426 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 



he was far too kindly and generous for that ; but he had a 

 hatred for the " cussed yaller bellies," and " copper heads," 

 as he called the Mexicans and Indians, which was refresh- 

 ingly orthodox. His hatred of the Mexicans was amusingly 

 bitter and contemptuous while you listened to him talk of 

 them ; but when this hatred came to be expressed in action, 

 it was of the most savage and deadly character. At Encar- 

 nacion, when the little band found themselves surrounded by 

 the heavy masses of Minon's cavalry, the proposition, which, 

 we believe, originated with Cassius M. Clay, was made to 

 stand to their arms and fight it out with the Mexicans, to 

 the last gasp, in spite of the disparity of numbers. Lieu- 

 tenant Dan, who was then their guide, seconded this propo- 

 sition warmly, and went about among the men, urging them 

 "to stand up to the rack," as he called it, representing that 

 they could hope for nothing but bad faith, resulting in cold- 

 blooded massacre, if they surrendered to the Mexicans. He 

 reminded them of Goliad, and the Meir surrender, and of his 

 own experience in the last case. After showing, to his own 

 satisfaction, that the resolution of fighting their way through 

 was the only possible chance of safety or honorable death left 

 them, he concluded, with the characteristic piece of savage 

 advice, " Shoot low, boys — shoot them through their bellies, 

 so that their groans will frighten their comrades — one groaner 

 is worth half a dozen dummies !" 



His perfect knowledge of the Mexican character, as well 

 as his mortal hatred of them, was fully displayed in this 

 advice. Dan knew perfectly that there would be no chance 

 for him, for he had already been recognized as one of the 

 Meir men by several Mexicans, whose faces he remembered 

 well ; the surrender, therefore, placed him in a desperate 

 predicament. He knew, perfectly, that whatever faith they 

 might keep with other prisoners, they would keep none with 

 him, although his safety had been provided for in an express 



