CHAPTER FIFTY TWO.
Our officers and gentlemen made a very shabby parade that evening, whenjust before sundown word was passed from the sentries that a party wasapproaching from the Spaniards, and it was decided to go outside andmeet them, so as not to show the poverty of our resources within thedefences, and the sore straits to which we had been brought.
So the General and Colonel Preston, with about half a dozen gentlemen,went out to meet the new enemy, while Morgan contrived that I should, asCaptain Bruton's son, be where I could see and hear all that was goingon.
And, as I said, our officers and gentlemen made a very shabby parade,for their clothes were torn and stained, and there were no braveuniforms now, such as they wore the last time the Spaniards from thesouth came to demand that we should leave the place. But if they had noscarlet and gold to show, there was a grim sternness about our peoplethat was very impressive, something which taught the visitors that ourswere no feather-bed soldiers, but men who could face fire and use thesword.
Of that party of six who went out to meet the Spaniards, there was notone who was not injured, though slightly, while the little body-guard ofeight soldiers who followed them was in similar plight.
Our numbers were hastily selected by the General, on seeing that while alarger number had come away from the main body of the Spaniards, onlyeight approached the gates.
Everything was done so deliberately that I noticed that the Generalcarried his left arm in a scarf, and that the hair had been all cut awayin a patch at the back of Colonel Preston's head, so as to admit of itsbeing strapped with plaister. Another officer had a cut on his leftcheek which had divided the lip; another wore a bandage in the shape ofa red silk handkerchief, and another carried his injured hand in hisbreast.
One and all had been wounded, but there was not a man who did not seemfull of fight, and ready to stand his ground come what might.
On the other hand, although they had been in an engagement that day, andhad pursued the Indians, the Spaniards were smooth-looking andwell-dressed; not a hair seemed to be out of place, so that theypresented a remarkable contrast to our grim-looking set.
They paused at a few yards' distance, and I stood gazing over the top ofthe fence at their dress and weapons, all of which looked clean andwell-kept, quite in keeping with the dignified, well-dressed wearers,who were looking at our people with a kind of tolerant contempt.
As they drew near, I recognised two of them as being of the party whohad come before, and these two spoke to a broad-shouldered,swarthy-looking man, who nodded from time to time as if receiving hisinstructions. Then he stepped forward, looking from one to the other,and said, bluntly--
"Which of you is captain?"
There was a pause, every one being surprised at hearing our language soplainly spoken.
"You can address yourself to me," said the General, quietly.
"Oh, that's all right then. You see--"
"Stop a moment," said the General. "You are an Englishman?"
"I was," said the man; "but I've thrown in my lot here now, and I'm aSpaniard."
"Indeed?"
"Yes; that's it. I'm settled among them, and they're not bad sort ofpeople, let me tell you. I just say this by way of advice to all ofyou, who seem to be in a tidy pickle."
"Were you instructed to say this, sir?" said the General, coldly.
"Well, no, not exactly; only having once been an Englishman, and meetingEnglishmen, I wanted to do you a good turn if I could."
"Thank you. Now your message."
"Oh, that's short enough. The Don here says I'm to tell you that he isglad he arrived in time to save your lives, all of you, for if he hadn'tcome you'd all have been massacred."
"Go on," said the General.
"And that he supposes you see now what a mad trick it was to come andsettle down here among the Indians. Let me see; what was next?"muttered the man; and he turned sharp round, and spoke to the Spanishleader for a minute or so, and then came back and went on--
"That he came once before and gave you fair warning that you weretrespassing on the lands of his Majesty the King of Spain, and that hewants to know how soon you are going."
"Is that all?"
"Yes," said the man, "I think that's about all. It isn't exactly whathe said, because Spanish lingo's awkward stuff to put into plainEnglish; but that's about what it all meant; and, speaking as a friend,I should advise you to get a passage up north as soon as you can."
"Thank you."
"Shall I say you're going to sheer off?"
"Tell your leader or officer, sir," said the General, coldly, "that hismessage is insulting."
"Oh, come, now," said the man, "it was as civil as could be."
"That we are here in the dominion of his Majesty the King of England,upon our own lands, and that his demand is absurd. I do not wish to beinsulting in return for the service he has done us and his own people bygiving these savages so severe a lesson, but you may ask him what hewould say if I came down with a strong party and ordered him and hispeople to quit the Spanish settlement."
"Am I to tell him that?" said the ambassador.
"Yes; and that we are here, and mean to stay, even to holding our homesby force of arms if it is necessary."
"Oh!" said the man, staring and looking from one to the other. "Isn'tthat foolish talk! You see we are very strong, while you are--"
"Not so very weak as you think for, sir."
"But I'm sure you don't want us to turn you all out by force, and burndown your settlement, though it seems to me as if there isn't much leftto burn," he added, as he glanced round at the distant heaps of burnedtimber and ashes.
"We will build it all up ready for you, sir, against your expeditioncomes," said Colonel Preston, sharply.
"Oh, come, come," said the man; "that's all brag. Look here: take myadvice, make friends with the Dons here, and let me say you'll pack offquietly, because they mean mischief if you do not go."
"You have had my answer, sir," said the General, haughtily. "Tell yourleader that, for his own sake, I hope he will not drive us toextremities. We are prepared to fight, and fight we shall to the end."
"Oh, very well," said the man, in a grumbling tone; "I'm only amessenger. I've given our people's orders, and now I'm ready to takeback yours. Only don't say, when you're all made prisoners and marchedoff to our plantations, that I didn't as an Englishman give you a timelyhint."
The General bowed, and the man stood staring at him for a few moments,and then from one to the other, in an undecided way.
"Then you won't go?" he said at last.
The General made a sign to Colonel Preston.
"No, sir; we will not go," said the latter, firmly.
"Oh, very well. 'Tarn't my fault. I like peace, I do; but if you willhave it rough, why, it's your own fault."
He turned away, and talked to the two leading Spaniards for a fewmoments, the elder of the two stamping his foot imperiously as hefrowned and pointed to us. The man shrugged his shoulders, and cameback.
"Look here," he said, roughly; "the Dons say they won't stand anynonsense, and you are to go."
"Tell him he has had his answer, Preston," said the General.
"Oh, yes, I know about that answer," said the man; "and I'm to tell youthat if you do not give up at once, you will all be driven off, and youmust expect no mercy then."
The colonel glanced at the General, who nodded, and the former said,half-mockingly--
"Tell your leaders we are here, and if the King of Spain wishes for thispart of his Britannic Majesty's possessions, he will have to send astronger force than you have brought, to take it; and as for you, myfriend, your position as a kind of envoy protects you; but if I were youI should be careful. Your speech tells me plainly that you have been asailor."
"Well, suppose I have," said the man, sharply.
"And I should say that you have deserted, and become a renegade."
"What?"
"I wo
uld not speak so harshly to you, but your conduct warrants it. AnEnglishman to come with such cowardly proposals to yourfellow-countrymen! Faugh!"
The man seemed to grow yellow as he gazed at the colonel; then, turningaway, he spoke hurriedly to the two Spanish officers, who stood gazingat our party for a few moments, then bowed, and stalked back.
"Well, Preston," said the General; "shall we have to give up?"
"To them?" cried the colonel, sharply. "No! Do you know what Brutonwill say?"
"How can I?"
"Well, sir, he will say, `let them come, and if they drive us out ofhere, we will retire into the forest.' But, bah! I am not afraid. AllSpanish bombast. Ah, young Bruton, what do you say to this?" hecontinued, as they entered the gates, and he caught sight of me.
"I'm not old enough to say anything about it," I replied; "but I think agreat deal."
"And what do you think?" said the General, smiling, as he laid his handupon my shoulder.
"That they will be afraid to fight, sir."