"Pardon me, my friend, perhaps I am mistaken, but it seems to me highly improbable that you could have obtained such positive news during the pleasure trip you have been making."
"Not only, General, have the insurgents seized the Libertad, but they have also made themselves masters of the Fort of the Point."
"Oh!" the General shouted, as he rose passionately, "this time, Colonel, you are badly informed; the Fort of the Point is impregnable."
"It was taken in an hour by thirty Freebooters, commanded by the Jaguar."
The General hid his face in his hands, with an expression of despair impossible to render.
"Oh! It is too much at once," he exclaimed.
"That is not all," the Colonel continued, sharply.
"What have you to tell me more terrible than what you have just said?"
"A thing that will make you leap with rage and blush with shame, General."
The old soldier laid his hand on his heart, as if wishful to arrest its hurried beating, and then said to the Colonel, in a tone of supreme resignation—
"Speak, my friend; I am ready to hear all."
The Colonel remained silent for some minutes; the despair of the brave old soldier made him shiver.
"General," he said, "perhaps it would be better to defer till tomorrow what I have to say to you; you appear fatigued, and a few hours, more or less, are not of much consequence."
"Colonel Melendez," the General said, giving the young officer a searching glance, "under present circumstances a minute is worth an age. I order you to speak."
"The insurgents request a parley," the Colonel said, distinctly.
"To parley with me?" the General answered, with an almost imperceptible tinge of irony in his voice. "These Caballeros do me a great honour. And what about, pray?"
"As they think themselves capable of seizing Galveston, they wish to avoid bloodshed by treating with you."
The General rose, and walked sharply up and down the room for some minutes. At length he stopped before the Colonel.
"And what would you do in my place?"
"I should treat," the young officer replied, unhesitatingly.
CHAPTER III.
THE RETREAT.
After this frankly expressed opinion there was a rather lengthened silence, and the Colonel was the first to resume the conversation.
"General," he went on, "you evidently know nothing of the events that have occurred during the last four and twenty hours."
"How could I know anything? These demons of insurgents have organised Guerillas, who hold the country and so thoroughly intercept the communications, that out of twenty spies I have sent out, not one has returned."
"And not one will return, be assured."
"What is to be done, then?"
"Do you really wish for my advice, General?"
"On my honour, I desire to know your real opinion; for you are the only one among us, I fancy, who really knows what is going on."
"I am aware of it. Listen to me, then, and do not feel astonished at anything you may hear, for all is positively true. The information I am about to have the honour of communicating to you was given me, by the Jaguar himself, scarce three hours back, at the Salto del Frayle, whither he invited me to come to converse about some matters in no way connected with politics."
"Very good," the General remarked, with a slight smile. "Go on, I am listening to you with the deepest attention."
The Colonel felt himself blush under his chief's slightly ironical smile; still he recovered himself, and continued—
"In two words, this is our position: while a few bold men, aided by a privateer brig under the American flag, carried by surprise the Libertad—"
"One of the finest ships in our navy!" the General interrupted, with a sigh.
"Yes, General, but unhappily it is now an accomplished fact. While this was taking place, other insurgents, commanded by the Jaguar in person, got into the Fort of the Point, and carried it almost without a blow."
"But what you tell me is impossible!" the old soldier interrupted with a burst of passion.
"I tell you nothing that is not rigorously true, General."
"The vague rumours that have reached me, led me to suppose that the insurgents had dealt us a fresh blow but I was far from suspecting such a frightful catastrophe."
"I swear to you, on my honour, as, a soldier, General, that I only tell you the most rigid truth:"
"I believe you, my friend, for I know how brave and worthy of confidence you are. Still, the news you give me is so frightful, that, in spite of myself, I should like to be able to doubt it."
"Unhappily, that is impossible."
The General, suffering from a fury which was the more terrible as it was concentrated, walked up and down the room, clenching his fists, and muttering broken sentences. The Colonel looked after him sadly, not dreaming of offering him any of those conventional consolations which, far from offering any relief to pain, only render it sharper and more poignant. At the end of some minutes, the General succeeded so far in mastering his emotion as to draw back to his heart the annoyance he felt. He sat down again by the Colonel's side, and took his hand kindly.
"You have not yet given me your advice," he said with a ghost of a smile.
"If you really insist on my speaking, I will do so, General," the young man answered, "though I am convinced beforehand that our ideas are absolutely similar on this question."
"That is probable. Still, my dear Colonel, the opinion of a man of your merits is always precious, and I should be curious to know if I really agree with you."
"Be it so, General. This is what I think: we have but insufficient forces to sustain an assault effectively. The town is very badly disposed toward us: I am convinced that it only wants an opportunity to rise and make common cause with the insurgents. On the other hand, it would be a signal act of folly to shut ourselves up in a town with an issue, where we should be forced to surrender—an indelible stain for the Mexican army. For the present, we have no succour to expect from the government of Mexico, which is too much engaged in defending itself against the ambitious men of every description who hold it continually in check, to dream of coming effectively to our assistance, either by sending us reinforcements, or carrying out a diversion in our favour."
"What you say is unfortunately only too true; we are reduced to reckon on ourselves alone."
"Now, if we obstinately shut ourselves up in the town, it is evident to me that we shall be compelled eventually to surrender. As the insurgents are masters of the sea, it is a mere question of time. On the other hand, if we quit it of our free will, the position will be singularly simplified."
"But, in that case, we shall be compelled to treat with these scoundrels?"
"I thought so for an instant; but I believe we can easily avoid that misfortune."
"In what way? speak, speak, my friend."
"The flag of truce the insurgents send you, will not arrive at the cabildo till nine in the morning; what prevents you, General, evacuating the town, ere he makes his appearance?"
"Hum!" said the General, growing