Liberty advocate. [volume] (Liberty, Miss.) 1835-1866, 1846-03-21

We were, ana was SelLeu WIN P'N'S" " :"
ment Of evil. For moment was abouI be
10 communicate my apprehenslons to my 81
comrades; but hope, wAich never dies, a. lo'
gain caused me 10 take moro cheering oil
view of our situation; nevertheless, In or cli
der to be prepared ioathe worst, ana, IN ho
case of need, TO be unencumbered IN my Ia
movements, watched my opportunity Do
and threw away amongst the grass OF the ne
prairie bundle containing the lew thinss III
that the lheylsh Mexicans had allowed :.
| me 10 RETAIN
! A quarter of an hour had elapsed since 7
our departure from the fort, when sudden
IIy the command was given in Spanish 10 9
wheel to the left, leaving the road +; and :
as we did not understand the order, the i
officer himself went in front to SHOW US
the way, and my companions followed :
without taking any particular notice OF
the change of direc;ioA 10 our Ie'' ran
muskeet hedge, five or SIX eet 10 helign'
t, at right angles with the river san Ahto
nio, which fowes at about thousand pa t
Ices from US, between banks thHty or lor' C
/ ty feet high, and Of which banks.the one t
on the nearer side Of the river rose near
n ly perpendcularly out of the water we
, were marched along the slie oil the heoge
towards the stream, and suddenly the ,
, thought flashed across Us, "Why are they
{ taking us in this direction?" The ap-
, pearance of a number o! lancers, Cante r
inc about in the fields on our right, also
i startled u.s. ana just then the loot SOL
/ oilers. who had been marched between US
:, and the hedge, changed their P aces, and
,Iioined those OF their comrades who guard
ed us on the other hand. Before we could
= divine the meaning OF this man@uVre'
. the word was given TO halt It came IKE
= sentence of death; for at the same mo
!, ment i. wasluttered, the sound o! vol
70 ley Of musketry echoed across the Pfalf'e''
- We thought of our comrades ana OF our
" own probable fate. ..
~ uKneel DOWN. now burst in harsh ac-
~ cents from the lips of the Mexican com
O. mander a.
No one stirred. Few of us understood
~ the order, and those who did would not
as obey. The Mexican soldiers, who stood
y, at about three PAGES from US, leVe'led
,a,Itheir muskets at our breasts. Even then
% we could hardly believe that they meant
~ to shoot US: for if we had, we should as
~ suredlv have rushed forward in our des-
,,s peration and, weaponless though We we're
80 some OF our murderers would have me
= their death at our hands. Only one o
~ our number was we'll acquainted VIII
90 Spanish. and even he seemed as ii he
10 could not comprehend the order that ha,
-, tIo been given. He stared at the command
40 ling officer as if awaiting It's repetition
49, and we stared ut him, ready, al the mrs
20 word he should utter, 10 spring upon IN
U'' soldiers. But he seemed TO be, as mos
,oo of us we're, impressed with the belief th'
- the demonstration was merely menace
w used to induce US TO enter the Mexlca
W" service. With threatening gesture an
Wv drawn sword, the chief oil the assassin
~ again calculated the command to Knee
down The sound OF second wolfe
: from a different direction with the hrs
lust then reached our ears, and was 'Q
lowed by confused cry, as if those
ocf whom it had been aimed, had not all bee
> N Immediately killed Our comrade, Il
~ ~ one who understoo Spanish, started iro
rem. his momentary Iethargy, and boldly a
rived dressed US. -,
in Comrades cried he, "you hear tn
and report, that cry. here is no nope
,ar- us-our last hour is come! therefor
Ike comrades
nod A terrible explosion interrupted him
lad and then all was still. A thick cloud
! in smoke was wreathing and curling
a,a ,v,r1s tho ST Antonio. The blood OF o.
NJ oCIlieute nant was on my clothes, ana
read round me lay my friends conyu'sed W
re in my last agony saw ho'h'ns nv
Unhurt myself, | sprang up, and &C
over, cealed by the thick smoke, fled along
we side OF the hedge in The direction OIL
ross river. the noise Of the water for my gu'(
the Suddenly blow from a heavy sabre
,ach. anon nv head, and from out OF the sme
.ched eme rqed the form ola little Mexican lie
. o.. ,enant He aimed second blow at |
fair which pafried with my left arm.
bout nothing 10 risk, but everything 10 GO
aIrv +, was life or death. Behind me tn
were sand bayonets, before me the Amos. pc
rched erless sword Of coward. roSiieo up
4rec- him, and with true Mexican Valour'
the fled from an unarmed man. On | we
); but the river rolled al my ~, $50 49,"
they and yelling behind $50 ~ w.
port, cried !, ana Wl'hous ,o,ar I'M !
leans, ton, plunged INTO 'he - 49,, o,o
} the lets whisted round me as swan sic
some " and YEARLY to the other slde' oa' h'
Hence wounded me. Our poor uoo, w
juaIly been with us all shfo. inc ,";1h
d me had jumped into the flEe' 80 H.,
xiely. last sacrifice 10 Mexican ~ .,.o.
truly had reached the mlddle ~ "a az ho Ale
urned when ball struck hln'' any ~ S.11''rr
} had peared. =, o.a
Rutl Whilst these hOrrlOle SCeHOS Wow