CAPTAIN DAN HENRIE. 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 usual 
audacity, he determined to give the “aller bellies” some- 
thing to remember him by before he took his final leave. 
He accordingly reined up his mare gradually, 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 “Garachoes,” to surrender, when. he wheeled 
suddenly in his saddle and shot him dead. The lancer, 
who was close behind, and coming on at furious 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 effectually 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 
