ON THE SCENE OF BORDER TROUBLE
The speed with which a soldier can dress, and do it tidily, would
astonish the average civilian.
Very soon after the call had sounded at their doors Hal and Noll, their
swords hanging at their left sides and their revolvers belted on,
stepped in at headquarters.
"Come right in, gentlemen," called Major Tipton, from the rear office.
Lieutenant Brandon, battalion adjutant, was already with his chief.
"Your first call has come sooner than you expected," smiled Major
Tipton. "Captain Foster will be here presently, and then we will go over
the matter together. Ah, Foster! Come right in."
Then the orders were made clear.
"The department commander has directed me to send one company, or its
equivalent, up to the village of Agua Dulce," stated the major. "You
know where the village is, Captain--about twenty miles up the river. You
will start within the hour. Now, for the sake of giving our youngest
officers practice in handling their men I am going to send the second
platoons of F and H companies, and you, Foster, will command. You will
take one wall tent for the officers, Captain, and the men will each
carry their half of a shelter tent. You will take kitchen kit for one
company, and fifty rounds of ammunition for each man--though I trust you
will have no occasion to fire any shots. The quartermaster is now
ordering out three escort wagons to accompany you. If your provisions
run low you will receive more. You should be in camp, Captain, soon
after daylight."
"Agua Dulce," continued Major Tipton, "as you know, is a village with a
large proportion of Mexican population. The War Department is advised
that the Mexican rebels are making the village an American headquarters
for the insurrection. It will be your duty, Captain, to see that no
armed parties or cargoes of munitions of war get across the river. You
will very likely find that Mexican troops are stationed on the opposite
side of the river. If you so find, you will act in harmony, as far as
you can, with the commander of the Mexican troops."
"Very good, Major."
"I have already sent the guard to notify the first sergeants of F and H
companies to turn out the second platoons of each company. You now have
your orders in full, Captain."
"Very good, sir."
The three officers saluted their commander and withdrew. No word was
spoken as the three crossed the parade ground, going toward barracks.
Outside a lot of soldiers had already appeared, many of them looking
decidedly drowsy. But there were no complaints. "Kickers" are never
popular in the Army.
"Ranking sergeants of each platoon report here," called Captain Foster
quietly, as he halted. "You will be prepared for assembly and roll call
within forty-five minutes. Immediately afterwards the command will
march. Any further orders you will take from your respective platoon
commanders."
With a nod to Hal and Noll, Captain Foster strode away toward the
quartermaster stables, to see how near ready the escort wagons and their
loads might be.
"Keep the two platoons apart," ordered Hal, going over to the men. "We
want to know which platoon is ready for duty first. Sergeant Raney, go
back into barracks and see what is detaining the absentees."
"Sergeant Klein, you will also look up your missing ones," directed
Noll.
Both non-coms and men worked faster after that. Hal and Noll had served
long enough in the ranks to know that some drowsy men might remain
behind as long as possible, dozing in some corner.
As soon as it was discovered that both lieutenants were keenly alert to
their duties, greater speed was shown in assembling the men. Five
minutes later all the soldiers had turned out, ready. Some of the men in
Hal's platoon began to shoulder their blanket rolls.
"Leave your blanket rolls on the ground," directed Hal, stepping over to
his men. "It is a warm night, and there's no need of carrying weight
until you have to."
Captain Foster soon returned, having satisfied himself that work with
the escort wagons was progressing rapidly.
"All the men of my platoon are out, sir, and ready to move," Hal
reported, saluting.
"All my men ready, too, sir," Noll added.
"Quick work," nodded Captain Foster. "The escort wagons will be here
within fifteen minutes. We shall be able to make an earlier start than
ordered."
A few minutes later three escort wagons, each well laden and hauled by a
team of mules, came out on to the road.
"Let your men fall in. Hold separate roll calls. Report as soon as
ready," directed Captain Foster.
The two platoons, drawn up in one rank with a slight interval between,
were soon in readiness.
"March your platoons," called Captain Foster.
"F company, fours left, march," ordered Noll.
"H company, fours left, march," followed Hal.
Off into the night moved a compact column of men in fours, a sergeant at
the head of each platoon, and the two lieutenants on the flanks.
Captain Foster noted the start with approval. The column moved on down
the road, past the escort wagons, which then fell in at the rear.
"Give the men the route step, now," murmured Captain Foster, going past
Hal up to the head of the line.
"Route step, march," ordered Lieutenant Hal. In another moment the men
of the leading platoon had also fallen into the route step.
"We'll march four miles to the first halt," said Captain Foster, falling
in beside Noll.
The road turned to the right, heading west. When the first halt was
called the column stopped on a lonely stretch of the highway, in sight
of the Rio Grande. After ten minutes the column started again. There
were frequent halts, after that, but soon after daylight had come the
column made its last halt just outside the village of Agua Dulce.
Now camp was quickly made. A soldier, no matter how fatigued, is never
too tired to eat. Several score of little fagot fires were soon blazing
briskly, and over these coffee was made and bacon fried. The next meal
would be furnished by the company cook. Within half an hour after
pitching tents breakfast had been eaten, and much progress made with
unpacking the escort wagons.
"Mr. Terry, you will remain in command of the camp. Keep ten men awake
for duty, and relieve the men in two hours. Let the men not on duty
sleep. Mr. Overton, you will accompany me into the village."
A ten minutes' walk brought Captain Foster and Hal into Agua Dulce. It
was an insignificant little village, of perhaps eight hundred
inhabitants. Five hundred of these were Mexicans. There are many such
towns on the Texas border. The Mexicans were engaged somewhat in trade,
but most of them belonged to the floating class. They were cowboys,
sheep-herders and laborers. Few of them represented a high grade of
Mexican citizenship. Many were "wanted" in Mexico for minor offenses,
for which the extradition treaty did not provide. Living only from day
to day, usually from hand to mouth, and nearly always discontented, this
sort of Mexican was excellent material out of which to make a
revolutionist.
"It doesn't look like much of a place for a headquarters against the
powerful Mexican government," Captain Foster confided to his young
lieutenant. "Yet it is in just such places as this that a successful
revolution in Mexico may some day start. It might happen in this year as
well as in any other. A few thousand rifles and enough cartridges could
be shipped from this point, across the river, on a dark night. With
this happening at several such points enough munitions for an Army might
be ferried across. With men waiting on the other side a rebel army could
be easily started."
"It seems a pity, doesn't it, sir, for us to have to interfere in such
matters?" asked Lieutenant Hal.
"No; for the United States is on friendly terms with the government of
Mexico. Therefore, under the laws of nations, we are obliged to see to
it that all caution is used to prevent the shipment of arms to
revolutionists on the other side of the river. Mexico would have to do
as much for us if the case were reversed."
"But the case never is reversed," smiled Hal.
"It came near being, once. At the outset of the Spanish war, when there
were a good many Spaniards living in Mexico, some of them started a
foolish movement to organize and project an armed force of Spaniards
over the border into Texas. The Spaniards had a notion that they could
slip over the border, do a lot of harm and get safely back into Mexico.
But the Mexican government sent out its secret service agents to run
down the plot, and also sent two or three regiments of the Mexican army
to patrol the border."
"What did the people of Texas think of that, sir?"
Captain Foster laughed.
"The Texans were really mad as hornets," he continued. "They said they
wished the Mexican government would mind its own business and not spoil
sport. The Texans were just aching to have a few thousand Spaniards come
over the border and start things going. None of the Spaniards would ever
have got back into Mexico; the Texans would have taken care of that. But
here we are in the village, and now we'll have to start making
inquiries."
This consumed two or three hours. The postmaster was seen, and then some
of the other Texans. The railroad did not touch Agua Dulce, but there
were two big trucking concerns that handled freight from the nearest
railroad point. There were also several Mexican teamsters in the place;
these latter could hardly be depended upon to give accurate information.
The American teamsters all declared that they had handled no
suspicious-looking freight for Mexicans.
"But you'll find a lot of long, shallow boxes stored in Pedro Guarez's
stable, if what I've heard is right," added one of the truckmen.
"Look like rifle cases, do they?" inquired Captain Foster.
"That's what I judge from what I've heard. Mexican teamsters have been
bringing in the cases for the last three nights."
"Where is the barn of this fellow, Guarez?"
"Come upstairs, Captain, and I can point it out to you from the roof.
But don't let any of the Greasers know that I told you about this, for I
have to be on the road many a dark night, and these Greasers are a bad
lot, especially just now. And listen, Captain! Don't get so far into
Guarez's barn that you couldn't get out handily. If you do you may never
come out. The Greasers are especially ugly these last few days, and I
don't believe it would take much to start 'em off."