from him again pretty soon."
+
+They all were silent then, and he read the letter through, with now and
+then a few words of explanation, but Mrs. Crawford had evidently read it
+before, and all she could say now was:
+
+"Oh, dear! I don't like it! I wish he had come home!"
+
+"It's all right, mother," said Mr. Crawford, "for I have something more
+to tell. Captain Kemp is here, and, from what he says, it is plain that
+it would not have done for Ned to have remained anywhere on the coast.
+He will be safe where he is, and he will learn a great deal. I would not
+have him miss it for anything. What's pretty good, too, we have been
+paid all our insurance money for the loss of the _Goshhawk_, and our firm
+has been given a contract to furnish supplies for the army. I shall be
+down on the gulf before long myself, in charge of a supply ship, and I
+can make inquiries about Ned. He will turn up all right."
+
+Everybody appeared to be encouraged except Ned's mother, and it was a
+pity she could not have seen how well he was looking at that very time.
+If, for instance, she had possessed a telescope which would have
+reached so far, she might have seen a fine, large bay horse reined in to
+a standstill in front of a modern-appearing country-house, well built of
+a nearly white kind of limestone. Around this residence was a
+wide-spreading lawn, with vines, shrubbery, flowers, and other evidences
+of wealth and refinement. The rider of the horse appeared to sit him
+easily, and he was a picture of health and high spirits, but for an
+expression of discontent that was upon his sunburned face.
+
+"This is all very beautiful," he said, as he glanced around him, "but I
+wish I were out of it. I want to hear from home. They must have my
+letters by this time, but they couldn't guess where I am now."
+
+He was silent for a moment, and the horse curveted gracefully under him,
+as if in doubt whether to gallop away again, or to ask his rider to get
+off.
+
+"Well!" said Ned, with a pull on the rein. "It seems like a long,
+wonderful dream since I saw General Zuroaga ride away from us at the
+cross-roads. What a skirmish that was! Then we made our way through the
+mountains, and came here, and hasn't it been a curious kind of life ever
+since? I've learned how to ride like a Mexican. I've seen all there is
+to see for miles and miles around this place. I've seen lots of old
+ruins, all that's left of ancient houses and temples and altars. I
+believe the señora likes nothing better than to tell me yarns about the
+Montezuma times and about her ancestors in Spain. That's a great
+country. I think I'll go over there, some day, and see Granada and the
+Alhambra and the old castles and the Spanish people. I like the Mexicans
+first-rate, all that I have seen of them. They will be a splendid nation
+one of these days, but they're awfully ignorant now. Why, every one in
+these parts believes that our army is all the while being whipped all to
+pieces by theirs, and I can't exactly swallow that. I'd like to know
+just what is really going on. I'm all in the dark."
+
+"Señor Carfora!" called out a clear, ringing voice.
+
+He turned in the saddle, from seeming to gaze at the distant forest, and
+there, in the piazza which ran all along the front of the house, stood
+Señorita Felicia, her usually pale face flushed with excitement.
+
+"We have a letter from father!" she shouted. "He has completed his
+regiment, and he is to command it. President Paredes is going north, to
+drive the gringos out of Mexico, and father may have to go with him. He
+says it is time for us to move to the city of Mexico. We are to live
+with my aunt, Mercedes Paez, and you are to come with us. Is it not
+grand?"
+
+"It is just what I was wishing for!" exclaimed Ned. "I'd give almost
+anything to see that city, after what your mother has told me."
+
+"Oh," said Felicia, "she was born there, and she'll make you see all
+there is of it. But we were all ready, you know, and we are to set out
+early to-morrow morning."
+
+"Hurrah!" responded Ned. "But I'd like to hear from General Zuroaga. I
+wish I knew whether or not he was much hurt in that fight in the road."
+
+"Father does not believe he was," said Felicia. "Sometimes I almost
+think he knows all about it. But there are some things he won't speak
+of, and General Zuroaga is one of them."
+
+Ned sprang to the ground, and a barefooted "peon" servant took charge of
+his horse. It was not at all the kind of dismounting he had performed at
+the camp in the woods on the road from Vera Cruz. Neither did he now
+have any machete dangling from his belt, to entangle himself with, and
+there were no pistol holsters in front of the saddle. He went on into
+the house with the señorita, and in a moment more he was hearing
+additional news from her mother. Señora Tassara was as stately as ever,
+but it was apparent that she had taken a liking to her young American
+guest, whether it was on account of his deep interest in her old
+stories, or otherwise. It may have been, in part, that company was a
+good thing to have in a somewhat lonely country-house, for she could not
+have thought of associating with Mexican neighbors of a social rank
+lower than her own. Was she not descended from Spanish grandees, and
+were they not, for the greater part, representatives of the mere Aztecs
+and Toltecs, whom her forefathers had conquered? It was that very
+feeling, however, which in the minds of such men as Paredes and similar
+leaders was standing in the way of every effort to construct a genuine
+republic out of the people of the half-civilized States of Mexico.
+
+Ned's next questions related to the war, and he inquired how many more
+great battles Colonel Tassara had reported.
+
+"Battles?" exclaimed Señora Tassara. "Why, there has not been one fought
+since Resaca de la Palma. But he says that General Ampudia sends word
+that the American army is about to advance upon him. They will attack
+him at the city of Monterey, and they never can take so strong a place
+as that is. He is ready for them, but President Paredes believes that it
+is time for him to take command of the army in person."
+
+It certainly was so. The Mexican President was a cunning politician, and
+he had been by no means an unsuccessful general. He was well aware that
+it would not be wise for him to now allow too many victories to be won
+by any other Mexican. It might interfere with his own popularity. On the
+other hand, if General Ampudia should be defeated, as he was quite
+likely to be, then it was good policy for the commander-in-chief, the
+President, to be promptly on hand with a larger force, to overwhelm the
+invaders who had ruined Ampudia. Therefore, it might be said that the
+Americans had the tangled factions and corrupt politics of Mexico
+working for them very effectively.
+
+Ned Crawford already knew much about the condition of military and
+political affairs, but he was not thinking of them that evening. It was
+a great deal pleasanter to sit and talk with Señorita Felicia about the
+city of Mexico and others of the historical places of the ancient land
+of Anahuac. She still could remind him, now and then, that she hated all
+kinds of gringos, but at all events she was willing to treat one of them
+fairly well. He, on his part, had formed a favorable opinion of some
+Mexicans, but he was as firm as ever in his belief that their army could
+never drive the Americans out of Texas.
+
+There was one place which was even busier and more full of the
+excitement of getting ready for a new movement than was the Tassara
+hacienda. It was among the scattered camps of General Taylor's army,
+near Matamoras, at the mouth of the Rio Grande. Reinforcements had made
+the army more than double its former size, but it was understood that it
+was still of only half the numbers of the force it was soon to meet,
+under General Ampudia. It was a curious fact, however, that all of
+General Taylor's military scholars were entirely satisfied with that
+computation, and considered that any other arrangement would have been
+unfair, as they really outnumbered their opponents when these were only
+two to one. What was more, they were willing to give them the advantage
+of fighting behind strong fortifications, for they knew that they were
+soon to attack the mountain city of Monterey. Part of what was now
+genuinely an invading army was to go up the river in boats for some
+distance. The other part was to go overland, and it was an open question
+which of them would suffer the more from the hot summer sun. It was to
+be anything but a picnic, for here were nearly seven thousand Americans
+of all sorts, who were obtaining their first experiences of what war
+might really be, if made in any manner whatever in the sultriest kind of
+southern weather. Much more agreeable for them might have been a march
+across the central table-lands beyond, at an elevation of four thousand
+feet above the sea level and the _tierra caliente_.
+
+That was precisely the kind of pleasant journey that was performed by
+Ned Crawford and the imposing Tassara cavalcade on the morrow and during
+a couple of wonderful days which followed. There being no railway,
+whatever the señora wished to take with her had to be conveyed in wagons
+or on pack-mules, and the ladies themselves now preferred the saddle to
+any kind of carriage. In fact, Ned shortly discovered that Señorita
+Felicia was more at home on horseback than he was, and he more than once
+congratulated himself that she had never witnessed his first
+performances in mounting his fat pony.
+
+"How she would have laughed at me!" he thought. "But at that time there
+wasn't another spare saddle-horse, and she and her mother didn't care a
+cent whether I could ride or not. They were thinking of Guerra's
+lancers."
+
+The scenery was exceedingly beautiful as well as peaceful. There was
+nothing whatever to suggest that a dreadful war was going on. There were
+houses of friends to stop at, instead of hotels. There were towns and
+villages of some importance to be rapidly investigated by a tourist like
+Ned, from New York by way of England, and now a good young Mexican for
+the time being. Then there was an exciting evening, when all who were on
+horseback rode ahead of the wagons and on into the city, which occupies
+the site of the wonderful Tenochtitlan, which was captured by Hernando
+Cortes and his daring adventurers ever so long ago. From that time
+onward, during a number of busy days, Ned became better and better
+satisfied with the fact that his father had sent him across the sea to
+learn all that he could of Mexico and the Mexicans.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+PICTURES OF THE PAST
+
+
+"Oh, how I wish we had some news from the war!" exclaimed Ned.
+
+"Well," said Señorita Felicia, doubtfully, "there isn't much, but I
+suppose there is some almost ready to come."
+
+"I'm tired of waiting for it," replied Ned, "and if there isn't to be
+any war news, I wish I had some books!"
+
+The thought that was in Ned Crawford's mind had broken out suddenly, as
+he sat at the dinner-table of Señora Mercedes Paez, at the end of those
+first days after his arrival in the city of Mexico. There were a number
+of persons at the table, and at the head of it was Señora Paez herself.
+She was shorter and stouter, but she was every ounce as stately and
+imposing as was even Señora Tassara. In front of her sat one affair
+which had, from the beginning of his visit in that house, made him feel
+more at home than he might otherwise have done. He had become used to
+it, and it seemed like an old friend. That Seville coffee-urn had
+ornamented the table in the house at Vera Cruz, his first refuge after
+he came ashore out of the destructive norther. It had winked at him from
+a similar post of honor in the country-house out in Puebla, and Señora
+Tassara had affectionately brought it with her to the residence of her
+city cousin. She had said that she thought it would be safer here, even
+if the city should be captured by those terrible robbers, the Americans.
+They could not be intending to steal and melt up all the old silver in
+Mexico.
+
+"Why, Señor Carfora!" exclaimed Señorita Felicia, indignantly. "Did you
+not know? Aunt Paez has piles and piles of books. They are up in the
+library. If you wish to read them, she will let you go there. I had
+forgotten that you know how to read. He may do it, may he not, Aunt
+Mercedes?"
+
+"Of course he may," replied the señora, "but it is a curious idea for a
+boy of his age."
+
+"Oh, thank you!" exclaimed Ned. "But what I'd like to have are some
+books that tell about old Mexico and about the city of Tenochtitlan,
+that stood here before the Spaniards came. I've been all around
+everywhere. I've seen the swamps and the lakes and the walls and forts
+and everything. The great cathedral--"
+
+"That," interposed Señora Tassara, "stands on the very spot where an old
+temple of the Aztec war-god stood. There were altars in it, where they
+used to kill and burn hundreds and thousands of human sacrifices to
+Huitzilopochtli, and there were altars to other gods."
+
+"I can't exactly speak that name," said Ned, "but I want to know all
+about him and the sacrifices. I want to learn, too, just how Cortes and
+his men took the old city. I suppose that when the Americans come, it
+will be a different kind of fight--more cannon."
+
+"They won't get here at all," quietly remarked a military-looking old
+gentleman sitting near the other end of the table. "It is a long road
+from the Rio Grande, and President Paredes is to march, in a few days,
+to crush our enemies with an army of twenty thousand men. They have not
+so much as taken Monterey yet. You are right, though. If they should
+ever get here, they will find the city harder to take than Cortes did.
+They will all die before the walls."
+
+He spoke with a great deal of patriotic enthusiasm, and Ned knew that it
+was his turn to keep still, for the old gentleman had no idea that he
+was talking to a wicked young gringo. Señora Paez, however, calmly
+replied:
+
+"Ah, Colonel Rodriguez, my dear friend, the President himself has said
+that, after he has beaten them at the northern border, as he surely
+will, the Americans are sure to make another attempt by way of Vera
+Cruz. That, too, was the opinion of our brave friend, Colonel Guerra,
+and he is making every preparation for a siege. It is part of our
+grateful hospitality to our guest, Señor Carfora, that his friends have
+supplied the Castle of San Juan de Ulua with the ammunition which will
+be needed. He came over on the ship which brought it, and he has
+remained with us ever since."
+
+Just then Ned Crawford knew what it was to feel very mean indeed. He
+felt as if he himself were telling a large lie, and his cheeks flushed
+red-hot. He was aware, nevertheless, that even Señora Tassara had not
+been told everything, and that Señora Paez was reasonably honest in what
+she had been saying. There was no necessity for enlightening Colonel
+Rodriguez. Hardly, therefore, had the old gentleman vehemently
+exclaimed, "They never can take San Juan de Ulua!" than Ned went hastily
+back to his first subject of the ancient history.
+
+"That's it," he said. "I want to find out how Cortes got ashore, and how
+he fought his way from the coast to this place. He must have had to
+cross the mountains, through the passes, just as our party did when we
+came."
+
+"Yes," said the colonel. "He had to climb seven thousand and five
+hundred feet up out of the _tierra caliente_, and, if any gringos ever
+try that path, they will find all the passes full of fighting Mexicans
+and good artillery well posted. Hernando Cortes had all the gunpowder
+there was in America when he tried that road."
+
+"My dear young friend," said Señora Paez, "you will find plenty of the
+books you wish for. My husband was fond of collecting them. After
+dinner, the señorita will show you the library, and you may read
+anything there."
+
+Ned was silent once more, for he was still feeling mean, and was asking
+himself whether he were not, after all, a kind of spy in the Mexican
+camp, going around in disguise, and all the while wishing that he could
+help the American army to capture the city.
+
+"Anyhow," he thought, "I can't help myself just now, and when the city
+is taken, everything in the Paez house will be entirely safe. I
+shouldn't wonder if that old coffee-urn will be safer from thieves than
+it is now. There have been half a dozen burglaries since we came, and
+I've seen hundreds of the wildest-looking kinds of fellows from the
+mountains. Every man of them looked as if he'd like to steal some
+silver."
+
+While he was thinking, he was also listening, with a great deal of
+interest, to a description which the old officer was giving of the
+defences of Monterey, and of the reasons why the American troops would
+surely be defeated. It appeared that he had at one time been the
+commander of the garrison of the fortress known as the Black Fort, just
+outside of the walls of Monterey, on the north, and he evidently
+believed it to be impregnable. Ned was no soldier, and it did not occur
+to him to ask, as General Taylor might have done, whether or not it was
+possible to take the town without wasting time in taking the fort first.
+
+"Come, Señor Carfora," said Felicia, as they all arose from the table,
+"I will show you the library. You can't do much reading there to-night,
+though, for the lamps have all been taken away. I do not wish to go
+there, anyhow, except in the daytime. It is a pokerish kind of place. Do
+you believe in ghosts? I do not, but, if I were a ghost, I would pick
+out that library for a good place to hide in. Come along. You are a
+foreigner, and any kind of good Mexican ghost won't like you."
+
+Whether she herself did so or not, she led the way, and no lamp was as
+yet needed, although the day was nearly over and the shadows were
+coming. Up-stairs they went and through a short passageway in the second
+story of the Paez mansion, and they were almost in the dark when she
+said to him:
+
+"Here we are. Hardly any one ever comes here, and it will be dreadfully
+dusty. Books are dusty old things anyhow."
+
+She turned the big brass knob in the dusky door before them, and shoved
+against it with all her might, but Ned had to help her with his
+shoulder, or the massive mahogany portal would not have yielded an inch.
+It did go slowly in, upon its ancient-looking bronze hinges, and then
+they were in a room which was worth looking at. It was not so very
+large, only about fifteen feet by twenty, but it was unusually high, and
+it had but one tall, narrow slit of a window. Close by this, however,
+were a finely carved reading chair and table, ready to receive all the
+light which the window might choose to let in. Ned was staring eagerly
+around the room, when his pretty guide remarked:
+
+"You had better see all you can before it gets any darker. Take down as
+many books as you want. I don't care much for those fusty-musty old
+histories. I must go away now--"
+
+"Hullo, señorita!" exclaimed Ned. "There is a lamp on the table. I have
+some matches--"
+
+"I don't believe you can make it burn," she said, "but you can try. It
+has not been lighted for this ever so long, and the oil may have dried
+up."
+
+Around she whirled and away she went, leaving Ned to his own devices.
+His next thought was almost impolite, after all, for he was more than
+half glad that she did go, so that he might have the library all to
+himself to rummage in. He did not instantly examine the lamp, for he had
+never before been in just this kind of room, and it fascinated him. All
+its sides were occupied by high bookcases, every one of them crammed
+full of volumes of all sorts and sizes. He thought that he had never
+seen larger books than were some of the fat folios on the lower shelves.
+There were great, flat, atlas-looking concerns leaning against them, and
+out on the floor stood several upright racks of maps. Old Señor Paez may
+have been what is called a book-worm. At all events, Ned had understood
+that he was a very learned man, with a strong enthusiasm for American
+history.
+
+"Heavens and earth!" suddenly exclaimed Ned. "What is that?"
+
+He darted forward to a further corner of the room, as if he were in a
+great hurry to meet somebody who had unexpectedly come in. It certainly
+was something almost in human shape, but it had been standing there a
+long while, and the hand which it appeared to hold out to him was of
+steel, for it was nothing in the wide world but a complete suit of
+ancient armor. It was so set up in that corner, however, that it almost
+seemed alive, with its right hand extended, and its left holding a long,
+pennoned lance. Its helmet had a barred vizor, so that if there had been
+any face behind that, it would have been hidden. Ned went and stood
+silently before it for a moment, staring at that vizor.
+
+"I say," he muttered, as if he did not care to speak any louder. "I
+don't believe General Taylor's men would care to march far with as much
+iron as that on them--not in hot weather. But the old Aztecs didn't have
+anything that would go through that kind of uniform. If Cortes and his
+men wore it, there is no wonder that they went on killing the Indians
+without being much hurt themselves."
+
+In fact, not all of them had been dressed up in precisely such a manner,
+although they did wear armor.
+
+Ned examined the whole affair, piece by piece, from head to foot, and
+then he turned away from his inspection, for the room behind him was
+getting dim and it was time for him to look at his lamp. He took out a
+match as he went toward the table at the window, and in a moment more he
+was busy with a wick which seemed to be determined not to burn for him.
+
+"It's an old whale-oil lamp," he remarked. "Mother had one, once. I
+remember seeing her try to light it and it would sputter for ever so
+long. There! It's beginning to kindle, but it's too big for me to carry
+around and hunt for books with. I wish I had a smaller one. Hullo!
+Here's one of the biggest of those old concerns, right here on the
+table."
+
+It was a folio bound in vellum, and when he opened it a great deal of
+dust arose from the cover which banged down. Then Ned uttered a loud
+exclamation, and was glad he had succeeded in lighting the lamp, for
+there before his eyes was a vividly colored picture of a most
+extraordinary description. Moreover, it unfolded, so that it was almost
+twice the size, length, and width of the book pages.
+
+"They are all in Spanish," he said, "but I guess I can read them.
+They're more than a hundred years old. People don't print such books,
+nowadays. Nobody would have time enough to read them, I suppose, and
+they couldn't sell 'em cheap enough. This is wonderful! It's a picture
+of the old Mexican god, Huitzilopochtli."
+
+There was an explanatory inscription, and the artist had pictured the
+terrible deity sitting upon a throne of state, gorgeously arrayed in
+gold and jewels, and watching with a smile of serene satisfaction the
+sacrifice of some unfortunate human victims on the altar in the
+foreground at the right. One of the priests attending at the altar had
+just cut open the bosom of a tall man lying before him, and was tossing
+a bleeding heart upon the smoking fire, where other similar offerings
+were already burning.
+
+"That must have been a horrible kind of religion," thought Ned. "I'm
+glad that Cortes and his men in armor came to put an end to it. Señora
+Paez told me that in only a few years before he came, and her
+great-grandfather and his father with him, those priests cut up more
+than twenty thousand men, women, and children. He's a curious kind of
+god, I should say, to sit there and grin while it was going on."
+
+He could not linger too long over one picture, however, for he had
+discovered that there were others in that volume which were as
+brilliantly colored and as interesting. On the whole, it was not
+necessary to hunt for anything better than this the first evening, and
+it appeared as if he were asking a useless question of the steel-clad
+warrior in the corner, when at last he turned to him to say:
+
+"Did you ever see anything like this before? I never did. Were you
+there, in any of these battles? This is the way that Cortes and his
+cavalry scared the Indians, is it? They were awfully afraid of horses.
+You can buy horses for almost nothing, nowadays, anywhere in Mexico.
+I've learned how to ride 'em, too, but didn't I get pitched off by some
+of those ponies! It would have scared mother half to death. I wish I
+could see her to-night, and show her some of these pictures. I'd like to
+see Bob and the girls, too. They never saw a book like this."
+
+He had examined a number of the pictures, and the lamp was burning
+fairly well, but a long time had elapsed since he came into that room,
+and he was not at all aware of it.
+
+"Señor Carfora?" called out a voice in the doorway. "Oh, you are here.
+You did light the lamp. I was almost afraid you were in the dark."
+
+"No, I'm not," said Ned. "I made it burn, and I've been looking at all
+sorts of things. These pictures are just wonderful."
+
+"Oh!" she said, "I would not be in this room in the dark for anything! I
+know all those things in that book, though. They are hideous! But they
+say that that suit of armor has the worst kind of ghost in it."
+
+"Maybe it has," said Ned. "I don't believe he can get out, anyhow. He's
+just stuck in it. I'd rather wear the clothes I have on."
+
+"Well," she replied, "mother sent me to find if you were here, and it
+is dreadfully late--"
+
+"Oh, yes!" interrupted Ned. "I suppose it is time for me to go to bed.
+I'll go, but I mean to see all there is in this library, señorita. I
+won't try to read it all. I don't care for ghosts, but I'd like to see
+one."
+
+"I do not care for them in the daytime, either," she told him. "But old
+Margarita, the Tlascalan, says that they come at night and sit here and
+tell stories of all the Mexican idol gods. All of them hate us, too,
+because we turned them out of their temples, and I hate them."
+
+"I'm glad they are gone, anyhow," said Ned, but it was really time to
+go, and he carried some of the most brilliant of those illustrations
+into some of his dreams that night.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+NED'S NEWS
+
+
+"Hullo, young man! I've been looking for you. How are you?"
+
+"Captain Kemp!" shouted Ned, in astonishment. "Where did you come from?
+Who dreamed of seeing you here?"
+
+"Nobody, I hope," said the captain; "but here I am, and I've brought you
+half a dozen letters. They are among my baggage. First thing, though,
+tell me all about yourself. Where have you been?"
+
+They were standing in the grand plaza, not many paces from the front of
+the cathedral, and Ned had come there for another look at the building
+which had taken the place of the old-time temple of the murderous
+Mexican god of war. He was wildly excited for a moment, and he began to
+ask questions, rather than to tell anything about himself.
+
+"Keep cool, now, my boy," said the captain. "We don't know who's
+watching us. I didn't have much trouble in running the Yankee blockade
+at Vera Cruz. I brought a cargo from New York, just as if it had been
+sent from Liverpool, but I've had to prove that I'm not an American ever
+since I came ashore. Spin us your yarn as we walk along."
+
+Ned was now ready to do so, and the captain listened to him with the
+most intense interest, putting in remarks every now and then.
+
+"All this," he said, "is precisely what your father wishes you to do, if
+you can do it. The way of it is this. He knows, and we all know, that
+this war can't be a long one. As soon as it's over, his concern means to
+go into the Mexican trade heavier than they ever did before. They think
+it will be worth more, and I mean to be in it myself. So it just suits
+him to have you here, making friends and learning all about the country
+you are to deal with. He says you are in the best kind of business
+school. There will be a fortune in it for you some day."
+
+"I don't exactly see how," remarked Ned, doubtfully.
+
+"Well," replied the captain, "not many young American business men know
+ten cents' worth about Mexico. You'd better go right on and learn all
+there is to know. Keep shy of all politics, though. This war is going to
+break Paredes and a lot of others. After they are out of power, your own
+friends, like Tassara, Zuroaga, and the rest of them, may be in office,
+and you will be in clover. It's a wonderfully rich country, if it were
+only in the right hands and had a good government. I'll give you the
+letters when we get to my lodgings. Then I must make my way back to Vera
+Cruz, but I had to come all this distance to get my pay from the
+authorities. I obtained it, even now, only by promising to bring over
+another cargo of British gunpowder, to fight the Yankees with."
+
+That was a thing which Ned did not like, but he could not do anything to
+prevent it. He could not expect an Englishman to be an American, and it
+was all a matter of trade to Captain Kemp, aside from his personal
+friendship for Ned and his father. There was more talk of all sorts, and
+Ned obtained a great deal of information concerning the war and what the
+United States were likely to do. After he had received his precious
+letters, however, and had said good-by to Captain Kemp, he almost ran
+against people in his haste to reach the Paez mansion. He did not pause
+to speak to anybody on arriving, but darted up-stairs and made his way
+to the library. It was lighter now in the wonderful book-room, and the
+man in armor did not say anything as Ned came in. In a moment he was in
+the chair by the window, and he appeared to himself to be almost talking
+with the dear ones at home, from whom he had so long been separated.
+
+"Stay where you are," he read from his father's long letter, and at that
+hour he felt as if he did not wish to stay. He dropped the letter on the
+table, and leaned back in his chair and looked around him. Pretty soon,
+however, a little slowly to begin with, but then faster and faster, the
+strong and fascinating spirit of adventure came once more upon him. His
+very blood tingled, and he sprang to his feet to all but shout to his
+mailed acquaintance in the corner:
+
+"Yes, sir, I'll stay! I'll do anything but become a Mexican. Tell you
+what, before the war's over, I mean to be in the American army, somehow.
+I don't exactly see how I'm to do it, though."
+
+It was time to go down-stairs and report to his faithful friends, for he
+knew it would be very mean not to do so, and the first person he met was
+Señora Tassara herself.
+
+"I have letters from home!" he exclaimed, bluntly--"newspapers, too!"
+and she held up both hands in astonishment, as she responded:
+
+"Letters from the United States? How on earth did they come through the
+blockade, and how did they know where you are?"
+
+"I guess they didn't," said Ned. "The English captain that used to
+command the _Goshhawk_ brought them. I met him at the plaza, hunting for
+me. He was a friend of General Zuroaga, and besides, the British consul
+at Vera Cruz knew I was with Colonel Tassara's family. So, if I hadn't
+met him, he would have tried to find you. My father writes that I am to
+stay in Mexico, and learn all about it."
+
+"I am glad of that," she said. "Why, you could not get out at all just
+now without danger to yourself and getting all of us into trouble."
+
+"I wouldn't do that for anything!" exclaimed Ned, and then he went on
+with his tremendous budget of miscellaneous news.
+
+It was an exceedingly interesting heap of information, for the captain
+had given him both English and American journals, which were a rare
+treat at that time in the interior of the beleaguered Mexican republic.
+Señora Tassara was busy with these, when Ned and all the other
+news-bringers were pounced upon by a yet more eager inquirer.
+
+"Señor Carfora!" exclaimed Felicia, her black eyes flashing curiously at
+him. "Where did you get them? I never before saw such big newspapers.
+They won't tell us about our army, though."
+
+"Yes, they will," he said, and, while she was searching the broad-faced
+prints for army information, he repeated for her benefit all that he had
+previously told her mother. Poor Señorita Felicia! She did not obtain at
+all what she wanted, for there were no accounts of brilliant Mexican
+victories. All of these must have been meanly omitted by the editors,
+and at last she angrily threw down a newspaper to say to him:
+
+"Señor Carfora, I am glad you are to stay here, but you will never be
+anything better than a gringo, no matter how much you learn. I was up in
+the library this morning, and I pulled out six more books for you. You
+may read them all, if they will do you any good. One of them is about
+Spain, too. What I want to do is to travel all over Spain. It must be
+the most beautiful country in the world."
+
+Ned had noticed long ago that her eyes always grew dreamy whenever her
+thoughts were turned toward the peninsula which has had so wonderful a
+history, but he did not know that his own longings for foreign travel
+were very like her own in their origin when he replied:
+
+"Well, I'd like to see Spain. I mean to some day, but I want to see
+England first, and Scotland and Ireland. One of my ancestors was an
+Irishman, and the Crawfords were from Scotland. It isn't as hot a
+country as Spain is. You are a Mexican, not a Spaniard."
+
+"So I am," she said, "and most of the Mexicans are Indians. We ought to
+have more Spaniards, but we can't get them. Anyhow, we don't want too
+many gringos to come in. They are all heretics, too."
+
+Ned knew what she meant, and he hastened to tell her that his country
+contained more church people of her religion than Mexico did, and he
+added, to her great disgust:
+
+"And our priests are a hundred times better than yours are. General
+Zuroaga says so, and so does your father. I don't like your Mexican
+priests. The general says he wishes they were all dead, and their
+places filled by good, live men from Europe and the United States."
+
+"Felicia," interrupted her mother, "you must not talk with Señor Carfora
+about such things. What I wish is that we had the American common
+schools all over our poor, ignorant country. Oh, dear! What if this
+horrible war should prove to be really a blessing to us? As things look
+now, we are to have another revolution within a year. More men will be
+shot, just as they have been before, and nobody can see what the end is
+to be."
+
+It was now time for the noonday luncheon, and they went to the
+dining-room, where Señora Paez herself was glad to see the foreign
+journals and to know that Ned had letters from home.
+
+Many things appeared to be settled, as far as he was concerned. At all
+events, his mind was no longer to busy itself with wild plans for
+squirming out from among the Aztecs and finding his way to the United
+States. After luncheon he went up to the library again. At first it was
+only to read his letters over and over, and then it was a kind of relief
+to go to his books and try to forget everything else in going on with
+his queer schooling. It was unlike any that his old schoolmates at the
+North were having, and he caught himself wondering what kind of man it
+might make of him. He could not tell, but he was to have yet another
+lesson that day, and with it came a promise of a strange kind of
+vacation.
+
+It came to him in the evening, when he was so tired of books that he
+preferred the company of Señorita Felicia, no matter what saucy or
+overpatriotic things she might see fit to say to him. They were sitting
+near one of the drawing-room windows, when Señora Paez came quietly
+behind him and touched him on the shoulder.
+
+"Come with me," she said. "There is a man up in Señora Tassara's room
+who wishes to see you."
+
+"O Señor Carfora!" whispered Felicia. "Don't say a word! I know who it
+is. Go right along. He is an old friend of yours."
+
+Up jumped Ned, and he and the señorita followed Señora Paez eagerly.
+Half a minute later, he felt as if he had never been so astonished
+before in all his life, for his hand was heartily grasped, and the voice
+of General Zuroaga said to him:
+
+"Here I am, Señor Carfora. How are you?"
+
+"Oh, but I'm glad to see you!" exclaimed Ned. "I'm all right, but isn't
+it awfully dangerous for you to be here?"
+
+"It would be, if some men knew it," replied Zuroaga, "or if I were
+unwise enough to remain too long. The fact is that I can give you only a
+few minutes, anyhow, this evening. I must be out of the city before
+daylight, if I can, but I will return at the end of a week or so. Then I
+shall take you with me to the valley of the Tehuantepec. You must see
+all that region. After that I shall have a tour to make on political
+affairs, through several States, and you will have a chance to see two
+thirds of the republic before winter."
+
+"That is just what my father would wish me to do," said Ned, and he
+proceeded to tell the general the contents of his letters and all the
+news he had heard from Captain Kemp.
+
+"Very good!" said Zuroaga, at last. "I would have been glad to have seen
+the captain. He is a rough sort of fellow, but he can be depended on. It
+is evident that your father's firm trusts him, but I believe they do not
+know exactly all that he has been doing. He is quite willing to make a
+few dollars for himself while he is working for others."
+
+The general was in good spirits, but more than once he spoke of the
+necessity he was under of keeping out of the reach of his old enemies,
+and among these he appeared to consider the absent Santa Anna even more
+dangerous, in the long run, than President Paredes himself. Señora
+Tassara had now joined them, but she seemed disposed to be silent, and
+most of the conversation was in the hands of Señora Paez. It was
+noticeable that she appeared to have a remarkably good knowledge of the
+politics of her country. Perhaps, if Ned had been a few years older and
+the least bit of a politician, he might have suspected the truth, that
+she was one of the most subtle plotters in the whole country. If she was
+also a deadly enemy of President Paredes, it was because she was a
+sister of a revolutionary leader whom he had caused to be shot, years
+ago, without the formality of a court-martial. Ned saw her eyes flash
+and her bosom heave when she spoke of him, and after that he somehow
+felt safer than ever under her roof. He also saw that she and General
+Zuroaga were the best of friends, and that they had a long private
+conference of their own.
+
+"I guess he feels at home here," thought Ned, as he went down-stairs
+with Felicia and Señora Tassara, and his confidence in that state of
+affairs grew stronger as he walked along the central hall of the house.
+
+"Pablo!" he exclaimed, to a man who lay sprawled out upon the floor, but
+the general's Oaxaca follower made him no reply. He and three more like
+him, who lay near him, were sound asleep, and there was no good cause
+for stirring them up just then.
+
+"They are all well armed," said Ned to himself. "The general will be
+protected when he rides away in the morning. But this is the biggest
+kind of thing to come to me. The best _I_ can do will be to take to my
+books till he gets back. Oh, but won't it be grand fun to make a
+complete tour of the mountains and of all the Pacific coast of Mexico?
+He says I shall see the tallest peaks of the Cordilleras and that I may
+visit some of the great silver mines."
+
+With all that exciting expectation running through his head, it was not
+easy for him to get to sleep that night. When he arose in the morning,
+his friend, the mysterious general, had already departed.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+A STORM COMING
+
+
+"A monarchy! a monarchy! nothing but the one-man power will ever do
+anything for this miserable multitude of Indians, negroes, and
+rebellion-making Spanish aristocrats. Royalty is our only resource, and
+I am nearly ready to strike the required blow. I think that Don Maria
+Paredes would make as good an emperor as Augustin de Yturbide, and he
+will wear the crown of Mexico somewhat longer. But I must look out for
+Santa Anna. If he were to return from Cuba too soon, there would be
+nothing left for me but to have him shot as soon as he came ashore. Or
+else he might have me shot not many days afterward. His emissaries and
+spies are all the while working against me, but I shall catch some of
+them. Oh, how I would like to get hold of that venomous conspirator,
+Zuroaga!"
+
+The President and practically the dictator of the nominal republic of
+Mexico was standing in his own luxurious chamber of the government
+palace in the city of Mexico. He was in the full uniform of a general
+officer, for he was preparing to ride out and attend a review of a
+division of the really large army which he had gathered to move against
+the American invaders at the north. He deemed himself favored by
+fortune, for all things had thus far appeared to operate in the
+direction of his high ambition. He was in possession of undisputed
+power, and his time for making his supremacy permanent had arrived. It
+was the morning of the 4th of August, 1846, and it promised to be a
+splendid day for a parade. He had eloquently appealed to all the
+patriotism in the land, and he had used his last dollar in raising the
+troops who were to win his victories and place him firmly upon the
+throne of Anahuac, the lost throne of the Montezumas. A large part of
+his forces had already marched, and he was now to follow with the
+remainder. It was high time that he should do so, for General Taylor's
+army was daily drawing nearer the Mexican lines at the city of Monterey.
+Not many minutes later, he rode away from the palace, attended by a
+brilliant staff, through crowded streets, where every hat went off and
+all the voices shouted "Viva Paredes" with every appearance of
+enthusiasm.
+
+That morning Ned Crawford had not felt like going out of the city to see
+any review. Days had passed since the departure of General Zuroaga, but
+Ned's head was full of what his friend had said to him, and he did not
+care much in what direction his feet might take him. So, having all that
+responsibility to themselves, they carried him on across the city until,
+when he looked around him, he saw that he had almost reached the front
+gate of the out-of-date fort, which was known as "the citadel." It
+always contained a large garrison, not by any means for the defence of
+the capital from external foes, but for the protection of whatever might
+be the "government" for the time being from any sudden tumult or
+attempted revolution. There were officers and a squad of soldiers
+standing a few paces out in front of the wide-open military portal, and
+they all were gazing intently in the same direction. Ned also turned to
+look, but all that he could see was a solitary rider, upon what seemed
+to be an all but exhausted horse, urging the panting animal toward the
+citadel.
+
+"Colonel Guerra!" exclaimed Ned. "What has brought him all the way from
+Vera Cruz? Has our army come? Is the city taken?"
+
+Nothing of that kind had yet occurred, but there was a reason for the
+arrival of the trusted commander of the important fortress on the sea.
+Ned was very near him when the horse fell, and his rider sprang to the
+earth, covered with dust and evidently in great excitement. The officers
+at the gate rushed forward toward him, and one of them loudly demanded:
+
+"Colonel Guerra! What is it? Has he come? All is ready here!"
+
+Guerra himself had not fallen with his horse. Off came his hat and his
+sword flashed from the sheath, while his voice rang out clearly,
+fiercely:
+
+"Viva Santa Anna! The entire force at Vera Cruz and the garrison of San
+Juan de Ulua have pronounced for him. He is now on his way home from
+Havana. We shall soon have with us the one hero who can save us from the
+American invaders and from the tyranny of King Paredes!"
+
+Possibly, this had been the day calculated upon for the arrival of
+precisely such tidings. It might even have been that all these officers
+and soldiers were gathered there, prepared both to hear and to act,
+while President Paredes should be temporarily absent from the city. At
+all events, they were swinging their hats, drawing their swords, and
+their enthusiastic acclamations for the returning general were at once
+followed by a rush back into the citadel and a hasty closing of its
+gates. When that was done, and when the rest of the garrison had joined
+in "pronouncing" for Santa Anna, the military control of the Mexican
+capital had passed out of the hands of President Paredes.
+
+It was startling news, therefore, which was brought out to him by a
+friendly messenger, as he rode so proudly on in front of his shouting
+soldiery, believing that they were all his own and ready to do his
+bidding. The grand review ended instantaneously, and he came galloping
+back in all haste to look out for his tumbling crown. He came with his
+brilliant staff and a mixed crowd of friends and unfriends, only to
+discover that crown and throne and scepter had disappeared like the
+changing figures in a kaleidoscope. He could not even order anybody to
+be arrested and shot, for the Vice-President, General Bravo, and all the
+members of the national Congress, then in session, were thoughtfully
+saying to themselves, if not to each other:
+
+"Santa Anna is coming! The seacoast forces are already his. He will be
+right here in a few days. We must be careful what we say or do just now.
+We do not even know what these new troops will say to this thing."
+
+They were not to remain long in ignorance upon that point. As the news
+went out from regiment to regiment that afternoon, the undisciplined,
+ragged mobs of raw recruits began to shout for Santa Anna. Perhaps many
+of them had previously served under the one-legged veteran of the old
+French and Texan wars and at least half a dozen revolutions.
+
+Ned Crawford turned and hurried homeward, as soon as he felt sure that
+his head was still upon his shoulders and that he had heard his
+remarkable news correctly. His eyes were busy, too, and he heard what
+men were saying to each other. Excited shouts were carrying the errand
+of Colonel Guerra swiftly over the city, and everywhere it was
+discovering hearers as ready for it as had been the officers at the
+gate. He may have been looking a little pale when he entered the parlor
+of the Paez mansion, for Señora Paez at once arose and came to meet him,
+inquiring, anxiously:
+
+"Señor Carfora, what is the matter? Has anything happened?"
+
+"Santa Anna--" began Ned, but she stepped quickly forward and put her
+hand upon his mouth, whispering sharply:
+
+"Speak lower! we do not know who may hear you. What is it?"
+
+She took away her hand, and Ned also whispered, as he hurriedly told her
+what he had seen and heard at the citadel. As he did so, her face and
+that of Señora Tassara, standing by her, grew much paler than his own.
+
+"My dear Mercedes," said Señora Tassara to her cousin, "this is all as
+my husband and General Zuroaga predicted. But the tiger is not here yet,
+and by the time he arrives they will be beyond his reach. It takes some
+days to travel from Vera Cruz to the city of Mexico. Señor Carfora, you
+are in no danger. Neither are we."
+
+"No!" angrily exclaimed Señora Paez. "Not for to-day nor to-morrow,
+perhaps, but down goes the Paredes monarchy! Ah, me! There is a terrible
+time coming for poor Mexico. Who shall tell what the end of it all will
+be!"
+
+"Nobody!" said Señora Tassara, sadly, but Felicia whispered to Ned:
+
+"Señor Carfora, the gringos could not do us much harm if their army had
+a revolution springing up behind it at home. I wish they had one."
+
+"I don't," replied Ned. "If we did have one, though, it would be bigger
+than this is. I don't believe we have any Santa Annas to make one,
+anyhow. There isn't a man in all America that would think of being king.
+I guess that if we found one we'd hang him."
+
+"Well," said Felicia, "President Paredes would like to hang a great many
+people, or shoot them, but I hope he can't. What are you going to do?"
+
+"He does not know, dear," interposed her mother. "We must stop talking
+about this thing now. Some of our friends are coming in. It is better to
+let them tell us what has happened, just as if we had not heard it at
+all. Be very careful what you say."
+
+Perhaps everybody in the Paez mansion was accustomed to that kind of
+caution, and when a number of excited women neighbors poured into the
+parlor to bring the great tidings and discuss the situation, they found
+no one in it who was to be surprised into saying a word which might not
+have been heard without offence by the friends of either Paredes or
+Santa Anna.
+
+Great changes in public affairs may produce changes in the plans of
+individuals, and it was not remarkable if General Zuroaga's intended
+week of absence should be somewhat shortened. It may have ended at the
+moment when the garrison of the citadel "pronounced" in favor of the
+tyrant in exile and against the tyrant in nominal power. Ned, however,
+had a small surprise waiting for him. It actually arrived not a great
+while after luncheon, when he was feeling as if he would like to sit
+down by himself and think over this very curious piece of political
+business. He went up into the library, as the safest kind of
+thinking-place, and, hardly had he opened the door, before he discovered
+that it had another tenant besides the man in armor in the corner.
+
+"General Zuroaga!" he exclaimed, in astonishment.
+
+"Not quite so loud, please," quietly responded the general. "Yes,
+Carfora, here I am. Here I must hide, too, for a few hours. The camp is
+no longer a safe place for me, even in the disguise I was wearing. There
+is really nothing more to keep me there now. I do not need to run any
+further risks on account of Paredes and his tin monarchy. He is already
+utterly ruined. I must get out of the reach of Santa Anna's
+lieutenants, however, if I do not wish to be locked up. You and I can
+slip away all the more easily while this tumult is going on, and by noon
+to-morrow we may be well out on the road to Oaxaca. Will you be ready?"
+
+"It's just what I was wishing for!" exclaimed Ned. "I know enough to see
+that it isn't a good thing for Señora Paez to have me in the house. She
+has troubles enough of her own. So has Señora Tassara. If an enemy of
+theirs found that they had a gringo here, it would make things worse for
+them. They've been real good to me, but I want to go with you."
+
+"Right!" said the general. "And there will be sharp eyes on the watch
+while Santa Anna's friends are getting ready for his arrival. He may
+appear to come peaceably, but do I not know him? He never yet forgot or
+forgave an enemy. He will come back to settle up all old accounts."
+
+"Well," said Ned, "we need not be here to be shot at. I packed up, all
+ready, days ago. But, general, I guess I can ride better than I did the
+other time. I don't need to have so fat a pony."
+
+"My dear fellow," replied the general, soberly, "you will be mounted on
+a horse that can make a swift run, if necessary. I am glad that you
+will know what to do with him."
+
+In other things than horsemanship, Ned had made wonderful advances since
+he came ashore out of the norther, in the Bay of Vera Cruz. It was as if
+he had grown a number of years older in becoming so much more
+experienced. Moreover, he knew so much already about the plots and
+counterplots which were going on that it was of little use to keep some
+things from him. He was, in fact, almost full-grown as a Mexican
+conspirator, and he was sure to do whatever he could against either a
+monarchy under Paredes or a dictatorship under Santa Anna. It was a full
+hour later when they were joined by Señora Paez. She came on a special
+errand, for almost her first remark was:
+
+"General, there will be danger from robbers of all sorts. I shall not
+dare to keep a great deal of money in the house. I have not much,
+either, that I can spare for yourself, but you must take this and spend
+it to beat them. What's more, I want you to take my jewels with you and
+hide them somewhere in the mountains. Señora Tassara's are already in a
+safe place. I hope Señor Carfora has enough."
+
+"Oh, yes!" exclaimed Ned. "I have hardly spent anything, and Captain
+Kemp gave me another hundred, from father. I almost wish it were all in
+bank-bills, though, for gold and silver are heavy things to carry."
+
+"Well, as to that," laughed the general, "I do not know what kind of
+paper money we could make in Mexico, just now. That sort of thing will
+do only under a pretty solid government. But then, a dollar will go
+further in this country than it will in the United States. It looks as
+if horses were worth only five dollars a head, and men about half as
+much. There are too many that seem ready to sell themselves for
+nothing."
+
+He said that wearily and sadly, for he was at heart a true patriot and
+he believed himself to be doing his best to bring a better state of
+things out of all this anarchy and confusion.
+
+Señora Paez left the room. Ned and the general lay down on the floor to
+sleep for awhile, and it was just when the first dim light of dawn was
+beginning to creep in at the narrow window that Pablo came to awaken
+them. He put his finger on his lip as he did so, and they understood
+that there might be danger close at hand. It was not until they were
+out of the house, however, leaving it silently by way of the back door,
+that he ventured to whisper:
+
+"General, there is a guard already stationed in front. President Paredes
+is making his last effort to stop his downfall, and he has heard that
+you are in the city. All your friends will be closely watched, to-day."
+
+"I wanted to say good-by to them," began Ned, but here they were.
+
+"General, this is the jewel case," said Señora Paez, as she handed him a
+small rosewood box. "Here is the money. Now, Señor Carfora, be a brave
+fellow. Learn all you can of our poor country. I hope to see you again."
+
+Señora Tassara was saying something in a very low voice to Zuroaga, when
+Felicia turned to Ned and said to him:
+
+"You are a wicked gringo, but I like you pretty well and I do hope you
+will get away safely. Take good care of yourself."
+
+"Well, señorita," replied Ned, "I will do that, and so must you. I'd
+rather be out among the mountains than here in the city. You'd be safer
+there, too. Anyhow, you are not a Mexican. You are a Spaniard and you
+would rather be in Spain."
+
+"Maybe I would, just now," she told him with a very melancholy look in
+her brilliant black eyes. "But I do love Mexico, and I do know enough to
+wish we were not to have any more revolutions. That is, not any more
+after Paredes and Santa Anna and some other men have been killed."
+
+"That is the way they all feel about each other," broke in the general.
+"Come, Carfora. We have horses waiting for us on one of the back
+streets."
+
+There were a few hasty good-bys then. The three fugitives passed out of
+sight among the shadows of the buildings, and the women returned to the
+house to wait for the downfall of King or Emperor Paredes.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+THE REVOLUTION
+
+
+There had been a curious impression upon the minds of some American
+statesmen that General Santa Anna would return to his native country
+with a purpose of making peace. It was for that reason that he was
+permitted to pass unhindered through the blockading fleet in the Gulf,
+but he had no such idea in his cunning and ambitious head. His real
+objects in returning were to take vengeance upon his enemies, to restore
+himself to the supreme power which he had lost by the revolution of
+1840, and, for that purpose, to prosecute the war with the United States
+with all possible vigor. His personal feeling in that matter might have
+been understood by recalling the fact that his downfall had resulted
+from his severe defeat in attempting to conquer the earlier American
+settlers in Texas. On his arrival in Vera Cruz, on the 16th of August,
+a proclamation which he at once issued, denouncing alike the
+monarchical ambition of President Paredes and the wicked invasion of
+Mexico by the armies of the northern republic, opened the eyes of all
+concerned. When, however, with all the troops at his disposal, he slowly
+approached the city of Mexico, he put on a cloak of patriotic
+moderation. The existing government, consisting of Vice-President Bravo
+and the Congress, had succeeded in imprisoning and then in banishing
+their would-be emperor, Paredes. They now, as the returning exile drew
+near the capital, offered him a temporary dictatorship of the disordered
+national affairs, but he modestly replied that he did not desire so
+much. He had returned, he said, as a pure and unselfish patriot, only to
+serve his country. All that he would be willing to accept would be the
+absolute control of the army, as if any power worth speaking of might be
+supposed to remain outside of his bayonets and lances. This small
+request was readily granted, and from that hour onward he was, for the
+time being, more completely the dictator of Mexico than he or any other
+man had ever been before. He entered the city and assumed command on the
+15th of September. Only a week later, on the 22d and 23d, the fall and
+surrender of Monterey strengthened his hold upon the people, for it made
+them feel more keenly than ever their need of a good general. He
+certainly did act with great energy, for, as early as the 8th of
+October, he had advanced with his army as far north as San Luis Potosi,
+and was straining every possible resource to prepare for his coming
+conflict with General Taylor. It is said that he even mortgaged his
+private property to obtain the money required for his military supplies.
+
+During all these weeks and months there had been stormy times in the
+Congress of the United States, and the war of the politicians was by no
+means ended. General Winfield Scott, however, had been left at the head
+of the army, with authority to invade Mexico in any manner he might
+choose, but with about half as many troops as he declared to be
+necessary for such an undertaking. It was late in December, 1846, when
+General Scott in person arrived at the mouth of the Rio Grande and
+assumed the direction of military operations. As he did not propose any
+considerable further advance into Mexico, except by way of Vera Cruz, he
+decided to take his best troops with him to that field of the coming
+campaign. This meant that General Taylor was to lose nearly all his
+regular army men and officers, their places being filled, as to numbers,
+by new regiments of exceedingly brave but untried volunteers. He was
+therefore left to face, with raw troops, any intended onslaught of Santa
+Anna, who would bring with him several times as large a force, of all
+sorts, most of it composed of recent levies, imperfectly organized and
+disciplined. It remained to be seen which of the two kinds of men, the
+Mexican Indian or the American rifleman, could be the more rapidly
+changed into a trained soldier, fitted for a hard day's fight.
+
+Throughout all the interior of Mexico there was a fair degree of peace
+and order, although robber bands were reported here and there. No signs
+of a coming revolution appear to have been discovered, for nearly all
+the great leaders who might have set one on foot were either banished or
+shot, or were serving in Santa Anna's army, half hoping for his defeat
+and destruction that he might be taken out of the way of their
+ambitions.
+
+There came one cloudless day near the end of February, when a kind of
+cool and beautiful summer seemed to rule over all the fair land of
+Anahuac, except among the snow-clad Cordilleras. There were roses in
+bloom in many gardens of the city of Mexico, and all things in and about
+the national capital wore an exceedingly peaceful air. The very guards
+at the citadel were pacing listlessly up and down, as if they were
+lazily aware that all evil-minded gringos and other foes of their
+comfort were several hundreds of miles away. At the city gates there
+were no sentries of any kind, and a young fellow who rode in on a
+spirited pony, at an hour or so after noon, was not questioned by
+anybody as to where he came from or what he was doing there. He cast
+sharp glances in all directions as he rode onward, but he seemed to have
+no need for inquiring his way. He went steadily, moreover, as if he
+might have business rather than pleasure on his hands, and he did not
+pull in his pony until he had reached the front of the Paez mansion.
+There was no one on the piazza but a short, fat old woman, in a blazing
+red cotton gown, who sprang to her feet almost as if he had frightened
+her, exclaiming:
+
+"Señor Carfora!"
+
+"Dola!" he responded, sharply. "Don't say another loud word! Are either
+of the señoras at home? I must see them right away."
+
+"Oh, yes!" she said, turning to run into the house. "I will tell them.
+They are in the parlor, and the señorita."
+
+Down sprang Ned and hitched his pony to a post, but then he hurried
+through the front door as quickly as Dola herself had done. Perhaps it
+was well that he should get in without being recognized by too many
+eyes. He did not have to actually get into the parlor before he was
+welcomed, for a light form sprang out into the hall, and Felicia herself
+shouted, eagerly:
+
+"Oh, Señor Carfora! Are you here? This is wonderful!"
+
+"Señorita," he interrupted her, "I have letters for your mother and
+Señora Paez. Where are they?"
+
+"They are right here," she said, "but we have letters, too. All the
+flags in the city are out and they are firing salutes of rejoicing."
+
+"I saw the flags," he said, "and I heard some firing, but what on earth
+are they rejoicing over? Is there any news?"
+
+The two grown-up women were standing behind her, with faces in which
+there was no joy whatever when Felicia exultingly told him:
+
+"Why, have not you heard? General Santa Anna has beaten your gringo army
+all to pieces. The United States fleet is coming to Vera Cruz with
+another army, and the American soldiers will not dare to come on shore.
+All they can do will be to sit there in their ships and look at the
+city."
+
+"Come in, Señor Carfora," said Señora Paez. "I cannot tell you how glad
+we are to see you. Yes, we have very important letters. I may suppose
+that yours are from the general. Please let me have them."
+
+"Do, Señor Carfora!" said Señora Tassara. "I cannot wait a moment. We
+will retire to read them, and, while we are gone, Felicia may tell you
+all the news from the great battle at the north."
+
+"Yes, so I will," she exclaimed. "And I want him to tell me all about
+the places he has been in, and what he has been doing."
+
+In a moment more they two were alone in the parlor, and she was
+repeating to him the substance of Santa Anna's report of the manner in
+which, at the hard-fought battle of Angostura, or Buena Vista, on the
+22d of February, he had shattered the American army under General
+Taylor. He had, he said, effectively prevented its further advance into
+Mexico, and there was really a strong appearance of truth in his way of
+presenting the consequences of the battle, for the American army seemed
+to have retreated. Horse after horse had been ridden to death in taking
+such great tidings to the city of Mexico, and, for the hour, at least,
+the great Mexican commander was more firmly fixed in supreme power than
+ever.
+
+Of course, the triumphant bulletin did not make any mention of the fact
+that General Taylor had had no intention of advancing any further, being
+under express orders from General Scott not to do so, and that Santa
+Anna's well-planned and at first nearly successful attempt to crush the
+northern invaders had really proved a failure. Ned Crawford listened to
+Felicia's enthusiastic account of the battle with a curious question in
+his mind which he was too polite to utter.
+
+"Why," he thought, "if Santa Anna was so completely victorious, did he
+not make General Taylor surrender?"
+
+There was no one to inform Ned that the Mexican commander had invited
+General Taylor to do so before the fight was half over, and that the
+stubborn old American had unkindly refused the invitation. At this
+moment, however, the señorita's tongue began to busy itself with quite
+another matter. The United States fleet, under Commodore Connor, had,
+indeed, begun to arrive in front of Vera Cruz on the 18th of February,
+with a vast convoy of transport ships under its protection, having on
+board the army of General Scott. Neither Ned nor the señorita was aware,
+however, how many important questions have to be answered before so many
+military passengers might undertake to land, with all their baggage,
+within possible reach of the artillery of an enemy. Felicia, for her
+part, was positive that they all were too badly scared by the Castle of
+San Juan de Ulua and by the bad news from Buena Vista to so much as try
+to make a landing.
+
+"General Santa Anna himself is now marching down to meet them," she told
+him, "with his whole victorious army, and he will crush them as fast as
+they can get out of their ships."
+
+Owing to the grand reports from their army, this was precisely the idea
+which was forming in the minds of all the people of Mexico.
+
+"Oh, Señorita Felicia!" said Ned, as if he were quite willing to change
+the subject. "I've had a wonderful time. I've been travelling,
+travelling, travelling, everywhere with the general."
+
+"Tell me all about it!" she commanded him. "I want to know. It seems to
+me as if I had been shut up here and had not seen anybody."
+
+"Well, I can't tell it all just now," he said, "but when we left here we
+hurried all the way to Oaxaca. Then we stayed there awhile, among his
+own people, and nobody gave us any trouble. No, I mustn't forget one
+thing, though. A band of those mountain robbers came one night, and we
+had an awful fight with them--"
+
+"Did you kill any of them?" she asked, hastily. "They all ought to be
+killed. They are ready to murder anybody else."
+
+"Well," said Ned, "we beat them, and ten of them were shot. I was firing
+away all the while, but I don't know if I hit any of them. It was too
+dark to tell. The rest of them got away. But I've hunted deer, and I
+killed a good many of them. I shot a lynx, too, and a lot of other game.
+There's the best kind of fishing on the general's estates. I like
+fishing. Then we went south, to the Yucatan line, and I saw some queer
+old ruins. After that, the general's business took him away up north of
+Oaxaca, and I went with him, and I saw half the States of Mexico before
+we finished the trip. I've seen the silver mines and Popocatepetl and
+Istaccihuatl, and I don't care to ever see any higher mountains than
+they are."
+
+"I have seen Popocatepetl," she said, "and it almost made me have the
+headache. They say it is full of sulphur, to make gunpowder with."
+
+Before she could tell anything more about the possible uses of the tall,
+old volcano, her mother reëntered the parlor.
+
+"Señor Carfora," she said, "Felicia will have to give you up. Here are
+some letters for you that came while you were absent. You had better
+read them now, for I cannot say how long it will be best for you to
+remain here. Step this way a moment, if you will."
+
+Ned followed her, all in a sudden whirl of excitement at the unexpected
+prospect of hearing from his far-away home, but she still held his
+promised envelopes in her own hand, while she said to him:
+
+"My dear young friend, you know that Colonel Tassara is with his
+regiment. He was in the thickest of the fight at Angostura. He was
+wounded, but he hopes to recover soon, and we have not told Felicia. He
+writes me that it was really a lost battle, and that the fall of Santa
+Anna is surely coming, but that nobody can foretell what course he will
+take, cruel or otherwise, when he and his army return to fight with
+General Scott, on the road from the sea to this city. Go and read your
+letters, and then I will see you again."
+
+Felicia had to give him up, and away he went. The best place to read
+home letters seemed to him to be the library, and when he entered the
+dim old room, he half imagined that the man in armor nodded at him, and
+tried to say how d'ye do. After that, Ned almost forgot that he was in
+Mexico, while he devoured the news from home. It was a grand thing to
+learn, too, that the letters which he had feared would never get to New
+York had all been carefully delivered under the kindly care of the
+British consular system. He had never before felt quite so high an
+admiration for the British Empire as he acquired just then.
+
+"I'll do something good for the next Englishman I get hold of!" he
+declared, with energy, and then he sat still and stared around the room.
+
+"It was just as well," he said, "that I did not stay here and try to
+read all those books. I read enough about the ancient times, too. What
+father wanted me to know about is Mexico as it is now, and I've seen a
+great deal of it. What I want to see next is our army, and I'm going to
+find my way to Vera Cruz. Then I'll get on board an American ship,
+somehow or other. I wonder if the Mexican officers will manage to arrest
+me between this and the seacoast."
+
+That was a point worth thinking of, for General Zuroaga had told him
+very plainly that some ignorant or overhasty patriot might easily find
+an excuse for calling him a spy, and having him shot at a moment's
+notice. He did not have a long time to consider that matter, however,
+for the door opened, and the two señoras walked in, with clouded faces.
+
+"Señor Carfora," said Señora Tassara, "you will have no time to lose.
+General Zuroaga is right, and his letter must go at once to his friend,
+General Morales, who is now in command at Vera Cruz. So must one from my
+own husband. It is important, for the best interest of Mexico, that
+Morales should know the whole truth. That is, he must be informed that
+he cannot expect any help from Santa Anna's beaten army. Are you too
+tired to set out immediately? I can give you a fresh horse."
+
+"I'll go!" exclaimed Ned. "My pony isn't tired. He is a first-rate
+traveller. I want something to eat, though, and I wish I knew whether or
+not the army patrols will stop me on the way."
+
+"I can take care of that," said Señora Paez. "I have had to send special
+messengers before this. You will be able to show a government pass."
+
+As she spoke, she held out to him a sealed envelope. Where or how she
+had obtained such a thing, she did not explain, but it was an official
+envelope, and on it was a printed lettering which might have been
+translated: "Government Business. From the Headquarters of the Army.
+Despatches from His Excellency, General Bravo." In her own handwriting
+was added, moreover: "To His Excellency, General Morales, Vera Cruz."
+
+"There!" she said. "If it becomes necessary, show that, and any man
+hindering you will be promptly punished. Do not show it if you can help
+it, however, for there are many kinds of army officers nowadays."
+
+"I have seen some of them," said Ned, but what he was really thinking
+about most seriously, at that moment, was the supper he had asked for,
+and he was well pleased to be led down into the dining-room.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+THE DESPATCH-BEARER
+
+
+There are hills to climb, on the crooked highway from the city of Mexico
+to the sea, but the greater part of the distance is down, down, down,
+for its highest point is over seven thousand feet above tidewater. It
+was in a pass leading over this ridge that Ned Crawford looked around
+him, up and down and ahead, and exclaimed, as well as his chattering
+teeth would let him:
+
+"Well, I'm glad there are no snow-drifts in my way. I suppose the army
+men look out for that. But don't I wish I had an overcoat and some furs!
+Old Mount Orizaba can get up a first-class winter on his own account."
+
+It looked like it, and this part of his experiences had not been at all
+provided for. The Cordillera was very white, and its garment of snow and
+ice went down nearer to its feet than when Ned had first seen it.
+Moreover, the pony which had travelled so well when he cantered away
+from the Paez mansion, some days before, was showing signs of
+exhaustion, and it was manifestly well for him that he was now going
+down instead of climbing. So it was for Ned, and his uppermost wish was
+to hurry down into a more summery climate. He was still doing so, to the
+best of his shivering ability, two hours later, when a loud summons to
+halt sounded in the road before him.
+
+"Whoop!" shouted Ned, and the soldier, who had presented his bayonet so
+sternly, was greeted as if he had been an old friend. Rapid explanations
+followed, in Spanish, but before they were completed an officer had made
+his appearance from a small but comfortable guard-house at the side of
+the road. He was only a lieutenant, and he appeared to gaze with more
+than a little awe upon the superscription of Ned's precious government
+envelope. He turned it over and over, and almost smelled of it.
+
+"Señor Carfora!" he exclaimed. "This must not be delayed for a moment!
+You must ride on, if it kills you. Come in and get a dinner. We will
+give you a fresh mount. Tell us the news while you are eating."
+
+"I will do so," replied Ned, with a tremendous effort to stop shivering
+and look important. "But I will say that I was told that any man
+interfering with that despatch would be shot in one hour."
+
+"Beyond a doubt!" declared the lieutenant, with emphasis. "It would
+serve him right, too. This is no time for trifling with orders."
+
+A hearty dinner by a blazing log fire made the despatch-bearer feel a
+great deal better, but at the end of it no mercy was shown him. His
+fresh pony was ready, and he was ordered to mount and ride. He did so
+without offering any objections, and he carried with him the
+lieutenant's written pass, for possible use further down the mountain.
+It was a good thing to have, but he was called upon to present it only
+twice, receiving in each instance positive instructions to push onward
+if it killed him and his new pony.
+
+"I can't stand this much longer!" he exclaimed, as the sun was setting.
+"I'm almost beyond the snow-line. I think I'll disobey the guards a
+little, but I'll keep on obeying Señora Paez. She told me on no account
+to try to sleep in a large town or village. They are all military posts,
+and too many questions might be asked. I'll try a hacienda, just as I
+did on the other side of the mountains. Everybody wants to hear the
+news."
+
+Everybody in that region was also genuinely hospitable, and it was
+barely dusk when Ned rode in at the gate of a substantial farmhouse, to
+be welcomed with the utmost cordiality. Men, women, and children crowded
+eagerly around him, to hear all he could tell them of the great battle
+and victory of Angostura, and of the current doings in the capital city.
+A warm bed was given him, and after a long sleep he awoke somewhat
+better fitted for whatever else might be before him. Once more he pushed
+on, but before noon of that day all signs of winter were far behind him.
+He had passed through more than one considerable village, but so had
+other travellers, coming or going, who bore about them no appearance of
+being worth the attention of the military authorities. Another and
+another night in wayside farmhouses compelled him to admire more than
+ever the simple ways and the sincere patriotism of the Mexican farmers.
+All the while, however, his anxieties concerning the result of his
+perilous errand were growing upon him, and he was obediently using up
+his army pony. It was the forenoon of the third day before he was
+aroused from his other thoughts into anything like enthusiasm for the
+exceeding beauty of the luxuriant vegetation on either side of the road.
+
+"Leaves! flowers! grass!" he exclaimed. "Oh, how beautiful they all are!
+Summer here, and winter only a few miles away. Hurrah for the _tierra
+caliente_! It's a bully place at this time o' year."
+
+At all events, it was a pleasanter place to be in than any icy pass
+among the Mexican sierras, and his thoughts were at liberty to come back
+to his present situation. He was not now upon the Cordoba road, by which
+he had left the gulf coast ever so long ago. This was the highway from
+the city of Jalapa. He was cantering along only a short distance from
+the seashore, and he was within a few miles of the gates of Vera Cruz.
+
+"I remember them," he was thinking. "I never had a good chance for a
+look at the walls, but I suppose I shall have one pretty soon. I wonder
+if they are thick enough to stop a cannon-ball. Captain Kemp told me
+they were built all around the city, but he didn't say how high they
+are."
+
+Walls there were, indeed, but their masonry was not the next thing that
+was to be of especial interest to Ned. There is no kind of stonework
+which can compare, under certain circumstances, with the point of a
+lance or the edge of a machete, and the bearers of a number of such
+weapons were to be seen coming toward him at a gallop.
+
+"It looks like a whole company of lancers!" exclaimed the anxious
+despatch-carrier. "Now I'm in for it! Everybody I met on the way was
+civil enough, but these may be a different kind of fellows."
+
+Whether they were or not, the whole force under General Morales was in a
+state of unusual excitement that day, for the report was going around
+that the American army brought by Commodore Connor's fleet was rapidly
+coming ashore near Sacrificios Island, only three miles south of Vera
+Cruz. If Ned himself had been aware of it, he might have changed his
+plans and ridden right in among his own friends. As it was, however, in
+less than three minutes he had cantered in among a swarm of angry
+Mexicans and glittering spear-points. Their state of discipline was
+witnessed to by the fact that the captain in nominal command of them had
+some difficulty in obtaining from them permission to ask his own
+questions of this newcomer. When at last he succeeded in doing so,
+without first having his captive run through by a lance, it shortly
+looked as if Ned had been learning diplomacy, if not strategy also,
+during his varied and wonderful Mexican experiences.
+
+"Señor Captain," he said, quite coolly, pulling out his official
+envelope, "I am ordered to deliver this to General Morales in person. I
+am commanded to answer no questions. Any man daring to hinder the
+delivery of my despatches will be shot. They are important."
+
+"Where are you from?" came savagely back.
+
+Ned only pointed at the envelope and shut his mouth hard.
+
+"What is your errand to General Morales?"
+
+Ned's brain was working with tremendous rapidity just then, and one of
+his swift thoughts got away from him.
+
+"Captain," he said, "you had better ask that question of his Excellency,
+General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna."
+
+The officer's swarthy face turned pale for a moment, and all the men who
+had heard Ned's reply broke out into loud vivas for their great
+commander-in-chief, the illustrious victor of the bloody field of
+Angostura. The entire company became at once the zealous guardians of
+that sacred envelope, which so few of them could have read, and the
+captain was forced to restrain his curiosity, and allow Ned to continue,
+keeping his mouth closed. For all that, however, the despatch-bearer was
+still a prisoner, and was to be conducted as such to the presence of
+General Morales. The lancers turned their horses toward the city, and
+the gates were reached as quickly as Ned's tired pony could carry him.
+At this barrier, of course, there were other guards and officers of
+higher rank, and there might have been further delay, or even danger, if
+Ned had not promptly exhibited the magical envelope, while the captain
+himself repeated his own words for him, and curtly added:
+
+"His Excellency, General Bravo! Viva Morales! Viva Santa Anna!"
+
+That last word sealed the matter. The envelope was returned to its
+bearer, and he was conducted onward under the care of two colonels,
+several other officials, and a half-dozen of watchful lancers.
+
+Ned shortly understood that General Morales had returned from the Castle
+of San Juan de Ulua to go out for a telescopic inspection of the
+American landing, and was now at his headquarters in the city.
+
+"I guess I shall feel better after I get to him," thought Ned, as he and
+his excited party halted before the headquarters building. "I may get
+stuck with a machete yet, if I have to wait long out here."
+
+He was neither to be delayed nor slaughtered, and in a few minutes more
+he was ushered into a handsomely furnished chamber, where the general
+was sitting, apparently entirely calm and self-possessed, surrounded by
+his staff and a throng of other important men, soldiers and civilians.
+He did not say a word while a colonel of the escort was delivering his
+report concerning this messenger, but he was all the while sharply
+scrutinizing Ned from head to foot.
+
+"Gentlemen," he then said to those around him, "this may be something of
+extraordinary importance. Come with me, Carfora!"
+
+He arose from his chair, and Ned silently followed him into another
+room. As soon as they were shut in here by themselves, he turned
+fiercely upon the young despatch-bearer and demanded:
+
+"Have you said anything to those men? Have you told a living soul what
+you know about these tidings?"
+
+"No, general, not one word to anybody," replied Ned, bravely, but there
+was a strange thrill at his heart, for he saw that he was in deadly
+peril.
+
+Morales tore open the envelope, and found in it several official-looking
+papers which it did not take him long to read; but now Ned took out from
+an inner pocket three others which were much smaller. The general's face
+flushed fiery red, and his eyes were flashing with excitement while he
+swiftly examined them.
+
+"Carfora," he exclaimed, "you are too young to have been sent on such an
+errand as this. General Bravo! Colonel Tassara! Señora Paez! General
+Zuroaga! Ah, Santa Maria! And our brave army was shattered at Angostura,
+after all. This is dreadful news! You shall die before I will allow you
+to spread it among my men!"
+
+"I shall not do so," said Ned, with his heart in his throat "But may I
+not tell them that General Santa Anna has checked the invasion at the
+north? Ought I not to say that he is now marching down to defend the
+capital, and that he is going to strengthen your army at Vera Cruz? Why,
+general, that is just what he is going to do."
+
+The general was silent for a moment, and appeared to be lost in thought.
+
+"No, not now!" he then whispered between his set teeth, but Ned heard
+him. "If I shot him, it would make enemies of Zuroaga and the Tassaras
+and Señora Paez. Bravo would not care. Carfora," he added, aloud, "you
+may go. You may talk as you have said, but you must not leave the city,
+and, if you say one word about our being defeated at Buena Vista, I will
+have you shot. There are too many desertions already, and I can't afford
+to have my whole army stampeded by bad news."
+
+There was, therefore, an imperative military reason for keeping secret
+the truth concerning Santa Anna's great victory, and Ned responded:
+
+"General Morales, everybody will be asking me questions. I guess I know
+exactly what you wish me to tell. I was ordered to keep my mouth shut."
+
+"See that you do!" growled the general. "Or a musket-ball will shut it
+for you. Go out now. If I want you, I shall be able to find you."
+
+They walked out of the inner room together, and they found the main
+office crowded, as if many more had hurried in to hear the expected
+news.
+
+"Gentlemen! Fellow citizens!" shouted the general, enthusiastically, as
+he waved his packet of despatches over his head. "This is glorious! Our
+illustrious commander-in-chief, after having given such a severe lesson
+to our barbarous invaders at the north, is marching with his entire
+force to our own assistance. He will soon crush our assailants on the
+seacoast as he has the gringo mob under Taylor!"
+
+A storm of cheers responded, and the entire crowd seemed disposed to
+exchange hugs and handshakes, while he turned to an officer at a table.
+
+"By the Way, major," he said, "write an order for quarters and rations
+for General Bravo's messenger, Carfora. I may need him again in a few
+days. Keep track of him. He is a civilian, but he is a trusted agent of
+certain parties whom you may know."
+
+The major began to write something, and, as he did so, Ned believed that
+he heard him muttering words which sounded like: "Humph! Messenger of
+his Excellency, Santa Anna! We will take good care of him!"
+
+Then the general carelessly signed the paper, which the major prepared
+for him, and Ned walked quietly out into the open air. Once there,
+however, he took a hasty look at his "order for rations," and discovered
+that with it he had now in his possession a full headquarters army pass,
+which permitted him to come and go anywhere, through the gates and all
+the lines, without hindrance from anybody. He was established as an
+accepted and even honored confidential despatch-bearer of the
+commander-in-chief of all the armies of Mexico. He was not now to get
+entirely away without difficulty, however, for the whole building had
+been full of men who were eager for all the news he could give them, and
+they had followed him. They seized upon him as if he had been the last
+edition of an evening newspaper, containing the reports of all the past
+and with, probably, the news for to-morrow morning also somewhere inside
+of him. He did not get away from them for some time, and when he did so,
+at last, he was sure of being recognized by a considerable number of
+patriotic Mexicans, if they ever should meet him again. That might make
+him safer, although he was no longer in any immediate danger. Moreover,
+although he was not in uniform, the cut and quality of his clothing
+informed every person he met that he belonged to the higher orders,
+while the machete at his side and the pistols in his belt appeared to
+indicate that he was in some way connected with the army.
+
+"I know what I want to do next," he was thinking. "My pony and my
+satchel are at the headquarters stables. I can get them whenever I want
+them. I must go to the Tassara place. I can find it. Then I must manage
+to put them there, so that I won't have to show myself at the
+headquarters unless I'm sent for."
+
+He had no difficulty in finding the Tassara homestead, and there was no
+observer anywhere near him when he stood in front of the dwelling which
+had been his first hospitable refuge in Mexico. It had now, of course, a
+lonely and shut-up look, and there was no getting in at the front door,
+for much knocking failed to bring a door-keeper. Giving that up,
+therefore, he made his way around to the rear, through the unoccupied
+stables.
+
+"There is hay enough here for my pony," he remarked, "but I had half
+expected that the house would be turned into quarters for troops."
+
+He may have overlooked the fact that the Tassaras were friends of
+General Morales, and that their house was under his protection. If it
+were supposed to be so, nevertheless, he had cause to forget it again
+when he came to the back door, for it stood wide open, with an
+appearance of having been unlocked with a hammer.
+
+"Hullo!" he exclaimed. "I wonder if there is anybody in there now?"
+
+The thought somehow made him draw his machete, and he went on into the
+house as if he were looking for a fight. The dining-room was entered
+first, and it was utterly empty. Not so much as a chair was left,
+although its owners had certainly not taken any furniture away with them
+in their hasty escape by night, with Ned and Zuroaga. It looked a little
+queer, to say the least, and, as he went on from room to room, he found
+precisely such a state of things everywhere else.
+
+"I declare!" said Ned. "Either their friends or some robbers have
+cleaned this place of all there was in it that was worth stealing. Not
+so much as a bed left. I'll go and take a look at my old room. It was a
+cubby-hole of a place, but it would do first-rate for me now."
+
+Perhaps it was so small and so out of the way that Ned had an agreeable
+surprise ready for him when he reached it, for there still hung his
+hammock, and nothing else in the room had been molested.
+
+"Hurrah!" he shouted. "I've looked into every other room in the house,
+and this is the only one they didn't finish. I guess I'll camp here
+to-night, after I've been out to get something to eat."
+
+It was true that he had orders for army rations, if he had known where
+to find them, but he was also able to purchase whatever he might need,
+and he preferred to do so. At the same time, he had a clear
+understanding that, if he expected to ever see the United States again,
+he had better not show a great deal of cash in the city of Vera Cruz
+just now.
+
+"There are plenty of fellows here," he remarked, "who would cut my
+throat for a silver dollar, let alone a gold piece."
+
+He sheathed his machete peaceably, and went out by the back door,
+determining to let as few people as possible suspect that the Tassara
+mansion contained a boarder,--or it was more nearly correct to say
+lodger. This was a wise decision to make, but he was not to hunt far for
+his supplies that evening. Hardly had he gone a hundred paces from the
+Tassara place before he was unceremoniously halted, and it was not by a
+lancer this time. Before him, blocking his way, stood a very fat and
+apparently much astonished woman.
+
+"Madre de Dios!" she loudly exclaimed. "Señor Carfora! Santa Maria!
+Santa Catarina! San Jago! Diablos! Where did you come from?"
+
+Ned had never before heard himself called by all those pet names, but he
+knew at a glance that this was no other than Anita, formerly the cook
+of Señora Tassara, and believed to be a devoted friend of the family.
+
+"Anita!" he exclaimed. "I'll tell you!" and he proceeded to do so, to
+her great gratification, for she was as hungry for news as he was for
+his rations.
+
+"You come to my house," she said, "and I will give you something fit to
+eat, and that is a good deal to say in Vera Cruz in these days. Santa
+Maria! How these ragged banditti do devour everything. We are to be
+devoured by the accursed gringos, too, and we must eat while we can."
+
+Her idea, as a good cook, appeared to be that, if several thousands of
+people were about to be shut up and starved to death, they ought all to
+feed themselves as liberally as possible before the actual process of
+starvation should begin. Ned felt a strong sympathy with that notion, as
+he walked along with her, and he was ready to tell her anything but the
+perilous truth concerning the lost battle at the north. As to that, it
+was quite enough to assure her and half a dozen other patriotic Mexican
+women, who were at her humble home when he went in, that the great and
+successful General Santa Anna was hastening to rescue them from the
+American barbarians who were at this hour getting ashore with a great
+deal of difficulty through the surf, which was wetting every uniform
+among them. If anything at all resembling a "norther" had been blowing,
+the landing would necessarily have been postponed until it had blown
+over. Among other things, however, Ned told Anita of his visit to the
+house, and when the very good supper was ended, she led him to a room
+which must have contained at least a third of all the space under her
+roof. It was anything but hollow space now, for it was heaped to the
+ceiling with furniture, beds, bedding, and a miscellaneous collection of
+other household goods.
+
+"There, Señor Carfora!" she said, exultingly. "The Puebla robbers did
+get some things, but we saved all these. They were not ready to carry
+off heavy stuff, and when they came again, with a cart, at night, it had
+all been cared for. The señora has not lost so much, after all."
+
+"You are a faithful woman!" said Ned, admiringly. "I'm glad, too, that
+they could not steal the house, for I want to sleep there."
+
+"It's the best place you can find," she told him. "But you had better
+always bar the door at night, and sleep with your machete and pistols
+where you can reach them."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+UNDER FIRE
+
+
+"Where am I?" exclaimed Ned, as his eyes came lazily open the next
+morning, and in a moment more they were open very widely.
+
+He knew the room he was in, and his thoughts came swiftly back to him.
+There hung his sheathed machete at the head of the hammock, and his
+pistols lay at his side. There was as yet only just enough light to see
+them by, but he sprang out and began to get ready for his first day in a
+besieged city. His satchel and pony, he remarked, would be safe enough
+at headquarters, and he could go after them whenever he might need them.
+
+"I'll go to Anita's for breakfast," he added. "I can pay her for it,
+too. Then I want to see the American fleet, if I can. Oh, but am I not
+glad that General Zuroaga gave me that old telescope? I've seen lots of
+mountains with it, and now I'll make it show me the ships and the army.
+Oh, my soul and body! I'm part of the garrison of Vera Cruz."
+
+That was stretching the facts of the case a little, but he certainly was
+serving under the wrong flag that morning. He felt queer and lonely in
+that empty, robber-haunted house, and he was glad to get out of it
+without being seen. Anita welcomed him enthusiastically, for he had
+brought to her and her neighbors the good news of the coming of Santa
+Anna's victorious army, and he was a young Mexican patriot for whom she
+was glad to cook a good breakfast for a fair price. After that was
+eaten, however, Ned's perplexities began, for the first Mexican officer
+whom he met, on leaving Anita's house, curtly demanded a look at his
+papers. He was altogether too well dressed a fellow to be allowed to
+pass by unnoticed. With almost a fainting heart, Ned produced the pass
+given him by the major at headquarters, but the next moment the brave
+soldier's arms were around him, and he was hugged as a true comrade who
+had ridden hard and far to bring good tidings.
+
+"I will show you the gates myself!" exclaimed the lieutenant, for such
+he was. "I shall be in command of a patrol that is going out toward
+Sacrificios for a look at the gringos. Come on with me."
+
+This was precisely what Ned was wishing for, and, as they hurried along,
+he was pumped for all the news he had and a good deal more. In fact, he
+found it a task of some difficulty to obey the stern commands of General
+Morales and still keep within the truth.
+
+A gate was reached and passed, the officer at the gate receiving a kind
+of pay in news, and then Ned drew a long breath, for he suddenly
+remembered that he had left the city, contrary to orders.
+
+"Never mind," he said to himself, "I'm inside the Mexican army lines."
+
+In a moment more, he had forgotten everything but his spy-glass, a
+pretty good one, for he and the squad of patrollers were at the summit
+of a low sand-hill, and there before them, only two miles away, the
+boats of the ships of war and the transport ships were coming and going
+through the surf with loads of American soldiers. With them, and on all
+the vessels in the offing, Ned saw something which had never before
+seemed to shine so splendidly, and it brought the hot blood fiercely
+from his heart to his cheeks, because he could not just then break out
+into a hurrah for the Stars and Stripes. The hurrah did get up into his
+throat, but there it had to stop, and it almost choked him. His prudence
+got the better of it, somehow, and his next thought was:
+
+"Oh, but won't they have a tough time getting their cannon ashore!"
+
+He was not so far wrong, for that was a problem which was troubling
+General Scott and his engineers, but there was one thing more which Ned
+did not so much as dream of. In one of those boats a tall man, who was
+not in uniform, was leaning forward and gazing earnestly at the shore.
+
+"Mexico!" he muttered. "Ned is in there somewhere. I must have a hunt
+for him as soon as I can. I wonder if I did right to ever let him go.
+Even after we take Vera Cruz, there will be a long campaign and any
+amount of hard fighting. O Ned, my son, where are you?"
+
+Ned was there, indeed, very near and yet very far, and he was wondering,
+as were many American officers and soldiers, why the Mexicans did not
+cannonade the invading army while it was coming ashore. They might have
+done so effectively, and in a day or two they did put a few guns in
+position to send an occasional shot, but all the harm they did was to
+kill one man.
+
+The patrol party had now performed its duty, and it marched back again,
+but in that morning adventure Ned had discovered that he was really free
+to come and go. Perhaps the Mexican commander had forgotten him in the
+pressure of his other affairs. Even when Ned went to the headquarters
+for his pony and baggage, he was treated by everybody as a young fellow
+of no importance whatever, and at dinnertime he was able to tell Anita
+all about the terrible ships and the swarms of invading gringos on the
+shore.
+
+That night the lonely room in the Tassara house was almost too lonely.
+Ned lay awake in his hammock through long hours, and was glad that he
+had two armies to think of, so that he might keep from listening for
+possible footsteps outside of his little chamber, or for an attempt by
+some marauder to force open his door. He had barred that, and he had
+fastened his window firmly, but he could not feel entirely secure, and
+he got up twice to go to the door and listen.
+
+Day after day went by from that time in very much the same manner, and
+Ned believed that he was learning a great deal about war, whether or not
+it would ever do him any good in business affairs after the war had
+come to an end. The entire American army, guns and all, reached the
+shore in safety, and all the while Santa Anna and his army were reported
+as coming, coming, but they did not come, and the hearts of the besieged
+garrison and the terror-stricken people began to die within them.
+
+"They will be too late now," thought Ned, but he did not dare to say as
+much to any of his Mexican friends.
+
+From time to time he had been out to ply his telescope upon the fleet
+and upon the army. He knew that all the American camps had been
+established beyond the reach of any guns in the city fortifications, and
+he had watched with intense interest the slow, sure processes of a
+regular siege, conducted by a rarely capable general. He had seen the
+erection of battery after battery, of which General Scott's artillerymen
+were as yet making hardly any apparent use. He did not quite understand
+that, in merely being there, more and more of them, those batteries were
+already capturing the city. They were sending so few shots at the walls,
+or even at the grim Castle of San Juan de Ulua, because the American
+general wished to take Vera Cruz without bloodshed, if he could, and he
+came very near to the accomplishment of his humane purpose.
+Undoubtedly, he would have succeeded in starving out the city, if he,
+too, had not received daily notice of the nearer approach of Santa Anna
+and all the forces which he could gather. Nobody but that general
+himself and his confidential officers knew how really few they were, or
+how unfit to assail the Americans in their fortified camps on the shore
+of the sea. So, a final day came when the surrender of Vera Cruz was
+formally demanded, under the awful penalty of a general bombardment by
+the American fleet and army in case of a refusal. Resistance, it was
+declared, was now hopeless, and there was no military necessity for
+killing anybody. General Morales sent back a positive rejection, for he
+still entertained a faint hope of the timely arrival of assistance, and
+he did not inform General Scott how sadly he had failed in all his
+attempts to obtain supplies for the inhabitants and his army. Famine was
+already beginning to threaten all of the poorer classes who had
+neglected their opportunities to leave the city, or who had been unable
+to do so. As for Ned Crawford's provisions, he had continued to board
+with Anita, or with any mess of military men among whom he might happen
+to be. He had made many acquaintances, and he had found the ragged,
+unpaid, illiterate Mexican soldiers a genuinely hospitable lot of
+patriotic fellows. He came to his supper somewhat late on the evening of
+March 21st, and that night, after going to care for his pony, he came
+back and slept on a blanket on the floor of Anita's kitchen. On the
+morning of the 22d, he had but just walked out into the street when
+suddenly all the air around him seemed to be full of thunder. Roar
+followed roar, and peal followed peal, and then he heard affrighted
+shrieks in all directions. The bombardment had begun!
+
+"O Madre de Dios!" moaned the voice of poor Anita behind him. "O Señor
+Carfora! We shall all be killed! What shall we do? Oh, the wicked
+gringos! What did they come here for? I never did them any harm."
+
+That was a terrible war question which was troubling Ned himself.
+Whatever might have been the evil doings of either of the two
+governments, or of all the scheming, ambitious politicians, the helpless
+people of Mexico were in no manner to blame. Why, then, he asked
+himself, should any of them, like Anita, for instance, be killed by
+cannon-shot or torn in pieces by bursting shells? He could not settle
+the matter in his mind just then, but he said to her, encouragingly:
+
+"Don't be so badly scared. Up here in this northern part of the town, we
+are as far away from the shooting as we could be. I'll go over to the
+southern side of the city and see what is going on. As soon as I find
+out, I'll come back and tell you."
+
+"Oh, do!" she said, "but do not get killed. Come back and get some
+dinner. I will cook you a real good one, if you will."
+
+That was something of a promise, for he knew that she was one of the
+prudent folk who had looked out for their supplies in time, but he
+walked away toward the southerly wall and the forts with a strong
+feeling that he must be in the middle of a kind of dreadful dream. He
+reached the line of antiquated and defective defences, which had been
+good enough long ago, but which were not constructed to resist modern
+artillery. Old as it might be, the wall was in the way of his intended
+sightseeing, but he saw a ladder leaning against the masonry, and up he
+went without asking permission of anybody. He was now standing upon the
+broad parapet, with his glass at his eye, and he was obtaining a
+first-rate view of the bombardment. On the land, stretching away to the
+west and south, were the long lines of the American batteries, within a
+not very long range of him, and from each of them at intervals the red
+sheets of fire burst forth, while over them the black clouds of powder
+smoke arose to be carried away by the brisk March wind that was blowing.
+Far away to his right, or seaward, all at anchor in the positions
+assigned them, lay the United States ships of war, of all kinds and
+sizes, and these, too, were getting at work, although they were as yet
+by no means putting forth their whole destructive power. It was as if
+they were but studying this siege business, getting the ranges
+correctly, and were preparing to do worse things than this in the days
+which were to come. Ned was gazing intently at a great 44-gun ship,
+which appeared to be sending her missiles at the castle, when a heavy
+shot from one of the batteries struck the wall within a few yards of
+him. It seemed to go deeply in, and the entire top of the parapet was
+torn away for a width of several feet. Ned hurried at once to get a good
+look down into the chasm, for it was the first time that he had seen
+anything of the kind.
+
+"I wonder if our shot are doing this kind of thing for their batteries
+yonder," he said aloud, in the Spanish which was now habitual with him,
+but at that moment a not unfriendly hand was laid upon his shoulder, and
+a quiet, firm voice said to him:
+
+"What are you doing here, Señor Carfora? You seem to have no fear."
+
+"General Morales!" exclaimed Ned, in astonishment. "No, your Excellency.
+I was not thinking of that, but of this big hole. I was wondering if the
+walls of the castle are not stronger than these. If they are not--"
+
+"They are much stronger, my brave fellow," interrupted the general. "I
+am going over now to see how they are standing it. The Americans are
+very accurate gunners. Now, sir, you must not expose yourself in this
+manner. You are not a soldier. Go back into the city!"
+
+"General," said Ned, pointing in the direction of the cathedral, "do,
+please, look! Some of their shot go over the wall and strike away
+inside. I am safer here than I would be in yonder. What I am afraid of
+is that a great many of the women and children may be killed. I think,
+sir, that you ought not to be here, either. You are the general."
+
+"My boy," said Morales, sadly, "I was thinking of the non-combatants
+myself. This firing of the Yankees at the city is hideous. But it is
+war, and it cannot be helped. Ah, me! Feeling as I do this morning, I
+would ask nothing better than that one of these accursed shot or shell
+should come for me. I would a hundred times rather die than be compelled
+to surrender Vera Cruz."
+
+He again motioned Ned toward the ladder, and no disobedience was
+possible. He himself followed, for his solitary reconnoissance was
+ended, and he had been practically assured that his walls were of small
+value against heavy siege-guns. When he reached the ground, several
+subordinate officers came to join him, and Ned heard him say to them:
+
+"That reckless young scamp, Carfora, has the nerves of an old soldier.
+He will make a good one by and by. We need more like him, for some of
+our artillerymen left their guns under the American fire."
+
+There was never any lack of courage among men of his kind, a Spaniard
+descended from the old conquistadors, while some of the officers around
+him were Indians fit to have led their tribes for Montezuma against the
+men of Hernando Cortes.
+
+As Ned walked homeward, he halted several times to tell some of his
+army acquaintances what he had seen from the wall, and how he had talked
+about it with General Morales. No doubt they esteemed him more highly
+than ever for his patriotism and high social standing, but he spoke also
+of the danger to the people, and they were sure that his heart was with
+them. Truth to tell, so it was, for the bombardment shortly became to
+him more horrible than ever. Something he could not see passed over his
+head, with a hiss that was almost like a human screech. Then followed a
+loud explosion, and there before him, on the bloody pavement, he saw the
+mangled corpses of a Mexican mother and two small children, who had been
+killed while they were hurrying away to a place of safety.
+
+"Oh, the poor things!" sobbed Ned, as he burst out into tears. "What had
+they to do with the war!"
+
+He could not bear to take a second look at them, and he hurried on, but
+when he reached the house he did not say anything about them to Anita.
+He told her about the batteries and the ships, and about the brave
+general on the parapet, and then she and her friends who were with her
+went away back into the kitchen, to be as safe as possible from flying
+shot and shell. It was not, they appeared to think, at all likely that
+any wicked gringo gunner would take aim at that kitchen.
+
+As for Ned, he had only come in to go out again, for keeping indoors,
+with all that cannonading going on, was altogether out of the question.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+GENERAL SCOTT AND HIS ARMY
+
+
+"There they come! They are going to march right in! But what I want,
+most of all, is to see the general himself. There he is!"
+
+Telescope in hand, Ned Crawford was standing on the parapet, near one of
+the southerly gates of Vera Cruz, watching the triumphant entrance of
+the American army. He could hardly have told whether he was more glad to
+see them come, or because the siege and the bombardment were over. He
+was already familiar with the various troops of Mexico, and he knew that
+some of them, but not many, could perform their military evolutions in
+pretty good style. The one thing which struck him most forcibly now,
+however, as his glass was aimed here and there over the approaching
+columns and lines, was that at no point was there a flaw or a defect in
+the orderly movements of the American soldiers. With admirable drill
+and under perfect management, they swung forward across the broad level
+between their earthwork batteries and the badly shattered wall of the
+captured city. Compared with them, the garrison which had surrendered
+was, for the greater part, only a little better than an ill-provided,
+half-armed, undisciplined mob. Wealth, arms, civilization, scientific
+generalship, had all been on the side of the great republic of the
+North, and there had been no doubt, from the beginning, as to what the
+result must be. The one important seaport of Mexico, with all its
+foreign commerce, was now under the control of the United States, and
+could not be taken from them.
+
+Ned saw one of the advancing lines melt beautifully into the shape of a
+long column, and file through the gate near him. Then followed a section
+of field artillery and a small detachment of cavalry. All these were to
+be admired, of course, but his eyes watched them only for a moment, for
+just behind the horsemen came an exceedingly brilliant cavalcade, in
+front of which rode the remarkable man whom Ned was most anxious to see.
+
+Beyond a doubt, General Winfield Scott had many severe critics and not a
+few personal enemies. By these, he was said to be arrogant, blunt in
+manners, opinionated, and also a military martinet with terribly
+unvolunteer ideas relating to the rigid discipline required for success
+in war. He had seen, however, a deal of hard service in the war of 1812
+and otherwise, and his military record was without a flaw. There were
+good judges, both in America and Europe, who believed and declared that
+for the management of a difficult campaign he had no superior among the
+generals then living. He was now actually called upon to prove that he
+could perform apparent impossibilities under very trying circumstances
+and with somewhat limited resources. Physically, he was a large,
+fine-looking man, and he was even excessively particular concerning the
+fit and elegance of his parade uniform. He was therefore looking his
+best when he rode in to take possession of Vera Cruz.
+
+Ned went down a ladder as soon as he could, after breathlessly staring
+at the great commander, but he did not succeed in witnessing the
+formalities of the surrender, whatever they were. The crowds in his way
+were too much for him, but not long after General Scott and his staff
+disappeared through the portal of the building which had been the
+headquarters of poor General Morales, Ned worked his way through a
+throng of downcast Mexicans toward a young officer who appeared to be in
+command of about a half company of infantry. From the excitement of the
+moment and from a good many months of daily custom, he spoke to the
+lieutenant in Mexican Spanish, in a recklessly eager manner and without
+touching his hat.
+
+"What on earth do you want?" was the curt and gruff reply. "I'm only
+Lieutenant Grant. You'll have to see somebody else, whatever it is. You
+had better go and speak to one of the staff."
+
+If Ned had really been a young Mexican, speaking no tongue but his own,
+he might not have understood that perfectly. As it was, however, he at
+once broke out with energy into a language to which he had for some time
+been unaccustomed. Even now, nevertheless, he forgot to touch his hat.
+
+"Well, Mr. Grant," he said, "I've been all over the country. I've been
+in the city of Mexico and among their troops, and I believe I know a lot
+of things that I ought to report to General Scott, or somebody."
+
+It was a patriotic idea which had been growing in his mind all that
+morning, and it had driven out of him every ounce of bashfulness.
+
+"You have, have you?" said Grant. "I declare. Seems to me you speak
+English pretty well for a greaser--almost like a born American. I guess
+the general's willing to hear almost anything. But you will have to see
+some member of the staff. Hullo! I say! Captain Lee! Here's a kind of
+spy. I think you'd better hear him. I can't leave my post."
+
+"Spy?" exclaimed Ned. "No, I'm not any such thing, but my name is Edward
+Crawford, and I'm from New York. I got stuck in Mexico and I couldn't
+get out. I've been all around everywhere. Things are mixed--"
+
+"Grant," said Captain Lee, "he may have something worth while. I'll take
+him in to see Schuyler Hamilton. Let the captain pump him."
+
+Captain Robert E. Lee was not exactly off duty at that hour, for he and
+other engineer officers had been ordered to make a survey of the
+fortifications, but he was there to receive instructions and he could
+take Ned in with him. He was a taller, handsomer fellow than Grant, and
+he was all of three times as polite in his treatment of Ned. Perhaps,
+however, Grant's first manners had been damaged by being addressed in
+such a style, in Spanish, by an excited young Mexican.
+
+In went Ned and Lee, and there was no difficulty in obtaining an
+interview with Captain Hamilton. Ned had never heard of him before, but
+he was now aware, from Captain Lee, that he was a descendant of General
+Philip Schuyler and General Alexander Hamilton of the Revolutionary War.
+Ned thought of Señora Tassara's great ancestors for a moment, and then
+he did not really care a cent for pedigree. He even startled Hamilton
+himself by the energy and rapidity with which he told what he knew of
+the condition of things throughout the country, the movements of Santa
+Anna, and the political plots and conspiracies. Hamilton was a slender,
+graceful young man, handsomer than even Lee, and with piercing black
+eyes.
+
+"Lee," he said, "the cub is a genuine curiosity. I can't imagine how on
+earth he learned so much. He isn't a fool, by any means. General Scott
+will be at liberty in a few minutes, and Crawford must see him."
+
+"All right," said Lee. "I have my instructions now, and I'll leave him
+with you. They say the old castle's badly knocked in pieces."
+
+If, as Lee intimated, the fortress of San Juan de Ulua was just then in
+bad condition, so was Ned when he heard what they were going to do with
+him. He had supposed that his errand had been completely done to the
+sharp-eyed staff officer, but now they threatened to bring him before
+the general, whom he considered the most tremendous man on the earth. It
+was a little too much, but he drew a long breath and stood as straight
+as a ramrod, looking very red indeed. In three minutes more he was
+brought face to face with the commander-in-chief of the armies of the
+United States, and he felt as if he had been surrounded and compelled to
+surrender. Captain Hamilton reported the matter in the fewest words
+possible, but all the while the general had been watching Ned, looking
+right through him, and in a moment Ned found himself feeling perfectly
+easy. If General Scott had been his uncle, he could not have spoken to
+him in a kinder or more carelessly familiar way. He questioned him about
+all his experiences, and an acute listener might have gathered that he
+paid more attention to Ned's political information than to anything of
+a strictly military nature.
+
+"Hamilton," he slowly remarked, at last, "General Taylor did an
+exceedingly good thing for us down here, after all. The battle of Buena
+Vista was our own battle. Santa Anna will not be able to raise another
+army like the one that was so roughly handled up there. If it had been
+here, in good shape, we would have had ten times as much trouble in
+taking Vera Cruz. Santa Anna's power is already half broken."
+
+"Perhaps a little more," suggested Hamilton.
+
+"Perhaps," said the general, "but our patriotic young friend here has
+made a valuable report. Ah, McClellan! You and Beauregard are to make
+the inspection of the castle with Captain Lee. Take Crawford back to
+Grant, as you go. He may serve with the Seventh as an unenlisted man.
+Let him have his orders, Hamilton. He is a brave fellow."
+
+Out went Ned with a pair of as yet undistinguished officers, both of
+whom were to be heard of again in after time, and it did not occur to
+the very much elated "scout," as he now considered himself, to correct
+General Scott's apparent idea that Lieutenant Ulysses S. Grant was a
+particular friend and guardian of his.
+
+"Now, if this isn't bully!" he thought. "I've been on the Mexican side
+all the while till now. I've been kind of part of the garrison of Vera
+Cruz, but I've been praised by General Scott, for all that. I wonder
+what our folks at home would say to it!"
+
+It was a grand thing to think of, and Ned felt as proud as if he had
+been promoted for storming an enemy's entrenchments.
+
+There was another experience of an entirely unexpected character just
+before him, however. Hardly had McClellan and Beauregard turned him over
+to Grant, and while the latter was inspecting the order written by
+Captain Hamilton, Ned was suddenly shaken from head to foot. Not that
+anybody, Mexican or American, was actually handling him roughly, but
+that a hoarse, eager voice at his right ear exclaimed:
+
+"Edward! My son! Is this you? Are you a prisoner?"
+
+"No, Mister," responded Grant, before Ned could gather his wits to utter
+a word. "He isn't a prisoner, but I'm ordered to stick him into the
+outside of the Seventh somewhere. Is he your son?"
+
+"He is, lieutenant," said Mr. Crawford. "And, oh, how glad I am!"
+
+"Father!" Ned had shouted, as a pair of strong arms went around him.
+"How did you happen to be here?"
+
+"I came on one of our own supply-ships," said Mr. Crawford. "I'll tell
+you all about it by and by. I had all but given up hearing anything of
+you, and we sail for New York to-morrow. Lieutenant, I haven't seen him
+for more'n a year. I want a good long talk."
+
+"Of course you do!" said Grant, heartily. "Take him along, and let him
+report at the camp of the Seventh to-morrow morning. You may go now, my
+young greaser, but you'd better get on another rig than that before you
+come."
+
+"He will do that," said Mr. Crawford. "Come along, Ned. Let's go where
+we can be by ourselves. I want to hear your whole yarn, from beginning
+to end, and I've all sorts of things to tell you."
+
+"Father," said Ned, "I know just the place. We'll go and get supper at
+old Anita's, and we can talk all the way. Hurrah! How's mother?"
+
+All the most important home news followed quickly after that, and Ned
+felt that the capture of Vera Cruz was more important than ever.
+
+"I am going to let you stay here, though," said his father. "You can
+learn more than in any other way that I know of."
+
+"That's what I want," said Ned. "And now I shall be in our army."
+
+The father and son were not walking very fast, but they could talk
+rapidly, and they had a great many things to say. They had some things
+to see, as well, for everywhere, as they went, they encountered
+detachments of United States soldiers patrolling the city, restoring
+order and setting things to rights. That they were doing so appeared to
+be a tremendous surprise to large numbers of the inhabitants, who had
+almost been expecting to be ruthlessly plundered, if not murdered
+outright, by these cruel barbarians from the awful republic of the
+North. Not all of them were panic-stricken in this way, however, for
+when the house of old Anita was reached, she was standing in the
+doorway, and she greeted them loudly with:
+
+"O Señor Carfora! I knew all the while that you were a gringo. I am so
+glad that we have surrendered! Santa Maria Gloriosa! Praise all the
+saints! We shall have no more cannonading! We shall have plenty to eat!"
+
+"That is just what we want, Anita," replied Ned. "This is my father. He
+has come to see me, and you must give him some dinner. Then I will tell
+you all about General Scott and the American soldiers."
+
+She had neighbors with her, as usual, and some of them had become
+accustomed to regarding Ned as a kind of newsboy. They were now also
+prepared to thank a large number of religious personages that he was a
+genuine gringo, and on good terms with the conquering invaders, who were
+henceforth to have the control of affairs in Vera Cruz.
+
+It was late that night when Ned said good-by to his father, and it was
+like pulling teeth to let him go, but there was no help for it, as the
+sailing of the supply-ship could not be delayed. Ned was once more alone
+in Mexico, and it took all his enthusiasm for his expected army life to
+reconcile him to the situation. Perhaps there was not a great deal of
+sound sleeping done, in the hammock that swung in the little room in the
+Tassara mansion, but at an early hour next morning he was on his way to
+hunt up the camp of the Seventh Infantry and the tent of Lieutenant
+Grant. This was accomplished without much difficulty, and almost
+immediately Ned made a discovery. His probable coming had, of course,
+been reported to the colonel commanding the regiment, and that
+officer's common-sense remark was:
+
+"Unenlisted orderly, eh? Yankee boy that can speak Spanish, and that
+knows every corner of this miserable city? Just what we want. I'm glad
+old Fuss and Feathers sent him to us. He is the greatest general in the
+world. Send your scout right here to me. I've errands for him."
+
+Therefore, the next chapter in Ned's Mexican experiences was that he
+found himself sent out, soldierlike, upon a long list of duties, for
+which he was peculiarly well prepared by knowing where to find streets
+and houses which were as yet unknown to the rank and file of the gallant
+Seventh. The men, on their part, soon came to regard him as a soldier
+boy, like themselves, and he had a fine opportunity for learning, from
+day to day, the processes by which General Scott was organizing his
+force for his intended march across the sierra, on the road he had
+selected for reaching the city of Mexico. It was soon to be plainly
+understood that, whenever that army should march, it would do so as a
+sort of human machine, ready to perform any military work which its
+commander might require of it.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+THE MOUNTAIN PASSES
+
+
+"Grant," said Captain Lee, "what did Crawford say to you about that
+Cerro Gordo road? I want to know all I can."
+
+"Well, Captain Lee," replied Grant, "here he is, to speak for himself.
+He says he came down that trail in midwinter. He studied it, too,
+because his friend, General Zuroaga, told him it was built by a Spanish
+fellow by the name of Cortes."
+
+"Good!" said Lee. "Seems to me I've heard of him somewhere, but who is
+Zuroaga? Tell me about him, Crawford. Does he know anything?"
+
+By this time, Ned had become pretty well acquainted with Lee and a
+number of other officers, and with their free, open-hearted way of
+dealing with each other. He could tell, therefore, without any restraint
+or bashfulness, all that was necessary concerning his distinguished
+Mexican friend and benefactor.
+
+"I see," said the captain. "He is one of their many revolutions. All
+right. But I wish old man Cortes hadn't left his road so narrow and
+steep as they say it is. Tell me all you saw, Crawford. I have other
+accounts, but I want yours. Look at this map and answer my questions."
+
+He held in his hand what purported to be a very rough sketch of the
+highway from the city of Jalapa to the city of Mexico. It also pretended
+to give a fair idea of the section of that road which crossed the
+mountain spur known as Cerro Gordo.
+
+"From there to there," said Lee, "how is it?"
+
+"Crooked as a rail fence," replied Ned. "It isn't like that at all. It's
+a zigzag, with rocks on one side and ravines on the other."
+
+"Just as I supposed," said Lee. "Now, mark the zigzags on this other
+paper, as well as you can remember them."
+
+They were sitting in Grant's tent, in the camp of the Seventh Regiment,
+and the entire advance-guard of the army was encamped in like manner,
+waiting for orders from General Scott to climb the mountains before
+them. Ned took the crayon handed him, and he really appeared to do
+pretty well with it, but he explained that the rough weather and the
+condition of his pony had compelled him to dismount and come part of
+the way down the mountain on foot, so that he had more time for making
+observations.
+
+"If they put cannon on a breastwork on that road," he said, "they can
+blow anything in front of them all to pieces."
+
+"Grant," said Lee, "that's just what they can do. Santa Anna has posted
+his artillery at Crawford's zigzags, and that Cerro Gordo position
+cannot be carried in front. It is perfectly unassailable."
+
+"What on earth are we to do, then?" said Grant. "Our only road to Mexico
+seems to be shut and bolted."
+
+"I don't know about that," said Lee. "There are others, if we chose to
+try them. But the general has ordered me, with an engineer party, to go
+out and find if there is not some way for getting around Santa Anna's
+obstructions. I want you to let Crawford go with me."
+
+"O Lieutenant Grant!" eagerly exclaimed Ned, "General Zuroaga told me
+there was another place as good for a road as that is."
+
+"Go along, of course," said Grant. "I'd give a month's pay to go with
+you. Anything but this sleepy camp."
+
+Ned was ready in a minute, but he found that he was not expected to
+carry with him any other weapon than his machete.
+
+"Take that," said Captain Lee. "It will do to cut bushes with. I believe
+I'll carry one myself. We shall have a few riflemen, but we must be
+careful not to do any firing. We must scout like so many red Indians."
+
+Ned had formerly been on the wrong side of the army lines. During all
+the long months of what he sometimes thought of as his captivity among
+the Mexicans, he had been occasionally worried by a feeling of disgrace.
+He had felt it worst when he was a member of the garrison of Vera Cruz,
+and on such remarkably good terms with the rest of the garrison and its
+commander. So he had been exceedingly rejoiced when General Scott
+battered down his walls and compelled him to surrender. It had been a
+grand restoration of his self-respect when he found himself running
+errands for the officers of the Seventh, but now he suddenly felt that
+he had shot up into full-grown manhood, for, with a bush-cutting sword
+at his side, he was to accompany one of the best officers in the
+American army upon an expedition of great importance and much danger.
+
+It was still early in the day when Captain Lee's party, all on foot,
+passed through the outer lines of the American advance, at the base of
+the mountain. All of them were young men, as yet without any military
+fame, and there was no one there who could tell them that their little
+band of roadhunters contained one commander-in-chief and one
+lieutenant-general of the armies of the Southern Confederacy, and one
+commander-in-chief and four major-generals, or corps commanders, of the
+armies of the United States. It was not by such subordinates as these
+that General Santa Anna was assisted in his engineering or other
+military operations. That day, however, and for a few days more, he felt
+perfectly sure of his really well-chosen position among the rocks and
+chasms of the Cerro Gordo.
+
+The engineering party was well aware that its movements might possibly
+be observed from the heights beyond, as long as it remained in the open,
+therefore it wheeled out into the fields as it went onward, and was soon
+lost to view among woodlands.
+
+"Now, Crawford," said Captain Lee, "recall and tell me, as well as you
+can, all that Zuroaga told you about his proposed new road."
+
+Ned proceeded to do so, but, at the end of his recollections, he added:
+
+"Well, the general said it would cost a pot of money to do it, now, and
+that Cortes had no gunpowder to throw away. He could not have done any
+rock-blasting."
+
+"Our difficulty about that is as bad as his was," replied the captain.
+"We can have all the gunpowder we need, but we can't use any of it, for
+fear of letting his Excellency, General Santa Anna, know what we are up
+to. As for the cost of a new road, there is no government in Mexico that
+will think of undertaking it. It would cost as much, almost, as a
+brand-new revolution."
+
+There was a great deal of hard work done after that, searching,
+climbing, and bush-cutting, and Ned wondered at the ready decisions made
+here and there, by the engineers. It seemed to him, too, that Captain
+Lee and other officers paid a great deal of deference to a young
+lieutenant by the name of McClellan. A small force of riflemen was with
+them and a party of sappers and miners, but there had not been a sign of
+military opposition to the work which they were trying to do.
+Nevertheless, it began to dawn upon Ned's mind that sometimes picks and
+spades and crowbars may be as important war weapons as even cannon. That
+is, there may be circumstances in which guns of any kind are of little
+use until after the other tools have been made to clear the way for
+them.
+
+Night came, and the entire reconnoitring party camped among the cliffs
+of Cerro Gordo, but at about the middle of the next forenoon all the
+officers gathered for a kind of council. They were not yet ready to send
+in a full and final report, but they had formed important conclusions,
+and at the end of the council Ned was called for.
+
+"Crawford," said Captain Lee, "take that despatch to Captain Schuyler
+Hamilton, or whoever else is on duty at General Scott's headquarters. In
+my opinion, this Zuroaga road will do, after we shall have made it, and
+we can climb around into the rear of the Mexican army. If so, all their
+batteries in the old road are but so many cannon thrown away."
+
+Ned's heart gave a great thump of pride as he took that carefully folded
+and sealed up paper. To carry it was a tremendous honor, and he was not
+half sure that it did not make him, for the time being, a regular member
+of General Scott's corps of military engineers. He hastened back to the
+Jalapa highway, and the first advanced post that he came to furnished
+him with a pony. Then he galloped on to the camps and to the general's
+headquarters, as if he had been undergoing no fatigue whatever. He
+seemed to himself, however, to have seen hardly anything or anybody
+until he stood before Captain Hamilton, and held out that vitally
+important despatch. Even then he did not quite understand that it was
+almost as important as had been the surrender of Vera Cruz. But for that
+surrender, the American expedition would have been stopped at the
+seashore. But for this feat of the engineers, it would have been
+disastrously halted at the foot of the Cerro Gordo pass. One minute
+later, Ned's heart jumped again, for he heard the deep voice of the
+general himself commanding:
+
+"Hamilton, bring Crawford in. He seems to know something."
+
+Whether he did or not, he could answer questions quite bravely, and he
+could tell a great many things which had not been set forth in the brief
+report of the engineers. Probably they had not felt ready to say or
+assert too much until they had done and learned more, but Ned was under
+no such restriction, and he thoroughly believed in what he still
+regarded as General Zuroaga's road. That is, if somebody like Cortes,
+for instance, could and would afford the necessary amount of gunpowder
+to blast away the rocks which he had seen were in the way.
+
+"That will do," said the general, at last. "You may go, Crawford.
+Captain Hamilton, we have beaten Santa Anna!"
+
+There may have been a slightly arrogant sound in that confident
+assertion, but it was altogether in accord with the positive and
+self-reliant character of General Winfield Scott. He had unbounded faith
+in his own mental resources, and, at the same time, he had perfect
+confidence in the men and officers of his army. It was, therefore, less
+to be wondered at that they on their part entertained an almost absurd
+respect for their martinet commander.
+
+Orders went out immediately for putting all the force which could be
+employed upon the construction of the mountain road. Much of the work
+would have to be performed at night, to keep it secret, and the
+Mexicans, behind their impassable entrenchments on the old Cerro Gordo
+pass, had no idea of the hidden plans of their enemies. Santa Anna
+himself may have believed that his antagonist had given up the hope of
+ever reaching the city of Mexico by that route. The new one, by which he
+did intend to reach it, grew rapidly to completion, and Ned Crawford
+obtained from his friend Grant repeated permissions to go and see if
+Captain Lee wanted him, and then to come back and report progress to his
+own camp.
+
+"Lieutenant Grant's a man that hardly ever says anything," said Ned to
+himself, "but he's a prime good fellow, and I like him. He says he isn't
+much of an engineer, though, and he couldn't build that road."
+
+Such a road it was, too, with bridges over chasms, where the builders
+had to climb up and down like so many cats. Even after it was said to be
+complete, it was fit for men only, for not even the most sure-footed
+mule could have passed over it. It was finished on the 17th of April,
+and on the following day General Scott issued his orders for all the
+various parts of the coming battle of Cerro Gordo. Strong bodies of
+infantry were to engage the Mexican front, and keep Santa Anna's army
+occupied, while the engineers piloted another and stronger column to the
+real war business of the day. Ned had managed to get himself tangled up
+with this climbing force, if only to see what use was to be made of his
+and Zuroaga's new road. The morning came, and even before the sun was up
+some of the troops were moving.
+
+"I guess it'll be an all-day's job," thought Ned, as he and one of the
+engineer officers reached the first steep declivity. "Hullo! they are
+unhitching those artillery horses. What's that for?"
+
+He was soon to know, for strong men took the places of the animals, and
+the guns were hauled up and over the mountain by human hands. It was
+severe work, but it was done with eager enthusiasm, and a few hours
+later Ned was able to shout:
+
+"Hurrah! Here we are, right in behind them. Hurrah for General Scott!"
+
+Anything else that he might have felt like saying was drowned in the
+wild cheering which arose from thousands of soldiers, for there was no
+longer any need for silence or secrecy. That part of the Mexican army
+which had been posted beyond the head of the pass was taken utterly by
+surprise. Its commanders were for the moment unable to imagine whence
+had come this numerous body of United States infantry, which appeared so
+suddenly upon their unprotected flank. They therefore retreated, and the
+Mexican army was cut in two, so that all of it which had been stationed
+in the pass itself was caught as in a trap, and compelled to surrender.
+These trapped prisoners were about three thousand in number, and Ned
+kindly remarked concerning them:
+
+"Oh, but ain't I glad we didn't have to kill 'em! We didn't catch old
+Santa Anna himself, though. They say the Mexicans made him President for
+the battle of Angostura. I guess they wouldn't have done it if they had
+waited till now."
+
+Whether or not he was correct in that calculation, the road to the city
+of Mexico seemed now to be open, unless the unfortunate republic could
+provide its President with another army. As for the American commander,
+his troops had more faith in him than ever, and with better reasons for
+it. It was afterward said that General Scott's written orders for the
+battle of Cerro Gordo, and for others which followed, would answer very
+well for full reports of them after they were won.
+
+The whole American army, except the garrison of Vera Cruz and small
+parties posted here and there along the road, had now escaped from the
+_tierra caliente_ and the yellow fever. Immediately after the battle of
+Cerro Gordo, it marched on to the old city of Jalapa, among the
+mountains, where its quarters were cool and comfortable. Not many miles
+beyond Jalapa begins the great central tableland of Anahuac, and it was
+needful that the road leading into it should be taken possession of
+before the remnant of Santa Anna's army should rally and construct
+barriers at positions from which it might prove difficult to drive them.
+
+"If they do," thought Ned, when he heard that matter under discussion by
+the soldiers, "I hope General Scott'll send for me and the other
+engineers. I'd like to trap some more prisoners."
+
+He was not to have any such chance as that, but he was not to be idle
+altogether,--he and his engineers and his army. The division to which he
+and the Seventh Regiment belonged, under the command of General Worth,
+was shortly ordered on in the advance, to take and hold a strong
+position, known as the town and castle of Perote, and here there was
+indeed a long delay which was not engineered by the military forces of
+Mexico. The politicians and particularly the Congress of the United
+States had interfered very effectively on behalf of President Santa
+Anna. They had spent so much time in debates upon the legislation
+required for the gathering of fresh troops that the terms of enlistment
+of about half of the soldiers under Scott were expiring. It was of no
+use for him to move forward with a steadily vanishing army, and he was
+compelled to wait for months at and about Perote, until the new men
+could arrive and take the places of those who were going home.
+
+"I guess I won't enlist," thought Ned, as that idea came again and again
+into his mind. "Neither mother nor father would wish me to do so. But
+I'm getting to be an old soldier, after all, and I won't leave the
+Seventh till it gets into the city of Mexico."
+
+Whether it ever was to accomplish that feat was only to be determined by
+hard fighting, and there came a day, the 7th of August, 1847, when the
+division of General Worth, then encamped at Puebla, received orders to
+go forward. The entire army was to move, and General Scott had about as
+many soldiers with him as when he had landed at Vera Cruz in the spring.
+
+"Hurrah for the city!" shouted Ned, when the news reached him. "I want
+to make a morning call at the Paez house."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+SEÑOR CARFORA TRAPPED
+
+
+"I never saw anything finer than this," said Ned, aloud, as he slowly
+turned his telescope from one point to another. "It is the old
+battle-ground of Cortes, when he and his Spaniards and Tlascalans took
+the city of Mexico. It was called Tenochtitlan, then."
+
+He was standing upon a granite ledge, on the slope of the mountains
+south of the city, and below him the nearest objects of interest were
+the white tents of the American army, encamped there while negotiations
+for peace were going forward between the United States government and
+Santa Anna. These were not progressing well, for the invaders were
+demanding more than any Mexican government could be ready to grant. Not
+only was Texas itself demanded, but with it also all the vast
+Territories of California, New Mexico, and Arizona.
+
+"Here we are," said Ned again, "but it has taken us two weeks of awful
+fighting to get here. There isn't any use in disputing the pluck of the
+Mexicans. Away yonder is Churubusco, and over there is Contreras. Didn't
+they fight us there! General Scott and his engineers laid out the
+battles, but I was with the Seventh everywhere it went. I'll have loads
+of yarns to spin when I get home, if I ever do."
+
+Battle after battle had been fought, and the Americans had paid dearly
+for the long delay in the arrival of their reinforcements. All that time
+had been employed by the Mexican President, with really splendid energy,
+in raising a new army and in fortifying the approaches to the city. It
+was almost pitiful to see with what patriotism and self-sacrifice the
+Mexican people rallied for their last hopeless struggle with superior
+power. It was not, however, that they were to contend with superior
+numbers, for the forces under Santa Anna were at least three times those
+under General Scott. The difference was that the latter was a perfect
+army led by a great general, while the former were not an army at all
+and had very few capable officers.
+
+Ned had apparently gazed long enough, and he now made his way down the
+rugged slope. He did not halt until he reached the door of his own
+tent, and there he was met by his friend and supervisor somewhat tartly.
+
+"Well! You are back, at last, are you? I didn't know but what you'd run
+away. You may come along with me to-night. You may try and see your
+friends. The provision train I am to take in will get out again about
+daylight. You may stay there one day, and come away with a train that
+will run in to-morrow night, but you'd better wear your Mexican rig, if
+you don't mean to have your throat cut."
+
+"All right, sir," said Ned. "I'll run the risk."
+
+"I might not let you," said Grant, "if you were an enlisted man, but you
+may learn something of value to them and to us, too. Get ready!"
+
+The fact was that Ned and his army, commanded for him by General Scott,
+were in a somewhat peculiar position. An armistice had been declared
+while the negotiations were going on, and while, at the same time, the
+power of Santa Anna was crumbling to pieces under him. It had been
+agreed, on both sides, that all military operations should temporarily
+cease, and that American army-trains of wagons might come into the
+city, with armed escorts, to obtain supplies. After some unpleasant
+experiences with the angry mob of the city, it had been deemed best that
+the trains should come and go in the night, when the unruly Mexican
+soldiers were in their quarters, and the too patriotic citizens were in
+their beds. Ned had several times asked permission to accompany a train,
+and it had been refused, but it was now explained that this train would
+like to have one more man with it who could talk Spanish. When, however,
+an hour or so later, he reported for duty, Lieutenant Grant remarked to
+him:
+
+"Well, yes, you can talk it and you can look it, but you can't walk it.
+Don't step off so lively, if you mean to pass for a Mexican."
+
+"Hold on, Grant," said another officer, standing near them. "Don't you
+think the Mexicans have been lively enough since we left Perote? I've
+had to step around a good deal myself on their account."
+
+"Just so," said Grant. "But that's while they're fighting. When they're
+at anything like work, though, it's a different kind of movement. Don't
+walk fast, Ned, or they'll shoot you for a gringo."
+
+It was nearly midnight when the supply-train, commanded by Lieutenant
+Grant, entered the city, and an hour was consumed in obtaining the
+supplies and getting them into the wagons, for not a pound of anything
+had been made ready for delivery. No true-hearted Mexican really wished
+to sell provisions to the enemies of his country.
+
+"Lieutenant, may I go now?" asked Ned, as the last wagon prepared to
+move away. "There isn't a patrol in sight, and the Paez place is within
+a few squares from this."
+
+Grant replied only by a wave of the hand, for at that moment he had
+become engaged in a sharp controversy with the one Mexican officer who
+was present on duty for his own side. He had been fairly polite, but he
+had not pretended to be pleased to see gringos in Mexico. Therefore, it
+was almost without express permission that Ned slipped away from his
+train and his escort upon his exceedingly perilous errand.
+
+The streets were dark and deserted, for the heavy-hearted people had
+nothing to call them out of their houses at that hour. Nevertheless, Ned
+was feverishly on the alert, and, almost without his knowing it, his
+machete had jumped out of its sheath, ready for whatever might turn up.
+
+"Halt!" suddenly came from a deep voice at his right, as he stealthily
+turned a street corner, and a tall form stepped out of the near shadows
+to stand in front of him.
+
+Ned saw the long, bright blade of a lance pointed at his bosom, and
+there seemed but one thing left for him to do. The holder of the lance
+was beyond his reach, even if he had wished to strike him, but the lance
+itself was not. All the strength he had in him seemed to go into the
+sudden blow with which he severed the wooden shaft, an inch or so behind
+its fitting of sharp steel.
+
+"Diablos!" exclaimed the astonished Mexican, as he struck back a heavy
+blow with the cudgel which remained in his hand.
+
+Ned parried as well as he could with his machete, but there was some
+force left in the stick when it reached his head, and down he went. He
+had made a discovery at that very moment, however.
+
+"Pablo!" he exclaimed, just as a second Mexican sprang toward him with a
+long knife in his hand.
+
+"Señor Carfora!" loudly responded Pablo. "Hold back your knife, Manuelo!
+It is one of our own men. O Santos! My lance! I have no other weapon. I
+told them it was of the soft wood. How are you here, señor?"
+
+[Illustration: NED SAW A LONG, BRIGHT BLADE OF A LANCE POINTED AT HIS
+BOSOM]
+
+"To see Señora Paez and General Zuroaga," said Ned. "Is he in the city?"
+
+"Hush! Be careful, Señor Carfora!" said Pablo, as Manuelo almost
+reluctantly sheathed his too ready long knife. "We were waiting here for
+him. He has been to the palace, to meet General Bravo. Our regiment has
+already joined the army, but he is not yet sure about Santa Anna and
+some other men. It is a dark time, señor!"
+
+"Now, Pablo," said Ned, "there isn't much to tell about me. I was
+captured when Vera Cruz surrendered. I was with General Morales. I got
+in to-night, and I have a great deal to say to the general and Señora
+Paez and the Tassaras."
+
+"Zuroaga is here now," said a low, cautiously speaking voice behind him.
+"Put up your sword, Carfora, and come along with me. I want to see you
+more than you do me. I must know the latest news from General Scott's
+army. Pablo, it was of no use. Santa Anna would make no terms with me,
+but his day is nearly over. Bravo's government has rejected the treaty
+offered by the United States, and we are to fight it out to the bitter
+end. The gates have been shut, and there will be no more sending out of
+supplies. I think the war will begin again to-morrow."
+
+"Oh, dear me!" thought Ned. "There goes all my chance for getting out
+again until after our army has captured the city. How my head does
+ache!"
+
+The rap from Pablo's lance-staff had not really injured him, however,
+and all three of them walked on till they reached the Paez place without
+saying another word. Here it was at once evident that they, or, at
+least, the general and Pablo, were waited for. The front door opened to
+admit them, and shut quickly behind them as they passed in.
+
+"Señora Paez," said Zuroaga to a shadow in the unlighted hall, "the
+armistice is ended, but I shall command my Oaxaca regiment in the
+fighting which is now sure to come. Let us all meet in the parlor and
+hear from Señor Carfora the American account of these lost battles."
+
+"Carfora?" she exclaimed. "Is he here? Oh, how I do wish to hear him! I
+believe we have been told altogether too many lies. Our troops do not
+half know how badly they have been beaten, nor what is the real strength
+of the American army."
+
+They walked on into the parlor, and here there were lights burning, but
+Ned was not thinking of them. He was gazing at the pale face of a man
+in uniform and on crutches, who came slowly forward between a woman and
+a young girl, with a mournful smile upon his face.
+
+"Colonel Tassara!" exclaimed Ned. "I knew you were wounded, but are you
+not getting well?"
+
+"Señor Carfora!" quickly interrupted Señorita Felicia. "He was hit in
+the leg by a bullet at Angostura. He had a bayonet wound, too, and they
+thought he would die, but they made him a general--"
+
+"I am getting better, Carfora," said General Tassara, courageously, "but
+I can do no more fighting just now. I sincerely wish that there might
+not be any. The plans of Santa Anna--"
+
+"Tassara!" exclaimed Zuroaga. "What we heard is true. He is utterly
+ruined. But the peace terms are rejected by all the government we have
+left, and our city defences must soon go down as did those at Cerro
+Gordo, Contreras, and Churubusco. We are to hear more about those
+affairs from Señor Carfora. He was an eye witness of them."
+
+"Oh, my dear young friend," said Señora Tassara, "were you with the
+American army in all those battles?"
+
+"No, not exactly," said Ned. "I was with General Morales at Vera Cruz.
+Then I came on with General Scott all the way from the seacoast to this
+place. He has troops enough now, and he will fight his way in. I'm real
+sorry about it, too, for no more men need to be killed."
+
+"I think the gringos are just terrible," said Felicia, as she came over
+and sat down by Ned. "I want to hear about them. I do hope they won't be
+defeated now, though, for if they are nobody can guess who will be
+Emperor of Mexico when they are driven away."
+
+"She is not so far wrong," said Tassara, sadly. "The future of our
+country is all in the dark. Please let us hear your report."
+
+Pablo, of course, had not followed his superiors into the parlor, and
+all who were there were free to discuss the situation. The morning sun
+was looking in at the windows when all of the talk was finished. Ned had
+learned that only the family and a few trusted servants remained in the
+house, but he would have eaten his breakfast with even a more complete
+sense of security from any emissaries of the military authorities if he
+had known how much they had upon their hands that day, the 4th of
+September, 1847. There had already been a sharp correspondence between
+the commanders of the two armies, and now General Scott himself declared
+the armistice at an end. All the angry patriotism of the Mexican people
+arose to meet the emergency, and every possible preparation was rapidly
+made for the last desperate struggle in defence of their capital. It was
+as if the idea prevailed that, if this American force now here could be
+defeated, the United States would give the matter up, instead of sending
+more troops to the assistance of their first insufficient battalions.
+
+"Señor Carfora," said Senorita Felicia, "you must not go out of the
+house. I do not want you to be killed."
+
+"That is so," added her father. "As the affair stands now, they would
+surely regard you as a spy. You would be shot without a trial. All is
+confusion. I fear that even General Zuroaga is safe from arrest only
+among his own men. The army is the government. This nation needs a
+change."
+
+"General Tassara," said Ned, "isn't our army bringing one?"
+
+"The war is promising a great deal," replied Tassara, gloomily. "It has
+already delivered us from King Paredes and Santa Anna and from half a
+dozen other military usurpers. Moreover, all the lands which the United
+States propose to take away will be rescued from any future anarchy and
+will be made some use of. They will be lost to Mexico forever within one
+week from to-day, for we cannot hold the city."
+
+General Zuroaga had quietly disappeared. Very soon, the Tassara family
+went to their own room. Then not even the servants could tell what had
+become of Señora Paez. Ned Crawford did not at all know what to do with
+himself. He walked around the rooms below; then he went out to the
+stables and back again, but he was all alone, for Pablo and the Oaxaca
+men had gone to their regiment. He went up to the library and had a
+one-sided talk with the man in armor, but it did not do him any good,
+and he did not care a cent for all the books on the shelves. They could
+tell only of old wars, fought long ago, and here was a real war right on
+hand, that seemed to be wandering all around the house.
+
+During all the long, hot days of the armistice, a kind of dull quiet had
+appeared to brood over the city and its forts and over the camps and
+entrenchments of the besiegers. It had been something like a
+thundercloud, which was all the while growing blacker and hanging
+lower, and before the end of the first day of renewed hostilities the
+anxious watchers in the city houses could hear something which sounded
+like distant thunder. It was the occasional roar of a gun from one or
+another of the batteries on either side, as a warning of the more
+terrible things which were about to come, and more than once Ned groaned
+to himself:
+
+"Oh, how I wish I were out there, with Lieutenant Grant and the Seventh.
+This is worse than being shut up in Vera Cruz. I didn't have any
+regiment of my own, then, but now I belong in General Scott's army."
+
+Evening came at last, and all of the family was gathered behind the
+lattices of the parlor windows, to watch the detachments of soldiers
+march past, and to wonder where they were going. General Zuroaga was not
+there, but there had been a message from him that there would be a great
+battle in the morning, for the Americans were moving forward.
+
+"We are in greater numbers than they are," muttered General Tassara.
+"But we have no General Scott, and we have no officers like his. Almost
+all that we really have is courage and gunpowder, and these are not
+enough to defeat such an attack as he will make. The city is lost
+already!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+THE STARS AND STRIPES IN TENOCHTITLAN
+
+
+"What a roar it is! And so very near! I hope General Scott will not
+bombard this city, as he did Vera Cruz. It would be awful to see
+bombshells falling among these crowds of people!"
+
+The American commander had not the slightest idea of doing anything of
+the kind, but there had been almost continuous fighting in the days
+following the termination of the armistice. Perhaps the hardest of it
+had been at Molino del Rey, and the defences there had been carried by
+the assailants. There appeared now to be but the one barrier of the
+Chapultepec hill between them and a final victory.
+
+A hand was on Ned's shoulder, and a trembling voice said to him:
+
+"Oh, Señor Carfora! Where have you been? I'm so frightened! Are those
+cannon coming right on into the city?"
+
+"No," said Ned, "but I have been out all day. I went almost everywhere,
+and it seems as if the city were full of wounded men. The soldiers are
+crowding in. Oh, how I wish I knew how things are going!"
+
+There was a sound of sobbing behind them, and in a moment more the arms
+of Señora Paez were around Felicia.
+
+"My darling! My dear little girl!" she exclaimed. "Señor Carfora, too!
+The end has come. The Americans have stormed Chapultepec, and the city
+is at their mercy. Alas, for me! General Bravo was taken prisoner, and
+my beloved old friend, Zuroaga, was killed at the head of his regiment.
+We shall never see him again!"
+
+Ned felt as if somebody had struck him a heavy blow. He could not say a
+word for a moment, and then he whispered:
+
+"Poor General Zuroaga! Why, I had no idea that he would be killed!"
+
+That is always so after a battle. Those who read the lists of the killed
+and wounded expect to find the names of other people's friends there,
+and not the names of those from whom they were hoping to hear an account
+of the victory.
+
+"Felicia," said the señora, "your father and mother are in their room.
+Do not go there just now. You must not go out again, Señor Carfora. You
+have been running too many risks. Talk with me for awhile."
+
+Whether or not he had been in any danger, it had been impossible for Ned
+to remain in the house during an entire week of military thunder storm,
+and he had ventured out almost recklessly. There had, indeed, been so
+much confusion that little attention had generally been paid to him, and
+he had even gone out through the gates to use his telescope upon the
+distant clouds of smoke and the movements of marching men. He had seen,
+therefore, the steady, irresistible advances of the American troops, and
+he had almost understood that to General Scott the capture of the city
+was merely a matter of mathematical calculation, like an example in
+arithmetic.
+
+He went into the parlor with Señora Paez and Felicia, and there they
+sat, almost in silence, until long after their usual bedtime, but the
+sound of guns had ceased, for the siege of Mexico was ended.
+
+It was during that night that General Santa Anna, with nearly all that
+was left of his army, marched silently out of the city, and the last
+remnants of his political power passed from him as the American troops
+began to march in, the next morning. Of all the negotiations between the
+remaining Mexican authorities and General Scott, Ned Crawford knew
+nothing, but there was disorder everywhere, and it would have been more
+perilous than ever for a fellow like him to have been caught in the
+streets by any of the reckless, angry men who swarmed among them. On the
+evening of the 14th of September, nevertheless, he was standing in the
+Paez piazza with Señorita Felicia, and he saw a column of soldiers
+coming up the street.
+
+"Señorita!" he suddenly exclaimed. "Look! Our flag! Our men! Hurrah!
+Those are the colors of the Seventh! It is my own regiment, and if there
+isn't Lieutenant Grant himself!"
+
+"Do not go!" she said. "Do not leave me!" but she was too late, for he
+had darted away, and in a moment more he was greeted with:
+
+"Hullo, Ned! I'm glad you didn't make out to get killed. I knew you
+couldn't get out, and I'd about given you up. Is that where you live?"
+
+"It's the house I told you of," said Ned. "They are the best kind of
+people--"
+
+"Go back there, then," commanded the lieutenant. "Your father is out
+among the hospitals just now, taking care of the wounded, but I want to
+know where to send him. I'll see you again. I must go on to my post."
+
+Back he ran to the piazza, and even Felicia was compelled to admit that
+her friend Señor Carfora's own regiment was splendid, as its close ranks
+swung away in such perfect order.
+
+"But," she said, "you might have been killed, if you had been with them,
+and I am glad you did not have to kill any of our people."
+
+"So am I," said Ned, "now that it is all over. I guess this is the end
+of the war. But how I shall miss poor General Zuroaga!"
+
+Rapidly and prudently, General Scott was occupying the city and
+restoring order. With such wisdom and moderation did he perform his
+duties as military governor that almost immediately the previously
+distressed inhabitants began to regard the arrival of the United States
+army as a positive blessing. At the same time, it was obvious to
+everybody that months might be required for the necessary peace
+negotiations. A new and firm Mexican government would have to be
+established, and much difficult legislation would be called for on the
+part of the Congress of the United States, since that body was to
+appropriate large sums of money in payment for the territory to be
+acquired from Mexico.
+
+During three whole days, Ned went from camp to camp and from hospital to
+hospital, in search of his father, but Mr. Crawford had heard tidings of
+his son which satisfied him, and he stuck to his wounded soldiers. It
+was not, therefore, until the afternoon of the third day that Ned found
+a grand reception prepared for him in the parlor of the Paez mansion.
+
+"Father!" he shouted, as he hurried in, after Felicia, at the door, had
+warned him of what was before him. "Hurrah! Here I am!"
+
+What happened or was said next, he did not know until he felt himself
+somewhat roughly shaken by somebody, and was forced to exclaim:
+
+"Hullo, Captain Kemp! Are you here, too? I declare!"
+
+"Here I am," said the captain, "and I'm going to take you and your
+father back to New York on the ship that brought us. You have been in
+Mexico long enough."
+
+Ned did not so much as have time to hurrah again before Señora Tassara
+came forward to say to him:
+
+"That is not all, Señor Carfora. For the sake of my husband's health,
+and for other reasons, he and I and Felicia and Señora Paez are
+intending to spend our next winter in the United States. We have
+accepted your father's invitation to be passengers with you. What do you
+think of that?"
+
+Ned could hardly say what he thought, but he tried to, and perhaps his
+best effort was made when he said to Felicia:
+
+"Isn't it tip-top! I'll show you all over the city,--but I'm afraid you
+will get awfully seasick on the way. I did at first."
+
+"She will have to run the risk of that," laughed her mother, but after
+Ned's long conference with his father was ended, she and Ned spent the
+rest of the evening in a discussion of the sights which were to be seen
+in the great city of the Americans.
+
+"There would be no use in your remaining here now," Mr. Crawford had
+said to Ned. "My business with the army will run right along for a time,
+but nothing else can be done until all things are quiet and settled.
+Then we may try and find out what good your Mexican experience has done
+you."
+
+Mr. Crawford went away at a late hour, but Ned was out of the house
+early enough the next morning. He had a strong notion in his head, and
+it led him to the grand plaza, to stand in front of the government
+building which had been the headquarters of so many different kinds of
+governments of Mexico. It was really a fine and costly affair, but the
+Mexican national banner was no longer floating from its tall flagstaff.
+Instead of it was a broad and beautiful Stars and Stripes, and it had
+never before appeared to Ned so very beautiful.
+
+He was gazing up at that evidence that the city was in the hands of
+General Scott and his army, when a voice that he knew hailed him with:
+
+"Hullo, youngster! That's our flag. Where's your friend Grant? Have you
+seen him?"
+
+"Captain Lee!" exclaimed Ned. "Yes, I've seen him. He's all right."
+
+"So I hear," said Lee. "And they say he distinguished himself at Molino
+del Rey. His regiment lost a number of men, too."
+
+"Well," said Ned, "I wasn't with my regiment in these battles here, but
+I'm glad that my army has taken Mexico. Grant's a splendid fellow."
+
+"My regiment! My army!" laughed Captain Lee. "All right; that's the way
+every American boy ought to feel. I guess you are right about Grant,
+too. He may be heard of again some day."
+
+"Tell you what," said Ned. "When I get to New York, I mean to join one
+of our city regiments as soon as I can. Then, if there ever is another
+war, I'm going to join him. I'd like to serve under him."
+
+"Good!" said Lee. "And then I may hear of Colonel Crawford, of Grant's
+Division, United States Volunteers. Good-by. Take care of yourself."
+
+THE END.
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+W. O. STODDARD'S BOOKS
+
+AHEAD OF THE ARMY. Four illustrations by C. Chase Emerson. 12mo.
+Pictorial cover in color. Price, $1.00, net; postpaid, $1.15.
+
+    This is a lively narrative of the experiences of an American boy who
+    arrives in Mexico as the war with the United States is beginning, is
+    thrown into contact with such young officers as Lieutenant Grant and
+    Captains Lee and McClellan, all of them destined to become famous
+    later in American military history.
+
+THE ERRAND BOY OF ANDREW JACKSON: A War Story of 1812. Illustrated by
+Will Crawford. Cloth, 12mo, $1.00, net; postpaid, $1.12.
+
+    This tale is of the War of 1812, and describes the events of the
+    only land campaign of 1812-1814 in which the Americans were entirely
+    successful.
+
+JACK MORGAN: A Boy of 1812. Illustrated by Will Crawford. 12mo, cloth,
+postpaid, $1.25.
+
+    It is the adventures of a boy of the frontier during the great fight
+    that Harrison made on land, and Perry on the lakes, for the security
+    of the border.
+
+THE NOANK'S LOG: A Privateer of the Revolution. Illustrated by Will
+Crawford. 12mo, postpaid, $1.25.
+
+    The further adventures of the plucky Guert Ten Eyck, as he fought
+    King George on land and sea.
+
+THE DESPATCH BOAT OF THE WHISTLE: A Story of Santiago. Illustrated by
+Frank T. Merrill. 12mo, postpaid, $1.25.
+
+    A breezy story of a newspaper despatch boat, in the war with Spain.
+
+GUERT TEN EYCK. Illustrated by Frank T. Merrill. 12mo; postpaid, $1.25.
+
+    A hero story of real American girls and boys, in the American
+    Revolution.
+
+THE PARTNERS. Illustrated by Albert Scott Cox. 12mo, postpaid, $1.25.
+
+    A capital story of a bright, go-ahead country girl and two boys who
+    helped her keep store.
+
+CHUCK PURDY: A New York Boy. Illustrated. 12mo, postpaid, $1.25.
+
+    A delightful story of boy life in New York City.
+
+GID GRANGER: A Country Boy. Illustrated. 12mo, postpaid, $1.25.
+
+    A capital story of American life.
+
+Lothrop Publishing Company--Boston
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+GEORGE CARY EGGLESTON'S JUVENILES
+
+THE BALE MARKED CIRCLE X
+A Blockade Running Adventure
+
+Illustrated by C. Chase Emerson. 12mo, red cloth, illustrated cover.
+Net, $1.20. Postpaid, $1.35.
+
+    Another of Mr. Eggleston's stirring books for youth. In it are told
+    the adventures of three boy soldiers in the Confederate Service who
+    are sent in a sloop on a secret voyage from Charleston to the
+    Bahamas, conveying a strange bale of cotton which holds important
+    documents. The boys pass through startling adventures: they run the
+    blockade, suffer shipwreck, and finally reach their destination
+    after the pluckiest kind of effort.
+
+CAMP VENTURE
+A Story of the Virginia Mountains
+
+Illustrated by W. A. McCullough. 12mo, dark red cloth, illustrated
+cover, $1.50.
+
+    The _Louisville Courier Journal_ says: "George Cary Eggleston has
+    written a decidedly good tale of pluck and adventure in 'Camp
+    Venture.' It will be of interest to young and old who enjoy an
+    exciting story, but there is also a great deal of instruction and
+    information in the book."
+
+THE LAST OF THE FLATBOATS
+A Story of the Mississippi
+
+Illustrated by Charlotte Harding. 12mo, green cloth, illustrated cover,
+$1.50.
+
+    The _Brooklyn Eagle_ says: "Mr. George Cary Eggleston, the veteran
+    editor and author, has scored a double success in his new book, 'The
+    Last of the Flatboats,' which has just been published. Written
+    primarily as a story for young readers, it contains many things that
+    are of interest to older people. Altogether, it is a mighty good
+    story, and well worth reading."
+
+Lothrop Publishing Company--Boston
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+
+
+
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+  <head>
+    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1" />
+    <title>
+      The Project Gutenberg eBook of Ahead Of The Army, by W. O. Stoddard.
+    </title>
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+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Ahead of the Army, by W. O. Stoddard
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Ahead of the Army
+
+Author: W. O. Stoddard
+
+Illustrator: C. Chase Emerson
+
+Release Date: December 5, 2007 [EBook #23744]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AHEAD OF THE ARMY ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+<h1>AHEAD OF THE ARMY</h1>
+
+<hr class='pagebreak' />
+
+<div class='figcenter' style='width:350px'>
+<a name='illus-000' id='illus-000'></a>
+<img src='images/army-fpc.jpg' alt='IT WAS SEVERE WORK, BUT IT WAS DONE WITH EAGER ENTHUSIASM' title='' width='350' /><br />
+<p style='text-align:center' class='caption i'>IT WAS SEVERE WORK, BUT IT WAS DONE<br />WITH EAGER ENTHUSIASM</p>
+<p style='text-align:right' class='caption i'>(See page 277)</p>
+</div>
+
+<hr class='pagebreak' />
+
+<table style='margin: auto; width:25em' summary=''><tr><td>
+<p style=' font-size:2.2em; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em;'>AHEAD <i>of the</i> ARMY</p>
+<hr style='border:1px solid #666; margin-bottom: 1em; width:20em;' />
+<p style='font-size:1.2em; letter-spacing:0.3em; margin-bottom:1em;'>By W. O. STODDARD</p>
+<p style='font-size:0.8em; margin-top:0em; margin-bottom:0em;'>AUTHOR OF</p>
+<p style='font-size:0.8em; margin-top:0em; margin-bottom:0em;'>&#8220;THE ERRAND BOY OF ANDREW JACKSON,&#8221;</p>
+<p style='font-size:0.8em; margin-top:0em; margin-bottom:6em;'>&#8220;JACK MORGAN,&#8221; &#8220;THE NOANK&#8217;S LOG,&#8221; ETC.</p>
+<p style='font-size:0.8em; margin-top:0em; margin-bottom:0em;'>ILLUSTRATED BY</p>
+<p style='font-size:1.2em; letter-spacing:0.1em; margin-bottom:6em;'>C. CHASE EMERSON</p>
+<hr style='border:1px solid #666; margin-bottom: 1em; width:20em;' />
+<p style='font-size:1.2em; margin-top:0em; margin-bottom:0em;'>BOSTON</p>
+<p style='font-size:1.2em; margin-top:0em; margin-bottom:2em;'>LOTHROP PUBLISHING COMPANY</p>
+</td></tr></table>
+
+<hr class='pagebreak' />
+
+<p class='c s'>COPYRIGHT, 1903,<br />
+by LOTHROP<br />
+PUBLISHING<br />
+COMPANY.</p>
+<hr style='border:1px solid #666; margin:0 auto 0 auto; width:5em;' />
+<p class='c xs'>ALL RIGHTS RESERVED</p>
+<hr style='border:1px solid #666; margin:0 auto 0 auto; width:5em;' />
+<p class='c s'>Published June, 1903</p>
+
+<hr class='pagebreak' />
+
+<p class='xl c' style='letter-spacing:0.2em; margin-top:2em;'>PREFACE</p>
+
+<p>Lest any one should suspect exaggeration in the pictures of Mexican
+affairs in the old time, which are presented by Se&ntilde;or Carfora, it may be
+well to offer a few facts by way of explanation. During sixty-three
+years of the national life of the Republic of Mexico, from the
+establishment of its independence in 1821 to the year 1884, nearly all
+of its successive changes of government were accompanied by more or less
+violence and bloodshed. There have been fifty-five Mexican Presidents;
+at one revolutionary period, four within three months, and to this list
+must be added two emperors and one regency. Both of the emperors were
+shot, so were several of the Presidents, and nearly all of the others
+incurred the penalty of banishment. How this came to be so will possibly
+be better understood by the young Americans who will kindly travel with
+Se&ntilde;or Carfora and his generals and his two armies, commanded for him by
+General Scott and General Santa Anna. It is the wish of the author that
+all his young friends may cultivate a deeper and kinder interest in the
+wonderful land of Anahuac and its people. The now peaceful and rapidly
+improving republic of the South is, in fact, only a kind of younger
+brother of the United States. Mexico has no more sincere well-wisher
+than</p>
+
+<p style='text-align: right; margin-right:2em'><span class='smcap'>William O. Stoddard</span>.</p>
+
+<hr class='pagebreak' />
+
+<p class='xl c' style='letter-spacing:0.2em; margin-top:2em;'>CONTENTS</p>
+
+<table border='0' width='450' cellpadding='2' cellspacing='0' summary='Contents' style='font-variant:small-caps; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto'>
+<col style='width:90%;' />
+<col style='width:10%;' />
+<tr>
+  <td class='tdleft'>Far-away Guns</td>
+  <td class='tdright'><a href='#FARAWAY_GUNS_133'>11</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class='tdleft'>The Race of the Goshawk</td>
+  <td class='tdright'><a href='#THE_RACE_OF_THE_GOSHAWK_358'>22</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class='tdleft'>The Fortune of War</td>
+  <td class='tdright'><a href='#THE_FORTUNE_OF_WAR_895'>47</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class='tdleft'>Completely Stranded</td>
+  <td class='tdright'><a href='#COMPLETELY_STRANDED_1354'>69</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class='tdleft'>The Work of the Norther</td>
+  <td class='tdright'><a href='#THE_WORK_OF_THE_NORTHER_1648'>84</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class='tdleft'>Forward, March</td>
+  <td class='tdright'><a href='#FORWARD_MARCH_1957'>99</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class='tdleft'>The Land of the Montezumas</td>
+  <td class='tdright'><a href='#THE_LAND_OF_THE_MONTEZUMAS_2366'>119</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class='tdleft'>Out of the Tierra Caliente</td>
+  <td class='tdright'><a href='#OUT_OF_THE_TIERRA_CALIENTE_2716'>136</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class='tdleft'>Leaving the Hacienda</td>
+  <td class='tdright'><a href='#LEAVING_THE_HACIENDA_3154'>157</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class='tdleft'>Pictures of the Past</td>
+  <td class='tdright'><a href='#PICTURES_OF_THE_PAST_3360'>167</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class='tdleft'>Ned&#8217;s News</td>
+  <td class='tdright'><a href='#NEDS_NEWS_3660'>181</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class='tdleft'>A Storm Coming</td>
+  <td class='tdright'><a href='#A_STORM_COMING_3916'>193</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class='tdleft'>The Revolution</td>
+  <td class='tdright'><a href='#THE_REVOLUTION_4207'>207</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class='tdleft'>The Despatch-bearer</td>
+  <td class='tdright'><a href='#THE_DESPATCHBEARER_4502'>221</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class='tdleft'>Under Fire</td>
+  <td class='tdright'><a href='#UNDER_FIRE_4894'>240</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class='tdleft'>General Scott and His Army</td>
+  <td class='tdright'><a href='#GENERAL_SCOTT_AND_HIS_ARMY_5167'>254</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class='tdleft'>The Mountain Passes</td>
+  <td class='tdright'><a href='#THE_MOUNTAIN_PASSES_5438'>267</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class='tdleft'>Se&ntilde;or Carfora Trapped</td>
+  <td class='tdright'><a href='#SENtildeOR_CARFORA_TRAPPED_5739'>281</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class='tdleft'>The Stars and Stripes in Tenochtitlan</td>
+  <td class='tdright'><a href='#THE_STARS_AND_STRIPES_IN_TENOCHTITLAN_6032'>294</a></td>
+</tr>
+</table>
+
+<hr class='pagebreak' />
+
+<p class='xl c' style='letter-spacing:0.2em; margin-top:2em;'>ILLUSTRATONS</p>
+
+<table border='0'  width='450' cellpadding='2' cellspacing='0' summary='Illustrations' style='font-style:italic; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto'>
+<col style='width:80%;' />
+<col style='width:20%;' />
+<tr><td class='tdleft'>It Was Severe Work, but it Was Done with Eager Enthusiasm</td><td class='tdright'><a href='#illus-000'>Frontispiece</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class='tdleft'>&#8220;Do You See That? What Does it Mean?&#8221;</td><td class='tdright'><a href='#illus-001'>30</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class='tdleft'>&#8220;We have Orders to Take Care of You&#8221;</td><td class='tdright'><a href='#illus-002'>114</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class='tdleft'>Ned Saw a Long, Bright Blade of a Lance Pointed At His Bosom</td><td class='tdright'><a href='#illus-003'>286</a></td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<hr class='pagebreak' />
+
+<p style='font-size:2em; text-align:center; margin-top:2em'>AHEAD <i>of</i> the ARMY</p>
+
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_11' id='pg_11'>11</a></span>
+<a name='FARAWAY_GUNS_133' id='FARAWAY_GUNS_133'></a>
+<h2>CHAPTER I.</h2>
+<h3>FAR-AWAY GUNS</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p>&#8220;Boom! Boom! Boom!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The long surges of the Gulf of Mexico were beating heavily upon the
+sandy beach of Point Isabel, but the dull and boding sounds were not the
+roar of the surf. There came a long silence, and then another boom. Each
+in succession entered the white tents of the American army on the
+upland, carrying with it a message of especial importance to all who
+were within. It was also of more importance to the whole world than any
+man who heard it could then have imagined. It spoke to the sentries at
+their posts, and compelled them to turn and listen. It halted all
+patrolling and scouting parties, making them stand still to utter sudden
+exclamations.<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_12' id='pg_12'>12</a></span> More than one mounted officer reined in his horse to
+hear, and then wheeled to spur away toward the tent of General Zachary
+Taylor, commanding the forces of the United States upon the Rio Grande.</p>
+
+<p>In one small tent, in the camp of the Seventh Infantry, the first boom
+stirred up a young man who had been sleeping, and he may have been
+dreaming of home. He was in the uniform of a second lieutenant, and in
+one respect he was exactly like all the other younger officers and most
+of the men of that army, for never before had they heard the sound of a
+hostile cannon. War was new to them, and they were not aware how many of
+them were now entering a preparatory school in which they were to be
+trained for service in a war of vastly greater proportions and for the
+command of its contending armies, on either side.</p>
+
+<p>Up sprang the young lieutenant and stepped to the door of his tent. He
+was short, strongly built, and his alert, vigorous movements indicated
+unusual nerve, vitality, and muscular strength.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Grant, my boy,&#8221; he muttered to himself, &#8220;that comes from the fort! The
+Mexicans are attacking! It&#8217;s more than twenty miles away. I didn&#8217;t know
+you could hear guns as far as that, but the wind&#8217;s in the<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_13' id='pg_13'>13</a></span> right
+direction. Hurrah! The war has begun!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He was only half right. The war had been begun long years before by
+aggressive American settlers in the Spanish-Mexican State of Texas. Now,
+at last, the United States had taken up the same old conflict, and only
+about half of the American people at all approved of it.</p>
+
+<p>Grant did not linger in front of his tent. He walked rapidly away to
+where stood a group of officers, hardly any of them older than himself.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Meade,&#8221; he demanded of one of them, &#8220;what do you think of that?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I think I don&#8217;t know how long that half-finished fort can hold out,&#8221;
+responded Lieutenant Meade, and half a dozen other voices instantly
+agreed with him as to the perils surrounding the small besieged
+garrison.</p>
+
+<p>It was hardly possible, they said, that it could hold out until the
+arrival of the main army. This, too, would have to fight all the way
+against superior numbers, but that was a thing which it could do, and
+they were all wild with eagerness to be on the march, in answer to the
+summons of those far-away guns.</p>
+
+<p>There were no railroads to speak of, and only the first small beginnings
+of telegraphs<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_14' id='pg_14'>14</a></span> in the year 1846. The news of the first fighting would
+therefore be slow in reaching the President and Congress at Washington,
+so that they might lawfully make what is called a formal declaration of
+war. Much had already been taken for granted, but the American
+government was at that hour anxiously leaning southward and listening
+for the expected roar of Mexican cannon. It came, as rapidly as General
+Taylor could send it. A swift despatch-boat, with all her canvas up,
+went speeding across the gulf to New Orleans. Thence, in the hands of
+special couriers, it would gallop all the remaining distance. Meantime,
+the struggle at the Rio Grande frontier would continue, just as if all
+the legal arrangements had been made, but it would be weeks before
+Europe could be advised of what was going on. All this, too, when this
+fight over the annexation of Texas was about to lift the Republic into a
+foremost place among the nations. It was to give her all the Pacific
+coast which she now has, except Oregon and Alaska, with the gold of
+California and the silver of the mountains. Among its consequences were
+to be the terrible Civil War, the abolition of slavery, the acquisition
+of the Sandwich Islands, and many another vast change in the history<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_15' id='pg_15'>15</a></span> of
+our country and in that of these very European nations which were then
+ignorantly sitting still and thinking little about it, because they had
+no ocean cable telegraphs to outrun the swift clipper ships.</p>
+
+<p>There were couriers racing inland in all directions to tell the people
+of Mexico, also, that war had come, but the despatches of the general
+commanding their forces on the Texas border were carried by a swift
+schooner from Matamoras, on the coast, directly to Vera Cruz. A
+messenger from that port had before him a gallop of only two hundred and
+sixty miles to the city of Mexico. President Paredes, therefore, had
+full information of the attack on the American fort sooner than did
+President Polk by a number of very important days.</p>
+
+<p>These were bright May days, and during all of them there were other
+things going on which had a direct relation to the cannon-firing and the
+siege. For instance, all the commerce between Mexico and the rest of the
+world was deeply interested, and so were all the warships of the United
+States, which were prepared to interfere with that commerce pretty soon,
+and shut it off. There were merchant vessels at sea to whose captains
+and owners it was a serious question whether or not cruisers carrying
+the<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_16' id='pg_16'>16</a></span> Stars and Stripes would permit them to reach their intended port
+and deliver their cargoes. Whatever may have been the case with all the
+rest of these vessels, one of them in particular appeared to be rushing
+along in a great hurry at the very hour when Lieutenant Grant woke up so
+suddenly and walked out of his tent.</p>
+
+<p>She carried an American flag, somewhat tattered, and she was spreading
+quite as much canvas as a prudent skipper might have considered safe
+under the strong gale that was blowing. She was bark-rigged, of about
+four hundred tons burden, and was headed westward in the Nicholas
+Channel, off the northerly coast of the Island of Cuba. There was a high
+sea running, but the ship stood up well, and the few men who were on
+deck could get about easily. Even a boy of apparently not over
+seventeen, who came to a halt near the mainmast, managed to keep his
+balance with some help from a rope. That he did so was a credit to him,
+and it helped to give him a sailor-like and jaunty air. So did his blue
+trousers, blue flannel shirt with a wide collar, and the sidewise pitch
+of his tarpaulin hat. He might as well have remarked aloud that he was
+one of those boys who are up to almost anything, and who<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_17' id='pg_17'>17</a></span> think small
+potatoes of a mere storm at sea. Near him, however, stood a pair of men,
+either of whom might have felt as much at home under another flag than
+the one which was now fluttering its damaged bunting above them. The
+shorter of the two was a very dark-faced gentleman of perhaps forty,
+with piercing black eyes. In spite of his civilian dress, he wore an
+expression that was decidedly warlike, or soldierly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Captain Kemp,&#8221; he said to his companion, &#8220;will you be good enough to
+tell me why we are in the Nicholas Channel?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No, Se&ntilde;or Zuroaga,&#8221; growled the large-framed, roughly rigged and
+grim-looking sailor. &#8220;I&#8217;m cap&#8217;n o&#8217; this ship, and I don&#8217;t give
+explanations. We&#8217;ve had gales on gales since we left port. One course is
+as good as another, if you&#8217;re not losing distance. We&#8217;ll reach Vera Cruz
+now three or four days sooner than we reckoned. All those war insurance
+risks were paid for for nothing.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m not so sure of that,&#8221; was slowly and thoughtfully responded. &#8220;Not
+if one of Uncle Sam&#8217;s officers should get a look into the hold of this
+ship.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re a Mexican, anyhow,&#8221; said Captain Kemp, surlily. &#8220;You know enough
+to keep your mouth shut. You don&#8217;t really<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_18' id='pg_18'>18</a></span> have to know anything about
+the cargo. Besides, it was peace when we sailed. We shall make a safe
+landing,&mdash;if nothing happens on the way.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Captain,&#8221; said the Mexican, &#8220;it does not take long to make a
+declaration of war when both sides are determined to have one.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re wrong there, Se&ntilde;or Zuroaga,&#8221; replied the captain, emphatically.
+&#8220;Mexico doesn&#8217;t want a brush with the States. She isn&#8217;t strong enough.
+The Yankees can whip her out of Texas any day.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That is not the point at all,&#8221; replied Zuroaga, sadly. &#8220;The fact is,
+the Texan Yankees want a war for revenge, and the American party in
+power would like to annex a great deal more than Texas. President
+Paredes needs a war to keep himself in power and help him put on a
+crown. Old Santa Anna wants a war to give him a chance to return from
+exile and get control of the army. If we ever do reach Vera Cruz, we
+shall hear of fighting when we get there.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Perhaps,&#8221; said the captain, &#8220;but it will be only a short war, and at
+the end of it the United States will have stolen Texas.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No, se&ntilde;or,&#8221; said Zuroaga, with a fierce flash in his eyes. &#8220;All
+educated Mexicans<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_19' id='pg_19'>19</a></span> believe that Texas or any other of the old Spanish
+provinces has a right to set up for itself. Almost every State has
+actually tried it. We have had revolution after revolution.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Anarchy after anarchy!&#8221; growled the captain. &#8220;Such a nation as that
+needs a king of some kind, or else the strong hand of either England or
+France or the United States.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Mexico! A nation!&#8221; exclaimed Se&ntilde;or Zuroaga, after a moment of silence.
+&#8220;We are not a nation yet. Within our boundaries there are several
+millions of ignorant Indians, peons, rancheros and the like, that are
+owned rather than ruled by a few scores of rich landholders who
+represent the old Spanish military grants. Just now President Paredes is
+able to overawe as many of these chiefs as he and others have not
+murdered. So he is President, or whatever else he may choose to call
+himself. The mere title is nothing, for the people do not know the
+difference between one and another. Now, Captain Kemp, one sure thing is
+that the Yankees have taken Texas and mean to keep it. They will fight
+for it. One other sure thing is that General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna
+will come back if he can, to carry on that war and supersede<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_20' id='pg_20'>20</a></span> Paredes.
+If he does so, there is danger ahead for some men. He will settle with
+all his old enemies, and he loves bloodshed for its own sake. When he
+cannot be killing men, he will sit in a cockpit all day, just for the
+pleasure of seeing the birds slaughtering one another. I believe he had
+my own father shot quite as much for love of murder as for the
+opportunity it gave him for confiscating our family estates in Oaxaca.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You seem to have enough to hate him for, anyhow, and I don&#8217;t blame
+you,&#8221; replied the captain, as he turned away to give some orders to the
+sailors, and all the while the boy who stood near them had been
+listening.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, Ned Crawford,&#8221; he muttered to himself, &#8220;that&#8217;s it, is it? Father
+didn&#8217;t seem to believe there would be any war. He said there would be
+plenty of time, anyhow, for this old <i>Goshawk</i> bark to make the round
+trip to New York by way of Vera Cruz.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>A great lurch of the ship nearly swung him off his feet just then, and
+he was holding on very firmly to his rope when he added:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He said I&#8217;d learn a great deal all the way, and I shouldn&#8217;t wonder if
+I&#8217;m learning<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_21' id='pg_21'>21</a></span> something new just now. What do they mean by that
+dangerous cargo in the hold, and our being captured by American ships of
+war? That&#8217;s a thing father didn&#8217;t know anything about. I guess I can see
+how it is, though. Captain Kemp isn&#8217;t an American, and he&#8217;d do almost
+anything to make money. Anything honest, I mean. How it does blow! Well,
+let her blow! Father said he was putting me into a first-rate commercial
+school, and here I am right in the middle of it.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned was indeed at school, and he seemed likely to have unexpected
+teachers, but so is every other wide-awake young fellow, just like
+Ulysses Grant and his crowd of young associates in their hot weather war
+school over there on the Texas border.</p>
+
+<p>Se&ntilde;or Zuroaga also had now walked away, and Ned was left to hold by his
+rope, looking out upon the tossing sea and wondering more and more what
+sort of adventures he and the <i>Goshawk</i> might be so swiftly racing on
+into.</p>
+
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_22' id='pg_22'>22</a></span>
+<a name='THE_RACE_OF_THE_GOSHAWK_358' id='THE_RACE_OF_THE_GOSHAWK_358'></a>
+<h2>CHAPTER II.</h2>
+<h3>THE RACE OF THE GOSHAWK</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p>A long day had passed and a dark night had come. The air of it was hot
+and sultry over all the regions around the Gulf of Mexico. Something
+appeared to be weighing it down, as if it might be loaded with the great
+events which were about to come.</p>
+
+<p>It was gloomy enough at and around the besieged American fort on the
+Texas side of the Rio Grande, but every now and then the darkness and
+the silence were broken by the flashes and thunders of the Mexican
+artillery, and the responses of the cannon of the bravely defended
+fortress. This was already partly in ruins, and the besiegers had good
+reasons for their expectation that in due season they were to see the
+Stars and Stripes come down from the shattered rampart. It did not seem
+to them at all possible that the small force under General Taylor,
+twenty miles away at the seaside,<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_23' id='pg_23'>23</a></span> could cut through overwhelming
+numbers to the relief of the garrison.</p>
+
+<p>It was just as dark in the American camp on the coast, but there were
+many campfires burning, and by the light of these and numberless
+lanterns there were busy preparations making for the forward march,
+which was to begin in the morning. There was an immense amount of
+anxiety in the minds of all the Americans who were getting ready, but it
+was only on account of the fort and garrison, for that little army had a
+remarkable degree of confidence in its own fighting capacity.</p>
+
+<p>It is never as dark on the land, apparently, as it is at sea, where even
+the lights hung out by a ship seem to make all things darker, except the
+white crests of the billows. One ship&#8217;s lantern, however, was so hung
+that it threw down a dim light upon a pair who were sitting on the deck
+near the stern.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Se&ntilde;or Zuroaga,&#8221; said one of them, &#8220;I wish it was daylight.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;So do I,&#8221; responded his companion, with hardly a trace of foreign
+accent. &#8220;The storm&#8217;s nearly over, but I had so much on my mind that I
+could not sleep. The fact is, I came up to try and make up my mind where
+we are. I must reach<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_24' id='pg_24'>24</a></span> Vera Cruz before Santa Anna does, if I can. If I
+do not, I may be shot after landing. I shall be safer, too, after
+President Paredes has marched with his army for the Rio Grande. So I
+hope for war. Anyhow, the commander at Vera Cruz is a friend of mine.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I guess I understand,&#8221; said Ned. &#8220;I heard what you said about the way
+things are going. But what did you mean about our being in the Nicholas
+Channel? What has that got to do with it?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Talk Spanish!&#8221; replied the se&ntilde;or, with whom the boy appeared to be upon
+good terms. &#8220;I do not want any of those sailors to understand me, though
+I&#8217;m very glad that you can. How did that happen?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well,&#8221; said Ned, &#8220;father&#8217;s been all his life in the Cuban and Mexican
+trade, and I&#8217;m to grow up into it. I can&#8217;t remember just when they began
+to teach me Spanish. I was thinking about the war, though. If it&#8217;s
+coming, I want to see some of the fighting.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You may see more than you will like,&#8221; said his friend in his own
+tongue. &#8220;Now, as to where we are, remember your geography.&#8221;<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_25' id='pg_25'>25</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I can remember every map in it,&#8221; said Ned, confidently.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Good!&#8221; said the se&ntilde;or. &#8220;Now! You know that the Gulf Stream runs along
+the coast of Florida. Our road from Liverpool to the gulf was to have
+taken us by that way. Instead of that, we came around below the Bahama
+Islands, and here we are off the north coast of Cuba. Captain Kemp&#8217;s
+reason is that there might be too many American cruisers along the
+Florida coast, and he does not care to be stopped by one of them, if the
+war has already begun. We would not be allowed to go any further.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I see,&#8221; said Ned. &#8220;Of course not. They would stop us, to keep us from
+being captured by the Mexicans when we got to Vera Cruz.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Not exactly,&#8221; said the se&ntilde;or, half laughing, &#8220;but it might cost your
+father and his partners their ship and cargo. That is the secret the
+sailors are not to know. Away up northward there, a hundred miles or so,
+are the Florida Keys, and among them is the United States naval station
+at Key West. There are ships of war there, and Captain Kemp will not
+sail any nearer to them than he can help. Ned, did you have<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_26' id='pg_26'>26</a></span> any idea
+that you were sitting over a Mexican powder-magazine?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No!&#8221; exclaimed Ned. &#8220;What on earth do you mean?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I think I had better tell you,&#8221; said the se&ntilde;or. &#8220;I half suspected it
+before we sailed, and I learned the whole truth afterward. The New York
+and Liverpool firm that your father belongs to sent on board an honest
+and peaceable cargo, but there was a good deal of room left in the hold,
+and the captain filled it up with cannon-balls, musket-bullets, and
+gunpowder from the English agents of no less a man than General Santa
+Anna himself. It is all for his army, whenever he gets one, but it goes
+first to the castle of San Juan de Ulua, at Vera Cruz. If war has been
+declared, or if it has in any way begun, the whole thing is what they
+call contraband of war, and the <i>Goshawk</i> is liable to be captured and
+confiscated.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Phew!&#8221; whistled Ned. &#8220;Wonder how father&#8217;d like that! Anyhow, we don&#8217;t
+know there&#8217;s any war.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;d be in trouble anyhow,&#8221; said the se&ntilde;or. &#8220;But we are all in the dark
+about it. We have been over three weeks on the way, and all the war news
+we had when we started was nearly a month old. We<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_27' id='pg_27'>27</a></span> can only guess what
+has been going on. Here we are, though, in a storm that is driving us
+along first-rate into the Gulf of Mexico. We may be four days&#8217; sail from
+Vera Cruz in a bee-line, and the <i>Goshawk</i> is a racer, but we may not be
+able to make a straight course. Well, well, the captain will keep on all
+the canvas that&#8217;s safe, and we may get there. Hullo! the day is
+beginning to dawn. Now our real danger begins.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He said no more, and Ned walked forward with something altogether new on
+his mind. An American boy, crammed full of patriotism, and wishing that
+he were in General Taylor&#8217;s army, he was, nevertheless, by no fault of
+his own, one of the crew of a ship which was carrying ammunition to the
+enemy. He almost felt as if he were fighting his own country, and it
+made him sick. He had an idea, moreover, that Se&ntilde;or Zuroaga was only
+half willing to help his old enemy Santa Anna.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t care if Captain Kemp is an Englishman,&#8221; he said to himself, &#8220;he
+had no business to run father and his partners into such a scrape.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>That might be so, and perhaps neither Kemp, nor Zuroaga, nor even Ned
+himself, knew all about the laws of war which<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_28' id='pg_28'>28</a></span> govern such cases, but
+just then there flashed across his mind a very dismal suggestion, as he
+stared down at the deck he stood on.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What,&#8221; he asked himself, &#8220;if any accident should touch off those
+barrels of powder down there? Why, we&#8217;d all be blown sky-high and
+nobody&#8217;d ever know what had become of us. There&#8217;d be nothing but chips
+left.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He tried not to think about that, and went below to get his breakfast,
+while Captain Kemp ordered his sailors to send up another sail,
+remarking to Se&ntilde;or Zuroaga:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We must make the most we can of this wind. Every hour counts now. I&#8217;ll
+take the <i>Goshawk</i> to Vera Cruz, or I&#8217;ll run her under water.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Have you any idea where we are just now?&#8221; asked the se&ntilde;or.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well on into the gulf,&#8221; said the captain, cheerfully. &#8220;We made a
+splendid run in the night, thanks to the gale. I hope it will blow on,
+and I think there is no danger of our being overhauled until we are off
+the Mexican coast. I wish, though, that I knew whether or not the war
+has actually been declared.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The declaration isn&#8217;t everything,&#8221; replied the se&ntilde;or. &#8220;If there has
+been any<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_29' id='pg_29'>29</a></span> fighting at all, American cruisers have a right, after that,
+to question ships bound for a hostile port, and to stop and seize all
+contraband of war. After goods are once seized, it isn&#8217;t easy to get
+them back again.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Sail ho!&#8221; came down from aloft at that moment.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Where away?&#8221; called back the captain.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Northerly, sir. Looks like a shark, sir.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Can you make out her flag?&#8221; was inquired, almost anxiously.</p>
+
+<p>The man on the lookout plied his telescope a full half-minute before he
+responded:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Stars and Stripes, sir. Sloop-o&#8217;-war, sir. She&#8217;s changin&#8217; her course,
+and she&#8217;s makin&#8217; for us, I reckon.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Let her head!&#8221; growled the captain. &#8220;This bark&#8217;ll bear more sail. Hoist
+away there, men. Let her have it! Se&ntilde;or, there&#8217;s one thing I&#8217;ll do right
+off. It may be our best chance if she should overhaul us.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He did not explain his meaning just then, but another sail went up and
+something else came down. In a few minutes more, when Ned came on deck
+again, he suddenly felt worse than ever. Not long before, when the sun
+was rising, he had been on an American<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_30' id='pg_30'>30</a></span> ship, with the flag of his
+country flying above him, but now his first glance aloft drew from him a
+loud exclamation, for he found that while below he had apparently been
+turned into an Englishman, and away up yonder the gale was playing with
+the Red Cross banner of the British Empire. He stared at it for a
+moment, and then he made an excited rush for Se&ntilde;or Zuroaga. He might
+have reached him sooner, but for a lurch of the <i>Goshawk</i>, which sent
+him sprawling full length upon the deck. It did not hurt him much,
+however, and as soon as he was on his feet, he blurted out, angrily:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Se&ntilde;or! I say! Do you see that? What does it mean?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The Mexican laughed aloud, but not only Ned Crawford but several of the
+sailors were eyeing that unexpected bunting with red and angry faces.
+They also were Americans, and they had national prejudices.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You don&#8217;t like the British flag, eh?&#8221; he said. &#8220;I do, then, just now.
+An American cruiser would not fire a shot at that flag half so quick as
+it would at your own.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why wouldn&#8217;t she?&#8221; asked Ned.</p>
+
+<div class='figcenter' style='width:339px'>
+<a name='illus-001' id='illus-001'></a>
+<img src='images/army-030.jpg' alt='&#34;DO YOU SEE THAT? WHAT DOES IT MEAN?&#34;' title='' width='339' /><br />
+<span class='caption'><i>&#8220;DO YOU SEE THAT? WHAT DOES IT MEAN?&#8221;</i></span>
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_31' id='pg_31'>31</a></span>
+&#8220;Because,&#8221; said the se&ntilde;or, a little dryly, &#8220;the American skipper hasn&#8217;t
+any British navy behind him, ready to take the matter up. It&#8217;s a
+protection in case we can&#8217;t outrun that sloop-of-war. The men won&#8217;t care
+a cent, as soon as they know it&#8217;s only a sea dodge to get into port
+with.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Sailor-like, they were indeed easily satisfied with whatever the captain
+chose to tell them, and on went the <i>Goshawk</i> as a British craft, but
+she was nevertheless carrying supplies to the Mexican army.</p>
+
+<p>Se&ntilde;or Zuroaga had brought up a double spy-glass of his own, and, after
+studying the stranger through it, he handed it to Ned, remarking:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Take a look at her. She&#8217;s a beauty. She is drawing nearer on this tack,
+but nobody knows yet whether she can outrun us or not.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned took the glass with an unexpected feeling growing within him that he
+hoped she could not do so. He did not wish to be caught on board a
+British vessel taking powder and shot to kill Americans with. As he put
+the glass to his eyes, however, the sloop-of-war appeared to have
+suddenly come nearer. It was as if the <i>Goshawk</i> were already within
+reach of her guns, and she became a dangerous thing to look at. She was
+not, as yet, under any great press of canvas, for her commander may not
+have<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_32' id='pg_32'>32</a></span> imagined that any merchant vessel would try to get away from him.
+There were two things, however, about which nobody on board the
+<i>Goshawk</i> was thinking. The first was that, while the American
+ship-of-war captain had not heard the firing at the fort on the Rio
+Grande, he was under a strong impression that war had been declared. The
+other thing came out in a remark which he made to a junior officer
+standing by him.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It won&#8217;t do!&#8221; he declared, emphatically. &#8220;I don&#8217;t at all like that
+change of flags. It means mischief. There is something suspicious about
+that craft. We must bring her to, and find out what&#8217;s the matter with
+her.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The distance between the two vessels was still too great for anything
+but a few signals, to which Captain Kemp responded with others which may
+have been of his own invention, for the signal officer on board the
+Yankee cruiser could make nothing of them. The <i>Goshawk</i>, moreover, did
+not shorten sail, and her steersman kept her away several points more
+southerly, instead of bringing her course nearer to that of the cruiser.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I see!&#8221; said her captain, as he watched the change. &#8220;She means to get
+away from<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_33' id='pg_33'>33</a></span> us. It won&#8217;t do. As soon as we are within range, I&#8217;ll give
+her a gun. She may be a Mexican privateer, for all I know.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>At all events, under the circumstances, as he thought, the change of
+flags had made it his duty to inquire into her character, and he decided
+to do so, even if, as he said, he should have to send one shot ahead of
+her and then a dozen into her.</p>
+
+<p>There is something wonderfully exciting about a race of any kind. Men
+will make use of anything, from a donkey to a steamboat, to engineer a
+trial of speed and endurance. Then they will stand around and watch the
+running, as if the future welfare of the human race depended upon the
+result. Even the <i>Goshawk</i> sailors, who had previously grumbled at the
+British flag above them, were entirely reconciled to the situation, now
+that it included the interesting question whether or not their swift
+bark could show her heels to the cruiser. They were very much in doubt
+about it, for the ships of the American navy had a high and well-earned
+reputation as chasers. They might have been somewhat encouraged if they
+had known that the <i>Portsmouth</i>, sloop-of-war, had been at sea a long
+time without going into any dock to have her bottom scraped clean of its
+accumulated barnacles.<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_34' id='pg_34'>34</a></span> She was by no means in the best of training for
+a marine race-course.</p>
+
+<p>An hour went by and then another. The two vessels were now running on
+almost parallel lines, so that any attempt of the sloop to draw nearer
+cost her just so much of chasing distance. It might be that they were,
+in fact, nearly matched, now that the wind had lulled a little, and both
+of them were able to send up more canvas without too much risk of having
+their sticks blown out of them. It looked like it, but the Yankee
+captain had yet another idea in his sagacious head.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Let her keep on,&#8221; he said. &#8220;The old <i>Kennebec</i> is out there, somewhere
+westerly, not far away. That vagabond may find himself under heavier
+guns than ours before sunset. Lieutenant, give him a gun.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ay, ay, sir!&#8221; came back, and in a moment more there was a flash and a
+report at the bow of the <i>Portsmouth</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Both range and distance had been well calculated, for an iron messenger,
+ordering the <i>Goshawk</i> to heave to, fell into the water within a hundred
+yards of her stern.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s near enough for the present,&#8221; said the American commander, but
+Captain Kemp exclaimed, in astonishment:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;They are firing on the British flag, are<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_35' id='pg_35'>35</a></span> they? Then there is something
+up that we don&#8217;t know anything about. We must get away at all risks.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They were not doing so just now, although another change of course and a
+strong puff of the gale carried the <i>Goshawk</i> further out of range. The
+fact was that her pursuer did not feel quite ready to land shot on board
+of her, believing that he was doing well enough and that his prize would
+surely be taken sooner or later. Besides, if she were, indeed, to become
+a prize, no sound-minded sea-captain could be willing to shoot away her
+selling value or that of her cargo.</p>
+
+<p>Noon came, and there did not appear to be any important change in the
+relative positions of the two ships. At times, indeed, the <i>Goshawk</i> had
+gained a quarter-mile or so, but only to lose it again, as is apt to be
+the case in ocean races. She was not at all tired, however, and both of
+the contestants had all the wind they needed.</p>
+
+<p>Two hours more went slowly by, and Captain Kemp began to exhibit signs
+of uneasiness at the unexpected persistence with which he was followed.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What on earth can be the matter?&#8221; he remarked, aloud. &#8220;I&#8217;d have thought
+she&#8217;d get tired of it before this&mdash;&#8221;<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_36' id='pg_36'>36</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Captain!&#8221; sharply interrupted Zuroaga, standing at his elbow, glass in
+hand. &#8220;Another sail! Off there, southerly. Seems to be a full-rigged
+ship. What are we to do now?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Keep on!&#8221; roared the captain, and then he turned to respond to a
+similar piece of unpleasant information which came down from the
+lookout.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll soon know what she is,&#8221; he remarked, but not as if he very much
+wished to do so. &#8220;What I&#8217;d like to do would be to sail on into the
+darkest kind of a rainy night. That&#8217;s our chance, if we can get it.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It might be, but at that very moment the commander of the <i>Portsmouth</i>
+was asserting to his first lieutenant:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There comes the <i>Kennebec</i>, my boy. We&#8217;ll have this fellow now. We&#8217;ll
+teach him not to play tricks with national flags and man-o&#8217;-war
+signals.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The race across the Gulf of Mexico was now putting on new and
+interesting features, but Ned Crawford, posted well forward to watch the
+course of events and what might have been called the race-course, sagely
+remarked:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know that two horses can run any faster than one can. We are as
+far ahead as ever we were.&#8221;<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_37' id='pg_37'>37</a></span></p>
+
+<p>That would have been of more importance if the newcomer had not been so
+much to the southward and westward, rather than behind them. She was, of
+course, several miles nearer to the <i>Goshawk</i> than she was to the
+<i>Portsmouth</i>, and neither of these had as yet been able to make out her
+flag with certainty. That she was a full-rigged ship was sure enough,
+and if Ned had been upon her deck instead of upon his own, he would have
+discovered that she was heavily armed and in apple-pie order. At this
+very moment a burly officer upon her quarter-deck was roaring, angrily,
+in response to some information which had been given him:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s that? A British ship chased by a Yankee cruiser? Lieutenant, I
+think the <i>Falcon</i>&#8217;ll take a look at that. These Yankees are getting too
+bumptious altogether. It&#8217;s as if they thought they owned the gulf! Put
+her head two points north&#8217;ard. Humph! It&#8217;s about time they had a
+lesson.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>There had been some temporary trouble with the flag of the <i>Falcon</i>, but
+it had now been cleared of its tangle, and was swinging out free. It was
+of larger size than the British bunting displayed by the Goshawk. It was
+only a few minutes, therefore, before Captain Kemp had a fresh trouble
+on<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_38' id='pg_38'>38</a></span> his mind, for his telescope had told him the meaning of that flag.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Worse than ever!&#8221; he exclaimed. &#8220;She&#8217;d make us heave to and show our
+papers. Then she&#8217;d hand us right over, and no help for it. No, sir! Our
+only way is to scud from both of them. Some of our English frigates are
+slow goers, and this may be one of that kind.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He was in less immediate peril, perhaps, because of the determination of
+the angry British captain to speak to the Yankee first, and demand an
+explanation of this extraordinary affair. This it was his plain duty to
+do, and the attempt to do it would shortly put him and all his guns
+between the <i>Portsmouth</i> and the <i>Goshawk</i>. This operation was going on
+at the end of another hour, when Captain Kemp&#8217;s lookout shouted down to
+him:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Sail ho, sir! &#8217;Bout a mile ahead o&#8217; the British frigate. Can&#8217;t quite
+make her out yet, sir.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I declare!&#8221; groaned the captain. &#8220;This &#8217;ere&#8217;s getting kind o&#8217; thick!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The weather also was getting thicker, and all three of the racers were
+shortly under a prudent necessity for reducing their excessive spreads
+of canvas. The first mate of the <i>Goshawk</i> had even been compelled<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_39' id='pg_39'>39</a></span> to
+expostulate with his overexcited skipper.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Some of it&#8217;s got to come down, sir,&#8221; he asserted. &#8220;If we was to lose a
+spar, we&#8217;re gone, sure as guns!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;In with it, then,&#8221; said the captain. &#8220;I wish both of &#8217;em &#8217;d knock out a
+stick or two. It&#8217;d be a good thing for us.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>At all events, a lame horse is not likely to win a race, and the
+<i>Goshawk</i> was doing as well as were either of the others.</p>
+
+<p>Under such circumstances, it was not long before the <i>Falcon</i> and the
+<i>Portsmouth</i> were within speaking-trumpet distance of each other, both
+of them losing half a mile to the <i>Goshawk</i> while they were getting
+together. Rapid and loud-voiced indeed were the explanations which
+passed between the two commanders. At the end of them, the wrath of the
+Englishman was turned entirely against the culprit bark, which had
+trifled with his flag.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We must take her, sir!&#8221; he shouted. &#8220;She&#8217;s a loose fish o&#8217; some kind.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It was while this conversation was going on that Se&ntilde;or Zuroaga, after
+long and careful observations, reported to Captain Kemp concerning the
+far-away stranger to the westward.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;She is a Frenchman, beyond a doubt.<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_40' id='pg_40'>40</a></span> Are all the nations making a naval
+rendezvous in the Gulf of Mexico?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Nothing extraordinary,&#8221; said the captain. &#8220;But they&#8217;re all more&#8217;n
+usually on the watch, on account o&#8217; the war, if it&#8217;s coming.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It was precisely so. War surely brings disturbance and losses to others
+besides those who are directly engaged in it, and all the nations having
+commercial relations with Mexico were expecting their cruisers in the
+gulf to act as a kind of sea police. Moreover, a larger force than usual
+would probably be on hand and wide awake.</p>
+
+<p>The day was going fast, and the weather promised to shorten it. Ned was
+now wearing an oilskin, for he would not have allowed any amount of rain
+to have driven him below. He and all the rest on board the <i>Goshawk</i>
+were aware that their pursuers were again beginning to gain on them
+perceptibly. It was a slow process, but it was likely to be a sure one,
+for the men-of-war could do better sailing in a heavy sea and under
+shortened canvas than could a loaded vessel like the saucy merchant
+bark.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m afraid they&#8217;ll catch us!&#8221; groaned Ned. &#8220;I s&#8217;pose they could make us
+all<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_41' id='pg_41'>41</a></span> prisoners of war,&mdash;if there is any war. Oh, I wish all that powder
+and shot had been thrown overboard!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It did not look, just now, as if the Mexican army would ever get any
+benefit from it, for even the French stranger to leeward seemed to be
+putting on an air of having evil intentions. Captain Kemp had made her
+out to be a corvette of moderate size, perhaps a sixteen-gun ship, and
+she would be quite likely to co-operate with the police boats of England
+and America in arresting any suspicious wanderer in those troubled
+waters.</p>
+
+<p>Darker grew the gloom and a light mist came sweeping over the sea. Both
+pursuers and pursued began to swing out lights, and before long the mate
+of the <i>Goshawk</i> came to Captain Kemp to inquire, in a puzzled way:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I say, Cap&#8217;n, what on earth do you do that for? It&#8217;ll help &#8217;em to
+foller us, and lose us all the benefit o&#8217; the dark.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No, it won&#8217;t,&#8221; growled the captain. &#8220;You wait and see. I&#8217;ve sighted one
+more light, off there ahead of us, and I&#8217;m going to make it do something
+for the <i>Goshawk</i>. Those other chaps can&#8217;t see it yet.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What in all the world can he be up to?&#8221; thought Ned, as he listened,
+but the<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_42' id='pg_42'>42</a></span> cunning skipper of the bark had all his wits about him.</p>
+
+<p>The lookouts of the men-of-war had indeed been taking note thus far of
+only their own lanterns and the glimmer on their intended prize. They
+may even have wondered, as did her own mate, why she should aid them in
+keeping track of her. At all events, they had little doubt of having her
+under their guns before morning. Se&ntilde;or Zuroaga himself sat curled up
+under his waterproof well aft, and now and then he appeared to be
+chuckling, as if he knew something which amused him. Half an hour later,
+when all the lights of the <i>Goshawk</i> suddenly went out, he actually
+broke into a ringing laugh. Her course was changed to almost due north
+at that very moment. This would bring her across the track of the
+<i>Portsmouth</i> and within a mile of that dangerous cruiser&#8217;s bow guns.
+They might not be quite so dangerous, however, if her gunners should be
+unable to see a mark at that distance through the mist. The fifth light,
+dead ahead, now became itself only the fourth, and it was immediately
+the sole attraction for the watchers in the rigging of the several war
+police-boats. This stranger was going westwardly, at a fair rate of
+speed, and its light was exceptionally<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_43' id='pg_43'>43</a></span> brilliant. In fact, it grew more
+and more so during an anxious thirty minutes that followed, but it was
+the French corvette which first came within hailing distance, to receive
+an answer in angry Portuguese, which the French officers could not make
+head or tail of. Even after receiving further communications in broken
+Portuguese-Spanish, all they could do was to compel the Brazilian
+schooner, <i>Gonzaga</i>, laden with honest coffee from Rio for New Orleans,
+to heave to as best she might until the next arrival came within hail.
+This proved to be the British frigate, and her disappointed captain at
+once pretty sharply explained to the Frenchmen the difference between a
+two-master from Rio and a British-Yankee runaway bark from nobody knew
+where. Then came sweeping along the gallant <i>Portsmouth</i>, and there was
+need for additional conversation all around. Some of it was of an
+exceedingly discontented character, although the several captains were
+doing their best to be polite to each other, whatever derogatory remarks
+they might feel disposed to make concerning the craft which was carrying
+Ned Crawford and his badly wounded patriotism.</p>
+
+<p>Far away to the northwest, hidden by<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_44' id='pg_44'>44</a></span> the darkness, the <i>Goshawk</i> was
+all this while flying along, getting into greater safety with every knot
+she was making, and Captain Kemp remarked to Ned:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My boy, your father won&#8217;t lose a cent, after all&mdash;not unless we find
+Vera Cruz blockaded. But our danger isn&#8217;t all over yet, and it&#8217;s well
+for us that we&#8217;ve slipped out of this part of it.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Captain Kemp!&#8221; exclaimed Ned, &#8220;I believe father&#8217;d be willing to lose
+something, rather than have the Mexicans get that ammunition.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Very likely he would,&#8221; laughed the captain, &#8220;but I&#8217;m an Englishman, and
+I don&#8217;t care. What&#8217;s more, I&#8217;m like a great many Americans. Millions of
+them believe that the Mexicans are in the right in this matter.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>That was a thing which nobody could deny, and Ned was silenced so far as
+the captain&#8217;s sense of national duty was concerned.</p>
+
+<p>Hundreds of miles to the westward, at that early hour of the evening,
+far beyond the path of the storm which had been sweeping the eastern and
+southern waters of the gulf, the American army, under General Taylor,
+lay bivouacked. It was several miles nearer the besieged fort than<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_45' id='pg_45'>45</a></span> it
+had been in the morning, for this was the 8th of May. There had been
+sharp fighting at intervals since the middle of the forenoon, beginning
+at a place called Palo Alto, or &#8220;The Tall Trees,&#8221; and the Mexicans had
+been driven back with loss. Any cannonading at the fort could be heard
+more plainly now, and it was certain that it had not yet surrendered.</p>
+
+<p>Near the centre of the lines occupied by the Seventh Regiment, a young
+officer sat upon the grass. He held in one hand a piece of army bread,
+from which he now and then took a bite, but he was evidently absorbed in
+thought. He took off his hat at last and stared out into the gloom.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The Mexican army is out there somewhere,&#8221; he remarked, slowly. &#8220;We are
+likely to have another brush with them to-morrow. Well! this is real
+war. I&#8217;ve seen my first battle, and I know just how a fellow feels under
+fire. I wasn&#8217;t at all sure how it would be, but I know now. He doesn&#8217;t
+feel first-rate, by any means. Those fellows that say they like it are
+all humbugs. I&#8217;ve seen my first man killed by a cannon-ball. Poor Page!
+Poor Ringgold! More of us are to go down to-morrow. Who will it be?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Very possibly, the list of American slain<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_46' id='pg_46'>46</a></span> would contain the
+announcement that a mere second lieutenant, named Ulysses S. Grant, had
+been struck by a chance shot from one of the Mexican batteries.</p>
+
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_47' id='pg_47'>47</a></span>
+<a name='THE_FORTUNE_OF_WAR_895' id='THE_FORTUNE_OF_WAR_895'></a>
+<h2>CHAPTER III.</h2>
+<h3>THE FORTUNE OF WAR</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p>The morning of the 9th of May dawned brightly on the ocean and on the
+shore. There was a heavy sea running on the Gulf of Mexico, but the wind
+that was blowing was little more than a ten-knot breeze. Before this, at
+distances of a few miles from each other, a trio of armed vessels,
+representing three of the great powers of the world, were dashing along
+under full sail, as if they were in a hurry. They were so, for they all
+were searching hungrily after a double-flagged bark, which they had
+caught the day before, but which had managed to escape from them in the
+night. She had done it mysteriously and impudently. Instead of her,
+there now toiled along, away behind them, a dingy-looking Brazilian
+coffee schooner, the skipper of which did not conceal his satisfaction
+over the idea that he had unintentionally aided some other sailor&mdash;he<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_48' id='pg_48'>48</a></span>
+did not care who&mdash;to get away from all those war-sharks. Well to the
+westward, with every sail spread that she could carry, the <i>Goshawk</i>
+sped along in apparent safety, but she was once more carrying the
+American flag, and Ned Crawford, busy below at his breakfast, felt a
+great deal easier in his patriotic mind. He could almost forget, for the
+moment, that he was taking a cargo of the worst kind of contraband of
+war goods to the armies of the enemies of his country. He was shortly on
+deck again, to be heartily greeted by Captain Kemp with:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hullo, my boy, where are all your ships of war?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned took a long, sweeping glance around the horizon, and replied:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It looks as if we&#8217;d lost &#8217;em.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve done it!&#8221; chuckled the captain. &#8220;I think we&#8217;ll not see any more
+of that lot. We made a fine run in the night, and we may be within three
+days&#8217; sail of Vera Cruz. But that depends a great deal on the wind and
+on our luck in keeping out of difficulties.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The captain turned away to his duties, and Ned went forward among the
+sailors. He could always manage to have good chats with them, and they
+were especially ready<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_49' id='pg_49'>49</a></span> just now to discuss the war and their chances for
+running against more cruisers. Ned did not count as one of them exactly,
+but he was not to be looked down upon as a mere passenger. His father
+had sent him out as a kind of honorary supercargo, or ship&#8217;s clerk, in
+the hope that he might learn something which would be of use to him when
+he should grow up into a full-sized merchant. Perhaps he had already
+found out a number of things upon which his father had not calculated
+when he said good-by to him. He was about to learn some other things
+which were not upon the ship&#8217;s books, for he had reached the heel of the
+bowsprit, where Se&ntilde;or Zuroaga was standing, gazing dreamily westward.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Good morning, se&ntilde;or!&#8221; said Ned. &#8220;We did get away.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know how good a morning it is for me,&#8221; replied the dark-faced
+Mexican, wearily. &#8220;I may have only three or four days to wait before I
+shall know whether or not I am to be shot at Vera Cruz by order of his
+Excellency, President Paredes. My best chance is that he cannot know
+that I am coming. After I get ashore, my life may very soon depend upon
+his being beaten out of power by the armies of the United States.&#8221;<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_50' id='pg_50'>50</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It couldn&#8217;t be so in any other country,&#8221; said Ned. &#8220;What have you ever
+done against him?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I won&#8217;t say just now,&#8221; replied the se&ntilde;or, &#8220;but he knows that I am his
+enemy. So I am of Santa Anna, if he is to get back. He murdered my
+father and confiscated our property in Oaxaca. Do you know where that
+is?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No,&#8221; said Ned; &#8220;I don&#8217;t know anything about the States of Mexico. It&#8217;s
+hard enough to keep track of the United States. They make a new one
+every few weeks. They may have let in half a dozen while we&#8217;ve been at
+sea.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No,&#8221; said Zuroaga, &#8220;but they&#8217;ve tightened their grip on Texas, and I
+hope they&#8217;ll hold on hard, if only to keep Paredes and Santa Anna from
+murdering all the best men in it. Well, Oaxaca lies due south of the
+State of Vera Cruz, and I can escape into it if I have half a chance.
+I&#8217;d be safe then, for I have plenty of friends there. We have owned huge
+tracts of land in Oaxaca ever since the Spaniards conquered Mexico.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How did your folks get so much of it?&#8221; inquired Ned.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll tell you,&#8221; said the se&ntilde;or, proudly, and with a fiery flash in his
+coal-black eyes.<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_51' id='pg_51'>51</a></span> &#8220;A man by the name of Hernando Cortes really conquered
+Mexico, without much help from the King of Spain. The king made a great
+deal of him for it, at first. He made him a marquis, which was a great
+thing in those days, whatever it is now. He also gave him a royal grant
+of some of the land he had won for Spain. This land was the valley of
+the Tehuantepec River, that empties into the Pacific Ocean near the
+eastern boundary of Oaxaca. So his title was Marquis del Valle, and his
+descendants hold a great deal of that land to this day. I am one of
+them,&mdash;one of the Marquisanas, as they call us. I am a direct descendant
+of Hernando Cortes, and that isn&#8217;t all. One of my ancestors married an
+Aztec princess, and so I am also descended from the Montezumas, who were
+emperors of Mexico before the Spaniards came. I&#8217;m an Indian on one side,
+and I&#8217;ve more than one good reason for hating a Spaniard and a tyrant.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned Crawford had read the story of the conquest of Mexico, like a great
+many other American boys. That is, he had read it as if it had been a
+tip-top novel rather than a reality. He had admired Hernando Cortes, as
+a hero of fiction, but here he was, now, actually talking with one of
+the<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_52' id='pg_52'>52</a></span> hero&#8217;s great-great-grandchildren, who was also, after a fashion,
+one of the Montezumas. It was like a short chapter out of some other
+novel, with the night race of the <i>Goshawk</i> thrown in by way of
+variation. He was thinking about it, however, rather than asking
+questions, and the se&ntilde;or went on:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a rich, beautiful country, all that eastern part of Oaxaca. There
+are splendid mountains and great forests of mahogany, rosewood, and
+pine. Through it runs the Coatzacoalcos River, northerly, to the gulf.
+Along the rivers and through the mountain passes, there is an old road
+that Cortes himself made to lead his little army across to the Pacific.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;d like to go over on it!&#8221; exclaimed Ned. &#8220;I guess I will, some day. I
+want to know all about Mexico.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He made up his mind, from what his companion went on to tell him, that
+there would be a great deal worth seeing, but at that time nobody was
+dreaming how many Americans, older and younger, were soon to travel over
+the old Cortes road. California was to be annexed, as well as Texas, and
+before Ned Crawford would be old enough to cast his first vote, there
+was to be a great tide of eager gold hunters pouring<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_53' id='pg_53'>53</a></span> along what was
+called the Tehuantepec route to the placers and diggings.</p>
+
+<p>The days of California gold mining had not yet come, and while Ned and
+the se&ntilde;or talked on about the terrible history of Mexico, with its
+factions, its bloody revenges, its pronunciamentos, and its fruitless
+revolutions, the <i>Goshawk</i> sailed swiftly along toward Vera Cruz and the
+powder-needing garrison of the castle of San Juan de Ulua.</p>
+
+<p>Whether or not the war had actually begun was still a puzzling question
+in the mind of Captain Kemp, but he would have had no doubt whatever if
+he had been with General Taylor and his remarkable gathering of young
+students of the art of war. They all obtained several important lessons
+that day. One of these was that it is both difficult and dangerous for
+an advancing army to push on through dense bushes and high grass in hot
+weather, with Mexican lancers ready to pounce upon them among the lanes
+of the chaparral. It was found, not only before but after the short,
+sharp collision with the Mexican forces at Resaca de la Palma that a
+number of valuable lives had been lost in the bushy wilderness.</p>
+
+<p>The American army moved slowly forward, and before nightfall the long
+lines<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_54' id='pg_54'>54</a></span> of its blue uniforms went over the prairie rolls in full sight of
+the fort. The Stars and Stripes were still flying above the badly
+damaged ramparts, and cheer after cheer went up from thousands of
+throats, including those of the rescued garrison. They had not really
+lost many men, killed or wounded, but among the killed was their
+commander, Major Brown, after whom the fort was now named. In later
+years, a town grew up around the site of the frontier fortress, and it
+is called Brownsville. General Taylor&#8217;s men had triumphantly cut their
+way through the difficult twenty miles from the sea to the siege, but
+perhaps any individual hero among them might have safely quoted the wise
+remark of Lieutenant Grant, as he looked at the fort and recalled his
+exploits of the day.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, after all,&#8221; he said to himself, &#8220;I don&#8217;t know but what the battle
+of Resaca de la Palma would have been won just as well if I had not been
+there.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Long years afterward, it was to be said of a number of other battles
+that they would not have been won just as well if he had not been there
+to win them, and the same would be equally true of several of his young
+companions, as inexperienced as<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_55' id='pg_55'>55</a></span> himself, and as ignorant of the great
+things before them in the far future.</p>
+
+<p>Their army went into camp near the fort; and the Mexican forces, for the
+greater part, were believed to have retreated across the Rio Grande.</p>
+
+<p>It is said that after every storm there comes a calm, but it was not a
+pleasant calm in the neighborhood of the American camp. There were all
+the while strong parties of Mexican lancers hovering around in all
+directions, on the lookout for imprudent stragglers, and a sharp watch
+had to be kept to guard against sudden dashes at the outposts, for the
+&#8220;rancheros,&#8221; as the Mexican horsemen were called, were both well-mounted
+and enterprising. There was yet another kind of calm of a curious
+character. General Taylor absolutely did not know what to do next, and
+he could not know until after he should hear from the President what the
+statesmen in Congress had decided. Beyond a doubt, war was going on
+right here, but there was a dispute as to the nature of it and as to
+what was to be done with it. The Mexican geographers claimed that the
+southern boundary of Texas, even if it had been legally annexed to the
+United States, was at the Nueces River, and that all their country<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_56' id='pg_56'>56</a></span>
+south of that line was still their own. According to them, therefore,
+General Taylor&#8217;s army was not in Texas at all, but in Mexico. On the
+other hand, the American geographers placed the boundary at the Rio
+Grande, many miles south of the Nueces, and claimed that the forces
+defeated by General Taylor had invaded the United States. If both
+parties were right, then it might have been said that all that land
+between the rivers did not belong to anybody until the title to it
+should be settled by a military court and gunpowder arguments. That was
+really the way in which it was finally settled, and there is now no more
+dispute about it. History tells us that so have all the great national
+land titles of the world been argued and determined.</p>
+
+<p>There was what some people call a waiting spell, and all things on sea
+or land might be spoken of as feverishly quiet for a day or two. In the
+afternoon of the third day, however, there was a sort of change in the
+weather at one spot away out on the gulf. There was not a cloud in the
+sky, indeed, and the <i>Goshawk</i> was skimming along under full sail so
+steadily that part of her crew had nothing better to do than to lie
+around on the deck, and feel satisfied that the breeze was so very good.
+In the<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_57' id='pg_57'>57</a></span> same manner, the American soldiers in the neighborhood of Fort
+Brown were lying around in and out of their tents, and wishing that they
+had more shade to protect them from the hot sun of Texas or Mexico,
+whichever it might be. At that hour, however, there arrived upon the
+<i>Goshawk</i> a bit of unexpected news which awakened everybody, for the man
+at the lookout announced, excitedly:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Schooner under Mexican flag, sir! Well away to loo&#8217;ard. Looks as if she
+might come pretty nigh us.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Just the thing I wanted!&#8221; shouted Captain Kemp, springing to his feet.
+&#8220;We&#8217;ll bear away for her. Up with the British flag, too. She&#8217;d shy the
+Stars and Stripes. They wouldn&#8217;t tell us what the news is, either.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Once more, therefore, the <i>Goshawk</i> became an Englishman, and her chase
+after the latest news did not have to be a long one. Not many minutes
+later, the two vessels were within hailing distance, and the stranger
+spoke first, in a tone of evident anxiety:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What ship is that?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;<i>Goshawk</i>, from Liverpool to Vera Cruz, with supplies for the Castle of
+San Juan de Ulua. What ship is that?&#8221;<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_58' id='pg_58'>58</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Schooner <i>Tampico</i>, from Havana to Matamoras, with supplies for General
+Ampudia,&#8221; came much more cheerfully back. &#8220;We had to run away from
+Matamoras in ballast to escape the gringos. Their cruisers are around
+like hawks. You won&#8217;t get to Vera Cruz if they can help it.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Captain Kemp already knew something about the reckless ways of
+men-of-war, but he did not say so. He merely responded:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Is that so? How about the war? We&#8217;ve no news at all.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;War?&#8221; shouted the Mexican skipper, triumphantly. &#8220;Why, there have been
+three great battles already. We have whipped the Americans! General
+Taylor is surrounded, and will have to surrender. So will the fort on
+the Rio Grande. We shall drive the gringos out of Texas. I did not know
+until now that you British were going to help us.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>There could be no further conversation, for the <i>Goshawk</i> was sweeping
+on out of hearing, but Ned Crawford exclaimed, indignantly:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Our army defeated? How can that be? I don&#8217;t believe it!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Everybody on deck could hear the captain when he laughingly responded:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The victories were won in that fellow&#8217;s<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_59' id='pg_59'>59</a></span> head, most likely. He was on
+board his schooner at Matamoras, and he didn&#8217;t see it done. All he knows
+is that the war is really begun. It takes a long time, men, to make
+either an American or a British army think of surrendering. We shall
+hear a good deal more about those battles one of these days. I&#8217;d like to
+read the newspaper reports, though, on both sides.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;They would be good fun,&#8221; dryly remarked Se&ntilde;or Zuroaga. &#8220;There is nobody
+on earth that can win victories like a newspaper editor.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hullo!&#8221; suddenly exclaimed Ned. &#8220;Something&#8217;s the matter with the
+captain! Did you hear that?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>There was quite enough to hear. A long, loud hail that came down from
+the rigging was followed by almost a yell from Captain Kemp.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re chased again!&#8221; he said. &#8220;Thank God, she&#8217;s astern! Men, we&#8217;re in
+for it! Now for Vera Cruz or a prison! I&#8217;m ready!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Rapid orders went out, but hardly anything more could be done to
+increase the speed of the ship. In fact, the lookout must almost have
+taken it for granted that the strange sail away off yonder belonged to a
+United States cruiser. Very likely it did,<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_60' id='pg_60'>60</a></span> but it would have to draw a
+good deal nearer before there could be any absolute certainty. In the
+meantime, all on board the <i>Goshawk</i> might attend to whatever duties
+they had, and discuss the remarkable tidings brought by the Mexican
+schooner. While doing so, they could hardly have guessed correctly what
+was doing and saying on board the other vessel which had caused their
+anxiety. She was, indeed, a man-of-war, and she had received from a
+returning army transport ship a whole lot of fresh news from General
+Taylor&#8217;s army, by way of Point Isabel on the coast, where he had been
+encamped. Something like this had been shouted across the water by an
+enthusiastic officer of the transport:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Awful fightin&#8217;! Half a dozen battles! Taylor&#8217;s whipped the Greasers
+into smithereens! He&#8217;s goin&#8217; to march right on into Mexico. I don&#8217;t keer
+if Uncle Sam annexes the hull half-Spanish outfit. I&#8217;m goin&#8217; in for one
+o&#8217; them there big silver mines, if we do. Hurrah for Gineral Taylor!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>A chorus of ringing cheers had answered that, but here, also, there were
+men of experience ready to question the entire accuracy of such
+tremendous war news. The one thing, however, which was brought out<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_61' id='pg_61'>61</a></span>
+clearly to the mind of a naval commander was his greatly increased duty
+of watchfulness to prevent any kind of munitions of war from reaching
+the Mexican ports. That was the reason why he was now following at his
+best speed what might after all prove to be an entirely innocent trader.
+He even went below to consider the matter, and it was a full hour later
+when the officer in charge of the deck came hastily down to tell him:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Same fellow we chased before, sir. I&#8217;ve made him out. He&#8217;s under
+British colors again. Are we to chase?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Chase, sir?&#8221; roared the captain. &#8220;Of course we must chase! We know what
+it means now. The old <i>Portsmouth</i> must catch that rascal this time.
+I&#8217;ll come on deck.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Just as good glasses as those on board of her had been watching her
+during that hour of swift sailing, and Captain Kemp was even now
+lowering his telescope with what sounded like a sigh of relief.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Mate,&#8221; he said, &#8220;it&#8217;s the same sloop that followed us before. It makes
+me feel better. We know what&#8217;s about the best she can do. If this wind
+holds, I think we can fetch Vera Cruz at nightfall. No one<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_62' id='pg_62'>62</a></span> Yankee&#8217;d
+dare to follow us under the guns of San Juan de Ulua.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I reckon not,&#8221; slowly responded the mate of the <i>Goshawk</i>, &#8220;but we
+don&#8217;t need to get under that chap&#8217;s bow-chasers, either.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No,&#8221; said Captain Kemp, &#8220;but I&#8217;ll risk a shot or two.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned Crawford heard him, for he had been following him pretty closely, to
+know what was coming.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know,&#8221; he was thinking, &#8220;how far one o&#8217; those cannon of hers&#8217;ll
+carry. I don&#8217;t believe, either, that they can hit a mark that is
+plunging along as we are. It&#8217;d be worse than shooting at a bird on the
+wing. Still, it&#8217;s kind of awful to be shot at by our own people.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The sailors of the <i>Goshawk</i> were also thinking, and they were beginning
+to look at one another very doubtfully. Not only were they Americans,
+most of them, but they had not shipped for any such business as this,
+and they did not fancy the idea of being killed for nothing. Moreover,
+Ned himself heard one of them muttering:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s an ugly look to this thing. If a shot from that cruiser were to
+strike us amidships, we&#8217;d all be blown into the air.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Decidedly that was not a pleasant thing<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_63' id='pg_63'>63</a></span> to think of. Neither was there
+any great amount of comfort in a suggestion made by another of the men:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, we&#8217;d never know what hurt us. We must keep out o&#8217; range.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Not long afterward there was a flash at one of the bow-ports of the
+cruiser. The report which followed was a peremptory order to heave to,
+under penalty of consequences. The gun was shotted, and a great many
+eyes watched anxiously for the dipping of that well-aimed ball of iron.
+It skipped from crest to crest of several waves before it sank, and then
+Captain Kemp shouted:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;All right, men! Half a mile short! We shall get there. The coast&#8217;s in
+full sight now, and we&#8217;ve less than five miles to run.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ay, ay, sir!&#8221; came back from them, half cheerfully, but one voice was
+heard to grumble:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s all right, is it? Well, if it wasn&#8217;t for that half-mile o&#8217;
+shortage, there&#8217;d be a mutinee-e on board o&#8217; this ship. I&#8217;d start it. I
+ain&#8217;t a-goin&#8217; to get myself knocked on the head by Uncle Sam&#8217;s own men.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>There would very likely have been a mutiny, even as it was, if there had
+now been time for it to take shape. Thus far,<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_64' id='pg_64'>64</a></span> the excitement of the
+chase had been in the captain&#8217;s favor, but the seamen would have been
+legally justified in resisting him and bringing the ship to. His
+authority would have ceased, for he had no right to compel them to break
+the law or to run the risk of a broadside from a man-of-war.</p>
+
+<p>Nearer, nearer, nearer, came both the dim outline of the Mexican coast
+and the white sails of the pursuing <i>Portsmouth</i>. Louder and more
+ominous grew the but half-suppressed murmurs of the sailors, but Captain
+Kemp&#8217;s face was now wearing a hard, set look, and he was known to be a
+dangerous man to deal with. Something, which looked like the handle of a
+pistol, stuck out of one of his side pockets, and his fingers wandered
+to it now and then, as if he might be turning over in his mind the
+possibility of soon having to shoot a mutineer. Ned was staring
+anxiously back at the Yankee cruiser at the moment when his shoulder was
+gripped hard, and Se&ntilde;or Zuroaga almost whirled him around, exclaiming:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Look! Look yonder! That&#8217;s the Castle of San Juan de Ulua! Oh, but don&#8217;t
+I wish it were a half-mile nearer! Hear that firing?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The guns of the <i>Portsmouth</i> were indeed<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_65' id='pg_65'>65</a></span> sounding at regular intervals,
+and she was evidently almost within range. She was also, however, well
+within the prescribed distance line which a hostile cruiser may not pass
+without being regarded as making the attack herself. Beyond a doubt,
+too, there must have been observers at the fort, who were already
+watching the operations of the two approaching vessels. Minutes passed,
+which were counted by Ned with a heart that beat so he almost thought he
+could hear it.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I think we are safe now,&#8221; began the se&ntilde;or, but he had been looking at
+the fort, and there was one important fact of which he was not aware.</p>
+
+<p>Only a couple of minutes earlier, the captain of the <i>Portsmouth</i> had
+shouted angrily to his first lieutenant:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No, sir! I will not let her get away. I will take her or sink her! Out
+with that starboard battery, and let them have it!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Around swung the sloop, like the perfect naval machine that she was, and
+there quickly followed the reports of several guns at once. It was not a
+full broadside, but there was enough of it to have sunk the <i>Goshawk</i>,
+if the iron thrown had struck her at or near the water-line. None of it
+did so, but the next exclamation of Se&ntilde;or<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_66' id='pg_66'>66</a></span> Zuroaga was one of utter
+dismay, for the foremast of the bark had been cut off at the cap and
+there was a vast rent in her mainsail. Down tumbled a mass of spars and
+rigging, forward, and the ship could no longer obey her helm.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;All hands cut away wreckage!&#8221; shouted Captain Kemp. &#8220;We&#8217;re all right.
+She won&#8217;t dare come any nearer. Hurrah!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It was a deep, thunderous roar from the castle which had called out that
+apparently untimely hurrah. It was the voice of a 64-pounder gun from
+the nearest rampart, and the shot it sent fell within ten feet of the
+<i>Portsmouth&#8217;s</i> bows.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hullo!&#8221; exclaimed her captain, more angrily than ever. &#8220;We&#8217;ve run in
+almost to pointblank range of those heavy guns. About! About!
+Lieutenant, we must get out of this.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;All right, sir,&#8221; was anxiously responded. &#8220;It isn&#8217;t worth while to risk
+any more shot of that size&mdash;not for all there&#8217;s likely to be under the
+hatches of that wretched bark. I think we barked her, anyhow.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He may have meant that for a kind of small joke, but she had been worse
+hurt than he could know, for one 32-pounder<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_67' id='pg_67'>67</a></span> shot had shattered her
+stern, barely missing her sternpost and rudder gearing, and she was no
+longer the trim and seaworthy vessel that she had been. One more heavy
+gun had sounded from the seaward battery of the castle, but her garrison
+had been in a genuinely Mexican condition of unreadiness, and it was
+several minutes before they could bring up more ammunition and make
+further use of their really excellent artillery. During those minutes,
+the <i>Portsmouth</i> had ample opportunity given her to swing around and
+sweep swiftly out of danger. She had barely escaped paying dearly for
+her pursuit of the <i>Goshawk.</i> Her satisfaction, however, consisted only
+in part of the damage she had done to the bark, for, in getting around,
+she had let drive her entire larboard broadside. It was a waste of
+ammunition, certainly, but no Yankee man-of-war commander would ever
+have forgiven himself if he had failed to make a good reply to a shot
+from the Castle of San Juan de Ulua. Moreover, the sloop&#8217;s gunners were
+ready to swear solemnly that every ball they had sent had hit the fort.</p>
+
+<p>The excitement on board the <i>Goshawk</i> had been at fever heat, but it was
+now diminishing rapidly, for she did not contain<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_68' id='pg_68'>68</a></span> a man who was not well
+pleased to see the <i>Portsmouth</i> give the matter up. All signs of mutiny
+disappeared, of course, for there was no more duty of a military
+character to be required of the men. The bark was soon set free of her
+wreckage, and prepared to make her way in still further, under the
+protection of the fort batteries. Captain Kemp was too busy for any kind
+of conversation, and Se&ntilde;or Zuroaga came aft, to where Ned was curiously
+studying the work of the 32-pound shot at the stern. The se&ntilde;or leaned
+over the side and did the same for a long moment before he remarked:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We have had a narrow escape. A few feet lower, and that shot would have
+let the water in. Fifty feet forward, and it would have touched off the
+gunpowder. As it is, our voyage is ended, and I shall know, in an hour
+or two, whether or not I am to be shot in the morning.&#8221;</p>
+
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_69' id='pg_69'>69</a></span>
+<a name='COMPLETELY_STRANDED_1354' id='COMPLETELY_STRANDED_1354'></a>
+<h2>CHAPTER IV.</h2>
+<h3>COMPLETELY STRANDED</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p>&#8220;There don&#8217;t seem to be any Mexican warships in the harbor,&#8221; said Ned to
+the se&ntilde;or, as they looked landward from the deck of their badly mauled
+bark. &#8220;There isn&#8217;t one in sight to come out after that sloop.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There are two good reasons for it,&#8221; growled the se&ntilde;or, gloomily. &#8220;One
+is that there isn&#8217;t any harbor here. Nothing but an open roadstead,
+exposed to all the storms that come, so that to anchor off Vera Cruz is
+to run a fair chance of being wrecked. The other is that my unfortunate
+country has no navy. There isn&#8217;t a Mexican vessel afloat that would care
+to go out after a Yankee man-of-war. We are not yet a nation, and I&#8217;m
+half-afraid we never will be. This war may do something for us. There
+they come! I shall know very soon now.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>As he spoke, he pointed at several boats<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_70' id='pg_70'>70</a></span> which were pulling out toward
+the <i>Goshawk.</i> Some of them appeared to come from the wharves of the
+city, but one, which was nearer, was evidently from the castle, and it
+was in this that the se&ntilde;or took the deepest interest. Besides its
+half-dozen of oarsmen, it contained a tall man in a gorgeous uniform,
+and it was only a minute or so before Zuroaga exclaimed:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, that is Colonel Guerra himself. I am glad he is all alone!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The bark was now drifting pretty rapidly landward, under such canvas as
+she had left, and the <i>Portsmouth</i> was safely out of range of the
+Mexican guns, which were throwing away an occasional shot at her. She
+had not been touched by one of them, and she had the honor of being the
+first United States ship to try her batteries upon the renowned old
+Spanish fortress. It was, indeed, a well-built fortification, and it
+carried many guns, most of which had been brought over long ago from the
+foundries of old Spain. It did not stand upon the main shore, but on an
+island about half a mile out, and it therefore seemed unassailable,
+except from the sea or by heavy siege-guns on the shore. It had been one
+of the last places surrendered when the Spanish government reluctantly
+gave up<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_71' id='pg_71'>71</a></span> Mexico. From that day onward, in each of the successive
+revolutions, it had been a first object with each new tyrant of the
+nominal republic or empire to get control of the fortress, which
+dominated nearly all of the commerce of Mexico with the outer world. At
+the present time, it was commanded by an officer whom President Paredes
+believed that he could trust&mdash;or he would have shot him. This, of
+course, was the main reason for the dark doubts of Se&ntilde;or Zuroaga. On the
+other hand, it might be taken into account that any prominent Mexican
+officer, like Colonel Guerra, would be willing to strengthen himself for
+such political changes as were entirely likely to come. For the sake of
+old friendship and family ties, for instance, he might be even desirous
+of binding to his own interests a man who was known to have a large
+number of personal adherents in the important State of Oaxaca.</p>
+
+<p>That very man stood aft upon the deck of the <i>Goshawk</i> when the boat of
+Colonel Guerra touched her side, but he did not at once come forward to
+extend a greeting. That ceremony was performed sufficiently well by
+Captain Kemp, and the responses of the castle commander were to the last
+degree enthusiastic. According to him, indeed,<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_72' id='pg_72'>72</a></span> the fort could not have
+held out against a siege for a week without the powder in the hold of
+the bark. Therefore, it might be that not much of it was likely to be
+distributed among the other forces of Mexico. The captain had many
+things to say, but before long Colonel Guerra walked slowly aft without
+anybody following him. He may have merely desired to look over the side
+and examine the injuries inflicted by the shot of the <i>Portsmouth</i>, for
+that was the first thing he did, without so much as appearing to
+recognize any human being in the neighborhood. One of the two persons
+who were there, however, drew slowly near him, and, as he did so, he
+heard the colonel mutter, in a very low tone:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My dear friend, you have done well to bring me the powder. Thank you
+for your devotion to me and to Santa Anna, but you are in deadly peril.
+The orders of Paredes are out against you. General Morales, whom Paredes
+trusts, will soon be here to supersede me, but he will really come to
+hold this place for our general when he returns from exile. Consider
+that I do not know that you are here, for my next in command is a spy on
+me. This ship will never put to sea again. The captain and crew will be
+cared for, but that<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_73' id='pg_73'>73</a></span> gringo boy is not safe, now that there has been
+bloodshed on the Rio Grande. Take him with you to the house of your
+cousin, Colonel Tassara, in the lower part of the city. Then get away to
+Oaxaca as soon as you can. President Paredes is still in the city of
+Mexico, and he will not go to take command of the army in the north for
+some time. You and I believe, of course, that he is really gathering it
+to have it led by our one-legged hero, Santa Anna. Paredes, however,
+suspects that a revolution is springing up under him, and he is watching
+for it. Of course, for that reason, he would shoot you at once as a
+returned conspirator against him. As for that matter, be careful how you
+land, for there are many spies. No doubt you can go where you please,
+after you get back among your own people. Farewell, but do not speak to
+me.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He turned and strolled carelessly away, and the se&ntilde;or bowed his head for
+a moment, as if in deep thought, while Ned Crawford was aware of an
+entirely new idea, which had crept into his mind as he had listened to
+the warning utterances of Colonel Guerra.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I declare!&#8221; he said to himself, &#8220;he believes that Se&ntilde;or Zuroaga brought
+the powder, and he didn&#8217;t. He believes that<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_74' id='pg_74'>74</a></span> the se&ntilde;or is going in for
+old Santa Anna, and he isn&#8217;t. He believes that the se&ntilde;or and I are
+enemies of Paredes, and so we are. I am! I hope that he&#8217;ll be beaten out
+of his boots by General Taylor, and then upset by the new revolution. I
+guess he&#8217;s right, though, about this ship, and I must find out how I can
+send a letter home. I want father and mother to know all about this
+business. Go ashore and hide? I&#8217;m ready for that, but I&#8217;d like to get a
+good look at the old city somehow.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned had been laboring under many perplexities and a great deal of
+depression of spirits during several days, but now he felt a kind of
+exhilarating fever creeping all over him, and at first he did not know
+exactly what it might be. When his father had taken him with him across
+the Atlantic,&mdash;it seemed so long ago now,&mdash;he had gone eagerly enough,
+and he had had a grand time looking at Liverpool and London. It had been
+a rare treat for a youngster who had but recently passed up from a
+grammar school into the counting-room of a New York shipping-house.
+After that, when he had been sent on this trip, to make his voyage home
+by way of Mexico, he had considered himself exceedingly lucky. But what
+was all that in comparison with this<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_75' id='pg_75'>75</a></span> in the way of strange and wild
+adventure? Why, he had sailed through a naval engagement, cannonading
+and all, and right on out of that into a full-grown war and a half-grown
+revolution. The thrill which went over him was, therefore, the adventure
+fever. Something like this fever, in the veins of all sorts of men,
+young and old, has made the world what it is, discovering its new
+countries, its new sciences, its new institutions, and leading it
+forward and upward out of its old-time dullness and barbarism. So Ned
+stood straighter and felt older and had a pair of very brave, bright
+eyes when he walked forward to try and have a few words with Captain
+Kemp.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Captain,&#8221; he asked, &#8220;when can I go ashore?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Not quite yet,&#8221; said the captain. &#8220;Don&#8217;t bother me now. Of course, the
+ammunition for the castle goes out first. Then all the rest of the cargo
+must go ashore as fast as it can, and you are bound to attend to that.
+I&#8217;m glad that all of it is apparently on English account, and not for
+the American part of the concern. That makes all things easy. I hardly
+know what to do with the ship, though. We can&#8217;t repair her here.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>That was evidently the disadvantage of<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_76' id='pg_76'>76</a></span> having a vessel get out of order
+in a place where there were no good dockyards. As for the unlading,
+there were already &#8220;lighter&#8221; barges on their way from the fort, and
+others, no doubt, would soon be on hand from the city. Haste was the
+main object, under the circumstances, and the entire work would be
+rapidly accomplished.</p>
+
+<p>Zuroaga went below, and Ned followed him, for there was nothing more
+that he could do on deck just then.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Se&ntilde;or,&#8221; he asked, as soon as they were in the cabin, &#8220;how can I send a
+letter home? I don&#8217;t know exactly what to say, either.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Say anything you please,&#8221; replied the se&ntilde;or. &#8220;Your letter will go by
+the mail of the English consul, and the mails for England will not be
+meddled with by the Mexican authorities.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll sit right down and begin one,&#8221; said Ned, but the se&ntilde;or interrupted
+him very soberly with:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;One word before you begin, please. I know you overheard what Colonel
+Guerra said to me. You and I must get on shore as soon as we can, and it
+will not do for either of us to remain in Vera Cruz. I have<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_77' id='pg_77'>77</a></span> decided
+that I must take you with me to Oaxaca.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well,&#8221; hesitated Ned, &#8220;I understand that you must go, but what am I in
+danger of if I should stay here?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Edward, my dear fellow,&#8221; said the se&ntilde;or, &#8220;I will tell you, and you had
+better put it into your letter. First, you just wait and see what
+becomes of the <i>Goshawk</i>. She will never sail out of the Gulf of Mexico
+again. The captain and crew will get away as best they can, and I can&#8217;t
+tell how long it will be before they can do it. Meantime, you would be
+around on shore, and you would be known for a Yankee, a gringo. That
+might mean danger for you from any evil-minded Mexican. Some of this
+coast population are worse than savages, and they all carry knives.
+You&#8217;d never know who hurt you.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s awful!&#8221; exclaimed Ned. &#8220;I never thought of that.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There is another reason,&#8221; calmly continued the se&ntilde;or, &#8220;for your not
+lingering down here in the <i>tierra caliente</i>&mdash;the hot country&mdash;any later
+in the season. It is the yellow fever, and that is pretty sure to show
+itself before long. It takes people from the north quicker, a good deal,
+than it does those who were born here. I have<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_78' id='pg_78'>78</a></span> even heard that there is
+a rumor of some cases occurring already. Your father is an old friend of
+mine, and he would never forgive me if I were to permit you to be
+exposed to it, when you can so easily get away into the uplands, where
+it is never heard of. Be a good clerk now, and attend to your cargo, and
+be glad that it hasn&#8217;t been sent to the bottom of the gulf.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned had been thinking of that pretty seriously, and he sat down to write
+his home letter, well pleased that he had nothing to do with the
+unloading of the contraband of war part of the cargo. With reference to
+that, moreover, he had learned from Zuroaga that a Mexican
+post-commander of the rank of Colonel Guerra was a kind of local
+military dictator. Only so much of the ammunition as he might see fit to
+send would ever find its way into any other hands than his own. The
+se&ntilde;or had added that it was almost the same with whatever customs duties
+were collected by the civil officers of the port, with the one drawback
+that a dishonest army collector, if discovered, might possibly get
+himself shot as a kind of supposable revolutionist, stealing the profits
+of the others.</p>
+
+<p>The lighter barges were now swarming around the bark, and a hundred busy
+workmen<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_79' id='pg_79'>79</a></span> were doing their best, quite patriotically, for the guns and
+gunners of the castle. It was easy to see that the American sailors did
+not fancy that job, and were willing to keep out of it. So they
+sauntered around, attending to a few ship&#8217;s duties here and there, while
+now and then one or another of them might have been heard to grumble his
+unwillingness to ever again go to sea under an English captain. The
+truth was that they had excellent reasons for discontent concerning the
+scrape into which they had been led, and they were well aware that they
+had not yet by any means seen the end of it. Almost the best they could
+hope for was that they were to be sent back to some country of Europe,
+on some ship or other which had not yet arrived at Vera Cruz, and which
+might not sail away with them on board for a number of weeks to come.
+Any man among them was now almost willing to have had the <i>Portsmouth</i>
+sink the <i>Goshawk</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Heavy shot may be craned over into boats, and kegs or barrels of
+gunpowder may be let down tenderly, gently, as well by moonlight and
+lantern-light as by any other. Therefore, the coming on of night did not
+interfere with the landing processes. Moreover, any amount of sleep may
+be performed<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_80' id='pg_80'>80</a></span> by a healthy boy in a battered ship lying safely at
+anchor. So Ned made up, more or less, for the sleep he had lost during
+the long race of the <i>Goshawk</i>, and it was not early when he came on
+deck the next morning. When he did so, he found his duties as nominal
+supercargo cut out for him, and Captain Kemp appeared to be especially
+anxious that a son of one of the owners should supervise whatever was to
+be done with the peaceable part of his cargo. He even explained to Ned
+that he might yet be called upon in some law court to testify to the
+honest accuracy of all the papers he was now to sign.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;ll take about two days more,&#8221; he told him, &#8220;and you mustn&#8217;t go
+ashore till the ship&#8217;s empty. The American consul hasn&#8217;t taken his
+passports yet, but he expects to get away soon, somehow or other. Most
+likely, he&#8217;ll be taken off by a ship of war. So, perhaps, will other
+Americans. You might wait and get away then, if you think best, but you
+can&#8217;t hope to ever go on this ship.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned had an increasingly strong feeling that he did not now care to go on
+that or any other craft of war or peace. He would much rather go to
+Oaxaca than to New York, and he felt more sure than ever that<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_81' id='pg_81'>81</a></span> his
+father would not wish him to run any risk of the dreadful yellow fever.
+So he worked on industriously, learning a great deal concerning the
+processes required in getting a cargo out of a ship. During several
+hours, he was so occupied that he almost forgot the existence of his
+Mexican friend, but he was dimly aware that a small rowboat had come to
+the off-shore side of the ship, and had shortly pulled away without any
+interference on the part of the officials, military or civil. Perhaps
+she was understood to have come there by order of Colonel Guerra. Toward
+nightfall, however, that boat came again, as she did before, not running
+in among the barges, but seeming to avoid them. There were five men in
+her, and one of them stood up to say to a sailor at the rail:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I wish to see young Se&ntilde;or Carfora. Is he on board?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hullo!&#8221; thought Ned. &#8220;That&#8217;s the Spanish name Se&ntilde;or Zuroaga told me I
+was to go by.&#8221; Then he sang out aloud, as he hurried across the deck,
+&#8220;Here I am. What do you want of me?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Lean over and talk low,&#8221; responded the man in the boat, but the one
+sailor near them did not understand a word of Spanish, and he might
+suppose, if he wished to do<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_82' id='pg_82'>82</a></span> so, that it was something about the cargo.
+Ned himself listened eagerly, while the speaker went on: &#8220;I am Colonel
+Tassara. Se&ntilde;or Zuroaga must not come to the ship again. I will be here
+to-morrow evening. May I be assured that you will then be ready to come
+to my house?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Tell him of course you will!&#8221; said a voice behind Ned, peremptorily,
+and it was Captain Kemp who had come over for a few words with Tassara.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll be ready, colonel,&#8221; said Ned, when his turn came to speak, and the
+boat pulled away, leaving him and the captain by themselves.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a good arrangement for you, my boy,&#8221; said the captain. &#8220;Unless I
+am mistaken, though, there are signs of the worst kind of a
+northeasterly storm. This is a dangerous anchorage for that sort of
+thing. I don&#8217;t think I shall risk having too many men on board when the
+norther gets here. The cargo will be all out, and the ship&#8217;s well
+insured. The American consul doesn&#8217;t know a thing about the ammunition
+or the running away from the cruisers. He has enough else on his hands
+just now.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned did not care a great deal about that, but he was more than ever in a
+hurry to see the end of his supercargo business. The<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_83' id='pg_83'>83</a></span> fact was that an
+air of something like mystery appeared to be gathering around him, and
+there is a tremendous fascination in anything mysterious. What if he
+were now getting right in behind the war, after a fashion, and at the
+same time into the darkest kind of revolution or rebellion against the
+power of President Paredes, in company with that wonderful adventurer,
+General Santa Anna, and all the desperate characters of Mexico?</p>
+
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_84' id='pg_84'>84</a></span>
+<a name='THE_WORK_OF_THE_NORTHER_1648' id='THE_WORK_OF_THE_NORTHER_1648'></a>
+<h2>CHAPTER V.</h2>
+<h3>THE WORK OF THE NORTHER</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p>During the rest of that day and the earlier part of the next the weather
+continued fairly good, and the unloading went steadily on. In the many
+intervals of his duties, Ned tried hard to drive his mental fever away,
+and amused himself as best he might. The city itself was worth looking
+at, with its tiers of streets rising one above another from the shore.
+He saw several churches, and some of them were large, with massive
+towers and steeples.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The Mexicans must have been richer than they are now,&#8221; he said to
+himself, &#8220;when those things were built. They cost piles of money.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He had no idea how rich a country it is, or how much richer it might be,
+if its wonderful natural resources were to be made the most of. As for
+the city, he had heard that Vera Cruz contained about<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_85' id='pg_85'>85</a></span> seven or eight
+thousand people, besides its military garrison, its foreigners, and a
+continually varying mob of transient visitors from the interior. Zuroaga
+had told him, moreover, that it was from the latter that any gringo like
+himself would be in danger of violence. They were a vindictive,
+bloodthirsty class of men, most of them, for they retained undiminished
+the peculiar characteristics of their Indian ancestors.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t care to run against any of them,&#8221; thought Ned. &#8220;I don&#8217;t like
+this <i>tierra caliente</i> country, anyhow. It&#8217;s too hot to live in.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Then he thought a great deal of the wonderful land of forests and
+mountains which lay beyond the fever-haunted lowlands, and he longed
+more and more for a good look at the empire which Hernando Cortes won
+from the old Montezumas and their bloody war-god, Huitzilopochtli.</p>
+
+<p>In the afternoon of the second day the sky was manifestly putting on a
+threatening aspect. The wind began to rise and the sea began to roughen.
+The men discharging the cargo hastened their work, and it was evident
+that the last of the lighter barges would soon be setting out for the
+shore. Ned was staring at them and recalling all<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_86' id='pg_86'>86</a></span> the yarns he had heard
+concerning the destructive power of a gulf &#8220;norther,&#8221; when Captain Kemp
+came walking slowly toward him, with a face which appeared to express no
+sort of unusual concern for anything in the world. Nevertheless, he
+said:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Get ready now, Ned, as sharp as you can. There comes your boat. I shall
+send some papers by the colonel. Se&ntilde;or Zuroaga&#8217;s luggage all went on
+shore yesterday. I think some other men will have to be looking out for
+themselves before long. If the <i>Goshawk</i> should drag her anchors and go
+ashore, I hope there won&#8217;t be too much sea running for good boats to
+live in.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m all ready now!&#8221; exclaimed Ned, as he sprang away, but he went with
+a curious question rising in his mind: &#8220;What if a cable were more&#8217;n half
+cut through? Wouldn&#8217;t it be likely to break and let go of an anchor, if
+it were pulled at too hard by a gale of wind? I don&#8217;t really know
+anything about it, but Se&ntilde;or Zuroaga thinks that Captain Kemp is a
+curious man to deal with. Father thinks that he is a good sailor, too.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>All the wardrobe that Ned had on board was easily contained in a
+waterproof satchel of moderate size, and he was half-glad now<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_87' id='pg_87'>87</a></span> that
+there was no more of it, it went so quickly over into the large yawl
+that was waiting alongside when he returned on deck. It was a four-oared
+boat, and Colonel Tassara, at the stern, beckoned to him without
+speaking, as if he might have reasons for silence as well as haste.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;In with you, Ned,&#8221; said Captain Kemp. &#8220;I&#8217;ll try to see you within a day
+or two. Take good care of yourself. Good day, colonel.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The Mexican officer only bowed, and in a moment more the yawl was
+fighting her difficult way over the rapidly increasing waves, for the
+first strength of the norther had really come, and there might soon be a
+great deal more of it,&mdash;for the benefit of the <i>Goshawk</i>.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There!&#8221; muttered Captain Kemp, as he saw them depart, &#8220;I haven&#8217;t more
+than a good boat&#8217;s crew left on board. We&#8217;ll take to the life-boat as
+soon as the cable parts. There isn&#8217;t any use in trying to save this bark
+under all the circumstances. I&#8217;ve done my duty. I couldn&#8217;t have
+calculated on heavy shot first, and then for a whole gang of cruisers
+watching for me off the coast. This &#8217;ere norther, too! Well, I didn&#8217;t
+make the war, and I don&#8217;t see that<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_88' id='pg_88'>88</a></span> I ought to lose any money by it. I
+won&#8217;t, either.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Whatever was his exact meaning, the mate and four other men who remained
+evidently agreed with him, from what they were shortly saying to one
+another. It might also have been taken note of by a careful observer
+that the mate was a Scotchman, and that the four others were all from
+Liverpool. Whoever had put so much contraband of war on board the
+<i>Goshawk</i> had not entrusted it entirely to the eccentricities of a lot
+of out-and-out American sailors, with peculiar notions concerning their
+flag.</p>
+
+<p>On went Colonel Tassara&#8217;s yawl, and it was not likely to meet any other
+boat that evening. As the rollers increased in size momentarily, Ned
+began to have doubts as to whether such a boat had any reasonable hope
+of reaching the shore. It was now pitch-dark also, and he could but feel
+that his adventures in Mexico were beginning in a remarkably unpleasant
+manner. The landing could not have been made at any place along the
+beach, where the surf was breaking so dangerously, and it looked almost
+as perilous to approach the piers and wharves.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How on earth are we to do it?&#8221; exclaimed<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_89' id='pg_89'>89</a></span> Ned, in English, but no
+answer came from the hard-breathing rowers.</p>
+
+<p>Colonel Tassara seemed now to be steering a southerly course, instead of
+directly landward, and Ned calculated that this would carry them past
+all of the usual landing-places. It also gave them narrow escapes from
+rolling over and over in the troughs between several high waves. On the
+whole, therefore, it was a pretty rough boating excursion, but it was
+not a long one. It did take them almost past the city front, and at last
+Ned thought he saw a long, black shadow reaching out at the boat. It was
+better than a shadow, for it was a long wooden pier, old enough to have
+been built by Cortes himself. The waves were breaking clean over it,
+but, at the same time, it was breaking them, so that around in the lee
+of it the water was less boisterous, and the yawl might reach the beach
+in safety. There was no wharf, but all Ned cared for was that he saw no
+surf, and he felt better than he had at any moment since leaving the
+<i>Goshawk</i>. It was the same, for they said so, emphatically, with the
+boatmen and Colonel Tassara.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;One of the men will take your bag,&#8221; said the colonel to Ned, as soon as
+they were out on shore. &#8220;We will go right<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_90' id='pg_90'>90</a></span> along to my house, and we
+shall hardly meet anybody just now. I&#8217;m glad of that. Santa Maria, how
+dark it is getting! This will be the worst kind of norther.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>A couple of lanterns had been taken from the boat. They had previously
+been lighted by the colonel with much difficulty, and without them it
+would have been impossible to follow the stony, grassy pathway by which
+Ned Crawford made his first invasion of the Mexican territory. He did
+not now feel like annexing any of it, although Mexican patriots asserted
+that their title to Vera Cruz or the city of Mexico itself was no better
+than their right to Texas. His gloomy march was a short one, and only a
+few shadowy, unrecognized human beings passed him on the way.</p>
+
+<p>The party came to a halt before a one-story stone dwelling, with a long
+piazza in front of it, close to the weedy sidewalk of a crooked and
+straggling street. It was apparent that this was not in the aristocratic
+quarter of the city, if it had one. A door in the middle of the house
+swung open as they arrived, and the boatman who carried Ned&#8217;s bag put it
+down on the threshold. The lanterns went away with him and his fellow
+rowers, but other lights made their appearance quickly,&mdash;after the<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_91' id='pg_91'>91</a></span> door
+had closed behind Ned and Colonel Tassara. Not one of the boat&#8217;s crew
+had obtained a peep into the house, or had seen any of its occupants.
+Ned was now aware that he had entered a broad hall-like passageway,
+which appeared to run through the house, and to have several doors on
+each side. One of these doors had opened to let the new light in, and
+through it also came Se&ntilde;or Zuroaga, two other men, and a young girl, who
+at once threw her arms around the neck of Colonel Tassara.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;O father!&#8221; she exclaimed, &#8220;I am so glad! Mother and I were so
+frightened! We were afraid you would be drowned.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My dear little daughter,&#8221; he responded, sadly, &#8220;I fear there will be
+more than one lot of poor fellows drowned to-night. This storm is
+fearful!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It seemed, in fact, to be getting worse every minute, and Ned was
+thinking of the <i>Goshawk</i> and the state of her cable, even while he was
+being introduced to the pretty Se&ntilde;orita Felicia Tassara, and then to her
+mother, a stately woman, who came to meet her husband without
+condescending to say how badly she had been alarmed on his account.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;She&#8217;s just about the proudest-looking woman I ever saw,&#8221; thought Ned,
+for, although<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_92' id='pg_92'>92</a></span> she welcomed him politely, she at once made him aware
+that she did not consider him of any importance whatever. He was only a
+young gringo, from nobody knew where, and she was a Mexican lady of high
+rank, who hated Americans of all sorts.</p>
+
+<p>Ned&#8217;s only really hearty greeting came from Se&ntilde;or Zuroaga, who seemed to
+him, under the circumstances, like an old friend.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Carfora, my dear fellow,&#8221; he said, &#8220;you and the colonel must come in to
+your supper&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, se&ntilde;or,&#8221; expostulated Ned, &#8220;I&#8217;m wet through, and so is he.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I declare!&#8221; exclaimed Zuroaga. &#8220;What&#8217;s in my head that I should
+overlook that? You must change your rig. Come this way with me.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned followed him, bag in hand, through a narrow passage which opened at
+the right, and they went on almost to the end of it. The room which they
+then entered was only seven feet wide, but it was three times as long,
+and it was oddly furnished. Instead of a bedstead, a handsome hammock,
+with blankets, sheets, and a pillow in it, hung at one side, and the
+high window was provided with mosquito nettings. There was no carpet on
+the floor, but this<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_93' id='pg_93'>93</a></span> was clean, and a good enough dressing-bureau stood
+at the further end of the room. Before the mirror of this, the se&ntilde;or set
+down the lamp he had been carrying, and said to Ned:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My dear Carfora, I have explained to the haughty se&ntilde;ora that you are
+the son of an American merchant, and of a good family, so that she will
+not really treat you like a common person. She is descended from the
+oldest families of Spain, and there is no republicanism in her. The
+sooner you are ready, the better. I will be back in five minutes.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Open came the bag, but the best Ned could do in the way of style was a
+very neat blue suit. What he would have called the swallow-tails, which
+Se&ntilde;ora Tassara might have expected as the dinner dress of a more
+important guest, could hardly be required of a young fellow just escaped
+from a norther. As soon as he felt that he had done his best, he turned
+toward the door, but it opened to let in Se&ntilde;or Zuroaga in full
+regulation dinner costume. How he could have put it on so quickly
+puzzled Ned, but he asked no questions. It was quite possible, however,
+that even the descendant of Cortes and the Montezumas was a little bit
+in awe of the matronly<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_94' id='pg_94'>94</a></span> descendant of the ancient Spanish grandees. She
+might be a powerful personage in more ways than one. At all events, Ned
+was led out to the central hall and across it, to where an uncommonly
+wide door stood open, letting out a flood of illumination.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Walk in, se&ntilde;ors,&#8221; said Colonel Tassara, from just inside this portal,
+and the next moment Ned was altogether astonished.</p>
+
+<p>He had been impressed, on reaching this house, that it was an old and
+even dingy affair, of no considerable size, but he did not yet know that
+the older Spanish mansions were often built with only one story and
+around a central courtyard. Moreover, at least in Mexico, they were apt
+to show few windows in front, and to be well calculated for use as a
+kind of small forts, if revolutionary or similar occasions should ask
+for thick walls, with embrasures for musketry. One glance around Se&ntilde;ora
+Tassara&#8217;s dining-room was enough to work a revolution in Ned&#8217;s ideas
+relating to that establishment. It was large, high-ceilinged, and its
+carpetless floor was of polished mahogany. The walls and ceiling were of
+brilliant white stucco. Upon the former were hung several trophies of
+weapons and antlers of deer. In the centre, at the right, in a kind of
+ornamental shrine,<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_95' id='pg_95'>95</a></span> was an ivory and ebony crucifix, which was itself a
+priceless work of art. The long dining-table had no cloth to conceal the
+fact that it was of the richest mahogany, dark with age and polished
+like a mirror. On the table was an abundance of fine china ware, none of
+it of modern manufacture, but all the more valuable for that reason. At
+the end nearest Ned stood a massive silver coffee-urn, beautifully
+molded, and it was not wonderful that he stood still a moment to stare
+at it, for it had taken him altogether by surprise.</p>
+
+<p>Almost instantly a change came over the dark, handsome features of
+Se&ntilde;ora Tassara. She smiled brightly, for Ned&#8217;s undisguised admiration of
+that mass of silver had touched her upon a tender spot, and she now
+spoke to him with at least four times as much cordiality as she had
+shown him in the hall.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ah, my young friend,&#8221; she said, turning gracefully toward him, &#8220;so you
+are pleased with my coffee-urn? No table in your city of New York can
+show anything like it. It is of the oldest Seville workmanship, and
+there are not many such remaining in all the world. It is an heirloom.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Se&ntilde;or Carfora,&#8221; at that moment interrupted Colonel Tassara, &#8220;I will
+show you<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_96' id='pg_96'>96</a></span> something else that is worth more than any kind of silver
+ware. Take a good look at this!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He stepped to a trophy of arms which hung upon the wall near him, and
+took from it a long, heavy sword, with a worn-looking but deeply chased
+gold hilt. He drew it from the sheath, gazing with evident pride at its
+curving blade of dull blue steel.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I think you have never before seen a sword like that,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It may
+have been made at Toledo, for all I know, but it is centuries old. It
+was won from a Moor by an ancestor of mine, at the taking of Granada,
+when the Moorish power was broken forever by the heroes of Spain. Who
+can tell? It may have come down from the days of the Cid Campeador
+himself.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Whoever that military gentleman may have been, Ned had no idea, but he
+determined to find out some day, and just now he was glad to grasp the
+golden hilt, and remember all that he had ever heard about the Moors. He
+had not at all expected to hear of them again, just after escaping from
+a norther in the Gulf of Mexico, but, without being aware of it, he was
+learning a great deal about the old Spanish-Mexican<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_97' id='pg_97'>97</a></span> aristocracy, and
+why it could not easily become truly republican, even in the New World,
+which is beginning to grow old on its own account.</p>
+
+<p>Dinner was now ready, and Ned voted it a prime good one, for it
+consisted mainly of chicken, with capital corn-cakes and coffee. It was
+a tremendous improvement upon the dinners he had been eating at sea,
+cooked in the peculiar style of the caboose of the <i>Goshawk</i>.</p>
+
+<p>One large idea was becoming firmly fixed in the acute mind of the young
+adventurer, and it tended to make him both watchful and silent. Not only
+was he in a country which was at war with his own, but he was in a land
+where men were apt to be more or less suspicious of each other. It was
+also quite the correct thing in good manners for him to say but little,
+and he was the better able to hear what the others were saying.
+Therefore, he could hardly help taking note that none of the party at
+the dinner-table said anything about the powder on the <i>Goshawk</i>, or
+concerning a possible trip to be made to Oaxaca by any one there. They
+all appeared ready, on the other hand, to praise the patriotism,
+statesmanship, and military genius of that truly great man, President
+Paredes. They made<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_98' id='pg_98'>98</a></span> no mention whatever of General Santa Anna, but they
+spoke confidently of the certainty with which Generals Ampudia and
+Arista were about to crush the invading gringos at the north, under
+Taylor. They also were sure that these first victories were to be
+followed by greater ones, which would be gained by the President
+himself, as soon as he should be able to take command of the Mexican
+armies in person. If any friend of his, a servant, for instance, of the
+Tassara family, had been listening, he would have had nothing to report
+which would have made any other man suppose that the rulers of Mexico
+had bitter, revengeful foes under that hospitable roof.</p>
+
+<p>The dinner ended, and Ned was once more in his room, glad enough to get
+into his hammock and go to sleep. If the norther did any howling around
+that house, he did not hear it, but he may have missed the swing motion
+which a hammock obtains on board a ship at sea. His eyes closed just as
+he was thinking:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;This is great, but I wonder what on earth is going to happen to me
+to-morrow.&#8221;</p>
+
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_99' id='pg_99'>99</a></span>
+<a name='FORWARD_MARCH_1957' id='FORWARD_MARCH_1957'></a>
+<h2>CHAPTER VI.</h2>
+<h3>FORWARD, MARCH</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p>The sun of the next morning arose upon a great deal of doubt and
+uncertainty in many places. Some of the soldiers of General Taylor&#8217;s
+army were altogether uncertain into what bushes of the neighboring
+chaparral the norther had blown their tents, and they went out in search
+of their missing cotton duck shelters. The entire force encamped at the
+Rio Grande border was in the dark as to what it might next be ordered to
+do, and all sorts of rumors went around from regiment to regiment, as if
+the rumor manufacturer had gone crazy. General Taylor himself was sure
+of at least the one point, that he had no right to cross the muddy river
+in front of him and make a raid into Mexico until he should hear again
+from the government at Washington, and be officially informed that the
+war, which he was carrying on so well, had really begun. He and all his<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_100' id='pg_100'>100</a></span>
+army believed that it was already going on, and they grumbled
+discontentedly that they were compelled to remain in camp, and watch for
+ranchero lancers on Texan soil, if it was legally Texan at all, until
+permission arrived to strike their tents and march forward.</p>
+
+<p>The news of the fighting and of what were described as the great battles
+on the Mexican border had reached New Orleans and Key West. It was
+travelling northward at full speed, but it had not yet been heard by the
+government or by the people of the North and West. None of these had as
+yet so much as imagined what a telegraphic news-bringer might be, and so
+they could not even wish that they had one, or they would surely have
+done so. The uncertainties of that morning, therefore, hampered all the
+councils of the nation. Almost everybody believed that there would soon
+be a war, although a great many men were strongly opposed to the idea of
+having one. Taking the war for granted, however, there were doubts and
+differences of opinion among both military and unmilitary men as to how
+it was to be carried on. Some were opposed to anything more than a
+defence of the Rio Grande boundary-line, but these moderate persons were
+hooted<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_101' id='pg_101'>101</a></span> at by the out-and-out war party, whom nothing promised to
+satisfy but an invasion which intended the capture of the city of
+Mexico. Nothing less than this, they said, would obtain the objects of
+the war, and secure a permanent peace at the end of it. Then, supposing
+such an invasion to be decided on, an important question arose as to how
+and where the Mexican territory might best be entered by a conquering
+army. Many declared that General Taylor&#8217;s forces were already at the
+right place for pushing ahead, but the commander-in-chief, General
+Winfield Scott, by all odds the best general the country possessed,
+responded that the march proposed for Taylor was too long, too
+difficult, and that it was likely to result in disaster. The shorter and
+only practicable route, he asserted, was by way of the sea and Vera
+Cruz. He was also known to be politically opposed to any war whatever.
+Thereupon, a number of prominent men, who disagreed with him, set
+themselves at work to have him removed or put aside, that a commander
+might take his place who was not so absurdly under the influence of
+military science, common sense, and of the troubles which might be
+encountered in marching seven hundred miles or more through an enemy&#8217;s
+country.<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_102' id='pg_102'>102</a></span> There were, it was said, eloquent politicians, who did not
+know how to drill an &#8220;awkward squad,&#8221; but who felt sure of their ability
+to beat Old Scott in such an agreeable affair as a military picnic party
+to the city of Mexico.</p>
+
+<p>The young military scholars in the camp near Fort Brown were ignorant of
+all this. They were satisfied with their present commander, as well they
+might be, for he was a good one. They were satisfied with themselves,
+and were enthusiastically ready to fight anything which should be put in
+front of them. They were dreadfully dissatisfied with camp life,
+however, and especially with the fact that they and all the other raw
+troops of that army were forced to undergo a great deal of drill and
+discipline in hot weather. Perhaps, if this had not been given them,
+they would hardly have rendered so good an account of themselves in the
+severe tests of soldiership which they underwent a few months later.</p>
+
+<p>The first doubt that came to Ned Crawford that morning, as his eyes
+opened and he began to get about half-awake, related to his hammock and
+to how on earth he happened to be in it. Swift memories followed then of
+the norther, the perilous pull ashore, the arrival at the Tassara place,
+and<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_103' id='pg_103'>103</a></span> the people he had met there. He recalled also something about
+silver coffee-urns and Moorish warriors, but the next thing, he was out
+upon the floor, and his head seemed to buzz like a beehive with
+inquiries concerning his immediate future.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Here I am,&#8221; he said aloud. &#8220;I&#8217;m in Mexico; in Vera Cruz; at this house
+with Se&ntilde;or Zuroaga; and I don&#8217;t know yet what&#8217;s become of the <i>Goshawk</i>.
+I don&#8217;t really ever expect to see her again, but I hope that Captain
+Kemp and the sailors didn&#8217;t get themselves drowned. I must see about
+that, first thing. Then I suppose I must see the American consul, write
+another letter home, see the merchants our goods were delivered to,&mdash;and
+what I&#8217;m to do after that I don&#8217;t know.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>There was a loud rap at his door just then, and in a moment more he was
+almost repeating that speech to Se&ntilde;or Zuroaga.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Please say very little to Colonel Tassara or anybody else in this
+house,&#8221; replied the senor, emphatically. &#8220;Get used, as soon as you can,
+to being called Carfora. We must make you look like a young Mexican
+right away. I&#8217;ve bought a rig which will fit you. It is well that you
+are so dark-complexioned. A red-haired fellow would never pass as you
+will. All the American<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_104' id='pg_104'>104</a></span> residents of Vera Cruz are already under
+military protection, and I am glad there are so few of them, for there
+are said to have been two or three assassinations. Part of the mountain
+men who are loafing in town just now are wild Indians, as reckless and
+cruel as any of your Sioux warriors on a war-path. Come along to
+breakfast. You won&#8217;t meet the ladies this time, but I believe the se&ntilde;ora
+and se&ntilde;orita like you a little, because you had the good taste to admire
+their silver and china.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, that old coffee-urn!&#8221; said Ned. &#8220;Well, it&#8217;s as fine as anything I
+ever saw, even in a jewelry window.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; laughed the se&ntilde;or, &#8220;but the se&ntilde;ora wants to have the American
+consul killed because he told her she had better have that thing melted
+and made over into one of the modern patterns. She will never forgive
+him. Tell her again, when you have a chance, that the old-time Seville
+silversmiths could beat anything we have nowadays, and she will love
+you. I do not really believe myself that we are getting much ahead of
+those ancient artists. They were wonderful designers.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned was willing to believe that they were, and he made up his mind to
+praise<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_105' id='pg_105'>105</a></span> Se&ntilde;ora Tassara&#8217;s pet urn to the best of his ability.</p>
+
+<p>He was not to have an opportunity for doing so immediately. Their
+breakfast was ready for them in the dining-room, but they were allowed
+to eat it by themselves. It seemed to Ned a very good one, but several
+times he found himself turning away from it to stare at the silver
+marvel and at the weapons on the walls. There was no apparent reason for
+haste, but neither of them cared to linger, and before long they were
+out on the piazza in front, Zuroaga with his hat pulled down to his eyes
+and his coat collar up. Ned was at once confirmed in his previous idea
+that the house was anything but new, and to that he added the conviction
+that it was much larger than it had appeared to be in the night. He
+believed, too, that it must have cost a deal of money to build it long
+ago. He had only a moment for that calculation, however, for his next
+glance went out toward the gulf, and he came near to being astonished.
+The path which he had followed in coming up from the shore had been a
+steep one, and he was now standing at a place from which he had a pretty
+good view of the tossing water between the mainland and the castle of
+San Juan de Ulua.<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_106' id='pg_106'>106</a></span> The old fortress was there, unharmed by the norther,
+but not in any direction, as far as his eyes could reach, was there any
+sign of a ship, at anchor or otherwise.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Se&ntilde;or!&#8221; he exclaimed. &#8220;What has become of them? They are all gone! Do
+you suppose they have been wrecked?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Not all of them, by any means,&#8221; replied the se&ntilde;or, but he also was
+searching the sea with a serious face. &#8220;As many as could lift their
+anchors in time to make a good offing before the norther came were sure
+to do so. If there were any that did not succeed, I can&#8217;t say where they
+may have gone to just now.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The <i>Goshawk</i>&mdash;&#8221; began Ned, but the se&ntilde;or gripped his arm hard, while
+he raised his right hand and pointed up the road.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Silence!&#8221; he commanded, in a sharp whisper. &#8220;Look! there he comes.
+Don&#8217;t even call him by his name. Wait and hear what he has to say. He
+can tell us what has become of the bark. They are a used-up lot of men.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>So they were, the five who now came walking slowly along from somewhere
+or other on the coast upon which the disastrous storm had blown.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Captain Kemp and the crew of his life-boat,&#8221; thought Ned, but he obeyed
+the<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_107' id='pg_107'>107</a></span> se&ntilde;or at first, and was silent until the haggard-looking party
+arrived and came to a halt in front of him. Then, however, he lost his
+prudence for a moment, and anxiously inquired:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Were any of you drowned?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Not any of us that are here,&#8221; responded the captain, grimly. &#8220;No, nor
+any other of the <i>Goshawk</i> men, but there are more wrecks in sight
+below, and I don&#8217;t know how many from them got ashore. Our bark stranded
+this side of them, and she&#8217;s gone all to pieces. We took to the
+life-boat in time, but we&#8217;ve had a hard pull of it. We went ashore
+through the breakers, about six miles below this, and here we are, but I
+don&#8217;t want to ever pass such another night. I&#8217;m going on down to the
+consul&#8217;s now, to report, and Ned had better be there as soon as he can.
+Then, the sooner he&#8217;s out o&#8217; Vera Cruz, the better for him and all of
+us.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I think so myself,&#8221; said Se&ntilde;or Zuroaga. &#8220;Don&#8217;t even stay here for
+breakfast. Nobody from here must come to the consul&#8217;s with Se&ntilde;or
+Carfora.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Of course not,&#8221; said the captain, wearily, and away he went, although
+Ned felt as if he were full to bursting with the most interesting kind
+of questions concerning<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_108' id='pg_108'>108</a></span> the captain&#8217;s night in the life-boat and the
+sad fate of the swift and beautiful <i>Goshawk</i>.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Come into the house,&#8221; said the se&ntilde;or, &#8220;and put on your Mexican rig. I
+have a message from Colonel Guerra that we must get away to-night. I
+must not bring any peril upon the Tassara family. Up to this hour no
+enemy knows that I was a passenger on the powder-boat, as they call it.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;All right,&#8221; said Ned. &#8220;I&#8217;ll write one more letter home. I couldn&#8217;t get
+out of the city in any other way just now, and I want to see Mexico.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>That idea was growing upon him rapidly, but his next errand was to the
+se&ntilde;or&#8217;s own room, to put on what he called his disguise. He followed his
+friend to a large, handsome chamber in the further end of the house,
+and, as he entered it, his first thought was:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hullo! are they getting ready for a fight?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>In the corners of the room and leaning against the walls here and there
+were weapons enough to have armed half a company of militia, if the
+soldiers did not care what kinds of weapons they were to carry, for the
+guns and swords and pistols were of all patterns except those of the
+present day. Ned saw at least one rusty firelock, which<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_109' id='pg_109'>109</a></span> put him in mind
+of pictures he had seen of the curious affairs the New England fathers
+carried when they went to meeting on Sunday. He had no time to examine
+them, however, for here were his new clothes, and he must be in them
+without delay. He admired each piece, as he put it on, and then one look
+into the se&ntilde;or&#8217;s mirror convinced him that he was completely disguised.
+He had been turned into a somewhat stylish young Mexican, from his
+broad-brimmed straw hat to his Vera Cruz made shoes. He still wore a
+blue jacket, but this one was short, round-cornered, and had bright
+silver buttons. His new trousers were wide at the bottoms, with
+silver-buttoned slashes on the outsides below the knees. He had not worn
+suspenders on shipboard, but now his belt was of yellow leather and
+needlessly wide, with a bright buckle and a sword-catch on the left
+side. As to this matter, the se&ntilde;or showed him a short, straight,
+wide-bladed sort of cutlas, which he called a machete.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That is to be yours,&#8221; he said. &#8220;You need not carry it in town, but you
+will as soon as we get away. You will have pistols, too, and a gun. It
+won&#8217;t do to go up the road to Oaxaca unarmed. Now you may<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_110' id='pg_110'>110</a></span> make the best
+of your way to the consul&#8217;s, and I&#8217;ll stay here to finish getting
+ready.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He appeared to be laboring under a good deal of excitement, and so, to
+tell the truth, was the disguised young American. Out he went into the
+hall, trying hard to be entirely collected and self-possessed, but it
+was only to be suddenly halted. Before him stood the stately Se&ntilde;ora
+Tassara, and clinging to her was the very pretty Se&ntilde;orita Felicia, both
+of them staring, open-eyed, at the change in his uniform. The se&ntilde;orita
+was of about fourteen, somewhat pale, with large, brilliant black eyes,
+and she was a very frank, truthful girl, for she exclaimed:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, mother, do look at him! But it does not make a Mexican of him. He&#8217;s
+a gringo, and he would fight us if he had a chance. I want them all to
+be killed!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No, my dear,&#8221; said the se&ntilde;ora, with a pleasant laugh. &#8220;Se&ntilde;or Carfora
+will not fight us. He and his ship brought powder for Colonel Guerra and
+the army. I am sorry he must leave us. You must shake hands with him.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, no!&#8221; said the wilful Felicia, spitefully. &#8220;I don&#8217;t want to shake
+hands with him. He is one of our enemies.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No, I&#8217;m not!&#8221; stammered Ned. &#8220;But did you know that our ship was
+wrecked in<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_111' id='pg_111'>111</a></span> the norther? If you had been on board of her when she went
+ashore, you would have been drowned. The men in the life-boat had a hard
+time in getting ashore. I&#8217;m glad you were at home.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There, dear,&#8221; said her mother. &#8220;That is polite. You heard what Se&ntilde;or
+Zuroaga said about the wrecks. They were terrible! Can you not say that
+you are glad Se&ntilde;or Carfora was not drowned?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No, mother,&#8221; persisted Felicia. &#8220;I&#8217;ll say I wish he had been drowned,
+if&mdash;if he could have swum ashore afterward. Good enough for him.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Se&ntilde;ora Tassara laughed merrily, as she responded:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You are a dreadfully obstinate young patriot, my darling. But you must
+be a little more gracious. The gringo armies will never come to Vera
+Cruz. They are away up north on the Rio Grande.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, mother, I will a little,&#8221; said the se&ntilde;orita, proudly. &#8220;Se&ntilde;or
+Carfora, your generals will be beaten all to pieces. You wait till you
+see our soldiers. You haven&#8217;t anything like them. They are as brave as
+lions. My father is a soldier, and he is to command a regiment. I wish I
+were a man to go and fight.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Her eyes were flashing and she looked<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_112' id='pg_112'>112</a></span> very warlike, but the only thing
+that poor Ned could think of to say just then was:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Se&ntilde;ora Tassara, if you are not careful, somebody will get in some day
+and steal your beautiful coffee-urn.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ah me!&#8221; sighed the se&ntilde;ora. &#8220;This has been attempted, my young friend.
+Thieves have been killed, too, in trying to carry off the Tassara plate.
+There would be more like it, in some places, if so much had not been
+made plunder of and melted up in our dreadful revolutions. Some of them
+were only great robberies. I understand that you must go to your
+business now, but we shall see you again this evening.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Good morning, Se&ntilde;ora Tassara,&#8221; said Ned, as he bowed and tried to walk
+backward toward the outer door. &#8220;Good morning, Se&ntilde;orita Tassara. You
+would feel very badly this morning if you had been drowned last night.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The last thing he heard, as he reached the piazza, was a ringing peal of
+laughter from the se&ntilde;ora, but he believed that he had answered politely.</p>
+
+<p>He knew his way to the office of the American consul, and the distance
+was not great in so small a town, but as he drew near it, he saw that
+there was a strong guard of soldiers in front of the building.<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_113' id='pg_113'>113</a></span> They
+were handsomely uniformed regulars from the garrison of San Juan de
+Ulua, and there was cause enough for their being on duty. All up and
+down the street were scattered groups of sullen-looking men, talking and
+gesticulating. None of them carried guns, but every man of them had a
+knife at his belt, and not a few of them were also armed with machetes
+of one form or another. They would have made a decidedly dangerous mob
+against anything but the well-drilled and fine-looking guards who were
+protecting the consulate. Ned remembered what Felicia had said about her
+soldiers, and he did not know how very different were these disciplined
+regulars from the great mass of the levies which were to be encountered
+by the troops of the United States. He was admiring them and he was
+thinking of battles and generals, when one of the most ferocious-looking
+members of the mob came jauntily sauntering along beside him. He was a
+powerfully built man, almost black with natural color and sunburn. He
+was not exactly ragged, but he was barefooted, and his broad-brimmed
+sombrero was by no means new. A heavy machete hung from his belt, and he
+appeared to be altogether an undesirable new acquaintance. Ned looked
+up<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_114' id='pg_114'>114</a></span> at him almost nervously, for he did not at all like the aspect of
+affairs in that street. He was thinking:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I guess they were right about the excitement of the people. This isn&#8217;t
+any place for fellows like me. I must get out of Vera Cruz as soon as I
+can. It&#8217;s a good thing that I&#8217;m disguised. I must play Mexican.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>At that moment a good-natured smile spread across the gloomy face of his
+unexpected companion, and he said, in a low tone of voice:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Say nothing, Se&ntilde;or Carfora. Walk on into the consulate. I belong to
+General Zuroaga. There are four more of his men here. We have orders to
+take care of you. You are the young Englishman that brought us the
+powder. There was not a pound to be bought in Vera Cruz, but some of
+those fellows would knife you for a gringo.&#8221;</p>
+
+<div class='figcenter' style='width:337px'>
+<a name='illus-002' id='illus-002'></a>
+<img src='images/army-114.jpg' alt='&#34;WE HAVE ORDERS TO TAKE CARE OF YOU&#34;' title='' width='337' /><br />
+<span class='caption'><i>&#8220;WE HAVE ORDERS TO TAKE CARE OF YOU&#8221;</i></span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Quite a useless number of queer Spanish oaths were sprinkled in among
+his remarks, but Ned did not mind them. He only nodded and strictly
+obeyed the injunction against talking, even while he was asking himself
+how on earth his friend, the se&ntilde;or, ever became a general. He concluded,
+for the moment, that it might be a kind of militia title, such as he had
+heard of in the United States. However that might be, he<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_115' id='pg_115'>115</a></span> and his
+guide soon reached the door of the consulate, and he himself was
+promptly admitted, as if the keeper of the door had been expecting to
+see him. There were guards inside the house as well as in the street,
+and they motioned Ned on through a narrow entry-way, at the end of which
+was an open room. He passed on into this, and the next moment he was
+exclaiming:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hullo, Captain Kemp! I&#8217;m so glad you are here! What am I to do next?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Almost nothing at all,&#8221; said the captain, quietly. &#8220;Just sign your
+papers and get away. The consul himself has gone to the city of Mexico,
+with United States government despatches for President Paredes, and we
+shall finish our business as easy as rolling off a log. You have nothing
+to do with the wrecking of the <i>Goshawk</i>, for you weren&#8217;t on board when
+she parted her cable. But just look at those people!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned did so, for the room, a large and well-furnished office, was almost
+crowded with Americans of all sorts, mostly men, whose faces wore varied
+expressions of deep anxiety.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What are they all here for?&#8221; asked Ned.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Safety!&#8221; growled the captain. &#8220;And to inquire how and when they can
+find their<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_116' id='pg_116'>116</a></span> way out of this city of robbers. I hear that a whole
+regiment is to be on guard duty to-night, and that the mob is to be put
+down. If I ever see your father again, I&#8217;ll explain to him why I sent
+you away.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Before Ned could make any further remarks, he was introduced to the
+vice-consul, a dapper, smiling little man, who did not appear to be in
+the least disturbed by his unpleasant surroundings. Almost a score of
+papers, larger and smaller, required the signature of the young
+supercargo of the unfortunate <i>Goshawk</i>. They were speedily signed,
+although without any clear idea in Ned&#8217;s mind as to what they all were
+for, and then Captain Kemp took him by the arm and led him away into a
+corner of the room.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ned, my boy,&#8221; he said, &#8220;you see how it is. You must keep away from the
+seacoast for awhile. After things are more settled, you can come back
+and get away on a British, or French, or Dutch vessel, if the port isn&#8217;t
+too closely blockaded. Whether I shall get out alive or not, I don&#8217;t
+know. You haven&#8217;t enough money. I&#8217;ll let you have a couple of hundred
+dollars more in Mexican gold. You&#8217;d better not let anybody suspect that
+you carry so much with you. This country contains too<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_117' id='pg_117'>117</a></span> many patriots who
+would cut their own President&#8217;s throat for a gold piece. Don&#8217;t ever show
+more than one shiner at a time, or you may lose it all.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned took the two little bags that were so cautiously delivered to him,
+and while he was putting them away in the inner pockets of his jacket,
+his mind was giving him vivid pictures of the knives and machetes and
+their bearers, whom he had seen in the street.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Captain,&#8221; he said, &#8220;those fellows out there wouldn&#8217;t wait for any gold.
+A silver dollar would buy one of them.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Half a dollar,&#8221; replied the captain. &#8220;Not one of them is worth a
+shilling. They ought all to be shot. But look here. I mustn&#8217;t come to
+Colonel Tassara&#8217;s place again. I find that he is under some kind of
+suspicion already, and President Paredes makes short work of men whom he
+suspects of plotting against him. Go! Get home!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s just about what I&#8217;d like to do,&#8221; said Ned to himself, as he
+hurried out of the consulate, but the next moment his courage began to
+come back to him, for here was Se&ntilde;or Zuroaga&#8217;s ferocious-looking
+follower, and with him were four others, who might have been his cousins
+or his brothers, from their looks, for they all were Oaxaca<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_118' id='pg_118'>118</a></span> Indians, of
+unmixed descent. Their tribe had faithfully served the children and
+grandchildren of Hernando Cortes, the Conquistador, from the day when he
+and his brave adventurers cut their way into the Tehuantepec valley.</p>
+
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_119' id='pg_119'>119</a></span>
+<a name='THE_LAND_OF_THE_MONTEZUMAS_2366' id='THE_LAND_OF_THE_MONTEZUMAS_2366'></a>
+<h2>CHAPTER VII.</h2>
+<h3>THE LAND OF THE MONTEZUMAS</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p>&#8220;Father Crawford, do read that newspaper! The war has begun! They are
+fighting great battles on the Rio Grande! Oh, how I wish you hadn&#8217;t sent
+Ned to Mexico! He may get killed!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>She was a woman of middle age, tall, fine-looking, and she was evidently
+much excited. She was standing at one end of a well-set breakfast table,
+and was holding out a printed sheet to a gentleman who had been looking
+down at his plate, as if he were asking serious questions of it.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My dear,&#8221; he said, as he took the paper, &#8220;I knew it was coming, but I
+didn&#8217;t think it would come so soon as this. I don&#8217;t really see that Ned
+is in any danger. Captain Kemp will take care of him.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But,&#8221; she said, &#8220;the <i>Goshawk</i> may be captured.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No,&#8221; replied Mr. Crawford, confidently.<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_120' id='pg_120'>120</a></span> &#8220;She hasn&#8217;t sailed across
+prairie to the Rio Grande. There won&#8217;t be any fighting at Vera Cruz for
+ever so long. There can&#8217;t be any on the sea, for Mexico has no navy. The
+<i>Goshawk</i> is entirely safe, and so is Ned. It&#8217;ll be a grand experience
+for him.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t want him to have so much experience at his age,&#8221; she said,
+anxiously. &#8220;I&#8217;d rather he&#8217;d be at home,&mdash;if there&#8217;s going to be a war.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve often wished that I could see a war,&#8221; replied her husband, as he
+glanced over the black-typed headings of the newspaper columns. &#8220;I&#8217;ve
+travelled a good deal in Mexico, and I wanted Ned to learn all he could
+of that country. He will hardly have any chance to do so now.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He might see too much of it if he were taken prisoner,&#8221; she exclaimed.
+&#8220;I can&#8217;t bear to think of it! Oh, how I wish he were at home!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Crawford was silent, and again he appeared to be thinking deeply. He
+was not a pale-faced man at any time, but now his color was visibly
+increasing. His face was also changing its expression, and it wore a
+strong reminder of the look which had come into his son Ned&#8217;s
+countenance when the fever of Mexican exploration<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_121' id='pg_121'>121</a></span> took hold of him.
+People say &#8220;like father, like son,&#8221; and it may be that Ned&#8217;s readiness
+for a trip into the interior belonged to something which had descended
+to him from a father who had been willing to educate his son for the
+southern trade by sending him to sea with Captain Kemp. The United
+States has had a great many commercial men of that stamp, and there was
+a time when almost all the navy the nation possessed was provided by the
+merchant patriots, who armed and sent out, or themselves commanded, its
+fleets of privateers. Very likely the Crawfords and a number of other
+American families could point back to as adventurous an ancestry as
+could any Spaniard whose forefathers had fought Moors or won estates for
+themselves in Mexico or Peru. As for Mrs. Crawford, she was hardly able
+to drink her coffee that morning, after reading the newspaper, and she
+might have been even more willing to have Ned come home if she had known
+what had become of the <i>Goshawk</i>, and in what company he was a couple of
+hours after she arose from her table.</p>
+
+<p>Company? That was it. He was now walking along one of the streets of
+Vera Cruz with a squad of men of whom she would have decidedly
+disapproved, but<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_122' id='pg_122'>122</a></span> whose character her husband would have understood at
+sight. Ned&#8217;s first acquaintance, Pablo, as he called himself, with his
+four comrades, made up so thoroughly Mexican a party at all points that
+it was in no danger of being interfered with by the mob. Every member of
+this had seen, often enough, the son of some wealthy landholder from the
+upland country attended by a sufficient number of his own retainers to
+keep him from being plundered, and it was well enough to let him alone.
+On they went, but it was by a circuitous route and a back street that
+they reached the Tassara place. Even then, they did not enter it by the
+front door, but by a path which led down to the stables in the rear of
+the house. No outsider would afterward be able to say that he saw that
+party of men march into the courtyard to be welcomed by Colonel Tassara
+and the mysterious personage whom Ned was trying to think of as General
+Zuroaga.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He may be of more importance than I had any idea of,&#8221; said Ned to
+himself, &#8220;and I wish I knew what was coming next.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He was not to find out immediately, for Zuroaga motioned him to go on
+into the house, while he himself and Tassara remained<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_123' id='pg_123'>123</a></span> to talk with
+Pablo and the other machete-bearers.</p>
+
+<p>Hardly was Ned three steps inside of the dwelling, when he was met by
+Se&ntilde;ora Tassara, apparently in a state of much mental agitation.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My dear young friend!&#8221; she exclaimed, &#8220;I am so glad you have escaped
+from them! Come in. We shall have no regular dinner to-day. You will eat
+your luncheon now, however. We are all busy packing up. We must set out
+for the country as soon as it is dark. The colonel&#8217;s enemies are
+following him like so many wolves! Felicia, my dear, you will see that
+Se&ntilde;or Carfora is properly attended to.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The saucy se&ntilde;orita was standing a little behind her mother, and she now
+beckoned to Ned, as if she had no hostility for him whatever.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Come right along in,&#8221; she said, peremptorily. &#8220;I must eat my luncheon,
+too. I want to hear where you have been, and what you have been doing.
+Is there any more news from the war? Have your gringo generals been
+beaten again? Tell me all you know!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>She was evidently in the habit of being obeyed by those around her, and
+Ned felt decidedly obedient, but this was his first<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_124' id='pg_124'>124</a></span> intimation that it
+was fully noon. Time had passed more rapidly than he had been aware of,
+for his mind had been too busy to take note of it. He was hungrily ready
+to obey, however, especially concerning the luncheon, and his first bit
+of news appeared to please his little hostess exceedingly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Not another ship is in,&#8221; he told her, &#8220;and I don&#8217;t believe there is
+going to be any war, anyhow, but I saw some of your soldiers. They were
+guarding the American consulate from the mob. They were splendid-looking
+fellows. Is your father&#8217;s regiment of that kind of men?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Father&#8217;s regiment?&#8221; she said, angrily. &#8220;That&#8217;s just the difficulty now.
+He hasn&#8217;t any soldiers. Those that he had were taken away from him. So
+he must go and gather some more, or President Paredes will say that he
+is not patriotic. They took his old regiment away from him after he had
+made it a real good one. Tell me about your gringo soldiers. Are there a
+great many of them? Do they know how to fight? I don&#8217;t believe they do.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>She was all on fire about the war and her father&#8217;s enemies, and Ned was
+ready to tell her all he knew of the American army, if not a little
+more. At least, he<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_125' id='pg_125'>125</a></span> described to her the elegant uniforms which were
+worn on parade occasions by the New York City militia regiments,
+feathers, flags, brass bands, and all, rather than the external
+appearance of any martial array that General Taylor was likely to take
+with him when he invaded Mexico. Felicia was especially interested in
+those magnificent brass bands and wished that she could have some of
+them taken prisoners to come and play in front of her house, but all the
+while they were talking he was glancing furtively around the room. This
+had undergone a remarkable change during his brief absence. The trophies
+of arms were all gone, and the wonderful Seville coffee-urn had
+disappeared. Perhaps it had walked away, beyond the reach of possible
+thieves, and with it may have gone the other silverware of the Tassara
+family. Se&ntilde;orita Felicia&#8217;s quick eyes had followed his own, for she was
+watching him.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, Se&ntilde;or Carfora,&#8221; she said, &#8220;it&#8217;s all gone. The china is all stored
+away in the deep cellar. I don&#8217;t believe they could find it, and if they
+did they could not carry it away to melt it up and make dollars of it.
+That&#8217;s what they did with all the silver one of my aunts had, except
+some spoons that were hid in the stable, under the hay.<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_126' id='pg_126'>126</a></span> One of the
+robbers went into the stable to hunt, too, and a good mule kicked him
+dead. If anybody comes to rob this house while we are gone, I wish he
+might be kicked by one of our mules at the hacienda. He would not steal
+any more.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned had other things to tell her, about the United States forts, troops,
+and ships of war, and she had stories to tell with excited vivacity that
+set forth sadly enough the wretchedly unsettled condition of her
+country, which she appeared to love so well, after all. Troubled as it
+was, it was her own land, and she hated its enemies.</p>
+
+<p>It was a hot, oppressive day, with a promise of greater heat soon to
+come, and the weather itself might be a good enough reason why any
+family should be in a hurry to get out of the <i>tierra caliente</i>. As for
+the removal of valuable property, Ned had already learned that Vera Cruz
+was haunted not only by bad characters from the interior, but by
+desperadoes from up and down the coast and from the West India Islands.
+He was not near enough to hear, however, when Zuroaga remarked to his
+friend Tassara:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You are right, my dear colonel. The Americans will hold the Texan
+border with a strong hand, but if Paredes does<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_127' id='pg_127'>127</a></span> not promptly come to
+terms with them, we shall see a fleet and army at Vera Cruz before long.
+This is the weak point of our unhappy republic.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I think not,&#8221; replied Tassara, gloomily. &#8220;I wish it were a solid
+nation, as strong as the castle out yonder. Our weak point is that we
+are cut up into factions, and cannot make use of the strength that we
+really have undeveloped. As for anything else, one case of yellow fever
+was reported yesterday, and I am informed that his Excellency, President
+Paredes, talks of coming here shortly to confer with Colonel Guerra.
+That may mean trouble for him, and neither you nor I would wish to be
+brought before any such council of war as might be called together.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It might not consist altogether of our friends,&#8221; said Zuroaga. &#8220;In my
+case, if not in yours, it might be followed quickly by an order for a
+file of soldiers and a volley of musketry. I should not look for mercy
+from a tiger.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;On the other hand,&#8221; responded the colonel, &#8220;it would be well for him to
+be careful just now. He will need all the strength he can obtain.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Humph!&#8221; exclaimed Zuroaga. &#8220;He will try to leave no living, or, at
+least, no<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_128' id='pg_128'>128</a></span> unimprisoned enemies behind him when he marches for the
+border.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It was plain that they were not to be numbered among their President&#8217;s
+friends, whether or not they were altogether just to him. Bloody
+severity in putting down sedition was the long-established custom in
+Mexico, and one man might not be more to blame for it than another. It
+had been handed down from the old days of Spanish rule, and the record
+which had been made is not by any means pleasant reading.</p>
+
+<p>When the luncheon was over, the se&ntilde;orita left Ned to himself, appearing
+to feel somewhat more friendly than at first, but still considering him
+as a gringo and a foreigner. She said she had some things to pack up,
+and he went to look after his own. These did not require much packing,
+and before long he had again found his way out to the courtyard and the
+stables. These were indeed the most interesting spots about the place,
+for they contained all the men, the horses, and the mules. Ned shortly
+concluded that here were also gathered most of the firearms and at least
+a dozen of the wildest kind of Mexican Indians, all ragged and all
+barefooted. Preparations for a journey were going forward under Se&ntilde;ora
+Tassara&#8217;s direction, and Ned<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_129' id='pg_129'>129</a></span> pretty quickly understood that the men
+were a great deal more afraid of her than they were of her husband. He
+felt so himself, and he instantly got out of her way, as she told him to
+do, when he unwisely undertook to help her with her packing.</p>
+
+<p>The horses were of several sorts and sizes, and more like them were
+shortly brought in. One large spring wagon and a covered carryall
+carriage were in good order. Both were of American manufacture, and so
+was the harness of the teams which were to draw them. Ned was feeling a
+certain degree of curiosity as to what kind of carriage was to carry
+him, when Se&ntilde;or Zuroaga beckoned him to one side and said:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We shall be with Colonel Tassara&#8217;s party only the first day. But I have
+been thinking. When we were on the <i>Goshawk</i>, you told me that you had
+never ridden a horse in your life&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, I&#8217;m a city boy,&#8221; interrupted Ned. &#8220;There isn&#8217;t any horseback
+riding done there. I&#8217;d rather go on wheels.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Of course you would,&#8221; laughed Zuroaga. &#8220;But there won&#8217;t be any use for
+wheels on some of the roads I am to follow. I&#8217;ve picked you out a pony
+that you can manage, though, and you will soon learn.<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_130' id='pg_130'>130</a></span> You will have to
+be a horseman if you are to travel in Mexico.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;So father used to tell me,&#8221; said Ned. &#8220;He can ride anything. Which of
+these is my horse? They all look skittish&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Neither of these would do for you,&#8221; replied the se&ntilde;or. &#8220;But listen to
+me sharply. Twice you have called me general. Don&#8217;t do it again until we
+are beyond the mountains. I&#8217;m only a plain se&ntilde;or in all this region of
+the country. I only hope that some men in Vera Cruz do not already know
+that I am here. If they did, I am afraid I should not get out so easily.
+This is your horse. He is a good one.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Hitched to a post near the wall was a fat, undersized animal, black as
+jet, and with more mane and tail than was at all reasonable. He carried
+a Mexican saddle with wooden stirrups and a tremendous curb-bit bridle.
+In front of the saddle were pistol holsters, and behind it hung an
+ammunition case, as if Ned were about to become a trooper. He went to
+examine the holsters, and found that each of them contained a large
+horse-pistol with a flintlock. He also found powder and bullets in the
+case, and he wondered whether or not he would ever be able to shoot
+anybody<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_131' id='pg_131'>131</a></span> with one of those heavy, long-barrelled things without having
+something to rest it on.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I practised for an hour once in a pistol-gallery,&#8221; he remarked, &#8220;but it
+wasn&#8217;t with anything like that.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You didn&#8217;t hit centre even then, eh?&#8221; laughed the se&ntilde;or. &#8220;Well, not
+many men can do much with them, but they are better than nothing. They
+are too heavy for a hand like yours. Here is your machete. Put it on.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned felt a queer tingle all over him, as he took the weapon and hitched
+it at his belt. Then he drew it from the sheath and looked at it,
+swinging it up and down to feel its weight. It was a straight, one-edged
+blade, with a sharp point, and a brass basket hilt, and he remarked:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Se&ntilde;or Zuroaga, I could hit with that, I guess.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>His face had flushed fiery red, and it could be seen, from his handling
+of the machete, that his muscles were unusually strong for his size and
+age. The se&ntilde;or nodded his approbation, as he remarked:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I think you will do. There is fight in you, but I hope we shall have no
+fighting to do just now. I shall try to find a safe road home.&#8221;<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_132' id='pg_132'>132</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;A fellow could cut down bushes with this thing,&#8221; said Ned.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s exactly what our rancheros use them for,&#8221; replied the se&ntilde;or.
+&#8220;They will do almost anything with a machete. They will cut their way
+through thick chaparral, kill and cut up beef cattle, split wood, fight
+men or animals, and on the whole it&#8217;s about the most useful tool there
+is in a Mexican camp or hacienda.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s that?&#8221; asked Ned.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Any kind of farm with a house on it,&#8221; said the se&ntilde;or. &#8220;You may have to
+learn all about haciendas before you get home.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Just what I&#8217;d like to do,&#8221; said Ned. &#8220;I&#8217;ll learn how to ride, too. How
+soon are we to set out?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Not till after dark,&#8221; said the se&ntilde;or. &#8220;But you need not be in any hurry
+to get into the saddle. You will have quite enough of it before you get
+out of it again. There is a long ride before us to-night.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m ready,&#8221; replied Ned, but nevertheless he looked at that Mexican
+saddle with doubtful eyes, as if he were thinking that it might possibly
+prove to be a place of trial for a beginner.</p>
+
+<p>At that very hour there were several gentlemen in uniform closeted with
+Colonel Guerra in one of the rooms of the<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_133' id='pg_133'>133</a></span> Castle of San Juan de Ulua.
+The colonel appeared to have been giving them a detailed report of the
+condition of the fortress and of its means for defence, whether or not
+he had stated exactly the amount of the ammunition brought him by the
+ill-fated <i>Goshawk</i>. Other subjects of conversation must now have come
+up, however, for one of them arose with great dignity of manner,
+remarking:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My dear colonel, I am glad that I shall be able to make so encouraging
+a report to his Excellency. As for Colonel Tassara, we shall serve our
+warrant upon him some time to-morrow. We are informed that, beyond a
+doubt, the traitor Zuroaga intends to return from Europe shortly. As
+sure as he does, he will be engaged in dangerous intrigues against the
+existing order of things, and the good of the country requires that he
+shall be brought to justice before he can put any of his nefarious plans
+in operation. At the same time, we are assured that the invaders upon
+the Rio Grande will soon be defeated yet more thoroughly.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>All the rest had arisen while he was speaking, and one of them, a fat,
+short man in a brilliant uniform, added, enthusiastically:<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_134' id='pg_134'>134</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We feel that we can rely upon you, Colonel Guerra. We pity the gringos
+if they should attempt to beleaguer this impregnable fortress. For my
+own part, I believe that Colonel Tassara&#8217;s court martial can have but
+one result. His disobedience must be paid for with his life. All
+conspirators like Zuroaga should be shot as soon as they are captured.
+This is not a time, my friends, for undue leniency.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Gentlemen,&#8221; responded Colonel Guerra with graceful courtesy, &#8220;I bid you
+all a brief farewell with sincere regret. Your visit has given me
+unmixed satisfaction. Do not forget that all of you are to dine with me
+to-morrow. From my very heart I can echo your noble sentiments of valor
+and patriotism and of devotion to our beloved commander-in-chief, his
+heroic Excellency, President Paredes.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Then followed smiles and handshakings of mutual confidence all around,
+and the visiting officers took their departure. Hardly had the door
+closed behind them, however, before Colonel Guerra again sat down,
+hoarsely muttering between his set teeth:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The snake-hearted villains! What they really hoped for was to find the
+fort and garrison in bad condition and unprovided,<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_135' id='pg_135'>135</a></span> so that they might
+ruin me. They want my disgrace and removal, to make room for one of
+them. I don&#8217;t believe they will catch either Tassara or Zuroaga this
+time. The colonel will soon raise his new regiment, and my old friend
+will be down in Oaxaca in safety, waiting for the hour that is to come.
+Paredes would give something to see my last letter from Santa Anna.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>So there were many plots and counterplots, and the politest men might
+not be always what they seemed.</p>
+
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_136' id='pg_136'>136</a></span>
+<a name='OUT_OF_THE_TIERRA_CALIENTE_2716' id='OUT_OF_THE_TIERRA_CALIENTE_2716'></a>
+<h2>CHAPTER VIII.</h2>
+<h3>OUT OF THE TIERRA CALIENTE</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p>Those were days of great commotion in the Congress of the United States.
+The whole nation, South as well as North, was divided in opinion as to
+the righteousness and expediency of the war with Mexico. There were two
+great parties, both of which have long since passed away, for the
+question of the annexation of Texas is no longer before the people, and
+all this was more than half a century ago. One of the parties called
+itself &#8220;Whig,&#8221; but its enemies described its members as &#8220;Coons,&#8221; in the
+habit of roosting up a tree out of reach. The other party called itself
+&#8220;Democratic,&#8221; while its opponents lampooned its members as &#8220;Loco-focos,&#8221;
+comparing them to the blue-headed sulphur matches of that name, which
+were largely manufactured and did not burn very well. Party feeling ran
+high, and the debates in Congress were red-hot.<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_137' id='pg_137'>137</a></span> The Democratic
+President, James K. Polk, was a man of far greater ability and
+statesmanship than his party enemies were willing to give him credit
+for, and he was supported by a brilliant array of politicians. On the
+other hand, the Whig party contained a number of our most distinguished
+statesmen, and, curiously enough, most of the generals of the army,
+including Winfield Scott and Zachary Taylor, were well-known Whigs. It
+was not altogether unnatural, therefore, that the Democratic party in
+power should wish to put the command of any army preparing for the
+invasion of Mexico into the hands of officers who were in favor of the
+war which they were to carry on. Questions like this, and some others
+relating to the unprepared condition of the American army for so
+tremendous an undertaking, were responsible for the fact that there was
+a long delay in all military operations, even after the hard and
+successful fighting done by General Taylor&#8217;s forces at the Rio Grande.</p>
+
+<p>American cruisers were tacking to and fro over the waters of the Gulf of
+Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, without any especial errand of which their
+commanders were aware. Regiments of eager volunteers were forming in
+several of the States,<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_138' id='pg_138'>138</a></span> and were trying hard to discover officers who
+knew how to drill and handle them. The politicians were everywhere
+calling each other harder and harder names. Not one soul in all the
+United States, however, knew anything of a party of mounted men, a
+carriage, and a spring-wagon, which quietly made its way out of the city
+of Vera Cruz, not long after sunset, one sultry and lazy evening. At the
+head of this cavalcade rode two men, who sat upon their spirited horses
+as if they were at home in the saddle. At their right, however, was a
+young fellow on a black pony who was entirely satisfied with the fact
+that the beast under him did not seem to have any spirit at all. He was
+at that moment steadying his feet in the stirrups, and remarking to
+himself:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m glad none of them saw me mount him. I got upon a high box first,
+and even then my machete was tangled with my legs, and I all but fell
+over him. I&#8217;ll get the se&ntilde;or to show me how, or I&#8217;ll be laughed at by
+the men.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He was doing fairly well at present, for the road went up a hill, and
+the night was not one for foolishly fast travelling. He could listen all
+the better, and one of his companions was saying to the other:<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_139' id='pg_139'>139</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My dear Zuroaga, we have gained four miles. Every one of them is worth
+something handsome to you and me. In my opinion, we did not get away a
+moment too soon to save our necks.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Not one minute!&#8221; replied the other, with strong emphasis. &#8220;Not even if
+Guerra can succeed in gaining for us the best part of another day, as he
+believed he could. Perhaps our best chance, after all, is that he has
+only one company of lancers, and that any officer sent with it might
+have instructions which would take him by another road than this.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The inspector-general had with him an escort of his own,&#8221; said Tassara.
+&#8220;If he should send those fellows, they would be likely to know how to
+find us. They are not under the orders of Guerra.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;If,&#8221; exclaimed Zuroaga, fiercely, &#8220;they do not overtake us until after
+the middle of our second day out, I believe they would be unlucky to try
+to arrest us. I hope they will be wise, and not tire out their horses
+with too much haste. I feel as if I could shoot pretty straight if I
+should see them coming within range.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;So could I,&#8221; replied Tassara.</p>
+
+<p>The road which they were then following ran between cultivated lands on
+either<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_140' id='pg_140'>140</a></span> side. It was not tree-shadowed, and, as Ned looked back, the
+moonlight showed him something that made him think rapidly. Additional
+horsemen had joined them after they had left the city behind them, and
+it occurred to him that arrangements had been made beforehand for
+something like a small war. There were not less than twenty armed men,
+besides himself and the pair who were with him. For some reason or
+other, moreover, the wagon, which was drawn by four mules, and the
+carriage, drawn by a pair of fine animals of the same sort, were driven
+on well in advance. It appeared, therefore, as if no danger was expected
+to meet them from the opposite direction, and that Se&ntilde;ora Tassara and
+her daughter were fairly well protected from any peril which might come
+after them along the road from Vera Cruz. The next thing that struck
+Ned, little as he knew about war, was that these horsemen were riding
+two and two, not in a straggling procession, but in as perfect order as
+if they had been trained cavalry. If he had known a little more, he
+would have declared:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That is just what they are.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He might not also have known that all but six of them were from the
+Tassara<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_141' id='pg_141'>141</a></span> estates, and that the odd half-dozen were lifelong servants of
+the proscribed descendant of Hernando Cortes. If he could have
+understood those men, he might also have comprehended one important
+feature of the tangled politics of Mexico, and why ambitious military
+men were every now and then able to set up for themselves, and defy the
+central government until it could manage to capture them, and have them
+shot as rebels. Wiser men than he, looking at the matter from the
+outside, might also have understood how greatly it was to the credit of
+President Paredes that he was making so good a stand against the power
+of the United States while hampered by so many difficulties. Ned was no
+politician at all, and it was a mere impulse, or a tired feeling, which
+led him to pull in his pony and let the men catch up with him, so that
+he might chat with them, one after another, and get acquainted. He found
+that they were under no orders not to talk. On the contrary, every man
+of them seemed to know that Ned had come home from the school which he
+had been attending in England, and that he had been instrumental in
+procuring powder and bullets for them and for the Mexican army. They
+were full of patriotism of a peculiar<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_142' id='pg_142'>142</a></span> kind. It would have made them
+fight gringos or any other foreigners to-day, and to-morrow to fight as
+readily in any causeless revolution which their local leaders might see
+fit to set going. They were eager for all the news Ned could give them,
+and he was soon on good terms with them, for he took pains not to let
+them know how uncomfortable he felt in that saddle. They surely would
+have despised any young Mexican who had forgotten how to ride while he
+was travelling in Europe.</p>
+
+<p>Hour after hour went by, and on every level stretch of road the wheeled
+vehicles were driven at a moderate trot. The horses of what Ned called
+the cavalry also trotted occasionally, but it was well for him that his
+pony did not seem to know how. Whenever he was asked to go faster, he
+struck into a rocking canter, which was as easy and about as lazy as a
+cradle, so that his rider received hardly any shaking, and was able to
+keep both his seat and his stirrups. Brief halts for rest were made now
+and then. Bridges were crossed which Ned understood were over small
+branches of the Blanco River, but they were still in the lowlands when,
+at about midnight, the little column wheeled out of the road and went on
+for a hundred yards or more into<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_143' id='pg_143'>143</a></span> a magnificent forest, where the
+moonlight came down among the trees to show how old and large they were.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Halt! Dismount!&#8221; came sharply from Colonel Tassara. &#8220;It is twelve
+o&#8217;clock. We have made over twenty miles. We will camp here until
+daylight. Pablo, put up the tents.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Every rider but Ned was down on his feet in a twinkling, but he remained
+upon his pony&#8217;s back as still as a statue. He saw a white tent leave the
+top of the baggage in the wagon and set itself up, as if by magic.
+Another and another followed, and he said to himself:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;They are little picnic tents. One is for the se&ntilde;ora and Felicia; one
+for the colonel; and one for Se&ntilde;or Zuroaga. Not any for me or for the
+men. Oh, dear! How shall I ever get down? I can&#8217;t move my legs. If I
+can&#8217;t, I shall have to go to sleep in the saddle!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>That was just what he might have done if it had not been for his kind
+and thoughtful friend, the general,&mdash;if he was one,&mdash;for Zuroaga now
+came to the side of the pony to inquire, with a merry laugh:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How are you now, my boy? I knew how it would be. Tired out? Stiff with<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_144' id='pg_144'>144</a></span>
+so long a ride? Lean over this way and I&#8217;ll help you down. Come!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned leaned over and tried to pull his feet out of the stirrups. They did
+come out somehow, and then he made an extra effort not to fall asleep
+with his head on the general&#8217;s shoulder.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Used up completely!&#8221; exclaimed Zuroaga. &#8220;Can you walk? Stretch your
+legs. Kick. It&#8217;s your first long ride? You&#8217;ll soon get used to it.
+There! Now I&#8217;ll put you into my tent, but we must be on the march again
+by six o&#8217;clock in the morning. You can sleep till breakfast.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I can walk, thank you,&#8221; responded poor Ned, and he did so, after a lame
+and awkward fashion, but he was glad to reach the tent. &#8220;It&#8217;s big enough
+for two,&#8221; he said, as he crawled in.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Is it?&#8221; said the general. &#8220;Bah! I do not use one half the time. I am a
+soldier and a hunter, and I prefer to bivouac in such weather as this. I
+must be on the lookout, too, to-night. Crawl in and go to sleep.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned was already in. Down he went upon a blanket, without even unbuckling
+his machete, and that was the last that he knew that night of the camp
+or of anybody in it. Probably, nothing less than the report<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_145' id='pg_145'>145</a></span> of a cannon
+fired over that tent would have aroused him to go for his horse-pistols
+or draw his Mexican sabre.</p>
+
+<p>Se&ntilde;ora Tassara and her daughter had disappeared immediately, and they,
+also, must have been wearied with their long, hot journey, but all the
+rest of the party were old campaigners, and they were ready to take care
+of the horses and eat cold rations, for no fires were kindled.</p>
+
+<p>A few minutes later, if Ned had been awake instead of sleeping so
+soundly, he might have heard what two men were saying, in half-whispers,
+close to the door of his tent.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Colonel,&#8221; said Zuroaga, &#8220;we are well-hidden in here. The bushes are
+very thick along the edge of the road.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hark!&#8221; interrupted Tassara. &#8220;Do you hear that? There they are!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I hear them,&#8221; replied the general. &#8220;It may be so. If it is, they have
+followed us well. But there cannot be more than half a dozen of them. It
+is not any mere squad like that that we need be afraid of.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;This may be only an advance party, I think,&#8221; said his friend,
+thoughtfully. &#8220;A larger force may be on our trail before to-morrow
+night. But they must not take us. They might merely arrest me, to have<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_146' id='pg_146'>146</a></span>
+me shot at Vera Cruz, but they would cut down you and poor young Carfora
+at once. He is an American, and they would show him no mercy.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>There had been a sound of horse hoofs on the road, and it had gone by,
+but before Zuroaga could make any response to so gloomy a prophecy, his
+own man, Pablo, stood before him. Pablo had been running fast, but he
+had breath enough left to say, quite coolly and not loudly:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Lancers, general. Officer and four men. They have been running their
+horses, and they won&#8217;t travel far to-morrow. I was in the bushes.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;All right, Pablo,&#8221; said Zuroaga. &#8220;It was kind of Colonel Guerra to
+order them to use up their horses. We shall not hear of that squad
+again. Put Andrea on watch, and go to sleep. Our first danger is over.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Pablo bowed and turned away without another word, and Zuroaga resumed
+his conference with Tassara, for those two were brave men, and were
+well-accustomed to the peril-haunted lives they were leading.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Colonel,&#8221; he said, &#8220;it is evident that my young friend Carfora must go
+with you. He is not fit for a swift ride of three hundred miles.
+Besides, he must have any<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_147' id='pg_147'>147</a></span> chance which may happen to turn up for
+getting home. Will you take care of him? He is a fine young fellow, but
+he cannot ride.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Therefore the pony and that saddle had done something good for Ned, and
+Colonel Tassara cheerfully responded:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;With great pleasure, my dear general. I shall be glad to make American
+friends. I may need them. He will be safe enough with me, but I fear it
+will be a long time before he can get out of Mexico. As for me, I shall
+meet more than a hundred of my own men at Orizaba, ready to escort me
+across the sierra into my own State of Puebla. After that, my reputation
+for loyalty will soon be re&euml;stablished by raising my new regiment. I
+think, however, that it will not march into the city of Mexico until his
+Excellency President Paredes has set out for the Rio Grande, or as far
+north as the luck of this war will permit him to travel. Very possibly,
+he may be hindered by the gringos before he reaches the border. Carfora
+will remain with me until then. You are right. He would not be safe
+anywhere else. As for yourself, you must push on.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I think,&#8221; said Zuroaga, &#8220;that I shall be almost safe after I am a few
+miles beyond<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_148' id='pg_148'>148</a></span> Teotitlan. I may have a fight or two on the way. Carfora
+must not be killed in any skirmish of that kind. You will not see me
+again, dead or alive, until a week or two after the Americans have taken
+the city of Mexico, as in my opinion they surely will. I shall be there
+then, with five hundred lancers, to uphold the new government which will
+take the place of the bloody dictatorship of Paredes, unless the new
+affair is to be Santa Anna. In any event, I shall be able to help you,
+and I will.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You are a gloomy prophet,&#8221; responded Tassara, &#8220;but you are an old
+student of military operations. Do you really think the Americans will
+capture our capital? It will be well defended.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Bravely enough, but not well,&#8221; replied Zuroaga. &#8220;We have not one
+scientific, thoroughly educated engineer officer fit to take charge of
+the defences against, for instance, General Scott. Not even Santa Anna
+himself, with all his ability, is a general capable of checking the
+invaders after they have taken Vera Cruz, and that they will do. He is a
+scheming politician rather than a military genius. He and Paredes and
+some others whom you and I could name must be whipped out of<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_149' id='pg_149'>149</a></span> power
+before we can put up an entirely new government, better than any we have
+ever had yet. What do you think about it?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Think?&#8221; exclaimed Tassara, angrily. &#8220;I think it will be after you and I
+are dead and buried before this miserable half-republic, half-oligarchy,
+will be blessed with a solid government like that of the United States.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And that, too, might get into hot water,&#8221; muttered his friend, but
+neither of the two political prophets appeared to have much more to say.
+They separated, as if each might have something else to employ him, and
+shortly all the night camp in the grand old forest seemed to be asleep.</p>
+
+<p>The remaining hours of darkness passed silently, and the sun arose with
+a promise of another hot day. Small fires were kindled for
+coffee-making, but the preparations for breakfast were hurried. Before
+six o&#8217;clock the mules were harnessed, the horses were saddled, and all
+things were made ready for a diligent push southward. It had been a
+difficult business to get Ned Crawford out of his tent, but here he was,
+trying his best to move his legs as if they belonged to him. His coffee
+and corn-cakes did a great deal for him, and he made<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_150' id='pg_150'>150</a></span> out to pretend to
+help Pablo in getting the fat pony ready for the road. Then, however, he
+was willing to see Pablo walk away, and he bravely led the pony to the
+side of what may have been an old and apparently abandoned ant-hill.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I can get on board,&#8221; he said, as if his patient quadruped had been the
+<i>Goshawk</i>. &#8220;I saw how some of them mounted. You put your left foot into
+the stirrup, and then you make a kind of spring into the saddle. If my
+knees will bend for me, I can do it without anybody&#8217;s help.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It was the ant-hill that helped him, for he did not make any spring.
+After his foot was in the stirrup, he made a tremendous effort, and he
+arose slowly, painfully to the level of the pony&#8217;s back. Then his right
+leg went over, and he was actually there, hunting a little nervously for
+the other stirrup, with his machete away around behind him.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Glad you have done it!&#8221; exclaimed a decidedly humorous voice near the
+pony&#8217;s head. &#8220;We are all ready to be off now. Before long, you will be
+able to mount as the rancheros do, without touching the stirrup. But
+then, I believe that most of them were born on horseback.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They also appeared to be able to do<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_151' id='pg_151'>151</a></span> pretty well without much sleep, for
+Ned could not see that they showed any signs of fatigue. The
+camping-place was speedily left behind them, but it was no longer a
+night journey. Ned was almost astonished, now that the darkness was
+gone, to discover that this was by no means a wild, unsettled country.
+Not only were there many farms, with more or less well-built houses, but
+the cavalcade began to meet other wayfarers,&mdash;men and women,&mdash;on foot
+and on horseback, and hardly any of them were willing to be passed
+without obtaining the latest news from Vera Cruz and from the war.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I guess they need it,&#8221; thought Ned. &#8220;The general says there are no
+newspapers taken down here, and that, if there were, not one person in
+five could read them. They seem a real good-natured lot, though.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>So they were, as much so as any other people in the world, and they were
+as capable of being developed and educated to better things. As to this
+being a new country, it came slowly back into Ned&#8217;s mind that there had
+been a great and populous empire here at a time when the island upon
+which the city of New York was afterward built was a bushy wilderness,<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_152' id='pg_152'>152</a></span>
+occupied by half-naked savages, who were ready to sell it for a few
+dollars&#8217; worth of kettles and beads.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I guess I&#8217;m beginning to wake up,&#8221; thought Ned. &#8220;When the <i>Goshawk</i> was
+lying in the Bay of Vera Cruz, I was too busy to see anything. No, I
+wasn&#8217;t. I did stare at the Orizaba mountain peak, and they told me it is
+over seventeen thousand feet high. First mountain I ever saw that could
+keep on snow and ice in such weather as this. I don&#8217;t want to live up
+there in winter. Well! Now I&#8217;ve seen some of the biggest trees I ever
+did see. I wonder if any of them were here when the Spaniards came in. I
+guess they were, some of them.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He was really beginning to see something of Mexico, and it almost made
+him forget the hardness of that unpleasant saddle. At the end of another
+mile, he was saying to himself:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That field yonder is tobacco, is it? The one we just passed was
+sugar-cane, and Pablo said the plantation across the road was almost all
+coffee. He says that further on he will show me orange groves, bananas,
+and that sort of thing. But what on earth are grenaditas and mangoes?
+They&#8217;ll be something new to me, and I want to find out how they taste.&#8221;<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_153' id='pg_153'>153</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Nothing at all of a military or otherwise of an apparently dangerous
+character had been encountered by the fugitive travellers when, at about
+the middle of the forenoon, they came to a parting of the ways. A
+seemingly well-travelled road went off to the left, or southward, while
+the one they were on turned more to the right and climbed a hill, as if
+it were making a further effort to get out of the <i>tierra caliente</i>. A
+great many things had been explained to Ned, as they rode along, and he
+was not surprised, therefore, when Se&ntilde;or Zuroaga said to him:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My young friend, this is the place I told you of. We must part here.
+You and your pony will go on with Colonel Tassara, and I will take my
+chances for reaching my place of refuge in Oaxaca. It is not a very good
+chance, but I must make the best of it that I can. Take good care of
+yourself. I have already said good-by to the se&ntilde;ora and the se&ntilde;orita. I
+think they will soon be out of danger.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned was really grateful, and he tried to say so, but all he could think
+of just then was:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;General Zuroaga, I do hope you&#8217;ll get through all right. I hope I shall
+see you again safe and sound.&#8221;<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_154' id='pg_154'>154</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You never will,&#8221; said Zuroaga, as he wheeled his horse, &#8220;unless I get
+out of this Cordoba road. It is a kind of military highway, and I might
+meet my enemies at any minute&mdash;too many of them.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Good-by!&#8221; shouted Ned, and the general, who was still a great mystery
+to him, dashed away at a gallop, followed by Pablo and the wild riders
+from the Oaxaca ranches.</p>
+
+<p>The cavalcade had hardly paused, and it now went on up the long, steep
+slope to the right. Not many minutes later, it was on high enough ground
+to look down upon the road which had been taken by Zuroaga. Ned was not
+looking in that direction, but at some snow-capped mountains in the
+distance, northward, and he was saying to himself:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;So that is the Sierra Madre, is it? This country has more and higher
+mountains in it&mdash; Hullo! What&#8217;s that? Is she hurt?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>His change of utterance into an anxious exclamation was produced by a
+piercing scream from the carriage, and that was followed by the excited
+voice of Se&ntilde;ora Tassara calling out:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Husband! The general is attacked! Look! Hear the firing!&#8221;<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_155' id='pg_155'>155</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;O father! Can we not help him?&#8221; gasped Se&ntilde;orita Felicia.</p>
+
+<p>Her mother was holding to her eyes with trembling hands what Ned took
+for an opera-glass, and he wished that he had one, although he could
+make out that something like a skirmish was taking place on the other
+road. It was too far to more than barely catch the dull reports of what
+seemed to be a number of rapidly fired pistol-shots.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;They are fighting!&#8221; he exclaimed. &#8220;I wish I was there to help him! He
+may need more men. I could shoot!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Whether he could or not, he was almost unconsciously unbuckling the
+holster of one of his horse-pistols, when the se&ntilde;ora spoke again.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Santa Maria!&#8221; she exclaimed. &#8220;The dear general! They are too many for
+him. Madre de Dios! Our good friend will be killed!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Give me the glass, my dear,&#8221; said her husband. &#8220;Your hands are not
+steady enough. I will tell you how it is.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, do!&#8221; she whispered, hoarsely, as she handed it to him. &#8220;They are
+lancers in uniform. Oh, me! This is dreadful! And they may follow us,
+too.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Colonel Tassara took the glass with apparently<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_156' id='pg_156'>156</a></span> perfect coolness, and
+Ned took note that it did not tremble at all, as he aimed it at the
+distant skirmish. It was a number of seconds, however, before he
+reported:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hurrah! The general rides on, and he rides well. I feel sure that he is
+not badly wounded, if at all. He has now but three men with him. There
+are riderless horses. There are men on the ground. There are four only
+that are riding back toward the Cordoba road. Thank God! The general has
+made good his escape from that party of unlucky lancers. He is a
+fighter!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Then he lowered the glass to turn and shout fiercely to his own men:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Forward! We must reach Orizaba before the news of this skirmish gets
+there, if we kill all our horses doing it. Push on!&#8221;</p>
+
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_157' id='pg_157'>157</a></span>
+<a name='LEAVING_THE_HACIENDA_3154' id='LEAVING_THE_HACIENDA_3154'></a>
+<h2>CHAPTER IX.</h2>
+<h3>LEAVING THE HACIENDA</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p>It was near the close of a bright summer day, and a deeply interested
+company had gathered in the dining-room of the Crawford home in New
+York. Dinner was on the table, but nobody had yet sat down. The number
+of young persons present suggested that Ned must have older brothers and
+sisters.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Father Crawford,&#8221; exclaimed one of the grown-up young men, &#8220;what is
+this about another letter from Edward? I came over to hear the news.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Letter?&#8221; said Mr. Crawford. &#8220;I should say so! I guess I&#8217;d better read
+it aloud. It was a long time getting out and coming around by way of
+England. There are all sorts of delays in war-time. It is the last of
+three that he wrote before escaping into the interior of Mexico with his
+new friends. I am glad that he did go with them, though, and there must
+be other<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_158' id='pg_158'>158</a></span> letters on the way. We shall hear from him again pretty soon.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They all were silent then, and he read the letter through, with now and
+then a few words of explanation, but Mrs. Crawford had evidently read it
+before, and all she could say now was:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, dear! I don&#8217;t like it! I wish he had come home!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s all right, mother,&#8221; said Mr. Crawford, &#8220;for I have something more
+to tell. Captain Kemp is here, and, from what he says, it is plain that
+it would not have done for Ned to have remained anywhere on the coast.
+He will be safe where he is, and he will learn a great deal. I would not
+have him miss it for anything. What&#8217;s pretty good, too, we have been
+paid all our insurance money for the loss of the <i>Goshawk</i>, and our firm
+has been given a contract to furnish supplies for the army. I shall be
+down on the gulf before long myself, in charge of a supply ship, and I
+can make inquiries about Ned. He will turn up all right.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Everybody appeared to be encouraged except Ned&#8217;s mother, and it was a
+pity she could not have seen how well he was looking at that very time.
+If, for instance, she had possessed a telescope which would<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_159' id='pg_159'>159</a></span> have
+reached so far, she might have seen a fine, large bay horse reined in to
+a standstill in front of a modern-appearing country-house, well built of
+a nearly white kind of limestone. Around this residence was a
+wide-spreading lawn, with vines, shrubbery, flowers, and other evidences
+of wealth and refinement. The rider of the horse appeared to sit him
+easily, and he was a picture of health and high spirits, but for an
+expression of discontent that was upon his sunburned face.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;This is all very beautiful,&#8221; he said, as he glanced around him, &#8220;but I
+wish I were out of it. I want to hear from home. They must have my
+letters by this time, but they couldn&#8217;t guess where I am now.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He was silent for a moment, and the horse curveted gracefully under him,
+as if in doubt whether to gallop away again, or to ask his rider to get
+off.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well!&#8221; said Ned, with a pull on the rein. &#8220;It seems like a long,
+wonderful dream since I saw General Zuroaga ride away from us at the
+cross-roads. What a skirmish that was! Then we made our way through the
+mountains, and came here, and hasn&#8217;t it been a curious kind of life ever
+since? I&#8217;ve learned how to ride like a Mexican. I&#8217;ve seen all there is
+to see<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_160' id='pg_160'>160</a></span> for miles and miles around this place. I&#8217;ve seen lots of old
+ruins, all that&#8217;s left of ancient houses and temples and altars. I
+believe the se&ntilde;ora likes nothing better than to tell me yarns about the
+Montezuma times and about her ancestors in Spain. That&#8217;s a great
+country. I think I&#8217;ll go over there, some day, and see Granada and the
+Alhambra and the old castles and the Spanish people. I like the Mexicans
+first-rate, all that I have seen of them. They will be a splendid nation
+one of these days, but they&#8217;re awfully ignorant now. Why, every one in
+these parts believes that our army is all the while being whipped all to
+pieces by theirs, and I can&#8217;t exactly swallow that. I&#8217;d like to know
+just what is really going on. I&#8217;m all in the dark.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Se&ntilde;or Carfora!&#8221; called out a clear, ringing voice.</p>
+
+<p>He turned in the saddle, from seeming to gaze at the distant forest, and
+there, in the piazza which ran all along the front of the house, stood
+Se&ntilde;orita Felicia, her usually pale face flushed with excitement.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We have a letter from father!&#8221; she shouted. &#8220;He has completed his
+regiment, and he is to command it. President Paredes is going north, to
+drive the gringos out of Mexico, and father may have to go<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_161' id='pg_161'>161</a></span> with him. He
+says it is time for us to move to the city of Mexico. We are to live
+with my aunt, Mercedes Paez, and you are to come with us. Is it not
+grand?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It is just what I was wishing for!&#8221; exclaimed Ned. &#8220;I&#8217;d give almost
+anything to see that city, after what your mother has told me.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh,&#8221; said Felicia, &#8220;she was born there, and she&#8217;ll make you see all
+there is of it. But we were all ready, you know, and we are to set out
+early to-morrow morning.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hurrah!&#8221; responded Ned. &#8220;But I&#8217;d like to hear from General Zuroaga. I
+wish I knew whether or not he was much hurt in that fight in the road.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Father does not believe he was,&#8221; said Felicia. &#8220;Sometimes I almost
+think he knows all about it. But there are some things he won&#8217;t speak
+of, and General Zuroaga is one of them.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned sprang to the ground, and a barefooted &#8220;peon&#8221; servant took charge of
+his horse. It was not at all the kind of dismounting he had performed at
+the camp in the woods on the road from Vera Cruz. Neither did he now
+have any machete dangling from his belt, to entangle himself with, and
+there were no pistol holsters in front of the saddle. He went on into
+the<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_162' id='pg_162'>162</a></span> house with the se&ntilde;orita, and in a moment more he was hearing
+additional news from her mother. Se&ntilde;ora Tassara was as stately as ever,
+but it was apparent that she had taken a liking to her young American
+guest, whether it was on account of his deep interest in her old
+stories, or otherwise. It may have been, in part, that company was a
+good thing to have in a somewhat lonely country-house, for she could not
+have thought of associating with Mexican neighbors of a social rank
+lower than her own. Was she not descended from Spanish grandees, and
+were they not, for the greater part, representatives of the mere Aztecs
+and Toltecs, whom her forefathers had conquered? It was that very
+feeling, however, which in the minds of such men as Paredes and similar
+leaders was standing in the way of every effort to construct a genuine
+republic out of the people of the half-civilized States of Mexico.</p>
+
+<p>Ned&#8217;s next questions related to the war, and he inquired how many more
+great battles Colonel Tassara had reported.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Battles?&#8221; exclaimed Se&ntilde;ora Tassara. &#8220;Why, there has not been one fought
+since Resaca de la Palma. But he says that General Ampudia sends word
+that the American army is about to advance upon<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_163' id='pg_163'>163</a></span> him. They will attack
+him at the city of Monterey, and they never can take so strong a place
+as that is. He is ready for them, but President Paredes believes that it
+is time for him to take command of the army in person.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It certainly was so. The Mexican President was a cunning politician, and
+he had been by no means an unsuccessful general. He was well aware that
+it would not be wise for him to now allow too many victories to be won
+by any other Mexican. It might interfere with his own popularity. On the
+other hand, if General Ampudia should be defeated, as he was quite
+likely to be, then it was good policy for the commander-in-chief, the
+President, to be promptly on hand with a larger force, to overwhelm the
+invaders who had ruined Ampudia. Therefore, it might be said that the
+Americans had the tangled factions and corrupt politics of Mexico
+working for them very effectively.</p>
+
+<p>Ned Crawford already knew much about the condition of military and
+political affairs, but he was not thinking of them that evening. It was
+a great deal pleasanter to sit and talk with Se&ntilde;orita Felicia about the
+city of Mexico and others of the historical places of the ancient land<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_164' id='pg_164'>164</a></span>
+of Anahuac. She still could remind him, now and then, that she hated all
+kinds of gringos, but at all events she was willing to treat one of them
+fairly well. He, on his part, had formed a favorable opinion of some
+Mexicans, but he was as firm as ever in his belief that their army could
+never drive the Americans out of Texas.</p>
+
+<p>There was one place which was even busier and more full of the
+excitement of getting ready for a new movement than was the Tassara
+hacienda. It was among the scattered camps of General Taylor&#8217;s army,
+near Matamoras, at the mouth of the Rio Grande. Reinforcements had made
+the army more than double its former size, but it was understood that it
+was still of only half the numbers of the force it was soon to meet,
+under General Ampudia. It was a curious fact, however, that all of
+General Taylor&#8217;s military scholars were entirely satisfied with that
+computation, and considered that any other arrangement would have been
+unfair, as they really outnumbered their opponents when these were only
+two to one. What was more, they were willing to give them the advantage
+of fighting behind strong fortifications, for they knew that they were
+soon to attack the mountain city of Monterey. Part of what<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_165' id='pg_165'>165</a></span> was now
+genuinely an invading army was to go up the river in boats for some
+distance. The other part was to go overland, and it was an open question
+which of them would suffer the more from the hot summer sun. It was to
+be anything but a picnic, for here were nearly seven thousand Americans
+of all sorts, who were obtaining their first experiences of what war
+might really be, if made in any manner whatever in the sultriest kind of
+southern weather. Much more agreeable for them might have been a march
+across the central table-lands beyond, at an elevation of four thousand
+feet above the sea level and the <i>tierra caliente</i>.</p>
+
+<p>That was precisely the kind of pleasant journey that was performed by
+Ned Crawford and the imposing Tassara cavalcade on the morrow and during
+a couple of wonderful days which followed. There being no railway,
+whatever the se&ntilde;ora wished to take with her had to be conveyed in wagons
+or on pack-mules, and the ladies themselves now preferred the saddle to
+any kind of carriage. In fact, Ned shortly discovered that Se&ntilde;orita
+Felicia was more at home on horseback than he was, and he more than once
+congratulated himself that<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_166' id='pg_166'>166</a></span> she had never witnessed his first
+performances in mounting his fat pony.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How she would have laughed at me!&#8221; he thought. &#8220;But at that time there
+wasn&#8217;t another spare saddle-horse, and she and her mother didn&#8217;t care a
+cent whether I could ride or not. They were thinking of Guerra&#8217;s
+lancers.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The scenery was exceedingly beautiful as well as peaceful. There was
+nothing whatever to suggest that a dreadful war was going on. There were
+houses of friends to stop at, instead of hotels. There were towns and
+villages of some importance to be rapidly investigated by a tourist like
+Ned, from New York by way of England, and now a good young Mexican for
+the time being. Then there was an exciting evening, when all who were on
+horseback rode ahead of the wagons and on into the city, which occupies
+the site of the wonderful Tenochtitlan, which was captured by Hernando
+Cortes and his daring adventurers ever so long ago. From that time
+onward, during a number of busy days, Ned became better and better
+satisfied with the fact that his father had sent him across the sea to
+learn all that he could of Mexico and the Mexicans.</p>
+
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_167' id='pg_167'>167</a></span>
+<a name='PICTURES_OF_THE_PAST_3360' id='PICTURES_OF_THE_PAST_3360'></a>
+<h2>CHAPTER X.</h2>
+<h3>PICTURES OF THE PAST</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, how I wish we had some news from the war!&#8221; exclaimed Ned.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well,&#8221; said Se&ntilde;orita Felicia, doubtfully, &#8220;there isn&#8217;t much, but I
+suppose there is some almost ready to come.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m tired of waiting for it,&#8221; replied Ned, &#8220;and if there isn&#8217;t to be
+any war news, I wish I had some books!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The thought that was in Ned Crawford&#8217;s mind had broken out suddenly, as
+he sat at the dinner-table of Se&ntilde;ora Mercedes Paez, at the end of those
+first days after his arrival in the city of Mexico. There were a number
+of persons at the table, and at the head of it was Se&ntilde;ora Paez herself.
+She was shorter and stouter, but she was every ounce as stately and
+imposing as was even Se&ntilde;ora Tassara. In front of her sat one affair
+which had, from the beginning of his visit in that house, made him feel
+more at home than he might otherwise have<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_168' id='pg_168'>168</a></span> done. He had become used to
+it, and it seemed like an old friend. That Seville coffee-urn had
+ornamented the table in the house at Vera Cruz, his first refuge after
+he came ashore out of the destructive norther. It had winked at him from
+a similar post of honor in the country-house out in Puebla, and Se&ntilde;ora
+Tassara had affectionately brought it with her to the residence of her
+city cousin. She had said that she thought it would be safer here, even
+if the city should be captured by those terrible robbers, the Americans.
+They could not be intending to steal and melt up all the old silver in
+Mexico.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, Se&ntilde;or Carfora!&#8221; exclaimed Se&ntilde;orita Felicia, indignantly. &#8220;Did you
+not know? Aunt Paez has piles and piles of books. They are up in the
+library. If you wish to read them, she will let you go there. I had
+forgotten that you know how to read. He may do it, may he not, Aunt
+Mercedes?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Of course he may,&#8221; replied the se&ntilde;ora, &#8220;but it is a curious idea for a
+boy of his age.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, thank you!&#8221; exclaimed Ned. &#8220;But what I&#8217;d like to have are some
+books that tell about old Mexico and about the city of Tenochtitlan,
+that stood here before<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_169' id='pg_169'>169</a></span> the Spaniards came. I&#8217;ve been all around
+everywhere. I&#8217;ve seen the swamps and the lakes and the walls and forts
+and everything. The great cathedral&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That,&#8221; interposed Se&ntilde;ora Tassara, &#8220;stands on the very spot where an old
+temple of the Aztec war-god stood. There were altars in it, where they
+used to kill and burn hundreds and thousands of human sacrifices to
+Huitzilopochtli, and there were altars to other gods.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I can&#8217;t exactly speak that name,&#8221; said Ned, &#8220;but I want to know all
+about him and the sacrifices. I want to learn, too, just how Cortes and
+his men took the old city. I suppose that when the Americans come, it
+will be a different kind of fight&mdash;more cannon.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;They won&#8217;t get here at all,&#8221; quietly remarked a military-looking old
+gentleman sitting near the other end of the table. &#8220;It is a long road
+from the Rio Grande, and President Paredes is to march, in a few days,
+to crush our enemies with an army of twenty thousand men. They have not
+so much as taken Monterey yet. You are right, though. If they should
+ever get here, they will find the city harder to take than Cortes did.
+They will all die before the walls.&#8221;<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_170' id='pg_170'>170</a></span></p>
+
+<p>He spoke with a great deal of patriotic enthusiasm, and Ned knew that it
+was his turn to keep still, for the old gentleman had no idea that he
+was talking to a wicked young gringo. Se&ntilde;ora Paez, however, calmly
+replied:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ah, Colonel Rodriguez, my dear friend, the President himself has said
+that, after he has beaten them at the northern border, as he surely
+will, the Americans are sure to make another attempt by way of Vera
+Cruz. That, too, was the opinion of our brave friend, Colonel Guerra,
+and he is making every preparation for a siege. It is part of our
+grateful hospitality to our guest, Se&ntilde;or Carfora, that his friends have
+supplied the Castle of San Juan de Ulua with the ammunition which will
+be needed. He came over on the ship which brought it, and he has
+remained with us ever since.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Just then Ned Crawford knew what it was to feel very mean indeed. He
+felt as if he himself were telling a large lie, and his cheeks flushed
+red-hot. He was aware, nevertheless, that even Se&ntilde;ora Tassara had not
+been told everything, and that Se&ntilde;ora Paez was reasonably honest in what
+she had been saying. There was no necessity for enlightening Colonel
+Rodriguez.<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_171' id='pg_171'>171</a></span> Hardly, therefore, had the old gentleman vehemently
+exclaimed, &#8220;They never can take San Juan de Ulua!&#8221; than Ned went hastily
+back to his first subject of the ancient history.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s it,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I want to find out how Cortes got ashore, and how
+he fought his way from the coast to this place. He must have had to
+cross the mountains, through the passes, just as our party did when we
+came.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; said the colonel. &#8220;He had to climb seven thousand and five
+hundred feet up out of the <i>tierra caliente</i>, and, if any gringos ever
+try that path, they will find all the passes full of fighting Mexicans
+and good artillery well posted. Hernando Cortes had all the gunpowder
+there was in America when he tried that road.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My dear young friend,&#8221; said Se&ntilde;ora Paez, &#8220;you will find plenty of the
+books you wish for. My husband was fond of collecting them. After
+dinner, the se&ntilde;orita will show you the library, and you may read
+anything there.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned was silent once more, for he was still feeling mean, and was asking
+himself whether he were not, after all, a kind of spy in the Mexican
+camp, going around in disguise, and all the while wishing that he<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_172' id='pg_172'>172</a></span> could
+help the American army to capture the city.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Anyhow,&#8221; he thought, &#8220;I can&#8217;t help myself just now, and when the city
+is taken, everything in the Paez house will be entirely safe. I
+shouldn&#8217;t wonder if that old coffee-urn will be safer from thieves than
+it is now. There have been half a dozen burglaries since we came, and
+I&#8217;ve seen hundreds of the wildest-looking kinds of fellows from the
+mountains. Every man of them looked as if he&#8217;d like to steal some
+silver.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>While he was thinking, he was also listening, with a great deal of
+interest, to a description which the old officer was giving of the
+defences of Monterey, and of the reasons why the American troops would
+surely be defeated. It appeared that he had at one time been the
+commander of the garrison of the fortress known as the Black Fort, just
+outside of the walls of Monterey, on the north, and he evidently
+believed it to be impregnable. Ned was no soldier, and it did not occur
+to him to ask, as General Taylor might have done, whether or not it was
+possible to take the town without wasting time in taking the fort first.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Come, Se&ntilde;or Carfora,&#8221; said Felicia,<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_173' id='pg_173'>173</a></span> as they all arose from the table,
+&#8220;I will show you the library. You can&#8217;t do much reading there to-night,
+though, for the lamps have all been taken away. I do not wish to go
+there, anyhow, except in the daytime. It is a pokerish kind of place. Do
+you believe in ghosts? I do not, but, if I were a ghost, I would pick
+out that library for a good place to hide in. Come along. You are a
+foreigner, and any kind of good Mexican ghost won&#8217;t like you.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Whether she herself did so or not, she led the way, and no lamp was as
+yet needed, although the day was nearly over and the shadows were
+coming. Up-stairs they went and through a short passageway in the second
+story of the Paez mansion, and they were almost in the dark when she
+said to him:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Here we are. Hardly any one ever comes here, and it will be dreadfully
+dusty. Books are dusty old things anyhow.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>She turned the big brass knob in the dusky door before them, and shoved
+against it with all her might, but Ned had to help her with his
+shoulder, or the massive mahogany portal would not have yielded an inch.
+It did go slowly in, upon its ancient-looking bronze hinges, and then
+they were in a room which was worth looking<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_174' id='pg_174'>174</a></span> at. It was not so very
+large, only about fifteen feet by twenty, but it was unusually high, and
+it had but one tall, narrow slit of a window. Close by this, however,
+were a finely carved reading chair and table, ready to receive all the
+light which the window might choose to let in. Ned was staring eagerly
+around the room, when his pretty guide remarked:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You had better see all you can before it gets any darker. Take down as
+many books as you want. I don&#8217;t care much for those fusty-musty old
+histories. I must go away now&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hullo, se&ntilde;orita!&#8221; exclaimed Ned. &#8220;There is a lamp on the table. I have
+some matches&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t believe you can make it burn,&#8221; she said, &#8220;but you can try. It
+has not been lighted for this ever so long, and the oil may have dried
+up.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Around she whirled and away she went, leaving Ned to his own devices.
+His next thought was almost impolite, after all, for he was more than
+half glad that she did go, so that he might have the library all to
+himself to rummage in. He did not instantly examine the lamp, for he had
+never before been in just this kind of room, and it fascinated him. All
+its sides were<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_175' id='pg_175'>175</a></span> occupied by high bookcases, every one of them crammed
+full of volumes of all sorts and sizes. He thought that he had never
+seen larger books than were some of the fat folios on the lower shelves.
+There were great, flat, atlas-looking concerns leaning against them, and
+out on the floor stood several upright racks of maps. Old Se&ntilde;or Paez may
+have been what is called a book-worm. At all events, Ned had understood
+that he was a very learned man, with a strong enthusiasm for American
+history.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Heavens and earth!&#8221; suddenly exclaimed Ned. &#8220;What is that?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He darted forward to a further corner of the room, as if he were in a
+great hurry to meet somebody who had unexpectedly come in. It certainly
+was something almost in human shape, but it had been standing there a
+long while, and the hand which it appeared to hold out to him was of
+steel, for it was nothing in the wide world but a complete suit of
+ancient armor. It was so set up in that corner, however, that it almost
+seemed alive, with its right hand extended, and its left holding a long,
+pennoned lance. Its helmet had a barred vizor, so that if there had been
+any face behind that, it would have been hidden. Ned<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_176' id='pg_176'>176</a></span> went and stood
+silently before it for a moment, staring at that vizor.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I say,&#8221; he muttered, as if he did not care to speak any louder. &#8220;I
+don&#8217;t believe General Taylor&#8217;s men would care to march far with as much
+iron as that on them&mdash;not in hot weather. But the old Aztecs didn&#8217;t have
+anything that would go through that kind of uniform. If Cortes and his
+men wore it, there is no wonder that they went on killing the Indians
+without being much hurt themselves.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>In fact, not all of them had been dressed up in precisely such a manner,
+although they did wear armor.</p>
+
+<p>Ned examined the whole affair, piece by piece, from head to foot, and
+then he turned away from his inspection, for the room behind him was
+getting dim and it was time for him to look at his lamp. He took out a
+match as he went toward the table at the window, and in a moment more he
+was busy with a wick which seemed to be determined not to burn for him.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s an old whale-oil lamp,&#8221; he remarked. &#8220;Mother had one, once. I
+remember seeing her try to light it and it would sputter for ever so
+long. There! It&#8217;s beginning to kindle, but it&#8217;s too big for me to carry
+around and hunt for books with.<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_177' id='pg_177'>177</a></span> I wish I had a smaller one. Hullo!
+Here&#8217;s one of the biggest of those old concerns, right here on the
+table.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It was a folio bound in vellum, and when he opened it a great deal of
+dust arose from the cover which banged down. Then Ned uttered a loud
+exclamation, and was glad he had succeeded in lighting the lamp, for
+there before his eyes was a vividly colored picture of a most
+extraordinary description. Moreover, it unfolded, so that it was almost
+twice the size, length, and width of the book pages.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;They are all in Spanish,&#8221; he said, &#8220;but I guess I can read them.
+They&#8217;re more than a hundred years old. People don&#8217;t print such books,
+nowadays. Nobody would have time enough to read them, I suppose, and
+they couldn&#8217;t sell &#8217;em cheap enough. This is wonderful! It&#8217;s a picture
+of the old Mexican god, Huitzilopochtli.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>There was an explanatory inscription, and the artist had pictured the
+terrible deity sitting upon a throne of state, gorgeously arrayed in
+gold and jewels, and watching with a smile of serene satisfaction the
+sacrifice of some unfortunate human victims on the altar in the
+foreground at the right. One of the priests attending at the altar had
+just cut open the bosom of a<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_178' id='pg_178'>178</a></span> tall man lying before him, and was tossing
+a bleeding heart upon the smoking fire, where other similar offerings
+were already burning.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That must have been a horrible kind of religion,&#8221; thought Ned. &#8220;I&#8217;m
+glad that Cortes and his men in armor came to put an end to it. Se&ntilde;ora
+Paez told me that in only a few years before he came, and her
+great-grandfather and his father with him, those priests cut up more
+than twenty thousand men, women, and children. He&#8217;s a curious kind of
+god, I should say, to sit there and grin while it was going on.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He could not linger too long over one picture, however, for he had
+discovered that there were others in that volume which were as
+brilliantly colored and as interesting. On the whole, it was not
+necessary to hunt for anything better than this the first evening, and
+it appeared as if he were asking a useless question of the steel-clad
+warrior in the corner, when at last he turned to him to say:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Did you ever see anything like this before? I never did. Were you
+there, in any of these battles? This is the way that Cortes and his
+cavalry scared the Indians, is it? They were awfully afraid of horses.
+You can buy horses for almost nothing,<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_179' id='pg_179'>179</a></span> nowadays, anywhere in Mexico.
+I&#8217;ve learned how to ride &#8217;em, too, but didn&#8217;t I get pitched off by some
+of those ponies! It would have scared mother half to death. I wish I
+could see her to-night, and show her some of these pictures. I&#8217;d like to
+see Bob and the girls, too. They never saw a book like this.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He had examined a number of the pictures, and the lamp was burning
+fairly well, but a long time had elapsed since he came into that room,
+and he was not at all aware of it.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Se&ntilde;or Carfora?&#8221; called out a voice in the doorway. &#8220;Oh, you are here.
+You did light the lamp. I was almost afraid you were in the dark.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No, I&#8217;m not,&#8221; said Ned. &#8220;I made it burn, and I&#8217;ve been looking at all
+sorts of things. These pictures are just wonderful.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh!&#8221; she said, &#8220;I would not be in this room in the dark for anything! I
+know all those things in that book, though. They are hideous! But they
+say that that suit of armor has the worst kind of ghost in it.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Maybe it has,&#8221; said Ned. &#8220;I don&#8217;t believe he can get out, anyhow. He&#8217;s
+just stuck in it. I&#8217;d rather wear the clothes I have on.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well,&#8221; she replied, &#8220;mother sent me<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_180' id='pg_180'>180</a></span> to find if you were here, and it
+is dreadfully late&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, yes!&#8221; interrupted Ned. &#8220;I suppose it is time for me to go to bed.
+I&#8217;ll go, but I mean to see all there is in this library, se&ntilde;orita. I
+won&#8217;t try to read it all. I don&#8217;t care for ghosts, but I&#8217;d like to see
+one.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I do not care for them in the daytime, either,&#8221; she told him. &#8220;But old
+Margarita, the Tlascalan, says that they come at night and sit here and
+tell stories of all the Mexican idol gods. All of them hate us, too,
+because we turned them out of their temples, and I hate them.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m glad they are gone, anyhow,&#8221; said Ned, but it was really time to
+go, and he carried some of the most brilliant of those illustrations
+into some of his dreams that night.</p>
+
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_181' id='pg_181'>181</a></span>
+<a name='NEDS_NEWS_3660' id='NEDS_NEWS_3660'></a>
+<h2>CHAPTER XI.</h2>
+<h3>NED&#8217;S NEWS</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hullo, young man! I&#8217;ve been looking for you. How are you?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Captain Kemp!&#8221; shouted Ned, in astonishment. &#8220;Where did you come from?
+Who dreamed of seeing you here?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Nobody, I hope,&#8221; said the captain; &#8220;but here I am, and I&#8217;ve brought you
+half a dozen letters. They are among my baggage. First thing, though,
+tell me all about yourself. Where have you been?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They were standing in the grand plaza, not many paces from the front of
+the cathedral, and Ned had come there for another look at the building
+which had taken the place of the old-time temple of the murderous
+Mexican god of war. He was wildly excited for a moment, and he began to
+ask questions, rather than to tell anything about himself.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Keep cool, now, my boy,&#8221; said the captain.<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_182' id='pg_182'>182</a></span> &#8220;We don&#8217;t know who&#8217;s
+watching us. I didn&#8217;t have much trouble in running the Yankee blockade
+at Vera Cruz. I brought a cargo from New York, just as if it had been
+sent from Liverpool, but I&#8217;ve had to prove that I&#8217;m not an American ever
+since I came ashore. Spin us your yarn as we walk along.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned was now ready to do so, and the captain listened to him with the
+most intense interest, putting in remarks every now and then.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;All this,&#8221; he said, &#8220;is precisely what your father wishes you to do, if
+you can do it. The way of it is this. He knows, and we all know, that
+this war can&#8217;t be a long one. As soon as it&#8217;s over, his concern means to
+go into the Mexican trade heavier than they ever did before. They think
+it will be worth more, and I mean to be in it myself. So it just suits
+him to have you here, making friends and learning all about the country
+you are to deal with. He says you are in the best kind of business
+school. There will be a fortune in it for you some day.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t exactly see how,&#8221; remarked Ned, doubtfully.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well,&#8221; replied the captain, &#8220;not many young American business men know
+ten cents&#8217; worth about Mexico. You&#8217;d better<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_183' id='pg_183'>183</a></span> go right on and learn all
+there is to know. Keep shy of all politics, though. This war is going to
+break Paredes and a lot of others. After they are out of power, your own
+friends, like Tassara, Zuroaga, and the rest of them, may be in office,
+and you will be in clover. It&#8217;s a wonderfully rich country, if it were
+only in the right hands and had a good government. I&#8217;ll give you the
+letters when we get to my lodgings. Then I must make my way back to Vera
+Cruz, but I had to come all this distance to get my pay from the
+authorities. I obtained it, even now, only by promising to bring over
+another cargo of British gunpowder, to fight the Yankees with.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>That was a thing which Ned did not like, but he could not do anything to
+prevent it. He could not expect an Englishman to be an American, and it
+was all a matter of trade to Captain Kemp, aside from his personal
+friendship for Ned and his father. There was more talk of all sorts, and
+Ned obtained a great deal of information concerning the war and what the
+United States were likely to do. After he had received his precious
+letters, however, and had said good-by to Captain Kemp, he almost ran
+against people in his haste to reach the Paez mansion. He did<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_184' id='pg_184'>184</a></span> not pause
+to speak to anybody on arriving, but darted up-stairs and made his way
+to the library. It was lighter now in the wonderful book-room, and the
+man in armor did not say anything as Ned came in. In a moment he was in
+the chair by the window, and he appeared to himself to be almost talking
+with the dear ones at home, from whom he had so long been separated.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Stay where you are,&#8221; he read from his father&#8217;s long letter, and at that
+hour he felt as if he did not wish to stay. He dropped the letter on the
+table, and leaned back in his chair and looked around him. Pretty soon,
+however, a little slowly to begin with, but then faster and faster, the
+strong and fascinating spirit of adventure came once more upon him. His
+very blood tingled, and he sprang to his feet to all but shout to his
+mailed acquaintance in the corner:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, sir, I&#8217;ll stay! I&#8217;ll do anything but become a Mexican. Tell you
+what, before the war&#8217;s over, I mean to be in the American army, somehow.
+I don&#8217;t exactly see how I&#8217;m to do it, though.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It was time to go down-stairs and report to his faithful friends, for he
+knew it would be very mean not to do so, and the first person he met was
+Se&ntilde;ora Tassara herself.<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_185' id='pg_185'>185</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I have letters from home!&#8221; he exclaimed, bluntly&mdash;&#8220;newspapers, too!&#8221;
+and she held up both hands in astonishment, as she responded:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Letters from the United States? How on earth did they come through the
+blockade, and how did they know where you are?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I guess they didn&#8217;t,&#8221; said Ned. &#8220;The English captain that used to
+command the <i>Goshawk</i> brought them. I met him at the plaza, hunting for
+me. He was a friend of General Zuroaga, and besides, the British consul
+at Vera Cruz knew I was with Colonel Tassara&#8217;s family. So, if I hadn&#8217;t
+met him, he would have tried to find you. My father writes that I am to
+stay in Mexico, and learn all about it.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I am glad of that,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Why, you could not get out at all just
+now without danger to yourself and getting all of us into trouble.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I wouldn&#8217;t do that for anything!&#8221; exclaimed Ned, and then he went on
+with his tremendous budget of miscellaneous news.</p>
+
+<p>It was an exceedingly interesting heap of information, for the captain
+had given him both English and American journals, which were a rare
+treat at that time in the<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_186' id='pg_186'>186</a></span> interior of the beleaguered Mexican republic.
+Se&ntilde;ora Tassara was busy with these, when Ned and all the other
+news-bringers were pounced upon by a yet more eager inquirer.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Se&ntilde;or Carfora!&#8221; exclaimed Felicia, her black eyes flashing curiously at
+him. &#8220;Where did you get them? I never before saw such big newspapers.
+They won&#8217;t tell us about our army, though.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, they will,&#8221; he said, and, while she was searching the broad-faced
+prints for army information, he repeated for her benefit all that he had
+previously told her mother. Poor Se&ntilde;orita Felicia! She did not obtain at
+all what she wanted, for there were no accounts of brilliant Mexican
+victories. All of these must have been meanly omitted by the editors,
+and at last she angrily threw down a newspaper to say to him:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Se&ntilde;or Carfora, I am glad you are to stay here, but you will never be
+anything better than a gringo, no matter how much you learn. I was up in
+the library this morning, and I pulled out six more books for you. You
+may read them all, if they will do you any good. One of them is about
+Spain, too. What I want to do is<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_187' id='pg_187'>187</a></span> to travel all over Spain. It must be
+the most beautiful country in the world.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned had noticed long ago that her eyes always grew dreamy whenever her
+thoughts were turned toward the peninsula which has had so wonderful a
+history, but he did not know that his own longings for foreign travel
+were very like her own in their origin when he replied:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, I&#8217;d like to see Spain. I mean to some day, but I want to see
+England first, and Scotland and Ireland. One of my ancestors was an
+Irishman, and the Crawfords were from Scotland. It isn&#8217;t as hot a
+country as Spain is. You are a Mexican, not a Spaniard.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;So I am,&#8221; she said, &#8220;and most of the Mexicans are Indians. We ought to
+have more Spaniards, but we can&#8217;t get them. Anyhow, we don&#8217;t want too
+many gringos to come in. They are all heretics, too.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned knew what she meant, and he hastened to tell her that his country
+contained more church people of her religion than Mexico did, and he
+added, to her great disgust:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And our priests are a hundred times better than yours are. General
+Zuroaga says so, and so does your father. I don&#8217;t like your Mexican
+priests. The general<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_188' id='pg_188'>188</a></span> says he wishes they were all dead, and their
+places filled by good, live men from Europe and the United States.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Felicia,&#8221; interrupted her mother, &#8220;you must not talk with Se&ntilde;or Carfora
+about such things. What I wish is that we had the American common
+schools all over our poor, ignorant country. Oh, dear! What if this
+horrible war should prove to be really a blessing to us? As things look
+now, we are to have another revolution within a year. More men will be
+shot, just as they have been before, and nobody can see what the end is
+to be.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It was now time for the noonday luncheon, and they went to the
+dining-room, where Se&ntilde;ora Paez herself was glad to see the foreign
+journals and to know that Ned had letters from home.</p>
+
+<p>Many things appeared to be settled, as far as he was concerned. At all
+events, his mind was no longer to busy itself with wild plans for
+squirming out from among the Aztecs and finding his way to the United
+States. After luncheon he went up to the library again. At first it was
+only to read his letters over and over, and then it was a kind of relief
+to go to his books and try to forget everything else in going on with
+his queer schooling. It was unlike any that his<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_189' id='pg_189'>189</a></span> old schoolmates at the
+North were having, and he caught himself wondering what kind of man it
+might make of him. He could not tell, but he was to have yet another
+lesson that day, and with it came a promise of a strange kind of
+vacation.</p>
+
+<p>It came to him in the evening, when he was so tired of books that he
+preferred the company of Se&ntilde;orita Felicia, no matter what saucy or
+overpatriotic things she might see fit to say to him. They were sitting
+near one of the drawing-room windows, when Se&ntilde;ora Paez came quietly
+behind him and touched him on the shoulder.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Come with me,&#8221; she said. &#8220;There is a man up in Se&ntilde;ora Tassara&#8217;s room
+who wishes to see you.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;O Se&ntilde;or Carfora!&#8221; whispered Felicia. &#8220;Don&#8217;t say a word! I know who it
+is. Go right along. He is an old friend of yours.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Up jumped Ned, and he and the se&ntilde;orita followed Se&ntilde;ora Paez eagerly.
+Half a minute later, he felt as if he had never been so astonished
+before in all his life, for his hand was heartily grasped, and the voice
+of General Zuroaga said to him:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Here I am, Se&ntilde;or Carfora. How are you?&#8221;<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_190' id='pg_190'>190</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, but I&#8217;m glad to see you!&#8221; exclaimed Ned. &#8220;I&#8217;m all right, but isn&#8217;t
+it awfully dangerous for you to be here?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It would be, if some men knew it,&#8221; replied Zuroaga, &#8220;or if I were
+unwise enough to remain too long. The fact is that I can give you only a
+few minutes, anyhow, this evening. I must be out of the city before
+daylight, if I can, but I will return at the end of a week or so. Then I
+shall take you with me to the valley of the Tehuantepec. You must see
+all that region. After that I shall have a tour to make on political
+affairs, through several States, and you will have a chance to see two
+thirds of the republic before winter.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That is just what my father would wish me to do,&#8221; said Ned, and he
+proceeded to tell the general the contents of his letters and all the
+news he had heard from Captain Kemp.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Very good!&#8221; said Zuroaga, at last. &#8220;I would have been glad to have seen
+the captain. He is a rough sort of fellow, but he can be depended on. It
+is evident that your father&#8217;s firm trusts him, but I believe they do not
+know exactly all that he has been doing. He is quite willing to make a
+few dollars for himself while he is working for others.&#8221;<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_191' id='pg_191'>191</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The general was in good spirits, but more than once he spoke of the
+necessity he was under of keeping out of the reach of his old enemies,
+and among these he appeared to consider the absent Santa Anna even more
+dangerous, in the long run, than President Paredes himself. Se&ntilde;ora
+Tassara had now joined them, but she seemed disposed to be silent, and
+most of the conversation was in the hands of Se&ntilde;ora Paez. It was
+noticeable that she appeared to have a remarkably good knowledge of the
+politics of her country. Perhaps, if Ned had been a few years older and
+the least bit of a politician, he might have suspected the truth, that
+she was one of the most subtle plotters in the whole country. If she was
+also a deadly enemy of President Paredes, it was because she was a
+sister of a revolutionary leader whom he had caused to be shot, years
+ago, without the formality of a court-martial. Ned saw her eyes flash
+and her bosom heave when she spoke of him, and after that he somehow
+felt safer than ever under her roof. He also saw that she and General
+Zuroaga were the best of friends, and that they had a long private
+conference of their own.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I guess he feels at home here,&#8221; thought Ned, as he went down-stairs
+with Felicia<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_192' id='pg_192'>192</a></span> and Se&ntilde;ora Tassara, and his confidence in that state of
+affairs grew stronger as he walked along the central hall of the house.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Pablo!&#8221; he exclaimed, to a man who lay sprawled out upon the floor, but
+the general&#8217;s Oaxaca follower made him no reply. He and three more like
+him, who lay near him, were sound asleep, and there was no good cause
+for stirring them up just then.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;They are all well armed,&#8221; said Ned to himself. &#8220;The general will be
+protected when he rides away in the morning. But this is the biggest
+kind of thing to come to me. The best <i>I</i> can do will be to take to my
+books till he gets back. Oh, but won&#8217;t it be grand fun to make a
+complete tour of the mountains and of all the Pacific coast of Mexico?
+He says I shall see the tallest peaks of the Cordilleras and that I may
+visit some of the great silver mines.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>With all that exciting expectation running through his head, it was not
+easy for him to get to sleep that night. When he arose in the morning,
+his friend, the mysterious general, had already departed.</p>
+
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_193' id='pg_193'>193</a></span>
+<a name='A_STORM_COMING_3916' id='A_STORM_COMING_3916'></a>
+<h2>CHAPTER XII.</h2>
+<h3>A STORM COMING</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p>&#8220;A monarchy! a monarchy! nothing but the one-man power will ever do
+anything for this miserable multitude of Indians, negroes, and
+rebellion-making Spanish aristocrats. Royalty is our only resource, and
+I am nearly ready to strike the required blow. I think that Don Maria
+Paredes would make as good an emperor as Augustin de Yturbide, and he
+will wear the crown of Mexico somewhat longer. But I must look out for
+Santa Anna. If he were to return from Cuba too soon, there would be
+nothing left for me but to have him shot as soon as he came ashore. Or
+else he might have me shot not many days afterward. His emissaries and
+spies are all the while working against me, but I shall catch some of
+them. Oh, how I would like to get hold of that venomous conspirator,
+Zuroaga!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The President and practically the dictator<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_194' id='pg_194'>194</a></span> of the nominal republic of
+Mexico was standing in his own luxurious chamber of the government
+palace in the city of Mexico. He was in the full uniform of a general
+officer, for he was preparing to ride out and attend a review of a
+division of the really large army which he had gathered to move against
+the American invaders at the north. He deemed himself favored by
+fortune, for all things had thus far appeared to operate in the
+direction of his high ambition. He was in possession of undisputed
+power, and his time for making his supremacy permanent had arrived. It
+was the morning of the 4th of August, 1846, and it promised to be a
+splendid day for a parade. He had eloquently appealed to all the
+patriotism in the land, and he had used his last dollar in raising the
+troops who were to win his victories and place him firmly upon the
+throne of Anahuac, the lost throne of the Montezumas. A large part of
+his forces had already marched, and he was now to follow with the
+remainder. It was high time that he should do so, for General Taylor&#8217;s
+army was daily drawing nearer the Mexican lines at the city of Monterey.
+Not many minutes later, he rode away from the palace, attended by a
+brilliant staff, through crowded streets,<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_195' id='pg_195'>195</a></span> where every hat went off and
+all the voices shouted &#8220;Viva Paredes&#8221; with every appearance of
+enthusiasm.</p>
+
+<p>That morning Ned Crawford had not felt like going out of the city to see
+any review. Days had passed since the departure of General Zuroaga, but
+Ned&#8217;s head was full of what his friend had said to him, and he did not
+care much in what direction his feet might take him. So, having all that
+responsibility to themselves, they carried him on across the city until,
+when he looked around him, he saw that he had almost reached the front
+gate of the out-of-date fort, which was known as &#8220;the citadel.&#8221; It
+always contained a large garrison, not by any means for the defence of
+the capital from external foes, but for the protection of whatever might
+be the &#8220;government&#8221; for the time being from any sudden tumult or
+attempted revolution. There were officers and a squad of soldiers
+standing a few paces out in front of the wide-open military portal, and
+they all were gazing intently in the same direction. Ned also turned to
+look, but all that he could see was a solitary rider, upon what seemed
+to be an all but exhausted horse, urging the panting animal toward the
+citadel.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Colonel Guerra!&#8221; exclaimed Ned.<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_196' id='pg_196'>196</a></span> &#8220;What has brought him all the way from
+Vera Cruz? Has our army come? Is the city taken?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Nothing of that kind had yet occurred, but there was a reason for the
+arrival of the trusted commander of the important fortress on the sea.
+Ned was very near him when the horse fell, and his rider sprang to the
+earth, covered with dust and evidently in great excitement. The officers
+at the gate rushed forward toward him, and one of them loudly demanded:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Colonel Guerra! What is it? Has he come? All is ready here!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Guerra himself had not fallen with his horse. Off came his hat and his
+sword flashed from the sheath, while his voice rang out clearly,
+fiercely:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Viva Santa Anna! The entire force at Vera Cruz and the garrison of San
+Juan de Ulua have pronounced for him. He is now on his way home from
+Havana. We shall soon have with us the one hero who can save us from the
+American invaders and from the tyranny of King Paredes!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Possibly, this had been the day calculated upon for the arrival of
+precisely such tidings. It might even have been that all these officers
+and soldiers were gathered there, prepared both to hear and to act,<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_197' id='pg_197'>197</a></span>
+while President Paredes should be temporarily absent from the city. At
+all events, they were swinging their hats, drawing their swords, and
+their enthusiastic acclamations for the returning general were at once
+followed by a rush back into the citadel and a hasty closing of its
+gates. When that was done, and when the rest of the garrison had joined
+in &#8220;pronouncing&#8221; for Santa Anna, the military control of the Mexican
+capital had passed out of the hands of President Paredes.</p>
+
+<p>It was startling news, therefore, which was brought out to him by a
+friendly messenger, as he rode so proudly on in front of his shouting
+soldiery, believing that they were all his own and ready to do his
+bidding. The grand review ended instantaneously, and he came galloping
+back in all haste to look out for his tumbling crown. He came with his
+brilliant staff and a mixed crowd of friends and unfriends, only to
+discover that crown and throne and scepter had disappeared like the
+changing figures in a kaleidoscope. He could not even order anybody to
+be arrested and shot, for the Vice-President, General Bravo, and all the
+members of the national Congress, then in session, were thoughtfully
+saying to themselves, if not to each other:<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_198' id='pg_198'>198</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Santa Anna is coming! The seacoast forces are already his. He will be
+right here in a few days. We must be careful what we say or do just now.
+We do not even know what these new troops will say to this thing.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They were not to remain long in ignorance upon that point. As the news
+went out from regiment to regiment that afternoon, the undisciplined,
+ragged mobs of raw recruits began to shout for Santa Anna. Perhaps many
+of them had previously served under the one-legged veteran of the old
+French and Texan wars and at least half a dozen revolutions.</p>
+
+<p>Ned Crawford turned and hurried homeward, as soon as he felt sure that
+his head was still upon his shoulders and that he had heard his
+remarkable news correctly. His eyes were busy, too, and he heard what
+men were saying to each other. Excited shouts were carrying the errand
+of Colonel Guerra swiftly over the city, and everywhere it was
+discovering hearers as ready for it as had been the officers at the
+gate. He may have been looking a little pale when he entered the parlor
+of the Paez mansion, for Se&ntilde;ora Paez at once arose and came to meet him,
+inquiring, anxiously:<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_199' id='pg_199'>199</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Se&ntilde;or Carfora, what is the matter? Has anything happened?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Santa Anna&mdash;&#8221; began Ned, but she stepped quickly forward and put her
+hand upon his mouth, whispering sharply:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Speak lower! we do not know who may hear you. What is it?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>She took away her hand, and Ned also whispered, as he hurriedly told her
+what he had seen and heard at the citadel. As he did so, her face and
+that of Se&ntilde;ora Tassara, standing by her, grew much paler than his own.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My dear Mercedes,&#8221; said Se&ntilde;ora Tassara to her cousin, &#8220;this is all as
+my husband and General Zuroaga predicted. But the tiger is not here yet,
+and by the time he arrives they will be beyond his reach. It takes some
+days to travel from Vera Cruz to the city of Mexico. Se&ntilde;or Carfora, you
+are in no danger. Neither are we.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No!&#8221; angrily exclaimed Se&ntilde;ora Paez. &#8220;Not for to-day nor to-morrow,
+perhaps, but down goes the Paredes monarchy! Ah, me! There is a terrible
+time coming for poor Mexico. Who shall tell what the end of it all will
+be!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Nobody!&#8221; said Se&ntilde;ora Tassara, sadly, but Felicia whispered to Ned:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Se&ntilde;or Carfora, the gringos could not<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_200' id='pg_200'>200</a></span> do us much harm if their army had
+a revolution springing up behind it at home. I wish they had one.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t,&#8221; replied Ned. &#8220;If we did have one, though, it would be bigger
+than this is. I don&#8217;t believe we have any Santa Annas to make one,
+anyhow. There isn&#8217;t a man in all America that would think of being king.
+I guess that if we found one we&#8217;d hang him.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well,&#8221; said Felicia, &#8220;President Paredes would like to hang a great many
+people, or shoot them, but I hope he can&#8217;t. What are you going to do?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He does not know, dear,&#8221; interposed her mother. &#8220;We must stop talking
+about this thing now. Some of our friends are coming in. It is better to
+let them tell us what has happened, just as if we had not heard it at
+all. Be very careful what you say.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Perhaps everybody in the Paez mansion was accustomed to that kind of
+caution, and when a number of excited women neighbors poured into the
+parlor to bring the great tidings and discuss the situation, they found
+no one in it who was to be surprised into saying a word which might not
+have been heard without offence by the friends of either Paredes or
+Santa Anna.<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_201' id='pg_201'>201</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Great changes in public affairs may produce changes in the plans of
+individuals, and it was not remarkable if General Zuroaga&#8217;s intended
+week of absence should be somewhat shortened. It may have ended at the
+moment when the garrison of the citadel &#8220;pronounced&#8221; in favor of the
+tyrant in exile and against the tyrant in nominal power. Ned, however,
+had a small surprise waiting for him. It actually arrived not a great
+while after luncheon, when he was feeling as if he would like to sit
+down by himself and think over this very curious piece of political
+business. He went up into the library, as the safest kind of
+thinking-place, and, hardly had he opened the door, before he discovered
+that it had another tenant besides the man in armor in the corner.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;General Zuroaga!&#8221; he exclaimed, in astonishment.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Not quite so loud, please,&#8221; quietly responded the general. &#8220;Yes,
+Carfora, here I am. Here I must hide, too, for a few hours. The camp is
+no longer a safe place for me, even in the disguise I was wearing. There
+is really nothing more to keep me there now. I do not need to run any
+further risks on account of Paredes and his tin monarchy. He is already
+utterly ruined.<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_202' id='pg_202'>202</a></span> I must get out of the reach of Santa Anna&#8217;s
+lieutenants, however, if I do not wish to be locked up. You and I can
+slip away all the more easily while this tumult is going on, and by noon
+to-morrow we may be well out on the road to Oaxaca. Will you be ready?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s just what I was wishing for!&#8221; exclaimed Ned. &#8220;I know enough to see
+that it isn&#8217;t a good thing for Se&ntilde;ora Paez to have me in the house. She
+has troubles enough of her own. So has Se&ntilde;ora Tassara. If an enemy of
+theirs found that they had a gringo here, it would make things worse for
+them. They&#8217;ve been real good to me, but I want to go with you.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Right!&#8221; said the general. &#8220;And there will be sharp eyes on the watch
+while Santa Anna&#8217;s friends are getting ready for his arrival. He may
+appear to come peaceably, but do I not know him? He never yet forgot or
+forgave an enemy. He will come back to settle up all old accounts.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well,&#8221; said Ned, &#8220;we need not be here to be shot at. I packed up, all
+ready, days ago. But, general, I guess I can ride better than I did the
+other time. I don&#8217;t need to have so fat a pony.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My dear fellow,&#8221; replied the general, soberly, &#8220;you will be mounted on
+a horse<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_203' id='pg_203'>203</a></span> that can make a swift run, if necessary. I am glad that you
+will know what to do with him.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>In other things than horsemanship, Ned had made wonderful advances since
+he came ashore out of the norther, in the Bay of Vera Cruz. It was as if
+he had grown a number of years older in becoming so much more
+experienced. Moreover, he knew so much already about the plots and
+counterplots which were going on that it was of little use to keep some
+things from him. He was, in fact, almost full-grown as a Mexican
+conspirator, and he was sure to do whatever he could against either a
+monarchy under Paredes or a dictatorship under Santa Anna. It was a full
+hour later when they were joined by Se&ntilde;ora Paez. She came on a special
+errand, for almost her first remark was:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;General, there will be danger from robbers of all sorts. I shall not
+dare to keep a great deal of money in the house. I have not much,
+either, that I can spare for yourself, but you must take this and spend
+it to beat them. What&#8217;s more, I want you to take my jewels with you and
+hide them somewhere in the mountains. Se&ntilde;ora Tassara&#8217;s are already in a
+safe place. I hope Se&ntilde;or Carfora has enough.&#8221;<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_204' id='pg_204'>204</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, yes!&#8221; exclaimed Ned. &#8220;I have hardly spent anything, and Captain
+Kemp gave me another hundred, from father. I almost wish it were all in
+bank-bills, though, for gold and silver are heavy things to carry.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, as to that,&#8221; laughed the general, &#8220;I do not know what kind of
+paper money we could make in Mexico, just now. That sort of thing will
+do only under a pretty solid government. But then, a dollar will go
+further in this country than it will in the United States. It looks as
+if horses were worth only five dollars a head, and men about half as
+much. There are too many that seem ready to sell themselves for
+nothing.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He said that wearily and sadly, for he was at heart a true patriot and
+he believed himself to be doing his best to bring a better state of
+things out of all this anarchy and confusion.</p>
+
+<p>Se&ntilde;ora Paez left the room. Ned and the general lay down on the floor to
+sleep for awhile, and it was just when the first dim light of dawn was
+beginning to creep in at the narrow window that Pablo came to awaken
+them. He put his finger on his lip as he did so, and they understood
+that there might be danger close at hand. It was not<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_205' id='pg_205'>205</a></span> until they were
+out of the house, however, leaving it silently by way of the back door,
+that he ventured to whisper:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;General, there is a guard already stationed in front. President Paredes
+is making his last effort to stop his downfall, and he has heard that
+you are in the city. All your friends will be closely watched, to-day.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I wanted to say good-by to them,&#8221; began Ned, but here they were.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;General, this is the jewel case,&#8221; said Se&ntilde;ora Paez, as she handed him a
+small rosewood box. &#8220;Here is the money. Now, Se&ntilde;or Carfora, be a brave
+fellow. Learn all you can of our poor country. I hope to see you again.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Se&ntilde;ora Tassara was saying something in a very low voice to Zuroaga, when
+Felicia turned to Ned and said to him:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You are a wicked gringo, but I like you pretty well and I do hope you
+will get away safely. Take good care of yourself.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, se&ntilde;orita,&#8221; replied Ned, &#8220;I will do that, and so must you. I&#8217;d
+rather be out among the mountains than here in the city. You&#8217;d be safer
+there, too. Anyhow, you are not a Mexican. You are a Spaniard and you
+would rather be in Spain.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Maybe I would, just now,&#8221; she told him<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_206' id='pg_206'>206</a></span> with a very melancholy look in
+her brilliant black eyes. &#8220;But I do love Mexico, and I do know enough to
+wish we were not to have any more revolutions. That is, not any more
+after Paredes and Santa Anna and some other men have been killed.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That is the way they all feel about each other,&#8221; broke in the general.
+&#8220;Come, Carfora. We have horses waiting for us on one of the back
+streets.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>There were a few hasty good-bys then. The three fugitives passed out of
+sight among the shadows of the buildings, and the women returned to the
+house to wait for the downfall of King or Emperor Paredes.</p>
+
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_207' id='pg_207'>207</a></span>
+<a name='THE_REVOLUTION_4207' id='THE_REVOLUTION_4207'></a>
+<h2>CHAPTER XIII.</h2>
+<h3>THE REVOLUTION</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p>There had been a curious impression upon the minds of some American
+statesmen that General Santa Anna would return to his native country
+with a purpose of making peace. It was for that reason that he was
+permitted to pass unhindered through the blockading fleet in the Gulf,
+but he had no such idea in his cunning and ambitious head. His real
+objects in returning were to take vengeance upon his enemies, to restore
+himself to the supreme power which he had lost by the revolution of
+1840, and, for that purpose, to prosecute the war with the United States
+with all possible vigor. His personal feeling in that matter might have
+been understood by recalling the fact that his downfall had resulted
+from his severe defeat in attempting to conquer the earlier American
+settlers in Texas. On his arrival in Vera Cruz, on the 16th of August,
+a<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_208' id='pg_208'>208</a></span> proclamation which he at once issued, denouncing alike the
+monarchical ambition of President Paredes and the wicked invasion of
+Mexico by the armies of the northern republic, opened the eyes of all
+concerned. When, however, with all the troops at his disposal, he slowly
+approached the city of Mexico, he put on a cloak of patriotic
+moderation. The existing government, consisting of Vice-President Bravo
+and the Congress, had succeeded in imprisoning and then in banishing
+their would-be emperor, Paredes. They now, as the returning exile drew
+near the capital, offered him a temporary dictatorship of the disordered
+national affairs, but he modestly replied that he did not desire so
+much. He had returned, he said, as a pure and unselfish patriot, only to
+serve his country. All that he would be willing to accept would be the
+absolute control of the army, as if any power worth speaking of might be
+supposed to remain outside of his bayonets and lances. This small
+request was readily granted, and from that hour onward he was, for the
+time being, more completely the dictator of Mexico than he or any other
+man had ever been before. He entered the city and assumed command on the
+15th of September. Only a week later, on the 22d<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_209' id='pg_209'>209</a></span> and 23d, the fall and
+surrender of Monterey strengthened his hold upon the people, for it made
+them feel more keenly than ever their need of a good general. He
+certainly did act with great energy, for, as early as the 8th of
+October, he had advanced with his army as far north as San Luis Potosi,
+and was straining every possible resource to prepare for his coming
+conflict with General Taylor. It is said that he even mortgaged his
+private property to obtain the money required for his military supplies.</p>
+
+<p>During all these weeks and months there had been stormy times in the
+Congress of the United States, and the war of the politicians was by no
+means ended. General Winfield Scott, however, had been left at the head
+of the army, with authority to invade Mexico in any manner he might
+choose, but with about half as many troops as he declared to be
+necessary for such an undertaking. It was late in December, 1846, when
+General Scott in person arrived at the mouth of the Rio Grande and
+assumed the direction of military operations. As he did not propose any
+considerable further advance into Mexico, except by way of Vera Cruz, he
+decided to take his best troops with him to that field of the<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_210' id='pg_210'>210</a></span> coming
+campaign. This meant that General Taylor was to lose nearly all his
+regular army men and officers, their places being filled, as to numbers,
+by new regiments of exceedingly brave but untried volunteers. He was
+therefore left to face, with raw troops, any intended onslaught of Santa
+Anna, who would bring with him several times as large a force, of all
+sorts, most of it composed of recent levies, imperfectly organized and
+disciplined. It remained to be seen which of the two kinds of men, the
+Mexican Indian or the American rifleman, could be the more rapidly
+changed into a trained soldier, fitted for a hard day&#8217;s fight.</p>
+
+<p>Throughout all the interior of Mexico there was a fair degree of peace
+and order, although robber bands were reported here and there. No signs
+of a coming revolution appear to have been discovered, for nearly all
+the great leaders who might have set one on foot were either banished or
+shot, or were serving in Santa Anna&#8217;s army, half hoping for his defeat
+and destruction that he might be taken out of the way of their
+ambitions.</p>
+
+<p>There came one cloudless day near the end of February, when a kind of
+cool and beautiful summer seemed to rule over all<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_211' id='pg_211'>211</a></span> the fair land of
+Anahuac, except among the snow-clad Cordilleras. There were roses in
+bloom in many gardens of the city of Mexico, and all things in and about
+the national capital wore an exceedingly peaceful air. The very guards
+at the citadel were pacing listlessly up and down, as if they were
+lazily aware that all evil-minded gringos and other foes of their
+comfort were several hundreds of miles away. At the city gates there
+were no sentries of any kind, and a young fellow who rode in on a
+spirited pony, at an hour or so after noon, was not questioned by
+anybody as to where he came from or what he was doing there. He cast
+sharp glances in all directions as he rode onward, but he seemed to have
+no need for inquiring his way. He went steadily, moreover, as if he
+might have business rather than pleasure on his hands, and he did not
+pull in his pony until he had reached the front of the Paez mansion.
+There was no one on the piazza but a short, fat old woman, in a blazing
+red cotton gown, who sprang to her feet almost as if he had frightened
+her, exclaiming:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Se&ntilde;or Carfora!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Dola!&#8221; he responded, sharply. &#8220;Don&#8217;t say another loud word! Are either
+of the<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_212' id='pg_212'>212</a></span> se&ntilde;oras at home? I must see them right away.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, yes!&#8221; she said, turning to run into the house. &#8220;I will tell them.
+They are in the parlor, and the se&ntilde;orita.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Down sprang Ned and hitched his pony to a post, but then he hurried
+through the front door as quickly as Dola herself had done. Perhaps it
+was well that he should get in without being recognized by too many
+eyes. He did not have to actually get into the parlor before he was
+welcomed, for a light form sprang out into the hall, and Felicia herself
+shouted, eagerly:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, Se&ntilde;or Carfora! Are you here? This is wonderful!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Se&ntilde;orita,&#8221; he interrupted her, &#8220;I have letters for your mother and
+Se&ntilde;ora Paez. Where are they?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;They are right here,&#8221; she said, &#8220;but we have letters, too. All the
+flags in the city are out and they are firing salutes of rejoicing.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I saw the flags,&#8221; he said, &#8220;and I heard some firing, but what on earth
+are they rejoicing over? Is there any news?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The two grown-up women were standing behind her, with faces in which
+there was no joy whatever when Felicia exultingly told him:<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_213' id='pg_213'>213</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, have not you heard? General Santa Anna has beaten your gringo army
+all to pieces. The United States fleet is coming to Vera Cruz with
+another army, and the American soldiers will not dare to come on shore.
+All they can do will be to sit there in their ships and look at the
+city.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Come in, Se&ntilde;or Carfora,&#8221; said Se&ntilde;ora Paez. &#8220;I cannot tell you how glad
+we are to see you. Yes, we have very important letters. I may suppose
+that yours are from the general. Please let me have them.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Do, Se&ntilde;or Carfora!&#8221; said Se&ntilde;ora Tassara. &#8220;I cannot wait a moment. We
+will retire to read them, and, while we are gone, Felicia may tell you
+all the news from the great battle at the north.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, so I will,&#8221; she exclaimed. &#8220;And I want him to tell me all about
+the places he has been in, and what he has been doing.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>In a moment more they two were alone in the parlor, and she was
+repeating to him the substance of Santa Anna&#8217;s report of the manner in
+which, at the hard-fought battle of Angostura, or Buena Vista, on the
+22d of February, he had shattered the American army under General
+Taylor. He had,<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_214' id='pg_214'>214</a></span> he said, effectively prevented its further advance into
+Mexico, and there was really a strong appearance of truth in his way of
+presenting the consequences of the battle, for the American army seemed
+to have retreated. Horse after horse had been ridden to death in taking
+such great tidings to the city of Mexico, and, for the hour, at least,
+the great Mexican commander was more firmly fixed in supreme power than
+ever.</p>
+
+<p>Of course, the triumphant bulletin did not make any mention of the fact
+that General Taylor had had no intention of advancing any further, being
+under express orders from General Scott not to do so, and that Santa
+Anna&#8217;s well-planned and at first nearly successful attempt to crush the
+northern invaders had really proved a failure. Ned Crawford listened to
+Felicia&#8217;s enthusiastic account of the battle with a curious question in
+his mind which he was too polite to utter.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why,&#8221; he thought, &#8220;if Santa Anna was so completely victorious, did he
+not make General Taylor surrender?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>There was no one to inform Ned that the Mexican commander had invited
+General Taylor to do so before the fight was half over, and that the
+stubborn old American had unkindly refused the invitation.<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_215' id='pg_215'>215</a></span> At this
+moment, however, the se&ntilde;orita&#8217;s tongue began to busy itself with quite
+another matter. The United States fleet, under Commodore Connor, had,
+indeed, begun to arrive in front of Vera Cruz on the 18th of February,
+with a vast convoy of transport ships under its protection, having on
+board the army of General Scott. Neither Ned nor the se&ntilde;orita was aware,
+however, how many important questions have to be answered before so many
+military passengers might undertake to land, with all their baggage,
+within possible reach of the artillery of an enemy. Felicia, for her
+part, was positive that they all were too badly scared by the Castle of
+San Juan de Ulua and by the bad news from Buena Vista to so much as try
+to make a landing.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;General Santa Anna himself is now marching down to meet them,&#8221; she told
+him, &#8220;with his whole victorious army, and he will crush them as fast as
+they can get out of their ships.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Owing to the grand reports from their army, this was precisely the idea
+which was forming in the minds of all the people of Mexico.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, Se&ntilde;orita Felicia!&#8221; said Ned, as if he were quite willing to change
+the subject. &#8220;I&#8217;ve had a wonderful time. I&#8217;ve<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_216' id='pg_216'>216</a></span> been travelling,
+travelling, travelling, everywhere with the general.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Tell me all about it!&#8221; she commanded him. &#8220;I want to know. It seems to
+me as if I had been shut up here and had not seen anybody.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, I can&#8217;t tell it all just now,&#8221; he said, &#8220;but when we left here we
+hurried all the way to Oaxaca. Then we stayed there awhile, among his
+own people, and nobody gave us any trouble. No, I mustn&#8217;t forget one
+thing, though. A band of those mountain robbers came one night, and we
+had an awful fight with them&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Did you kill any of them?&#8221; she asked, hastily. &#8220;They all ought to be
+killed. They are ready to murder anybody else.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well,&#8221; said Ned, &#8220;we beat them, and ten of them were shot. I was firing
+away all the while, but I don&#8217;t know if I hit any of them. It was too
+dark to tell. The rest of them got away. But I&#8217;ve hunted deer, and I
+killed a good many of them. I shot a lynx, too, and a lot of other game.
+There&#8217;s the best kind of fishing on the general&#8217;s estates. I like
+fishing. Then we went south, to the Yucatan line, and I saw some queer
+old ruins. After that, the general&#8217;s business took him away up north of
+Oaxaca, and I went with him, and I saw<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_217' id='pg_217'>217</a></span> half the States of Mexico before
+we finished the trip. I&#8217;ve seen the silver mines and Popocatepetl and
+Istaccihuatl, and I don&#8217;t care to ever see any higher mountains than
+they are.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I have seen Popocatepetl,&#8221; she said, &#8220;and it almost made me have the
+headache. They say it is full of sulphur, to make gunpowder with.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Before she could tell anything more about the possible uses of the tall,
+old volcano, her mother re&euml;ntered the parlor.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Se&ntilde;or Carfora,&#8221; she said, &#8220;Felicia will have to give you up. Here are
+some letters for you that came while you were absent. You had better
+read them now, for I cannot say how long it will be best for you to
+remain here. Step this way a moment, if you will.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned followed her, all in a sudden whirl of excitement at the unexpected
+prospect of hearing from his far-away home, but she still held his
+promised envelopes in her own hand, while she said to him:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My dear young friend, you know that Colonel Tassara is with his
+regiment. He was in the thickest of the fight at Angostura. He was
+wounded, but he hopes to recover soon, and we have not told Felicia. He
+writes me that it was really a lost battle,<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_218' id='pg_218'>218</a></span> and that the fall of Santa
+Anna is surely coming, but that nobody can foretell what course he will
+take, cruel or otherwise, when he and his army return to fight with
+General Scott, on the road from the sea to this city. Go and read your
+letters, and then I will see you again.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Felicia had to give him up, and away he went. The best place to read
+home letters seemed to him to be the library, and when he entered the
+dim old room, he half imagined that the man in armor nodded at him, and
+tried to say how d&#8217;ye do. After that, Ned almost forgot that he was in
+Mexico, while he devoured the news from home. It was a grand thing to
+learn, too, that the letters which he had feared would never get to New
+York had all been carefully delivered under the kindly care of the
+British consular system. He had never before felt quite so high an
+admiration for the British Empire as he acquired just then.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll do something good for the next Englishman I get hold of!&#8221; he
+declared, with energy, and then he sat still and stared around the room.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It was just as well,&#8221; he said, &#8220;that I did not stay here and try to
+read all those books. I read enough about the ancient times, too. What
+father wanted me to<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_219' id='pg_219'>219</a></span> know about is Mexico as it is now, and I&#8217;ve seen a
+great deal of it. What I want to see next is our army, and I&#8217;m going to
+find my way to Vera Cruz. Then I&#8217;ll get on board an American ship,
+somehow or other. I wonder if the Mexican officers will manage to arrest
+me between this and the seacoast.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>That was a point worth thinking of, for General Zuroaga had told him
+very plainly that some ignorant or overhasty patriot might easily find
+an excuse for calling him a spy, and having him shot at a moment&#8217;s
+notice. He did not have a long time to consider that matter, however,
+for the door opened, and the two se&ntilde;oras walked in, with clouded faces.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Se&ntilde;or Carfora,&#8221; said Se&ntilde;ora Tassara, &#8220;you will have no time to lose.
+General Zuroaga is right, and his letter must go at once to his friend,
+General Morales, who is now in command at Vera Cruz. So must one from my
+own husband. It is important, for the best interest of Mexico, that
+Morales should know the whole truth. That is, he must be informed that
+he cannot expect any help from Santa Anna&#8217;s beaten army. Are you too
+tired to set out immediately? I can give you a fresh horse.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll go!&#8221; exclaimed Ned. &#8220;My pony<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_220' id='pg_220'>220</a></span> isn&#8217;t tired. He is a first-rate
+traveller. I want something to eat, though, and I wish I knew whether or
+not the army patrols will stop me on the way.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I can take care of that,&#8221; said Se&ntilde;ora Paez. &#8220;I have had to send special
+messengers before this. You will be able to show a government pass.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>As she spoke, she held out to him a sealed envelope. Where or how she
+had obtained such a thing, she did not explain, but it was an official
+envelope, and on it was a printed lettering which might have been
+translated: &#8220;Government Business. From the Headquarters of the Army.
+Despatches from His Excellency, General Bravo.&#8221; In her own handwriting
+was added, moreover: &#8220;To His Excellency, General Morales, Vera Cruz.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There!&#8221; she said. &#8220;If it becomes necessary, show that, and any man
+hindering you will be promptly punished. Do not show it if you can help
+it, however, for there are many kinds of army officers nowadays.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I have seen some of them,&#8221; said Ned, but what he was really thinking
+about most seriously, at that moment, was the supper he had asked for,
+and he was well pleased to be led down into the dining-room.</p>
+
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_221' id='pg_221'>221</a></span>
+<a name='THE_DESPATCHBEARER_4502' id='THE_DESPATCHBEARER_4502'></a>
+<h2>CHAPTER XIV.</h2>
+<h3>THE DESPATCH-BEARER</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p>There are hills to climb, on the crooked highway from the city of Mexico
+to the sea, but the greater part of the distance is down, down, down,
+for its highest point is over seven thousand feet above tidewater. It
+was in a pass leading over this ridge that Ned Crawford looked around
+him, up and down and ahead, and exclaimed, as well as his chattering
+teeth would let him:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, I&#8217;m glad there are no snow-drifts in my way. I suppose the army
+men look out for that. But don&#8217;t I wish I had an overcoat and some furs!
+Old Mount Orizaba can get up a first-class winter on his own account.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It looked like it, and this part of his experiences had not been at all
+provided for. The Cordillera was very white, and its garment of snow and
+ice went down nearer to its feet than when Ned had first seen it.<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_222' id='pg_222'>222</a></span>
+Moreover, the pony which had travelled so well when he cantered away
+from the Paez mansion, some days before, was showing signs of
+exhaustion, and it was manifestly well for him that he was now going
+down instead of climbing. So it was for Ned, and his uppermost wish was
+to hurry down into a more summery climate. He was still doing so, to the
+best of his shivering ability, two hours later, when a loud summons to
+halt sounded in the road before him.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Whoop!&#8221; shouted Ned, and the soldier, who had presented his bayonet so
+sternly, was greeted as if he had been an old friend. Rapid explanations
+followed, in Spanish, but before they were completed an officer had made
+his appearance from a small but comfortable guard-house at the side of
+the road. He was only a lieutenant, and he appeared to gaze with more
+than a little awe upon the superscription of Ned&#8217;s precious government
+envelope. He turned it over and over, and almost smelled of it.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Se&ntilde;or Carfora!&#8221; he exclaimed. &#8220;This must not be delayed for a moment!
+You must ride on, if it kills you. Come in and get a dinner. We will
+give you a fresh mount. Tell us the news while you are eating.&#8221;<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_223' id='pg_223'>223</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I will do so,&#8221; replied Ned, with a tremendous effort to stop shivering
+and look important. &#8220;But I will say that I was told that any man
+interfering with that despatch would be shot in one hour.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Beyond a doubt!&#8221; declared the lieutenant, with emphasis. &#8220;It would
+serve him right, too. This is no time for trifling with orders.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>A hearty dinner by a blazing log fire made the despatch-bearer feel a
+great deal better, but at the end of it no mercy was shown him. His
+fresh pony was ready, and he was ordered to mount and ride. He did so
+without offering any objections, and he carried with him the
+lieutenant&#8217;s written pass, for possible use further down the mountain.
+It was a good thing to have, but he was called upon to present it only
+twice, receiving in each instance positive instructions to push onward
+if it killed him and his new pony.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I can&#8217;t stand this much longer!&#8221; he exclaimed, as the sun was setting.
+&#8220;I&#8217;m almost beyond the snow-line. I think I&#8217;ll disobey the guards a
+little, but I&#8217;ll keep on obeying Se&ntilde;ora Paez. She told me on no account
+to try to sleep in a large town or village. They are all military posts,
+and too many questions might be asked. I&#8217;ll<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_224' id='pg_224'>224</a></span> try a hacienda, just as I
+did on the other side of the mountains. Everybody wants to hear the
+news.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Everybody in that region was also genuinely hospitable, and it was
+barely dusk when Ned rode in at the gate of a substantial farmhouse, to
+be welcomed with the utmost cordiality. Men, women, and children crowded
+eagerly around him, to hear all he could tell them of the great battle
+and victory of Angostura, and of the current doings in the capital city.
+A warm bed was given him, and after a long sleep he awoke somewhat
+better fitted for whatever else might be before him. Once more he pushed
+on, but before noon of that day all signs of winter were far behind him.
+He had passed through more than one considerable village, but so had
+other travellers, coming or going, who bore about them no appearance of
+being worth the attention of the military authorities. Another and
+another night in wayside farmhouses compelled him to admire more than
+ever the simple ways and the sincere patriotism of the Mexican farmers.
+All the while, however, his anxieties concerning the result of his
+perilous errand were growing upon him, and he was obediently using up
+his army pony. It was the forenoon of the<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_225' id='pg_225'>225</a></span> third day before he was
+aroused from his other thoughts into anything like enthusiasm for the
+exceeding beauty of the luxuriant vegetation on either side of the road.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Leaves! flowers! grass!&#8221; he exclaimed. &#8220;Oh, how beautiful they all are!
+Summer here, and winter only a few miles away. Hurrah for the <i>tierra
+caliente</i>! It&#8217;s a bully place at this time o&#8217; year.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>At all events, it was a pleasanter place to be in than any icy pass
+among the Mexican sierras, and his thoughts were at liberty to come back
+to his present situation. He was not now upon the Cordoba road, by which
+he had left the gulf coast ever so long ago. This was the highway from
+the city of Jalapa. He was cantering along only a short distance from
+the seashore, and he was within a few miles of the gates of Vera Cruz.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I remember them,&#8221; he was thinking. &#8220;I never had a good chance for a
+look at the walls, but I suppose I shall have one pretty soon. I wonder
+if they are thick enough to stop a cannon-ball. Captain Kemp told me
+they were built all around the city, but he didn&#8217;t say how high they
+are.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Walls there were, indeed, but their masonry was not the next thing that
+was to be<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_226' id='pg_226'>226</a></span> of especial interest to Ned. There is no kind of stonework
+which can compare, under certain circumstances, with the point of a
+lance or the edge of a machete, and the bearers of a number of such
+weapons were to be seen coming toward him at a gallop.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It looks like a whole company of lancers!&#8221; exclaimed the anxious
+despatch-carrier. &#8220;Now I&#8217;m in for it! Everybody I met on the way was
+civil enough, but these may be a different kind of fellows.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Whether they were or not, the whole force under General Morales was in a
+state of unusual excitement that day, for the report was going around
+that the American army brought by Commodore Connor&#8217;s fleet was rapidly
+coming ashore near Sacrificios Island, only three miles south of Vera
+Cruz. If Ned himself had been aware of it, he might have changed his
+plans and ridden right in among his own friends. As it was, however, in
+less than three minutes he had cantered in among a swarm of angry
+Mexicans and glittering spear-points. Their state of discipline was
+witnessed to by the fact that the captain in nominal command of them had
+some difficulty in obtaining from them permission to ask his own
+questions of this newcomer. When at last he succeeded in doing so,
+without first having<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_227' id='pg_227'>227</a></span> his captive run through by a lance, it shortly
+looked as if Ned had been learning diplomacy, if not strategy also,
+during his varied and wonderful Mexican experiences.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Se&ntilde;or Captain,&#8221; he said, quite coolly, pulling out his official
+envelope, &#8220;I am ordered to deliver this to General Morales in person. I
+am commanded to answer no questions. Any man daring to hinder the
+delivery of my despatches will be shot. They are important.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Where are you from?&#8221; came savagely back.</p>
+
+<p>Ned only pointed at the envelope and shut his mouth hard.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What is your errand to General Morales?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned&#8217;s brain was working with tremendous rapidity just then, and one of
+his swift thoughts got away from him.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Captain,&#8221; he said, &#8220;you had better ask that question of his Excellency,
+General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The officer&#8217;s swarthy face turned pale for a moment, and all the men who
+had heard Ned&#8217;s reply broke out into loud vivas for their great
+commander-in-chief, the illustrious victor of the bloody field of
+Angostura. The entire company became at once the zealous guardians of
+that sacred envelope,<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_228' id='pg_228'>228</a></span> which so few of them could have read, and the
+captain was forced to restrain his curiosity, and allow Ned to continue,
+keeping his mouth closed. For all that, however, the despatch-bearer was
+still a prisoner, and was to be conducted as such to the presence of
+General Morales. The lancers turned their horses toward the city, and
+the gates were reached as quickly as Ned&#8217;s tired pony could carry him.
+At this barrier, of course, there were other guards and officers of
+higher rank, and there might have been further delay, or even danger, if
+Ned had not promptly exhibited the magical envelope, while the captain
+himself repeated his own words for him, and curtly added:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;His Excellency, General Bravo! Viva Morales! Viva Santa Anna!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>That last word sealed the matter. The envelope was returned to its
+bearer, and he was conducted onward under the care of two colonels,
+several other officials, and a half-dozen of watchful lancers.</p>
+
+<p>Ned shortly understood that General Morales had returned from the Castle
+of San Juan de Ulua to go out for a telescopic inspection of the
+American landing, and was now at his headquarters in the city.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I guess I shall feel better after I get to him,&#8221; thought Ned, as he and
+his excited<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_229' id='pg_229'>229</a></span> party halted before the headquarters building. &#8220;I may get
+stuck with a machete yet, if I have to wait long out here.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He was neither to be delayed nor slaughtered, and in a few minutes more
+he was ushered into a handsomely furnished chamber, where the general
+was sitting, apparently entirely calm and self-possessed, surrounded by
+his staff and a throng of other important men, soldiers and civilians.
+He did not say a word while a colonel of the escort was delivering his
+report concerning this messenger, but he was all the while sharply
+scrutinizing Ned from head to foot.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Gentlemen,&#8221; he then said to those around him, &#8220;this may be something of
+extraordinary importance. Come with me, Carfora!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He arose from his chair, and Ned silently followed him into another
+room. As soon as they were shut in here by themselves, he turned
+fiercely upon the young despatch-bearer and demanded:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Have you said anything to those men? Have you told a living soul what
+you know about these tidings?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No, general, not one word to anybody,&#8221; replied Ned, bravely, but there
+was a strange thrill at his heart, for he saw that he was in deadly
+peril.<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_230' id='pg_230'>230</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Morales tore open the envelope, and found in it several official-looking
+papers which it did not take him long to read; but now Ned took out from
+an inner pocket three others which were much smaller. The general&#8217;s face
+flushed fiery red, and his eyes were flashing with excitement while he
+swiftly examined them.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Carfora,&#8221; he exclaimed, &#8220;you are too young to have been sent on such an
+errand as this. General Bravo! Colonel Tassara! Se&ntilde;ora Paez! General
+Zuroaga! Ah, Santa Maria! And our brave army was shattered at Angostura,
+after all. This is dreadful news! You shall die before I will allow you
+to spread it among my men!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I shall not do so,&#8221; said Ned, with his heart in his throat &#8220;But may I
+not tell them that General Santa Anna has checked the invasion at the
+north? Ought I not to say that he is now marching down to defend the
+capital, and that he is going to strengthen your army at Vera Cruz? Why,
+general, that is just what he is going to do.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The general was silent for a moment, and appeared to be lost in thought.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No, not now!&#8221; he then whispered between his set teeth, but Ned heard
+him. &#8220;If I shot him, it would make enemies of Zuroaga and the Tassaras
+and Se&ntilde;ora Paez.<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_231' id='pg_231'>231</a></span> Bravo would not care. Carfora,&#8221; he added, aloud, &#8220;you
+may go. You may talk as you have said, but you must not leave the city,
+and, if you say one word about our being defeated at Buena Vista, I will
+have you shot. There are too many desertions already, and I can&#8217;t afford
+to have my whole army stampeded by bad news.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>There was, therefore, an imperative military reason for keeping secret
+the truth concerning Santa Anna&#8217;s great victory, and Ned responded:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;General Morales, everybody will be asking me questions. I guess I know
+exactly what you wish me to tell. I was ordered to keep my mouth shut.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;See that you do!&#8221; growled the general. &#8220;Or a musket-ball will shut it
+for you. Go out now. If I want you, I shall be able to find you.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They walked out of the inner room together, and they found the main
+office crowded, as if many more had hurried in to hear the expected
+news.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Gentlemen! Fellow citizens!&#8221; shouted the general, enthusiastically, as
+he waved his packet of despatches over his head. &#8220;This is glorious! Our
+illustrious commander-in-chief, after having given such a severe lesson
+to our barbarous invaders<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_232' id='pg_232'>232</a></span> at the north, is marching with his entire
+force to our own assistance. He will soon crush our assailants on the
+seacoast as he has the gringo mob under Taylor!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>A storm of cheers responded, and the entire crowd seemed disposed to
+exchange hugs and handshakes, while he turned to an officer at a table.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;By the Way, major,&#8221; he said, &#8220;write an order for quarters and rations
+for General Bravo&#8217;s messenger, Carfora. I may need him again in a few
+days. Keep track of him. He is a civilian, but he is a trusted agent of
+certain parties whom you may know.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The major began to write something, and, as he did so, Ned believed that
+he heard him muttering words which sounded like: &#8220;Humph! Messenger of
+his Excellency, Santa Anna! We will take good care of him!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Then the general carelessly signed the paper, which the major prepared
+for him, and Ned walked quietly out into the open air. Once there,
+however, he took a hasty look at his &#8220;order for rations,&#8221; and discovered
+that with it he had now in his possession a full headquarters army pass,
+which permitted him to come and go anywhere, through the gates and all
+the lines, without<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_233' id='pg_233'>233</a></span> hindrance from anybody. He was established as an
+accepted and even honored confidential despatch-bearer of the
+commander-in-chief of all the armies of Mexico. He was not now to get
+entirely away without difficulty, however, for the whole building had
+been full of men who were eager for all the news he could give them, and
+they had followed him. They seized upon him as if he had been the last
+edition of an evening newspaper, containing the reports of all the past
+and with, probably, the news for to-morrow morning also somewhere inside
+of him. He did not get away from them for some time, and when he did so,
+at last, he was sure of being recognized by a considerable number of
+patriotic Mexicans, if they ever should meet him again. That might make
+him safer, although he was no longer in any immediate danger. Moreover,
+although he was not in uniform, the cut and quality of his clothing
+informed every person he met that he belonged to the higher orders,
+while the machete at his side and the pistols in his belt appeared to
+indicate that he was in some way connected with the army.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I know what I want to do next,&#8221; he was thinking. &#8220;My pony and my
+satchel are at the headquarters stables. I can get them<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_234' id='pg_234'>234</a></span> whenever I want
+them. I must go to the Tassara place. I can find it. Then I must manage
+to put them there, so that I won&#8217;t have to show myself at the
+headquarters unless I&#8217;m sent for.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He had no difficulty in finding the Tassara homestead, and there was no
+observer anywhere near him when he stood in front of the dwelling which
+had been his first hospitable refuge in Mexico. It had now, of course, a
+lonely and shut-up look, and there was no getting in at the front door,
+for much knocking failed to bring a door-keeper. Giving that up,
+therefore, he made his way around to the rear, through the unoccupied
+stables.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There is hay enough here for my pony,&#8221; he remarked, &#8220;but I had half
+expected that the house would be turned into quarters for troops.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He may have overlooked the fact that the Tassaras were friends of
+General Morales, and that their house was under his protection. If it
+were supposed to be so, nevertheless, he had cause to forget it again
+when he came to the back door, for it stood wide open, with an
+appearance of having been unlocked with a hammer.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hullo!&#8221; he exclaimed. &#8220;I wonder if there is anybody in there now?&#8221;<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_235' id='pg_235'>235</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The thought somehow made him draw his machete, and he went on into the
+house as if he were looking for a fight. The dining-room was entered
+first, and it was utterly empty. Not so much as a chair was left,
+although its owners had certainly not taken any furniture away with them
+in their hasty escape by night, with Ned and Zuroaga. It looked a little
+queer, to say the least, and, as he went on from room to room, he found
+precisely such a state of things everywhere else.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I declare!&#8221; said Ned. &#8220;Either their friends or some robbers have
+cleaned this place of all there was in it that was worth stealing. Not
+so much as a bed left. I&#8217;ll go and take a look at my old room. It was a
+cubby-hole of a place, but it would do first-rate for me now.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Perhaps it was so small and so out of the way that Ned had an agreeable
+surprise ready for him when he reached it, for there still hung his
+hammock, and nothing else in the room had been molested.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hurrah!&#8221; he shouted. &#8220;I&#8217;ve looked into every other room in the house,
+and this is the only one they didn&#8217;t finish. I guess I&#8217;ll camp here
+to-night, after I&#8217;ve been out to get something to eat.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It was true that he had orders for army<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_236' id='pg_236'>236</a></span> rations, if he had known where
+to find them, but he was also able to purchase whatever he might need,
+and he preferred to do so. At the same time, he had a clear
+understanding that, if he expected to ever see the United States again,
+he had better not show a great deal of cash in the city of Vera Cruz
+just now.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There are plenty of fellows here,&#8221; he remarked, &#8220;who would cut my
+throat for a silver dollar, let alone a gold piece.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He sheathed his machete peaceably, and went out by the back door,
+determining to let as few people as possible suspect that the Tassara
+mansion contained a boarder,&mdash;or it was more nearly correct to say
+lodger. This was a wise decision to make, but he was not to hunt far for
+his supplies that evening. Hardly had he gone a hundred paces from the
+Tassara place before he was unceremoniously halted, and it was not by a
+lancer this time. Before him, blocking his way, stood a very fat and
+apparently much astonished woman.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Madre de Dios!&#8221; she loudly exclaimed. &#8220;Se&ntilde;or Carfora! Santa Maria!
+Santa Catarina! San Jago! Diablos! Where did you come from?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned had never before heard himself called by all those pet names, but he
+knew<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_237' id='pg_237'>237</a></span> at a glance that this was no other than Anita, formerly the cook
+of Se&ntilde;ora Tassara, and believed to be a devoted friend of the family.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Anita!&#8221; he exclaimed. &#8220;I&#8217;ll tell you!&#8221; and he proceeded to do so, to
+her great gratification, for she was as hungry for news as he was for
+his rations.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You come to my house,&#8221; she said, &#8220;and I will give you something fit to
+eat, and that is a good deal to say in Vera Cruz in these days. Santa
+Maria! How these ragged banditti do devour everything. We are to be
+devoured by the accursed gringos, too, and we must eat while we can.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Her idea, as a good cook, appeared to be that, if several thousands of
+people were about to be shut up and starved to death, they ought all to
+feed themselves as liberally as possible before the actual process of
+starvation should begin. Ned felt a strong sympathy with that notion, as
+he walked along with her, and he was ready to tell her anything but the
+perilous truth concerning the lost battle at the north. As to that, it
+was quite enough to assure her and half a dozen other patriotic Mexican
+women, who were at her humble home when he went in, that the great and
+successful General Santa Anna was hastening to rescue<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_238' id='pg_238'>238</a></span> them from the
+American barbarians who were at this hour getting ashore with a great
+deal of difficulty through the surf, which was wetting every uniform
+among them. If anything at all resembling a &#8220;norther&#8221; had been blowing,
+the landing would necessarily have been postponed until it had blown
+over. Among other things, however, Ned told Anita of his visit to the
+house, and when the very good supper was ended, she led him to a room
+which must have contained at least a third of all the space under her
+roof. It was anything but hollow space now, for it was heaped to the
+ceiling with furniture, beds, bedding, and a miscellaneous collection of
+other household goods.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There, Se&ntilde;or Carfora!&#8221; she said, exultingly. &#8220;The Puebla robbers did
+get some things, but we saved all these. They were not ready to carry
+off heavy stuff, and when they came again, with a cart, at night, it had
+all been cared for. The se&ntilde;ora has not lost so much, after all.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You are a faithful woman!&#8221; said Ned, admiringly. &#8220;I&#8217;m glad, too, that
+they could not steal the house, for I want to sleep there.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s the best place you can find,&#8221; she<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_239' id='pg_239'>239</a></span> told him. &#8220;But you had better
+always bar the door at night, and sleep with your machete and pistols
+where you can reach them.&#8221;</p>
+
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_240' id='pg_240'>240</a></span>
+<a name='UNDER_FIRE_4894' id='UNDER_FIRE_4894'></a>
+<h2>CHAPTER XV.</h2>
+<h3>UNDER FIRE</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p>&#8220;Where am I?&#8221; exclaimed Ned, as his eyes came lazily open the next
+morning, and in a moment more they were open very widely.</p>
+
+<p>He knew the room he was in, and his thoughts came swiftly back to him.
+There hung his sheathed machete at the head of the hammock, and his
+pistols lay at his side. There was as yet only just enough light to see
+them by, but he sprang out and began to get ready for his first day in a
+besieged city. His satchel and pony, he remarked, would be safe enough
+at headquarters, and he could go after them whenever he might need them.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll go to Anita&#8217;s for breakfast,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I can pay her for it,
+too. Then I want to see the American fleet, if I can. Oh, but am I not
+glad that General Zuroaga gave me that old telescope? I&#8217;ve seen lots of
+mountains with it, and now I&#8217;ll make<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_241' id='pg_241'>241</a></span> it show me the ships and the army.
+Oh, my soul and body! I&#8217;m part of the garrison of Vera Cruz.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>That was stretching the facts of the case a little, but he certainly was
+serving under the wrong flag that morning. He felt queer and lonely in
+that empty, robber-haunted house, and he was glad to get out of it
+without being seen. Anita welcomed him enthusiastically, for he had
+brought to her and her neighbors the good news of the coming of Santa
+Anna&#8217;s victorious army, and he was a young Mexican patriot for whom she
+was glad to cook a good breakfast for a fair price. After that was
+eaten, however, Ned&#8217;s perplexities began, for the first Mexican officer
+whom he met, on leaving Anita&#8217;s house, curtly demanded a look at his
+papers. He was altogether too well dressed a fellow to be allowed to
+pass by unnoticed. With almost a fainting heart, Ned produced the pass
+given him by the major at headquarters, but the next moment the brave
+soldier&#8217;s arms were around him, and he was hugged as a true comrade who
+had ridden hard and far to bring good tidings.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I will show you the gates myself!&#8221; exclaimed the lieutenant, for such
+he was. &#8220;I shall be in command of a patrol that<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_242' id='pg_242'>242</a></span> is going out toward
+Sacrificios for a look at the gringos. Come on with me.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>This was precisely what Ned was wishing for, and, as they hurried along,
+he was pumped for all the news he had and a good deal more. In fact, he
+found it a task of some difficulty to obey the stern commands of General
+Morales and still keep within the truth.</p>
+
+<p>A gate was reached and passed, the officer at the gate receiving a kind
+of pay in news, and then Ned drew a long breath, for he suddenly
+remembered that he had left the city, contrary to orders.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Never mind,&#8221; he said to himself, &#8220;I&#8217;m inside the Mexican army lines.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>In a moment more, he had forgotten everything but his spy-glass, a
+pretty good one, for he and the squad of patrollers were at the summit
+of a low sand-hill, and there before them, only two miles away, the
+boats of the ships of war and the transport ships were coming and going
+through the surf with loads of American soldiers. With them, and on all
+the vessels in the offing, Ned saw something which had never before
+seemed to shine so splendidly, and it brought the hot blood fiercely
+from his heart to his cheeks, because he could not just then break out
+into a hurrah for the<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_243' id='pg_243'>243</a></span> Stars and Stripes. The hurrah did get up into his
+throat, but there it had to stop, and it almost choked him. His prudence
+got the better of it, somehow, and his next thought was:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, but won&#8217;t they have a tough time getting their cannon ashore!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He was not so far wrong, for that was a problem which was troubling
+General Scott and his engineers, but there was one thing more which Ned
+did not so much as dream of. In one of those boats a tall man, who was
+not in uniform, was leaning forward and gazing earnestly at the shore.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Mexico!&#8221; he muttered. &#8220;Ned is in there somewhere. I must have a hunt
+for him as soon as I can. I wonder if I did right to ever let him go.
+Even after we take Vera Cruz, there will be a long campaign and any
+amount of hard fighting. O Ned, my son, where are you?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned was there, indeed, very near and yet very far, and he was wondering,
+as were many American officers and soldiers, why the Mexicans did not
+cannonade the invading army while it was coming ashore. They might have
+done so effectively, and in a day or two they did put a few guns in
+position to send an occasional shot, but all the harm they did was to
+kill one man.<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_244' id='pg_244'>244</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The patrol party had now performed its duty, and it marched back again,
+but in that morning adventure Ned had discovered that he was really free
+to come and go. Perhaps the Mexican commander had forgotten him in the
+pressure of his other affairs. Even when Ned went to the headquarters
+for his pony and baggage, he was treated by everybody as a young fellow
+of no importance whatever, and at dinnertime he was able to tell Anita
+all about the terrible ships and the swarms of invading gringos on the
+shore.</p>
+
+<p>That night the lonely room in the Tassara house was almost too lonely.
+Ned lay awake in his hammock through long hours, and was glad that he
+had two armies to think of, so that he might keep from listening for
+possible footsteps outside of his little chamber, or for an attempt by
+some marauder to force open his door. He had barred that, and he had
+fastened his window firmly, but he could not feel entirely secure, and
+he got up twice to go to the door and listen.</p>
+
+<p>Day after day went by from that time in very much the same manner, and
+Ned believed that he was learning a great deal about war, whether or not
+it would ever do him any good in business affairs after the<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_245' id='pg_245'>245</a></span> war had
+come to an end. The entire American army, guns and all, reached the
+shore in safety, and all the while Santa Anna and his army were reported
+as coming, coming, but they did not come, and the hearts of the besieged
+garrison and the terror-stricken people began to die within them.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;They will be too late now,&#8221; thought Ned, but he did not dare to say as
+much to any of his Mexican friends.</p>
+
+<p>From time to time he had been out to ply his telescope upon the fleet
+and upon the army. He knew that all the American camps had been
+established beyond the reach of any guns in the city fortifications, and
+he had watched with intense interest the slow, sure processes of a
+regular siege, conducted by a rarely capable general. He had seen the
+erection of battery after battery, of which General Scott&#8217;s artillerymen
+were as yet making hardly any apparent use. He did not quite understand
+that, in merely being there, more and more of them, those batteries were
+already capturing the city. They were sending so few shots at the walls,
+or even at the grim Castle of San Juan de Ulua, because the American
+general wished to take Vera Cruz without bloodshed, if he could, and he
+came very<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_246' id='pg_246'>246</a></span> near to the accomplishment of his humane purpose.
+Undoubtedly, he would have succeeded in starving out the city, if he,
+too, had not received daily notice of the nearer approach of Santa Anna
+and all the forces which he could gather. Nobody but that general
+himself and his confidential officers knew how really few they were, or
+how unfit to assail the Americans in their fortified camps on the shore
+of the sea. So, a final day came when the surrender of Vera Cruz was
+formally demanded, under the awful penalty of a general bombardment by
+the American fleet and army in case of a refusal. Resistance, it was
+declared, was now hopeless, and there was no military necessity for
+killing anybody. General Morales sent back a positive rejection, for he
+still entertained a faint hope of the timely arrival of assistance, and
+he did not inform General Scott how sadly he had failed in all his
+attempts to obtain supplies for the inhabitants and his army. Famine was
+already beginning to threaten all of the poorer classes who had
+neglected their opportunities to leave the city, or who had been unable
+to do so. As for Ned Crawford&#8217;s provisions, he had continued to board
+with Anita, or with any mess of military men among whom he might happen
+to be.<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_247' id='pg_247'>247</a></span> He had made many acquaintances, and he had found the ragged,
+unpaid, illiterate Mexican soldiers a genuinely hospitable lot of
+patriotic fellows. He came to his supper somewhat late on the evening of
+March 21st, and that night, after going to care for his pony, he came
+back and slept on a blanket on the floor of Anita&#8217;s kitchen. On the
+morning of the 22d, he had but just walked out into the street when
+suddenly all the air around him seemed to be full of thunder. Roar
+followed roar, and peal followed peal, and then he heard affrighted
+shrieks in all directions. The bombardment had begun!</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;O Madre de Dios!&#8221; moaned the voice of poor Anita behind him. &#8220;O Se&ntilde;or
+Carfora! We shall all be killed! What shall we do? Oh, the wicked
+gringos! What did they come here for? I never did them any harm.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>That was a terrible war question which was troubling Ned himself.
+Whatever might have been the evil doings of either of the two
+governments, or of all the scheming, ambitious politicians, the helpless
+people of Mexico were in no manner to blame. Why, then, he asked
+himself, should any of them, like Anita, for instance, be killed by
+cannon-shot or torn in pieces by bursting<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_248' id='pg_248'>248</a></span> shells? He could not settle
+the matter in his mind just then, but he said to her, encouragingly:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t be so badly scared. Up here in this northern part of the town, we
+are as far away from the shooting as we could be. I&#8217;ll go over to the
+southern side of the city and see what is going on. As soon as I find
+out, I&#8217;ll come back and tell you.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, do!&#8221; she said, &#8220;but do not get killed. Come back and get some
+dinner. I will cook you a real good one, if you will.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>That was something of a promise, for he knew that she was one of the
+prudent folk who had looked out for their supplies in time, but he
+walked away toward the southerly wall and the forts with a strong
+feeling that he must be in the middle of a kind of dreadful dream. He
+reached the line of antiquated and defective defences, which had been
+good enough long ago, but which were not constructed to resist modern
+artillery. Old as it might be, the wall was in the way of his intended
+sightseeing, but he saw a ladder leaning against the masonry, and up he
+went without asking permission of anybody. He was now standing upon the
+broad parapet, with his glass at his eye, and he was obtaining a
+first-rate view of the<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_249' id='pg_249'>249</a></span> bombardment. On the land, stretching away to the
+west and south, were the long lines of the American batteries, within a
+not very long range of him, and from each of them at intervals the red
+sheets of fire burst forth, while over them the black clouds of powder
+smoke arose to be carried away by the brisk March wind that was blowing.
+Far away to his right, or seaward, all at anchor in the positions
+assigned them, lay the United States ships of war, of all kinds and
+sizes, and these, too, were getting at work, although they were as yet
+by no means putting forth their whole destructive power. It was as if
+they were but studying this siege business, getting the ranges
+correctly, and were preparing to do worse things than this in the days
+which were to come. Ned was gazing intently at a great 44-gun ship,
+which appeared to be sending her missiles at the castle, when a heavy
+shot from one of the batteries struck the wall within a few yards of
+him. It seemed to go deeply in, and the entire top of the parapet was
+torn away for a width of several feet. Ned hurried at once to get a good
+look down into the chasm, for it was the first time that he had seen
+anything of the kind.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I wonder if our shot are doing this kind<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_250' id='pg_250'>250</a></span> of thing for their batteries
+yonder,&#8221; he said aloud, in the Spanish which was now habitual with him,
+but at that moment a not unfriendly hand was laid upon his shoulder, and
+a quiet, firm voice said to him:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What are you doing here, Se&ntilde;or Carfora? You seem to have no fear.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;General Morales!&#8221; exclaimed Ned, in astonishment. &#8220;No, your Excellency.
+I was not thinking of that, but of this big hole. I was wondering if the
+walls of the castle are not stronger than these. If they are not&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;They are much stronger, my brave fellow,&#8221; interrupted the general. &#8220;I
+am going over now to see how they are standing it. The Americans are
+very accurate gunners. Now, sir, you must not expose yourself in this
+manner. You are not a soldier. Go back into the city!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;General,&#8221; said Ned, pointing in the direction of the cathedral, &#8220;do,
+please, look! Some of their shot go over the wall and strike away
+inside. I am safer here than I would be in yonder. What I am afraid of
+is that a great many of the women and children may be killed. I think,
+sir, that you ought not to be here, either. You are the general.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My boy,&#8221; said Morales, sadly, &#8220;I was<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_251' id='pg_251'>251</a></span> thinking of the non-combatants
+myself. This firing of the Yankees at the city is hideous. But it is
+war, and it cannot be helped. Ah, me! Feeling as I do this morning, I
+would ask nothing better than that one of these accursed shot or shell
+should come for me. I would a hundred times rather die than be compelled
+to surrender Vera Cruz.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He again motioned Ned toward the ladder, and no disobedience was
+possible. He himself followed, for his solitary reconnoissance was
+ended, and he had been practically assured that his walls were of small
+value against heavy siege-guns. When he reached the ground, several
+subordinate officers came to join him, and Ned heard him say to them:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That reckless young scamp, Carfora, has the nerves of an old soldier.
+He will make a good one by and by. We need more like him, for some of
+our artillerymen left their guns under the American fire.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>There was never any lack of courage among men of his kind, a Spaniard
+descended from the old conquistadors, while some of the officers around
+him were Indians fit to have led their tribes for Montezuma against the
+men of Hernando Cortes.</p>
+
+<p>As Ned walked homeward, he halted<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_252' id='pg_252'>252</a></span> several times to tell some of his
+army acquaintances what he had seen from the wall, and how he had talked
+about it with General Morales. No doubt they esteemed him more highly
+than ever for his patriotism and high social standing, but he spoke also
+of the danger to the people, and they were sure that his heart was with
+them. Truth to tell, so it was, for the bombardment shortly became to
+him more horrible than ever. Something he could not see passed over his
+head, with a hiss that was almost like a human screech. Then followed a
+loud explosion, and there before him, on the bloody pavement, he saw the
+mangled corpses of a Mexican mother and two small children, who had been
+killed while they were hurrying away to a place of safety.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, the poor things!&#8221; sobbed Ned, as he burst out into tears. &#8220;What had
+they to do with the war!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He could not bear to take a second look at them, and he hurried on, but
+when he reached the house he did not say anything about them to Anita.
+He told her about the batteries and the ships, and about the brave
+general on the parapet, and then she and her friends who were with her
+went away back into the kitchen, to be as safe<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_253' id='pg_253'>253</a></span> as possible from flying
+shot and shell. It was not, they appeared to think, at all likely that
+any wicked gringo gunner would take aim at that kitchen.</p>
+
+<p>As for Ned, he had only come in to go out again, for keeping indoors,
+with all that cannonading going on, was altogether out of the question.</p>
+
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_254' id='pg_254'>254</a></span>
+<a name='GENERAL_SCOTT_AND_HIS_ARMY_5167' id='GENERAL_SCOTT_AND_HIS_ARMY_5167'></a>
+<h2>CHAPTER XVI.</h2>
+<h3>GENERAL SCOTT AND HIS ARMY</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p>&#8220;There they come! They are going to march right in! But what I want,
+most of all, is to see the general himself. There he is!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Telescope in hand, Ned Crawford was standing on the parapet, near one of
+the southerly gates of Vera Cruz, watching the triumphant entrance of
+the American army. He could hardly have told whether he was more glad to
+see them come, or because the siege and the bombardment were over. He
+was already familiar with the various troops of Mexico, and he knew that
+some of them, but not many, could perform their military evolutions in
+pretty good style. The one thing which struck him most forcibly now,
+however, as his glass was aimed here and there over the approaching
+columns and lines, was that at no point was there a flaw or a defect in
+the orderly movements of the American soldiers. With admirable drill<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_255' id='pg_255'>255</a></span>
+and under perfect management, they swung forward across the broad level
+between their earthwork batteries and the badly shattered wall of the
+captured city. Compared with them, the garrison which had surrendered
+was, for the greater part, only a little better than an ill-provided,
+half-armed, undisciplined mob. Wealth, arms, civilization, scientific
+generalship, had all been on the side of the great republic of the
+North, and there had been no doubt, from the beginning, as to what the
+result must be. The one important seaport of Mexico, with all its
+foreign commerce, was now under the control of the United States, and
+could not be taken from them.</p>
+
+<p>Ned saw one of the advancing lines melt beautifully into the shape of a
+long column, and file through the gate near him. Then followed a section
+of field artillery and a small detachment of cavalry. All these were to
+be admired, of course, but his eyes watched them only for a moment, for
+just behind the horsemen came an exceedingly brilliant cavalcade, in
+front of which rode the remarkable man whom Ned was most anxious to see.</p>
+
+<p>Beyond a doubt, General Winfield Scott had many severe critics and not a
+few personal enemies. By these, he was said to<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_256' id='pg_256'>256</a></span> be arrogant, blunt in
+manners, opinionated, and also a military martinet with terribly
+unvolunteer ideas relating to the rigid discipline required for success
+in war. He had seen, however, a deal of hard service in the war of 1812
+and otherwise, and his military record was without a flaw. There were
+good judges, both in America and Europe, who believed and declared that
+for the management of a difficult campaign he had no superior among the
+generals then living. He was now actually called upon to prove that he
+could perform apparent impossibilities under very trying circumstances
+and with somewhat limited resources. Physically, he was a large,
+fine-looking man, and he was even excessively particular concerning the
+fit and elegance of his parade uniform. He was therefore looking his
+best when he rode in to take possession of Vera Cruz.</p>
+
+<p>Ned went down a ladder as soon as he could, after breathlessly staring
+at the great commander, but he did not succeed in witnessing the
+formalities of the surrender, whatever they were. The crowds in his way
+were too much for him, but not long after General Scott and his staff
+disappeared through the portal of the building which had been the
+headquarters of poor<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_257' id='pg_257'>257</a></span> General Morales, Ned worked his way through a
+throng of downcast Mexicans toward a young officer who appeared to be in
+command of about a half company of infantry. From the excitement of the
+moment and from a good many months of daily custom, he spoke to the
+lieutenant in Mexican Spanish, in a recklessly eager manner and without
+touching his hat.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What on earth do you want?&#8221; was the curt and gruff reply. &#8220;I&#8217;m only
+Lieutenant Grant. You&#8217;ll have to see somebody else, whatever it is. You
+had better go and speak to one of the staff.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>If Ned had really been a young Mexican, speaking no tongue but his own,
+he might not have understood that perfectly. As it was, however, he at
+once broke out with energy into a language to which he had for some time
+been unaccustomed. Even now, nevertheless, he forgot to touch his hat.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, Mr. Grant,&#8221; he said, &#8220;I&#8217;ve been all over the country. I&#8217;ve been
+in the city of Mexico and among their troops, and I believe I know a lot
+of things that I ought to report to General Scott, or somebody.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It was a patriotic idea which had been growing in his mind all that
+morning, and<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_258' id='pg_258'>258</a></span> it had driven out of him every ounce of bashfulness.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You have, have you?&#8221; said Grant. &#8220;I declare. Seems to me you speak
+English pretty well for a greaser&mdash;almost like a born American. I guess
+the general&#8217;s willing to hear almost anything. But you will have to see
+some member of the staff. Hullo! I say! Captain Lee! Here&#8217;s a kind of
+spy. I think you&#8217;d better hear him. I can&#8217;t leave my post.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Spy?&#8221; exclaimed Ned. &#8220;No, I&#8217;m not any such thing, but my name is Edward
+Crawford, and I&#8217;m from New York. I got stuck in Mexico and I couldn&#8217;t
+get out. I&#8217;ve been all around everywhere. Things are mixed&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Grant,&#8221; said Captain Lee, &#8220;he may have something worth while. I&#8217;ll take
+him in to see Schuyler Hamilton. Let the captain pump him.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Captain Robert E. Lee was not exactly off duty at that hour, for he and
+other engineer officers had been ordered to make a survey of the
+fortifications, but he was there to receive instructions and he could
+take Ned in with him. He was a taller, handsomer fellow than Grant, and
+he was all of three times as polite in his treatment of Ned. Perhaps,
+however, Grant&#8217;s first<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_259' id='pg_259'>259</a></span> manners had been damaged by being addressed in
+such a style, in Spanish, by an excited young Mexican.</p>
+
+<p>In went Ned and Lee, and there was no difficulty in obtaining an
+interview with Captain Hamilton. Ned had never heard of him before, but
+he was now aware, from Captain Lee, that he was a descendant of General
+Philip Schuyler and General Alexander Hamilton of the Revolutionary War.
+Ned thought of Se&ntilde;ora Tassara&#8217;s great ancestors for a moment, and then
+he did not really care a cent for pedigree. He even startled Hamilton
+himself by the energy and rapidity with which he told what he knew of
+the condition of things throughout the country, the movements of Santa
+Anna, and the political plots and conspiracies. Hamilton was a slender,
+graceful young man, handsomer than even Lee, and with piercing black
+eyes.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Lee,&#8221; he said, &#8220;the cub is a genuine curiosity. I can&#8217;t imagine how on
+earth he learned so much. He isn&#8217;t a fool, by any means. General Scott
+will be at liberty in a few minutes, and Crawford must see him.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;All right,&#8221; said Lee. &#8220;I have my instructions now, and I&#8217;ll leave him
+with you.<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_260' id='pg_260'>260</a></span> They say the old castle&#8217;s badly knocked in pieces.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>If, as Lee intimated, the fortress of San Juan de Ulua was just then in
+bad condition, so was Ned when he heard what they were going to do with
+him. He had supposed that his errand had been completely done to the
+sharp-eyed staff officer, but now they threatened to bring him before
+the general, whom he considered the most tremendous man on the earth. It
+was a little too much, but he drew a long breath and stood as straight
+as a ramrod, looking very red indeed. In three minutes more he was
+brought face to face with the commander-in-chief of the armies of the
+United States, and he felt as if he had been surrounded and compelled to
+surrender. Captain Hamilton reported the matter in the fewest words
+possible, but all the while the general had been watching Ned, looking
+right through him, and in a moment Ned found himself feeling perfectly
+easy. If General Scott had been his uncle, he could not have spoken to
+him in a kinder or more carelessly familiar way. He questioned him about
+all his experiences, and an acute listener might have gathered that he
+paid more attention to Ned&#8217;s political information<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_261' id='pg_261'>261</a></span> than to anything of
+a strictly military nature.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hamilton,&#8221; he slowly remarked, at last, &#8220;General Taylor did an
+exceedingly good thing for us down here, after all. The battle of Buena
+Vista was our own battle. Santa Anna will not be able to raise another
+army like the one that was so roughly handled up there. If it had been
+here, in good shape, we would have had ten times as much trouble in
+taking Vera Cruz. Santa Anna&#8217;s power is already half broken.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Perhaps a little more,&#8221; suggested Hamilton.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Perhaps,&#8221; said the general, &#8220;but our patriotic young friend here has
+made a valuable report. Ah, McClellan! You and Beauregard are to make
+the inspection of the castle with Captain Lee. Take Crawford back to
+Grant, as you go. He may serve with the Seventh as an unenlisted man.
+Let him have his orders, Hamilton. He is a brave fellow.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Out went Ned with a pair of as yet undistinguished officers, both of
+whom were to be heard of again in after time, and it did not occur to
+the very much elated &#8220;scout,&#8221; as he now considered himself, to correct
+General Scott&#8217;s apparent idea that<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_262' id='pg_262'>262</a></span> Lieutenant Ulysses S. Grant was a
+particular friend and guardian of his.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now, if this isn&#8217;t bully!&#8221; he thought. &#8220;I&#8217;ve been on the Mexican side
+all the while till now. I&#8217;ve been kind of part of the garrison of Vera
+Cruz, but I&#8217;ve been praised by General Scott, for all that. I wonder
+what our folks at home would say to it!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It was a grand thing to think of, and Ned felt as proud as if he had
+been promoted for storming an enemy&#8217;s entrenchments.</p>
+
+<p>There was another experience of an entirely unexpected character just
+before him, however. Hardly had McClellan and Beauregard turned him over
+to Grant, and while the latter was inspecting the order written by
+Captain Hamilton, Ned was suddenly shaken from head to foot. Not that
+anybody, Mexican or American, was actually handling him roughly, but
+that a hoarse, eager voice at his right ear exclaimed:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Edward! My son! Is this you? Are you a prisoner?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No, Mister,&#8221; responded Grant, before Ned could gather his wits to utter
+a word. &#8220;He isn&#8217;t a prisoner, but I&#8217;m ordered to stick him into the
+outside of the Seventh somewhere. Is he your son?&#8221;<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_263' id='pg_263'>263</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He is, lieutenant,&#8221; said Mr. Crawford. &#8220;And, oh, how glad I am!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Father!&#8221; Ned had shouted, as a pair of strong arms went around him.
+&#8220;How did you happen to be here?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I came on one of our own supply-ships,&#8221; said Mr. Crawford. &#8220;I&#8217;ll tell
+you all about it by and by. I had all but given up hearing anything of
+you, and we sail for New York to-morrow. Lieutenant, I haven&#8217;t seen him
+for more&#8217;n a year. I want a good long talk.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Of course you do!&#8221; said Grant, heartily. &#8220;Take him along, and let him
+report at the camp of the Seventh to-morrow morning. You may go now, my
+young greaser, but you&#8217;d better get on another rig than that before you
+come.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He will do that,&#8221; said Mr. Crawford. &#8220;Come along, Ned. Let&#8217;s go where
+we can be by ourselves. I want to hear your whole yarn, from beginning
+to end, and I&#8217;ve all sorts of things to tell you.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Father,&#8221; said Ned, &#8220;I know just the place. We&#8217;ll go and get supper at
+old Anita&#8217;s, and we can talk all the way. Hurrah! How&#8217;s mother?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>All the most important home news followed quickly after that, and Ned
+felt that the capture of Vera Cruz was more important than ever.<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_264' id='pg_264'>264</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I am going to let you stay here, though,&#8221; said his father. &#8220;You can
+learn more than in any other way that I know of.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s what I want,&#8221; said Ned. &#8220;And now I shall be in our army.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The father and son were not walking very fast, but they could talk
+rapidly, and they had a great many things to say. They had some things
+to see, as well, for everywhere, as they went, they encountered
+detachments of United States soldiers patrolling the city, restoring
+order and setting things to rights. That they were doing so appeared to
+be a tremendous surprise to large numbers of the inhabitants, who had
+almost been expecting to be ruthlessly plundered, if not murdered
+outright, by these cruel barbarians from the awful republic of the
+North. Not all of them were panic-stricken in this way, however, for
+when the house of old Anita was reached, she was standing in the
+doorway, and she greeted them loudly with:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;O Se&ntilde;or Carfora! I knew all the while that you were a gringo. I am so
+glad that we have surrendered! Santa Maria Gloriosa! Praise all the
+saints! We shall have no more cannonading! We shall have plenty to eat!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That is just what we want, Anita,&#8221; replied<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_265' id='pg_265'>265</a></span> Ned. &#8220;This is my father. He
+has come to see me, and you must give him some dinner. Then I will tell
+you all about General Scott and the American soldiers.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>She had neighbors with her, as usual, and some of them had become
+accustomed to regarding Ned as a kind of newsboy. They were now also
+prepared to thank a large number of religious personages that he was a
+genuine gringo, and on good terms with the conquering invaders, who were
+henceforth to have the control of affairs in Vera Cruz.</p>
+
+<p>It was late that night when Ned said good-by to his father, and it was
+like pulling teeth to let him go, but there was no help for it, as the
+sailing of the supply-ship could not be delayed. Ned was once more alone
+in Mexico, and it took all his enthusiasm for his expected army life to
+reconcile him to the situation. Perhaps there was not a great deal of
+sound sleeping done, in the hammock that swung in the little room in the
+Tassara mansion, but at an early hour next morning he was on his way to
+hunt up the camp of the Seventh Infantry and the tent of Lieutenant
+Grant. This was accomplished without much difficulty, and almost
+immediately Ned made a discovery. His probable coming had, of course,
+been reported<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_266' id='pg_266'>266</a></span> to the colonel commanding the regiment, and that
+officer&#8217;s common-sense remark was:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Unenlisted orderly, eh? Yankee boy that can speak Spanish, and that
+knows every corner of this miserable city? Just what we want. I&#8217;m glad
+old Fuss and Feathers sent him to us. He is the greatest general in the
+world. Send your scout right here to me. I&#8217;ve errands for him.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Therefore, the next chapter in Ned&#8217;s Mexican experiences was that he
+found himself sent out, soldierlike, upon a long list of duties, for
+which he was peculiarly well prepared by knowing where to find streets
+and houses which were as yet unknown to the rank and file of the gallant
+Seventh. The men, on their part, soon came to regard him as a soldier
+boy, like themselves, and he had a fine opportunity for learning, from
+day to day, the processes by which General Scott was organizing his
+force for his intended march across the sierra, on the road he had
+selected for reaching the city of Mexico. It was soon to be plainly
+understood that, whenever that army should march, it would do so as a
+sort of human machine, ready to perform any military work which its
+commander might require of it.</p>
+
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_267' id='pg_267'>267</a></span>
+<a name='THE_MOUNTAIN_PASSES_5438' id='THE_MOUNTAIN_PASSES_5438'></a>
+<h2>CHAPTER XVII.</h2>
+<h3>THE MOUNTAIN PASSES</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p>&#8220;Grant,&#8221; said Captain Lee, &#8220;what did Crawford say to you about that
+Cerro Gordo road? I want to know all I can.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, Captain Lee,&#8221; replied Grant, &#8220;here he is, to speak for himself.
+He says he came down that trail in midwinter. He studied it, too,
+because his friend, General Zuroaga, told him it was built by a Spanish
+fellow by the name of Cortes.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Good!&#8221; said Lee. &#8220;Seems to me I&#8217;ve heard of him somewhere, but who is
+Zuroaga? Tell me about him, Crawford. Does he know anything?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>By this time, Ned had become pretty well acquainted with Lee and a
+number of other officers, and with their free, open-hearted way of
+dealing with each other. He could tell, therefore, without any restraint
+or bashfulness, all that was necessary concerning his distinguished
+Mexican friend and benefactor.<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_268' id='pg_268'>268</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I see,&#8221; said the captain. &#8220;He is one of their many revolutions. All
+right. But I wish old man Cortes hadn&#8217;t left his road so narrow and
+steep as they say it is. Tell me all you saw, Crawford. I have other
+accounts, but I want yours. Look at this map and answer my questions.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He held in his hand what purported to be a very rough sketch of the
+highway from the city of Jalapa to the city of Mexico. It also pretended
+to give a fair idea of the section of that road which crossed the
+mountain spur known as Cerro Gordo.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;From there to there,&#8221; said Lee, &#8220;how is it?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Crooked as a rail fence,&#8221; replied Ned. &#8220;It isn&#8217;t like that at all. It&#8217;s
+a zigzag, with rocks on one side and ravines on the other.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Just as I supposed,&#8221; said Lee. &#8220;Now, mark the zigzags on this other
+paper, as well as you can remember them.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They were sitting in Grant&#8217;s tent, in the camp of the Seventh Regiment,
+and the entire advance-guard of the army was encamped in like manner,
+waiting for orders from General Scott to climb the mountains before
+them. Ned took the crayon handed him, and he really appeared to do
+pretty well with it, but he explained that the rough weather and the
+condition of his pony had<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_269' id='pg_269'>269</a></span> compelled him to dismount and come part of
+the way down the mountain on foot, so that he had more time for making
+observations.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;If they put cannon on a breastwork on that road,&#8221; he said, &#8220;they can
+blow anything in front of them all to pieces.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Grant,&#8221; said Lee, &#8220;that&#8217;s just what they can do. Santa Anna has posted
+his artillery at Crawford&#8217;s zigzags, and that Cerro Gordo position
+cannot be carried in front. It is perfectly unassailable.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What on earth are we to do, then?&#8221; said Grant. &#8220;Our only road to Mexico
+seems to be shut and bolted.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know about that,&#8221; said Lee. &#8220;There are others, if we chose to
+try them. But the general has ordered me, with an engineer party, to go
+out and find if there is not some way for getting around Santa Anna&#8217;s
+obstructions. I want you to let Crawford go with me.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;O Lieutenant Grant!&#8221; eagerly exclaimed Ned, &#8220;General Zuroaga told me
+there was another place as good for a road as that is.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Go along, of course,&#8221; said Grant. &#8220;I&#8217;d give a month&#8217;s pay to go with
+you. Anything but this sleepy camp.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned was ready in a minute, but he found<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_270' id='pg_270'>270</a></span> that he was not expected to
+carry with him any other weapon than his machete.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Take that,&#8221; said Captain Lee. &#8220;It will do to cut bushes with. I believe
+I&#8217;ll carry one myself. We shall have a few riflemen, but we must be
+careful not to do any firing. We must scout like so many red Indians.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned had formerly been on the wrong side of the army lines. During all
+the long months of what he sometimes thought of as his captivity among
+the Mexicans, he had been occasionally worried by a feeling of disgrace.
+He had felt it worst when he was a member of the garrison of Vera Cruz,
+and on such remarkably good terms with the rest of the garrison and its
+commander. So he had been exceedingly rejoiced when General Scott
+battered down his walls and compelled him to surrender. It had been a
+grand restoration of his self-respect when he found himself running
+errands for the officers of the Seventh, but now he suddenly felt that
+he had shot up into full-grown manhood, for, with a bush-cutting sword
+at his side, he was to accompany one of the best officers in the
+American army upon an expedition of great importance and much danger.</p>
+
+<p>It was still early in the day when Captain Lee&#8217;s party, all on foot,
+passed through the<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_271' id='pg_271'>271</a></span> outer lines of the American advance, at the base of
+the mountain. All of them were young men, as yet without any military
+fame, and there was no one there who could tell them that their little
+band of roadhunters contained one commander-in-chief and one
+lieutenant-general of the armies of the Southern Confederacy, and one
+commander-in-chief and four major-generals, or corps commanders, of the
+armies of the United States. It was not by such subordinates as these
+that General Santa Anna was assisted in his engineering or other
+military operations. That day, however, and for a few days more, he felt
+perfectly sure of his really well-chosen position among the rocks and
+chasms of the Cerro Gordo.</p>
+
+<p>The engineering party was well aware that its movements might possibly
+be observed from the heights beyond, as long as it remained in the open,
+therefore it wheeled out into the fields as it went onward, and was soon
+lost to view among woodlands.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now, Crawford,&#8221; said Captain Lee, &#8220;recall and tell me, as well as you
+can, all that Zuroaga told you about his proposed new road.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned proceeded to do so, but, at the end of his recollections, he added:<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_272' id='pg_272'>272</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, the general said it would cost a pot of money to do it, now, and
+that Cortes had no gunpowder to throw away. He could not have done any
+rock-blasting.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Our difficulty about that is as bad as his was,&#8221; replied the captain.
+&#8220;We can have all the gunpowder we need, but we can&#8217;t use any of it, for
+fear of letting his Excellency, General Santa Anna, know what we are up
+to. As for the cost of a new road, there is no government in Mexico that
+will think of undertaking it. It would cost as much, almost, as a
+brand-new revolution.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>There was a great deal of hard work done after that, searching,
+climbing, and bush-cutting, and Ned wondered at the ready decisions made
+here and there, by the engineers. It seemed to him, too, that Captain
+Lee and other officers paid a great deal of deference to a young
+lieutenant by the name of McClellan. A small force of riflemen was with
+them and a party of sappers and miners, but there had not been a sign of
+military opposition to the work which they were trying to do.
+Nevertheless, it began to dawn upon Ned&#8217;s mind that sometimes picks and
+spades and crowbars may be as important war weapons as even cannon. That
+is, there may be circumstances<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_273' id='pg_273'>273</a></span> in which guns of any kind are of little
+use until after the other tools have been made to clear the way for
+them.</p>
+
+<p>Night came, and the entire reconnoitring party camped among the cliffs
+of Cerro Gordo, but at about the middle of the next forenoon all the
+officers gathered for a kind of council. They were not yet ready to send
+in a full and final report, but they had formed important conclusions,
+and at the end of the council Ned was called for.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Crawford,&#8221; said Captain Lee, &#8220;take that despatch to Captain Schuyler
+Hamilton, or whoever else is on duty at General Scott&#8217;s headquarters. In
+my opinion, this Zuroaga road will do, after we shall have made it, and
+we can climb around into the rear of the Mexican army. If so, all their
+batteries in the old road are but so many cannon thrown away.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned&#8217;s heart gave a great thump of pride as he took that carefully folded
+and sealed up paper. To carry it was a tremendous honor, and he was not
+half sure that it did not make him, for the time being, a regular member
+of General Scott&#8217;s corps of military engineers. He hastened back to the
+Jalapa highway, and the first advanced post that he came to furnished
+him with a pony. Then he galloped on to the camps and to<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_274' id='pg_274'>274</a></span> the general&#8217;s
+headquarters, as if he had been undergoing no fatigue whatever. He
+seemed to himself, however, to have seen hardly anything or anybody
+until he stood before Captain Hamilton, and held out that vitally
+important despatch. Even then he did not quite understand that it was
+almost as important as had been the surrender of Vera Cruz. But for that
+surrender, the American expedition would have been stopped at the
+seashore. But for this feat of the engineers, it would have been
+disastrously halted at the foot of the Cerro Gordo pass. One minute
+later, Ned&#8217;s heart jumped again, for he heard the deep voice of the
+general himself commanding:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hamilton, bring Crawford in. He seems to know something.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Whether he did or not, he could answer questions quite bravely, and he
+could tell a great many things which had not been set forth in the brief
+report of the engineers. Probably they had not felt ready to say or
+assert too much until they had done and learned more, but Ned was under
+no such restriction, and he thoroughly believed in what he still
+regarded as General Zuroaga&#8217;s road. That is, if somebody like Cortes,
+for instance, could and would afford the necessary amount of gunpowder
+to blast away<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_275' id='pg_275'>275</a></span> the rocks which he had seen were in the way.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That will do,&#8221; said the general, at last. &#8220;You may go, Crawford.
+Captain Hamilton, we have beaten Santa Anna!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>There may have been a slightly arrogant sound in that confident
+assertion, but it was altogether in accord with the positive and
+self-reliant character of General Winfield Scott. He had unbounded faith
+in his own mental resources, and, at the same time, he had perfect
+confidence in the men and officers of his army. It was, therefore, less
+to be wondered at that they on their part entertained an almost absurd
+respect for their martinet commander.</p>
+
+<p>Orders went out immediately for putting all the force which could be
+employed upon the construction of the mountain road. Much of the work
+would have to be performed at night, to keep it secret, and the
+Mexicans, behind their impassable entrenchments on the old Cerro Gordo
+pass, had no idea of the hidden plans of their enemies. Santa Anna
+himself may have believed that his antagonist had given up the hope of
+ever reaching the city of Mexico by that route. The new one, by which he
+did intend to reach it, grew rapidly to completion, and Ned Crawford
+obtained<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_276' id='pg_276'>276</a></span> from his friend Grant repeated permissions to go and see if
+Captain Lee wanted him, and then to come back and report progress to his
+own camp.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Lieutenant Grant&#8217;s a man that hardly ever says anything,&#8221; said Ned to
+himself, &#8220;but he&#8217;s a prime good fellow, and I like him. He says he isn&#8217;t
+much of an engineer, though, and he couldn&#8217;t build that road.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Such a road it was, too, with bridges over chasms, where the builders
+had to climb up and down like so many cats. Even after it was said to be
+complete, it was fit for men only, for not even the most sure-footed
+mule could have passed over it. It was finished on the 17th of April,
+and on the following day General Scott issued his orders for all the
+various parts of the coming battle of Cerro Gordo. Strong bodies of
+infantry were to engage the Mexican front, and keep Santa Anna&#8217;s army
+occupied, while the engineers piloted another and stronger column to the
+real war business of the day. Ned had managed to get himself tangled up
+with this climbing force, if only to see what use was to be made of his
+and Zuroaga&#8217;s new road. The morning came, and even before the sun was up
+some of the troops were moving.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I guess it&#8217;ll be an all-day&#8217;s job,&#8221; thought<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_277' id='pg_277'>277</a></span> Ned, as he and one of the
+engineer officers reached the first steep declivity. &#8220;Hullo! they are
+unhitching those artillery horses. What&#8217;s that for?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He was soon to know, for strong men took the places of the animals, and
+the guns were hauled up and over the mountain by human hands. It was
+severe work, but it was done with eager enthusiasm, and a few hours
+later Ned was able to shout:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hurrah! Here we are, right in behind them. Hurrah for General Scott!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Anything else that he might have felt like saying was drowned in the
+wild cheering which arose from thousands of soldiers, for there was no
+longer any need for silence or secrecy. That part of the Mexican army
+which had been posted beyond the head of the pass was taken utterly by
+surprise. Its commanders were for the moment unable to imagine whence
+had come this numerous body of United States infantry, which appeared so
+suddenly upon their unprotected flank. They therefore retreated, and the
+Mexican army was cut in two, so that all of it which had been stationed
+in the pass itself was caught as in a trap, and compelled to surrender.
+These trapped prisoners were about three thousand in number, and Ned
+kindly remarked concerning them:<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_278' id='pg_278'>278</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, but ain&#8217;t I glad we didn&#8217;t have to kill &#8217;em! We didn&#8217;t catch old
+Santa Anna himself, though. They say the Mexicans made him President for
+the battle of Angostura. I guess they wouldn&#8217;t have done it if they had
+waited till now.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Whether or not he was correct in that calculation, the road to the city
+of Mexico seemed now to be open, unless the unfortunate republic could
+provide its President with another army. As for the American commander,
+his troops had more faith in him than ever, and with better reasons for
+it. It was afterward said that General Scott&#8217;s written orders for the
+battle of Cerro Gordo, and for others which followed, would answer very
+well for full reports of them after they were won.</p>
+
+<p>The whole American army, except the garrison of Vera Cruz and small
+parties posted here and there along the road, had now escaped from the
+<i>tierra caliente</i> and the yellow fever. Immediately after the battle of
+Cerro Gordo, it marched on to the old city of Jalapa, among the
+mountains, where its quarters were cool and comfortable. Not many miles
+beyond Jalapa begins the great central tableland of Anahuac, and it was
+needful that the road leading into it should be taken possession of<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_279' id='pg_279'>279</a></span>
+before the remnant of Santa Anna&#8217;s army should rally and construct
+barriers at positions from which it might prove difficult to drive them.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;If they do,&#8221; thought Ned, when he heard that matter under discussion by
+the soldiers, &#8220;I hope General Scott&#8217;ll send for me and the other
+engineers. I&#8217;d like to trap some more prisoners.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He was not to have any such chance as that, but he was not to be idle
+altogether,&mdash;he and his engineers and his army. The division to which he
+and the Seventh Regiment belonged, under the command of General Worth,
+was shortly ordered on in the advance, to take and hold a strong
+position, known as the town and castle of Perote, and here there was
+indeed a long delay which was not engineered by the military forces of
+Mexico. The politicians and particularly the Congress of the United
+States had interfered very effectively on behalf of President Santa
+Anna. They had spent so much time in debates upon the legislation
+required for the gathering of fresh troops that the terms of enlistment
+of about half of the soldiers under Scott were expiring. It was of no
+use for him to move forward with a steadily vanishing army, and he was
+compelled to wait for months at and about<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_280' id='pg_280'>280</a></span> Perote, until the new men
+could arrive and take the places of those who were going home.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I guess I won&#8217;t enlist,&#8221; thought Ned, as that idea came again and again
+into his mind. &#8220;Neither mother nor father would wish me to do so. But
+I&#8217;m getting to be an old soldier, after all, and I won&#8217;t leave the
+Seventh till it gets into the city of Mexico.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Whether it ever was to accomplish that feat was only to be determined by
+hard fighting, and there came a day, the 7th of August, 1847, when the
+division of General Worth, then encamped at Puebla, received orders to
+go forward. The entire army was to move, and General Scott had about as
+many soldiers with him as when he had landed at Vera Cruz in the spring.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hurrah for the city!&#8221; shouted Ned, when the news reached him. &#8220;I want
+to make a morning call at the Paez house.&#8221;</p>
+
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_281' id='pg_281'>281</a></span>
+<a name='SENtildeOR_CARFORA_TRAPPED_5739' id='SENtildeOR_CARFORA_TRAPPED_5739'></a>
+<h2>CHAPTER XVIII.</h2>
+<h3>SE&Ntilde;OR CARFORA TRAPPED</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p>&#8220;I never saw anything finer than this,&#8221; said Ned, aloud, as he slowly
+turned his telescope from one point to another. &#8220;It is the old
+battle-ground of Cortes, when he and his Spaniards and Tlascalans took
+the city of Mexico. It was called Tenochtitlan, then.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He was standing upon a granite ledge, on the slope of the mountains
+south of the city, and below him the nearest objects of interest were
+the white tents of the American army, encamped there while negotiations
+for peace were going forward between the United States government and
+Santa Anna. These were not progressing well, for the invaders were
+demanding more than any Mexican government could be ready to grant. Not
+only was Texas itself demanded, but with it also all the vast
+Territories of California, New Mexico, and Arizona.<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_282' id='pg_282'>282</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Here we are,&#8221; said Ned again, &#8220;but it has taken us two weeks of awful
+fighting to get here. There isn&#8217;t any use in disputing the pluck of the
+Mexicans. Away yonder is Churubusco, and over there is Contreras. Didn&#8217;t
+they fight us there! General Scott and his engineers laid out the
+battles, but I was with the Seventh everywhere it went. I&#8217;ll have loads
+of yarns to spin when I get home, if I ever do.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Battle after battle had been fought, and the Americans had paid dearly
+for the long delay in the arrival of their reinforcements. All that time
+had been employed by the Mexican President, with really splendid energy,
+in raising a new army and in fortifying the approaches to the city. It
+was almost pitiful to see with what patriotism and self-sacrifice the
+Mexican people rallied for their last hopeless struggle with superior
+power. It was not, however, that they were to contend with superior
+numbers, for the forces under Santa Anna were at least three times those
+under General Scott. The difference was that the latter was a perfect
+army led by a great general, while the former were not an army at all
+and had very few capable officers.</p>
+
+<p>Ned had apparently gazed long enough, and he now made his way down the
+rugged<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_283' id='pg_283'>283</a></span> slope. He did not halt until he reached the door of his own
+tent, and there he was met by his friend and supervisor somewhat tartly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well! You are back, at last, are you? I didn&#8217;t know but what you&#8217;d run
+away. You may come along with me to-night. You may try and see your
+friends. The provision train I am to take in will get out again about
+daylight. You may stay there one day, and come away with a train that
+will run in to-morrow night, but you&#8217;d better wear your Mexican rig, if
+you don&#8217;t mean to have your throat cut.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;All right, sir,&#8221; said Ned. &#8220;I&#8217;ll run the risk.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I might not let you,&#8221; said Grant, &#8220;if you were an enlisted man, but you
+may learn something of value to them and to us, too. Get ready!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The fact was that Ned and his army, commanded for him by General Scott,
+were in a somewhat peculiar position. An armistice had been declared
+while the negotiations were going on, and while, at the same time, the
+power of Santa Anna was crumbling to pieces under him. It had been
+agreed, on both sides, that all military operations should temporarily
+cease, and that American army-trains of wagons might<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_284' id='pg_284'>284</a></span> come into the
+city, with armed escorts, to obtain supplies. After some unpleasant
+experiences with the angry mob of the city, it had been deemed best that
+the trains should come and go in the night, when the unruly Mexican
+soldiers were in their quarters, and the too patriotic citizens were in
+their beds. Ned had several times asked permission to accompany a train,
+and it had been refused, but it was now explained that this train would
+like to have one more man with it who could talk Spanish. When, however,
+an hour or so later, he reported for duty, Lieutenant Grant remarked to
+him:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, yes, you can talk it and you can look it, but you can&#8217;t walk it.
+Don&#8217;t step off so lively, if you mean to pass for a Mexican.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hold on, Grant,&#8221; said another officer, standing near them. &#8220;Don&#8217;t you
+think the Mexicans have been lively enough since we left Perote? I&#8217;ve
+had to step around a good deal myself on their account.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Just so,&#8221; said Grant. &#8220;But that&#8217;s while they&#8217;re fighting. When they&#8217;re
+at anything like work, though, it&#8217;s a different kind of movement. Don&#8217;t
+walk fast, Ned, or they&#8217;ll shoot you for a gringo.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It was nearly midnight when the supply-train,<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_285' id='pg_285'>285</a></span> commanded by Lieutenant
+Grant, entered the city, and an hour was consumed in obtaining the
+supplies and getting them into the wagons, for not a pound of anything
+had been made ready for delivery. No true-hearted Mexican really wished
+to sell provisions to the enemies of his country.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Lieutenant, may I go now?&#8221; asked Ned, as the last wagon prepared to
+move away. &#8220;There isn&#8217;t a patrol in sight, and the Paez place is within
+a few squares from this.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Grant replied only by a wave of the hand, for at that moment he had
+become engaged in a sharp controversy with the one Mexican officer who
+was present on duty for his own side. He had been fairly polite, but he
+had not pretended to be pleased to see gringos in Mexico. Therefore, it
+was almost without express permission that Ned slipped away from his
+train and his escort upon his exceedingly perilous errand.</p>
+
+<p>The streets were dark and deserted, for the heavy-hearted people had
+nothing to call them out of their houses at that hour. Nevertheless, Ned
+was feverishly on the alert, and, almost without his knowing it, his
+machete had jumped out of its sheath, ready for whatever might turn up.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Halt!&#8221; suddenly came from a deep<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_286' id='pg_286'>286</a></span> voice at his right, as he stealthily
+turned a street corner, and a tall form stepped out of the near shadows
+to stand in front of him.</p>
+
+<p>Ned saw the long, bright blade of a lance pointed at his bosom, and
+there seemed but one thing left for him to do. The holder of the lance
+was beyond his reach, even if he had wished to strike him, but the lance
+itself was not. All the strength he had in him seemed to go into the
+sudden blow with which he severed the wooden shaft, an inch or so behind
+its fitting of sharp steel.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Diablos!&#8221; exclaimed the astonished Mexican, as he struck back a heavy
+blow with the cudgel which remained in his hand.</p>
+
+<p>Ned parried as well as he could with his machete, but there was some
+force left in the stick when it reached his head, and down he went. He
+had made a discovery at that very moment, however.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Pablo!&#8221; he exclaimed, just as a second Mexican sprang toward him with a
+long knife in his hand.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Se&ntilde;or Carfora!&#8221; loudly responded Pablo. &#8220;Hold back your knife, Manuelo!
+It is one of our own men. O Santos! My lance! I have no other weapon. I
+told them it was of the soft wood. How are you here, se&ntilde;or?&#8221;</p>
+
+<div class='figcenter' style='width:338px'>
+<a name='illus-003' id='illus-003'></a>
+<img src='images/army-286.jpg' alt='NED SAW A LONG, BRIGHT BLADE OF A LANCE POINTED AT HIS BOSOM' title='' width='338' /><br />
+<span class='caption'><i>NED SAW A LONG, BRIGHT BLADE<br />OF A LANCE POINTED AT HIS BOSOM</i></span>
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_287' id='pg_287'>287</a></span>&#8220;To
+see Se&ntilde;ora Paez and General Zuroaga,&#8221; said Ned. &#8220;Is he in the city?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hush! Be careful, Se&ntilde;or Carfora!&#8221; said Pablo, as Manuelo almost
+reluctantly sheathed his too ready long knife. &#8220;We were waiting here for
+him. He has been to the palace, to meet General Bravo. Our regiment has
+already joined the army, but he is not yet sure about Santa Anna and
+some other men. It is a dark time, se&ntilde;or!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now, Pablo,&#8221; said Ned, &#8220;there isn&#8217;t much to tell about me. I was
+captured when Vera Cruz surrendered. I was with General Morales. I got
+in to-night, and I have a great deal to say to the general and Se&ntilde;ora
+Paez and the Tassaras.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Zuroaga is here now,&#8221; said a low, cautiously speaking voice behind him.
+&#8220;Put up your sword, Carfora, and come along with me. I want to see you
+more than you do me. I must know the latest news from General Scott&#8217;s
+army. Pablo, it was of no use. Santa Anna would make no terms with me,
+but his day is nearly over. Bravo&#8217;s government has rejected the treaty
+offered by the United States, and we are to fight it out to the bitter
+end. The gates have been shut, and there will be no more sending<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_288' id='pg_288'>288</a></span> out of
+supplies. I think the war will begin again to-morrow.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, dear me!&#8221; thought Ned. &#8220;There goes all my chance for getting out
+again until after our army has captured the city. How my head does
+ache!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The rap from Pablo&#8217;s lance-staff had not really injured him, however,
+and all three of them walked on till they reached the Paez place without
+saying another word. Here it was at once evident that they, or, at
+least, the general and Pablo, were waited for. The front door opened to
+admit them, and shut quickly behind them as they passed in.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Se&ntilde;ora Paez,&#8221; said Zuroaga to a shadow in the unlighted hall, &#8220;the
+armistice is ended, but I shall command my Oaxaca regiment in the
+fighting which is now sure to come. Let us all meet in the parlor and
+hear from Se&ntilde;or Carfora the American account of these lost battles.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Carfora?&#8221; she exclaimed. &#8220;Is he here? Oh, how I do wish to hear him! I
+believe we have been told altogether too many lies. Our troops do not
+half know how badly they have been beaten, nor what is the real strength
+of the American army.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They walked on into the parlor, and here there were lights burning, but
+Ned was not<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_289' id='pg_289'>289</a></span> thinking of them. He was gazing at the pale face of a man
+in uniform and on crutches, who came slowly forward between a woman and
+a young girl, with a mournful smile upon his face.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Colonel Tassara!&#8221; exclaimed Ned. &#8220;I knew you were wounded, but are you
+not getting well?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Se&ntilde;or Carfora!&#8221; quickly interrupted Se&ntilde;orita Felicia. &#8220;He was hit in
+the leg by a bullet at Angostura. He had a bayonet wound, too, and they
+thought he would die, but they made him a general&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I am getting better, Carfora,&#8221; said General Tassara, courageously, &#8220;but
+I can do no more fighting just now. I sincerely wish that there might
+not be any. The plans of Santa Anna&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Tassara!&#8221; exclaimed Zuroaga. &#8220;What we heard is true. He is utterly
+ruined. But the peace terms are rejected by all the government we have
+left, and our city defences must soon go down as did those at Cerro
+Gordo, Contreras, and Churubusco. We are to hear more about those
+affairs from Se&ntilde;or Carfora. He was an eye witness of them.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, my dear young friend,&#8221; said Se&ntilde;ora Tassara, &#8220;were you with the
+American army in all those battles?&#8221;<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_290' id='pg_290'>290</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No, not exactly,&#8221; said Ned. &#8220;I was with General Morales at Vera Cruz.
+Then I came on with General Scott all the way from the seacoast to this
+place. He has troops enough now, and he will fight his way in. I&#8217;m real
+sorry about it, too, for no more men need to be killed.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I think the gringos are just terrible,&#8221; said Felicia, as she came over
+and sat down by Ned. &#8220;I want to hear about them. I do hope they won&#8217;t be
+defeated now, though, for if they are nobody can guess who will be
+Emperor of Mexico when they are driven away.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;She is not so far wrong,&#8221; said Tassara, sadly. &#8220;The future of our
+country is all in the dark. Please let us hear your report.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Pablo, of course, had not followed his superiors into the parlor, and
+all who were there were free to discuss the situation. The morning sun
+was looking in at the windows when all of the talk was finished. Ned had
+learned that only the family and a few trusted servants remained in the
+house, but he would have eaten his breakfast with even a more complete
+sense of security from any emissaries of the military authorities if he
+had known how much they had upon their hands that day, the 4th of<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_291' id='pg_291'>291</a></span>
+September, 1847. There had already been a sharp correspondence between
+the commanders of the two armies, and now General Scott himself declared
+the armistice at an end. All the angry patriotism of the Mexican people
+arose to meet the emergency, and every possible preparation was rapidly
+made for the last desperate struggle in defence of their capital. It was
+as if the idea prevailed that, if this American force now here could be
+defeated, the United States would give the matter up, instead of sending
+more troops to the assistance of their first insufficient battalions.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Se&ntilde;or Carfora,&#8221; said Senorita Felicia, &#8220;you must not go out of the
+house. I do not want you to be killed.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That is so,&#8221; added her father. &#8220;As the affair stands now, they would
+surely regard you as a spy. You would be shot without a trial. All is
+confusion. I fear that even General Zuroaga is safe from arrest only
+among his own men. The army is the government. This nation needs a
+change.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;General Tassara,&#8221; said Ned, &#8220;isn&#8217;t our army bringing one?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The war is promising a great deal,&#8221; replied Tassara, gloomily. &#8220;It has
+already delivered us from King Paredes and Santa Anna and from half a
+dozen other military<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_292' id='pg_292'>292</a></span> usurpers. Moreover, all the lands which the United
+States propose to take away will be rescued from any future anarchy and
+will be made some use of. They will be lost to Mexico forever within one
+week from to-day, for we cannot hold the city.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>General Zuroaga had quietly disappeared. Very soon, the Tassara family
+went to their own room. Then not even the servants could tell what had
+become of Se&ntilde;ora Paez. Ned Crawford did not at all know what to do with
+himself. He walked around the rooms below; then he went out to the
+stables and back again, but he was all alone, for Pablo and the Oaxaca
+men had gone to their regiment. He went up to the library and had a
+one-sided talk with the man in armor, but it did not do him any good,
+and he did not care a cent for all the books on the shelves. They could
+tell only of old wars, fought long ago, and here was a real war right on
+hand, that seemed to be wandering all around the house.</p>
+
+<p>During all the long, hot days of the armistice, a kind of dull quiet had
+appeared to brood over the city and its forts and over the camps and
+entrenchments of the besiegers. It had been something like a
+thundercloud, which was all the while growing<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_293' id='pg_293'>293</a></span> blacker and hanging
+lower, and before the end of the first day of renewed hostilities the
+anxious watchers in the city houses could hear something which sounded
+like distant thunder. It was the occasional roar of a gun from one or
+another of the batteries on either side, as a warning of the more
+terrible things which were about to come, and more than once Ned groaned
+to himself:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, how I wish I were out there, with Lieutenant Grant and the Seventh.
+This is worse than being shut up in Vera Cruz. I didn&#8217;t have any
+regiment of my own, then, but now I belong in General Scott&#8217;s army.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Evening came at last, and all of the family was gathered behind the
+lattices of the parlor windows, to watch the detachments of soldiers
+march past, and to wonder where they were going. General Zuroaga was not
+there, but there had been a message from him that there would be a great
+battle in the morning, for the Americans were moving forward.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We are in greater numbers than they are,&#8221; muttered General Tassara.
+&#8220;But we have no General Scott, and we have no officers like his. Almost
+all that we really have is courage and gunpowder, and these are not
+enough to defeat such an attack as he will make. The city is lost
+already!&#8221;</p>
+
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_294' id='pg_294'>294</a></span>
+<a name='THE_STARS_AND_STRIPES_IN_TENOCHTITLAN_6032' id='THE_STARS_AND_STRIPES_IN_TENOCHTITLAN_6032'></a>
+<h2>CHAPTER XIX.</h2>
+<h3>THE STARS AND STRIPES IN TENOCHTITLAN</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p>&#8220;What a roar it is! And so very near! I hope General Scott will not
+bombard this city, as he did Vera Cruz. It would be awful to see
+bombshells falling among these crowds of people!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The American commander had not the slightest idea of doing anything of
+the kind, but there had been almost continuous fighting in the days
+following the termination of the armistice. Perhaps the hardest of it
+had been at Molino del Rey, and the defences there had been carried by
+the assailants. There appeared now to be but the one barrier of the
+Chapultepec hill between them and a final victory.</p>
+
+<p>A hand was on Ned&#8217;s shoulder, and a trembling voice said to him:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, Se&ntilde;or Carfora! Where have you been? I&#8217;m so frightened! Are those
+cannon coming right on into the city?&#8221;<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_295' id='pg_295'>295</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No,&#8221; said Ned, &#8220;but I have been out all day. I went almost everywhere,
+and it seems as if the city were full of wounded men. The soldiers are
+crowding in. Oh, how I wish I knew how things are going!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>There was a sound of sobbing behind them, and in a moment more the arms
+of Se&ntilde;ora Paez were around Felicia.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My darling! My dear little girl!&#8221; she exclaimed. &#8220;Se&ntilde;or Carfora, too!
+The end has come. The Americans have stormed Chapultepec, and the city
+is at their mercy. Alas, for me! General Bravo was taken prisoner, and
+my beloved old friend, Zuroaga, was killed at the head of his regiment.
+We shall never see him again!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned felt as if somebody had struck him a heavy blow. He could not say a
+word for a moment, and then he whispered:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Poor General Zuroaga! Why, I had no idea that he would be killed!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>That is always so after a battle. Those who read the lists of the killed
+and wounded expect to find the names of other people&#8217;s friends there,
+and not the names of those from whom they were hoping to hear an account
+of the victory.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Felicia,&#8221; said the se&ntilde;ora, &#8220;your father and mother are in their room.
+Do not go there just now. You must not go out again,<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_296' id='pg_296'>296</a></span> Se&ntilde;or Carfora. You
+have been running too many risks. Talk with me for awhile.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Whether or not he had been in any danger, it had been impossible for Ned
+to remain in the house during an entire week of military thunder storm,
+and he had ventured out almost recklessly. There had, indeed, been so
+much confusion that little attention had generally been paid to him, and
+he had even gone out through the gates to use his telescope upon the
+distant clouds of smoke and the movements of marching men. He had seen,
+therefore, the steady, irresistible advances of the American troops, and
+he had almost understood that to General Scott the capture of the city
+was merely a matter of mathematical calculation, like an example in
+arithmetic.</p>
+
+<p>He went into the parlor with Se&ntilde;ora Paez and Felicia, and there they
+sat, almost in silence, until long after their usual bedtime, but the
+sound of guns had ceased, for the siege of Mexico was ended.</p>
+
+<p>It was during that night that General Santa Anna, with nearly all that
+was left of his army, marched silently out of the city, and the last
+remnants of his political power passed from him as the American troops
+began to march in, the next morning. Of all the negotiations between the
+remaining<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_297' id='pg_297'>297</a></span> Mexican authorities and General Scott, Ned Crawford knew
+nothing, but there was disorder everywhere, and it would have been more
+perilous than ever for a fellow like him to have been caught in the
+streets by any of the reckless, angry men who swarmed among them. On the
+evening of the 14th of September, nevertheless, he was standing in the
+Paez piazza with Se&ntilde;orita Felicia, and he saw a column of soldiers
+coming up the street.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Se&ntilde;orita!&#8221; he suddenly exclaimed. &#8220;Look! Our flag! Our men! Hurrah!
+Those are the colors of the Seventh! It is my own regiment, and if there
+isn&#8217;t Lieutenant Grant himself!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Do not go!&#8221; she said. &#8220;Do not leave me!&#8221; but she was too late, for he
+had darted away, and in a moment more he was greeted with:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hullo, Ned! I&#8217;m glad you didn&#8217;t make out to get killed. I knew you
+couldn&#8217;t get out, and I&#8217;d about given you up. Is that where you live?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s the house I told you of,&#8221; said Ned. &#8220;They are the best kind of
+people&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Go back there, then,&#8221; commanded the lieutenant. &#8220;Your father is out
+among the hospitals just now, taking care of the wounded, but I want to
+know where to<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_298' id='pg_298'>298</a></span> send him. I&#8217;ll see you again. I must go on to my post.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Back he ran to the piazza, and even Felicia was compelled to admit that
+her friend Se&ntilde;or Carfora&#8217;s own regiment was splendid, as its close ranks
+swung away in such perfect order.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But,&#8221; she said, &#8220;you might have been killed, if you had been with them,
+and I am glad you did not have to kill any of our people.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;So am I,&#8221; said Ned, &#8220;now that it is all over. I guess this is the end
+of the war. But how I shall miss poor General Zuroaga!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Rapidly and prudently, General Scott was occupying the city and
+restoring order. With such wisdom and moderation did he perform his
+duties as military governor that almost immediately the previously
+distressed inhabitants began to regard the arrival of the United States
+army as a positive blessing. At the same time, it was obvious to
+everybody that months might be required for the necessary peace
+negotiations. A new and firm Mexican government would have to be
+established, and much difficult legislation would be called for on the
+part of the Congress of the United States, since that body was to
+appropriate large sums of<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_299' id='pg_299'>299</a></span> money in payment for the territory to be
+acquired from Mexico.</p>
+
+<p>During three whole days, Ned went from camp to camp and from hospital to
+hospital, in search of his father, but Mr. Crawford had heard tidings of
+his son which satisfied him, and he stuck to his wounded soldiers. It
+was not, therefore, until the afternoon of the third day that Ned found
+a grand reception prepared for him in the parlor of the Paez mansion.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Father!&#8221; he shouted, as he hurried in, after Felicia, at the door, had
+warned him of what was before him. &#8220;Hurrah! Here I am!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>What happened or was said next, he did not know until he felt himself
+somewhat roughly shaken by somebody, and was forced to exclaim:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hullo, Captain Kemp! Are you here, too? I declare!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Here I am,&#8221; said the captain, &#8220;and I&#8217;m going to take you and your
+father back to New York on the ship that brought us. You have been in
+Mexico long enough.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned did not so much as have time to hurrah again before Se&ntilde;ora Tassara
+came forward to say to him:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That is not all, Se&ntilde;or Carfora. For the sake of my husband&#8217;s health,
+and for other<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_300' id='pg_300'>300</a></span> reasons, he and I and Felicia and Se&ntilde;ora Paez are
+intending to spend our next winter in the United States. We have
+accepted your father&#8217;s invitation to be passengers with you. What do you
+think of that?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Ned could hardly say what he thought, but he tried to, and perhaps his
+best effort was made when he said to Felicia:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Isn&#8217;t it tip-top! I&#8217;ll show you all over the city,&mdash;but I&#8217;m afraid you
+will get awfully seasick on the way. I did at first.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;She will have to run the risk of that,&#8221; laughed her mother, but after
+Ned&#8217;s long conference with his father was ended, she and Ned spent the
+rest of the evening in a discussion of the sights which were to be seen
+in the great city of the Americans.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There would be no use in your remaining here now,&#8221; Mr. Crawford had
+said to Ned. &#8220;My business with the army will run right along for a time,
+but nothing else can be done until all things are quiet and settled.
+Then we may try and find out what good your Mexican experience has done
+you.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Crawford went away at a late hour, but Ned was out of the house
+early enough the next morning. He had a strong notion in his head, and
+it led him to the grand plaza, to stand in front of the government<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_301' id='pg_301'>301</a></span>
+building which had been the headquarters of so many different kinds of
+governments of Mexico. It was really a fine and costly affair, but the
+Mexican national banner was no longer floating from its tall flagstaff.
+Instead of it was a broad and beautiful Stars and Stripes, and it had
+never before appeared to Ned so very beautiful.</p>
+
+<p>He was gazing up at that evidence that the city was in the hands of
+General Scott and his army, when a voice that he knew hailed him with:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hullo, youngster! That&#8217;s our flag. Where&#8217;s your friend Grant? Have you
+seen him?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Captain Lee!&#8221; exclaimed Ned. &#8220;Yes, I&#8217;ve seen him. He&#8217;s all right.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;So I hear,&#8221; said Lee. &#8220;And they say he distinguished himself at Molino
+del Rey. His regiment lost a number of men, too.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well,&#8221; said Ned, &#8220;I wasn&#8217;t with my regiment in these battles here, but
+I&#8217;m glad that my army has taken Mexico. Grant&#8217;s a splendid fellow.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My regiment! My army!&#8221; laughed Captain Lee. &#8220;All right; that&#8217;s the way
+every American boy ought to feel. I guess you are right about Grant,
+too. He may be heard of again some day.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Tell you what,&#8221; said Ned. &#8220;When I<span class='pagenum'><a name='pg_302' id='pg_302'>302</a></span> get to New York, I mean to join one
+of our city regiments as soon as I can. Then, if there ever is another
+war, I&#8217;m going to join him. I&#8217;d like to serve under him.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Good!&#8221; said Lee. &#8220;And then I may hear of Colonel Crawford, of Grant&#8217;s
+Division, United States Volunteers. Good-by. Take care of yourself.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:3em; text-align:center;'>THE END</p>
+
+<hr class='pagebreak' />
+
+<table summary='' style='font-size: smaller; border-collapse:collapse; border: 1px solid black; margin:auto; width:30em;'>
+  <tr><td align='center' style='padding-bottom:0.7em'>
+    <span style='font-size: 200%;'>W. O. Stoddard&#8217;s Books</span>
+  </td></tr>
+  <tr><td>
+    <div style='margin-left:2%; margin-right:2%'>
+    <p class='s j' style='margin-left:1em; text-indent:-1em; margin-top:0.5em;'><b>AHEAD OF THE ARMY.</b> Four illustrations by C. Chase Emerson. 12mo.
+    Pictorial cover in color. Price, $1.00, net; postpaid, $1.15.</p>
+    <p class='s j'>This is a lively narrative of the experiences of an American boy who
+    arrives in Mexico as the war with the United States is beginning, is
+    thrown into contact with such young officers as Lieutenant Grant and
+    Captains Lee and McClellan, all of them destined to become famous later
+    in American military history.</p>
+    <p class='s j' style='margin-left:1em; text-indent:-1em; margin-top:0.5em;'><b>THE ERRAND BOY OF ANDREW JACKSON: A War Story of 1812.</b> Illustrated by
+    Will Crawford. Cloth, 12mo, $1.00, net; postpaid, $1.12.</p>
+    <p class='s j'>This tale is of the War of 1812, and describes the events of the only
+    land campaign of 1812-1814 in which the Americans were entirely
+    successful.</p>
+    <p class='s j' style='margin-left:1em; text-indent:-1em; margin-top:0.5em;'><b>JACK MORGAN: A Boy of 1812.</b> Illustrated by Will Crawford. 12mo, cloth,
+    postpaid, $1.25.</p>
+    <p class='s j'>It is the adventures of a boy of the frontier during the great fight
+    that Harrison made on land, and Perry on the lakes, for the security of
+    the border.</p>
+    <p class='s j' style='margin-left:1em; text-indent:-1em; margin-top:0.5em;'><b>THE NOANK&#8217;S LOG: A Privateer of the Revolution.</b> Illustrated by Will
+    Crawford. 12mo, postpaid, $1.25.</p>
+    <p class='s j'>The further adventures of the plucky Guert Ten Eyck, as he fought King
+    George on land and sea.</p>
+    <p class='s j' style='margin-left:1em; text-indent:-1em; margin-top:0.5em;'><b>THE DESPATCH BOAT OF THE WHISTLE: A Story of Santiago.</b> Illustrated by
+    Frank T. Merrill. 12mo, postpaid, $1.25.</p>
+    <p class='s j'>A breezy story of a newspaper despatch boat, in the war with Spain.</p>
+    <p class='s j' style='margin-left:1em; text-indent:-1em; margin-top:0.5em;'><b>GUERT TEN EYCK.</b> Illustrated by Frank T. Merrill. 12mo; postpaid, $1.25.</p>
+    <p class='s j'>A hero story of real American girls and boys, in the American
+    Revolution.</p>
+    <p class='s j' style='margin-left:1em; text-indent:-1em; margin-top:0.5em;'><b>THE PARTNERS.</b> Illustrated by Albert Scott Cox. 12mo, postpaid, $1.25.</p>
+    <p class='s j'>A capital story of a bright, go-ahead country girl and two boys who
+    helped her keep store.</p>
+    <p class='s j' style='margin-left:1em; text-indent:-1em; margin-top:0.5em;'><b>CHUCK PURDY: A New York Boy.</b> Illustrated. 12mo, postpaid, $1.25.</p>
+    <p class='s j'>A delightful story of boy life in New York City.</p>
+    <p class='s j' style='margin-left:1em; text-indent:-1em; margin-top:0.5em;'><b>GID GRANGER: A Country Boy.</b> Illustrated. 12mo, postpaid, $1.25.</p>
+    <p class='s j' style='margin-bottom:1em;'>A capital story of American life.</p>
+    </div>
+    </td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr style=' border-top:1px solid black; text-align:center; font-size:140%;'>
+    <td align='center'>Lothrop Publishing Company&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Boston</td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+
+<hr class='pagebreak' />
+
+<table summary='' style='font-size: smaller; border-collapse:collapse; border: 1px solid black; margin:auto; width:30em;'>
+  <tr><td align='center' style='padding-bottom:0.7em'>
+    <span style='font-size: 200%;'>George Cary Eggleston&#8217;s Juveniles</span>
+  </td></tr>
+  <tr><td>
+    <div style='margin-left:2%; margin-right:2%'>
+
+    <p class='l c' style='margin-left:1em; text-indent:-1em; margin-top:0.5em;'>The Bale Marked Circle X</p>
+    <p class='c'>A Blockade Running Adventure</p>
+    <p class='c s' style='margin-left:1em; text-indent:-1em; margin-top:0.5em;'>Illustrated by C. Chase Emerson.
+        12mo, red cloth, illustrated<br />cover. Net, $1.20. Postpaid, $1.35.</p>
+    <p class='s j'>Another of Mr. Eggleston&#8217;s stirring books for youth. In it are told the
+    adventures of three boy soldiers in the Confederate Service who are sent
+    in a sloop on a secret voyage from Charleston to the Bahamas, conveying
+    a strange bale of cotton which holds important documents. The boys pass
+    through startling adventures: they run the blockade, suffer shipwreck,
+    and finally reach their destination after the pluckiest kind of effort.</p>
+
+    <p class='l c' style='margin-left:1em; text-indent:-1em; margin-top:0.5em;'>Camp Venture</p>
+    <p class='c'>A Story of the Virginia Mountains</p>
+    <p class='c s' style='margin-left:1em; text-indent:-1em; margin-top:0.5em;'>Illustrated by W. A. McCullough.
+        12mo, dark red cloth,<br />illustrated cover, $1.50.</p>
+    <p class='s j'>The <i>Louisville Courier Journal</i> says: &#8220;George Cary Eggleston has
+    written a decidedly good tale of pluck and adventure in &#8216;Camp Venture.&#8217;
+    It will be of interest to young and old who enjoy an exciting story, but
+    there is also a great deal of instruction and information in the book.&#8221;</p>
+
+    <p class='l c' style='margin-left:1em; text-indent:-1em; margin-top:0.5em;'>The Last of the Flatboats</p>
+    <p class='c'>A Story of the Mississippi</p>
+    <p class='c s' style='margin-left:1em; text-indent:-1em; margin-top:0.5em;'>Illustrated by Charlotte Harding.
+        12mo, green cloth, illustrated cover, $1.50.</p>
+    <p class='s j' style='margin-bottom:1em'>The <i>Brooklyn Eagle</i> says: &#8220;Mr. George Cary Eggleston, the veteran
+    editor and author, has scored a double success in his new book, &#8216;The
+    Last of the Flatboats,&#8217; which has just been published. Written primarily
+    as a story for young readers, it contains many things that are of
+    interest to older people. Altogether, it is a mighty good story, and
+    well worth reading.&#8221;</p>
+
+    </div>
+    </td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr style=' border-top:none; text-align:center; font-size:140%;'>
+    <td align='center'>Lothrop Publishing Company&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Boston</td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Ahead of the Army, by W. O. Stoddard
+
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+</pre>
+
+</body>
+</html>
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Ahead of the Army, by W. O. Stoddard
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Ahead of the Army
+
+Author: W. O. Stoddard
+
+Illustrator: C. Chase Emerson
+
+Release Date: December 5, 2007 [EBook #23744]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AHEAD OF THE ARMY ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+AHEAD OF THE ARMY
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+[Illustration: IT WAS SEVERE WORK, BUT IT WAS DONE WITH EAGER ENTHUSIASM
+(See page 277)]
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+AHEAD OF THE ARMY
+
+by W. O. STODDARD
+
+AUTHOR OF "THE ERRAND BOY OF ANDREW JACKSON," "JACK MORGAN,"
+"THE NOANK'S LOG," ETC.
+
+ILLUSTRATED BY
+C. CHASE EMERSON
+
+BOSTON
+LOTHROP PUBLISHING COMPANY
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+COPYRIGHT, 1903, by LOTHROP PUBLISHING COMPANY.
+ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
+
+Published June, 1903
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+PREFACE
+
+Lest any one should suspect exaggeration in the pictures of Mexican
+affairs in the old time, which are presented by Senor Carfora, it may be
+well to offer a few facts by way of explanation. During sixty-three
+years of the national life of the Republic of Mexico, from the
+establishment of its independence in 1821 to the year 1884, nearly all
+of its successive changes of government were accompanied by more or less
+violence and bloodshed. There have been fifty-five Mexican Presidents;
+at one revolutionary period, four within three months, and to this list
+must be added two emperors and one regency. Both of the emperors were
+shot, so were several of the Presidents, and nearly all of the others
+incurred the penalty of banishment. How this came to be so will possibly
+be better understood by the young Americans who will kindly travel with
+Senor Carfora and his generals and his two armies, commanded for him by
+General Scott and General Santa Anna. It is the wish of the author that
+all his young friends may cultivate a deeper and kinder interest in the
+wonderful land of Anahuac and its people. The now peaceful and rapidly
+improving republic of the South is, in fact, only a kind of younger
+brother of the United States. Mexico has no more sincere well-wisher
+than
+
+                                                    William O. Stoddard.
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+CONTENTS
+                                                                    Page
+
+Far-away Guns                                                         11
+The Race of the Goshawk                                               22
+The Fortune of War                                                    47
+Completely Stranded                                                   69
+The Work of the Norther                                               84
+Forward, March                                                        99
+The Land of the Montezumas                                           119
+Out of the Tierra Caliente                                           136
+Leaving the Hacienda                                                 157
+Pictures of the Past                                                 167
+Ned's News                                                           181
+A Storm Coming                                                       193
+The Revolution                                                       207
+The Despatch-bearer                                                  221
+Under Fire                                                           240
+General Scott and His Army                                           254
+The Mountain Passes                                                  267
+Senor Carfora Trapped                                                281
+The Stars and Stripes in Tenochtitlan                                294
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+                                                                    Page
+
+It was severe work, but it was done with eager enthusiasm   Frontispiece
+"Do you see that? What does it mean?"                                 30
+"We have orders to take care of you"                                 114
+Ned saw a long, bright blade of a lance pointed at his bosom         286
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+
+
+AHEAD OF THE ARMY
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+FAR-AWAY GUNS
+
+
+"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
+
+The long surges of the Gulf of Mexico were beating heavily upon the
+sandy beach of Point Isabel, but the dull and boding sounds were not the
+roar of the surf. There came a long silence, and then another boom. Each
+in succession entered the white tents of the American army on the
+upland, carrying with it a message of especial importance to all who
+were within. It was also of more importance to the whole world than any
+man who heard it could then have imagined. It spoke to the sentries at
+their posts, and compelled them to turn and listen. It halted all
+patrolling and scouting parties, making them stand still to utter sudden
+exclamations. More than one mounted officer reined in his horse to
+hear, and then wheeled to spur away toward the tent of General Zachary
+Taylor, commanding the forces of the United States upon the Rio Grande.
+
+In one small tent, in the camp of the Seventh Infantry, the first boom
+stirred up a young man who had been sleeping, and he may have been
+dreaming of home. He was in the uniform of a second lieutenant, and in
+one respect he was exactly like all the other younger officers and most
+of the men of that army, for never before had they heard the sound of a
+hostile cannon. War was new to them, and they were not aware how many of
+them were now entering a preparatory school in which they were to be
+trained for service in a war of vastly greater proportions and for the
+command of its contending armies, on either side.
+
+Up sprang the young lieutenant and stepped to the door of his tent. He
+was short, strongly built, and his alert, vigorous movements indicated
+unusual nerve, vitality, and muscular strength.
+
+"Grant, my boy," he muttered to himself, "that comes from the fort! The
+Mexicans are attacking! It's more than twenty miles away. I didn't know
+you could hear guns as far as that, but the wind's in the right
+direction. Hurrah! The war has begun!"
+
+He was only half right. The war had been begun long years before by
+aggressive American settlers in the Spanish-Mexican State of Texas. Now,
+at last, the United States had taken up the same old conflict, and only
+about half of the American people at all approved of it.
+
+Grant did not linger in front of his tent. He walked rapidly away to
+where stood a group of officers, hardly any of them older than himself.
+
+"Meade," he demanded of one of them, "what do you think of that?"
+
+"I think I don't know how long that half-finished fort can hold out,"
+responded Lieutenant Meade, and half a dozen other voices instantly
+agreed with him as to the perils surrounding the small besieged
+garrison.
+
+It was hardly possible, they said, that it could hold out until the
+arrival of the main army. This, too, would have to fight all the way
+against superior numbers, but that was a thing which it could do, and
+they were all wild with eagerness to be on the march, in answer to the
+summons of those far-away guns.
+
+There were no railroads to speak of, and only the first small beginnings
+of telegraphs in the year 1846. The news of the first fighting would
+therefore be slow in reaching the President and Congress at Washington,
+so that they might lawfully make what is called a formal declaration of
+war. Much had already been taken for granted, but the American
+government was at that hour anxiously leaning southward and listening
+for the expected roar of Mexican cannon. It came, as rapidly as General
+Taylor could send it. A swift despatch-boat, with all her canvas up,
+went speeding across the gulf to New Orleans. Thence, in the hands of
+special couriers, it would gallop all the remaining distance. Meantime,
+the struggle at the Rio Grande frontier would continue, just as if all
+the legal arrangements had been made, but it would be weeks before
+Europe could be advised of what was going on. All this, too, when this
+fight over the annexation of Texas was about to lift the Republic into a
+foremost place among the nations. It was to give her all the Pacific
+coast which she now has, except Oregon and Alaska, with the gold of
+California and the silver of the mountains. Among its consequences were
+to be the terrible Civil War, the abolition of slavery, the acquisition
+of the Sandwich Islands, and many another vast change in the history of
+our country and in that of these very European nations which were then
+ignorantly sitting still and thinking little about it, because they had
+no ocean cable telegraphs to outrun the swift clipper ships.
+
+There were couriers racing inland in all directions to tell the people
+of Mexico, also, that war had come, but the despatches of the general
+commanding their forces on the Texas border were carried by a swift
+schooner from Matamoras, on the coast, directly to Vera Cruz. A
+messenger from that port had before him a gallop of only two hundred and
+sixty miles to the city of Mexico. President Paredes, therefore, had
+full information of the attack on the American fort sooner than did
+President Polk by a number of very important days.
+
+These were bright May days, and during all of them there were other
+things going on which had a direct relation to the cannon-firing and the
+siege. For instance, all the commerce between Mexico and the rest of the
+world was deeply interested, and so were all the warships of the United
+States, which were prepared to interfere with that commerce pretty soon,
+and shut it off. There were merchant vessels at sea to whose captains
+and owners it was a serious question whether or not cruisers carrying
+the Stars and Stripes would permit them to reach their intended port
+and deliver their cargoes. Whatever may have been the case with all the
+rest of these vessels, one of them in particular appeared to be rushing
+along in a great hurry at the very hour when Lieutenant Grant woke up so
+suddenly and walked out of his tent.
+
+She carried an American flag, somewhat tattered, and she was spreading
+quite as much canvas as a prudent skipper might have considered safe
+under the strong gale that was blowing. She was bark-rigged, of about
+four hundred tons burden, and was headed westward in the Nicholas
+Channel, off the northerly coast of the Island of Cuba. There was a high
+sea running, but the ship stood up well, and the few men who were on
+deck could get about easily. Even a boy of apparently not over
+seventeen, who came to a halt near the mainmast, managed to keep his
+balance with some help from a rope. That he did so was a credit to him,
+and it helped to give him a sailor-like and jaunty air. So did his blue
+trousers, blue flannel shirt with a wide collar, and the sidewise pitch
+of his tarpaulin hat. He might as well have remarked aloud that he was
+one of those boys who are up to almost anything, and who think small
+potatoes of a mere storm at sea. Near him, however, stood a pair of men,
+either of whom might have felt as much at home under another flag than
+the one which was now fluttering its damaged bunting above them. The
+shorter of the two was a very dark-faced gentleman of perhaps forty,
+with piercing black eyes. In spite of his civilian dress, he wore an
+expression that was decidedly warlike, or soldierly.
+
+"Captain Kemp," he said to his companion, "will you be good enough to
+tell me why we are in the Nicholas Channel?"
+
+"No, Senor Zuroaga," growled the large-framed, roughly rigged and
+grim-looking sailor. "I'm cap'n o' this ship, and I don't give
+explanations. We've had gales on gales since we left port. One course is
+as good as another, if you're not losing distance. We'll reach Vera Cruz
+now three or four days sooner than we reckoned. All those war insurance
+risks were paid for for nothing."
+
+"I'm not so sure of that," was slowly and thoughtfully responded. "Not
+if one of Uncle Sam's officers should get a look into the hold of this
+ship."
+
+"You're a Mexican, anyhow," said Captain Kemp, surlily. "You know enough
+to keep your mouth shut. You don't really have to know anything about
+the cargo. Besides, it was peace when we sailed. We shall make a safe
+landing,--if nothing happens on the way."
+
+"Captain," said the Mexican, "it does not take long to make a
+declaration of war when both sides are determined to have one."
+
+"You're wrong there, Senor Zuroaga," replied the captain, emphatically.
+"Mexico doesn't want a brush with the States. She isn't strong enough.
+The Yankees can whip her out of Texas any day."
+
+"That is not the point at all," replied Zuroaga, sadly. "The fact is,
+the Texan Yankees want a war for revenge, and the American party in
+power would like to annex a great deal more than Texas. President
+Paredes needs a war to keep himself in power and help him put on a
+crown. Old Santa Anna wants a war to give him a chance to return from
+exile and get control of the army. If we ever do reach Vera Cruz, we
+shall hear of fighting when we get there."
+
+"Perhaps," said the captain, "but it will be only a short war, and at
+the end of it the United States will have stolen Texas."
+
+"No, senor," said Zuroaga, with a fierce flash in his eyes. "All
+educated Mexicans believe that Texas or any other of the old Spanish
+provinces has a right to set up for itself. Almost every State has
+actually tried it. We have had revolution after revolution."
+
+"Anarchy after anarchy!" growled the captain. "Such a nation as that
+needs a king of some kind, or else the strong hand of either England or
+France or the United States."
+
+"Mexico! A nation!" exclaimed Senor Zuroaga, after a moment of silence.
+"We are not a nation yet. Within our boundaries there are several
+millions of ignorant Indians, peons, rancheros and the like, that are
+owned rather than ruled by a few scores of rich landholders who
+represent the old Spanish military grants. Just now President Paredes is
+able to overawe as many of these chiefs as he and others have not
+murdered. So he is President, or whatever else he may choose to call
+himself. The mere title is nothing, for the people do not know the
+difference between one and another. Now, Captain Kemp, one sure thing is
+that the Yankees have taken Texas and mean to keep it. They will fight
+for it. One other sure thing is that General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna
+will come back if he can, to carry on that war and supersede Paredes.
+If he does so, there is danger ahead for some men. He will settle with
+all his old enemies, and he loves bloodshed for its own sake. When he
+cannot be killing men, he will sit in a cockpit all day, just for the
+pleasure of seeing the birds slaughtering one another. I believe he had
+my own father shot quite as much for love of murder as for the
+opportunity it gave him for confiscating our family estates in Oaxaca."
+
+"You seem to have enough to hate him for, anyhow, and I don't blame
+you," replied the captain, as he turned away to give some orders to the
+sailors, and all the while the boy who stood near them had been
+listening.
+
+"Well, Ned Crawford," he muttered to himself, "that's it, is it? Father
+didn't seem to believe there would be any war. He said there would be
+plenty of time, anyhow, for this old _Goshawk_ bark to make the round
+trip to New York by way of Vera Cruz."
+
+A great lurch of the ship nearly swung him off his feet just then, and
+he was holding on very firmly to his rope when he added:
+
+"He said I'd learn a great deal all the way, and I shouldn't wonder if
+I'm learning something new just now. What do they mean by that
+dangerous cargo in the hold, and our being captured by American ships of
+war? That's a thing father didn't know anything about. I guess I can see
+how it is, though. Captain Kemp isn't an American, and he'd do almost
+anything to make money. Anything honest, I mean. How it does blow! Well,
+let her blow! Father said he was putting me into a first-rate commercial
+school, and here I am right in the middle of it."
+
+Ned was indeed at school, and he seemed likely to have unexpected
+teachers, but so is every other wide-awake young fellow, just like
+Ulysses Grant and his crowd of young associates in their hot weather war
+school over there on the Texas border.
+
+Senor Zuroaga also had now walked away, and Ned was left to hold by his
+rope, looking out upon the tossing sea and wondering more and more what
+sort of adventures he and the _Goshawk_ might be so swiftly racing on
+into.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+THE RACE OF THE GOSHAWK
+
+
+A long day had passed and a dark night had come. The air of it was hot
+and sultry over all the regions around the Gulf of Mexico. Something
+appeared to be weighing it down, as if it might be loaded with the great
+events which were about to come.
+
+It was gloomy enough at and around the besieged American fort on the
+Texas side of the Rio Grande, but every now and then the darkness and
+the silence were broken by the flashes and thunders of the Mexican
+artillery, and the responses of the cannon of the bravely defended
+fortress. This was already partly in ruins, and the besiegers had good
+reasons for their expectation that in due season they were to see the
+Stars and Stripes come down from the shattered rampart. It did not seem
+to them at all possible that the small force under General Taylor,
+twenty miles away at the seaside, could cut through overwhelming
+numbers to the relief of the garrison.
+
+It was just as dark in the American camp on the coast, but there were
+many campfires burning, and by the light of these and numberless
+lanterns there were busy preparations making for the forward march,
+which was to begin in the morning. There was an immense amount of
+anxiety in the minds of all the Americans who were getting ready, but it
+was only on account of the fort and garrison, for that little army had a
+remarkable degree of confidence in its own fighting capacity.
+
+It is never as dark on the land, apparently, as it is at sea, where even
+the lights hung out by a ship seem to make all things darker, except the
+white crests of the billows. One ship's lantern, however, was so hung
+that it threw down a dim light upon a pair who were sitting on the deck
+near the stern.
+
+"Senor Zuroaga," said one of them, "I wish it was daylight."
+
+"So do I," responded his companion, with hardly a trace of foreign
+accent. "The storm's nearly over, but I had so much on my mind that I
+could not sleep. The fact is, I came up to try and make up my mind where
+we are. I must reach Vera Cruz before Santa Anna does, if I can. If I
+do not, I may be shot after landing. I shall be safer, too, after
+President Paredes has marched with his army for the Rio Grande. So I
+hope for war. Anyhow, the commander at Vera Cruz is a friend of mine."
+
+"I guess I understand," said Ned. "I heard what you said about the way
+things are going. But what did you mean about our being in the Nicholas
+Channel? What has that got to do with it?"
+
+"Talk Spanish!" replied the senor, with whom the boy appeared to be upon
+good terms. "I do not want any of those sailors to understand me, though
+I'm very glad that you can. How did that happen?"
+
+"Well," said Ned, "father's been all his life in the Cuban and Mexican
+trade, and I'm to grow up into it. I can't remember just when they began
+to teach me Spanish. I was thinking about the war, though. If it's
+coming, I want to see some of the fighting."
+
+"You may see more than you will like," said his friend in his own
+tongue. "Now, as to where we are, remember your geography."
+
+"I can remember every map in it," said Ned, confidently.
+
+"Good!" said the senor. "Now! You know that the Gulf Stream runs along
+the coast of Florida. Our road from Liverpool to the gulf was to have
+taken us by that way. Instead of that, we came around below the Bahama
+Islands, and here we are off the north coast of Cuba. Captain Kemp's
+reason is that there might be too many American cruisers along the
+Florida coast, and he does not care to be stopped by one of them, if the
+war has already begun. We would not be allowed to go any further."
+
+"I see," said Ned. "Of course not. They would stop us, to keep us from
+being captured by the Mexicans when we got to Vera Cruz."
+
+"Not exactly," said the senor, half laughing, "but it might cost your
+father and his partners their ship and cargo. That is the secret the
+sailors are not to know. Away up northward there, a hundred miles or so,
+are the Florida Keys, and among them is the United States naval station
+at Key West. There are ships of war there, and Captain Kemp will not
+sail any nearer to them than he can help. Ned, did you have any idea
+that you were sitting over a Mexican powder-magazine?"
+
+"No!" exclaimed Ned. "What on earth do you mean?"
+
+"I think I had better tell you," said the senor. "I half suspected it
+before we sailed, and I learned the whole truth afterward. The New York
+and Liverpool firm that your father belongs to sent on board an honest
+and peaceable cargo, but there was a good deal of room left in the hold,
+and the captain filled it up with cannon-balls, musket-bullets, and
+gunpowder from the English agents of no less a man than General Santa
+Anna himself. It is all for his army, whenever he gets one, but it goes
+first to the castle of San Juan de Ulua, at Vera Cruz. If war has been
+declared, or if it has in any way begun, the whole thing is what they
+call contraband of war, and the _Goshawk_ is liable to be captured and
+confiscated."
+
+"Phew!" whistled Ned. "Wonder how father'd like that! Anyhow, we don't
+know there's any war."
+
+"We'd be in trouble anyhow," said the senor. "But we are all in the dark
+about it. We have been over three weeks on the way, and all the war news
+we had when we started was nearly a month old. We can only guess what
+has been going on. Here we are, though, in a storm that is driving us
+along first-rate into the Gulf of Mexico. We may be four days' sail from
+Vera Cruz in a bee-line, and the _Goshawk_ is a racer, but we may not be
+able to make a straight course. Well, well, the captain will keep on all
+the canvas that's safe, and we may get there. Hullo! the day is
+beginning to dawn. Now our real danger begins."
+
+He said no more, and Ned walked forward with something altogether new on
+his mind. An American boy, crammed full of patriotism, and wishing that
+he were in General Taylor's army, he was, nevertheless, by no fault of
+his own, one of the crew of a ship which was carrying ammunition to the
+enemy. He almost felt as if he were fighting his own country, and it
+made him sick. He had an idea, moreover, that Senor Zuroaga was only
+half willing to help his old enemy Santa Anna.
+
+"I don't care if Captain Kemp is an Englishman," he said to himself, "he
+had no business to run father and his partners into such a scrape."
+
+That might be so, and perhaps neither Kemp, nor Zuroaga, nor even Ned
+himself, knew all about the laws of war which govern such cases, but
+just then there flashed across his mind a very dismal suggestion, as he
+stared down at the deck he stood on.
+
+"What," he asked himself, "if any accident should touch off those
+barrels of powder down there? Why, we'd all be blown sky-high and
+nobody'd ever know what had become of us. There'd be nothing but chips
+left."
+
+He tried not to think about that, and went below to get his breakfast,
+while Captain Kemp ordered his sailors to send up another sail,
+remarking to Senor Zuroaga:
+
+"We must make the most we can of this wind. Every hour counts now. I'll
+take the _Goshawk_ to Vera Cruz, or I'll run her under water."
+
+"Have you any idea where we are just now?" asked the senor.
+
+"Well on into the gulf," said the captain, cheerfully. "We made a
+splendid run in the night, thanks to the gale. I hope it will blow on,
+and I think there is no danger of our being overhauled until we are off
+the Mexican coast. I wish, though, that I knew whether or not the war
+has actually been declared."
+
+"The declaration isn't everything," replied the senor. "If there has
+been any fighting at all, American cruisers have a right, after that,
+to question ships bound for a hostile port, and to stop and seize all
+contraband of war. After goods are once seized, it isn't easy to get
+them back again."
+
+"Sail ho!" came down from aloft at that moment.
+
+"Where away?" called back the captain.
+
+"Northerly, sir. Looks like a shark, sir."
+
+"Can you make out her flag?" was inquired, almost anxiously.
+
+The man on the lookout plied his telescope a full half-minute before he
+responded:
+
+"Stars and Stripes, sir. Sloop-o'-war, sir. She's changin' her course,
+and she's makin' for us, I reckon."
+
+"Let her head!" growled the captain. "This bark'll bear more sail. Hoist
+away there, men. Let her have it! Senor, there's one thing I'll do right
+off. It may be our best chance if she should overhaul us."
+
+He did not explain his meaning just then, but another sail went up and
+something else came down. In a few minutes more, when Ned came on deck
+again, he suddenly felt worse than ever. Not long before, when the sun
+was rising, he had been on an American ship, with the flag of his
+country flying above him, but now his first glance aloft drew from him a
+loud exclamation, for he found that while below he had apparently been
+turned into an Englishman, and away up yonder the gale was playing with
+the Red Cross banner of the British Empire. He stared at it for a
+moment, and then he made an excited rush for Senor Zuroaga. He might
+have reached him sooner, but for a lurch of the _Goshawk_, which sent
+him sprawling full length upon the deck. It did not hurt him much,
+however, and as soon as he was on his feet, he blurted out, angrily:
+
+"Senor! I say! Do you see that? What does it mean?"
+
+The Mexican laughed aloud, but not only Ned Crawford but several of the
+sailors were eyeing that unexpected bunting with red and angry faces.
+They also were Americans, and they had national prejudices.
+
+"You don't like the British flag, eh?" he said. "I do, then, just now.
+An American cruiser would not fire a shot at that flag half so quick as
+it would at your own."
+
+"Why wouldn't she?" asked Ned.
+
+[Illustration: "DO YOU SEE THAT? WHAT DOES IT MEAN?"]
+
+"Because," said the senor, a little dryly, "the American skipper hasn't
+any British navy behind him, ready to take the matter up. It's a
+protection in case we can't outrun that sloop-of-war. The men won't care
+a cent, as soon as they know it's only a sea dodge to get into port
+with."
+
+Sailor-like, they were indeed easily satisfied with whatever the captain
+chose to tell them, and on went the _Goshawk_ as a British craft, but
+she was nevertheless carrying supplies to the Mexican army.
+
+Senor Zuroaga had brought up a double spy-glass of his own, and, after
+studying the stranger through it, he handed it to Ned, remarking:
+
+"Take a look at her. She's a beauty. She is drawing nearer on this tack,
+but nobody knows yet whether she can outrun us or not."
+
+Ned took the glass with an unexpected feeling growing within him that he
+hoped she could not do so. He did not wish to be caught on board a
+British vessel taking powder and shot to kill Americans with. As he put
+the glass to his eyes, however, the sloop-of-war appeared to have
+suddenly come nearer. It was as if the _Goshawk_ were already within
+reach of her guns, and she became a dangerous thing to look at. She was
+not, as yet, under any great press of canvas, for her commander may not
+have imagined that any merchant vessel would try to get away from him.
+There were two things, however, about which nobody on board the
+_Goshawk_ was thinking. The first was that, while the American
+ship-of-war captain had not heard the firing at the fort on the Rio
+Grande, he was under a strong impression that war had been declared. The
+other thing came out in a remark which he made to a junior officer
+standing by him.
+
+"It won't do!" he declared, emphatically. "I don't at all like that
+change of flags. It means mischief. There is something suspicious about
+that craft. We must bring her to, and find out what's the matter with
+her."
+
+The distance between the two vessels was still too great for anything
+but a few signals, to which Captain Kemp responded with others which may
+have been of his own invention, for the signal officer on board the
+Yankee cruiser could make nothing of them. The _Goshhawk_, moreover, did
+not shorten sail, and her steersman kept her away several points more
+southerly, instead of bringing her course nearer to that of the cruiser.
+
+"I see!" said her captain, as he watched the change. "She means to get
+away from us. It won't do. As soon as we are within range, I'll give
+her a gun. She may be a Mexican privateer, for all I know."
+
+At all events, under the circumstances, as he thought, the change of
+flags had made it his duty to inquire into her character, and he decided
+to do so, even if, as he said, he should have to send one shot ahead of
+her and then a dozen into her.
+
+There is something wonderfully exciting about a race of any kind. Men
+will make use of anything, from a donkey to a steamboat, to engineer a
+trial of speed and endurance. Then they will stand around and watch the
+running, as if the future welfare of the human race depended upon the
+result. Even the _Goshhawk_ sailors, who had previously grumbled at the
+British flag above them, were entirely reconciled to the situation, now
+that it included the interesting question whether or not their swift
+bark could show her heels to the cruiser. They were very much in doubt
+about it, for the ships of the American navy had a high and well-earned
+reputation as chasers. They might have been somewhat encouraged if they
+had known that the _Portsmouth_, sloop-of-war, had been at sea a long
+time without going into any dock to have her bottom scraped clean of its
+accumulated barnacles. She was by no means in the best of training for
+a marine race-course.
+
+An hour went by and then another. The two vessels were now running on
+almost parallel lines, so that any attempt of the sloop to draw nearer
+cost her just so much of chasing distance. It might be that they were,
+in fact, nearly matched, now that the wind had lulled a little, and both
+of them were able to send up more canvas without too much risk of having
+their sticks blown out of them. It looked like it, but the Yankee
+captain had yet another idea in his sagacious head.
+
+"Let her keep on," he said. "The old _Kennebec_ is out there, somewhere
+westerly, not far away. That vagabond may find himself under heavier
+guns than ours before sunset. Lieutenant, give him a gun."
+
+"Ay, ay, sir!" came back, and in a moment more there was a flash and a
+report at the bow of the _Portsmouth_.
+
+Both range and distance had been well calculated, for an iron messenger,
+ordering the _Goshhawk_ to heave to, fell into the water within a hundred
+yards of her stern.
+
+"That's near enough for the present," said the American commander, but
+Captain Kemp exclaimed, in astonishment:
+
+"They are firing on the British flag, are they? Then there is something
+up that we don't know anything about. We must get away at all risks."
+
+They were not doing so just now, although another change of course and a
+strong puff of the gale carried the _Goshhawk_ further out of range. The
+fact was that her pursuer did not feel quite ready to land shot on board
+of her, believing that he was doing well enough and that his prize would
+surely be taken sooner or later. Besides, if she were, indeed, to become
+a prize, no sound-minded sea-captain could be willing to shoot away her
+selling value or that of her cargo.
+
+Noon came, and there did not appear to be any important change in the
+relative positions of the two ships. At times, indeed, the _Goshhawk_ had
+gained a quarter-mile or so, but only to lose it again, as is apt to be
+the case in ocean races. She was not at all tired, however, and both of
+the contestants had all the wind they needed.
+
+Two hours more went slowly by, and Captain Kemp began to exhibit signs
+of uneasiness at the unexpected persistence with which he was followed.
+
+"What on earth can be the matter?" he remarked, aloud. "I'd have thought
+she'd get tired of it before this--"
+
+"Captain!" sharply interrupted Zuroaga, standing at his elbow, glass in
+hand. "Another sail! Off there, southerly. Seems to be a full-rigged
+ship. What are we to do now?"
+
+"Keep on!" roared the captain, and then he turned to respond to a
+similar piece of unpleasant information which came down from the
+lookout.
+
+"We'll soon know what she is," he remarked, but not as if he very much
+wished to do so. "What I'd like to do would be to sail on into the
+darkest kind of a rainy night. That's our chance, if we can get it."
+
+It might be, but at that very moment the commander of the _Portsmouth_
+was asserting to his first lieutenant:
+
+"There comes the _Kennebec_, my boy. We'll have this fellow now. We'll
+teach him not to play tricks with national flags and man-o'-war
+signals."
+
+The race across the Gulf of Mexico was now putting on new and
+interesting features, but Ned Crawford, posted well forward to watch the
+course of events and what might have been called the race-course, sagely
+remarked:
+
+"I don't know that two horses can run any faster than one can. We are as
+far ahead as ever we were."
+
+That would have been of more importance if the newcomer had not been so
+much to the southward and westward, rather than behind them. She was, of
+course, several miles nearer to the _Goshhawk_ than she was to the
+_Portsmouth_, and neither of these had as yet been able to make out her
+flag with certainty. That she was a full-rigged ship was sure enough,
+and if Ned had been upon her deck instead of upon his own, he would have
+discovered that she was heavily armed and in apple-pie order. At this
+very moment a burly officer upon her quarter-deck was roaring, angrily,
+in response to some information which had been given him:
+
+"What's that? A British ship chased by a Yankee cruiser? Lieutenant, I
+think the _Falcon_'ll take a look at that. These Yankees are getting too
+bumptious altogether. It's as if they thought they owned the gulf! Put
+her head two points north'ard. Humph! It's about time they had a
+lesson."
+
+There had been some temporary trouble with the flag of the _Falcon_, but
+it had now been cleared of its tangle, and was swinging out free. It was
+of larger size than the British bunting displayed by the Goshawk. It was
+only a few minutes, therefore, before Captain Kemp had a fresh trouble
+on his mind, for his telescope had told him the meaning of that flag.
+
+"Worse than ever!" he exclaimed. "She'd make us heave to and show our
+papers. Then she'd hand us right over, and no help for it. No, sir! Our
+only way is to scud from both of them. Some of our English frigates are
+slow goers, and this may be one of that kind."
+
+He was in less immediate peril, perhaps, because of the determination of
+the angry British captain to speak to the Yankee first, and demand an
+explanation of this extraordinary affair. This it was his plain duty to
+do, and the attempt to do it would shortly put him and all his guns
+between the _Portsmouth_ and the _Goshhawk_. This operation was going on
+at the end of another hour, when Captain Kemp's lookout shouted down to
+him:
+
+"Sail ho, sir! 'Bout a mile ahead o' the British frigate. Can't quite
+make her out yet, sir."
+
+"I declare!" groaned the captain. "This 'ere's getting kind o' thick!"
+
+The weather also was getting thicker, and all three of the racers were
+shortly under a prudent necessity for reducing their excessive spreads
+of canvas. The first mate of the _Goshhawk_ had even been compelled to
+expostulate with his overexcited skipper.
+
+"Some of it's got to come down, sir," he asserted. "If we was to lose a
+spar, we're gone, sure as guns!"
+
+"In with it, then," said the captain. "I wish both of 'em 'd knock out a
+stick or two. It'd be a good thing for us."
+
+At all events, a lame horse is not likely to win a race, and the
+_Goshhawk_ was doing as well as were either of the others.
+
+Under such circumstances, it was not long before the _Falcon_ and the
+_Portsmouth_ were within speaking-trumpet distance of each other, both
+of them losing half a mile to the _Goshhawk_ while they were getting
+together. Rapid and loud-voiced indeed were the explanations which
+passed between the two commanders. At the end of them, the wrath of the
+Englishman was turned entirely against the culprit bark, which had
+trifled with his flag.
+
+"We must take her, sir!" he shouted. "She's a loose fish o' some kind."
+
+It was while this conversation was going on that Senor Zuroaga, after
+long and careful observations, reported to Captain Kemp concerning the
+far-away stranger to the westward.
+
+"She is a Frenchman, beyond a doubt. Are all the nations making a naval
+rendezvous in the Gulf of Mexico?"
+
+"Nothing extraordinary," said the captain. "But they're all more'n
+usually on the watch, on account o' the war, if it's coming."
+
+It was precisely so. War surely brings disturbance and losses to others
+besides those who are directly engaged in it, and all the nations having
+commercial relations with Mexico were expecting their cruisers in the
+gulf to act as a kind of sea police. Moreover, a larger force than usual
+would probably be on hand and wide awake.
+
+The day was going fast, and the weather promised to shorten it. Ned was
+now wearing an oilskin, for he would not have allowed any amount of rain
+to have driven him below. He and all the rest on board the _Goshhawk_
+were aware that their pursuers were again beginning to gain on them
+perceptibly. It was a slow process, but it was likely to be a sure one,
+for the men-of-war could do better sailing in a heavy sea and under
+shortened canvas than could a loaded vessel like the saucy merchant
+bark.
+
+"I'm afraid they'll catch us!" groaned Ned. "I s'pose they could make us
+all prisoners of war,--if there is any war. Oh, I wish all that powder
+and shot had been thrown overboard!"
+
+It did not look, just now, as if the Mexican army would ever get any
+benefit from it, for even the French stranger to leeward seemed to be
+putting on an air of having evil intentions. Captain Kemp had made her
+out to be a corvette of moderate size, perhaps a sixteen-gun ship, and
+she would be quite likely to co-operate with the police boats of England
+and America in arresting any suspicious wanderer in those troubled
+waters.
+
+Darker grew the gloom and a light mist came sweeping over the sea. Both
+pursuers and pursued began to swing out lights, and before long the mate
+of the _Goshhawk_ came to Captain Kemp to inquire, in a puzzled way:
+
+"I say, Cap'n, what on earth do you do that for? It'll help 'em to
+foller us, and lose us all the benefit o' the dark."
+
+"No, it won't," growled the captain. "You wait and see. I've sighted one
+more light, off there ahead of us, and I'm going to make it do something
+for the _Goshhawk_. Those other chaps can't see it yet."
+
+"What in all the world can he be up to?" thought Ned, as he listened,
+but the cunning skipper of the bark had all his wits about him.
+
+The lookouts of the men-of-war had indeed been taking note thus far of
+only their own lanterns and the glimmer on their intended prize. They
+may even have wondered, as did her own mate, why she should aid them in
+keeping track of her. At all events, they had little doubt of having her
+under their guns before morning. Senor Zuroaga himself sat curled up
+under his waterproof well aft, and now and then he appeared to be
+chuckling, as if he knew something which amused him. Half an hour later,
+when all the lights of the _Goshhawk_ suddenly went out, he actually
+broke into a ringing laugh. Her course was changed to almost due north
+at that very moment. This would bring her across the track of the
+_Portsmouth_ and within a mile of that dangerous cruiser's bow guns.
+They might not be quite so dangerous, however, if her gunners should be
+unable to see a mark at that distance through the mist. The fifth light,
+dead ahead, now became itself only the fourth, and it was immediately
+the sole attraction for the watchers in the rigging of the several war
+police-boats. This stranger was going westwardly, at a fair rate of
+speed, and its light was exceptionally brilliant. In fact, it grew more
+and more so during an anxious thirty minutes that followed, but it was
+the French corvette which first came within hailing distance, to receive
+an answer in angry Portuguese, which the French officers could not make
+head or tail of. Even after receiving further communications in broken
+Portuguese-Spanish, all they could do was to compel the Brazilian
+schooner, _Gonzaga_, laden with honest coffee from Rio for New Orleans,
+to heave to as best she might until the next arrival came within hail.
+This proved to be the British frigate, and her disappointed captain at
+once pretty sharply explained to the Frenchmen the difference between a
+two-master from Rio and a British-Yankee runaway bark from nobody knew
+where. Then came sweeping along the gallant _Portsmouth_, and there was
+need for additional conversation all around. Some of it was of an
+exceedingly discontented character, although the several captains were
+doing their best to be polite to each other, whatever derogatory remarks
+they might feel disposed to make concerning the craft which was carrying
+Ned Crawford and his badly wounded patriotism.
+
+Far away to the northwest, hidden by the darkness, the _Goshhawk_ was
+all this while flying along, getting into greater safety with every knot
+she was making, and Captain Kemp remarked to Ned:
+
+"My boy, your father won't lose a cent, after all--not unless we find
+Vera Cruz blockaded. But our danger isn't all over yet, and it's well
+for us that we've slipped out of this part of it."
+
+"Captain Kemp!" exclaimed Ned, "I believe father'd be willing to lose
+something, rather than have the Mexicans get that ammunition."
+
+"Very likely he would," laughed the captain, "but I'm an Englishman, and
+I don't care. What's more, I'm like a great many Americans. Millions of
+them believe that the Mexicans are in the right in this matter."
+
+That was a thing which nobody could deny, and Ned was silenced so far as
+the captain's sense of national duty was concerned.
+
+Hundreds of miles to the westward, at that early hour of the evening,
+far beyond the path of the storm which had been sweeping the eastern and
+southern waters of the gulf, the American army, under General Taylor,
+lay bivouacked. It was several miles nearer the besieged fort than it
+had been in the morning, for this was the 8th of May. There had been
+sharp fighting at intervals since the middle of the forenoon, beginning
+at a place called Palo Alto, or "The Tall Trees," and the Mexicans had
+been driven back with loss. Any cannonading at the fort could be heard
+more plainly now, and it was certain that it had not yet surrendered.
+
+Near the centre of the lines occupied by the Seventh Regiment, a young
+officer sat upon the grass. He held in one hand a piece of army bread,
+from which he now and then took a bite, but he was evidently absorbed in
+thought. He took off his hat at last and stared out into the gloom.
+
+"The Mexican army is out there somewhere," he remarked, slowly. "We are
+likely to have another brush with them to-morrow. Well! this is real
+war. I've seen my first battle, and I know just how a fellow feels under
+fire. I wasn't at all sure how it would be, but I know now. He doesn't
+feel first-rate, by any means. Those fellows that say they like it are
+all humbugs. I've seen my first man killed by a cannon-ball. Poor Page!
+Poor Ringgold! More of us are to go down to-morrow. Who will it be?"
+
+Very possibly, the list of American slain would contain the
+announcement that a mere second lieutenant, named Ulysses S. Grant, had
+been struck by a chance shot from one of the Mexican batteries.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+THE FORTUNE OF WAR
+
+
+The morning of the 9th of May dawned brightly on the ocean and on the
+shore. There was a heavy sea running on the Gulf of Mexico, but the wind
+that was blowing was little more than a ten-knot breeze. Before this, at
+distances of a few miles from each other, a trio of armed vessels,
+representing three of the great powers of the world, were dashing along
+under full sail, as if they were in a hurry. They were so, for they all
+were searching hungrily after a double-flagged bark, which they had
+caught the day before, but which had managed to escape from them in the
+night. She had done it mysteriously and impudently. Instead of her,
+there now toiled along, away behind them, a dingy-looking Brazilian
+coffee schooner, the skipper of which did not conceal his satisfaction
+over the idea that he had unintentionally aided some other sailor--he
+did not care who--to get away from all those war-sharks. Well to the
+westward, with every sail spread that she could carry, the _Goshhawk_
+sped along in apparent safety, but she was once more carrying the
+American flag, and Ned Crawford, busy below at his breakfast, felt a
+great deal easier in his patriotic mind. He could almost forget, for the
+moment, that he was taking a cargo of the worst kind of contraband of
+war goods to the armies of the enemies of his country. He was shortly on
+deck again, to be heartily greeted by Captain Kemp with:
+
+"Hullo, my boy, where are all your ships of war?"
+
+Ned took a long, sweeping glance around the horizon, and replied:
+
+"It looks as if we'd lost 'em."
+
+"We've done it!" chuckled the captain. "I think we'll not see any more
+of that lot. We made a fine run in the night, and we may be within three
+days' sail of Vera Cruz. But that depends a great deal on the wind and
+on our luck in keeping out of difficulties."
+
+The captain turned away to his duties, and Ned went forward among the
+sailors. He could always manage to have good chats with them, and they
+were especially ready just now to discuss the war and their chances for
+running against more cruisers. Ned did not count as one of them exactly,
+but he was not to be looked down upon as a mere passenger. His father
+had sent him out as a kind of honorary supercargo, or ship's clerk, in
+the hope that he might learn something which would be of use to him when
+he should grow up into a full-sized merchant. Perhaps he had already
+found out a number of things upon which his father had not calculated
+when he said good-by to him. He was about to learn some other things
+which were not upon the ship's books, for he had reached the heel of the
+bowsprit, where Senor Zuroaga was standing, gazing dreamily westward.
+
+"Good morning, senor!" said Ned. "We did get away."
+
+"I don't know how good a morning it is for me," replied the dark-faced
+Mexican, wearily. "I may have only three or four days to wait before I
+shall know whether or not I am to be shot at Vera Cruz by order of his
+Excellency, President Paredes. My best chance is that he cannot know
+that I am coming. After I get ashore, my life may very soon depend upon
+his being beaten out of power by the armies of the United States."
+
+"It couldn't be so in any other country," said Ned. "What have you ever
+done against him?"
+
+"I won't say just now," replied the senor, "but he knows that I am his
+enemy. So I am of Santa Anna, if he is to get back. He murdered my
+father and confiscated our property in Oaxaca. Do you know where that
+is?"
+
+"No," said Ned; "I don't know anything about the States of Mexico. It's
+hard enough to keep track of the United States. They make a new one
+every few weeks. They may have let in half a dozen while we've been at
+sea."
+
+"No," said Zuroaga, "but they've tightened their grip on Texas, and I
+hope they'll hold on hard, if only to keep Paredes and Santa Anna from
+murdering all the best men in it. Well, Oaxaca lies due south of the
+State of Vera Cruz, and I can escape into it if I have half a chance.
+I'd be safe then, for I have plenty of friends there. We have owned huge
+tracts of land in Oaxaca ever since the Spaniards conquered Mexico."
+
+"How did your folks get so much of it?" inquired Ned.
+
+"I'll tell you," said the senor, proudly, and with a fiery flash in his
+coal-black eyes. "A man by the name of Hernando Cortes really conquered
+Mexico, without much help from the King of Spain. The king made a great
+deal of him for it, at first. He made him a marquis, which was a great
+thing in those days, whatever it is now. He also gave him a royal grant
+of some of the land he had won for Spain. This land was the valley of
+the Tehuantepec River, that empties into the Pacific Ocean near the
+eastern boundary of Oaxaca. So his title was Marquis del Valle, and his
+descendants hold a great deal of that land to this day. I am one of
+them,--one of the Marquisanas, as they call us. I am a direct descendant
+of Hernando Cortes, and that isn't all. One of my ancestors married an
+Aztec princess, and so I am also descended from the Montezumas, who were
+emperors of Mexico before the Spaniards came. I'm an Indian on one side,
+and I've more than one good reason for hating a Spaniard and a tyrant."
+
+Ned Crawford had read the story of the conquest of Mexico, like a great
+many other American boys. That is, he had read it as if it had been a
+tip-top novel rather than a reality. He had admired Hernando Cortes, as
+a hero of fiction, but here he was, now, actually talking with one of
+the hero's great-great-grandchildren, who was also, after a fashion,
+one of the Montezumas. It was like a short chapter out of some other
+novel, with the night race of the _Goshhawk_ thrown in by way of
+variation. He was thinking about it, however, rather than asking
+questions, and the senor went on:
+
+"It's a rich, beautiful country, all that eastern part of Oaxaca. There
+are splendid mountains and great forests of mahogany, rosewood, and
+pine. Through it runs the Coatzacoalcos River, northerly, to the gulf.
+Along the rivers and through the mountain passes, there is an old road
+that Cortes himself made to lead his little army across to the Pacific."
+
+"I'd like to go over on it!" exclaimed Ned. "I guess I will, some day. I
+want to know all about Mexico."
+
+He made up his mind, from what his companion went on to tell him, that
+there would be a great deal worth seeing, but at that time nobody was
+dreaming how many Americans, older and younger, were soon to travel over
+the old Cortes road. California was to be annexed, as well as Texas, and
+before Ned Crawford would be old enough to cast his first vote, there
+was to be a great tide of eager gold hunters pouring along what was
+called the Tehuantepec route to the placers and diggings.
+
+The days of California gold mining had not yet come, and while Ned and
+the senor talked on about the terrible history of Mexico, with its
+factions, its bloody revenges, its pronunciamentos, and its fruitless
+revolutions, the _Goshhawk_ sailed swiftly along toward Vera Cruz and the
+powder-needing garrison of the castle of San Juan de Ulua.
+
+Whether or not the war had actually begun was still a puzzling question
+in the mind of Captain Kemp, but he would have had no doubt whatever if
+he had been with General Taylor and his remarkable gathering of young
+students of the art of war. They all obtained several important lessons
+that day. One of these was that it is both difficult and dangerous for
+an advancing army to push on through dense bushes and high grass in hot
+weather, with Mexican lancers ready to pounce upon them among the lanes
+of the chaparral. It was found, not only before but after the short,
+sharp collision with the Mexican forces at Resaca de la Palma that a
+number of valuable lives had been lost in the bushy wilderness.
+
+The American army moved slowly forward, and before nightfall the long
+lines of its blue uniforms went over the prairie rolls in full sight of
+the fort. The Stars and Stripes were still flying above the badly
+damaged ramparts, and cheer after cheer went up from thousands of
+throats, including those of the rescued garrison. They had not really
+lost many men, killed or wounded, but among the killed was their
+commander, Major Brown, after whom the fort was now named. In later
+years, a town grew up around the site of the frontier fortress, and it
+is called Brownsville. General Taylor's men had triumphantly cut their
+way through the difficult twenty miles from the sea to the siege, but
+perhaps any individual hero among them might have safely quoted the wise
+remark of Lieutenant Grant, as he looked at the fort and recalled his
+exploits of the day.
+
+"Well, after all," he said to himself, "I don't know but what the battle
+of Resaca de la Palma would have been won just as well if I had not been
+there."
+
+Long years afterward, it was to be said of a number of other battles
+that they would not have been won just as well if he had not been there
+to win them, and the same would be equally true of several of his young
+companions, as inexperienced as himself, and as ignorant of the great
+things before them in the far future.
+
+Their army went into camp near the fort; and the Mexican forces, for the
+greater part, were believed to have retreated across the Rio Grande.
+
+It is said that after every storm there comes a calm, but it was not a
+pleasant calm in the neighborhood of the American camp. There were all
+the while strong parties of Mexican lancers hovering around in all
+directions, on the lookout for imprudent stragglers, and a sharp watch
+had to be kept to guard against sudden dashes at the outposts, for the
+"rancheros," as the Mexican horsemen were called, were both well-mounted
+and enterprising. There was yet another kind of calm of a curious
+character. General Taylor absolutely did not know what to do next, and
+he could not know until after he should hear from the President what the
+statesmen in Congress had decided. Beyond a doubt, war was going on
+right here, but there was a dispute as to the nature of it and as to
+what was to be done with it. The Mexican geographers claimed that the
+southern boundary of Texas, even if it had been legally annexed to the
+United States, was at the Nueces River, and that all their country
+south of that line was still their own. According to them, therefore,
+General Taylor's army was not in Texas at all, but in Mexico. On the
+other hand, the American geographers placed the boundary at the Rio
+Grande, many miles south of the Nueces, and claimed that the forces
+defeated by General Taylor had invaded the United States. If both
+parties were right, then it might have been said that all that land
+between the rivers did not belong to anybody until the title to it
+should be settled by a military court and gunpowder arguments. That was
+really the way in which it was finally settled, and there is now no more
+dispute about it. History tells us that so have all the great national
+land titles of the world been argued and determined.
+
+There was what some people call a waiting spell, and all things on sea
+or land might be spoken of as feverishly quiet for a day or two. In the
+afternoon of the third day, however, there was a sort of change in the
+weather at one spot away out on the gulf. There was not a cloud in the
+sky, indeed, and the _Goshhawk_ was skimming along under full sail so
+steadily that part of her crew had nothing better to do than to lie
+around on the deck, and feel satisfied that the breeze was so very good.
+In the same manner, the American soldiers in the neighborhood of Fort
+Brown were lying around in and out of their tents, and wishing that they
+had more shade to protect them from the hot sun of Texas or Mexico,
+whichever it might be. At that hour, however, there arrived upon the
+_Goshhawk_ a bit of unexpected news which awakened everybody, for the man
+at the lookout announced, excitedly:
+
+"Schooner under Mexican flag, sir! Well away to loo'ard. Looks as if she
+might come pretty nigh us."
+
+"Just the thing I wanted!" shouted Captain Kemp, springing to his feet.
+"We'll bear away for her. Up with the British flag, too. She'd shy the
+Stars and Stripes. They wouldn't tell us what the news is, either."
+
+Once more, therefore, the _Goshhawk_ became an Englishman, and her chase
+after the latest news did not have to be a long one. Not many minutes
+later, the two vessels were within hailing distance, and the stranger
+spoke first, in a tone of evident anxiety:
+
+"What ship is that?"
+
+"_Goshhawk_, from Liverpool to Vera Cruz, with supplies for the Castle of
+San Juan de Ulua. What ship is that?"
+
+"Schooner _Tampico_, from Havana to Matamoras, with supplies for General
+Ampudia," came much more cheerfully back. "We had to run away from
+Matamoras in ballast to escape the gringos. Their cruisers are around
+like hawks. You won't get to Vera Cruz if they can help it."
+
+Captain Kemp already knew something about the reckless ways of
+men-of-war, but he did not say so. He merely responded:
+
+"Is that so? How about the war? We've no news at all."
+
+"War?" shouted the Mexican skipper, triumphantly. "Why, there have been
+three great battles already. We have whipped the Americans! General
+Taylor is surrounded, and will have to surrender. So will the fort on
+the Rio Grande. We shall drive the gringos out of Texas. I did not know
+until now that you British were going to help us."
+
+There could be no further conversation, for the _Goshhawk_ was sweeping
+on out of hearing, but Ned Crawford exclaimed, indignantly:
+
+"Our army defeated? How can that be? I don't believe it!"
+
+Everybody on deck could hear the captain when he laughingly responded:
+
+"The victories were won in that fellow's head, most likely. He was on
+board his schooner at Matamoras, and he didn't see it done. All he knows
+is that the war is really begun. It takes a long time, men, to make
+either an American or a British army think of surrendering. We shall
+hear a good deal more about those battles one of these days. I'd like to
+read the newspaper reports, though, on both sides."
+
+"They would be good fun," dryly remarked Senor Zuroaga. "There is nobody
+on earth that can win victories like a newspaper editor."
+
+"Hullo!" suddenly exclaimed Ned. "Something's the matter with the
+captain! Did you hear that?"
+
+There was quite enough to hear. A long, loud hail that came down from
+the rigging was followed by almost a yell from Captain Kemp.
+
+"We're chased again!" he said. "Thank God, she's astern! Men, we're in
+for it! Now for Vera Cruz or a prison! I'm ready!"
+
+Rapid orders went out, but hardly anything more could be done to
+increase the speed of the ship. In fact, the lookout must almost have
+taken it for granted that the strange sail away off yonder belonged to a
+United States cruiser. Very likely it did, but it would have to draw a
+good deal nearer before there could be any absolute certainty. In the
+meantime, all on board the _Goshhawk_ might attend to whatever duties
+they had, and discuss the remarkable tidings brought by the Mexican
+schooner. While doing so, they could hardly have guessed correctly what
+was doing and saying on board the other vessel which had caused their
+anxiety. She was, indeed, a man-of-war, and she had received from a
+returning army transport ship a whole lot of fresh news from General
+Taylor's army, by way of Point Isabel on the coast, where he had been
+encamped. Something like this had been shouted across the water by an
+enthusiastic officer of the transport:
+
+"Awful fightin'! Half a dozen battles! Taylor's whipped the Greasers
+into smithereens! He's goin' to march right on into Mexico. I don't keer
+if Uncle Sam annexes the hull half-Spanish outfit. I'm goin' in for one
+o' them there big silver mines, if we do. Hurrah for Gineral Taylor!"
+
+A chorus of ringing cheers had answered that, but here, also, there were
+men of experience ready to question the entire accuracy of such
+tremendous war news. The one thing, however, which was brought out
+clearly to the mind of a naval commander was his greatly increased duty
+of watchfulness to prevent any kind of munitions of war from reaching
+the Mexican ports. That was the reason why he was now following at his
+best speed what might after all prove to be an entirely innocent trader.
+He even went below to consider the matter, and it was a full hour later
+when the officer in charge of the deck came hastily down to tell him:
+
+"Same fellow we chased before, sir. I've made him out. He's under
+British colors again. Are we to chase?"
+
+"Chase, sir?" roared the captain. "Of course we must chase! We know what
+it means now. The old _Portsmouth_ must catch that rascal this time.
+I'll come on deck."
+
+Just as good glasses as those on board of her had been watching her
+during that hour of swift sailing, and Captain Kemp was even now
+lowering his telescope with what sounded like a sigh of relief.
+
+"Mate," he said, "it's the same sloop that followed us before. It makes
+me feel better. We know what's about the best she can do. If this wind
+holds, I think we can fetch Vera Cruz at nightfall. No one Yankee'd
+dare to follow us under the guns of San Juan de Ulua."
+
+"I reckon not," slowly responded the mate of the _Goshhawk_, "but we
+don't need to get under that chap's bow-chasers, either."
+
+"No," said Captain Kemp, "but I'll risk a shot or two."
+
+Ned Crawford heard him, for he had been following him pretty closely, to
+know what was coming.
+
+"I don't know," he was thinking, "how far one o' those cannon of hers'll
+carry. I don't believe, either, that they can hit a mark that is
+plunging along as we are. It'd be worse than shooting at a bird on the
+wing. Still, it's kind of awful to be shot at by our own people."
+
+The sailors of the _Goshhawk_ were also thinking, and they were beginning
+to look at one another very doubtfully. Not only were they Americans,
+most of them, but they had not shipped for any such business as this,
+and they did not fancy the idea of being killed for nothing. Moreover,
+Ned himself heard one of them muttering:
+
+"There's an ugly look to this thing. If a shot from that cruiser were to
+strike us amidships, we'd all be blown into the air."
+
+Decidedly that was not a pleasant thing to think of. Neither was there
+any great amount of comfort in a suggestion made by another of the men:
+
+"Well, we'd never know what hurt us. We must keep out o' range."
+
+Not long afterward there was a flash at one of the bow-ports of the
+cruiser. The report which followed was a peremptory order to heave to,
+under penalty of consequences. The gun was shotted, and a great many
+eyes watched anxiously for the dipping of that well-aimed ball of iron.
+It skipped from crest to crest of several waves before it sank, and then
+Captain Kemp shouted:
+
+"All right, men! Half a mile short! We shall get there. The coast's in
+full sight now, and we've less than five miles to run."
+
+"Ay, ay, sir!" came back from them, half cheerfully, but one voice was
+heard to grumble:
+
+"It's all right, is it? Well, if it wasn't for that half-mile o'
+shortage, there'd be a mutinee-e on board o' this ship. I'd start it. I
+ain't a-goin' to get myself knocked on the head by Uncle Sam's own men."
+
+There would very likely have been a mutiny, even as it was, if there had
+now been time for it to take shape. Thus far, the excitement of the
+chase had been in the captain's favor, but the seamen would have been
+legally justified in resisting him and bringing the ship to. His
+authority would have ceased, for he had no right to compel them to break
+the law or to run the risk of a broadside from a man-of-war.
+
+Nearer, nearer, nearer, came both the dim outline of the Mexican coast
+and the white sails of the pursuing _Portsmouth_. Louder and more
+ominous grew the but half-suppressed murmurs of the sailors, but Captain
+Kemp's face was now wearing a hard, set look, and he was known to be a
+dangerous man to deal with. Something, which looked like the handle of a
+pistol, stuck out of one of his side pockets, and his fingers wandered
+to it now and then, as if he might be turning over in his mind the
+possibility of soon having to shoot a mutineer. Ned was staring
+anxiously back at the Yankee cruiser at the moment when his shoulder was
+gripped hard, and Senor Zuroaga almost whirled him around, exclaiming:
+
+"Look! Look yonder! That's the Castle of San Juan de Ulua! Oh, but don't
+I wish it were a half-mile nearer! Hear that firing?"
+
+The guns of the _Portsmouth_ were indeed sounding at regular intervals,
+and she was evidently almost within range. She was also, however, well
+within the prescribed distance line which a hostile cruiser may not pass
+without being regarded as making the attack herself. Beyond a doubt,
+too, there must have been observers at the fort, who were already
+watching the operations of the two approaching vessels. Minutes passed,
+which were counted by Ned with a heart that beat so he almost thought he
+could hear it.
+
+"I think we are safe now," began the senor, but he had been looking at
+the fort, and there was one important fact of which he was not aware.
+
+Only a couple of minutes earlier, the captain of the _Portsmouth_ had
+shouted angrily to his first lieutenant:
+
+"No, sir! I will not let her get away. I will take her or sink her! Out
+with that starboard battery, and let them have it!"
+
+Around swung the sloop, like the perfect naval machine that she was, and
+there quickly followed the reports of several guns at once. It was not a
+full broadside, but there was enough of it to have sunk the _Goshhawk_,
+if the iron thrown had struck her at or near the water-line. None of it
+did so, but the next exclamation of Senor Zuroaga was one of utter
+dismay, for the foremast of the bark had been cut off at the cap and
+there was a vast rent in her mainsail. Down tumbled a mass of spars and
+rigging, forward, and the ship could no longer obey her helm.
+
+"All hands cut away wreckage!" shouted Captain Kemp. "We're all right.
+She won't dare come any nearer. Hurrah!"
+
+It was a deep, thunderous roar from the castle which had called out that
+apparently untimely hurrah. It was the voice of a 64-pounder gun from
+the nearest rampart, and the shot it sent fell within ten feet of the
+_Portsmouth's_ bows.
+
+"Hullo!" exclaimed her captain, more angrily than ever. "We've run in
+almost to pointblank range of those heavy guns. About! About!
+Lieutenant, we must get out of this."
+
+"All right, sir," was anxiously responded. "It isn't worth while to risk
+any more shot of that size--not for all there's likely to be under the
+hatches of that wretched bark. I think we barked her, anyhow."
+
+He may have meant that for a kind of small joke, but she had been worse
+hurt than he could know, for one 32-pounder shot had shattered her
+stern, barely missing her sternpost and rudder gearing, and she was no
+longer the trim and seaworthy vessel that she had been. One more heavy
+gun had sounded from the seaward battery of the castle, but her garrison
+had been in a genuinely Mexican condition of unreadiness, and it was
+several minutes before they could bring up more ammunition and make
+further use of their really excellent artillery. During those minutes,
+the _Portsmouth_ had ample opportunity given her to swing around and
+sweep swiftly out of danger. She had barely escaped paying dearly for
+her pursuit of the _Goshawk._ Her satisfaction, however, consisted only
+in part of the damage she had done to the bark, for, in getting around,
+she had let drive her entire larboard broadside. It was a waste of
+ammunition, certainly, but no Yankee man-of-war commander would ever
+have forgiven himself if he had failed to make a good reply to a shot
+from the Castle of San Juan de Ulua. Moreover, the sloop's gunners were
+ready to swear solemnly that every ball they had sent had hit the fort.
+
+The excitement on board the _Goshhawk_ had been at fever heat, but it was
+now diminishing rapidly, for she did not contain a man who was not well
+pleased to see the _Portsmouth_ give the matter up. All signs of mutiny
+disappeared, of course, for there was no more duty of a military
+character to be required of the men. The bark was soon set free of her
+wreckage, and prepared to make her way in still further, under the
+protection of the fort batteries. Captain Kemp was too busy for any kind
+of conversation, and Senor Zuroaga came aft, to where Ned was curiously
+studying the work of the 32-pound shot at the stern. The senor leaned
+over the side and did the same for a long moment before he remarked:
+
+"We have had a narrow escape. A few feet lower, and that shot would have
+let the water in. Fifty feet forward, and it would have touched off the
+gunpowder. As it is, our voyage is ended, and I shall know, in an hour
+or two, whether or not I am to be shot in the morning."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+COMPLETELY STRANDED
+
+
+"There don't seem to be any Mexican warships in the harbor," said Ned to
+the senor, as they looked landward from the deck of their badly mauled
+bark. "There isn't one in sight to come out after that sloop."
+
+"There are two good reasons for it," growled the senor, gloomily. "One
+is that there isn't any harbor here. Nothing but an open roadstead,
+exposed to all the storms that come, so that to anchor off Vera Cruz is
+to run a fair chance of being wrecked. The other is that my unfortunate
+country has no navy. There isn't a Mexican vessel afloat that would care
+to go out after a Yankee man-of-war. We are not yet a nation, and I'm
+half-afraid we never will be. This war may do something for us. There
+they come! I shall know very soon now."
+
+As he spoke, he pointed at several boats which were pulling out toward
+the _Goshawk._ Some of them appeared to come from the wharves of the
+city, but one, which was nearer, was evidently from the castle, and it
+was in this that the senor took the deepest interest. Besides its
+half-dozen of oarsmen, it contained a tall man in a gorgeous uniform,
+and it was only a minute or so before Zuroaga exclaimed:
+
+"Yes, that is Colonel Guerra himself. I am glad he is all alone!"
+
+The bark was now drifting pretty rapidly landward, under such canvas as
+she had left, and the _Portsmouth_ was safely out of range of the
+Mexican guns, which were throwing away an occasional shot at her. She
+had not been touched by one of them, and she had the honor of being the
+first United States ship to try her batteries upon the renowned old
+Spanish fortress. It was, indeed, a well-built fortification, and it
+carried many guns, most of which had been brought over long ago from the
+foundries of old Spain. It did not stand upon the main shore, but on an
+island about half a mile out, and it therefore seemed unassailable,
+except from the sea or by heavy siege-guns on the shore. It had been one
+of the last places surrendered when the Spanish government reluctantly
+gave up Mexico. From that day onward, in each of the successive
+revolutions, it had been a first object with each new tyrant of the
+nominal republic or empire to get control of the fortress, which
+dominated nearly all of the commerce of Mexico with the outer world. At
+the present time, it was commanded by an officer whom President Paredes
+believed that he could trust--or he would have shot him. This, of
+course, was the main reason for the dark doubts of Senor Zuroaga. On the
+other hand, it might be taken into account that any prominent Mexican
+officer, like Colonel Guerra, would be willing to strengthen himself for
+such political changes as were entirely likely to come. For the sake of
+old friendship and family ties, for instance, he might be even desirous
+of binding to his own interests a man who was known to have a large
+number of personal adherents in the important State of Oaxaca.
+
+That very man stood aft upon the deck of the _Goshhawk_ when the boat of
+Colonel Guerra touched her side, but he did not at once come forward to
+extend a greeting. That ceremony was performed sufficiently well by
+Captain Kemp, and the responses of the castle commander were to the last
+degree enthusiastic. According to him, indeed, the fort could not have
+held out against a siege for a week without the powder in the hold of
+the bark. Therefore, it might be that not much of it was likely to be
+distributed among the other forces of Mexico. The captain had many
+things to say, but before long Colonel Guerra walked slowly aft without
+anybody following him. He may have merely desired to look over the side
+and examine the injuries inflicted by the shot of the _Portsmouth_, for
+that was the first thing he did, without so much as appearing to
+recognize any human being in the neighborhood. One of the two persons
+who were there, however, drew slowly near him, and, as he did so, he
+heard the colonel mutter, in a very low tone:
+
+"My dear friend, you have done well to bring me the powder. Thank you
+for your devotion to me and to Santa Anna, but you are in deadly peril.
+The orders of Paredes are out against you. General Morales, whom Paredes
+trusts, will soon be here to supersede me, but he will really come to
+hold this place for our general when he returns from exile. Consider
+that I do not know that you are here, for my next in command is a spy on
+me. This ship will never put to sea again. The captain and crew will be
+cared for, but that gringo boy is not safe, now that there has been
+bloodshed on the Rio Grande. Take him with you to the house of your
+cousin, Colonel Tassara, in the lower part of the city. Then get away to
+Oaxaca as soon as you can. President Paredes is still in the city of
+Mexico, and he will not go to take command of the army in the north for
+some time. You and I believe, of course, that he is really gathering it
+to have it led by our one-legged hero, Santa Anna. Paredes, however,
+suspects that a revolution is springing up under him, and he is watching
+for it. Of course, for that reason, he would shoot you at once as a
+returned conspirator against him. As for that matter, be careful how you
+land, for there are many spies. No doubt you can go where you please,
+after you get back among your own people. Farewell, but do not speak to
+me."
+
+He turned and strolled carelessly away, and the senor bowed his head for
+a moment, as if in deep thought, while Ned Crawford was aware of an
+entirely new idea, which had crept into his mind as he had listened to
+the warning utterances of Colonel Guerra.
+
+"I declare!" he said to himself, "he believes that Senor Zuroaga brought
+the powder, and he didn't. He believes that the senor is going in for
+old Santa Anna, and he isn't. He believes that the senor and I are
+enemies of Paredes, and so we are. I am! I hope that he'll be beaten out
+of his boots by General Taylor, and then upset by the new revolution. I
+guess he's right, though, about this ship, and I must find out how I can
+send a letter home. I want father and mother to know all about this
+business. Go ashore and hide? I'm ready for that, but I'd like to get a
+good look at the old city somehow."
+
+Ned had been laboring under many perplexities and a great deal of
+depression of spirits during several days, but now he felt a kind of
+exhilarating fever creeping all over him, and at first he did not know
+exactly what it might be. When his father had taken him with him across
+the Atlantic,--it seemed so long ago now,--he had gone eagerly enough,
+and he had had a grand time looking at Liverpool and London. It had been
+a rare treat for a youngster who had but recently passed up from a
+grammar school into the counting-room of a New York shipping-house.
+After that, when he had been sent on this trip, to make his voyage home
+by way of Mexico, he had considered himself exceedingly lucky. But what
+was all that in comparison with this in the way of strange and wild
+adventure? Why, he had sailed through a naval engagement, cannonading
+and all, and right on out of that into a full-grown war and a half-grown
+revolution. The thrill which went over him was, therefore, the adventure
+fever. Something like this fever, in the veins of all sorts of men,
+young and old, has made the world what it is, discovering its new
+countries, its new sciences, its new institutions, and leading it
+forward and upward out of its old-time dullness and barbarism. So Ned
+stood straighter and felt older and had a pair of very brave, bright
+eyes when he walked forward to try and have a few words with Captain
+Kemp.
+
+"Captain," he asked, "when can I go ashore?"
+
+"Not quite yet," said the captain. "Don't bother me now. Of course, the
+ammunition for the castle goes out first. Then all the rest of the cargo
+must go ashore as fast as it can, and you are bound to attend to that.
+I'm glad that all of it is apparently on English account, and not for
+the American part of the concern. That makes all things easy. I hardly
+know what to do with the ship, though. We can't repair her here."
+
+That was evidently the disadvantage of having a vessel get out of order
+in a place where there were no good dockyards. As for the unlading,
+there were already "lighter" barges on their way from the fort, and
+others, no doubt, would soon be on hand from the city. Haste was the
+main object, under the circumstances, and the entire work would be
+rapidly accomplished.
+
+Zuroaga went below, and Ned followed him, for there was nothing more
+that he could do on deck just then.
+
+"Senor," he asked, as soon as they were in the cabin, "how can I send a
+letter home? I don't know exactly what to say, either."
+
+"Say anything you please," replied the senor. "Your letter will go by
+the mail of the English consul, and the mails for England will not be
+meddled with by the Mexican authorities."
+
+"I'll sit right down and begin one," said Ned, but the senor interrupted
+him very soberly with:
+
+"One word before you begin, please. I know you overheard what Colonel
+Guerra said to me. You and I must get on shore as soon as we can, and it
+will not do for either of us to remain in Vera Cruz. I have decided
+that I must take you with me to Oaxaca."
+
+"Well," hesitated Ned, "I understand that you must go, but what am I in
+danger of if I should stay here?"
+
+"Edward, my dear fellow," said the senor, "I will tell you, and you had
+better put it into your letter. First, you just wait and see what
+becomes of the _Goshhawk_. She will never sail out of the Gulf of Mexico
+again. The captain and crew will get away as best they can, and I can't
+tell how long it will be before they can do it. Meantime, you would be
+around on shore, and you would be known for a Yankee, a gringo. That
+might mean danger for you from any evil-minded Mexican. Some of this
+coast population are worse than savages, and they all carry knives.
+You'd never know who hurt you."
+
+"That's awful!" exclaimed Ned. "I never thought of that."
+
+"There is another reason," calmly continued the senor, "for your not
+lingering down here in the _tierra caliente_--the hot country--any later
+in the season. It is the yellow fever, and that is pretty sure to show
+itself before long. It takes people from the north quicker, a good deal,
+than it does those who were born here. I have even heard that there is
+a rumor of some cases occurring already. Your father is an old friend of
+mine, and he would never forgive me if I were to permit you to be
+exposed to it, when you can so easily get away into the uplands, where
+it is never heard of. Be a good clerk now, and attend to your cargo, and
+be glad that it hasn't been sent to the bottom of the gulf."
+
+Ned had been thinking of that pretty seriously, and he sat down to write
+his home letter, well pleased that he had nothing to do with the
+unloading of the contraband of war part of the cargo. With reference to
+that, moreover, he had learned from Zuroaga that a Mexican
+post-commander of the rank of Colonel Guerra was a kind of local
+military dictator. Only so much of the ammunition as he might see fit to
+send would ever find its way into any other hands than his own. The
+senor had added that it was almost the same with whatever customs duties
+were collected by the civil officers of the port, with the one drawback
+that a dishonest army collector, if discovered, might possibly get
+himself shot as a kind of supposable revolutionist, stealing the profits
+of the others.
+
+The lighter barges were now swarming around the bark, and a hundred busy
+workmen were doing their best, quite patriotically, for the guns and
+gunners of the castle. It was easy to see that the American sailors did
+not fancy that job, and were willing to keep out of it. So they
+sauntered around, attending to a few ship's duties here and there, while
+now and then one or another of them might have been heard to grumble his
+unwillingness to ever again go to sea under an English captain. The
+truth was that they had excellent reasons for discontent concerning the
+scrape into which they had been led, and they were well aware that they
+had not yet by any means seen the end of it. Almost the best they could
+hope for was that they were to be sent back to some country of Europe,
+on some ship or other which had not yet arrived at Vera Cruz, and which
+might not sail away with them on board for a number of weeks to come.
+Any man among them was now almost willing to have had the _Portsmouth_
+sink the _Goshhawk_.
+
+Heavy shot may be craned over into boats, and kegs or barrels of
+gunpowder may be let down tenderly, gently, as well by moonlight and
+lantern-light as by any other. Therefore, the coming on of night did not
+interfere with the landing processes. Moreover, any amount of sleep may
+be performed by a healthy boy in a battered ship lying safely at
+anchor. So Ned made up, more or less, for the sleep he had lost during
+the long race of the _Goshhawk_, and it was not early when he came on
+deck the next morning. When he did so, he found his duties as nominal
+supercargo cut out for him, and Captain Kemp appeared to be especially
+anxious that a son of one of the owners should supervise whatever was to
+be done with the peaceable part of his cargo. He even explained to Ned
+that he might yet be called upon in some law court to testify to the
+honest accuracy of all the papers he was now to sign.
+
+"It'll take about two days more," he told him, "and you mustn't go
+ashore till the ship's empty. The American consul hasn't taken his
+passports yet, but he expects to get away soon, somehow or other. Most
+likely, he'll be taken off by a ship of war. So, perhaps, will other
+Americans. You might wait and get away then, if you think best, but you
+can't hope to ever go on this ship."
+
+Ned had an increasingly strong feeling that he did not now care to go on
+that or any other craft of war or peace. He would much rather go to
+Oaxaca than to New York, and he felt more sure than ever that his
+father would not wish him to run any risk of the dreadful yellow fever.
+So he worked on industriously, learning a great deal concerning the
+processes required in getting a cargo out of a ship. During several
+hours, he was so occupied that he almost forgot the existence of his
+Mexican friend, but he was dimly aware that a small rowboat had come to
+the off-shore side of the ship, and had shortly pulled away without any
+interference on the part of the officials, military or civil. Perhaps
+she was understood to have come there by order of Colonel Guerra. Toward
+nightfall, however, that boat came again, as she did before, not running
+in among the barges, but seeming to avoid them. There were five men in
+her, and one of them stood up to say to a sailor at the rail:
+
+"I wish to see young Senor Carfora. Is he on board?"
+
+"Hullo!" thought Ned. "That's the Spanish name Senor Zuroaga told me I
+was to go by." Then he sang out aloud, as he hurried across the deck,
+"Here I am. What do you want of me?"
+
+"Lean over and talk low," responded the man in the boat, but the one
+sailor near them did not understand a word of Spanish, and he might
+suppose, if he wished to do so, that it was something about the cargo.
+Ned himself listened eagerly, while the speaker went on: "I am Colonel
+Tassara. Senor Zuroaga must not come to the ship again. I will be here
+to-morrow evening. May I be assured that you will then be ready to come
+to my house?"
+
+"Tell him of course you will!" said a voice behind Ned, peremptorily,
+and it was Captain Kemp who had come over for a few words with Tassara.
+
+"I'll be ready, colonel," said Ned, when his turn came to speak, and the
+boat pulled away, leaving him and the captain by themselves.
+
+"It's a good arrangement for you, my boy," said the captain. "Unless I
+am mistaken, though, there are signs of the worst kind of a
+northeasterly storm. This is a dangerous anchorage for that sort of
+thing. I don't think I shall risk having too many men on board when the
+norther gets here. The cargo will be all out, and the ship's well
+insured. The American consul doesn't know a thing about the ammunition
+or the running away from the cruisers. He has enough else on his hands
+just now."
+
+Ned did not care a great deal about that, but he was more than ever in a
+hurry to see the end of his supercargo business. The fact was that an
+air of something like mystery appeared to be gathering around him, and
+there is a tremendous fascination in anything mysterious. What if he
+were now getting right in behind the war, after a fashion, and at the
+same time into the darkest kind of revolution or rebellion against the
+power of President Paredes, in company with that wonderful adventurer,
+General Santa Anna, and all the desperate characters of Mexico?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+THE WORK OF THE NORTHER
+
+
+During the rest of that day and the earlier part of the next the weather
+continued fairly good, and the unloading went steadily on. In the many
+intervals of his duties, Ned tried hard to drive his mental fever away,
+and amused himself as best he might. The city itself was worth looking
+at, with its tiers of streets rising one above another from the shore.
+He saw several churches, and some of them were large, with massive
+towers and steeples.
+
+"The Mexicans must have been richer than they are now," he said to
+himself, "when those things were built. They cost piles of money."
+
+He had no idea how rich a country it is, or how much richer it might be,
+if its wonderful natural resources were to be made the most of. As for
+the city, he had heard that Vera Cruz contained about seven or eight
+thousand people, besides its military garrison, its foreigners, and a
+continually varying mob of transient visitors from the interior. Zuroaga
+had told him, moreover, that it was from the latter that any gringo like
+himself would be in danger of violence. They were a vindictive,
+bloodthirsty class of men, most of them, for they retained undiminished
+the peculiar characteristics of their Indian ancestors.
+
+"I don't care to run against any of them," thought Ned. "I don't like
+this _tierra caliente_ country, anyhow. It's too hot to live in."
+
+Then he thought a great deal of the wonderful land of forests and
+mountains which lay beyond the fever-haunted lowlands, and he longed
+more and more for a good look at the empire which Hernando Cortes won
+from the old Montezumas and their bloody war-god, Huitzilopochtli.
+
+In the afternoon of the second day the sky was manifestly putting on a
+threatening aspect. The wind began to rise and the sea began to roughen.
+The men discharging the cargo hastened their work, and it was evident
+that the last of the lighter barges would soon be setting out for the
+shore. Ned was staring at them and recalling all the yarns he had heard
+concerning the destructive power of a gulf "norther," when Captain Kemp
+came walking slowly toward him, with a face which appeared to express no
+sort of unusual concern for anything in the world. Nevertheless, he
+said:
+
+"Get ready now, Ned, as sharp as you can. There comes your boat. I shall
+send some papers by the colonel. Senor Zuroaga's luggage all went on
+shore yesterday. I think some other men will have to be looking out for
+themselves before long. If the _Goshhawk_ should drag her anchors and go
+ashore, I hope there won't be too much sea running for good boats to
+live in."
+
+"I'm all ready now!" exclaimed Ned, as he sprang away, but he went with
+a curious question rising in his mind: "What if a cable were more'n half
+cut through? Wouldn't it be likely to break and let go of an anchor, if
+it were pulled at too hard by a gale of wind? I don't really know
+anything about it, but Senor Zuroaga thinks that Captain Kemp is a
+curious man to deal with. Father thinks that he is a good sailor, too."
+
+All the wardrobe that Ned had on board was easily contained in a
+waterproof satchel of moderate size, and he was half-glad now that
+there was no more of it, it went so quickly over into the large yawl
+that was waiting alongside when he returned on deck. It was a four-oared
+boat, and Colonel Tassara, at the stern, beckoned to him without
+speaking, as if he might have reasons for silence as well as haste.
+
+"In with you, Ned," said Captain Kemp. "I'll try to see you within a day
+or two. Take good care of yourself. Good day, colonel."
+
+The Mexican officer only bowed, and in a moment more the yawl was
+fighting her difficult way over the rapidly increasing waves, for the
+first strength of the norther had really come, and there might soon be a
+great deal more of it,--for the benefit of the _Goshhawk_.
+
+"There!" muttered Captain Kemp, as he saw them depart, "I haven't more
+than a good boat's crew left on board. We'll take to the life-boat as
+soon as the cable parts. There isn't any use in trying to save this bark
+under all the circumstances. I've done my duty. I couldn't have
+calculated on heavy shot first, and then for a whole gang of cruisers
+watching for me off the coast. This 'ere norther, too! Well, I didn't
+make the war, and I don't see that I ought to lose any money by it. I
+won't, either."
+
+Whatever was his exact meaning, the mate and four other men who remained
+evidently agreed with him, from what they were shortly saying to one
+another. It might also have been taken note of by a careful observer
+that the mate was a Scotchman, and that the four others were all from
+Liverpool. Whoever had put so much contraband of war on board the
+_Goshhawk_ had not entrusted it entirely to the eccentricities of a lot
+of out-and-out American sailors, with peculiar notions concerning their
+flag.
+
+On went Colonel Tassara's yawl, and it was not likely to meet any other
+boat that evening. As the rollers increased in size momentarily, Ned
+began to have doubts as to whether such a boat had any reasonable hope
+of reaching the shore. It was now pitch-dark also, and he could but feel
+that his adventures in Mexico were beginning in a remarkably unpleasant
+manner. The landing could not have been made at any place along the
+beach, where the surf was breaking so dangerously, and it looked almost
+as perilous to approach the piers and wharves.
+
+"How on earth are we to do it?" exclaimed Ned, in English, but no
+answer came from the hard-breathing rowers.
+
+Colonel Tassara seemed now to be steering a southerly course, instead of
+directly landward, and Ned calculated that this would carry them past
+all of the usual landing-places. It also gave them narrow escapes from
+rolling over and over in the troughs between several high waves. On the
+whole, therefore, it was a pretty rough boating excursion, but it was
+not a long one. It did take them almost past the city front, and at last
+Ned thought he saw a long, black shadow reaching out at the boat. It was
+better than a shadow, for it was a long wooden pier, old enough to have
+been built by Cortes himself. The waves were breaking clean over it,
+but, at the same time, it was breaking them, so that around in the lee
+of it the water was less boisterous, and the yawl might reach the beach
+in safety. There was no wharf, but all Ned cared for was that he saw no
+surf, and he felt better than he had at any moment since leaving the
+_Goshhawk_. It was the same, for they said so, emphatically, with the
+boatmen and Colonel Tassara.
+
+"One of the men will take your bag," said the colonel to Ned, as soon as
+they were out on shore. "We will go right along to my house, and we
+shall hardly meet anybody just now. I'm glad of that. Santa Maria, how
+dark it is getting! This will be the worst kind of norther."
+
+A couple of lanterns had been taken from the boat. They had previously
+been lighted by the colonel with much difficulty, and without them it
+would have been impossible to follow the stony, grassy pathway by which
+Ned Crawford made his first invasion of the Mexican territory. He did
+not now feel like annexing any of it, although Mexican patriots asserted
+that their title to Vera Cruz or the city of Mexico itself was no better
+than their right to Texas. His gloomy march was a short one, and only a
+few shadowy, unrecognized human beings passed him on the way.
+
+The party came to a halt before a one-story stone dwelling, with a long
+piazza in front of it, close to the weedy sidewalk of a crooked and
+straggling street. It was apparent that this was not in the aristocratic
+quarter of the city, if it had one. A door in the middle of the house
+swung open as they arrived, and the boatman who carried Ned's bag put it
+down on the threshold. The lanterns went away with him and his fellow
+rowers, but other lights made their appearance quickly,--after the door
+had closed behind Ned and Colonel Tassara. Not one of the boat's crew
+had obtained a peep into the house, or had seen any of its occupants.
+Ned was now aware that he had entered a broad hall-like passageway,
+which appeared to run through the house, and to have several doors on
+each side. One of these doors had opened to let the new light in, and
+through it also came Senor Zuroaga, two other men, and a young girl, who
+at once threw her arms around the neck of Colonel Tassara.
+
+"O father!" she exclaimed, "I am so glad! Mother and I were so
+frightened! We were afraid you would be drowned."
+
+"My dear little daughter," he responded, sadly, "I fear there will be
+more than one lot of poor fellows drowned to-night. This storm is
+fearful!"
+
+It seemed, in fact, to be getting worse every minute, and Ned was
+thinking of the _Goshhawk_ and the state of her cable, even while he was
+being introduced to the pretty Senorita Felicia Tassara, and then to her
+mother, a stately woman, who came to meet her husband without
+condescending to say how badly she had been alarmed on his account.
+
+"She's just about the proudest-looking woman I ever saw," thought Ned,
+for, although she welcomed him politely, she at once made him aware
+that she did not consider him of any importance whatever. He was only a
+young gringo, from nobody knew where, and she was a Mexican lady of high
+rank, who hated Americans of all sorts.
+
+Ned's only really hearty greeting came from Senor Zuroaga, who seemed to
+him, under the circumstances, like an old friend.
+
+"Carfora, my dear fellow," he said, "you and the colonel must come in to
+your supper----"
+
+"Why, senor," expostulated Ned, "I'm wet through, and so is he."
+
+"I declare!" exclaimed Zuroaga. "What's in my head that I should
+overlook that? You must change your rig. Come this way with me."
+
+Ned followed him, bag in hand, through a narrow passage which opened at
+the right, and they went on almost to the end of it. The room which they
+then entered was only seven feet wide, but it was three times as long,
+and it was oddly furnished. Instead of a bedstead, a handsome hammock,
+with blankets, sheets, and a pillow in it, hung at one side, and the
+high window was provided with mosquito nettings. There was no carpet on
+the floor, but this was clean, and a good enough dressing-bureau stood
+at the further end of the room. Before the mirror of this, the senor set
+down the lamp he had been carrying, and said to Ned:
+
+"My dear Carfora, I have explained to the haughty senora that you are
+the son of an American merchant, and of a good family, so that she will
+not really treat you like a common person. She is descended from the
+oldest families of Spain, and there is no republicanism in her. The
+sooner you are ready, the better. I will be back in five minutes."
+
+Open came the bag, but the best Ned could do in the way of style was a
+very neat blue suit. What he would have called the swallow-tails, which
+Senora Tassara might have expected as the dinner dress of a more
+important guest, could hardly be required of a young fellow just escaped
+from a norther. As soon as he felt that he had done his best, he turned
+toward the door, but it opened to let in Senor Zuroaga in full
+regulation dinner costume. How he could have put it on so quickly
+puzzled Ned, but he asked no questions. It was quite possible, however,
+that even the descendant of Cortes and the Montezumas was a little bit
+in awe of the matronly descendant of the ancient Spanish grandees. She
+might be a powerful personage in more ways than one. At all events, Ned
+was led out to the central hall and across it, to where an uncommonly
+wide door stood open, letting out a flood of illumination.
+
+"Walk in, senors," said Colonel Tassara, from just inside this portal,
+and the next moment Ned was altogether astonished.
+
+He had been impressed, on reaching this house, that it was an old and
+even dingy affair, of no considerable size, but he did not yet know that
+the older Spanish mansions were often built with only one story and
+around a central courtyard. Moreover, at least in Mexico, they were apt
+to show few windows in front, and to be well calculated for use as a
+kind of small forts, if revolutionary or similar occasions should ask
+for thick walls, with embrasures for musketry. One glance around Senora
+Tassara's dining-room was enough to work a revolution in Ned's ideas
+relating to that establishment. It was large, high-ceilinged, and its
+carpetless floor was of polished mahogany. The walls and ceiling were of
+brilliant white stucco. Upon the former were hung several trophies of
+weapons and antlers of deer. In the centre, at the right, in a kind of
+ornamental shrine, was an ivory and ebony crucifix, which was itself a
+priceless work of art. The long dining-table had no cloth to conceal the
+fact that it was of the richest mahogany, dark with age and polished
+like a mirror. On the table was an abundance of fine china ware, none of
+it of modern manufacture, but all the more valuable for that reason. At
+the end nearest Ned stood a massive silver coffee-urn, beautifully
+molded, and it was not wonderful that he stood still a moment to stare
+at it, for it had taken him altogether by surprise.
+
+Almost instantly a change came over the dark, handsome features of
+Senora Tassara. She smiled brightly, for Ned's undisguised admiration of
+that mass of silver had touched her upon a tender spot, and she now
+spoke to him with at least four times as much cordiality as she had
+shown him in the hall.
+
+"Ah, my young friend," she said, turning gracefully toward him, "so you
+are pleased with my coffee-urn? No table in your city of New York can
+show anything like it. It is of the oldest Seville workmanship, and
+there are not many such remaining in all the world. It is an heirloom."
+
+"Senor Carfora," at that moment interrupted Colonel Tassara, "I will
+show you something else that is worth more than any kind of silver
+ware. Take a good look at this!"
+
+He stepped to a trophy of arms which hung upon the wall near him, and
+took from it a long, heavy sword, with a worn-looking but deeply chased
+gold hilt. He drew it from the sheath, gazing with evident pride at its
+curving blade of dull blue steel.
+
+"I think you have never before seen a sword like that," he said. "It may
+have been made at Toledo, for all I know, but it is centuries old. It
+was won from a Moor by an ancestor of mine, at the taking of Granada,
+when the Moorish power was broken forever by the heroes of Spain. Who
+can tell? It may have come down from the days of the Cid Campeador
+himself."
+
+Whoever that military gentleman may have been, Ned had no idea, but he
+determined to find out some day, and just now he was glad to grasp the
+golden hilt, and remember all that he had ever heard about the Moors. He
+had not at all expected to hear of them again, just after escaping from
+a norther in the Gulf of Mexico, but, without being aware of it, he was
+learning a great deal about the old Spanish-Mexican aristocracy, and
+why it could not easily become truly republican, even in the New World,
+which is beginning to grow old on its own account.
+
+Dinner was now ready, and Ned voted it a prime good one, for it
+consisted mainly of chicken, with capital corn-cakes and coffee. It was
+a tremendous improvement upon the dinners he had been eating at sea,
+cooked in the peculiar style of the caboose of the _Goshhawk_.
+
+One large idea was becoming firmly fixed in the acute mind of the young
+adventurer, and it tended to make him both watchful and silent. Not only
+was he in a country which was at war with his own, but he was in a land
+where men were apt to be more or less suspicious of each other. It was
+also quite the correct thing in good manners for him to say but little,
+and he was the better able to hear what the others were saying.
+Therefore, he could hardly help taking note that none of the party at
+the dinner-table said anything about the powder on the _Goshhawk_, or
+concerning a possible trip to be made to Oaxaca by any one there. They
+all appeared ready, on the other hand, to praise the patriotism,
+statesmanship, and military genius of that truly great man, President
+Paredes. They made no mention whatever of General Santa Anna, but they
+spoke confidently of the certainty with which Generals Ampudia and
+Arista were about to crush the invading gringos at the north, under
+Taylor. They also were sure that these first victories were to be
+followed by greater ones, which would be gained by the President
+himself, as soon as he should be able to take command of the Mexican
+armies in person. If any friend of his, a servant, for instance, of the
+Tassara family, had been listening, he would have had nothing to report
+which would have made any other man suppose that the rulers of Mexico
+had bitter, revengeful foes under that hospitable roof.
+
+The dinner ended, and Ned was once more in his room, glad enough to get
+into his hammock and go to sleep. If the norther did any howling around
+that house, he did not hear it, but he may have missed the swing motion
+which a hammock obtains on board a ship at sea. His eyes closed just as
+he was thinking:
+
+"This is great, but I wonder what on earth is going to happen to me
+to-morrow."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+FORWARD, MARCH
+
+
+The sun of the next morning arose upon a great deal of doubt and
+uncertainty in many places. Some of the soldiers of General Taylor's
+army were altogether uncertain into what bushes of the neighboring
+chaparral the norther had blown their tents, and they went out in search
+of their missing cotton duck shelters. The entire force encamped at the
+Rio Grande border was in the dark as to what it might next be ordered to
+do, and all sorts of rumors went around from regiment to regiment, as if
+the rumor manufacturer had gone crazy. General Taylor himself was sure
+of at least the one point, that he had no right to cross the muddy river
+in front of him and make a raid into Mexico until he should hear again
+from the government at Washington, and be officially informed that the
+war, which he was carrying on so well, had really begun. He and all his
+army believed that it was already going on, and they grumbled
+discontentedly that they were compelled to remain in camp, and watch for
+ranchero lancers on Texan soil, if it was legally Texan at all, until
+permission arrived to strike their tents and march forward.
+
+The news of the fighting and of what were described as the great battles
+on the Mexican border had reached New Orleans and Key West. It was
+travelling northward at full speed, but it had not yet been heard by the
+government or by the people of the North and West. None of these had as
+yet so much as imagined what a telegraphic news-bringer might be, and so
+they could not even wish that they had one, or they would surely have
+done so. The uncertainties of that morning, therefore, hampered all the
+councils of the nation. Almost everybody believed that there would soon
+be a war, although a great many men were strongly opposed to the idea of
+having one. Taking the war for granted, however, there were doubts and
+differences of opinion among both military and unmilitary men as to how
+it was to be carried on. Some were opposed to anything more than a
+defence of the Rio Grande boundary-line, but these moderate persons were
+hooted at by the out-and-out war party, whom nothing promised to
+satisfy but an invasion which intended the capture of the city of
+Mexico. Nothing less than this, they said, would obtain the objects of
+the war, and secure a permanent peace at the end of it. Then, supposing
+such an invasion to be decided on, an important question arose as to how
+and where the Mexican territory might best be entered by a conquering
+army. Many declared that General Taylor's forces were already at the
+right place for pushing ahead, but the commander-in-chief, General
+Winfield Scott, by all odds the best general the country possessed,
+responded that the march proposed for Taylor was too long, too
+difficult, and that it was likely to result in disaster. The shorter and
+only practicable route, he asserted, was by way of the sea and Vera
+Cruz. He was also known to be politically opposed to any war whatever.
+Thereupon, a number of prominent men, who disagreed with him, set
+themselves at work to have him removed or put aside, that a commander
+might take his place who was not so absurdly under the influence of
+military science, common sense, and of the troubles which might be
+encountered in marching seven hundred miles or more through an enemy's
+country. There were, it was said, eloquent politicians, who did not
+know how to drill an "awkward squad," but who felt sure of their ability
+to beat Old Scott in such an agreeable affair as a military picnic party
+to the city of Mexico.
+
+The young military scholars in the camp near Fort Brown were ignorant of
+all this. They were satisfied with their present commander, as well they
+might be, for he was a good one. They were satisfied with themselves,
+and were enthusiastically ready to fight anything which should be put in
+front of them. They were dreadfully dissatisfied with camp life,
+however, and especially with the fact that they and all the other raw
+troops of that army were forced to undergo a great deal of drill and
+discipline in hot weather. Perhaps, if this had not been given them,
+they would hardly have rendered so good an account of themselves in the
+severe tests of soldiership which they underwent a few months later.
+
+The first doubt that came to Ned Crawford that morning, as his eyes
+opened and he began to get about half-awake, related to his hammock and
+to how on earth he happened to be in it. Swift memories followed then of
+the norther, the perilous pull ashore, the arrival at the Tassara place,
+and the people he had met there. He recalled also something about
+silver coffee-urns and Moorish warriors, but the next thing, he was out
+upon the floor, and his head seemed to buzz like a beehive with
+inquiries concerning his immediate future.
+
+"Here I am," he said aloud. "I'm in Mexico; in Vera Cruz; at this house
+with Senor Zuroaga; and I don't know yet what's become of the _Goshhawk_.
+I don't really ever expect to see her again, but I hope that Captain
+Kemp and the sailors didn't get themselves drowned. I must see about
+that, first thing. Then I suppose I must see the American consul, write
+another letter home, see the merchants our goods were delivered to,--and
+what I'm to do after that I don't know."
+
+There was a loud rap at his door just then, and in a moment more he was
+almost repeating that speech to Senor Zuroaga.
+
+"Please say very little to Colonel Tassara or anybody else in this
+house," replied the senor, emphatically. "Get used, as soon as you can,
+to being called Carfora. We must make you look like a young Mexican
+right away. I've bought a rig which will fit you. It is well that you
+are so dark-complexioned. A red-haired fellow would never pass as you
+will. All the American residents of Vera Cruz are already under
+military protection, and I am glad there are so few of them, for there
+are said to have been two or three assassinations. Part of the mountain
+men who are loafing in town just now are wild Indians, as reckless and
+cruel as any of your Sioux warriors on a war-path. Come along to
+breakfast. You won't meet the ladies this time, but I believe the senora
+and senorita like you a little, because you had the good taste to admire
+their silver and china."
+
+"Oh, that old coffee-urn!" said Ned. "Well, it's as fine as anything I
+ever saw, even in a jewelry window."
+
+"Yes," laughed the senor, "but the senora wants to have the American
+consul killed because he told her she had better have that thing melted
+and made over into one of the modern patterns. She will never forgive
+him. Tell her again, when you have a chance, that the old-time Seville
+silversmiths could beat anything we have nowadays, and she will love
+you. I do not really believe myself that we are getting much ahead of
+those ancient artists. They were wonderful designers."
+
+Ned was willing to believe that they were, and he made up his mind to
+praise Senora Tassara's pet urn to the best of his ability.
+
+He was not to have an opportunity for doing so immediately. Their
+breakfast was ready for them in the dining-room, but they were allowed
+to eat it by themselves. It seemed to Ned a very good one, but several
+times he found himself turning away from it to stare at the silver
+marvel and at the weapons on the walls. There was no apparent reason for
+haste, but neither of them cared to linger, and before long they were
+out on the piazza in front, Zuroaga with his hat pulled down to his eyes
+and his coat collar up. Ned was at once confirmed in his previous idea
+that the house was anything but new, and to that he added the conviction
+that it was much larger than it had appeared to be in the night. He
+believed, too, that it must have cost a deal of money to build it long
+ago. He had only a moment for that calculation, however, for his next
+glance went out toward the gulf, and he came near to being astonished.
+The path which he had followed in coming up from the shore had been a
+steep one, and he was now standing at a place from which he had a pretty
+good view of the tossing water between the mainland and the castle of
+San Juan de Ulua. The old fortress was there, unharmed by the norther,
+but not in any direction, as far as his eyes could reach, was there any
+sign of a ship, at anchor or otherwise.
+
+"Senor!" he exclaimed. "What has become of them? They are all gone! Do
+you suppose they have been wrecked?"
+
+"Not all of them, by any means," replied the senor, but he also was
+searching the sea with a serious face. "As many as could lift their
+anchors in time to make a good offing before the norther came were sure
+to do so. If there were any that did not succeed, I can't say where they
+may have gone to just now."
+
+"The _Goshhawk_--" began Ned, but the senor gripped his arm hard, while
+he raised his right hand and pointed up the road.
+
+"Silence!" he commanded, in a sharp whisper. "Look! there he comes.
+Don't even call him by his name. Wait and hear what he has to say. He
+can tell us what has become of the bark. They are a used-up lot of men."
+
+So they were, the five who now came walking slowly along from somewhere
+or other on the coast upon which the disastrous storm had blown.
+
+"Captain Kemp and the crew of his life-boat," thought Ned, but he obeyed
+the senor at first, and was silent until the haggard-looking party
+arrived and came to a halt in front of him. Then, however, he lost his
+prudence for a moment, and anxiously inquired:
+
+"Were any of you drowned?"
+
+"Not any of us that are here," responded the captain, grimly. "No, nor
+any other of the _Goshhawk_ men, but there are more wrecks in sight
+below, and I don't know how many from them got ashore. Our bark stranded
+this side of them, and she's gone all to pieces. We took to the
+life-boat in time, but we've had a hard pull of it. We went ashore
+through the breakers, about six miles below this, and here we are, but I
+don't want to ever pass such another night. I'm going on down to the
+consul's now, to report, and Ned had better be there as soon as he can.
+Then, the sooner he's out o' Vera Cruz, the better for him and all of
+us."
+
+"I think so myself," said Senor Zuroaga. "Don't even stay here for
+breakfast. Nobody from here must come to the consul's with Senor
+Carfora."
+
+"Of course not," said the captain, wearily, and away he went, although
+Ned felt as if he were full to bursting with the most interesting kind
+of questions concerning the captain's night in the life-boat and the
+sad fate of the swift and beautiful _Goshhawk_.
+
+"Come into the house," said the senor, "and put on your Mexican rig. I
+have a message from Colonel Guerra that we must get away to-night. I
+must not bring any peril upon the Tassara family. Up to this hour no
+enemy knows that I was a passenger on the powder-boat, as they call it."
+
+"All right," said Ned. "I'll write one more letter home. I couldn't get
+out of the city in any other way just now, and I want to see Mexico."
+
+That idea was growing upon him rapidly, but his next errand was to the
+senor's own room, to put on what he called his disguise. He followed his
+friend to a large, handsome chamber in the further end of the house,
+and, as he entered it, his first thought was:
+
+"Hullo! are they getting ready for a fight?"
+
+In the corners of the room and leaning against the walls here and there
+were weapons enough to have armed half a company of militia, if the
+soldiers did not care what kinds of weapons they were to carry, for the
+guns and swords and pistols were of all patterns except those of the
+present day. Ned saw at least one rusty firelock, which put him in mind
+of pictures he had seen of the curious affairs the New England fathers
+carried when they went to meeting on Sunday. He had no time to examine
+them, however, for here were his new clothes, and he must be in them
+without delay. He admired each piece, as he put it on, and then one look
+into the senor's mirror convinced him that he was completely disguised.
+He had been turned into a somewhat stylish young Mexican, from his
+broad-brimmed straw hat to his Vera Cruz made shoes. He still wore a
+blue jacket, but this one was short, round-cornered, and had bright
+silver buttons. His new trousers were wide at the bottoms, with
+silver-buttoned slashes on the outsides below the knees. He had not worn
+suspenders on shipboard, but now his belt was of yellow leather and
+needlessly wide, with a bright buckle and a sword-catch on the left
+side. As to this matter, the senor showed him a short, straight,
+wide-bladed sort of cutlas, which he called a machete.
+
+"That is to be yours," he said. "You need not carry it in town, but you
+will as soon as we get away. You will have pistols, too, and a gun. It
+won't do to go up the road to Oaxaca unarmed. Now you may make the best
+of your way to the consul's, and I'll stay here to finish getting
+ready."
+
+He appeared to be laboring under a good deal of excitement, and so, to
+tell the truth, was the disguised young American. Out he went into the
+hall, trying hard to be entirely collected and self-possessed, but it
+was only to be suddenly halted. Before him stood the stately Senora
+Tassara, and clinging to her was the very pretty Senorita Felicia, both
+of them staring, open-eyed, at the change in his uniform. The senorita
+was of about fourteen, somewhat pale, with large, brilliant black eyes,
+and she was a very frank, truthful girl, for she exclaimed:
+
+"Oh, mother, do look at him! But it does not make a Mexican of him. He's
+a gringo, and he would fight us if he had a chance. I want them all to
+be killed!"
+
+"No, my dear," said the senora, with a pleasant laugh. "Senor Carfora
+will not fight us. He and his ship brought powder for Colonel Guerra and
+the army. I am sorry he must leave us. You must shake hands with him."
+
+"Oh, no!" said the wilful Felicia, spitefully. "I don't want to shake
+hands with him. He is one of our enemies."
+
+"No, I'm not!" stammered Ned. "But did you know that our ship was
+wrecked in the norther? If you had been on board of her when she went
+ashore, you would have been drowned. The men in the life-boat had a hard
+time in getting ashore. I'm glad you were at home."
+
+"There, dear," said her mother. "That is polite. You heard what Senor
+Zuroaga said about the wrecks. They were terrible! Can you not say that
+you are glad Senor Carfora was not drowned?"
+
+"No, mother," persisted Felicia. "I'll say I wish he had been drowned,
+if--if he could have swum ashore afterward. Good enough for him."
+
+Senora Tassara laughed merrily, as she responded:
+
+"You are a dreadfully obstinate young patriot, my darling. But you must
+be a little more gracious. The gringo armies will never come to Vera
+Cruz. They are away up north on the Rio Grande."
+
+"Well, mother, I will a little," said the senorita, proudly. "Senor
+Carfora, your generals will be beaten all to pieces. You wait till you
+see our soldiers. You haven't anything like them. They are as brave as
+lions. My father is a soldier, and he is to command a regiment. I wish I
+were a man to go and fight."
+
+Her eyes were flashing and she looked very warlike, but the only thing
+that poor Ned could think of to say just then was:
+
+"Senora Tassara, if you are not careful, somebody will get in some day
+and steal your beautiful coffee-urn."
+
+"Ah me!" sighed the senora. "This has been attempted, my young friend.
+Thieves have been killed, too, in trying to carry off the Tassara plate.
+There would be more like it, in some places, if so much had not been
+made plunder of and melted up in our dreadful revolutions. Some of them
+were only great robberies. I understand that you must go to your
+business now, but we shall see you again this evening."
+
+"Good morning, Senora Tassara," said Ned, as he bowed and tried to walk
+backward toward the outer door. "Good morning, Senorita Tassara. You
+would feel very badly this morning if you had been drowned last night."
+
+The last thing he heard, as he reached the piazza, was a ringing peal of
+laughter from the senora, but he believed that he had answered politely.
+
+He knew his way to the office of the American consul, and the distance
+was not great in so small a town, but as he drew near it, he saw that
+there was a strong guard of soldiers in front of the building. They
+were handsomely uniformed regulars from the garrison of San Juan de
+Ulua, and there was cause enough for their being on duty. All up and
+down the street were scattered groups of sullen-looking men, talking and
+gesticulating. None of them carried guns, but every man of them had a
+knife at his belt, and not a few of them were also armed with machetes
+of one form or another. They would have made a decidedly dangerous mob
+against anything but the well-drilled and fine-looking guards who were
+protecting the consulate. Ned remembered what Felicia had said about her
+soldiers, and he did not know how very different were these disciplined
+regulars from the great mass of the levies which were to be encountered
+by the troops of the United States. He was admiring them and he was
+thinking of battles and generals, when one of the most ferocious-looking
+members of the mob came jauntily sauntering along beside him. He was a
+powerfully built man, almost black with natural color and sunburn. He
+was not exactly ragged, but he was barefooted, and his broad-brimmed
+sombrero was by no means new. A heavy machete hung from his belt, and he
+appeared to be altogether an undesirable new acquaintance. Ned looked
+up at him almost nervously, for he did not at all like the aspect of
+affairs in that street. He was thinking:
+
+"I guess they were right about the excitement of the people. This isn't
+any place for fellows like me. I must get out of Vera Cruz as soon as I
+can. It's a good thing that I'm disguised. I must play Mexican."
+
+At that moment a good-natured smile spread across the gloomy face of his
+unexpected companion, and he said, in a low tone of voice:
+
+"Say nothing, Senor Carfora. Walk on into the consulate. I belong to
+General Zuroaga. There are four more of his men here. We have orders to
+take care of you. You are the young Englishman that brought us the
+powder. There was not a pound to be bought in Vera Cruz, but some of
+those fellows would knife you for a gringo."
+
+[Illustration: "WE HAVE ORDERS TO TAKE CARE OF YOU"]
+
+Quite a useless number of queer Spanish oaths were sprinkled in among
+his remarks, but Ned did not mind them. He only nodded and strictly
+obeyed the injunction against talking, even while he was asking himself
+how on earth his friend, the senor, ever became a general. He concluded,
+for the moment, that it might be a kind of militia title, such as he had
+heard of in the United States. However that might be, he and his
+guide soon reached the door of the consulate, and he himself was
+promptly admitted, as if the keeper of the door had been expecting to
+see him. There were guards inside the house as well as in the street,
+and they motioned Ned on through a narrow entry-way, at the end of which
+was an open room. He passed on into this, and the next moment he was
+exclaiming:
+
+"Hullo, Captain Kemp! I'm so glad you are here! What am I to do next?"
+
+"Almost nothing at all," said the captain, quietly. "Just sign your
+papers and get away. The consul himself has gone to the city of Mexico,
+with United States government despatches for President Paredes, and we
+shall finish our business as easy as rolling off a log. You have nothing
+to do with the wrecking of the _Goshhawk_, for you weren't on board when
+she parted her cable. But just look at those people!"
+
+Ned did so, for the room, a large and well-furnished office, was almost
+crowded with Americans of all sorts, mostly men, whose faces wore varied
+expressions of deep anxiety.
+
+"What are they all here for?" asked Ned.
+
+"Safety!" growled the captain. "And to inquire how and when they can
+find their way out of this city of robbers. I hear that a whole
+regiment is to be on guard duty to-night, and that the mob is to be put
+down. If I ever see your father again, I'll explain to him why I sent
+you away."
+
+Before Ned could make any further remarks, he was introduced to the
+vice-consul, a dapper, smiling little man, who did not appear to be in
+the least disturbed by his unpleasant surroundings. Almost a score of
+papers, larger and smaller, required the signature of the young
+supercargo of the unfortunate _Goshhawk_. They were speedily signed,
+although without any clear idea in Ned's mind as to what they all were
+for, and then Captain Kemp took him by the arm and led him away into a
+corner of the room.
+
+"Ned, my boy," he said, "you see how it is. You must keep away from the
+seacoast for awhile. After things are more settled, you can come back
+and get away on a British, or French, or Dutch vessel, if the port isn't
+too closely blockaded. Whether I shall get out alive or not, I don't
+know. You haven't enough money. I'll let you have a couple of hundred
+dollars more in Mexican gold. You'd better not let anybody suspect that
+you carry so much with you. This country contains too many patriots who
+would cut their own President's throat for a gold piece. Don't ever show
+more than one shiner at a time, or you may lose it all."
+
+Ned took the two little bags that were so cautiously delivered to him,
+and while he was putting them away in the inner pockets of his jacket,
+his mind was giving him vivid pictures of the knives and machetes and
+their bearers, whom he had seen in the street.
+
+"Captain," he said, "those fellows out there wouldn't wait for any gold.
+A silver dollar would buy one of them."
+
+"Half a dollar," replied the captain. "Not one of them is worth a
+shilling. They ought all to be shot. But look here. I mustn't come to
+Colonel Tassara's place again. I find that he is under some kind of
+suspicion already, and President Paredes makes short work of men whom he
+suspects of plotting against him. Go! Get home!"
+
+"That's just about what I'd like to do," said Ned to himself, as he
+hurried out of the consulate, but the next moment his courage began to
+come back to him, for here was Senor Zuroaga's ferocious-looking
+follower, and with him were four others, who might have been his cousins
+or his brothers, from their looks, for they all were Oaxaca Indians, of
+unmixed descent. Their tribe had faithfully served the children and
+grandchildren of Hernando Cortes, the Conquistador, from the day when he
+and his brave adventurers cut their way into the Tehuantepec valley.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+THE LAND OF THE MONTEZUMAS
+
+"Father Crawford, do read that newspaper! The war has begun! They are
+fighting great battles on the Rio Grande! Oh, how I wish you hadn't sent
+Ned to Mexico! He may get killed!"
+
+She was a woman of middle age, tall, fine-looking, and she was evidently
+much excited. She was standing at one end of a well-set breakfast table,
+and was holding out a printed sheet to a gentleman who had been looking
+down at his plate, as if he were asking serious questions of it.
+
+"My dear," he said, as he took the paper, "I knew it was coming, but I
+didn't think it would come so soon as this. I don't really see that Ned
+is in any danger. Captain Kemp will take care of him."
+
+"But," she said, "the _Goshhawk_ may be captured."
+
+"No," replied Mr. Crawford, confidently. "She hasn't sailed across
+prairie to the Rio Grande. There won't be any fighting at Vera Cruz for
+ever so long. There can't be any on the sea, for Mexico has no navy. The
+_Goshhawk_ is entirely safe, and so is Ned. It'll be a grand experience
+for him."
+
+"I don't want him to have so much experience at his age," she said,
+anxiously. "I'd rather he'd be at home,--if there's going to be a war."
+
+"I've often wished that I could see a war," replied her husband, as he
+glanced over the black-typed headings of the newspaper columns. "I've
+travelled a good deal in Mexico, and I wanted Ned to learn all he could
+of that country. He will hardly have any chance to do so now."
+
+"He might see too much of it if he were taken prisoner," she exclaimed.
+"I can't bear to think of it! Oh, how I wish he were at home!"
+
+Mr. Crawford was silent, and again he appeared to be thinking deeply. He
+was not a pale-faced man at any time, but now his color was visibly
+increasing. His face was also changing its expression, and it wore a
+strong reminder of the look which had come into his son Ned's
+countenance when the fever of Mexican exploration took hold of him.
+People say "like father, like son," and it may be that Ned's readiness
+for a trip into the interior belonged to something which had descended
+to him from a father who had been willing to educate his son for the
+southern trade by sending him to sea with Captain Kemp. The United
+States has had a great many commercial men of that stamp, and there was
+a time when almost all the navy the nation possessed was provided by the
+merchant patriots, who armed and sent out, or themselves commanded, its
+fleets of privateers. Very likely the Crawfords and a number of other
+American families could point back to as adventurous an ancestry as
+could any Spaniard whose forefathers had fought Moors or won estates for
+themselves in Mexico or Peru. As for Mrs. Crawford, she was hardly able
+to drink her coffee that morning, after reading the newspaper, and she
+might have been even more willing to have Ned come home if she had known
+what had become of the _Goshhawk_, and in what company he was a couple of
+hours after she arose from her table.
+
+Company? That was it. He was now walking along one of the streets of
+Vera Cruz with a squad of men of whom she would have decidedly
+disapproved, but whose character her husband would have understood at
+sight. Ned's first acquaintance, Pablo, as he called himself, with his
+four comrades, made up so thoroughly Mexican a party at all points that
+it was in no danger of being interfered with by the mob. Every member of
+this had seen, often enough, the son of some wealthy landholder from the
+upland country attended by a sufficient number of his own retainers to
+keep him from being plundered, and it was well enough to let him alone.
+On they went, but it was by a circuitous route and a back street that
+they reached the Tassara place. Even then, they did not enter it by the
+front door, but by a path which led down to the stables in the rear of
+the house. No outsider would afterward be able to say that he saw that
+party of men march into the courtyard to be welcomed by Colonel Tassara
+and the mysterious personage whom Ned was trying to think of as General
+Zuroaga.
+
+"He may be of more importance than I had any idea of," said Ned to
+himself, "and I wish I knew what was coming next."
+
+He was not to find out immediately, for Zuroaga motioned him to go on
+into the house, while he himself and Tassara remained to talk with
+Pablo and the other machete-bearers.
+
+Hardly was Ned three steps inside of the dwelling, when he was met by
+Senora Tassara, apparently in a state of much mental agitation.
+
+"My dear young friend!" she exclaimed, "I am so glad you have escaped
+from them! Come in. We shall have no regular dinner to-day. You will eat
+your luncheon now, however. We are all busy packing up. We must set out
+for the country as soon as it is dark. The colonel's enemies are
+following him like so many wolves! Felicia, my dear, you will see that
+Senor Carfora is properly attended to."
+
+The saucy senorita was standing a little behind her mother, and she now
+beckoned to Ned, as if she had no hostility for him whatever.
+
+"Come right along in," she said, peremptorily. "I must eat my luncheon,
+too. I want to hear where you have been, and what you have been doing.
+Is there any more news from the war? Have your gringo generals been
+beaten again? Tell me all you know!"
+
+She was evidently in the habit of being obeyed by those around her, and
+Ned felt decidedly obedient, but this was his first intimation that it
+was fully noon. Time had passed more rapidly than he had been aware of,
+for his mind had been too busy to take note of it. He was hungrily ready
+to obey, however, especially concerning the luncheon, and his first bit
+of news appeared to please his little hostess exceedingly.
+
+"Not another ship is in," he told her, "and I don't believe there is
+going to be any war, anyhow, but I saw some of your soldiers. They were
+guarding the American consulate from the mob. They were splendid-looking
+fellows. Is your father's regiment of that kind of men?"
+
+"Father's regiment?" she said, angrily. "That's just the difficulty now.
+He hasn't any soldiers. Those that he had were taken away from him. So
+he must go and gather some more, or President Paredes will say that he
+is not patriotic. They took his old regiment away from him after he had
+made it a real good one. Tell me about your gringo soldiers. Are there a
+great many of them? Do they know how to fight? I don't believe they do."
+
+She was all on fire about the war and her father's enemies, and Ned was
+ready to tell her all he knew of the American army, if not a little
+more. At least, he described to her the elegant uniforms which were
+worn on parade occasions by the New York City militia regiments,
+feathers, flags, brass bands, and all, rather than the external
+appearance of any martial array that General Taylor was likely to take
+with him when he invaded Mexico. Felicia was especially interested in
+those magnificent brass bands and wished that she could have some of
+them taken prisoners to come and play in front of her house, but all the
+while they were talking he was glancing furtively around the room. This
+had undergone a remarkable change during his brief absence. The trophies
+of arms were all gone, and the wonderful Seville coffee-urn had
+disappeared. Perhaps it had walked away, beyond the reach of possible
+thieves, and with it may have gone the other silverware of the Tassara
+family. Senorita Felicia's quick eyes had followed his own, for she was
+watching him.
+
+"Yes, Senor Carfora," she said, "it's all gone. The china is all stored
+away in the deep cellar. I don't believe they could find it, and if they
+did they could not carry it away to melt it up and make dollars of it.
+That's what they did with all the silver one of my aunts had, except
+some spoons that were hid in the stable, under the hay. One of the
+robbers went into the stable to hunt, too, and a good mule kicked him
+dead. If anybody comes to rob this house while we are gone, I wish he
+might be kicked by one of our mules at the hacienda. He would not steal
+any more."
+
+Ned had other things to tell her, about the United States forts, troops,
+and ships of war, and she had stories to tell with excited vivacity that
+set forth sadly enough the wretchedly unsettled condition of her
+country, which she appeared to love so well, after all. Troubled as it
+was, it was her own land, and she hated its enemies.
+
+It was a hot, oppressive day, with a promise of greater heat soon to
+come, and the weather itself might be a good enough reason why any
+family should be in a hurry to get out of the _tierra caliente_. As for
+the removal of valuable property, Ned had already learned that Vera Cruz
+was haunted not only by bad characters from the interior, but by
+desperadoes from up and down the coast and from the West India Islands.
+He was not near enough to hear, however, when Zuroaga remarked to his
+friend Tassara:
+
+"You are right, my dear colonel. The Americans will hold the Texan
+border with a strong hand, but if Paredes does not promptly come to
+terms with them, we shall see a fleet and army at Vera Cruz before long.
+This is the weak point of our unhappy republic."
+
+"I think not," replied Tassara, gloomily. "I wish it were a solid
+nation, as strong as the castle out yonder. Our weak point is that we
+are cut up into factions, and cannot make use of the strength that we
+really have undeveloped. As for anything else, one case of yellow fever
+was reported yesterday, and I am informed that his Excellency, President
+Paredes, talks of coming here shortly to confer with Colonel Guerra.
+That may mean trouble for him, and neither you nor I would wish to be
+brought before any such council of war as might be called together."
+
+"It might not consist altogether of our friends," said Zuroaga. "In my
+case, if not in yours, it might be followed quickly by an order for a
+file of soldiers and a volley of musketry. I should not look for mercy
+from a tiger."
+
+"On the other hand," responded the colonel, "it would be well for him to
+be careful just now. He will need all the strength he can obtain."
+
+"Humph!" exclaimed Zuroaga. "He will try to leave no living, or, at
+least, no unimprisoned enemies behind him when he marches for the
+border."
+
+It was plain that they were not to be numbered among their President's
+friends, whether or not they were altogether just to him. Bloody
+severity in putting down sedition was the long-established custom in
+Mexico, and one man might not be more to blame for it than another. It
+had been handed down from the old days of Spanish rule, and the record
+which had been made is not by any means pleasant reading.
+
+When the luncheon was over, the senorita left Ned to himself, appearing
+to feel somewhat more friendly than at first, but still considering him
+as a gringo and a foreigner. She said she had some things to pack up,
+and he went to look after his own. These did not require much packing,
+and before long he had again found his way out to the courtyard and the
+stables. These were indeed the most interesting spots about the place,
+for they contained all the men, the horses, and the mules. Ned shortly
+concluded that here were also gathered most of the firearms and at least
+a dozen of the wildest kind of Mexican Indians, all ragged and all
+barefooted. Preparations for a journey were going forward under Senora
+Tassara's direction, and Ned pretty quickly understood that the men
+were a great deal more afraid of her than they were of her husband. He
+felt so himself, and he instantly got out of her way, as she told him to
+do, when he unwisely undertook to help her with her packing.
+
+The horses were of several sorts and sizes, and more like them were
+shortly brought in. One large spring wagon and a covered carryall
+carriage were in good order. Both were of American manufacture, and so
+was the harness of the teams which were to draw them. Ned was feeling a
+certain degree of curiosity as to what kind of carriage was to carry
+him, when Senor Zuroaga beckoned him to one side and said:
+
+"We shall be with Colonel Tassara's party only the first day. But I have
+been thinking. When we were on the _Goshhawk_, you told me that you had
+never ridden a horse in your life----"
+
+"Why, I'm a city boy," interrupted Ned. "There isn't any horseback
+riding done there. I'd rather go on wheels."
+
+"Of course you would," laughed Zuroaga. "But there won't be any use for
+wheels on some of the roads I am to follow. I've picked you out a pony
+that you can manage, though, and you will soon learn. You will have to
+be a horseman if you are to travel in Mexico."
+
+"So father used to tell me," said Ned. "He can ride anything. Which of
+these is my horse? They all look skittish----"
+
+"Neither of these would do for you," replied the senor. "But listen to
+me sharply. Twice you have called me general. Don't do it again until we
+are beyond the mountains. I'm only a plain senor in all this region of
+the country. I only hope that some men in Vera Cruz do not already know
+that I am here. If they did, I am afraid I should not get out so easily.
+This is your horse. He is a good one."
+
+Hitched to a post near the wall was a fat, undersized animal, black as
+jet, and with more mane and tail than was at all reasonable. He carried
+a Mexican saddle with wooden stirrups and a tremendous curb-bit bridle.
+In front of the saddle were pistol holsters, and behind it hung an
+ammunition case, as if Ned were about to become a trooper. He went to
+examine the holsters, and found that each of them contained a large
+horse-pistol with a flintlock. He also found powder and bullets in the
+case, and he wondered whether or not he would ever be able to shoot
+anybody with one of those heavy, long-barrelled things without having
+something to rest it on.
+
+"I practised for an hour once in a pistol-gallery," he remarked, "but it
+wasn't with anything like that."
+
+"You didn't hit centre even then, eh?" laughed the senor. "Well, not
+many men can do much with them, but they are better than nothing. They
+are too heavy for a hand like yours. Here is your machete. Put it on."
+
+Ned felt a queer tingle all over him, as he took the weapon and hitched
+it at his belt. Then he drew it from the sheath and looked at it,
+swinging it up and down to feel its weight. It was a straight, one-edged
+blade, with a sharp point, and a brass basket hilt, and he remarked:
+
+"Senor Zuroaga, I could hit with that, I guess."
+
+His face had flushed fiery red, and it could be seen, from his handling
+of the machete, that his muscles were unusually strong for his size and
+age. The senor nodded his approbation, as he remarked:
+
+"I think you will do. There is fight in you, but I hope we shall have no
+fighting to do just now. I shall try to find a safe road home."
+
+"A fellow could cut down bushes with this thing," said Ned.
+
+"That's exactly what our rancheros use them for," replied the senor.
+"They will do almost anything with a machete. They will cut their way
+through thick chaparral, kill and cut up beef cattle, split wood, fight
+men or animals, and on the whole it's about the most useful tool there
+is in a Mexican camp or hacienda."
+
+"What's that?" asked Ned.
+
+"Any kind of farm with a house on it," said the senor. "You may have to
+learn all about haciendas before you get home."
+
+"Just what I'd like to do," said Ned. "I'll learn how to ride, too. How
+soon are we to set out?"
+
+"Not till after dark," said the senor. "But you need not be in any hurry
+to get into the saddle. You will have quite enough of it before you get
+out of it again. There is a long ride before us to-night."
+
+"I'm ready," replied Ned, but nevertheless he looked at that Mexican
+saddle with doubtful eyes, as if he were thinking that it might possibly
+prove to be a place of trial for a beginner.
+
+At that very hour there were several gentlemen in uniform closeted with
+Colonel Guerra in one of the rooms of the Castle of San Juan de Ulua.
+The colonel appeared to have been giving them a detailed report of the
+condition of the fortress and of its means for defence, whether or not
+he had stated exactly the amount of the ammunition brought him by the
+ill-fated _Goshhawk_. Other subjects of conversation must now have come
+up, however, for one of them arose with great dignity of manner,
+remarking:
+
+"My dear colonel, I am glad that I shall be able to make so encouraging
+a report to his Excellency. As for Colonel Tassara, we shall serve our
+warrant upon him some time to-morrow. We are informed that, beyond a
+doubt, the traitor Zuroaga intends to return from Europe shortly. As
+sure as he does, he will be engaged in dangerous intrigues against the
+existing order of things, and the good of the country requires that he
+shall be brought to justice before he can put any of his nefarious plans
+in operation. At the same time, we are assured that the invaders upon
+the Rio Grande will soon be defeated yet more thoroughly."
+
+All the rest had arisen while he was speaking, and one of them, a fat,
+short man in a brilliant uniform, added, enthusiastically:
+
+"We feel that we can rely upon you, Colonel Guerra. We pity the gringos
+if they should attempt to beleaguer this impregnable fortress. For my
+own part, I believe that Colonel Tassara's court martial can have but
+one result. His disobedience must be paid for with his life. All
+conspirators like Zuroaga should be shot as soon as they are captured.
+This is not a time, my friends, for undue leniency."
+
+"Gentlemen," responded Colonel Guerra with graceful courtesy, "I bid you
+all a brief farewell with sincere regret. Your visit has given me
+unmixed satisfaction. Do not forget that all of you are to dine with me
+to-morrow. From my very heart I can echo your noble sentiments of valor
+and patriotism and of devotion to our beloved commander-in-chief, his
+heroic Excellency, President Paredes."
+
+Then followed smiles and handshakings of mutual confidence all around,
+and the visiting officers took their departure. Hardly had the door
+closed behind them, however, before Colonel Guerra again sat down,
+hoarsely muttering between his set teeth:
+
+"The snake-hearted villains! What they really hoped for was to find the
+fort and garrison in bad condition and unprovided, so that they might
+ruin me. They want my disgrace and removal, to make room for one of
+them. I don't believe they will catch either Tassara or Zuroaga this
+time. The colonel will soon raise his new regiment, and my old friend
+will be down in Oaxaca in safety, waiting for the hour that is to come.
+Paredes would give something to see my last letter from Santa Anna."
+
+So there were many plots and counterplots, and the politest men might
+not be always what they seemed.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+OUT OF THE TIERRA CALIENTE
+
+
+Those were days of great commotion in the Congress of the United States.
+The whole nation, South as well as North, was divided in opinion as to
+the righteousness and expediency of the war with Mexico. There were two
+great parties, both of which have long since passed away, for the
+question of the annexation of Texas is no longer before the people, and
+all this was more than half a century ago. One of the parties called
+itself "Whig," but its enemies described its members as "Coons," in the
+habit of roosting up a tree out of reach. The other party called itself
+"Democratic," while its opponents lampooned its members as "Loco-focos,"
+comparing them to the blue-headed sulphur matches of that name, which
+were largely manufactured and did not burn very well. Party feeling ran
+high, and the debates in Congress were red-hot. The Democratic
+President, James K. Polk, was a man of far greater ability and
+statesmanship than his party enemies were willing to give him credit
+for, and he was supported by a brilliant array of politicians. On the
+other hand, the Whig party contained a number of our most distinguished
+statesmen, and, curiously enough, most of the generals of the army,
+including Winfield Scott and Zachary Taylor, were well-known Whigs. It
+was not altogether unnatural, therefore, that the Democratic party in
+power should wish to put the command of any army preparing for the
+invasion of Mexico into the hands of officers who were in favor of the
+war which they were to carry on. Questions like this, and some others
+relating to the unprepared condition of the American army for so
+tremendous an undertaking, were responsible for the fact that there was
+a long delay in all military operations, even after the hard and
+successful fighting done by General Taylor's forces at the Rio Grande.
+
+American cruisers were tacking to and fro over the waters of the Gulf of
+Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, without any especial errand of which their
+commanders were aware. Regiments of eager volunteers were forming in
+several of the States, and were trying hard to discover officers who
+knew how to drill and handle them. The politicians were everywhere
+calling each other harder and harder names. Not one soul in all the
+United States, however, knew anything of a party of mounted men, a
+carriage, and a spring-wagon, which quietly made its way out of the city
+of Vera Cruz, not long after sunset, one sultry and lazy evening. At the
+head of this cavalcade rode two men, who sat upon their spirited horses
+as if they were at home in the saddle. At their right, however, was a
+young fellow on a black pony who was entirely satisfied with the fact
+that the beast under him did not seem to have any spirit at all. He was
+at that moment steadying his feet in the stirrups, and remarking to
+himself:
+
+"I'm glad none of them saw me mount him. I got upon a high box first,
+and even then my machete was tangled with my legs, and I all but fell
+over him. I'll get the senor to show me how, or I'll be laughed at by
+the men."
+
+He was doing fairly well at present, for the road went up a hill, and
+the night was not one for foolishly fast travelling. He could listen all
+the better, and one of his companions was saying to the other:
+
+"My dear Zuroaga, we have gained four miles. Every one of them is worth
+something handsome to you and me. In my opinion, we did not get away a
+moment too soon to save our necks."
+
+"Not one minute!" replied the other, with strong emphasis. "Not even if
+Guerra can succeed in gaining for us the best part of another day, as he
+believed he could. Perhaps our best chance, after all, is that he has
+only one company of lancers, and that any officer sent with it might
+have instructions which would take him by another road than this."
+
+"The inspector-general had with him an escort of his own," said Tassara.
+"If he should send those fellows, they would be likely to know how to
+find us. They are not under the orders of Guerra."
+
+"If," exclaimed Zuroaga, fiercely, "they do not overtake us until after
+the middle of our second day out, I believe they would be unlucky to try
+to arrest us. I hope they will be wise, and not tire out their horses
+with too much haste. I feel as if I could shoot pretty straight if I
+should see them coming within range."
+
+"So could I," replied Tassara.
+
+The road which they were then following ran between cultivated lands on
+either side. It was not tree-shadowed, and, as Ned looked back, the
+moonlight showed him something that made him think rapidly. Additional
+horsemen had joined them after they had left the city behind them, and
+it occurred to him that arrangements had been made beforehand for
+something like a small war. There were not less than twenty armed men,
+besides himself and the pair who were with him. For some reason or
+other, moreover, the wagon, which was drawn by four mules, and the
+carriage, drawn by a pair of fine animals of the same sort, were driven
+on well in advance. It appeared, therefore, as if no danger was expected
+to meet them from the opposite direction, and that Senora Tassara and
+her daughter were fairly well protected from any peril which might come
+after them along the road from Vera Cruz. The next thing that struck
+Ned, little as he knew about war, was that these horsemen were riding
+two and two, not in a straggling procession, but in as perfect order as
+if they had been trained cavalry. If he had known a little more, he
+would have declared:
+
+"That is just what they are."
+
+He might not also have known that all but six of them were from the
+Tassara estates, and that the odd half-dozen were lifelong servants of
+the proscribed descendant of Hernando Cortes. If he could have
+understood those men, he might also have comprehended one important
+feature of the tangled politics of Mexico, and why ambitious military
+men were every now and then able to set up for themselves, and defy the
+central government until it could manage to capture them, and have them
+shot as rebels. Wiser men than he, looking at the matter from the
+outside, might also have understood how greatly it was to the credit of
+President Paredes that he was making so good a stand against the power
+of the United States while hampered by so many difficulties. Ned was no
+politician at all, and it was a mere impulse, or a tired feeling, which
+led him to pull in his pony and let the men catch up with him, so that
+he might chat with them, one after another, and get acquainted. He found
+that they were under no orders not to talk. On the contrary, every man
+of them seemed to know that Ned had come home from the school which he
+had been attending in England, and that he had been instrumental in
+procuring powder and bullets for them and for the Mexican army. They
+were full of patriotism of a peculiar kind. It would have made them
+fight gringos or any other foreigners to-day, and to-morrow to fight as
+readily in any causeless revolution which their local leaders might see
+fit to set going. They were eager for all the news Ned could give them,
+and he was soon on good terms with them, for he took pains not to let
+them know how uncomfortable he felt in that saddle. They surely would
+have despised any young Mexican who had forgotten how to ride while he
+was travelling in Europe.
+
+Hour after hour went by, and on every level stretch of road the wheeled
+vehicles were driven at a moderate trot. The horses of what Ned called
+the cavalry also trotted occasionally, but it was well for him that his
+pony did not seem to know how. Whenever he was asked to go faster, he
+struck into a rocking canter, which was as easy and about as lazy as a
+cradle, so that his rider received hardly any shaking, and was able to
+keep both his seat and his stirrups. Brief halts for rest were made now
+and then. Bridges were crossed which Ned understood were over small
+branches of the Blanco River, but they were still in the lowlands when,
+at about midnight, the little column wheeled out of the road and went on
+for a hundred yards or more into a magnificent forest, where the
+moonlight came down among the trees to show how old and large they were.
+
+"Halt! Dismount!" came sharply from Colonel Tassara. "It is twelve
+o'clock. We have made over twenty miles. We will camp here until
+daylight. Pablo, put up the tents."
+
+Every rider but Ned was down on his feet in a twinkling, but he remained
+upon his pony's back as still as a statue. He saw a white tent leave the
+top of the baggage in the wagon and set itself up, as if by magic.
+Another and another followed, and he said to himself:
+
+"They are little picnic tents. One is for the senora and Felicia; one
+for the colonel; and one for Senor Zuroaga. Not any for me or for the
+men. Oh, dear! How shall I ever get down? I can't move my legs. If I
+can't, I shall have to go to sleep in the saddle!"
+
+That was just what he might have done if it had not been for his kind
+and thoughtful friend, the general,--if he was one,--for Zuroaga now
+came to the side of the pony to inquire, with a merry laugh:
+
+"How are you now, my boy? I knew how it would be. Tired out? Stiff with
+so long a ride? Lean over this way and I'll help you down. Come!"
+
+Ned leaned over and tried to pull his feet out of the stirrups. They did
+come out somehow, and then he made an extra effort not to fall asleep
+with his head on the general's shoulder.
+
+"Used up completely!" exclaimed Zuroaga. "Can you walk? Stretch your
+legs. Kick. It's your first long ride? You'll soon get used to it.
+There! Now I'll put you into my tent, but we must be on the march again
+by six o'clock in the morning. You can sleep till breakfast."
+
+"I can walk, thank you," responded poor Ned, and he did so, after a lame
+and awkward fashion, but he was glad to reach the tent. "It's big enough
+for two," he said, as he crawled in.
+
+"Is it?" said the general. "Bah! I do not use one half the time. I am a
+soldier and a hunter, and I prefer to bivouac in such weather as this. I
+must be on the lookout, too, to-night. Crawl in and go to sleep."
+
+Ned was already in. Down he went upon a blanket, without even unbuckling
+his machete, and that was the last that he knew that night of the camp
+or of anybody in it. Probably, nothing less than the report of a cannon
+fired over that tent would have aroused him to go for his horse-pistols
+or draw his Mexican sabre.
+
+Senora Tassara and her daughter had disappeared immediately, and they,
+also, must have been wearied with their long, hot journey, but all the
+rest of the party were old campaigners, and they were ready to take care
+of the horses and eat cold rations, for no fires were kindled.
+
+A few minutes later, if Ned had been awake instead of sleeping so
+soundly, he might have heard what two men were saying, in half-whispers,
+close to the door of his tent.
+
+"Colonel," said Zuroaga, "we are well-hidden in here. The bushes are
+very thick along the edge of the road."
+
+"Hark!" interrupted Tassara. "Do you hear that? There they are!"
+
+"I hear them," replied the general. "It may be so. If it is, they have
+followed us well. But there cannot be more than half a dozen of them. It
+is not any mere squad like that that we need be afraid of."
+
+"This may be only an advance party, I think," said his friend,
+thoughtfully. "A larger force may be on our trail before to-morrow
+night. But they must not take us. They might merely arrest me, to have
+me shot at Vera Cruz, but they would cut down you and poor young Carfora
+at once. He is an American, and they would show him no mercy."
+
+There had been a sound of horse hoofs on the road, and it had gone by,
+but before Zuroaga could make any response to so gloomy a prophecy, his
+own man, Pablo, stood before him. Pablo had been running fast, but he
+had breath enough left to say, quite coolly and not loudly:
+
+"Lancers, general. Officer and four men. They have been running their
+horses, and they won't travel far to-morrow. I was in the bushes."
+
+"All right, Pablo," said Zuroaga. "It was kind of Colonel Guerra to
+order them to use up their horses. We shall not hear of that squad
+again. Put Andrea on watch, and go to sleep. Our first danger is over."
+
+Pablo bowed and turned away without another word, and Zuroaga resumed
+his conference with Tassara, for those two were brave men, and were
+well-accustomed to the peril-haunted lives they were leading.
+
+"Colonel," he said, "it is evident that my young friend Carfora must go
+with you. He is not fit for a swift ride of three hundred miles.
+Besides, he must have any chance which may happen to turn up for
+getting home. Will you take care of him? He is a fine young fellow, but
+he cannot ride."
+
+Therefore the pony and that saddle had done something good for Ned, and
+Colonel Tassara cheerfully responded:
+
+"With great pleasure, my dear general. I shall be glad to make American
+friends. I may need them. He will be safe enough with me, but I fear it
+will be a long time before he can get out of Mexico. As for me, I shall
+meet more than a hundred of my own men at Orizaba, ready to escort me
+across the sierra into my own State of Puebla. After that, my reputation
+for loyalty will soon be reestablished by raising my new regiment. I
+think, however, that it will not march into the city of Mexico until his
+Excellency President Paredes has set out for the Rio Grande, or as far
+north as the luck of this war will permit him to travel. Very possibly,
+he may be hindered by the gringos before he reaches the border. Carfora
+will remain with me until then. You are right. He would not be safe
+anywhere else. As for yourself, you must push on."
+
+"I think," said Zuroaga, "that I shall be almost safe after I am a few
+miles beyond Teotitlan. I may have a fight or two on the way. Carfora
+must not be killed in any skirmish of that kind. You will not see me
+again, dead or alive, until a week or two after the Americans have taken
+the city of Mexico, as in my opinion they surely will. I shall be there
+then, with five hundred lancers, to uphold the new government which will
+take the place of the bloody dictatorship of Paredes, unless the new
+affair is to be Santa Anna. In any event, I shall be able to help you,
+and I will."
+
+"You are a gloomy prophet," responded Tassara, "but you are an old
+student of military operations. Do you really think the Americans will
+capture our capital? It will be well defended."
+
+"Bravely enough, but not well," replied Zuroaga. "We have not one
+scientific, thoroughly educated engineer officer fit to take charge of
+the defences against, for instance, General Scott. Not even Santa Anna
+himself, with all his ability, is a general capable of checking the
+invaders after they have taken Vera Cruz, and that they will do. He is a
+scheming politician rather than a military genius. He and Paredes and
+some others whom you and I could name must be whipped out of power
+before we can put up an entirely new government, better than any we have
+ever had yet. What do you think about it?"
+
+"Think?" exclaimed Tassara, angrily. "I think it will be after you and I
+are dead and buried before this miserable half-republic, half-oligarchy,
+will be blessed with a solid government like that of the United States."
+
+"And that, too, might get into hot water," muttered his friend, but
+neither of the two political prophets appeared to have much more to say.
+They separated, as if each might have something else to employ him, and
+shortly all the night camp in the grand old forest seemed to be asleep.
+
+The remaining hours of darkness passed silently, and the sun arose with
+a promise of another hot day. Small fires were kindled for
+coffee-making, but the preparations for breakfast were hurried. Before
+six o'clock the mules were harnessed, the horses were saddled, and all
+things were made ready for a diligent push southward. It had been a
+difficult business to get Ned Crawford out of his tent, but here he was,
+trying his best to move his legs as if they belonged to him. His coffee
+and corn-cakes did a great deal for him, and he made out to pretend to
+help Pablo in getting the fat pony ready for the road. Then, however, he
+was willing to see Pablo walk away, and he bravely led the pony to the
+side of what may have been an old and apparently abandoned ant-hill.
+
+"I can get on board," he said, as if his patient quadruped had been the
+_Goshhawk_. "I saw how some of them mounted. You put your left foot into
+the stirrup, and then you make a kind of spring into the saddle. If my
+knees will bend for me, I can do it without anybody's help."
+
+It was the ant-hill that helped him, for he did not make any spring.
+After his foot was in the stirrup, he made a tremendous effort, and he
+arose slowly, painfully to the level of the pony's back. Then his right
+leg went over, and he was actually there, hunting a little nervously for
+the other stirrup, with his machete away around behind him.
+
+"Glad you have done it!" exclaimed a decidedly humorous voice near the
+pony's head. "We are all ready to be off now. Before long, you will be
+able to mount as the rancheros do, without touching the stirrup. But
+then, I believe that most of them were born on horseback."
+
+They also appeared to be able to do pretty well without much sleep, for
+Ned could not see that they showed any signs of fatigue. The
+camping-place was speedily left behind them, but it was no longer a
+night journey. Ned was almost astonished, now that the darkness was
+gone, to discover that this was by no means a wild, unsettled country.
+Not only were there many farms, with more or less well-built houses, but
+the cavalcade began to meet other wayfarers,--men and women,--on foot
+and on horseback, and hardly any of them were willing to be passed
+without obtaining the latest news from Vera Cruz and from the war.
+
+"I guess they need it," thought Ned. "The general says there are no
+newspapers taken down here, and that, if there were, not one person in
+five could read them. They seem a real good-natured lot, though."
+
+So they were, as much so as any other people in the world, and they were
+as capable of being developed and educated to better things. As to this
+being a new country, it came slowly back into Ned's mind that there had
+been a great and populous empire here at a time when the island upon
+which the city of New York was afterward built was a bushy wilderness,
+occupied by half-naked savages, who were ready to sell it for a few
+dollars' worth of kettles and beads.
+
+"I guess I'm beginning to wake up," thought Ned. "When the _Goshhawk_ was
+lying in the Bay of Vera Cruz, I was too busy to see anything. No, I
+wasn't. I did stare at the Orizaba mountain peak, and they told me it is
+over seventeen thousand feet high. First mountain I ever saw that could
+keep on snow and ice in such weather as this. I don't want to live up
+there in winter. Well! Now I've seen some of the biggest trees I ever
+did see. I wonder if any of them were here when the Spaniards came in. I
+guess they were, some of them."
+
+He was really beginning to see something of Mexico, and it almost made
+him forget the hardness of that unpleasant saddle. At the end of another
+mile, he was saying to himself:
+
+"That field yonder is tobacco, is it? The one we just passed was
+sugar-cane, and Pablo said the plantation across the road was almost all
+coffee. He says that further on he will show me orange groves, bananas,
+and that sort of thing. But what on earth are grenaditas and mangoes?
+They'll be something new to me, and I want to find out how they taste."
+
+Nothing at all of a military or otherwise of an apparently dangerous
+character had been encountered by the fugitive travellers when, at about
+the middle of the forenoon, they came to a parting of the ways. A
+seemingly well-travelled road went off to the left, or southward, while
+the one they were on turned more to the right and climbed a hill, as if
+it were making a further effort to get out of the _tierra caliente_. A
+great many things had been explained to Ned, as they rode along, and he
+was not surprised, therefore, when Senor Zuroaga said to him:
+
+"My young friend, this is the place I told you of. We must part here.
+You and your pony will go on with Colonel Tassara, and I will take my
+chances for reaching my place of refuge in Oaxaca. It is not a very good
+chance, but I must make the best of it that I can. Take good care of
+yourself. I have already said good-by to the senora and the senorita. I
+think they will soon be out of danger."
+
+Ned was really grateful, and he tried to say so, but all he could think
+of just then was:
+
+"General Zuroaga, I do hope you'll get through all right. I hope I shall
+see you again safe and sound."
+
+"You never will," said Zuroaga, as he wheeled his horse, "unless I get
+out of this Cordoba road. It is a kind of military highway, and I might
+meet my enemies at any minute--too many of them."
+
+"Good-by!" shouted Ned, and the general, who was still a great mystery
+to him, dashed away at a gallop, followed by Pablo and the wild riders
+from the Oaxaca ranches.
+
+The cavalcade had hardly paused, and it now went on up the long, steep
+slope to the right. Not many minutes later, it was on high enough ground
+to look down upon the road which had been taken by Zuroaga. Ned was not
+looking in that direction, but at some snow-capped mountains in the
+distance, northward, and he was saying to himself:
+
+"So that is the Sierra Madre, is it? This country has more and higher
+mountains in it-- Hullo! What's that? Is she hurt?"
+
+His change of utterance into an anxious exclamation was produced by a
+piercing scream from the carriage, and that was followed by the excited
+voice of Senora Tassara calling out:
+
+"Husband! The general is attacked! Look! Hear the firing!"
+
+"O father! Can we not help him?" gasped Senorita Felicia.
+
+Her mother was holding to her eyes with trembling hands what Ned took
+for an opera-glass, and he wished that he had one, although he could
+make out that something like a skirmish was taking place on the other
+road. It was too far to more than barely catch the dull reports of what
+seemed to be a number of rapidly fired pistol-shots.
+
+"They are fighting!" he exclaimed. "I wish I was there to help him! He
+may need more men. I could shoot!"
+
+Whether he could or not, he was almost unconsciously unbuckling the
+holster of one of his horse-pistols, when the senora spoke again.
+
+"Santa Maria!" she exclaimed. "The dear general! They are too many for
+him. Madre de Dios! Our good friend will be killed!"
+
+"Give me the glass, my dear," said her husband. "Your hands are not
+steady enough. I will tell you how it is."
+
+"Oh, do!" she whispered, hoarsely, as she handed it to him. "They are
+lancers in uniform. Oh, me! This is dreadful! And they may follow us,
+too."
+
+Colonel Tassara took the glass with apparently perfect coolness, and
+Ned took note that it did not tremble at all, as he aimed it at the
+distant skirmish. It was a number of seconds, however, before he
+reported:
+
+"Hurrah! The general rides on, and he rides well. I feel sure that he is
+not badly wounded, if at all. He has now but three men with him. There
+are riderless horses. There are men on the ground. There are four only
+that are riding back toward the Cordoba road. Thank God! The general has
+made good his escape from that party of unlucky lancers. He is a
+fighter!"
+
+Then he lowered the glass to turn and shout fiercely to his own men:
+
+"Forward! We must reach Orizaba before the news of this skirmish gets
+there, if we kill all our horses doing it. Push on!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+LEAVING THE HACIENDA
+
+
+It was near the close of a bright summer day, and a deeply interested
+company had gathered in the dining-room of the Crawford home in New
+York. Dinner was on the table, but nobody had yet sat down. The number
+of young persons present suggested that Ned must have older brothers and
+sisters.
+
+"Father Crawford," exclaimed one of the grown-up young men, "what is
+this about another letter from Edward? I came over to hear the news."
+
+"Letter?" said Mr. Crawford. "I should say so! I guess I'd better read
+it aloud. It was a long time getting out and coming around by way of
+England. There are all sorts of delays in war-time. It is the last of
+three that he wrote before escaping into the interior of Mexico with his
+new friends. I am glad that he did go with them, though, and there must
+be other letters on the way. We shall hear from him again pretty soon."
+
+They all were silent then, and he read the letter through, with now and
+then a few words of explanation, but Mrs. Crawford had evidently read it
+before, and all she could say now was:
+
+"Oh, dear! I don't like it! I wish he had come home!"
+
+"It's all right, mother," said Mr. Crawford, "for I have something more
+to tell. Captain Kemp is here, and, from what he says, it is plain that
+it would not have done for Ned to have remained anywhere on the coast.
+He will be safe where he is, and he will learn a great deal. I would not
+have him miss it for anything. What's pretty good, too, we have been
+paid all our insurance money for the loss of the _Goshhawk_, and our firm
+has been given a contract to furnish supplies for the army. I shall be
+down on the gulf before long myself, in charge of a supply ship, and I
+can make inquiries about Ned. He will turn up all right."
+
+Everybody appeared to be encouraged except Ned's mother, and it was a
+pity she could not have seen how well he was looking at that very time.
+If, for instance, she had possessed a telescope which would have
+reached so far, she might have seen a fine, large bay horse reined in to
+a standstill in front of a modern-appearing country-house, well built of
+a nearly white kind of limestone. Around this residence was a
+wide-spreading lawn, with vines, shrubbery, flowers, and other evidences
+of wealth and refinement. The rider of the horse appeared to sit him
+easily, and he was a picture of health and high spirits, but for an
+expression of discontent that was upon his sunburned face.
+
+"This is all very beautiful," he said, as he glanced around him, "but I
+wish I were out of it. I want to hear from home. They must have my
+letters by this time, but they couldn't guess where I am now."
+
+He was silent for a moment, and the horse curveted gracefully under him,
+as if in doubt whether to gallop away again, or to ask his rider to get
+off.
+
+"Well!" said Ned, with a pull on the rein. "It seems like a long,
+wonderful dream since I saw General Zuroaga ride away from us at the
+cross-roads. What a skirmish that was! Then we made our way through the
+mountains, and came here, and hasn't it been a curious kind of life ever
+since? I've learned how to ride like a Mexican. I've seen all there is
+to see for miles and miles around this place. I've seen lots of old
+ruins, all that's left of ancient houses and temples and altars. I
+believe the senora likes nothing better than to tell me yarns about the
+Montezuma times and about her ancestors in Spain. That's a great
+country. I think I'll go over there, some day, and see Granada and the
+Alhambra and the old castles and the Spanish people. I like the Mexicans
+first-rate, all that I have seen of them. They will be a splendid nation
+one of these days, but they're awfully ignorant now. Why, every one in
+these parts believes that our army is all the while being whipped all to
+pieces by theirs, and I can't exactly swallow that. I'd like to know
+just what is really going on. I'm all in the dark."
+
+"Senor Carfora!" called out a clear, ringing voice.
+
+He turned in the saddle, from seeming to gaze at the distant forest, and
+there, in the piazza which ran all along the front of the house, stood
+Senorita Felicia, her usually pale face flushed with excitement.
+
+"We have a letter from father!" she shouted. "He has completed his
+regiment, and he is to command it. President Paredes is going north, to
+drive the gringos out of Mexico, and father may have to go with him. He
+says it is time for us to move to the city of Mexico. We are to live
+with my aunt, Mercedes Paez, and you are to come with us. Is it not
+grand?"
+
+"It is just what I was wishing for!" exclaimed Ned. "I'd give almost
+anything to see that city, after what your mother has told me."
+
+"Oh," said Felicia, "she was born there, and she'll make you see all
+there is of it. But we were all ready, you know, and we are to set out
+early to-morrow morning."
+
+"Hurrah!" responded Ned. "But I'd like to hear from General Zuroaga. I
+wish I knew whether or not he was much hurt in that fight in the road."
+
+"Father does not believe he was," said Felicia. "Sometimes I almost
+think he knows all about it. But there are some things he won't speak
+of, and General Zuroaga is one of them."
+
+Ned sprang to the ground, and a barefooted "peon" servant took charge of
+his horse. It was not at all the kind of dismounting he had performed at
+the camp in the woods on the road from Vera Cruz. Neither did he now
+have any machete dangling from his belt, to entangle himself with, and
+there were no pistol holsters in front of the saddle. He went on into
+the house with the senorita, and in a moment more he was hearing
+additional news from her mother. Senora Tassara was as stately as ever,
+but it was apparent that she had taken a liking to her young American
+guest, whether it was on account of his deep interest in her old
+stories, or otherwise. It may have been, in part, that company was a
+good thing to have in a somewhat lonely country-house, for she could not
+have thought of associating with Mexican neighbors of a social rank
+lower than her own. Was she not descended from Spanish grandees, and
+were they not, for the greater part, representatives of the mere Aztecs
+and Toltecs, whom her forefathers had conquered? It was that very
+feeling, however, which in the minds of such men as Paredes and similar
+leaders was standing in the way of every effort to construct a genuine
+republic out of the people of the half-civilized States of Mexico.
+
+Ned's next questions related to the war, and he inquired how many more
+great battles Colonel Tassara had reported.
+
+"Battles?" exclaimed Senora Tassara. "Why, there has not been one fought
+since Resaca de la Palma. But he says that General Ampudia sends word
+that the American army is about to advance upon him. They will attack
+him at the city of Monterey, and they never can take so strong a place
+as that is. He is ready for them, but President Paredes believes that it
+is time for him to take command of the army in person."
+
+It certainly was so. The Mexican President was a cunning politician, and
+he had been by no means an unsuccessful general. He was well aware that
+it would not be wise for him to now allow too many victories to be won
+by any other Mexican. It might interfere with his own popularity. On the
+other hand, if General Ampudia should be defeated, as he was quite
+likely to be, then it was good policy for the commander-in-chief, the
+President, to be promptly on hand with a larger force, to overwhelm the
+invaders who had ruined Ampudia. Therefore, it might be said that the
+Americans had the tangled factions and corrupt politics of Mexico
+working for them very effectively.
+
+Ned Crawford already knew much about the condition of military and
+political affairs, but he was not thinking of them that evening. It was
+a great deal pleasanter to sit and talk with Senorita Felicia about the
+city of Mexico and others of the historical places of the ancient land
+of Anahuac. She still could remind him, now and then, that she hated all
+kinds of gringos, but at all events she was willing to treat one of them
+fairly well. He, on his part, had formed a favorable opinion of some
+Mexicans, but he was as firm as ever in his belief that their army could
+never drive the Americans out of Texas.
+
+There was one place which was even busier and more full of the
+excitement of getting ready for a new movement than was the Tassara
+hacienda. It was among the scattered camps of General Taylor's army,
+near Matamoras, at the mouth of the Rio Grande. Reinforcements had made
+the army more than double its former size, but it was understood that it
+was still of only half the numbers of the force it was soon to meet,
+under General Ampudia. It was a curious fact, however, that all of
+General Taylor's military scholars were entirely satisfied with that
+computation, and considered that any other arrangement would have been
+unfair, as they really outnumbered their opponents when these were only
+two to one. What was more, they were willing to give them the advantage
+of fighting behind strong fortifications, for they knew that they were
+soon to attack the mountain city of Monterey. Part of what was now
+genuinely an invading army was to go up the river in boats for some
+distance. The other part was to go overland, and it was an open question
+which of them would suffer the more from the hot summer sun. It was to
+be anything but a picnic, for here were nearly seven thousand Americans
+of all sorts, who were obtaining their first experiences of what war
+might really be, if made in any manner whatever in the sultriest kind of
+southern weather. Much more agreeable for them might have been a march
+across the central table-lands beyond, at an elevation of four thousand
+feet above the sea level and the _tierra caliente_.
+
+That was precisely the kind of pleasant journey that was performed by
+Ned Crawford and the imposing Tassara cavalcade on the morrow and during
+a couple of wonderful days which followed. There being no railway,
+whatever the senora wished to take with her had to be conveyed in wagons
+or on pack-mules, and the ladies themselves now preferred the saddle to
+any kind of carriage. In fact, Ned shortly discovered that Senorita
+Felicia was more at home on horseback than he was, and he more than once
+congratulated himself that she had never witnessed his first
+performances in mounting his fat pony.
+
+"How she would have laughed at me!" he thought. "But at that time there
+wasn't another spare saddle-horse, and she and her mother didn't care a
+cent whether I could ride or not. They were thinking of Guerra's
+lancers."
+
+The scenery was exceedingly beautiful as well as peaceful. There was
+nothing whatever to suggest that a dreadful war was going on. There were
+houses of friends to stop at, instead of hotels. There were towns and
+villages of some importance to be rapidly investigated by a tourist like
+Ned, from New York by way of England, and now a good young Mexican for
+the time being. Then there was an exciting evening, when all who were on
+horseback rode ahead of the wagons and on into the city, which occupies
+the site of the wonderful Tenochtitlan, which was captured by Hernando
+Cortes and his daring adventurers ever so long ago. From that time
+onward, during a number of busy days, Ned became better and better
+satisfied with the fact that his father had sent him across the sea to
+learn all that he could of Mexico and the Mexicans.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+PICTURES OF THE PAST
+
+
+"Oh, how I wish we had some news from the war!" exclaimed Ned.
+
+"Well," said Senorita Felicia, doubtfully, "there isn't much, but I
+suppose there is some almost ready to come."
+
+"I'm tired of waiting for it," replied Ned, "and if there isn't to be
+any war news, I wish I had some books!"
+
+The thought that was in Ned Crawford's mind had broken out suddenly, as
+he sat at the dinner-table of Senora Mercedes Paez, at the end of those
+first days after his arrival in the city of Mexico. There were a number
+of persons at the table, and at the head of it was Senora Paez herself.
+She was shorter and stouter, but she was every ounce as stately and
+imposing as was even Senora Tassara. In front of her sat one affair
+which had, from the beginning of his visit in that house, made him feel
+more at home than he might otherwise have done. He had become used to
+it, and it seemed like an old friend. That Seville coffee-urn had
+ornamented the table in the house at Vera Cruz, his first refuge after
+he came ashore out of the destructive norther. It had winked at him from
+a similar post of honor in the country-house out in Puebla, and Senora
+Tassara had affectionately brought it with her to the residence of her
+city cousin. She had said that she thought it would be safer here, even
+if the city should be captured by those terrible robbers, the Americans.
+They could not be intending to steal and melt up all the old silver in
+Mexico.
+
+"Why, Senor Carfora!" exclaimed Senorita Felicia, indignantly. "Did you
+not know? Aunt Paez has piles and piles of books. They are up in the
+library. If you wish to read them, she will let you go there. I had
+forgotten that you know how to read. He may do it, may he not, Aunt
+Mercedes?"
+
+"Of course he may," replied the senora, "but it is a curious idea for a
+boy of his age."
+
+"Oh, thank you!" exclaimed Ned. "But what I'd like to have are some
+books that tell about old Mexico and about the city of Tenochtitlan,
+that stood here before the Spaniards came. I've been all around
+everywhere. I've seen the swamps and the lakes and the walls and forts
+and everything. The great cathedral--"
+
+"That," interposed Senora Tassara, "stands on the very spot where an old
+temple of the Aztec war-god stood. There were altars in it, where they
+used to kill and burn hundreds and thousands of human sacrifices to
+Huitzilopochtli, and there were altars to other gods."
+
+"I can't exactly speak that name," said Ned, "but I want to know all
+about him and the sacrifices. I want to learn, too, just how Cortes and
+his men took the old city. I suppose that when the Americans come, it
+will be a different kind of fight--more cannon."
+
+"They won't get here at all," quietly remarked a military-looking old
+gentleman sitting near the other end of the table. "It is a long road
+from the Rio Grande, and President Paredes is to march, in a few days,
+to crush our enemies with an army of twenty thousand men. They have not
+so much as taken Monterey yet. You are right, though. If they should
+ever get here, they will find the city harder to take than Cortes did.
+They will all die before the walls."
+
+He spoke with a great deal of patriotic enthusiasm, and Ned knew that it
+was his turn to keep still, for the old gentleman had no idea that he
+was talking to a wicked young gringo. Senora Paez, however, calmly
+replied:
+
+"Ah, Colonel Rodriguez, my dear friend, the President himself has said
+that, after he has beaten them at the northern border, as he surely
+will, the Americans are sure to make another attempt by way of Vera
+Cruz. That, too, was the opinion of our brave friend, Colonel Guerra,
+and he is making every preparation for a siege. It is part of our
+grateful hospitality to our guest, Senor Carfora, that his friends have
+supplied the Castle of San Juan de Ulua with the ammunition which will
+be needed. He came over on the ship which brought it, and he has
+remained with us ever since."
+
+Just then Ned Crawford knew what it was to feel very mean indeed. He
+felt as if he himself were telling a large lie, and his cheeks flushed
+red-hot. He was aware, nevertheless, that even Senora Tassara had not
+been told everything, and that Senora Paez was reasonably honest in what
+she had been saying. There was no necessity for enlightening Colonel
+Rodriguez. Hardly, therefore, had the old gentleman vehemently
+exclaimed, "They never can take San Juan de Ulua!" than Ned went hastily
+back to his first subject of the ancient history.
+
+"That's it," he said. "I want to find out how Cortes got ashore, and how
+he fought his way from the coast to this place. He must have had to
+cross the mountains, through the passes, just as our party did when we
+came."
+
+"Yes," said the colonel. "He had to climb seven thousand and five
+hundred feet up out of the _tierra caliente_, and, if any gringos ever
+try that path, they will find all the passes full of fighting Mexicans
+and good artillery well posted. Hernando Cortes had all the gunpowder
+there was in America when he tried that road."
+
+"My dear young friend," said Senora Paez, "you will find plenty of the
+books you wish for. My husband was fond of collecting them. After
+dinner, the senorita will show you the library, and you may read
+anything there."
+
+Ned was silent once more, for he was still feeling mean, and was asking
+himself whether he were not, after all, a kind of spy in the Mexican
+camp, going around in disguise, and all the while wishing that he could
+help the American army to capture the city.
+
+"Anyhow," he thought, "I can't help myself just now, and when the city
+is taken, everything in the Paez house will be entirely safe. I
+shouldn't wonder if that old coffee-urn will be safer from thieves than
+it is now. There have been half a dozen burglaries since we came, and
+I've seen hundreds of the wildest-looking kinds of fellows from the
+mountains. Every man of them looked as if he'd like to steal some
+silver."
+
+While he was thinking, he was also listening, with a great deal of
+interest, to a description which the old officer was giving of the
+defences of Monterey, and of the reasons why the American troops would
+surely be defeated. It appeared that he had at one time been the
+commander of the garrison of the fortress known as the Black Fort, just
+outside of the walls of Monterey, on the north, and he evidently
+believed it to be impregnable. Ned was no soldier, and it did not occur
+to him to ask, as General Taylor might have done, whether or not it was
+possible to take the town without wasting time in taking the fort first.
+
+"Come, Senor Carfora," said Felicia, as they all arose from the table,
+"I will show you the library. You can't do much reading there to-night,
+though, for the lamps have all been taken away. I do not wish to go
+there, anyhow, except in the daytime. It is a pokerish kind of place. Do
+you believe in ghosts? I do not, but, if I were a ghost, I would pick
+out that library for a good place to hide in. Come along. You are a
+foreigner, and any kind of good Mexican ghost won't like you."
+
+Whether she herself did so or not, she led the way, and no lamp was as
+yet needed, although the day was nearly over and the shadows were
+coming. Up-stairs they went and through a short passageway in the second
+story of the Paez mansion, and they were almost in the dark when she
+said to him:
+
+"Here we are. Hardly any one ever comes here, and it will be dreadfully
+dusty. Books are dusty old things anyhow."
+
+She turned the big brass knob in the dusky door before them, and shoved
+against it with all her might, but Ned had to help her with his
+shoulder, or the massive mahogany portal would not have yielded an inch.
+It did go slowly in, upon its ancient-looking bronze hinges, and then
+they were in a room which was worth looking at. It was not so very
+large, only about fifteen feet by twenty, but it was unusually high, and
+it had but one tall, narrow slit of a window. Close by this, however,
+were a finely carved reading chair and table, ready to receive all the
+light which the window might choose to let in. Ned was staring eagerly
+around the room, when his pretty guide remarked:
+
+"You had better see all you can before it gets any darker. Take down as
+many books as you want. I don't care much for those fusty-musty old
+histories. I must go away now--"
+
+"Hullo, senorita!" exclaimed Ned. "There is a lamp on the table. I have
+some matches--"
+
+"I don't believe you can make it burn," she said, "but you can try. It
+has not been lighted for this ever so long, and the oil may have dried
+up."
+
+Around she whirled and away she went, leaving Ned to his own devices.
+His next thought was almost impolite, after all, for he was more than
+half glad that she did go, so that he might have the library all to
+himself to rummage in. He did not instantly examine the lamp, for he had
+never before been in just this kind of room, and it fascinated him. All
+its sides were occupied by high bookcases, every one of them crammed
+full of volumes of all sorts and sizes. He thought that he had never
+seen larger books than were some of the fat folios on the lower shelves.
+There were great, flat, atlas-looking concerns leaning against them, and
+out on the floor stood several upright racks of maps. Old Senor Paez may
+have been what is called a book-worm. At all events, Ned had understood
+that he was a very learned man, with a strong enthusiasm for American
+history.
+
+"Heavens and earth!" suddenly exclaimed Ned. "What is that?"
+
+He darted forward to a further corner of the room, as if he were in a
+great hurry to meet somebody who had unexpectedly come in. It certainly
+was something almost in human shape, but it had been standing there a
+long while, and the hand which it appeared to hold out to him was of
+steel, for it was nothing in the wide world but a complete suit of
+ancient armor. It was so set up in that corner, however, that it almost
+seemed alive, with its right hand extended, and its left holding a long,
+pennoned lance. Its helmet had a barred vizor, so that if there had been
+any face behind that, it would have been hidden. Ned went and stood
+silently before it for a moment, staring at that vizor.
+
+"I say," he muttered, as if he did not care to speak any louder. "I
+don't believe General Taylor's men would care to march far with as much
+iron as that on them--not in hot weather. But the old Aztecs didn't have
+anything that would go through that kind of uniform. If Cortes and his
+men wore it, there is no wonder that they went on killing the Indians
+without being much hurt themselves."
+
+In fact, not all of them had been dressed up in precisely such a manner,
+although they did wear armor.
+
+Ned examined the whole affair, piece by piece, from head to foot, and
+then he turned away from his inspection, for the room behind him was
+getting dim and it was time for him to look at his lamp. He took out a
+match as he went toward the table at the window, and in a moment more he
+was busy with a wick which seemed to be determined not to burn for him.
+
+"It's an old whale-oil lamp," he remarked. "Mother had one, once. I
+remember seeing her try to light it and it would sputter for ever so
+long. There! It's beginning to kindle, but it's too big for me to carry
+around and hunt for books with. I wish I had a smaller one. Hullo!
+Here's one of the biggest of those old concerns, right here on the
+table."
+
+It was a folio bound in vellum, and when he opened it a great deal of
+dust arose from the cover which banged down. Then Ned uttered a loud
+exclamation, and was glad he had succeeded in lighting the lamp, for
+there before his eyes was a vividly colored picture of a most
+extraordinary description. Moreover, it unfolded, so that it was almost
+twice the size, length, and width of the book pages.
+
+"They are all in Spanish," he said, "but I guess I can read them.
+They're more than a hundred years old. People don't print such books,
+nowadays. Nobody would have time enough to read them, I suppose, and
+they couldn't sell 'em cheap enough. This is wonderful! It's a picture
+of the old Mexican god, Huitzilopochtli."
+
+There was an explanatory inscription, and the artist had pictured the
+terrible deity sitting upon a throne of state, gorgeously arrayed in
+gold and jewels, and watching with a smile of serene satisfaction the
+sacrifice of some unfortunate human victims on the altar in the
+foreground at the right. One of the priests attending at the altar had
+just cut open the bosom of a tall man lying before him, and was tossing
+a bleeding heart upon the smoking fire, where other similar offerings
+were already burning.
+
+"That must have been a horrible kind of religion," thought Ned. "I'm
+glad that Cortes and his men in armor came to put an end to it. Senora
+Paez told me that in only a few years before he came, and her
+great-grandfather and his father with him, those priests cut up more
+than twenty thousand men, women, and children. He's a curious kind of
+god, I should say, to sit there and grin while it was going on."
+
+He could not linger too long over one picture, however, for he had
+discovered that there were others in that volume which were as
+brilliantly colored and as interesting. On the whole, it was not
+necessary to hunt for anything better than this the first evening, and
+it appeared as if he were asking a useless question of the steel-clad
+warrior in the corner, when at last he turned to him to say:
+
+"Did you ever see anything like this before? I never did. Were you
+there, in any of these battles? This is the way that Cortes and his
+cavalry scared the Indians, is it? They were awfully afraid of horses.
+You can buy horses for almost nothing, nowadays, anywhere in Mexico.
+I've learned how to ride 'em, too, but didn't I get pitched off by some
+of those ponies! It would have scared mother half to death. I wish I
+could see her to-night, and show her some of these pictures. I'd like to
+see Bob and the girls, too. They never saw a book like this."
+
+He had examined a number of the pictures, and the lamp was burning
+fairly well, but a long time had elapsed since he came into that room,
+and he was not at all aware of it.
+
+"Senor Carfora?" called out a voice in the doorway. "Oh, you are here.
+You did light the lamp. I was almost afraid you were in the dark."
+
+"No, I'm not," said Ned. "I made it burn, and I've been looking at all
+sorts of things. These pictures are just wonderful."
+
+"Oh!" she said, "I would not be in this room in the dark for anything! I
+know all those things in that book, though. They are hideous! But they
+say that that suit of armor has the worst kind of ghost in it."
+
+"Maybe it has," said Ned. "I don't believe he can get out, anyhow. He's
+just stuck in it. I'd rather wear the clothes I have on."
+
+"Well," she replied, "mother sent me to find if you were here, and it
+is dreadfully late--"
+
+"Oh, yes!" interrupted Ned. "I suppose it is time for me to go to bed.
+I'll go, but I mean to see all there is in this library, senorita. I
+won't try to read it all. I don't care for ghosts, but I'd like to see
+one."
+
+"I do not care for them in the daytime, either," she told him. "But old
+Margarita, the Tlascalan, says that they come at night and sit here and
+tell stories of all the Mexican idol gods. All of them hate us, too,
+because we turned them out of their temples, and I hate them."
+
+"I'm glad they are gone, anyhow," said Ned, but it was really time to
+go, and he carried some of the most brilliant of those illustrations
+into some of his dreams that night.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+NED'S NEWS
+
+
+"Hullo, young man! I've been looking for you. How are you?"
+
+"Captain Kemp!" shouted Ned, in astonishment. "Where did you come from?
+Who dreamed of seeing you here?"
+
+"Nobody, I hope," said the captain; "but here I am, and I've brought you
+half a dozen letters. They are among my baggage. First thing, though,
+tell me all about yourself. Where have you been?"
+
+They were standing in the grand plaza, not many paces from the front of
+the cathedral, and Ned had come there for another look at the building
+which had taken the place of the old-time temple of the murderous
+Mexican god of war. He was wildly excited for a moment, and he began to
+ask questions, rather than to tell anything about himself.
+
+"Keep cool, now, my boy," said the captain. "We don't know who's
+watching us. I didn't have much trouble in running the Yankee blockade
+at Vera Cruz. I brought a cargo from New York, just as if it had been
+sent from Liverpool, but I've had to prove that I'm not an American ever
+since I came ashore. Spin us your yarn as we walk along."
+
+Ned was now ready to do so, and the captain listened to him with the
+most intense interest, putting in remarks every now and then.
+
+"All this," he said, "is precisely what your father wishes you to do, if
+you can do it. The way of it is this. He knows, and we all know, that
+this war can't be a long one. As soon as it's over, his concern means to
+go into the Mexican trade heavier than they ever did before. They think
+it will be worth more, and I mean to be in it myself. So it just suits
+him to have you here, making friends and learning all about the country
+you are to deal with. He says you are in the best kind of business
+school. There will be a fortune in it for you some day."
+
+"I don't exactly see how," remarked Ned, doubtfully.
+
+"Well," replied the captain, "not many young American business men know
+ten cents' worth about Mexico. You'd better go right on and learn all
+there is to know. Keep shy of all politics, though. This war is going to
+break Paredes and a lot of others. After they are out of power, your own
+friends, like Tassara, Zuroaga, and the rest of them, may be in office,
+and you will be in clover. It's a wonderfully rich country, if it were
+only in the right hands and had a good government. I'll give you the
+letters when we get to my lodgings. Then I must make my way back to Vera
+Cruz, but I had to come all this distance to get my pay from the
+authorities. I obtained it, even now, only by promising to bring over
+another cargo of British gunpowder, to fight the Yankees with."
+
+That was a thing which Ned did not like, but he could not do anything to
+prevent it. He could not expect an Englishman to be an American, and it
+was all a matter of trade to Captain Kemp, aside from his personal
+friendship for Ned and his father. There was more talk of all sorts, and
+Ned obtained a great deal of information concerning the war and what the
+United States were likely to do. After he had received his precious
+letters, however, and had said good-by to Captain Kemp, he almost ran
+against people in his haste to reach the Paez mansion. He did not pause
+to speak to anybody on arriving, but darted up-stairs and made his way
+to the library. It was lighter now in the wonderful book-room, and the
+man in armor did not say anything as Ned came in. In a moment he was in
+the chair by the window, and he appeared to himself to be almost talking
+with the dear ones at home, from whom he had so long been separated.
+
+"Stay where you are," he read from his father's long letter, and at that
+hour he felt as if he did not wish to stay. He dropped the letter on the
+table, and leaned back in his chair and looked around him. Pretty soon,
+however, a little slowly to begin with, but then faster and faster, the
+strong and fascinating spirit of adventure came once more upon him. His
+very blood tingled, and he sprang to his feet to all but shout to his
+mailed acquaintance in the corner:
+
+"Yes, sir, I'll stay! I'll do anything but become a Mexican. Tell you
+what, before the war's over, I mean to be in the American army, somehow.
+I don't exactly see how I'm to do it, though."
+
+It was time to go down-stairs and report to his faithful friends, for he
+knew it would be very mean not to do so, and the first person he met was
+Senora Tassara herself.
+
+"I have letters from home!" he exclaimed, bluntly--"newspapers, too!"
+and she held up both hands in astonishment, as she responded:
+
+"Letters from the United States? How on earth did they come through the
+blockade, and how did they know where you are?"
+
+"I guess they didn't," said Ned. "The English captain that used to
+command the _Goshhawk_ brought them. I met him at the plaza, hunting for
+me. He was a friend of General Zuroaga, and besides, the British consul
+at Vera Cruz knew I was with Colonel Tassara's family. So, if I hadn't
+met him, he would have tried to find you. My father writes that I am to
+stay in Mexico, and learn all about it."
+
+"I am glad of that," she said. "Why, you could not get out at all just
+now without danger to yourself and getting all of us into trouble."
+
+"I wouldn't do that for anything!" exclaimed Ned, and then he went on
+with his tremendous budget of miscellaneous news.
+
+It was an exceedingly interesting heap of information, for the captain
+had given him both English and American journals, which were a rare
+treat at that time in the interior of the beleaguered Mexican republic.
+Senora Tassara was busy with these, when Ned and all the other
+news-bringers were pounced upon by a yet more eager inquirer.
+
+"Senor Carfora!" exclaimed Felicia, her black eyes flashing curiously at
+him. "Where did you get them? I never before saw such big newspapers.
+They won't tell us about our army, though."
+
+"Yes, they will," he said, and, while she was searching the broad-faced
+prints for army information, he repeated for her benefit all that he had
+previously told her mother. Poor Senorita Felicia! She did not obtain at
+all what she wanted, for there were no accounts of brilliant Mexican
+victories. All of these must have been meanly omitted by the editors,
+and at last she angrily threw down a newspaper to say to him:
+
+"Senor Carfora, I am glad you are to stay here, but you will never be
+anything better than a gringo, no matter how much you learn. I was up in
+the library this morning, and I pulled out six more books for you. You
+may read them all, if they will do you any good. One of them is about
+Spain, too. What I want to do is to travel all over Spain. It must be
+the most beautiful country in the world."
+
+Ned had noticed long ago that her eyes always grew dreamy whenever her
+thoughts were turned toward the peninsula which has had so wonderful a
+history, but he did not know that his own longings for foreign travel
+were very like her own in their origin when he replied:
+
+"Well, I'd like to see Spain. I mean to some day, but I want to see
+England first, and Scotland and Ireland. One of my ancestors was an
+Irishman, and the Crawfords were from Scotland. It isn't as hot a
+country as Spain is. You are a Mexican, not a Spaniard."
+
+"So I am," she said, "and most of the Mexicans are Indians. We ought to
+have more Spaniards, but we can't get them. Anyhow, we don't want too
+many gringos to come in. They are all heretics, too."
+
+Ned knew what she meant, and he hastened to tell her that his country
+contained more church people of her religion than Mexico did, and he
+added, to her great disgust:
+
+"And our priests are a hundred times better than yours are. General
+Zuroaga says so, and so does your father. I don't like your Mexican
+priests. The general says he wishes they were all dead, and their
+places filled by good, live men from Europe and the United States."
+
+"Felicia," interrupted her mother, "you must not talk with Senor Carfora
+about such things. What I wish is that we had the American common
+schools all over our poor, ignorant country. Oh, dear! What if this
+horrible war should prove to be really a blessing to us? As things look
+now, we are to have another revolution within a year. More men will be
+shot, just as they have been before, and nobody can see what the end is
+to be."
+
+It was now time for the noonday luncheon, and they went to the
+dining-room, where Senora Paez herself was glad to see the foreign
+journals and to know that Ned had letters from home.
+
+Many things appeared to be settled, as far as he was concerned. At all
+events, his mind was no longer to busy itself with wild plans for
+squirming out from among the Aztecs and finding his way to the United
+States. After luncheon he went up to the library again. At first it was
+only to read his letters over and over, and then it was a kind of relief
+to go to his books and try to forget everything else in going on with
+his queer schooling. It was unlike any that his old schoolmates at the
+North were having, and he caught himself wondering what kind of man it
+might make of him. He could not tell, but he was to have yet another
+lesson that day, and with it came a promise of a strange kind of
+vacation.
+
+It came to him in the evening, when he was so tired of books that he
+preferred the company of Senorita Felicia, no matter what saucy or
+overpatriotic things she might see fit to say to him. They were sitting
+near one of the drawing-room windows, when Senora Paez came quietly
+behind him and touched him on the shoulder.
+
+"Come with me," she said. "There is a man up in Senora Tassara's room
+who wishes to see you."
+
+"O Senor Carfora!" whispered Felicia. "Don't say a word! I know who it
+is. Go right along. He is an old friend of yours."
+
+Up jumped Ned, and he and the senorita followed Senora Paez eagerly.
+Half a minute later, he felt as if he had never been so astonished
+before in all his life, for his hand was heartily grasped, and the voice
+of General Zuroaga said to him:
+
+"Here I am, Senor Carfora. How are you?"
+
+"Oh, but I'm glad to see you!" exclaimed Ned. "I'm all right, but isn't
+it awfully dangerous for you to be here?"
+
+"It would be, if some men knew it," replied Zuroaga, "or if I were
+unwise enough to remain too long. The fact is that I can give you only a
+few minutes, anyhow, this evening. I must be out of the city before
+daylight, if I can, but I will return at the end of a week or so. Then I
+shall take you with me to the valley of the Tehuantepec. You must see
+all that region. After that I shall have a tour to make on political
+affairs, through several States, and you will have a chance to see two
+thirds of the republic before winter."
+
+"That is just what my father would wish me to do," said Ned, and he
+proceeded to tell the general the contents of his letters and all the
+news he had heard from Captain Kemp.
+
+"Very good!" said Zuroaga, at last. "I would have been glad to have seen
+the captain. He is a rough sort of fellow, but he can be depended on. It
+is evident that your father's firm trusts him, but I believe they do not
+know exactly all that he has been doing. He is quite willing to make a
+few dollars for himself while he is working for others."
+
+The general was in good spirits, but more than once he spoke of the
+necessity he was under of keeping out of the reach of his old enemies,
+and among these he appeared to consider the absent Santa Anna even more
+dangerous, in the long run, than President Paredes himself. Senora
+Tassara had now joined them, but she seemed disposed to be silent, and
+most of the conversation was in the hands of Senora Paez. It was
+noticeable that she appeared to have a remarkably good knowledge of the
+politics of her country. Perhaps, if Ned had been a few years older and
+the least bit of a politician, he might have suspected the truth, that
+she was one of the most subtle plotters in the whole country. If she was
+also a deadly enemy of President Paredes, it was because she was a
+sister of a revolutionary leader whom he had caused to be shot, years
+ago, without the formality of a court-martial. Ned saw her eyes flash
+and her bosom heave when she spoke of him, and after that he somehow
+felt safer than ever under her roof. He also saw that she and General
+Zuroaga were the best of friends, and that they had a long private
+conference of their own.
+
+"I guess he feels at home here," thought Ned, as he went down-stairs
+with Felicia and Senora Tassara, and his confidence in that state of
+affairs grew stronger as he walked along the central hall of the house.
+
+"Pablo!" he exclaimed, to a man who lay sprawled out upon the floor, but
+the general's Oaxaca follower made him no reply. He and three more like
+him, who lay near him, were sound asleep, and there was no good cause
+for stirring them up just then.
+
+"They are all well armed," said Ned to himself. "The general will be
+protected when he rides away in the morning. But this is the biggest
+kind of thing to come to me. The best _I_ can do will be to take to my
+books till he gets back. Oh, but won't it be grand fun to make a
+complete tour of the mountains and of all the Pacific coast of Mexico?
+He says I shall see the tallest peaks of the Cordilleras and that I may
+visit some of the great silver mines."
+
+With all that exciting expectation running through his head, it was not
+easy for him to get to sleep that night. When he arose in the morning,
+his friend, the mysterious general, had already departed.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+A STORM COMING
+
+
+"A monarchy! a monarchy! nothing but the one-man power will ever do
+anything for this miserable multitude of Indians, negroes, and
+rebellion-making Spanish aristocrats. Royalty is our only resource, and
+I am nearly ready to strike the required blow. I think that Don Maria
+Paredes would make as good an emperor as Augustin de Yturbide, and he
+will wear the crown of Mexico somewhat longer. But I must look out for
+Santa Anna. If he were to return from Cuba too soon, there would be
+nothing left for me but to have him shot as soon as he came ashore. Or
+else he might have me shot not many days afterward. His emissaries and
+spies are all the while working against me, but I shall catch some of
+them. Oh, how I would like to get hold of that venomous conspirator,
+Zuroaga!"
+
+The President and practically the dictator of the nominal republic of
+Mexico was standing in his own luxurious chamber of the government
+palace in the city of Mexico. He was in the full uniform of a general
+officer, for he was preparing to ride out and attend a review of a
+division of the really large army which he had gathered to move against
+the American invaders at the north. He deemed himself favored by
+fortune, for all things had thus far appeared to operate in the
+direction of his high ambition. He was in possession of undisputed
+power, and his time for making his supremacy permanent had arrived. It
+was the morning of the 4th of August, 1846, and it promised to be a
+splendid day for a parade. He had eloquently appealed to all the
+patriotism in the land, and he had used his last dollar in raising the
+troops who were to win his victories and place him firmly upon the
+throne of Anahuac, the lost throne of the Montezumas. A large part of
+his forces had already marched, and he was now to follow with the
+remainder. It was high time that he should do so, for General Taylor's
+army was daily drawing nearer the Mexican lines at the city of Monterey.
+Not many minutes later, he rode away from the palace, attended by a
+brilliant staff, through crowded streets, where every hat went off and
+all the voices shouted "Viva Paredes" with every appearance of
+enthusiasm.
+
+That morning Ned Crawford had not felt like going out of the city to see
+any review. Days had passed since the departure of General Zuroaga, but
+Ned's head was full of what his friend had said to him, and he did not
+care much in what direction his feet might take him. So, having all that
+responsibility to themselves, they carried him on across the city until,
+when he looked around him, he saw that he had almost reached the front
+gate of the out-of-date fort, which was known as "the citadel." It
+always contained a large garrison, not by any means for the defence of
+the capital from external foes, but for the protection of whatever might
+be the "government" for the time being from any sudden tumult or
+attempted revolution. There were officers and a squad of soldiers
+standing a few paces out in front of the wide-open military portal, and
+they all were gazing intently in the same direction. Ned also turned to
+look, but all that he could see was a solitary rider, upon what seemed
+to be an all but exhausted horse, urging the panting animal toward the
+citadel.
+
+"Colonel Guerra!" exclaimed Ned. "What has brought him all the way from
+Vera Cruz? Has our army come? Is the city taken?"
+
+Nothing of that kind had yet occurred, but there was a reason for the
+arrival of the trusted commander of the important fortress on the sea.
+Ned was very near him when the horse fell, and his rider sprang to the
+earth, covered with dust and evidently in great excitement. The officers
+at the gate rushed forward toward him, and one of them loudly demanded:
+
+"Colonel Guerra! What is it? Has he come? All is ready here!"
+
+Guerra himself had not fallen with his horse. Off came his hat and his
+sword flashed from the sheath, while his voice rang out clearly,
+fiercely:
+
+"Viva Santa Anna! The entire force at Vera Cruz and the garrison of San
+Juan de Ulua have pronounced for him. He is now on his way home from
+Havana. We shall soon have with us the one hero who can save us from the
+American invaders and from the tyranny of King Paredes!"
+
+Possibly, this had been the day calculated upon for the arrival of
+precisely such tidings. It might even have been that all these officers
+and soldiers were gathered there, prepared both to hear and to act,
+while President Paredes should be temporarily absent from the city. At
+all events, they were swinging their hats, drawing their swords, and
+their enthusiastic acclamations for the returning general were at once
+followed by a rush back into the citadel and a hasty closing of its
+gates. When that was done, and when the rest of the garrison had joined
+in "pronouncing" for Santa Anna, the military control of the Mexican
+capital had passed out of the hands of President Paredes.
+
+It was startling news, therefore, which was brought out to him by a
+friendly messenger, as he rode so proudly on in front of his shouting
+soldiery, believing that they were all his own and ready to do his
+bidding. The grand review ended instantaneously, and he came galloping
+back in all haste to look out for his tumbling crown. He came with his
+brilliant staff and a mixed crowd of friends and unfriends, only to
+discover that crown and throne and scepter had disappeared like the
+changing figures in a kaleidoscope. He could not even order anybody to
+be arrested and shot, for the Vice-President, General Bravo, and all the
+members of the national Congress, then in session, were thoughtfully
+saying to themselves, if not to each other:
+
+"Santa Anna is coming! The seacoast forces are already his. He will be
+right here in a few days. We must be careful what we say or do just now.
+We do not even know what these new troops will say to this thing."
+
+They were not to remain long in ignorance upon that point. As the news
+went out from regiment to regiment that afternoon, the undisciplined,
+ragged mobs of raw recruits began to shout for Santa Anna. Perhaps many
+of them had previously served under the one-legged veteran of the old
+French and Texan wars and at least half a dozen revolutions.
+
+Ned Crawford turned and hurried homeward, as soon as he felt sure that
+his head was still upon his shoulders and that he had heard his
+remarkable news correctly. His eyes were busy, too, and he heard what
+men were saying to each other. Excited shouts were carrying the errand
+of Colonel Guerra swiftly over the city, and everywhere it was
+discovering hearers as ready for it as had been the officers at the
+gate. He may have been looking a little pale when he entered the parlor
+of the Paez mansion, for Senora Paez at once arose and came to meet him,
+inquiring, anxiously:
+
+"Senor Carfora, what is the matter? Has anything happened?"
+
+"Santa Anna--" began Ned, but she stepped quickly forward and put her
+hand upon his mouth, whispering sharply:
+
+"Speak lower! we do not know who may hear you. What is it?"
+
+She took away her hand, and Ned also whispered, as he hurriedly told her
+what he had seen and heard at the citadel. As he did so, her face and
+that of Senora Tassara, standing by her, grew much paler than his own.
+
+"My dear Mercedes," said Senora Tassara to her cousin, "this is all as
+my husband and General Zuroaga predicted. But the tiger is not here yet,
+and by the time he arrives they will be beyond his reach. It takes some
+days to travel from Vera Cruz to the city of Mexico. Senor Carfora, you
+are in no danger. Neither are we."
+
+"No!" angrily exclaimed Senora Paez. "Not for to-day nor to-morrow,
+perhaps, but down goes the Paredes monarchy! Ah, me! There is a terrible
+time coming for poor Mexico. Who shall tell what the end of it all will
+be!"
+
+"Nobody!" said Senora Tassara, sadly, but Felicia whispered to Ned:
+
+"Senor Carfora, the gringos could not do us much harm if their army had
+a revolution springing up behind it at home. I wish they had one."
+
+"I don't," replied Ned. "If we did have one, though, it would be bigger
+than this is. I don't believe we have any Santa Annas to make one,
+anyhow. There isn't a man in all America that would think of being king.
+I guess that if we found one we'd hang him."
+
+"Well," said Felicia, "President Paredes would like to hang a great many
+people, or shoot them, but I hope he can't. What are you going to do?"
+
+"He does not know, dear," interposed her mother. "We must stop talking
+about this thing now. Some of our friends are coming in. It is better to
+let them tell us what has happened, just as if we had not heard it at
+all. Be very careful what you say."
+
+Perhaps everybody in the Paez mansion was accustomed to that kind of
+caution, and when a number of excited women neighbors poured into the
+parlor to bring the great tidings and discuss the situation, they found
+no one in it who was to be surprised into saying a word which might not
+have been heard without offence by the friends of either Paredes or
+Santa Anna.
+
+Great changes in public affairs may produce changes in the plans of
+individuals, and it was not remarkable if General Zuroaga's intended
+week of absence should be somewhat shortened. It may have ended at the
+moment when the garrison of the citadel "pronounced" in favor of the
+tyrant in exile and against the tyrant in nominal power. Ned, however,
+had a small surprise waiting for him. It actually arrived not a great
+while after luncheon, when he was feeling as if he would like to sit
+down by himself and think over this very curious piece of political
+business. He went up into the library, as the safest kind of
+thinking-place, and, hardly had he opened the door, before he discovered
+that it had another tenant besides the man in armor in the corner.
+
+"General Zuroaga!" he exclaimed, in astonishment.
+
+"Not quite so loud, please," quietly responded the general. "Yes,
+Carfora, here I am. Here I must hide, too, for a few hours. The camp is
+no longer a safe place for me, even in the disguise I was wearing. There
+is really nothing more to keep me there now. I do not need to run any
+further risks on account of Paredes and his tin monarchy. He is already
+utterly ruined. I must get out of the reach of Santa Anna's
+lieutenants, however, if I do not wish to be locked up. You and I can
+slip away all the more easily while this tumult is going on, and by noon
+to-morrow we may be well out on the road to Oaxaca. Will you be ready?"
+
+"It's just what I was wishing for!" exclaimed Ned. "I know enough to see
+that it isn't a good thing for Senora Paez to have me in the house. She
+has troubles enough of her own. So has Senora Tassara. If an enemy of
+theirs found that they had a gringo here, it would make things worse for
+them. They've been real good to me, but I want to go with you."
+
+"Right!" said the general. "And there will be sharp eyes on the watch
+while Santa Anna's friends are getting ready for his arrival. He may
+appear to come peaceably, but do I not know him? He never yet forgot or
+forgave an enemy. He will come back to settle up all old accounts."
+
+"Well," said Ned, "we need not be here to be shot at. I packed up, all
+ready, days ago. But, general, I guess I can ride better than I did the
+other time. I don't need to have so fat a pony."
+
+"My dear fellow," replied the general, soberly, "you will be mounted on
+a horse that can make a swift run, if necessary. I am glad that you
+will know what to do with him."
+
+In other things than horsemanship, Ned had made wonderful advances since
+he came ashore out of the norther, in the Bay of Vera Cruz. It was as if
+he had grown a number of years older in becoming so much more
+experienced. Moreover, he knew so much already about the plots and
+counterplots which were going on that it was of little use to keep some
+things from him. He was, in fact, almost full-grown as a Mexican
+conspirator, and he was sure to do whatever he could against either a
+monarchy under Paredes or a dictatorship under Santa Anna. It was a full
+hour later when they were joined by Senora Paez. She came on a special
+errand, for almost her first remark was:
+
+"General, there will be danger from robbers of all sorts. I shall not
+dare to keep a great deal of money in the house. I have not much,
+either, that I can spare for yourself, but you must take this and spend
+it to beat them. What's more, I want you to take my jewels with you and
+hide them somewhere in the mountains. Senora Tassara's are already in a
+safe place. I hope Senor Carfora has enough."
+
+"Oh, yes!" exclaimed Ned. "I have hardly spent anything, and Captain
+Kemp gave me another hundred, from father. I almost wish it were all in
+bank-bills, though, for gold and silver are heavy things to carry."
+
+"Well, as to that," laughed the general, "I do not know what kind of
+paper money we could make in Mexico, just now. That sort of thing will
+do only under a pretty solid government. But then, a dollar will go
+further in this country than it will in the United States. It looks as
+if horses were worth only five dollars a head, and men about half as
+much. There are too many that seem ready to sell themselves for
+nothing."
+
+He said that wearily and sadly, for he was at heart a true patriot and
+he believed himself to be doing his best to bring a better state of
+things out of all this anarchy and confusion.
+
+Senora Paez left the room. Ned and the general lay down on the floor to
+sleep for awhile, and it was just when the first dim light of dawn was
+beginning to creep in at the narrow window that Pablo came to awaken
+them. He put his finger on his lip as he did so, and they understood
+that there might be danger close at hand. It was not until they were
+out of the house, however, leaving it silently by way of the back door,
+that he ventured to whisper:
+
+"General, there is a guard already stationed in front. President Paredes
+is making his last effort to stop his downfall, and he has heard that
+you are in the city. All your friends will be closely watched, to-day."
+
+"I wanted to say good-by to them," began Ned, but here they were.
+
+"General, this is the jewel case," said Senora Paez, as she handed him a
+small rosewood box. "Here is the money. Now, Senor Carfora, be a brave
+fellow. Learn all you can of our poor country. I hope to see you again."
+
+Senora Tassara was saying something in a very low voice to Zuroaga, when
+Felicia turned to Ned and said to him:
+
+"You are a wicked gringo, but I like you pretty well and I do hope you
+will get away safely. Take good care of yourself."
+
+"Well, senorita," replied Ned, "I will do that, and so must you. I'd
+rather be out among the mountains than here in the city. You'd be safer
+there, too. Anyhow, you are not a Mexican. You are a Spaniard and you
+would rather be in Spain."
+
+"Maybe I would, just now," she told him with a very melancholy look in
+her brilliant black eyes. "But I do love Mexico, and I do know enough to
+wish we were not to have any more revolutions. That is, not any more
+after Paredes and Santa Anna and some other men have been killed."
+
+"That is the way they all feel about each other," broke in the general.
+"Come, Carfora. We have horses waiting for us on one of the back
+streets."
+
+There were a few hasty good-bys then. The three fugitives passed out of
+sight among the shadows of the buildings, and the women returned to the
+house to wait for the downfall of King or Emperor Paredes.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+THE REVOLUTION
+
+
+There had been a curious impression upon the minds of some American
+statesmen that General Santa Anna would return to his native country
+with a purpose of making peace. It was for that reason that he was
+permitted to pass unhindered through the blockading fleet in the Gulf,
+but he had no such idea in his cunning and ambitious head. His real
+objects in returning were to take vengeance upon his enemies, to restore
+himself to the supreme power which he had lost by the revolution of
+1840, and, for that purpose, to prosecute the war with the United States
+with all possible vigor. His personal feeling in that matter might have
+been understood by recalling the fact that his downfall had resulted
+from his severe defeat in attempting to conquer the earlier American
+settlers in Texas. On his arrival in Vera Cruz, on the 16th of August,
+a proclamation which he at once issued, denouncing alike the
+monarchical ambition of President Paredes and the wicked invasion of
+Mexico by the armies of the northern republic, opened the eyes of all
+concerned. When, however, with all the troops at his disposal, he slowly
+approached the city of Mexico, he put on a cloak of patriotic
+moderation. The existing government, consisting of Vice-President Bravo
+and the Congress, had succeeded in imprisoning and then in banishing
+their would-be emperor, Paredes. They now, as the returning exile drew
+near the capital, offered him a temporary dictatorship of the disordered
+national affairs, but he modestly replied that he did not desire so
+much. He had returned, he said, as a pure and unselfish patriot, only to
+serve his country. All that he would be willing to accept would be the
+absolute control of the army, as if any power worth speaking of might be
+supposed to remain outside of his bayonets and lances. This small
+request was readily granted, and from that hour onward he was, for the
+time being, more completely the dictator of Mexico than he or any other
+man had ever been before. He entered the city and assumed command on the
+15th of September. Only a week later, on the 22d and 23d, the fall and
+surrender of Monterey strengthened his hold upon the people, for it made
+them feel more keenly than ever their need of a good general. He
+certainly did act with great energy, for, as early as the 8th of
+October, he had advanced with his army as far north as San Luis Potosi,
+and was straining every possible resource to prepare for his coming
+conflict with General Taylor. It is said that he even mortgaged his
+private property to obtain the money required for his military supplies.
+
+During all these weeks and months there had been stormy times in the
+Congress of the United States, and the war of the politicians was by no
+means ended. General Winfield Scott, however, had been left at the head
+of the army, with authority to invade Mexico in any manner he might
+choose, but with about half as many troops as he declared to be
+necessary for such an undertaking. It was late in December, 1846, when
+General Scott in person arrived at the mouth of the Rio Grande and
+assumed the direction of military operations. As he did not propose any
+considerable further advance into Mexico, except by way of Vera Cruz, he
+decided to take his best troops with him to that field of the coming
+campaign. This meant that General Taylor was to lose nearly all his
+regular army men and officers, their places being filled, as to numbers,
+by new regiments of exceedingly brave but untried volunteers. He was
+therefore left to face, with raw troops, any intended onslaught of Santa
+Anna, who would bring with him several times as large a force, of all
+sorts, most of it composed of recent levies, imperfectly organized and
+disciplined. It remained to be seen which of the two kinds of men, the
+Mexican Indian or the American rifleman, could be the more rapidly
+changed into a trained soldier, fitted for a hard day's fight.
+
+Throughout all the interior of Mexico there was a fair degree of peace
+and order, although robber bands were reported here and there. No signs
+of a coming revolution appear to have been discovered, for nearly all
+the great leaders who might have set one on foot were either banished or
+shot, or were serving in Santa Anna's army, half hoping for his defeat
+and destruction that he might be taken out of the way of their
+ambitions.
+
+There came one cloudless day near the end of February, when a kind of
+cool and beautiful summer seemed to rule over all the fair land of
+Anahuac, except among the snow-clad Cordilleras. There were roses in
+bloom in many gardens of the city of Mexico, and all things in and about
+the national capital wore an exceedingly peaceful air. The very guards
+at the citadel were pacing listlessly up and down, as if they were
+lazily aware that all evil-minded gringos and other foes of their
+comfort were several hundreds of miles away. At the city gates there
+were no sentries of any kind, and a young fellow who rode in on a
+spirited pony, at an hour or so after noon, was not questioned by
+anybody as to where he came from or what he was doing there. He cast
+sharp glances in all directions as he rode onward, but he seemed to have
+no need for inquiring his way. He went steadily, moreover, as if he
+might have business rather than pleasure on his hands, and he did not
+pull in his pony until he had reached the front of the Paez mansion.
+There was no one on the piazza but a short, fat old woman, in a blazing
+red cotton gown, who sprang to her feet almost as if he had frightened
+her, exclaiming:
+
+"Senor Carfora!"
+
+"Dola!" he responded, sharply. "Don't say another loud word! Are either
+of the senoras at home? I must see them right away."
+
+"Oh, yes!" she said, turning to run into the house. "I will tell them.
+They are in the parlor, and the senorita."
+
+Down sprang Ned and hitched his pony to a post, but then he hurried
+through the front door as quickly as Dola herself had done. Perhaps it
+was well that he should get in without being recognized by too many
+eyes. He did not have to actually get into the parlor before he was
+welcomed, for a light form sprang out into the hall, and Felicia herself
+shouted, eagerly:
+
+"Oh, Senor Carfora! Are you here? This is wonderful!"
+
+"Senorita," he interrupted her, "I have letters for your mother and
+Senora Paez. Where are they?"
+
+"They are right here," she said, "but we have letters, too. All the
+flags in the city are out and they are firing salutes of rejoicing."
+
+"I saw the flags," he said, "and I heard some firing, but what on earth
+are they rejoicing over? Is there any news?"
+
+The two grown-up women were standing behind her, with faces in which
+there was no joy whatever when Felicia exultingly told him:
+
+"Why, have not you heard? General Santa Anna has beaten your gringo army
+all to pieces. The United States fleet is coming to Vera Cruz with
+another army, and the American soldiers will not dare to come on shore.
+All they can do will be to sit there in their ships and look at the
+city."
+
+"Come in, Senor Carfora," said Senora Paez. "I cannot tell you how glad
+we are to see you. Yes, we have very important letters. I may suppose
+that yours are from the general. Please let me have them."
+
+"Do, Senor Carfora!" said Senora Tassara. "I cannot wait a moment. We
+will retire to read them, and, while we are gone, Felicia may tell you
+all the news from the great battle at the north."
+
+"Yes, so I will," she exclaimed. "And I want him to tell me all about
+the places he has been in, and what he has been doing."
+
+In a moment more they two were alone in the parlor, and she was
+repeating to him the substance of Santa Anna's report of the manner in
+which, at the hard-fought battle of Angostura, or Buena Vista, on the
+22d of February, he had shattered the American army under General
+Taylor. He had, he said, effectively prevented its further advance into
+Mexico, and there was really a strong appearance of truth in his way of
+presenting the consequences of the battle, for the American army seemed
+to have retreated. Horse after horse had been ridden to death in taking
+such great tidings to the city of Mexico, and, for the hour, at least,
+the great Mexican commander was more firmly fixed in supreme power than
+ever.
+
+Of course, the triumphant bulletin did not make any mention of the fact
+that General Taylor had had no intention of advancing any further, being
+under express orders from General Scott not to do so, and that Santa
+Anna's well-planned and at first nearly successful attempt to crush the
+northern invaders had really proved a failure. Ned Crawford listened to
+Felicia's enthusiastic account of the battle with a curious question in
+his mind which he was too polite to utter.
+
+"Why," he thought, "if Santa Anna was so completely victorious, did he
+not make General Taylor surrender?"
+
+There was no one to inform Ned that the Mexican commander had invited
+General Taylor to do so before the fight was half over, and that the
+stubborn old American had unkindly refused the invitation. At this
+moment, however, the senorita's tongue began to busy itself with quite
+another matter. The United States fleet, under Commodore Connor, had,
+indeed, begun to arrive in front of Vera Cruz on the 18th of February,
+with a vast convoy of transport ships under its protection, having on
+board the army of General Scott. Neither Ned nor the senorita was aware,
+however, how many important questions have to be answered before so many
+military passengers might undertake to land, with all their baggage,
+within possible reach of the artillery of an enemy. Felicia, for her
+part, was positive that they all were too badly scared by the Castle of
+San Juan de Ulua and by the bad news from Buena Vista to so much as try
+to make a landing.
+
+"General Santa Anna himself is now marching down to meet them," she told
+him, "with his whole victorious army, and he will crush them as fast as
+they can get out of their ships."
+
+Owing to the grand reports from their army, this was precisely the idea
+which was forming in the minds of all the people of Mexico.
+
+"Oh, Senorita Felicia!" said Ned, as if he were quite willing to change
+the subject. "I've had a wonderful time. I've been travelling,
+travelling, travelling, everywhere with the general."
+
+"Tell me all about it!" she commanded him. "I want to know. It seems to
+me as if I had been shut up here and had not seen anybody."
+
+"Well, I can't tell it all just now," he said, "but when we left here we
+hurried all the way to Oaxaca. Then we stayed there awhile, among his
+own people, and nobody gave us any trouble. No, I mustn't forget one
+thing, though. A band of those mountain robbers came one night, and we
+had an awful fight with them--"
+
+"Did you kill any of them?" she asked, hastily. "They all ought to be
+killed. They are ready to murder anybody else."
+
+"Well," said Ned, "we beat them, and ten of them were shot. I was firing
+away all the while, but I don't know if I hit any of them. It was too
+dark to tell. The rest of them got away. But I've hunted deer, and I
+killed a good many of them. I shot a lynx, too, and a lot of other game.
+There's the best kind of fishing on the general's estates. I like
+fishing. Then we went south, to the Yucatan line, and I saw some queer
+old ruins. After that, the general's business took him away up north of
+Oaxaca, and I went with him, and I saw half the States of Mexico before
+we finished the trip. I've seen the silver mines and Popocatepetl and
+Istaccihuatl, and I don't care to ever see any higher mountains than
+they are."
+
+"I have seen Popocatepetl," she said, "and it almost made me have the
+headache. They say it is full of sulphur, to make gunpowder with."
+
+Before she could tell anything more about the possible uses of the tall,
+old volcano, her mother reentered the parlor.
+
+"Senor Carfora," she said, "Felicia will have to give you up. Here are
+some letters for you that came while you were absent. You had better
+read them now, for I cannot say how long it will be best for you to
+remain here. Step this way a moment, if you will."
+
+Ned followed her, all in a sudden whirl of excitement at the unexpected
+prospect of hearing from his far-away home, but she still held his
+promised envelopes in her own hand, while she said to him:
+
+"My dear young friend, you know that Colonel Tassara is with his
+regiment. He was in the thickest of the fight at Angostura. He was
+wounded, but he hopes to recover soon, and we have not told Felicia. He
+writes me that it was really a lost battle, and that the fall of Santa
+Anna is surely coming, but that nobody can foretell what course he will
+take, cruel or otherwise, when he and his army return to fight with
+General Scott, on the road from the sea to this city. Go and read your
+letters, and then I will see you again."
+
+Felicia had to give him up, and away he went. The best place to read
+home letters seemed to him to be the library, and when he entered the
+dim old room, he half imagined that the man in armor nodded at him, and
+tried to say how d'ye do. After that, Ned almost forgot that he was in
+Mexico, while he devoured the news from home. It was a grand thing to
+learn, too, that the letters which he had feared would never get to New
+York had all been carefully delivered under the kindly care of the
+British consular system. He had never before felt quite so high an
+admiration for the British Empire as he acquired just then.
+
+"I'll do something good for the next Englishman I get hold of!" he
+declared, with energy, and then he sat still and stared around the room.
+
+"It was just as well," he said, "that I did not stay here and try to
+read all those books. I read enough about the ancient times, too. What
+father wanted me to know about is Mexico as it is now, and I've seen a
+great deal of it. What I want to see next is our army, and I'm going to
+find my way to Vera Cruz. Then I'll get on board an American ship,
+somehow or other. I wonder if the Mexican officers will manage to arrest
+me between this and the seacoast."
+
+That was a point worth thinking of, for General Zuroaga had told him
+very plainly that some ignorant or overhasty patriot might easily find
+an excuse for calling him a spy, and having him shot at a moment's
+notice. He did not have a long time to consider that matter, however,
+for the door opened, and the two senoras walked in, with clouded faces.
+
+"Senor Carfora," said Senora Tassara, "you will have no time to lose.
+General Zuroaga is right, and his letter must go at once to his friend,
+General Morales, who is now in command at Vera Cruz. So must one from my
+own husband. It is important, for the best interest of Mexico, that
+Morales should know the whole truth. That is, he must be informed that
+he cannot expect any help from Santa Anna's beaten army. Are you too
+tired to set out immediately? I can give you a fresh horse."
+
+"I'll go!" exclaimed Ned. "My pony isn't tired. He is a first-rate
+traveller. I want something to eat, though, and I wish I knew whether or
+not the army patrols will stop me on the way."
+
+"I can take care of that," said Senora Paez. "I have had to send special
+messengers before this. You will be able to show a government pass."
+
+As she spoke, she held out to him a sealed envelope. Where or how she
+had obtained such a thing, she did not explain, but it was an official
+envelope, and on it was a printed lettering which might have been
+translated: "Government Business. From the Headquarters of the Army.
+Despatches from His Excellency, General Bravo." In her own handwriting
+was added, moreover: "To His Excellency, General Morales, Vera Cruz."
+
+"There!" she said. "If it becomes necessary, show that, and any man
+hindering you will be promptly punished. Do not show it if you can help
+it, however, for there are many kinds of army officers nowadays."
+
+"I have seen some of them," said Ned, but what he was really thinking
+about most seriously, at that moment, was the supper he had asked for,
+and he was well pleased to be led down into the dining-room.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+THE DESPATCH-BEARER
+
+
+There are hills to climb, on the crooked highway from the city of Mexico
+to the sea, but the greater part of the distance is down, down, down,
+for its highest point is over seven thousand feet above tidewater. It
+was in a pass leading over this ridge that Ned Crawford looked around
+him, up and down and ahead, and exclaimed, as well as his chattering
+teeth would let him:
+
+"Well, I'm glad there are no snow-drifts in my way. I suppose the army
+men look out for that. But don't I wish I had an overcoat and some furs!
+Old Mount Orizaba can get up a first-class winter on his own account."
+
+It looked like it, and this part of his experiences had not been at all
+provided for. The Cordillera was very white, and its garment of snow and
+ice went down nearer to its feet than when Ned had first seen it.
+Moreover, the pony which had travelled so well when he cantered away
+from the Paez mansion, some days before, was showing signs of
+exhaustion, and it was manifestly well for him that he was now going
+down instead of climbing. So it was for Ned, and his uppermost wish was
+to hurry down into a more summery climate. He was still doing so, to the
+best of his shivering ability, two hours later, when a loud summons to
+halt sounded in the road before him.
+
+"Whoop!" shouted Ned, and the soldier, who had presented his bayonet so
+sternly, was greeted as if he had been an old friend. Rapid explanations
+followed, in Spanish, but before they were completed an officer had made
+his appearance from a small but comfortable guard-house at the side of
+the road. He was only a lieutenant, and he appeared to gaze with more
+than a little awe upon the superscription of Ned's precious government
+envelope. He turned it over and over, and almost smelled of it.
+
+"Senor Carfora!" he exclaimed. "This must not be delayed for a moment!
+You must ride on, if it kills you. Come in and get a dinner. We will
+give you a fresh mount. Tell us the news while you are eating."
+
+"I will do so," replied Ned, with a tremendous effort to stop shivering
+and look important. "But I will say that I was told that any man
+interfering with that despatch would be shot in one hour."
+
+"Beyond a doubt!" declared the lieutenant, with emphasis. "It would
+serve him right, too. This is no time for trifling with orders."
+
+A hearty dinner by a blazing log fire made the despatch-bearer feel a
+great deal better, but at the end of it no mercy was shown him. His
+fresh pony was ready, and he was ordered to mount and ride. He did so
+without offering any objections, and he carried with him the
+lieutenant's written pass, for possible use further down the mountain.
+It was a good thing to have, but he was called upon to present it only
+twice, receiving in each instance positive instructions to push onward
+if it killed him and his new pony.
+
+"I can't stand this much longer!" he exclaimed, as the sun was setting.
+"I'm almost beyond the snow-line. I think I'll disobey the guards a
+little, but I'll keep on obeying Senora Paez. She told me on no account
+to try to sleep in a large town or village. They are all military posts,
+and too many questions might be asked. I'll try a hacienda, just as I
+did on the other side of the mountains. Everybody wants to hear the
+news."
+
+Everybody in that region was also genuinely hospitable, and it was
+barely dusk when Ned rode in at the gate of a substantial farmhouse, to
+be welcomed with the utmost cordiality. Men, women, and children crowded
+eagerly around him, to hear all he could tell them of the great battle
+and victory of Angostura, and of the current doings in the capital city.
+A warm bed was given him, and after a long sleep he awoke somewhat
+better fitted for whatever else might be before him. Once more he pushed
+on, but before noon of that day all signs of winter were far behind him.
+He had passed through more than one considerable village, but so had
+other travellers, coming or going, who bore about them no appearance of
+being worth the attention of the military authorities. Another and
+another night in wayside farmhouses compelled him to admire more than
+ever the simple ways and the sincere patriotism of the Mexican farmers.
+All the while, however, his anxieties concerning the result of his
+perilous errand were growing upon him, and he was obediently using up
+his army pony. It was the forenoon of the third day before he was
+aroused from his other thoughts into anything like enthusiasm for the
+exceeding beauty of the luxuriant vegetation on either side of the road.
+
+"Leaves! flowers! grass!" he exclaimed. "Oh, how beautiful they all are!
+Summer here, and winter only a few miles away. Hurrah for the _tierra
+caliente_! It's a bully place at this time o' year."
+
+At all events, it was a pleasanter place to be in than any icy pass
+among the Mexican sierras, and his thoughts were at liberty to come back
+to his present situation. He was not now upon the Cordoba road, by which
+he had left the gulf coast ever so long ago. This was the highway from
+the city of Jalapa. He was cantering along only a short distance from
+the seashore, and he was within a few miles of the gates of Vera Cruz.
+
+"I remember them," he was thinking. "I never had a good chance for a
+look at the walls, but I suppose I shall have one pretty soon. I wonder
+if they are thick enough to stop a cannon-ball. Captain Kemp told me
+they were built all around the city, but he didn't say how high they
+are."
+
+Walls there were, indeed, but their masonry was not the next thing that
+was to be of especial interest to Ned. There is no kind of stonework
+which can compare, under certain circumstances, with the point of a
+lance or the edge of a machete, and the bearers of a number of such
+weapons were to be seen coming toward him at a gallop.
+
+"It looks like a whole company of lancers!" exclaimed the anxious
+despatch-carrier. "Now I'm in for it! Everybody I met on the way was
+civil enough, but these may be a different kind of fellows."
+
+Whether they were or not, the whole force under General Morales was in a
+state of unusual excitement that day, for the report was going around
+that the American army brought by Commodore Connor's fleet was rapidly
+coming ashore near Sacrificios Island, only three miles south of Vera
+Cruz. If Ned himself had been aware of it, he might have changed his
+plans and ridden right in among his own friends. As it was, however, in
+less than three minutes he had cantered in among a swarm of angry
+Mexicans and glittering spear-points. Their state of discipline was
+witnessed to by the fact that the captain in nominal command of them had
+some difficulty in obtaining from them permission to ask his own
+questions of this newcomer. When at last he succeeded in doing so,
+without first having his captive run through by a lance, it shortly
+looked as if Ned had been learning diplomacy, if not strategy also,
+during his varied and wonderful Mexican experiences.
+
+"Senor Captain," he said, quite coolly, pulling out his official
+envelope, "I am ordered to deliver this to General Morales in person. I
+am commanded to answer no questions. Any man daring to hinder the
+delivery of my despatches will be shot. They are important."
+
+"Where are you from?" came savagely back.
+
+Ned only pointed at the envelope and shut his mouth hard.
+
+"What is your errand to General Morales?"
+
+Ned's brain was working with tremendous rapidity just then, and one of
+his swift thoughts got away from him.
+
+"Captain," he said, "you had better ask that question of his Excellency,
+General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna."
+
+The officer's swarthy face turned pale for a moment, and all the men who
+had heard Ned's reply broke out into loud vivas for their great
+commander-in-chief, the illustrious victor of the bloody field of
+Angostura. The entire company became at once the zealous guardians of
+that sacred envelope, which so few of them could have read, and the
+captain was forced to restrain his curiosity, and allow Ned to continue,
+keeping his mouth closed. For all that, however, the despatch-bearer was
+still a prisoner, and was to be conducted as such to the presence of
+General Morales. The lancers turned their horses toward the city, and
+the gates were reached as quickly as Ned's tired pony could carry him.
+At this barrier, of course, there were other guards and officers of
+higher rank, and there might have been further delay, or even danger, if
+Ned had not promptly exhibited the magical envelope, while the captain
+himself repeated his own words for him, and curtly added:
+
+"His Excellency, General Bravo! Viva Morales! Viva Santa Anna!"
+
+That last word sealed the matter. The envelope was returned to its
+bearer, and he was conducted onward under the care of two colonels,
+several other officials, and a half-dozen of watchful lancers.
+
+Ned shortly understood that General Morales had returned from the Castle
+of San Juan de Ulua to go out for a telescopic inspection of the
+American landing, and was now at his headquarters in the city.
+
+"I guess I shall feel better after I get to him," thought Ned, as he and
+his excited party halted before the headquarters building. "I may get
+stuck with a machete yet, if I have to wait long out here."
+
+He was neither to be delayed nor slaughtered, and in a few minutes more
+he was ushered into a handsomely furnished chamber, where the general
+was sitting, apparently entirely calm and self-possessed, surrounded by
+his staff and a throng of other important men, soldiers and civilians.
+He did not say a word while a colonel of the escort was delivering his
+report concerning this messenger, but he was all the while sharply
+scrutinizing Ned from head to foot.
+
+"Gentlemen," he then said to those around him, "this may be something of
+extraordinary importance. Come with me, Carfora!"
+
+He arose from his chair, and Ned silently followed him into another
+room. As soon as they were shut in here by themselves, he turned
+fiercely upon the young despatch-bearer and demanded:
+
+"Have you said anything to those men? Have you told a living soul what
+you know about these tidings?"
+
+"No, general, not one word to anybody," replied Ned, bravely, but there
+was a strange thrill at his heart, for he saw that he was in deadly
+peril.
+
+Morales tore open the envelope, and found in it several official-looking
+papers which it did not take him long to read; but now Ned took out from
+an inner pocket three others which were much smaller. The general's face
+flushed fiery red, and his eyes were flashing with excitement while he
+swiftly examined them.
+
+"Carfora," he exclaimed, "you are too young to have been sent on such an
+errand as this. General Bravo! Colonel Tassara! Senora Paez! General
+Zuroaga! Ah, Santa Maria! And our brave army was shattered at Angostura,
+after all. This is dreadful news! You shall die before I will allow you
+to spread it among my men!"
+
+"I shall not do so," said Ned, with his heart in his throat "But may I
+not tell them that General Santa Anna has checked the invasion at the
+north? Ought I not to say that he is now marching down to defend the
+capital, and that he is going to strengthen your army at Vera Cruz? Why,
+general, that is just what he is going to do."
+
+The general was silent for a moment, and appeared to be lost in thought.
+
+"No, not now!" he then whispered between his set teeth, but Ned heard
+him. "If I shot him, it would make enemies of Zuroaga and the Tassaras
+and Senora Paez. Bravo would not care. Carfora," he added, aloud, "you
+may go. You may talk as you have said, but you must not leave the city,
+and, if you say one word about our being defeated at Buena Vista, I will
+have you shot. There are too many desertions already, and I can't afford
+to have my whole army stampeded by bad news."
+
+There was, therefore, an imperative military reason for keeping secret
+the truth concerning Santa Anna's great victory, and Ned responded:
+
+"General Morales, everybody will be asking me questions. I guess I know
+exactly what you wish me to tell. I was ordered to keep my mouth shut."
+
+"See that you do!" growled the general. "Or a musket-ball will shut it
+for you. Go out now. If I want you, I shall be able to find you."
+
+They walked out of the inner room together, and they found the main
+office crowded, as if many more had hurried in to hear the expected
+news.
+
+"Gentlemen! Fellow citizens!" shouted the general, enthusiastically, as
+he waved his packet of despatches over his head. "This is glorious! Our
+illustrious commander-in-chief, after having given such a severe lesson
+to our barbarous invaders at the north, is marching with his entire
+force to our own assistance. He will soon crush our assailants on the
+seacoast as he has the gringo mob under Taylor!"
+
+A storm of cheers responded, and the entire crowd seemed disposed to
+exchange hugs and handshakes, while he turned to an officer at a table.
+
+"By the Way, major," he said, "write an order for quarters and rations
+for General Bravo's messenger, Carfora. I may need him again in a few
+days. Keep track of him. He is a civilian, but he is a trusted agent of
+certain parties whom you may know."
+
+The major began to write something, and, as he did so, Ned believed that
+he heard him muttering words which sounded like: "Humph! Messenger of
+his Excellency, Santa Anna! We will take good care of him!"
+
+Then the general carelessly signed the paper, which the major prepared
+for him, and Ned walked quietly out into the open air. Once there,
+however, he took a hasty look at his "order for rations," and discovered
+that with it he had now in his possession a full headquarters army pass,
+which permitted him to come and go anywhere, through the gates and all
+the lines, without hindrance from anybody. He was established as an
+accepted and even honored confidential despatch-bearer of the
+commander-in-chief of all the armies of Mexico. He was not now to get
+entirely away without difficulty, however, for the whole building had
+been full of men who were eager for all the news he could give them, and
+they had followed him. They seized upon him as if he had been the last
+edition of an evening newspaper, containing the reports of all the past
+and with, probably, the news for to-morrow morning also somewhere inside
+of him. He did not get away from them for some time, and when he did so,
+at last, he was sure of being recognized by a considerable number of
+patriotic Mexicans, if they ever should meet him again. That might make
+him safer, although he was no longer in any immediate danger. Moreover,
+although he was not in uniform, the cut and quality of his clothing
+informed every person he met that he belonged to the higher orders,
+while the machete at his side and the pistols in his belt appeared to
+indicate that he was in some way connected with the army.
+
+"I know what I want to do next," he was thinking. "My pony and my
+satchel are at the headquarters stables. I can get them whenever I want
+them. I must go to the Tassara place. I can find it. Then I must manage
+to put them there, so that I won't have to show myself at the
+headquarters unless I'm sent for."
+
+He had no difficulty in finding the Tassara homestead, and there was no
+observer anywhere near him when he stood in front of the dwelling which
+had been his first hospitable refuge in Mexico. It had now, of course, a
+lonely and shut-up look, and there was no getting in at the front door,
+for much knocking failed to bring a door-keeper. Giving that up,
+therefore, he made his way around to the rear, through the unoccupied
+stables.
+
+"There is hay enough here for my pony," he remarked, "but I had half
+expected that the house would be turned into quarters for troops."
+
+He may have overlooked the fact that the Tassaras were friends of
+General Morales, and that their house was under his protection. If it
+were supposed to be so, nevertheless, he had cause to forget it again
+when he came to the back door, for it stood wide open, with an
+appearance of having been unlocked with a hammer.
+
+"Hullo!" he exclaimed. "I wonder if there is anybody in there now?"
+
+The thought somehow made him draw his machete, and he went on into the
+house as if he were looking for a fight. The dining-room was entered
+first, and it was utterly empty. Not so much as a chair was left,
+although its owners had certainly not taken any furniture away with them
+in their hasty escape by night, with Ned and Zuroaga. It looked a little
+queer, to say the least, and, as he went on from room to room, he found
+precisely such a state of things everywhere else.
+
+"I declare!" said Ned. "Either their friends or some robbers have
+cleaned this place of all there was in it that was worth stealing. Not
+so much as a bed left. I'll go and take a look at my old room. It was a
+cubby-hole of a place, but it would do first-rate for me now."
+
+Perhaps it was so small and so out of the way that Ned had an agreeable
+surprise ready for him when he reached it, for there still hung his
+hammock, and nothing else in the room had been molested.
+
+"Hurrah!" he shouted. "I've looked into every other room in the house,
+and this is the only one they didn't finish. I guess I'll camp here
+to-night, after I've been out to get something to eat."
+
+It was true that he had orders for army rations, if he had known where
+to find them, but he was also able to purchase whatever he might need,
+and he preferred to do so. At the same time, he had a clear
+understanding that, if he expected to ever see the United States again,
+he had better not show a great deal of cash in the city of Vera Cruz
+just now.
+
+"There are plenty of fellows here," he remarked, "who would cut my
+throat for a silver dollar, let alone a gold piece."
+
+He sheathed his machete peaceably, and went out by the back door,
+determining to let as few people as possible suspect that the Tassara
+mansion contained a boarder,--or it was more nearly correct to say
+lodger. This was a wise decision to make, but he was not to hunt far for
+his supplies that evening. Hardly had he gone a hundred paces from the
+Tassara place before he was unceremoniously halted, and it was not by a
+lancer this time. Before him, blocking his way, stood a very fat and
+apparently much astonished woman.
+
+"Madre de Dios!" she loudly exclaimed. "Senor Carfora! Santa Maria!
+Santa Catarina! San Jago! Diablos! Where did you come from?"
+
+Ned had never before heard himself called by all those pet names, but he
+knew at a glance that this was no other than Anita, formerly the cook
+of Senora Tassara, and believed to be a devoted friend of the family.
+
+"Anita!" he exclaimed. "I'll tell you!" and he proceeded to do so, to
+her great gratification, for she was as hungry for news as he was for
+his rations.
+
+"You come to my house," she said, "and I will give you something fit to
+eat, and that is a good deal to say in Vera Cruz in these days. Santa
+Maria! How these ragged banditti do devour everything. We are to be
+devoured by the accursed gringos, too, and we must eat while we can."
+
+Her idea, as a good cook, appeared to be that, if several thousands of
+people were about to be shut up and starved to death, they ought all to
+feed themselves as liberally as possible before the actual process of
+starvation should begin. Ned felt a strong sympathy with that notion, as
+he walked along with her, and he was ready to tell her anything but the
+perilous truth concerning the lost battle at the north. As to that, it
+was quite enough to assure her and half a dozen other patriotic Mexican
+women, who were at her humble home when he went in, that the great and
+successful General Santa Anna was hastening to rescue them from the
+American barbarians who were at this hour getting ashore with a great
+deal of difficulty through the surf, which was wetting every uniform
+among them. If anything at all resembling a "norther" had been blowing,
+the landing would necessarily have been postponed until it had blown
+over. Among other things, however, Ned told Anita of his visit to the
+house, and when the very good supper was ended, she led him to a room
+which must have contained at least a third of all the space under her
+roof. It was anything but hollow space now, for it was heaped to the
+ceiling with furniture, beds, bedding, and a miscellaneous collection of
+other household goods.
+
+"There, Senor Carfora!" she said, exultingly. "The Puebla robbers did
+get some things, but we saved all these. They were not ready to carry
+off heavy stuff, and when they came again, with a cart, at night, it had
+all been cared for. The senora has not lost so much, after all."
+
+"You are a faithful woman!" said Ned, admiringly. "I'm glad, too, that
+they could not steal the house, for I want to sleep there."
+
+"It's the best place you can find," she told him. "But you had better
+always bar the door at night, and sleep with your machete and pistols
+where you can reach them."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+UNDER FIRE
+
+
+"Where am I?" exclaimed Ned, as his eyes came lazily open the next
+morning, and in a moment more they were open very widely.
+
+He knew the room he was in, and his thoughts came swiftly back to him.
+There hung his sheathed machete at the head of the hammock, and his
+pistols lay at his side. There was as yet only just enough light to see
+them by, but he sprang out and began to get ready for his first day in a
+besieged city. His satchel and pony, he remarked, would be safe enough
+at headquarters, and he could go after them whenever he might need them.
+
+"I'll go to Anita's for breakfast," he added. "I can pay her for it,
+too. Then I want to see the American fleet, if I can. Oh, but am I not
+glad that General Zuroaga gave me that old telescope? I've seen lots of
+mountains with it, and now I'll make it show me the ships and the army.
+Oh, my soul and body! I'm part of the garrison of Vera Cruz."
+
+That was stretching the facts of the case a little, but he certainly was
+serving under the wrong flag that morning. He felt queer and lonely in
+that empty, robber-haunted house, and he was glad to get out of it
+without being seen. Anita welcomed him enthusiastically, for he had
+brought to her and her neighbors the good news of the coming of Santa
+Anna's victorious army, and he was a young Mexican patriot for whom she
+was glad to cook a good breakfast for a fair price. After that was
+eaten, however, Ned's perplexities began, for the first Mexican officer
+whom he met, on leaving Anita's house, curtly demanded a look at his
+papers. He was altogether too well dressed a fellow to be allowed to
+pass by unnoticed. With almost a fainting heart, Ned produced the pass
+given him by the major at headquarters, but the next moment the brave
+soldier's arms were around him, and he was hugged as a true comrade who
+had ridden hard and far to bring good tidings.
+
+"I will show you the gates myself!" exclaimed the lieutenant, for such
+he was. "I shall be in command of a patrol that is going out toward
+Sacrificios for a look at the gringos. Come on with me."
+
+This was precisely what Ned was wishing for, and, as they hurried along,
+he was pumped for all the news he had and a good deal more. In fact, he
+found it a task of some difficulty to obey the stern commands of General
+Morales and still keep within the truth.
+
+A gate was reached and passed, the officer at the gate receiving a kind
+of pay in news, and then Ned drew a long breath, for he suddenly
+remembered that he had left the city, contrary to orders.
+
+"Never mind," he said to himself, "I'm inside the Mexican army lines."
+
+In a moment more, he had forgotten everything but his spy-glass, a
+pretty good one, for he and the squad of patrollers were at the summit
+of a low sand-hill, and there before them, only two miles away, the
+boats of the ships of war and the transport ships were coming and going
+through the surf with loads of American soldiers. With them, and on all
+the vessels in the offing, Ned saw something which had never before
+seemed to shine so splendidly, and it brought the hot blood fiercely
+from his heart to his cheeks, because he could not just then break out
+into a hurrah for the Stars and Stripes. The hurrah did get up into his
+throat, but there it had to stop, and it almost choked him. His prudence
+got the better of it, somehow, and his next thought was:
+
+"Oh, but won't they have a tough time getting their cannon ashore!"
+
+He was not so far wrong, for that was a problem which was troubling
+General Scott and his engineers, but there was one thing more which Ned
+did not so much as dream of. In one of those boats a tall man, who was
+not in uniform, was leaning forward and gazing earnestly at the shore.
+
+"Mexico!" he muttered. "Ned is in there somewhere. I must have a hunt
+for him as soon as I can. I wonder if I did right to ever let him go.
+Even after we take Vera Cruz, there will be a long campaign and any
+amount of hard fighting. O Ned, my son, where are you?"
+
+Ned was there, indeed, very near and yet very far, and he was wondering,
+as were many American officers and soldiers, why the Mexicans did not
+cannonade the invading army while it was coming ashore. They might have
+done so effectively, and in a day or two they did put a few guns in
+position to send an occasional shot, but all the harm they did was to
+kill one man.
+
+The patrol party had now performed its duty, and it marched back again,
+but in that morning adventure Ned had discovered that he was really free
+to come and go. Perhaps the Mexican commander had forgotten him in the
+pressure of his other affairs. Even when Ned went to the headquarters
+for his pony and baggage, he was treated by everybody as a young fellow
+of no importance whatever, and at dinnertime he was able to tell Anita
+all about the terrible ships and the swarms of invading gringos on the
+shore.
+
+That night the lonely room in the Tassara house was almost too lonely.
+Ned lay awake in his hammock through long hours, and was glad that he
+had two armies to think of, so that he might keep from listening for
+possible footsteps outside of his little chamber, or for an attempt by
+some marauder to force open his door. He had barred that, and he had
+fastened his window firmly, but he could not feel entirely secure, and
+he got up twice to go to the door and listen.
+
+Day after day went by from that time in very much the same manner, and
+Ned believed that he was learning a great deal about war, whether or not
+it would ever do him any good in business affairs after the war had
+come to an end. The entire American army, guns and all, reached the
+shore in safety, and all the while Santa Anna and his army were reported
+as coming, coming, but they did not come, and the hearts of the besieged
+garrison and the terror-stricken people began to die within them.
+
+"They will be too late now," thought Ned, but he did not dare to say as
+much to any of his Mexican friends.
+
+From time to time he had been out to ply his telescope upon the fleet
+and upon the army. He knew that all the American camps had been
+established beyond the reach of any guns in the city fortifications, and
+he had watched with intense interest the slow, sure processes of a
+regular siege, conducted by a rarely capable general. He had seen the
+erection of battery after battery, of which General Scott's artillerymen
+were as yet making hardly any apparent use. He did not quite understand
+that, in merely being there, more and more of them, those batteries were
+already capturing the city. They were sending so few shots at the walls,
+or even at the grim Castle of San Juan de Ulua, because the American
+general wished to take Vera Cruz without bloodshed, if he could, and he
+came very near to the accomplishment of his humane purpose.
+Undoubtedly, he would have succeeded in starving out the city, if he,
+too, had not received daily notice of the nearer approach of Santa Anna
+and all the forces which he could gather. Nobody but that general
+himself and his confidential officers knew how really few they were, or
+how unfit to assail the Americans in their fortified camps on the shore
+of the sea. So, a final day came when the surrender of Vera Cruz was
+formally demanded, under the awful penalty of a general bombardment by
+the American fleet and army in case of a refusal. Resistance, it was
+declared, was now hopeless, and there was no military necessity for
+killing anybody. General Morales sent back a positive rejection, for he
+still entertained a faint hope of the timely arrival of assistance, and
+he did not inform General Scott how sadly he had failed in all his
+attempts to obtain supplies for the inhabitants and his army. Famine was
+already beginning to threaten all of the poorer classes who had
+neglected their opportunities to leave the city, or who had been unable
+to do so. As for Ned Crawford's provisions, he had continued to board
+with Anita, or with any mess of military men among whom he might happen
+to be. He had made many acquaintances, and he had found the ragged,
+unpaid, illiterate Mexican soldiers a genuinely hospitable lot of
+patriotic fellows. He came to his supper somewhat late on the evening of
+March 21st, and that night, after going to care for his pony, he came
+back and slept on a blanket on the floor of Anita's kitchen. On the
+morning of the 22d, he had but just walked out into the street when
+suddenly all the air around him seemed to be full of thunder. Roar
+followed roar, and peal followed peal, and then he heard affrighted
+shrieks in all directions. The bombardment had begun!
+
+"O Madre de Dios!" moaned the voice of poor Anita behind him. "O Senor
+Carfora! We shall all be killed! What shall we do? Oh, the wicked
+gringos! What did they come here for? I never did them any harm."
+
+That was a terrible war question which was troubling Ned himself.
+Whatever might have been the evil doings of either of the two
+governments, or of all the scheming, ambitious politicians, the helpless
+people of Mexico were in no manner to blame. Why, then, he asked
+himself, should any of them, like Anita, for instance, be killed by
+cannon-shot or torn in pieces by bursting shells? He could not settle
+the matter in his mind just then, but he said to her, encouragingly:
+
+"Don't be so badly scared. Up here in this northern part of the town, we
+are as far away from the shooting as we could be. I'll go over to the
+southern side of the city and see what is going on. As soon as I find
+out, I'll come back and tell you."
+
+"Oh, do!" she said, "but do not get killed. Come back and get some
+dinner. I will cook you a real good one, if you will."
+
+That was something of a promise, for he knew that she was one of the
+prudent folk who had looked out for their supplies in time, but he
+walked away toward the southerly wall and the forts with a strong
+feeling that he must be in the middle of a kind of dreadful dream. He
+reached the line of antiquated and defective defences, which had been
+good enough long ago, but which were not constructed to resist modern
+artillery. Old as it might be, the wall was in the way of his intended
+sightseeing, but he saw a ladder leaning against the masonry, and up he
+went without asking permission of anybody. He was now standing upon the
+broad parapet, with his glass at his eye, and he was obtaining a
+first-rate view of the bombardment. On the land, stretching away to the
+west and south, were the long lines of the American batteries, within a
+not very long range of him, and from each of them at intervals the red
+sheets of fire burst forth, while over them the black clouds of powder
+smoke arose to be carried away by the brisk March wind that was blowing.
+Far away to his right, or seaward, all at anchor in the positions
+assigned them, lay the United States ships of war, of all kinds and
+sizes, and these, too, were getting at work, although they were as yet
+by no means putting forth their whole destructive power. It was as if
+they were but studying this siege business, getting the ranges
+correctly, and were preparing to do worse things than this in the days
+which were to come. Ned was gazing intently at a great 44-gun ship,
+which appeared to be sending her missiles at the castle, when a heavy
+shot from one of the batteries struck the wall within a few yards of
+him. It seemed to go deeply in, and the entire top of the parapet was
+torn away for a width of several feet. Ned hurried at once to get a good
+look down into the chasm, for it was the first time that he had seen
+anything of the kind.
+
+"I wonder if our shot are doing this kind of thing for their batteries
+yonder," he said aloud, in the Spanish which was now habitual with him,
+but at that moment a not unfriendly hand was laid upon his shoulder, and
+a quiet, firm voice said to him:
+
+"What are you doing here, Senor Carfora? You seem to have no fear."
+
+"General Morales!" exclaimed Ned, in astonishment. "No, your Excellency.
+I was not thinking of that, but of this big hole. I was wondering if the
+walls of the castle are not stronger than these. If they are not--"
+
+"They are much stronger, my brave fellow," interrupted the general. "I
+am going over now to see how they are standing it. The Americans are
+very accurate gunners. Now, sir, you must not expose yourself in this
+manner. You are not a soldier. Go back into the city!"
+
+"General," said Ned, pointing in the direction of the cathedral, "do,
+please, look! Some of their shot go over the wall and strike away
+inside. I am safer here than I would be in yonder. What I am afraid of
+is that a great many of the women and children may be killed. I think,
+sir, that you ought not to be here, either. You are the general."
+
+"My boy," said Morales, sadly, "I was thinking of the non-combatants
+myself. This firing of the Yankees at the city is hideous. But it is
+war, and it cannot be helped. Ah, me! Feeling as I do this morning, I
+would ask nothing better than that one of these accursed shot or shell
+should come for me. I would a hundred times rather die than be compelled
+to surrender Vera Cruz."
+
+He again motioned Ned toward the ladder, and no disobedience was
+possible. He himself followed, for his solitary reconnoissance was
+ended, and he had been practically assured that his walls were of small
+value against heavy siege-guns. When he reached the ground, several
+subordinate officers came to join him, and Ned heard him say to them:
+
+"That reckless young scamp, Carfora, has the nerves of an old soldier.
+He will make a good one by and by. We need more like him, for some of
+our artillerymen left their guns under the American fire."
+
+There was never any lack of courage among men of his kind, a Spaniard
+descended from the old conquistadors, while some of the officers around
+him were Indians fit to have led their tribes for Montezuma against the
+men of Hernando Cortes.
+
+As Ned walked homeward, he halted several times to tell some of his
+army acquaintances what he had seen from the wall, and how he had talked
+about it with General Morales. No doubt they esteemed him more highly
+than ever for his patriotism and high social standing, but he spoke also
+of the danger to the people, and they were sure that his heart was with
+them. Truth to tell, so it was, for the bombardment shortly became to
+him more horrible than ever. Something he could not see passed over his
+head, with a hiss that was almost like a human screech. Then followed a
+loud explosion, and there before him, on the bloody pavement, he saw the
+mangled corpses of a Mexican mother and two small children, who had been
+killed while they were hurrying away to a place of safety.
+
+"Oh, the poor things!" sobbed Ned, as he burst out into tears. "What had
+they to do with the war!"
+
+He could not bear to take a second look at them, and he hurried on, but
+when he reached the house he did not say anything about them to Anita.
+He told her about the batteries and the ships, and about the brave
+general on the parapet, and then she and her friends who were with her
+went away back into the kitchen, to be as safe as possible from flying
+shot and shell. It was not, they appeared to think, at all likely that
+any wicked gringo gunner would take aim at that kitchen.
+
+As for Ned, he had only come in to go out again, for keeping indoors,
+with all that cannonading going on, was altogether out of the question.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+GENERAL SCOTT AND HIS ARMY
+
+
+"There they come! They are going to march right in! But what I want,
+most of all, is to see the general himself. There he is!"
+
+Telescope in hand, Ned Crawford was standing on the parapet, near one of
+the southerly gates of Vera Cruz, watching the triumphant entrance of
+the American army. He could hardly have told whether he was more glad to
+see them come, or because the siege and the bombardment were over. He
+was already familiar with the various troops of Mexico, and he knew that
+some of them, but not many, could perform their military evolutions in
+pretty good style. The one thing which struck him most forcibly now,
+however, as his glass was aimed here and there over the approaching
+columns and lines, was that at no point was there a flaw or a defect in
+the orderly movements of the American soldiers. With admirable drill
+and under perfect management, they swung forward across the broad level
+between their earthwork batteries and the badly shattered wall of the
+captured city. Compared with them, the garrison which had surrendered
+was, for the greater part, only a little better than an ill-provided,
+half-armed, undisciplined mob. Wealth, arms, civilization, scientific
+generalship, had all been on the side of the great republic of the
+North, and there had been no doubt, from the beginning, as to what the
+result must be. The one important seaport of Mexico, with all its
+foreign commerce, was now under the control of the United States, and
+could not be taken from them.
+
+Ned saw one of the advancing lines melt beautifully into the shape of a
+long column, and file through the gate near him. Then followed a section
+of field artillery and a small detachment of cavalry. All these were to
+be admired, of course, but his eyes watched them only for a moment, for
+just behind the horsemen came an exceedingly brilliant cavalcade, in
+front of which rode the remarkable man whom Ned was most anxious to see.
+
+Beyond a doubt, General Winfield Scott had many severe critics and not a
+few personal enemies. By these, he was said to be arrogant, blunt in
+manners, opinionated, and also a military martinet with terribly
+unvolunteer ideas relating to the rigid discipline required for success
+in war. He had seen, however, a deal of hard service in the war of 1812
+and otherwise, and his military record was without a flaw. There were
+good judges, both in America and Europe, who believed and declared that
+for the management of a difficult campaign he had no superior among the
+generals then living. He was now actually called upon to prove that he
+could perform apparent impossibilities under very trying circumstances
+and with somewhat limited resources. Physically, he was a large,
+fine-looking man, and he was even excessively particular concerning the
+fit and elegance of his parade uniform. He was therefore looking his
+best when he rode in to take possession of Vera Cruz.
+
+Ned went down a ladder as soon as he could, after breathlessly staring
+at the great commander, but he did not succeed in witnessing the
+formalities of the surrender, whatever they were. The crowds in his way
+were too much for him, but not long after General Scott and his staff
+disappeared through the portal of the building which had been the
+headquarters of poor General Morales, Ned worked his way through a
+throng of downcast Mexicans toward a young officer who appeared to be in
+command of about a half company of infantry. From the excitement of the
+moment and from a good many months of daily custom, he spoke to the
+lieutenant in Mexican Spanish, in a recklessly eager manner and without
+touching his hat.
+
+"What on earth do you want?" was the curt and gruff reply. "I'm only
+Lieutenant Grant. You'll have to see somebody else, whatever it is. You
+had better go and speak to one of the staff."
+
+If Ned had really been a young Mexican, speaking no tongue but his own,
+he might not have understood that perfectly. As it was, however, he at
+once broke out with energy into a language to which he had for some time
+been unaccustomed. Even now, nevertheless, he forgot to touch his hat.
+
+"Well, Mr. Grant," he said, "I've been all over the country. I've been
+in the city of Mexico and among their troops, and I believe I know a lot
+of things that I ought to report to General Scott, or somebody."
+
+It was a patriotic idea which had been growing in his mind all that
+morning, and it had driven out of him every ounce of bashfulness.
+
+"You have, have you?" said Grant. "I declare. Seems to me you speak
+English pretty well for a greaser--almost like a born American. I guess
+the general's willing to hear almost anything. But you will have to see
+some member of the staff. Hullo! I say! Captain Lee! Here's a kind of
+spy. I think you'd better hear him. I can't leave my post."
+
+"Spy?" exclaimed Ned. "No, I'm not any such thing, but my name is Edward
+Crawford, and I'm from New York. I got stuck in Mexico and I couldn't
+get out. I've been all around everywhere. Things are mixed--"
+
+"Grant," said Captain Lee, "he may have something worth while. I'll take
+him in to see Schuyler Hamilton. Let the captain pump him."
+
+Captain Robert E. Lee was not exactly off duty at that hour, for he and
+other engineer officers had been ordered to make a survey of the
+fortifications, but he was there to receive instructions and he could
+take Ned in with him. He was a taller, handsomer fellow than Grant, and
+he was all of three times as polite in his treatment of Ned. Perhaps,
+however, Grant's first manners had been damaged by being addressed in
+such a style, in Spanish, by an excited young Mexican.
+
+In went Ned and Lee, and there was no difficulty in obtaining an
+interview with Captain Hamilton. Ned had never heard of him before, but
+he was now aware, from Captain Lee, that he was a descendant of General
+Philip Schuyler and General Alexander Hamilton of the Revolutionary War.
+Ned thought of Senora Tassara's great ancestors for a moment, and then
+he did not really care a cent for pedigree. He even startled Hamilton
+himself by the energy and rapidity with which he told what he knew of
+the condition of things throughout the country, the movements of Santa
+Anna, and the political plots and conspiracies. Hamilton was a slender,
+graceful young man, handsomer than even Lee, and with piercing black
+eyes.
+
+"Lee," he said, "the cub is a genuine curiosity. I can't imagine how on
+earth he learned so much. He isn't a fool, by any means. General Scott
+will be at liberty in a few minutes, and Crawford must see him."
+
+"All right," said Lee. "I have my instructions now, and I'll leave him
+with you. They say the old castle's badly knocked in pieces."
+
+If, as Lee intimated, the fortress of San Juan de Ulua was just then in
+bad condition, so was Ned when he heard what they were going to do with
+him. He had supposed that his errand had been completely done to the
+sharp-eyed staff officer, but now they threatened to bring him before
+the general, whom he considered the most tremendous man on the earth. It
+was a little too much, but he drew a long breath and stood as straight
+as a ramrod, looking very red indeed. In three minutes more he was
+brought face to face with the commander-in-chief of the armies of the
+United States, and he felt as if he had been surrounded and compelled to
+surrender. Captain Hamilton reported the matter in the fewest words
+possible, but all the while the general had been watching Ned, looking
+right through him, and in a moment Ned found himself feeling perfectly
+easy. If General Scott had been his uncle, he could not have spoken to
+him in a kinder or more carelessly familiar way. He questioned him about
+all his experiences, and an acute listener might have gathered that he
+paid more attention to Ned's political information than to anything of
+a strictly military nature.
+
+"Hamilton," he slowly remarked, at last, "General Taylor did an
+exceedingly good thing for us down here, after all. The battle of Buena
+Vista was our own battle. Santa Anna will not be able to raise another
+army like the one that was so roughly handled up there. If it had been
+here, in good shape, we would have had ten times as much trouble in
+taking Vera Cruz. Santa Anna's power is already half broken."
+
+"Perhaps a little more," suggested Hamilton.
+
+"Perhaps," said the general, "but our patriotic young friend here has
+made a valuable report. Ah, McClellan! You and Beauregard are to make
+the inspection of the castle with Captain Lee. Take Crawford back to
+Grant, as you go. He may serve with the Seventh as an unenlisted man.
+Let him have his orders, Hamilton. He is a brave fellow."
+
+Out went Ned with a pair of as yet undistinguished officers, both of
+whom were to be heard of again in after time, and it did not occur to
+the very much elated "scout," as he now considered himself, to correct
+General Scott's apparent idea that Lieutenant Ulysses S. Grant was a
+particular friend and guardian of his.
+
+"Now, if this isn't bully!" he thought. "I've been on the Mexican side
+all the while till now. I've been kind of part of the garrison of Vera
+Cruz, but I've been praised by General Scott, for all that. I wonder
+what our folks at home would say to it!"
+
+It was a grand thing to think of, and Ned felt as proud as if he had
+been promoted for storming an enemy's entrenchments.
+
+There was another experience of an entirely unexpected character just
+before him, however. Hardly had McClellan and Beauregard turned him over
+to Grant, and while the latter was inspecting the order written by
+Captain Hamilton, Ned was suddenly shaken from head to foot. Not that
+anybody, Mexican or American, was actually handling him roughly, but
+that a hoarse, eager voice at his right ear exclaimed:
+
+"Edward! My son! Is this you? Are you a prisoner?"
+
+"No, Mister," responded Grant, before Ned could gather his wits to utter
+a word. "He isn't a prisoner, but I'm ordered to stick him into the
+outside of the Seventh somewhere. Is he your son?"
+
+"He is, lieutenant," said Mr. Crawford. "And, oh, how glad I am!"
+
+"Father!" Ned had shouted, as a pair of strong arms went around him.
+"How did you happen to be here?"
+
+"I came on one of our own supply-ships," said Mr. Crawford. "I'll tell
+you all about it by and by. I had all but given up hearing anything of
+you, and we sail for New York to-morrow. Lieutenant, I haven't seen him
+for more'n a year. I want a good long talk."
+
+"Of course you do!" said Grant, heartily. "Take him along, and let him
+report at the camp of the Seventh to-morrow morning. You may go now, my
+young greaser, but you'd better get on another rig than that before you
+come."
+
+"He will do that," said Mr. Crawford. "Come along, Ned. Let's go where
+we can be by ourselves. I want to hear your whole yarn, from beginning
+to end, and I've all sorts of things to tell you."
+
+"Father," said Ned, "I know just the place. We'll go and get supper at
+old Anita's, and we can talk all the way. Hurrah! How's mother?"
+
+All the most important home news followed quickly after that, and Ned
+felt that the capture of Vera Cruz was more important than ever.
+
+"I am going to let you stay here, though," said his father. "You can
+learn more than in any other way that I know of."
+
+"That's what I want," said Ned. "And now I shall be in our army."
+
+The father and son were not walking very fast, but they could talk
+rapidly, and they had a great many things to say. They had some things
+to see, as well, for everywhere, as they went, they encountered
+detachments of United States soldiers patrolling the city, restoring
+order and setting things to rights. That they were doing so appeared to
+be a tremendous surprise to large numbers of the inhabitants, who had
+almost been expecting to be ruthlessly plundered, if not murdered
+outright, by these cruel barbarians from the awful republic of the
+North. Not all of them were panic-stricken in this way, however, for
+when the house of old Anita was reached, she was standing in the
+doorway, and she greeted them loudly with:
+
+"O Senor Carfora! I knew all the while that you were a gringo. I am so
+glad that we have surrendered! Santa Maria Gloriosa! Praise all the
+saints! We shall have no more cannonading! We shall have plenty to eat!"
+
+"That is just what we want, Anita," replied Ned. "This is my father. He
+has come to see me, and you must give him some dinner. Then I will tell
+you all about General Scott and the American soldiers."
+
+She had neighbors with her, as usual, and some of them had become
+accustomed to regarding Ned as a kind of newsboy. They were now also
+prepared to thank a large number of religious personages that he was a
+genuine gringo, and on good terms with the conquering invaders, who were
+henceforth to have the control of affairs in Vera Cruz.
+
+It was late that night when Ned said good-by to his father, and it was
+like pulling teeth to let him go, but there was no help for it, as the
+sailing of the supply-ship could not be delayed. Ned was once more alone
+in Mexico, and it took all his enthusiasm for his expected army life to
+reconcile him to the situation. Perhaps there was not a great deal of
+sound sleeping done, in the hammock that swung in the little room in the
+Tassara mansion, but at an early hour next morning he was on his way to
+hunt up the camp of the Seventh Infantry and the tent of Lieutenant
+Grant. This was accomplished without much difficulty, and almost
+immediately Ned made a discovery. His probable coming had, of course,
+been reported to the colonel commanding the regiment, and that
+officer's common-sense remark was:
+
+"Unenlisted orderly, eh? Yankee boy that can speak Spanish, and that
+knows every corner of this miserable city? Just what we want. I'm glad
+old Fuss and Feathers sent him to us. He is the greatest general in the
+world. Send your scout right here to me. I've errands for him."
+
+Therefore, the next chapter in Ned's Mexican experiences was that he
+found himself sent out, soldierlike, upon a long list of duties, for
+which he was peculiarly well prepared by knowing where to find streets
+and houses which were as yet unknown to the rank and file of the gallant
+Seventh. The men, on their part, soon came to regard him as a soldier
+boy, like themselves, and he had a fine opportunity for learning, from
+day to day, the processes by which General Scott was organizing his
+force for his intended march across the sierra, on the road he had
+selected for reaching the city of Mexico. It was soon to be plainly
+understood that, whenever that army should march, it would do so as a
+sort of human machine, ready to perform any military work which its
+commander might require of it.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+THE MOUNTAIN PASSES
+
+
+"Grant," said Captain Lee, "what did Crawford say to you about that
+Cerro Gordo road? I want to know all I can."
+
+"Well, Captain Lee," replied Grant, "here he is, to speak for himself.
+He says he came down that trail in midwinter. He studied it, too,
+because his friend, General Zuroaga, told him it was built by a Spanish
+fellow by the name of Cortes."
+
+"Good!" said Lee. "Seems to me I've heard of him somewhere, but who is
+Zuroaga? Tell me about him, Crawford. Does he know anything?"
+
+By this time, Ned had become pretty well acquainted with Lee and a
+number of other officers, and with their free, open-hearted way of
+dealing with each other. He could tell, therefore, without any restraint
+or bashfulness, all that was necessary concerning his distinguished
+Mexican friend and benefactor.
+
+"I see," said the captain. "He is one of their many revolutions. All
+right. But I wish old man Cortes hadn't left his road so narrow and
+steep as they say it is. Tell me all you saw, Crawford. I have other
+accounts, but I want yours. Look at this map and answer my questions."
+
+He held in his hand what purported to be a very rough sketch of the
+highway from the city of Jalapa to the city of Mexico. It also pretended
+to give a fair idea of the section of that road which crossed the
+mountain spur known as Cerro Gordo.
+
+"From there to there," said Lee, "how is it?"
+
+"Crooked as a rail fence," replied Ned. "It isn't like that at all. It's
+a zigzag, with rocks on one side and ravines on the other."
+
+"Just as I supposed," said Lee. "Now, mark the zigzags on this other
+paper, as well as you can remember them."
+
+They were sitting in Grant's tent, in the camp of the Seventh Regiment,
+and the entire advance-guard of the army was encamped in like manner,
+waiting for orders from General Scott to climb the mountains before
+them. Ned took the crayon handed him, and he really appeared to do
+pretty well with it, but he explained that the rough weather and the
+condition of his pony had compelled him to dismount and come part of
+the way down the mountain on foot, so that he had more time for making
+observations.
+
+"If they put cannon on a breastwork on that road," he said, "they can
+blow anything in front of them all to pieces."
+
+"Grant," said Lee, "that's just what they can do. Santa Anna has posted
+his artillery at Crawford's zigzags, and that Cerro Gordo position
+cannot be carried in front. It is perfectly unassailable."
+
+"What on earth are we to do, then?" said Grant. "Our only road to Mexico
+seems to be shut and bolted."
+
+"I don't know about that," said Lee. "There are others, if we chose to
+try them. But the general has ordered me, with an engineer party, to go
+out and find if there is not some way for getting around Santa Anna's
+obstructions. I want you to let Crawford go with me."
+
+"O Lieutenant Grant!" eagerly exclaimed Ned, "General Zuroaga told me
+there was another place as good for a road as that is."
+
+"Go along, of course," said Grant. "I'd give a month's pay to go with
+you. Anything but this sleepy camp."
+
+Ned was ready in a minute, but he found that he was not expected to
+carry with him any other weapon than his machete.
+
+"Take that," said Captain Lee. "It will do to cut bushes with. I believe
+I'll carry one myself. We shall have a few riflemen, but we must be
+careful not to do any firing. We must scout like so many red Indians."
+
+Ned had formerly been on the wrong side of the army lines. During all
+the long months of what he sometimes thought of as his captivity among
+the Mexicans, he had been occasionally worried by a feeling of disgrace.
+He had felt it worst when he was a member of the garrison of Vera Cruz,
+and on such remarkably good terms with the rest of the garrison and its
+commander. So he had been exceedingly rejoiced when General Scott
+battered down his walls and compelled him to surrender. It had been a
+grand restoration of his self-respect when he found himself running
+errands for the officers of the Seventh, but now he suddenly felt that
+he had shot up into full-grown manhood, for, with a bush-cutting sword
+at his side, he was to accompany one of the best officers in the
+American army upon an expedition of great importance and much danger.
+
+It was still early in the day when Captain Lee's party, all on foot,
+passed through the outer lines of the American advance, at the base of
+the mountain. All of them were young men, as yet without any military
+fame, and there was no one there who could tell them that their little
+band of roadhunters contained one commander-in-chief and one
+lieutenant-general of the armies of the Southern Confederacy, and one
+commander-in-chief and four major-generals, or corps commanders, of the
+armies of the United States. It was not by such subordinates as these
+that General Santa Anna was assisted in his engineering or other
+military operations. That day, however, and for a few days more, he felt
+perfectly sure of his really well-chosen position among the rocks and
+chasms of the Cerro Gordo.
+
+The engineering party was well aware that its movements might possibly
+be observed from the heights beyond, as long as it remained in the open,
+therefore it wheeled out into the fields as it went onward, and was soon
+lost to view among woodlands.
+
+"Now, Crawford," said Captain Lee, "recall and tell me, as well as you
+can, all that Zuroaga told you about his proposed new road."
+
+Ned proceeded to do so, but, at the end of his recollections, he added:
+
+"Well, the general said it would cost a pot of money to do it, now, and
+that Cortes had no gunpowder to throw away. He could not have done any
+rock-blasting."
+
+"Our difficulty about that is as bad as his was," replied the captain.
+"We can have all the gunpowder we need, but we can't use any of it, for
+fear of letting his Excellency, General Santa Anna, know what we are up
+to. As for the cost of a new road, there is no government in Mexico that
+will think of undertaking it. It would cost as much, almost, as a
+brand-new revolution."
+
+There was a great deal of hard work done after that, searching,
+climbing, and bush-cutting, and Ned wondered at the ready decisions made
+here and there, by the engineers. It seemed to him, too, that Captain
+Lee and other officers paid a great deal of deference to a young
+lieutenant by the name of McClellan. A small force of riflemen was with
+them and a party of sappers and miners, but there had not been a sign of
+military opposition to the work which they were trying to do.
+Nevertheless, it began to dawn upon Ned's mind that sometimes picks and
+spades and crowbars may be as important war weapons as even cannon. That
+is, there may be circumstances in which guns of any kind are of little
+use until after the other tools have been made to clear the way for
+them.
+
+Night came, and the entire reconnoitring party camped among the cliffs
+of Cerro Gordo, but at about the middle of the next forenoon all the
+officers gathered for a kind of council. They were not yet ready to send
+in a full and final report, but they had formed important conclusions,
+and at the end of the council Ned was called for.
+
+"Crawford," said Captain Lee, "take that despatch to Captain Schuyler
+Hamilton, or whoever else is on duty at General Scott's headquarters. In
+my opinion, this Zuroaga road will do, after we shall have made it, and
+we can climb around into the rear of the Mexican army. If so, all their
+batteries in the old road are but so many cannon thrown away."
+
+Ned's heart gave a great thump of pride as he took that carefully folded
+and sealed up paper. To carry it was a tremendous honor, and he was not
+half sure that it did not make him, for the time being, a regular member
+of General Scott's corps of military engineers. He hastened back to the
+Jalapa highway, and the first advanced post that he came to furnished
+him with a pony. Then he galloped on to the camps and to the general's
+headquarters, as if he had been undergoing no fatigue whatever. He
+seemed to himself, however, to have seen hardly anything or anybody
+until he stood before Captain Hamilton, and held out that vitally
+important despatch. Even then he did not quite understand that it was
+almost as important as had been the surrender of Vera Cruz. But for that
+surrender, the American expedition would have been stopped at the
+seashore. But for this feat of the engineers, it would have been
+disastrously halted at the foot of the Cerro Gordo pass. One minute
+later, Ned's heart jumped again, for he heard the deep voice of the
+general himself commanding:
+
+"Hamilton, bring Crawford in. He seems to know something."
+
+Whether he did or not, he could answer questions quite bravely, and he
+could tell a great many things which had not been set forth in the brief
+report of the engineers. Probably they had not felt ready to say or
+assert too much until they had done and learned more, but Ned was under
+no such restriction, and he thoroughly believed in what he still
+regarded as General Zuroaga's road. That is, if somebody like Cortes,
+for instance, could and would afford the necessary amount of gunpowder
+to blast away the rocks which he had seen were in the way.
+
+"That will do," said the general, at last. "You may go, Crawford.
+Captain Hamilton, we have beaten Santa Anna!"
+
+There may have been a slightly arrogant sound in that confident
+assertion, but it was altogether in accord with the positive and
+self-reliant character of General Winfield Scott. He had unbounded faith
+in his own mental resources, and, at the same time, he had perfect
+confidence in the men and officers of his army. It was, therefore, less
+to be wondered at that they on their part entertained an almost absurd
+respect for their martinet commander.
+
+Orders went out immediately for putting all the force which could be
+employed upon the construction of the mountain road. Much of the work
+would have to be performed at night, to keep it secret, and the
+Mexicans, behind their impassable entrenchments on the old Cerro Gordo
+pass, had no idea of the hidden plans of their enemies. Santa Anna
+himself may have believed that his antagonist had given up the hope of
+ever reaching the city of Mexico by that route. The new one, by which he
+did intend to reach it, grew rapidly to completion, and Ned Crawford
+obtained from his friend Grant repeated permissions to go and see if
+Captain Lee wanted him, and then to come back and report progress to his
+own camp.
+
+"Lieutenant Grant's a man that hardly ever says anything," said Ned to
+himself, "but he's a prime good fellow, and I like him. He says he isn't
+much of an engineer, though, and he couldn't build that road."
+
+Such a road it was, too, with bridges over chasms, where the builders
+had to climb up and down like so many cats. Even after it was said to be
+complete, it was fit for men only, for not even the most sure-footed
+mule could have passed over it. It was finished on the 17th of April,
+and on the following day General Scott issued his orders for all the
+various parts of the coming battle of Cerro Gordo. Strong bodies of
+infantry were to engage the Mexican front, and keep Santa Anna's army
+occupied, while the engineers piloted another and stronger column to the
+real war business of the day. Ned had managed to get himself tangled up
+with this climbing force, if only to see what use was to be made of his
+and Zuroaga's new road. The morning came, and even before the sun was up
+some of the troops were moving.
+
+"I guess it'll be an all-day's job," thought Ned, as he and one of the
+engineer officers reached the first steep declivity. "Hullo! they are
+unhitching those artillery horses. What's that for?"
+
+He was soon to know, for strong men took the places of the animals, and
+the guns were hauled up and over the mountain by human hands. It was
+severe work, but it was done with eager enthusiasm, and a few hours
+later Ned was able to shout:
+
+"Hurrah! Here we are, right in behind them. Hurrah for General Scott!"
+
+Anything else that he might have felt like saying was drowned in the
+wild cheering which arose from thousands of soldiers, for there was no
+longer any need for silence or secrecy. That part of the Mexican army
+which had been posted beyond the head of the pass was taken utterly by
+surprise. Its commanders were for the moment unable to imagine whence
+had come this numerous body of United States infantry, which appeared so
+suddenly upon their unprotected flank. They therefore retreated, and the
+Mexican army was cut in two, so that all of it which had been stationed
+in the pass itself was caught as in a trap, and compelled to surrender.
+These trapped prisoners were about three thousand in number, and Ned
+kindly remarked concerning them:
+
+"Oh, but ain't I glad we didn't have to kill 'em! We didn't catch old
+Santa Anna himself, though. They say the Mexicans made him President for
+the battle of Angostura. I guess they wouldn't have done it if they had
+waited till now."
+
+Whether or not he was correct in that calculation, the road to the city
+of Mexico seemed now to be open, unless the unfortunate republic could
+provide its President with another army. As for the American commander,
+his troops had more faith in him than ever, and with better reasons for
+it. It was afterward said that General Scott's written orders for the
+battle of Cerro Gordo, and for others which followed, would answer very
+well for full reports of them after they were won.
+
+The whole American army, except the garrison of Vera Cruz and small
+parties posted here and there along the road, had now escaped from the
+_tierra caliente_ and the yellow fever. Immediately after the battle of
+Cerro Gordo, it marched on to the old city of Jalapa, among the
+mountains, where its quarters were cool and comfortable. Not many miles
+beyond Jalapa begins the great central tableland of Anahuac, and it was
+needful that the road leading into it should be taken possession of
+before the remnant of Santa Anna's army should rally and construct
+barriers at positions from which it might prove difficult to drive them.
+
+"If they do," thought Ned, when he heard that matter under discussion by
+the soldiers, "I hope General Scott'll send for me and the other
+engineers. I'd like to trap some more prisoners."
+
+He was not to have any such chance as that, but he was not to be idle
+altogether,--he and his engineers and his army. The division to which he
+and the Seventh Regiment belonged, under the command of General Worth,
+was shortly ordered on in the advance, to take and hold a strong
+position, known as the town and castle of Perote, and here there was
+indeed a long delay which was not engineered by the military forces of
+Mexico. The politicians and particularly the Congress of the United
+States had interfered very effectively on behalf of President Santa
+Anna. They had spent so much time in debates upon the legislation
+required for the gathering of fresh troops that the terms of enlistment
+of about half of the soldiers under Scott were expiring. It was of no
+use for him to move forward with a steadily vanishing army, and he was
+compelled to wait for months at and about Perote, until the new men
+could arrive and take the places of those who were going home.
+
+"I guess I won't enlist," thought Ned, as that idea came again and again
+into his mind. "Neither mother nor father would wish me to do so. But
+I'm getting to be an old soldier, after all, and I won't leave the
+Seventh till it gets into the city of Mexico."
+
+Whether it ever was to accomplish that feat was only to be determined by
+hard fighting, and there came a day, the 7th of August, 1847, when the
+division of General Worth, then encamped at Puebla, received orders to
+go forward. The entire army was to move, and General Scott had about as
+many soldiers with him as when he had landed at Vera Cruz in the spring.
+
+"Hurrah for the city!" shouted Ned, when the news reached him. "I want
+to make a morning call at the Paez house."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+SENOR CARFORA TRAPPED
+
+
+"I never saw anything finer than this," said Ned, aloud, as he slowly
+turned his telescope from one point to another. "It is the old
+battle-ground of Cortes, when he and his Spaniards and Tlascalans took
+the city of Mexico. It was called Tenochtitlan, then."
+
+He was standing upon a granite ledge, on the slope of the mountains
+south of the city, and below him the nearest objects of interest were
+the white tents of the American army, encamped there while negotiations
+for peace were going forward between the United States government and
+Santa Anna. These were not progressing well, for the invaders were
+demanding more than any Mexican government could be ready to grant. Not
+only was Texas itself demanded, but with it also all the vast
+Territories of California, New Mexico, and Arizona.
+
+"Here we are," said Ned again, "but it has taken us two weeks of awful
+fighting to get here. There isn't any use in disputing the pluck of the
+Mexicans. Away yonder is Churubusco, and over there is Contreras. Didn't
+they fight us there! General Scott and his engineers laid out the
+battles, but I was with the Seventh everywhere it went. I'll have loads
+of yarns to spin when I get home, if I ever do."
+
+Battle after battle had been fought, and the Americans had paid dearly
+for the long delay in the arrival of their reinforcements. All that time
+had been employed by the Mexican President, with really splendid energy,
+in raising a new army and in fortifying the approaches to the city. It
+was almost pitiful to see with what patriotism and self-sacrifice the
+Mexican people rallied for their last hopeless struggle with superior
+power. It was not, however, that they were to contend with superior
+numbers, for the forces under Santa Anna were at least three times those
+under General Scott. The difference was that the latter was a perfect
+army led by a great general, while the former were not an army at all
+and had very few capable officers.
+
+Ned had apparently gazed long enough, and he now made his way down the
+rugged slope. He did not halt until he reached the door of his own
+tent, and there he was met by his friend and supervisor somewhat tartly.
+
+"Well! You are back, at last, are you? I didn't know but what you'd run
+away. You may come along with me to-night. You may try and see your
+friends. The provision train I am to take in will get out again about
+daylight. You may stay there one day, and come away with a train that
+will run in to-morrow night, but you'd better wear your Mexican rig, if
+you don't mean to have your throat cut."
+
+"All right, sir," said Ned. "I'll run the risk."
+
+"I might not let you," said Grant, "if you were an enlisted man, but you
+may learn something of value to them and to us, too. Get ready!"
+
+The fact was that Ned and his army, commanded for him by General Scott,
+were in a somewhat peculiar position. An armistice had been declared
+while the negotiations were going on, and while, at the same time, the
+power of Santa Anna was crumbling to pieces under him. It had been
+agreed, on both sides, that all military operations should temporarily
+cease, and that American army-trains of wagons might come into the
+city, with armed escorts, to obtain supplies. After some unpleasant
+experiences with the angry mob of the city, it had been deemed best that
+the trains should come and go in the night, when the unruly Mexican
+soldiers were in their quarters, and the too patriotic citizens were in
+their beds. Ned had several times asked permission to accompany a train,
+and it had been refused, but it was now explained that this train would
+like to have one more man with it who could talk Spanish. When, however,
+an hour or so later, he reported for duty, Lieutenant Grant remarked to
+him:
+
+"Well, yes, you can talk it and you can look it, but you can't walk it.
+Don't step off so lively, if you mean to pass for a Mexican."
+
+"Hold on, Grant," said another officer, standing near them. "Don't you
+think the Mexicans have been lively enough since we left Perote? I've
+had to step around a good deal myself on their account."
+
+"Just so," said Grant. "But that's while they're fighting. When they're
+at anything like work, though, it's a different kind of movement. Don't
+walk fast, Ned, or they'll shoot you for a gringo."
+
+It was nearly midnight when the supply-train, commanded by Lieutenant
+Grant, entered the city, and an hour was consumed in obtaining the
+supplies and getting them into the wagons, for not a pound of anything
+had been made ready for delivery. No true-hearted Mexican really wished
+to sell provisions to the enemies of his country.
+
+"Lieutenant, may I go now?" asked Ned, as the last wagon prepared to
+move away. "There isn't a patrol in sight, and the Paez place is within
+a few squares from this."
+
+Grant replied only by a wave of the hand, for at that moment he had
+become engaged in a sharp controversy with the one Mexican officer who
+was present on duty for his own side. He had been fairly polite, but he
+had not pretended to be pleased to see gringos in Mexico. Therefore, it
+was almost without express permission that Ned slipped away from his
+train and his escort upon his exceedingly perilous errand.
+
+The streets were dark and deserted, for the heavy-hearted people had
+nothing to call them out of their houses at that hour. Nevertheless, Ned
+was feverishly on the alert, and, almost without his knowing it, his
+machete had jumped out of its sheath, ready for whatever might turn up.
+
+"Halt!" suddenly came from a deep voice at his right, as he stealthily
+turned a street corner, and a tall form stepped out of the near shadows
+to stand in front of him.
+
+Ned saw the long, bright blade of a lance pointed at his bosom, and
+there seemed but one thing left for him to do. The holder of the lance
+was beyond his reach, even if he had wished to strike him, but the lance
+itself was not. All the strength he had in him seemed to go into the
+sudden blow with which he severed the wooden shaft, an inch or so behind
+its fitting of sharp steel.
+
+"Diablos!" exclaimed the astonished Mexican, as he struck back a heavy
+blow with the cudgel which remained in his hand.
+
+Ned parried as well as he could with his machete, but there was some
+force left in the stick when it reached his head, and down he went. He
+had made a discovery at that very moment, however.
+
+"Pablo!" he exclaimed, just as a second Mexican sprang toward him with a
+long knife in his hand.
+
+"Senor Carfora!" loudly responded Pablo. "Hold back your knife, Manuelo!
+It is one of our own men. O Santos! My lance! I have no other weapon. I
+told them it was of the soft wood. How are you here, senor?"
+
+[Illustration: NED SAW A LONG, BRIGHT BLADE OF A LANCE POINTED AT HIS
+BOSOM]
+
+"To see Senora Paez and General Zuroaga," said Ned. "Is he in the city?"
+
+"Hush! Be careful, Senor Carfora!" said Pablo, as Manuelo almost
+reluctantly sheathed his too ready long knife. "We were waiting here for
+him. He has been to the palace, to meet General Bravo. Our regiment has
+already joined the army, but he is not yet sure about Santa Anna and
+some other men. It is a dark time, senor!"
+
+"Now, Pablo," said Ned, "there isn't much to tell about me. I was
+captured when Vera Cruz surrendered. I was with General Morales. I got
+in to-night, and I have a great deal to say to the general and Senora
+Paez and the Tassaras."
+
+"Zuroaga is here now," said a low, cautiously speaking voice behind him.
+"Put up your sword, Carfora, and come along with me. I want to see you
+more than you do me. I must know the latest news from General Scott's
+army. Pablo, it was of no use. Santa Anna would make no terms with me,
+but his day is nearly over. Bravo's government has rejected the treaty
+offered by the United States, and we are to fight it out to the bitter
+end. The gates have been shut, and there will be no more sending out of
+supplies. I think the war will begin again to-morrow."
+
+"Oh, dear me!" thought Ned. "There goes all my chance for getting out
+again until after our army has captured the city. How my head does
+ache!"
+
+The rap from Pablo's lance-staff had not really injured him, however,
+and all three of them walked on till they reached the Paez place without
+saying another word. Here it was at once evident that they, or, at
+least, the general and Pablo, were waited for. The front door opened to
+admit them, and shut quickly behind them as they passed in.
+
+"Senora Paez," said Zuroaga to a shadow in the unlighted hall, "the
+armistice is ended, but I shall command my Oaxaca regiment in the
+fighting which is now sure to come. Let us all meet in the parlor and
+hear from Senor Carfora the American account of these lost battles."
+
+"Carfora?" she exclaimed. "Is he here? Oh, how I do wish to hear him! I
+believe we have been told altogether too many lies. Our troops do not
+half know how badly they have been beaten, nor what is the real strength
+of the American army."
+
+They walked on into the parlor, and here there were lights burning, but
+Ned was not thinking of them. He was gazing at the pale face of a man
+in uniform and on crutches, who came slowly forward between a woman and
+a young girl, with a mournful smile upon his face.
+
+"Colonel Tassara!" exclaimed Ned. "I knew you were wounded, but are you
+not getting well?"
+
+"Senor Carfora!" quickly interrupted Senorita Felicia. "He was hit in
+the leg by a bullet at Angostura. He had a bayonet wound, too, and they
+thought he would die, but they made him a general--"
+
+"I am getting better, Carfora," said General Tassara, courageously, "but
+I can do no more fighting just now. I sincerely wish that there might
+not be any. The plans of Santa Anna--"
+
+"Tassara!" exclaimed Zuroaga. "What we heard is true. He is utterly
+ruined. But the peace terms are rejected by all the government we have
+left, and our city defences must soon go down as did those at Cerro
+Gordo, Contreras, and Churubusco. We are to hear more about those
+affairs from Senor Carfora. He was an eye witness of them."
+
+"Oh, my dear young friend," said Senora Tassara, "were you with the
+American army in all those battles?"
+
+"No, not exactly," said Ned. "I was with General Morales at Vera Cruz.
+Then I came on with General Scott all the way from the seacoast to this
+place. He has troops enough now, and he will fight his way in. I'm real
+sorry about it, too, for no more men need to be killed."
+
+"I think the gringos are just terrible," said Felicia, as she came over
+and sat down by Ned. "I want to hear about them. I do hope they won't be
+defeated now, though, for if they are nobody can guess who will be
+Emperor of Mexico when they are driven away."
+
+"She is not so far wrong," said Tassara, sadly. "The future of our
+country is all in the dark. Please let us hear your report."
+
+Pablo, of course, had not followed his superiors into the parlor, and
+all who were there were free to discuss the situation. The morning sun
+was looking in at the windows when all of the talk was finished. Ned had
+learned that only the family and a few trusted servants remained in the
+house, but he would have eaten his breakfast with even a more complete
+sense of security from any emissaries of the military authorities if he
+had known how much they had upon their hands that day, the 4th of
+September, 1847. There had already been a sharp correspondence between
+the commanders of the two armies, and now General Scott himself declared
+the armistice at an end. All the angry patriotism of the Mexican people
+arose to meet the emergency, and every possible preparation was rapidly
+made for the last desperate struggle in defence of their capital. It was
+as if the idea prevailed that, if this American force now here could be
+defeated, the United States would give the matter up, instead of sending
+more troops to the assistance of their first insufficient battalions.
+
+"Senor Carfora," said Senorita Felicia, "you must not go out of the
+house. I do not want you to be killed."
+
+"That is so," added her father. "As the affair stands now, they would
+surely regard you as a spy. You would be shot without a trial. All is
+confusion. I fear that even General Zuroaga is safe from arrest only
+among his own men. The army is the government. This nation needs a
+change."
+
+"General Tassara," said Ned, "isn't our army bringing one?"
+
+"The war is promising a great deal," replied Tassara, gloomily. "It has
+already delivered us from King Paredes and Santa Anna and from half a
+dozen other military usurpers. Moreover, all the lands which the United
+States propose to take away will be rescued from any future anarchy and
+will be made some use of. They will be lost to Mexico forever within one
+week from to-day, for we cannot hold the city."
+
+General Zuroaga had quietly disappeared. Very soon, the Tassara family
+went to their own room. Then not even the servants could tell what had
+become of Senora Paez. Ned Crawford did not at all know what to do with
+himself. He walked around the rooms below; then he went out to the
+stables and back again, but he was all alone, for Pablo and the Oaxaca
+men had gone to their regiment. He went up to the library and had a
+one-sided talk with the man in armor, but it did not do him any good,
+and he did not care a cent for all the books on the shelves. They could
+tell only of old wars, fought long ago, and here was a real war right on
+hand, that seemed to be wandering all around the house.
+
+During all the long, hot days of the armistice, a kind of dull quiet had
+appeared to brood over the city and its forts and over the camps and
+entrenchments of the besiegers. It had been something like a
+thundercloud, which was all the while growing blacker and hanging
+lower, and before the end of the first day of renewed hostilities the
+anxious watchers in the city houses could hear something which sounded
+like distant thunder. It was the occasional roar of a gun from one or
+another of the batteries on either side, as a warning of the more
+terrible things which were about to come, and more than once Ned groaned
+to himself:
+
+"Oh, how I wish I were out there, with Lieutenant Grant and the Seventh.
+This is worse than being shut up in Vera Cruz. I didn't have any
+regiment of my own, then, but now I belong in General Scott's army."
+
+Evening came at last, and all of the family was gathered behind the
+lattices of the parlor windows, to watch the detachments of soldiers
+march past, and to wonder where they were going. General Zuroaga was not
+there, but there had been a message from him that there would be a great
+battle in the morning, for the Americans were moving forward.
+
+"We are in greater numbers than they are," muttered General Tassara.
+"But we have no General Scott, and we have no officers like his. Almost
+all that we really have is courage and gunpowder, and these are not
+enough to defeat such an attack as he will make. The city is lost
+already!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+THE STARS AND STRIPES IN TENOCHTITLAN
+
+
+"What a roar it is! And so very near! I hope General Scott will not
+bombard this city, as he did Vera Cruz. It would be awful to see
+bombshells falling among these crowds of people!"
+
+The American commander had not the slightest idea of doing anything of
+the kind, but there had been almost continuous fighting in the days
+following the termination of the armistice. Perhaps the hardest of it
+had been at Molino del Rey, and the defences there had been carried by
+the assailants. There appeared now to be but the one barrier of the
+Chapultepec hill between them and a final victory.
+
+A hand was on Ned's shoulder, and a trembling voice said to him:
+
+"Oh, Senor Carfora! Where have you been? I'm so frightened! Are those
+cannon coming right on into the city?"
+
+"No," said Ned, "but I have been out all day. I went almost everywhere,
+and it seems as if the city were full of wounded men. The soldiers are
+crowding in. Oh, how I wish I knew how things are going!"
+
+There was a sound of sobbing behind them, and in a moment more the arms
+of Senora Paez were around Felicia.
+
+"My darling! My dear little girl!" she exclaimed. "Senor Carfora, too!
+The end has come. The Americans have stormed Chapultepec, and the city
+is at their mercy. Alas, for me! General Bravo was taken prisoner, and
+my beloved old friend, Zuroaga, was killed at the head of his regiment.
+We shall never see him again!"
+
+Ned felt as if somebody had struck him a heavy blow. He could not say a
+word for a moment, and then he whispered:
+
+"Poor General Zuroaga! Why, I had no idea that he would be killed!"
+
+That is always so after a battle. Those who read the lists of the killed
+and wounded expect to find the names of other people's friends there,
+and not the names of those from whom they were hoping to hear an account
+of the victory.
+
+"Felicia," said the senora, "your father and mother are in their room.
+Do not go there just now. You must not go out again, Senor Carfora. You
+have been running too many risks. Talk with me for awhile."
+
+Whether or not he had been in any danger, it had been impossible for Ned
+to remain in the house during an entire week of military thunder storm,
+and he had ventured out almost recklessly. There had, indeed, been so
+much confusion that little attention had generally been paid to him, and
+he had even gone out through the gates to use his telescope upon the
+distant clouds of smoke and the movements of marching men. He had seen,
+therefore, the steady, irresistible advances of the American troops, and
+he had almost understood that to General Scott the capture of the city
+was merely a matter of mathematical calculation, like an example in
+arithmetic.
+
+He went into the parlor with Senora Paez and Felicia, and there they
+sat, almost in silence, until long after their usual bedtime, but the
+sound of guns had ceased, for the siege of Mexico was ended.
+
+It was during that night that General Santa Anna, with nearly all that
+was left of his army, marched silently out of the city, and the last
+remnants of his political power passed from him as the American troops
+began to march in, the next morning. Of all the negotiations between the
+remaining Mexican authorities and General Scott, Ned Crawford knew
+nothing, but there was disorder everywhere, and it would have been more
+perilous than ever for a fellow like him to have been caught in the
+streets by any of the reckless, angry men who swarmed among them. On the
+evening of the 14th of September, nevertheless, he was standing in the
+Paez piazza with Senorita Felicia, and he saw a column of soldiers
+coming up the street.
+
+"Senorita!" he suddenly exclaimed. "Look! Our flag! Our men! Hurrah!
+Those are the colors of the Seventh! It is my own regiment, and if there
+isn't Lieutenant Grant himself!"
+
+"Do not go!" she said. "Do not leave me!" but she was too late, for he
+had darted away, and in a moment more he was greeted with:
+
+"Hullo, Ned! I'm glad you didn't make out to get killed. I knew you
+couldn't get out, and I'd about given you up. Is that where you live?"
+
+"It's the house I told you of," said Ned. "They are the best kind of
+people--"
+
+"Go back there, then," commanded the lieutenant. "Your father is out
+among the hospitals just now, taking care of the wounded, but I want to
+know where to send him. I'll see you again. I must go on to my post."
+
+Back he ran to the piazza, and even Felicia was compelled to admit that
+her friend Senor Carfora's own regiment was splendid, as its close ranks
+swung away in such perfect order.
+
+"But," she said, "you might have been killed, if you had been with them,
+and I am glad you did not have to kill any of our people."
+
+"So am I," said Ned, "now that it is all over. I guess this is the end
+of the war. But how I shall miss poor General Zuroaga!"
+
+Rapidly and prudently, General Scott was occupying the city and
+restoring order. With such wisdom and moderation did he perform his
+duties as military governor that almost immediately the previously
+distressed inhabitants began to regard the arrival of the United States
+army as a positive blessing. At the same time, it was obvious to
+everybody that months might be required for the necessary peace
+negotiations. A new and firm Mexican government would have to be
+established, and much difficult legislation would be called for on the
+part of the Congress of the United States, since that body was to
+appropriate large sums of money in payment for the territory to be
+acquired from Mexico.
+
+During three whole days, Ned went from camp to camp and from hospital to
+hospital, in search of his father, but Mr. Crawford had heard tidings of
+his son which satisfied him, and he stuck to his wounded soldiers. It
+was not, therefore, until the afternoon of the third day that Ned found
+a grand reception prepared for him in the parlor of the Paez mansion.
+
+"Father!" he shouted, as he hurried in, after Felicia, at the door, had
+warned him of what was before him. "Hurrah! Here I am!"
+
+What happened or was said next, he did not know until he felt himself
+somewhat roughly shaken by somebody, and was forced to exclaim:
+
+"Hullo, Captain Kemp! Are you here, too? I declare!"
+
+"Here I am," said the captain, "and I'm going to take you and your
+father back to New York on the ship that brought us. You have been in
+Mexico long enough."
+
+Ned did not so much as have time to hurrah again before Senora Tassara
+came forward to say to him:
+
+"That is not all, Senor Carfora. For the sake of my husband's health,
+and for other reasons, he and I and Felicia and Senora Paez are
+intending to spend our next winter in the United States. We have
+accepted your father's invitation to be passengers with you. What do you
+think of that?"
+
+Ned could hardly say what he thought, but he tried to, and perhaps his
+best effort was made when he said to Felicia:
+
+"Isn't it tip-top! I'll show you all over the city,--but I'm afraid you
+will get awfully seasick on the way. I did at first."
+
+"She will have to run the risk of that," laughed her mother, but after
+Ned's long conference with his father was ended, she and Ned spent the
+rest of the evening in a discussion of the sights which were to be seen
+in the great city of the Americans.
+
+"There would be no use in your remaining here now," Mr. Crawford had
+said to Ned. "My business with the army will run right along for a time,
+but nothing else can be done until all things are quiet and settled.
+Then we may try and find out what good your Mexican experience has done
+you."
+
+Mr. Crawford went away at a late hour, but Ned was out of the house
+early enough the next morning. He had a strong notion in his head, and
+it led him to the grand plaza, to stand in front of the government
+building which had been the headquarters of so many different kinds of
+governments of Mexico. It was really a fine and costly affair, but the
+Mexican national banner was no longer floating from its tall flagstaff.
+Instead of it was a broad and beautiful Stars and Stripes, and it had
+never before appeared to Ned so very beautiful.
+
+He was gazing up at that evidence that the city was in the hands of
+General Scott and his army, when a voice that he knew hailed him with:
+
+"Hullo, youngster! That's our flag. Where's your friend Grant? Have you
+seen him?"
+
+"Captain Lee!" exclaimed Ned. "Yes, I've seen him. He's all right."
+
+"So I hear," said Lee. "And they say he distinguished himself at Molino
+del Rey. His regiment lost a number of men, too."
+
+"Well," said Ned, "I wasn't with my regiment in these battles here, but
+I'm glad that my army has taken Mexico. Grant's a splendid fellow."
+
+"My regiment! My army!" laughed Captain Lee. "All right; that's the way
+every American boy ought to feel. I guess you are right about Grant,
+too. He may be heard of again some day."
+
+"Tell you what," said Ned. "When I get to New York, I mean to join one
+of our city regiments as soon as I can. Then, if there ever is another
+war, I'm going to join him. I'd like to serve under him."
+
+"Good!" said Lee. "And then I may hear of Colonel Crawford, of Grant's
+Division, United States Volunteers. Good-by. Take care of yourself."
+
+THE END.
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+W. O. STODDARD'S BOOKS
+
+AHEAD OF THE ARMY. Four illustrations by C. Chase Emerson. 12mo.
+Pictorial cover in color. Price, $1.00, net; postpaid, $1.15.
+
+    This is a lively narrative of the experiences of an American boy who
+    arrives in Mexico as the war with the United States is beginning, is
+    thrown into contact with such young officers as Lieutenant Grant and
+    Captains Lee and McClellan, all of them destined to become famous
+    later in American military history.
+
+THE ERRAND BOY OF ANDREW JACKSON: A War Story of 1812. Illustrated by
+Will Crawford. Cloth, 12mo, $1.00, net; postpaid, $1.12.
+
+    This tale is of the War of 1812, and describes the events of the
+    only land campaign of 1812-1814 in which the Americans were entirely
+    successful.
+
+JACK MORGAN: A Boy of 1812. Illustrated by Will Crawford. 12mo, cloth,
+postpaid, $1.25.
+
+    It is the adventures of a boy of the frontier during the great fight
+    that Harrison made on land, and Perry on the lakes, for the security
+    of the border.
+
+THE NOANK'S LOG: A Privateer of the Revolution. Illustrated by Will
+Crawford. 12mo, postpaid, $1.25.
+
+    The further adventures of the plucky Guert Ten Eyck, as he fought
+    King George on land and sea.
+
+THE DESPATCH BOAT OF THE WHISTLE: A Story of Santiago. Illustrated by
+Frank T. Merrill. 12mo, postpaid, $1.25.
+
+    A breezy story of a newspaper despatch boat, in the war with Spain.
+
+GUERT TEN EYCK. Illustrated by Frank T. Merrill. 12mo; postpaid, $1.25.
+
+    A hero story of real American girls and boys, in the American
+    Revolution.
+
+THE PARTNERS. Illustrated by Albert Scott Cox. 12mo, postpaid, $1.25.
+
+    A capital story of a bright, go-ahead country girl and two boys who
+    helped her keep store.
+
+CHUCK PURDY: A New York Boy. Illustrated. 12mo, postpaid, $1.25.
+
+    A delightful story of boy life in New York City.
+
+GID GRANGER: A Country Boy. Illustrated. 12mo, postpaid, $1.25.
+
+    A capital story of American life.
+
+Lothrop Publishing Company--Boston
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+GEORGE CARY EGGLESTON'S JUVENILES
+
+THE BALE MARKED CIRCLE X
+A Blockade Running Adventure
+
+Illustrated by C. Chase Emerson. 12mo, red cloth, illustrated cover.
+Net, $1.20. Postpaid, $1.35.
+
+    Another of Mr. Eggleston's stirring books for youth. In it are told
+    the adventures of three boy soldiers in the Confederate Service who
+    are sent in a sloop on a secret voyage from Charleston to the
+    Bahamas, conveying a strange bale of cotton which holds important
+    documents. The boys pass through startling adventures: they run the
+    blockade, suffer shipwreck, and finally reach their destination
+    after the pluckiest kind of effort.
+
+CAMP VENTURE
+A Story of the Virginia Mountains
+
+Illustrated by W. A. McCullough. 12mo, dark red cloth, illustrated
+cover, $1.50.
+
+    The _Louisville Courier Journal_ says: "George Cary Eggleston has
+    written a decidedly good tale of pluck and adventure in 'Camp
+    Venture.' It will be of interest to young and old who enjoy an
+    exciting story, but there is also a great deal of instruction and
+    information in the book."
+
+THE LAST OF THE FLATBOATS
+A Story of the Mississippi
+
+Illustrated by Charlotte Harding. 12mo, green cloth, illustrated cover,
+$1.50.
+
+    The _Brooklyn Eagle_ says: "Mr. George Cary Eggleston, the veteran
+    editor and author, has scored a double success in his new book, 'The
+    Last of the Flatboats,' which has just been published. Written
+    primarily as a story for young readers, it contains many things that
+    are of interest to older people. Altogether, it is a mighty good
+    story, and well worth reading."
+
+Lothrop Publishing Company--Boston
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+
+
+
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