y pass to
come to us. A company of the Comanches immediately darted forward to
dispute the passage; but some flags of truce being displayed by the
Texans, five or six of them were allowed to swim over unmolested.

These worthies who came over were Captain Hunt, of whom I have before
made mention, and General Smith, commanding the Texan army, who was a
certain butcher from Indiana, who had been convicted of having murdered
his wife and condemned to be hanged. He had, however, succeeded in
escaping from the gaol, and making his way to Texas. The third eminent
personage was a Colonel Hookley, and the other two were interpreters. As
an Indian will never hurt a foe who comes with a flag of truce, the
Comanches brought these gentlemen up to the camp.

As soon as General Smith presented himself before the Comanche chief, he
commenced a bullying harangue, not stating for what purpose he had come,
telling us gratuitously that he was the greatest general in the land,
and that all the other officers were fools; that he had with him an
innumerable number of stout and powerful warriors, who had no equal in
the world; and thus he went on for half an hour, till, breath failing
him, he was obliged to stop.

After a silence of a few minutes, he asked the Comanche chief what he
could answer to that? The chief looked at him and replied, with the most
ineffable contempt: "What should I answer?" said he; "I have heard
nothing but the words of a fool abusing other fools. I have heard the
howl of the wolf long before the buffalo was wounded; there can be no
answer to no question; speak, if thou canst; say what thou wishest, or
return from whence thou comest, lest the greatest warrior of Texas
should be whipped by squaws and boys."

The ex-butcher was greatly incensed at the want of breeding and manners
of the "poor devil of a savage," but at last he condescended to come to
the point. First of all, having learned from Captain Hunt the whole
transaction at Lewisburg, and that the Comanches had detained the
prisoners, he wished to have them restored to him. Next he wanted to get
the three young Pale-faces, who were with the Comanches (meaning me,
Gabriel, and Roche). They were three thieves, who had escaped from the
gaols, and he, the general, wanted to punish them. After all, they were
three vagabonds, d----d strangers, and strangers had nothing to do in
Texas, so he must have them. Thirdly and lastly, he wanted to have
delivered unto him t