Page:Life and Select Literary Remains of Sam Houston of Texas (1884).djvu/671

Rh whether the execution should be postponed until ordered by the superior authority. Such was the state of our affairs when the assembly, roll-call, or something else, was beaten. Over a hundred men fell into line; they loaded their guns, and then stood at ease. We felt rather nervous. I, for one, was as cold as ice, believing that those in favor of immediate execution had carried the point, and that the fatal moment had come. Soon, however, our confidence returned, when a good man (they are to be found everywhere) told us to cheer up, as Houston, Rusk, Allen, and others, whom I respect for it, had opposed the motion. In fact, the party that had been formed near us went to relieve the guard.

At this time they began bringing in, on wagons and on our own mules, the arms, stores, clothing, baggage, and all the spoils of our camp, which operation took four whole days.

At 2 o'clock His Excellency the General-in-chief, Don Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, arrived, under the charge of a mounted soldier. He wore linen trowsers, a blue cotton jacket, a cap, and red worsted slippers. His leader did not know him, but, noticing a motion of curiosity amongst us as he approached, he became satisfied that he was conducting no common officer, and reported at once with him to General Houston. The latter sent two of his Adjutants to inquire of us whether Santa Anna had lost any teeth; some answered that they did not know; but others, with more candor, or, perhaps, less discretion, said: "Yes, gentlemen; and you may further say to your General, that the person just brought before him is President Santa Anna himself." The news spread over the whole camp, and the inquisitive fellows who surrounded us ran to strike up an acquaintance with His Excellency. Some of them proposed to fire salutes, and to make other demonstrations to celebrate the capture of so lofty a person. But Houston courteously forbade it. From this time we were left alone. His Excellency having become the center of attraction.

On the 23d seventy or eighty loads of ordnance stores had already been brought in, and deposited, together with piles of loaded muskets and of cartridge-boxes, in close proximity to our camp.

We had noticed repeatedly that some of the Americans went about that combustible matter, and even handled it, with their pipes in their mouths. In one of these instances of carelessness, some grains of powder, scattered on the ground, were ignited; the fire reached the cartridge-boxes and their contents, and soon extended to the pans of the muskets, which exploded like an infernal machine. The prairie, too, was set on fire, and the covers of the ordnance-boxes were already burning. Those nearest the scene of danger took to flight; we and our sentinels followed, and, although we knew that they would be dissatisfied at our race, and might possibly fire at us, we kept running. Then the guard, and even some of the officers, in view of the increasing danger, chose not to remain hindmost, and kept pace with us, expecting at every moment the fatal explosion. We had run a considerable distance, when we turned round, and saw that the fire had been extinguished. We could not help applauding the resolution and bold determination with which some of these extraordinary men had rushed into the flames, and smothered them with their feet and blankets, and some water drawn from the bay. We had a narrow escape. I thought at one time that