CAPTAIX T)Ay HE>'EIE. 429 



saw that it was probably a foraging 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 usnal 

 audacity, he determined to give the "yaUer bellies" some- 

 thing to remember him by before he took his final leave. 

 He accordingly reined up his mare gradxiaUy, and let them 

 gain upon him. They thought she was failing, and raised 

 a yell of triumph as they urged their horses to yet greater 

 exertions. 



He looked behind again, and the officer, with one of his 

 men, was now considerably in the advance, and closing 

 rapidly upon him. He loosened a pistol from the holster. 

 The officer was foremost, and was already shouting to him, 

 with many '•Grarachoes," to surrender, when he wheeled 

 suddenly in his saddle and shot him dead. The lancer, 

 who was close behind, and coming on at ftirious speed, 

 attempted in vain to rein up his horse. It was too late — 

 he was carried by the impetus of his 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 galloped 

 leisurely along, feeling sure that the remainder of his 

 pursuers would be stopped efiectuaUy by this bloody barri- 

 cade he had left across their path. He was not mistaken, 

 for they halted there, and this was the last he saw of their 

 green coats. 



All that day long he kept the noble beast in swift motion, 

 since at every little rancho or village, he came to, it would 

 be necessary for the fugitive to make a desperate run for it, 

 before a pursuit could be organized. The roads were filled, 

 too, with scouting parties of the enemy, and it required all 

 his knowledge of their sort of tactics to enable him to dodge 

 them. He several times very narrowly avoided rushing 

 headlong into the very midst of these advance parties. The 

 Mexicans are usually very noisy troops, and he would hear 

 them talking on the march in time to dodge to one side and 



