The Glenwood post., 1914-08-08
CHAPTER XXI.

The superin3saAeat's house $500 q
. low bench ahove the town. hooktag
out over all the valley. but Drotactsa
" high hill behind. upon thu sannit
Of which was placed 4 mamnotA black
water tank.
In its architecture the casa granAs
was an exact replica of q hot country
hacienda, 4 Aa2-roofed, one-storier
square of adobe bricks. vhitevasheA
to keep OFF the sun and presenting on
three sides nothing but dense trees
planted near for shade. Along the
front was long arcade, the corredor,
graced by a series of massive arches
which let in the light and air. Inside
were low chambers and long passages :;
and, behind. the path and Garden Of
orange and fs trees.
Built for . sumptuo~a dwelling. \
became in a m0meAA . fort and, VIM
men on the high I'm Ay the tank. II
w.s practically inSRogAahls to d1roat
assault
A. Hooker steDosA eut On to IT, sov-
cred porch with hh aaddle-gun IN Ais
hand he becanA s1aDly one msre Of q
hand of excited Ansricans, All armed
and ready to Asesal the hoase b the
last. Some were paeing back and forth
in the corrseor. otAsrs waso hsrzying,
up from the Mexican auasAaes with q
last belatsA handful Of weAea, but IT,
major portion were out On the opAa
bench, either casing nARtA and soa4A
at the scenes Of the 1isGAat nrinG O.
engaging in Q curio-mAA scramble eoe
any spent bullet that struck.
hs nghting. such a there WA vos
mostly up the canyon. where . large
party Of SonoraA ninsFs had xushsA In
pursuit Of the rebsls. The firing down
the canyon In tAs direction Of Old Fur.
tuna had died away to nothing. and Tor
the moment It seemed a. II tho futile
charge and retreat was the begfnaing
and the end Of the battle.
A party of rebels had penserated
clear into the town. but 1t was appas>
emily more by accident than Intention.
aud they had been quick to beat . n
treat. A for the main command OF
the insurrectos, they were reported a&
Chular. six miles up the railroad,
where they had surrounded and takea
= small mining camp and captured .
train At the summit
The column to the south-ths one
which Hooker had encountsrsd-Aad
taken to the high hills west Of the
town, and. along the skyline of the
buttelike submits they could now b
seen in scattered bands making their
way to the north.
The defenders Of Fortuna consisted
Of rag-tag garrison of twenty fed
erals and the hot-headed. charging
miners. But apparently that was =
combination hard to beat, for, while
the federals entrenched themselves BE-
hind the black tank on the hill and
norans in shouting masses drove every
thing before them and marched on to
attack Chular.
But In this they made q mistake, for
the rebel scouts, seeing the great body
of defenders pressing On up the mar
row canyon, rode back and informed
the tricky Bernardo Bravo. He would
BE- = poor general indeed Who could
not see the opening that was offered
and. while the valiant Sonorans pur-
sued the fsbel cavalry up tAe pass.
Bernardo Bravo sent the half Of his
thousand men to cut OF their retreat
from behind.
Along the broad top Of the noun
tain above they came scampering hy
tens and twenties, closing In with .
vastly superior force upon the now
defenseless town. In the depths Of the
canyon below the miners were still
chasing the elusive cavalry. their hr-
ing becoming faint As they clambered
ON toward the summit and the rebel
headquarters at Chular.
They had, In fact, been handled like
children, and the Americans Joined in
contemptuous curves of their mistaken
bravery ~ they beheld in what straits
1t had left them.
Forbidden by the superintendent 10
participate in the combat. yet having
in their care the women Of the camp.
they were compelled to stand passive
ly aside while rebels by the hundred
came charging down the ridges. Only
in the last resort, and when all diplo-
macy and federal defense had failed.
would they be allowed to % much ~
cock . rihe. And yet-well, twenty
determined Americans might easily
turn back this charge.
Taking advantage of his Mexican
citizenship, Hooker was already on the
run for the trenches when the super
intendent stopped him with look
"Let the Mexicans fight 1t out" he
said. They might resent It II you
took sides, and that would make it bad
for ~. Just wait whils-you never
can tell what will happen. Perhaps the
rufa1oo aDA tods9als win stand them
OF"
WA tAat llttis b1aeA?" AsoanAsA