Row to The Iturbide Benito! So—give way, men!”
The oars dipped into the water as the sun arose in the east, and the boat shot away from The Montezuma over a flood of gold. Rafael was in great spirits, and chatted gaily all the time; but Jack, thinking of the peril of the proposed expedition, was graver. Besides, he was anxious about the safety of Philip and Tim.
“By the way,” said Rafael, suddenly, “Don Pedro did not return with us last night.”
“No; Pedraza asked him to sleep on board The Iturbide. See, there he is, looking over the bulwarks. I can tell him by the flash of the sun on his spectacles!”
“Dios! How strange! Will Don Pedro go with you into the town?”
“Certainly not,” replied Jack, decisively; “it is too risky! Take him back with you to Tlatonac.”
“Assuredly! My aunt would never forgive me if harm came to Don Pedro.”
Rafael laughed heartily at the idea, for this undutiful nephew was much amused at the flirtation between Peter and Serafina.
“She will marry him, Juan! I am sure of it.”
“Then we will have four weddings when the war is over, Rafael.”
“Four weddings. Por todos santos! What mean you?”
“Myself and Dolores. Yourself and Doña Carmencita. Pedro and your aunt, and Señor Felipe and Doña Eulalia!”
“Eh, mi amigo!” cried Rafael, in a lively tone, “does my sister favour that cavalier? Dios! what says my father?”
“He does not know anything yet. But as he has consented to receive one heretic into his family, he can surely stretch a point, and receive two.”
“Como, no! But it may be! Who knows? Ah! Here we are at The Iturbide. Come, Juan!”
They climbed up the side of the cruiser, and were received by Captain Pedraza and Peter.
“Buenos dias de Dios á ustedes, Señores,” said Pedraza, greeting them heartily. “I am glad to see you both, as I wish to land these troops at once. Señor Pedro desires to go also.”
“What nonsense, Peter,” said Jack, in English, turning to his friend; “it is too dangerous. You stay on board, and go back to Tlatonac.”
“I shall not!” returned the doctor, indignantly; “you are going, so why should not I? Besides, I wish to see Tim, and to be certain that Philip has arrived safely.”
“I don’t want you killed, Peter,” protested Jack.
“I won’t be killed any more than you will be, Jack. It’s not a bit of use your talking, I’m going with you. I have my medicine-chest with me.”
“Oh, well, obstinacy! Have it your own way,” replied Duval, touched by this proof of Peter’s friendship; “but Tim will pitch at me for bringing you into danger.”
“Tim will be glad enough to have a doctor at hand. Why, Jack, I should have been at Totatzine to cure you.”
“Cocom was good at a pinch.”
“A quack!” muttered Peter, scornfully. He could not forgive Cocom having cured Jack so rapidly. It was a case of professional jealousy.
“Señor Duval,” said Pedraza, approaching Jack, “Don Rafael tells me you and he have hit on a plan to land the troops without danger.”
Jack signified that they had some such idea in their heads, and in company with Pedraza, they went below to look at the map. Don Sebastian followed them, and after a long discussion, the Comandante decided to accept the suggestion. The Iturbide raised her anchor, and steamed a short distance up the coast, so as to land the troops beyond the swamp. Signals having been made to the torpederas, they remained in their former position, before the town.
When the rebels saw The Iturbide moving northward, they shouted with joy, thinking that she was about to leave the harbour; but their delight was turned into rage as they saw boat after boat drop from her sides, and, laden with troops, make for the shore. Numbers ran along the beach, to the verge of the swamp, but here their progress was stayed, as it was impossible for them to cross the quagmire. They could only remain quiet, and gesticulate with anger, though many fired their guns, and two cannon were brought along the shore in the hope of doing some damage.
As yet they were safe, from the forts being too much in the hollow; but when Pedraza saw the cannon brought up, he opened fire with his Armstrongs, and signalled to the torpederas. These steamed abreast of the swamp at once, and did considerable damage with their rapid-firing Hotchkiss guns. Under cover of this cannonade, the whole of the troops were duly landed, in admirable order, with the utmost celerity, and then Jack, Peter, and Don Sebastian prepared to go on shore. Pedraza gave De Ahumada sealed orders for Gigedo from the President, and Rafael occupied himself in saying farewell to his English friends.
“You have your revolvers, mis amigos?” he said anxiously; “and swords? Good! Cloaks? Ah, that is well. Have, also, these flasks of aguardiente; you will need sustenance. The march to the inland-gate may be a long one. Adios.”
“Adios,” replied Jack, dropping over the side. “Give my love to Dolores, when you return to Tlatonac.”
“I shall not fail. And, Don Pedro, have you any message?”
“Si, Señor,” replied Peter, in his hesitating Spanish. “Doña Dolores. Escarabajos.”
“Beetles!” echoed Rafael, in great astonishment. “What does he mean by beetles?”
His curiosity was not gratified, for already the boat was making rapidly for the shore, and Jack, standing up in the stern, was waving his adieux to all on board.
By this time the sun was far above the horizon, and already the heat was becoming unpleasantly great. Don Sebastian at once formed his men into marching order, and the little company proceeded along the bank of the river, towards the interior of the country. Before them spread a kind of rolling downs, with undulating hills, sparsely covered with vegetation. Here and there patches of yellow sand streaked with fine white dust. On one side stretched the illimitable plains, and on the other the ground marshy and treacherous, sank imperceptibly into the bed of the slow-flowing river. Beyond this, an interval of firm land for some considerable distance, and then the rocky shelf on which Janjalla was built. In front the stream meandered in an erratic manner inland; away in the extreme distance appeared the dim line of forest, above which arose the snowy cone of Xicotencatl. Over all arched the cloudless blue sky, with the sun flaming hotly in the east.
The rebels had been considerably cut up by the incessant firing of the ships, and had wisely fallen back into their camp. When, however, they saw the loyalists moving inland, along the bank of the stream, a troop of cavalry, some hundreds strong, galloped towards the swamp to intercept them, if possible. The cruiser and the torpederas were still in their former position, and as the cavalry turned the fatal corner, to make for the inner country, they opened a heavy cannonade. Considerable damage was inflicted particularly by the Hotchkiss guns, and numbers of riders were soon struggling on the ground with their wounded horses. In a few minutes, however, the troop, nothing dismayed, escaped beyond the line of fire, and galloped parallel with the loyalists, between swamp and walls.
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