THE SKIRMISH AT THE DILIGENCIA
Trent saw his reinforcements approaching, and advanced to pick
them up and add them to his command.
The column, now a strong one for patrol purposes, turned at right
angles at the first corner, and marched on into the city, from
the further side of which came the sound of firing.
Every man with the column carried a hundred and fifty rounds of
ammunition. A machine gun was trailed along at the rear, in the
event that it might be wanted.
Less than half a mile from the start, Lieutenant Trent's command
sighted the American advance line ahead. Some of the seamen and
marines in this advanced line occupied rooftops and kept up a
variable, crackling fire.
As Trent approached the line, a lieutenant-commander approached him.
"Do you come to reinforce us, Lieutenant?" he inquired.
"No, sir," Trent answered. "We are to patrol, and to took out
for Americans and other foreigners who may be in danger."
"Then I would caution you, Lieutenant, that this is the outer
line. If you get ahead of us, take extreme care that you do nothing
to lead us to mistake you for Mexicans."
"I shall be extremely cautious, sir," Trent replied, saluting,
then marched his command through the line and on up the street.
"Good luck to you," called several of the sailors in the line.
"Bring us back a few Mexicans!"
"We'd like to, all right," replied Riley, in an undertone.
"Ensign Darrin, take a petty officer and four men and lead a point,"
Lieutenant Trent ordered. "I don't want the 'glory' of running
a command into an ambush."
Calling to Riley and four sailormen, Dave led them down the street
at the double-quick until he was two hundred yards in advance
Then he led his men on at marching speed.
The work at the "point" is always the post of greatest danger
with a marching command. This point is small in numbers, and
moves well in advance. If the enemy has posted an ambuscade on
the line of march it is the point that runs into this danger.
As they marched Dave did not preserve any formation of his men.
His detachment strode forward, alert and watchful, their rifles
ready for instant use.
Three blocks away a horse stood tethered before a door. Hearing
the sound of approaching feet a man looked hurriedly out of the
doorway. Then he rushed to the horse and untied it.
"Halt!" Shouted Ensign Darrin, as he saw the man dart from the
doorway. "Halt!" he ordered, a second time, as the man seized
the horses's bridle ready to mount.
Quick as a flash the stranger drew a revolver, firing two shots
down the street.
"Fire! Get him!" shouted Darrin.
Five rifles spoke, instantly. Just in the act of reaching the
saddle the stranger plunged sideways, fell to the roadway, the
startled horse galloping off without its rider.
"Don't run to him," commanded Dave Darrin. "We'll reach him soon
enough."
Close at hand it was seen that the man was in the uniform of a
Mexican officer. His insignia proved him to be a major.
"Dead," said Riley. "Two pills reached him, and either would
have killed."
Dave nodded his head in assent, adding:
"Leave him. Our work is to keep the point moving."
When they had gone a quarter of a mile further, a sound of firing
attracted the attention of the American detachment.
"Lieutenant Trent's compliments, sir," panted a breathless messenger,
saluting, "and you will turn down the next corner, Ensign, and
march toward the firing."
After a few minutes Dave sighted a large building ahead. He did
not know the building, then, but learned afterwards that it was
the Hotel Diligencia.
Almost as soon as Darrin perceived the building, snipers on its
roof espied the Navy men.
Cr-r-rack! The brisk fire that rang out from the roof of the
hotel was almost as regular as a volley of shots would have been.
Darrin ordered his men to keep close to the buildings on either
side of the street, and to return the fire as rapidly as good
shooting permitted.
"Drive 'em from that roof," was Darrin's order.
Lieutenant Trent arrived on the double-quick with the rest of
the detachment.
"Give it to 'em, hot and heavy!" ordered Trent, and instantly
sixty rifles were in action.
Suddenly a window, a some distance down the street from the Americans
opened, and a man thrust a rifle out, taking aim. That rifle never
barked, for Dave, with a single shot from his revolver, sent the
would-be marksman reeling back.
"Watch that window, Riley, and fire if a head appears there," Dave
directed. "There may be others in that room."
Cat-like in his watchfulness, Riley kept the muzzle of his weapon
trained on that window.
"Look out overhead!" called Danny Grin, suddenly.
From the roofs of three houses overlooking the naval detachment
fire opened instantly after the warning. Two of the "_Long Island's_"
men dropped, one of them badly wounded.
Then the sailormen returned the fire. Two Mexicans dropped to
the street, one shot through the head; the other wounded in the
chest. Other Mexicans had been seen to stagger, and were probably
hit. Thereafter a dozen seamen constantly watched the roofs close
at hand, occasionally "getting" a Mexican.
"I know what I would do, if I had authority," Darrin muttered
to his superior. "I'd send back for dynamite, and, whenever we
were fired on from a house I'd bring it down in ruins."
It was a terrible suggestion, but being fired upon from overhead
in a city makes fighting men savage.
Evidently the Mexicans on the hotel roof had been reinforced,
for now the fire in that direction broke out heavier than ever.
"Shall I have the machine gun brought up, sir?" Dave hinted.
"Yes," approved Trent, crisply. "We'll see what a machine gun
can do when brought to bear on a roof."
So Ensign Darrin ran back to give the order. The gun was brought
up instantly, loaded, aimed and fired.
R-r-r-r-rip! Its volleys rang out. A rain of bullets struck
at the edge of the hotel roof, driving back the snipers amid yells
of pain.
Yet the instant the machine gun ceased its leaden cyclone the
snipers were back at work, firing in a way that showed their rage.
"We can keep 'em down with the machine gun," declared Trent, "But
it might take all the ammunition of the fleet to keep it running
long enough unless we can make more hits."
In their recklessness the Mexicans exposed themselves so that four
more of them fell before the seamen's rifles.
"Probably the Mexicans can get reinforcements," Dalzell muttered.
"Though we may hit a few in an hour's firing, they can replace
every man we hit."
"At least we can give those fellows something to think about between
now and daylight," Dave returned, compressing his lips grimly.
"Grenfel is wounded, sir, and Penniman has just been killed,"
reported a petty officer, saluting.
Lieutenant Trent hastened back to confirm the death of Penniman,
and also to see if anything could be done for the comfort of the
wounded man. He decided to send Grenfel back, two sailormen being
detailed for that purpose.
"Look out for snipers," the officer warned the bearers of the
wounded man. "Carry your rifles slung and be ready for instant
work. If we hear you firing behind us I'll send men to help you
through."
Along the street, ahead of the detachment, a man came crawling
from the direction of the hotel.
In an instant a dozen sailormen leveled their weapons.
"Hold up there, men!" Darrin called, sharply.
"Don't shoot at him."
An instant later snipers on the hotel roof discovered the crawling
man, opening fire on him so briskly that the endangered one rose
to his feet and came sprinting toward the sailors with both hands
uplifted.
"Lower your hands!" shouted Darrin. "They make targets. We won't
fire on you!"
That the man understood English was plain from his instant obedience.
With Mexican bullets raining about him, the fugitive came on at
headlong speed.
"Here! Stop!" Ensign Darrin ordered, catching the man and swinging
him into a doorway. "Keep in there, and you're safe from the
enemy's fire."
Swiftly Lieutenant Trent crossed the street to hear the escaped one,
whom Darrin was already questioning.
"You're an American?" asked Dave.
"Yes!" came the answer.
"How did you come to be here?"
"Escaped from the basement of the hotel. I knew it was up to
me to get through to you if I could live through the storm of
bullets that I knew would be sent after me. My news is of the
utmost importance!"
Then, to the astounded American Navy officers the stranger made
this blood-stirring announcement:
"In the Hotel Diligencia are at least twenty American women!"