Weekly miners' express. (DuBuque, Iowa) 184?-1849, 1849-03-06
NO. ~.


| ling of balls, shook his clenched hand at
them, and shouted back his defiance. This
sudden escape caused great uproar and con-
fusion. among the Mexicans, and several
hundred men started at full speed in the
pursuit: but the gallant mare soon left them
all far enough behind, and she clattered
with sparkling hoofs along the deep ravine.
Before the first two miles had been passed,
| they were out of sight in the rear. The
valley road, which he had taken at hap
I hazard, without the slightest idea of where
it led, now opened upon small plain Of
| table-land, Which was occupied by haci-
enda of considerable extent. AS he sweSt
by in front of the buildings, he saw num-
Der of green coats hastily mounting their
horses, and in another moment heard the
clatter of their pursuing horses coming
down the road. He looked over his shoul-
der and saw that it was probably forging
Party of about ten lancers.' The first agony
was over now, and he felt sure of the game
and speed of his mare; and with his usual
audacity, he determined to give the ssyal
Ter bellies" something to remember him by
before he took his final leave. He accor-
dinghy refined up his mare gradually, and
let them gain upon him. They thought
she was failing, and raised yell of tri-
umph as they urged their horses to yet
greater exertions. He looked behind again
and the officer, with one Of his men, was
now considerably III the advance. and clos.
irg rapidly upon him. He loosened pis-
tol from the holster. The officer was Fore
most, and was already shouting to him
many 'garacoes," to surreneer, when he
wheeled suddenly in his saddle and shot
I him dead. The lancer who was close be-
hini, and coming on at furious speed, at
tempted in vain to rel n up his horse, but it
was t. o late-he was carried by the impe-
tus ofhis speed within ten feet of Dan, who
had by this time drawn his other pistol,
with which he shot him Through the head,
and then galIoped leisurely along, feeling
sure that the remainder of his pursuers
would be stopped efectually by this bloody
barricade he had left across their path. He
was not mistaken, for they halted there,
and thi, was the last he seen of their green
coats.
All that day he kept the noble beast in
swift motion. since at every little rancho or
village he came to, it would be necessary
Tor the fugitive to make desperate run for
It, before pursuit could be organized.-
The roads were filled, too, with scouting
parties of the enemy, onc it required all
his knowledge Of the sort of tactics to ena-
bic him to dodge them. He several times
very narrowly avoided rushing headlong in
to the midst Of these advancing partles.-
The Mexicans are usually very noisy troops
and he would hear them talking on the
march in time to dodge to one side and let
them pass, for he had no fancy TO try the
hacienda trick over again with empty pis-
tolls since he had nothing to do them with
again. Me finally threw them all away
as so much s'make-welgh.," that was USE
less to him and embarrassing to his ma re.
So he hurried on, not daring to pause q
moment to rest or obtain food, until the
next day. when, ia deep wild gorge among
the moupta ms, his game and gallant mare
fell beneath him dead The ravenous and
filthy gapalates. turkey buzzards,) were
gouging at her ia" mike eyes before they
r. were fairly glazed, and before her stifened
and staggering rider was out OF sight. 49,
Now came the most terrible part of this
wild and remarkable adventure. He WAS
totally without food, except what little he
could gather during the day while he was
skulking, for he only ventured to travel OF
night now. This was scarcely enough to
, keep body anu soul together, while his
cloth S coon became torn to pieces, and
hum about his eeding limbs like broad
AMI uttered ribons. He however, still
continued making his way steadfastly in
the direction Of Gen. Wool's camp. At
last, some Of his scouts picked the poor fell
low up when almost speeches. with thirst
and hunger-hc was yet teebly Keeling a.
t long like ghostly and fingered drunkard :.
! This affair very properly got him his
promotion to a captancy. But strange
t perilous and even wonderful as this escape
y seems, it is o, ly one of many others quite
e as remarkable, by which his mos: cventful
S Fife has been clequercd. In the Texan
d war with the Chcrokees, which was a very
r bloody business while it lasted, he passed
through scenes as bad, if not worse than
this. Then his adventures as a ranger
are very remarkable, for of many ofthesc
am myself personally cognizant; and of his
cruel suffsriugs and headlong daring during
the Mer imprisonment, all the country has
, been to a certain degree, made aware since
the publication of Gen. Green's book. He,
by the way, was too much of pompous g.
gotist to do full credit to Dan, or any body
else except Gen, Green!
1t is one OF Dams curious adventures
: while ranger, propose to relate now
| shall endeavor to give it as near y as ] /,
can remember, in his own way, as he rela-
ted it to me, though ] must confess. it will
> be very difficult, if not impossible, to pre-
serve the raciness ofhis rattle-pate and Pc
culiar manner. 1t was before he joined tho
, Mier expedition. and while yet with ran
gers, under the command of Captain Nc
> CulIough. ......-.
Dan, whose excellence Us guide was
we'll known to the, captain, was despatched
by him along with three others OF the troop
on spring expedition, towards the hoad
> waters Of the Nueces. This was in the
early winter ofthe year before the Mier ex-
petition, and the Mexicans were in many
why's annoying and threatening the weak
settleme nts along that river. This state Of
things had encouraged the Indians, as we'll
to make very bold descents. Mccullough
ad on his first arrival given them both a
severe lesson, upon which the marauders
had taken the hint, and nothing further had
been heard from either party for several
months. Unwilling that his mon should lie
in camp at such place as Corpus Christi,
with moth HING to 90 hut drinu and On rons