“General, I have brought but my sword. On hearing that you are retreating to Nacogdoches my company refuse to remain with you, and declare that they must protect their families.”
“Are you and your men willing to retreat beyond the Trinity to Nacogdoches, captain?” asked one of the men, of Captain Baker.
“Never, never!” answered the captain, determinedly. “If General Houston will not take us to meet the enemy, we will elect a commander who will!”
The general was standing talking with Captain Martin only a few feet away, and heard. But he replied not a single word.
An old negro also arrived from below. He said that he had been the ferry-man near Fort Bend, whom the Mexicans had bamboozled. They had held him several days.
“Dey gwine straight on to Harrisburg to ketch the gubberment,” he proclaimed. “Santa Anna wif ’um. Yessuh, he wif ’um. I done saw him. He say: ‘You tell Sam Houston I know he up dere in de bushes, an’ when I get done wif dese land-robbers down hyar I’se comin’ up to smoke him out,’ Yessuh; dat’s what he say.”
Camp was made the next evening at Mr. McCurley’s ranch, thirteen miles east. More refugees were here. The Martin company had been ordered by the general to proceed on and to protect the settlers crossing the Trinity from the Indians. That suited the company better. But the Baker company were picked up, and Sion joined his three comrades again. He was gleeful, but also critical.
“We drove those Mexicans back from the river, all right,” he asserted. “We got fooled, though, once. Thought we saw a thundering big lot of cavalry coming full tilt, and after we’d set fire to the town, against ’em, we found out they were only a bunch of cattle. Anyway, here we all are, now. And if Sam Houston doesn’t let us take the Harrisburg road to-morrow, to meet up with Santa Anna, we’re going to elect a general who will.”
“Colonel Rusk says we’re going to Harrisburg,” spoke Ernest, hopefully.