xt7cnp1wdr77 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7cnp1wdr77/data/mets.xml Altsheler, Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander), 1862-1919. 19401912  books b92-172-30119856 English Appleton-Century-Crofts, : New York : Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Texan star  : the story of a great fight for liberty / by Joseph A. Altsheler. text Texan star  : the story of a great fight for liberty / by Joseph A. Altsheler. 1940 2002 true xt7cnp1wdr77 section xt7cnp1wdr77 THE TEXAN STAR

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THE TEXAN STAR

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THE



TEXAN STAR



    THE STOIl' 0F1 A GREA T FIGHT
            FOR LIBERTY


                BY
      JOSEPH A. ALTSHELEER
              AUTHOR OF
     THE QUEST OF TllE FOUtR," "TE BORDER WATCH,"
        ' THE SCOUTS OF TIE VAI.LEY," ETC.


















APPLETON-CENTURY-CROFTS, INC.
            NEW YORK

 


























             COPYRIGHT, 1912, BY
       D. APPLETON AND COMPANY



 All rights reserved. This book, or parts
 thereof, must not be reproduced in any
 form w.:hout permission of the publishers.


















COPYRIGHT, 1940, BY SALLIE B. ALTSHELER



Printed in the United States of America

 









PREFACE



  " THE Texan Star," while a complete story in itself,
is the first of three, projected by the author, and based
upon the Texan struggle for liberty against the power
of Mexico. This revolution, epic in its nature, and
crowded with heroism and great events, divides itself
naturally into three parts.
  The first phase begins in Mexico with the treacherous
imprisonment of Austin, the Texan leader, the rise of
Santa Anna and his attempt, through bad faith, to dis-
arm the Texans and leave them powerless before the
Indians. It culminates in the rebellion of the Texans,
and their capture, in the face of great odds, of San
Antonio, the seat of the Mexican power in the north.
  The second phase is the comning of Santa Anna with
an overwhelming force, the fall of the Alamo, the mas-
sacre of Goliad and the dark days of Texas. Yet the
period of gloom is relieved by the last stand of Crockett,
Bowie, and their famous comrades.
  The third phase is the coming of light in the darkness,
Houston's crowning victory at San Jacinto, and the com-
plete victory of the Texans.
  The story of the Texan fight for freedom has always
appealed to the author, as one of the most remarkable
of modern times.

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CONTENTS



THE PRISONERS.
A HAIR-CUT .
SANCTUARY
TIIE PALMI
IN TIIE PYRAMID.
TiIE MIARCH WITH COS .
THE DUNGEON UNDER THE SEA
TIIE BLACK JAGUAR .
TIIE RUINED TEMPLES .
CACTUS AND MEXICANS .
TilE LONG CHASE  .
TiIE TRIAL OF PATIENCE
THE TEXANS .
TI[E RING TAILED PANTHER
THE FIRST GUN .
TILE COMIING OF URREA .
TILE OLD CONVENT . .
IN SAN ANTONIO     . .
TImE BATTLE BY THE RIVER .
TIIE NWHEEL OF FIRE . .
TEIE TEXAN STAR    . .
THE TAKING OF THE TOWN



           PAGE



             3 1
   .48


   .73
             9I

   .114
   .130
   .14 5
.....164




            212


            247
          .69


          301
  .316
           342
           359



CHAPTER
    I
    II
    III
    IV
    V
    VI
  VII
  VIII
  IX
  X
  XI
  XII
  XIII
  XIV
  XV
  XVI
XVII
XVIII
XIX
  XX
  XXI
XXII

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         THE TEXAN STAR


                    CHAPTER I
                  THE PRISONERS

 A BOY and a man sat in a room of a stone house in
      the ancient City of Mexico, capital in turn of Aztec,
      Spaniard and Mexican. They could see through
the narrow windows masses of low buildings and tile
roofs, and beyond, the swelling shape of great mountains,
standing clear against the blue sky. But they had looked
upon them so often that the mind took no note of the
luminous spectacle. The cry of a water-seller or the
occasional jingle of a spur came from the street below,
but these, too, were familiar sounds, and they were no
longer regarded.
  The room contained but little furniture and the door
was of heavy oak. Its whole aspect indicated that it
was a prison. The man was of middle years, and his
face showed a singular blend of kindness and firmness.
The pallor of imprisonment had replaced his usual color.
The boy was tall and strong and his cheeks were yet
ruddy. His features bore some resemblance to those
of his older comrade.
  " Ned," said the man at last, " it has been good of you
to stay with me here, but a prison is no place for a boy.
You must secure a release and go back to our people."
                         I

 


THE TEXAN STAR



  The boy smiled, and his face, in repose rather stern
for one so young, was illumined in a wonderful manner.
  " I don't want to leave you, Uncle Steve," he said,
"and if I did it's not likely that I could. This house is
strong, and it's a long way from here to Texas."
  " Perhaps I can induce them to let you go," said the
man. " Why should they wish to hold one so young "
  Edward Fulton did not reply because he saw that
Stephen Austin was speaking to himself rather than
his companion. Instead, he looked once more through
the window and over the city at the vast white peaks of
Popocatepetl and Ixtaccihuatl silent and immutable, for-
ever guarding the sky-line. Yet they seemed to call to
him at this moment and tell him of freedom. The words
of the man had touched a spring within him and he
wanted to go. He could not conceal from himself the
fact that he longed for liberty with every pulse and fiber.
But he resolved, nevertheless, to stay. He would not
desert the one whom he had come to serve.
  Stephen Austin, the real founder of Texas, had now
been in prison in Mexico more than a year. Coming to
Saltillo to secure for the Texans better treatment
from the Mexicans, their rulers, he had been seized and
held as a criminal. The boy, Edward Fulton, was not
really his nephew, but an orphan, the son of a cousin.
He owed much to Austin and coming to the capital to
help him he was sharing his imprisonment.
  " They say that Santa Anna now has the power," said
Ned, breaking the somber silence.
  " It is true," said Stephen Austin, " and it is a new and
strong reason why I fear for our people  Of all the
cunning and ambitious men in Mexico, Antonio Lopez de
Santa Anna is the most cunning and ambitious. I know,
too, that he is the most able, and I believe that he is the



2

 


THE PRISONERS



most dangerous to those of us who have settled in Texas.
What a country is this MXexico! Revolution after revolu-
tion! You make a treaty with one president to-day and
to-morrow another disclaims it! More than one of them
has a touch of genius, and yet it is obscured by childish-
ness and cruelty!"
  He sighed heavily. Ned, full of sympathy, glanced at
him but said nothing. Then his gaze turned back to
the mighty peaks which stood so sharp and clear against
the blue. Truth and honesty were the most marked
qualities of Stephen Austin and he could not understand
the vast web of intrigue in which the MXexican capital was
continually involved. And to the young mind of the boy,
cast in the same mold, it was yet more baffling and re-
pellent.
  Ned still stared at the guardian peaks, but his thoughts
floated away from them. His head had been full of old
romance when he entered the vale of Tenochtitlan. He
had almost seen Cortez and the conquistadores in their
visible forms with their armor clanking about them as
they stalked before him. He had gazed eagerly upon
the lakes, the mighty mountains, the low houses and the
strange people. Here, deeds of which the world still
talked had been done centuries ago and his thrill was
strong and long. But the feeling was gone now. He
had liked many of the Mexicans and many of the MIexi-
can traits, but he had felt with increasing force that he
could never reach out his hand and touch anything solid.
He thouglht of volcanic beings on a volcanic soil.
  The throb of a drum came from the street below, and
presently the shrill sound of fifes was mingled with the
steady beat. Ned stood up and pressed his head as far
forward as the bars of the window would let him.
   Soldiers, a regiment, I think," he said.  Ah, I can



3

 


THE TEXAN STAR



see them now! What brilliant uniforms their officers
wear! "
  Austin also looked out.
  " Yes," he said. " They know how to dress for effect.
And their music is good, too. Listen how they play."
  It was a martial air, given with a splendid lilt and
swing. The tune crept into Ned's blood and his hand
beat time on the stone sill. But the music increased his
longing for liberty. His thotughts passed away from the
narrow street and the marching regiment to the North,
to the wild free plains beyond the Rio Grande. It was
there that his heart was, and it was there that his body
would be.
  " It is General Cos who leads them," said Austin.
"I can see him now, riding upon a white horse. It's
the man in the white and silver uniform, Ned."
  " He's the brother-in-law of Santa Anna, is he not"
  " Yes, and I fear him. I know well, Ned, that he hates
the Texans-all of us."
  " Perhaps the regiment that we see now is going north
against our people."
  Austin's brows contracted.
  " It may be so," he said. " They give soft words all
the time, and yet they hold me a prisoner here. It would
be like them to strike while pretending to clear away all
the troubles between us."
  He sighed again. Ned watched the soldiers until the
last of them had passed the window, and then he listened
to the music, the sound of drum and fife, until it died
away, and they heard only the usual murmur of the city.
Then the homesickness, the longing for the great free
country to the north grew upon him and became almost
overpowering.
  " Someone comes," said Austin.



4

 


THE PRISONERS



  They heard the sound of the heavy bar that closed
the door being moved from its place.
  " Our dinner, doubtless," said Austin, " but it is early."
  The door swung wide and a young Mexican officer en-
tered. He was taller and fairer than most of his race,
evidently of pure Northern Spanish blood, and his coun-
tenance was frank and fine.
  " Welcome, Lieutenant," said Stephen Austin, speak-
ing in Spanish, which he, as well as Ned, understood
perfectly. " You know that we are always glad to see
you here."
  Lieutenant Alfonso de Zavala smiled in a quick, re-
sponsive way, but in a moment his face became grave.
  " I announce a visitor, a most distinguished visitor,
Mr. Austin," he said. " General Antonio Lopez de Santa
Anna, President of the Mlexican Republic and Com-
mander-in-chief of its armies and navies."
  Both Mr. Austin and the boy arose and bowed as a
small man of middle years, slender and nervous, strode
into the room, standing for a few moments near its
center, and looking about him like a questing hawk. His
was, in truth, an extraordinary presence. He seemed to
radiate an influence that at once attracted and repelled.
His dark features were cut sharply and clearly. His eyes,
set closely together, were of the most intense black that
Ned had ever seen in a human head. Nor were those
eyes ever at rest. They roamed over everything, and
they seemed to burn every object for the single instant
they fell there.  They never met the gaze of either
American squarely, although they continually came back
to both.
  This man was clothed in a white uniform, heavy with
gold stripes and gold epaulets. A small sword at his
side had a gold hilt set with a diamond. He wore a



5

 



THE TEXAN STAR



three-cornered hat shaped like that of Napoleon, but
instead of the Corsican's simple gray his was bright in
color and splendid with plumage.
  He was at once a powerful and sinister figure. Ned
felt that he was in the presence of genius, but it belonged
to one of those sinuous creatures, shining and terrible,
that are bred under the vivid sun of the tropics. There
was a singular sensation at the roots of his hair, but, re-
solved to show neither fear nor apprehension, he stood
and gazed directly at Santa Anna.
  " Be seated, Mr. Austin," said the General, " and close
the door, de Zavala, but remain with us. Your young
relative can remain, also. I have things of importance
to say, but it is not forbidden to him, also, to hear them."
  Ned sat down and so did Mr. Austin and young de
Zavala. but Santa Anna remained standing. It seemed
to Ned that he did so because le wished to look down
upon them from a height. And all the time the black eyes,
like two burning coals, played restlessly about the room.
  Ned was unable to take his own eyes away. The
figure in its gorgeous uniform was so full of nervous
energy that it attracted like a magnet, while at
the same time it bade all who opposed to beware. The
boy felt as if he were before a splendid leopard with no
bars of a cage between.
  Santa Anna took three or four rapid steps back and
forth. He kept his hat upon his head, a right, it seemed,
due to his superiority to other people. He looked like
a man who had a great thought which he was shaping into
quick words. Presently he stopped before Austin, and
shot him one of those piercing glances.
  " My friend and guest," he said in the sonorous Span-
ish.
  Austin bowed. Whether the subtle Mexican meant



6

 


THE PRISONERS



the words in satire or in earnest he did not know, nor
did he care greatly.
  " When I call you my friend and guest I speak truth,"
said Santa Anna. " It is true that we had you brought
here from Saltillo, and we insist that you accept our
continued hospitality, but it is because we know how
devoted you are to our common Mexico, and we would
have you here at our right hand for advice and help."
  Ned saw Mr. Austin smile a little sadly. It all seemed
very strange to the boy. How could one talk of friend-
ship and hospitality to those whom he held as prisoners
Why could not these people say what they meant
Again he longed for the free winds of the plains.
  "You and I together should be able to quiet these
troublesome Texans," continued Santa Anna -and his
voice had a hard metallic quality that rasped the boy's
nerves. " You know, Stephen Austin, that I and Mexico
have endured much from the people whom you have
brought within our borders. They shed good Mexican
blood at the fort, Velasco, and they have attacked us
elsewhere. They do not pay their taxes or obey our
decrees, and when I send my officers to make them
obey they take down their long rifles."
  Austin smiled again, and now the watching boy thought
the smile was not sad at all. If Santa Anna took notice
he gave no sign.
  " But you are reasonable," continued the Mexican, and
now his manner was winning to an extraordinary de-
gree. " It was my predecessor, Farias, who brought you
here, but I would not see you go, because I love you
like a brother, and now I have come to you, that between
us we may calm your turbulent Texans."
  " But you must bear in mind," said Austin, " that our
rights have been taken from us. All the clauses of our



7

 


THE TEXAN STAR



charter have been broken, and now your Congress has
decreed that we shall have only one soldier to every five
hundred inhabitants and that all the rest of us shall be
disarmed. How are we, in a wild country, to protect
ourselves from the Comanches, Lipans and other Indians
who roam everywhere, robbing and murdering "
  Austin's face, usually so benevolent, flushed and his
eyes were very bright. Ned looked intently at Santa
Anna to see how he would take the daring and truthful
indictment. But the Mexican showed no confusion, only
astonishment. He threw up his hands in a vivid southern
gesture and looked at Austin in surprised reproof.
  " My friend," he said in injured but not angry tones,
"how can you ask me such a question Am I not here
to protect the Texans Am I not President of Mexico
Am I not head of the Mexican army My gallant sol-
diers, my horsemen with their lances and sabers, will
draw a ring around the Texans through which no
Comanche or Lipan, however daring, will be able to
break."
  He spoke with such fire, such appearance of earnest-
ness, that Ned, despite a mind uncommonly keen and
analytical in one so young, was forced to believe for a
moment. Texas, however, was far and immense, and
there were not enough soldiers in all America to put a
ring around the wild Comanches. But the impression
remained longer with Austin, who was ever hoping for
the best, and ever seeing the best in others.
  Ned was a silent boy who had suffered many hard-
ships, and he had acquired the habit of thought which
in its turn brought observation and judgment. Yet if
Santa Anna was acting he was doing it with consum-
mate skill, and the boy who never said a word watched
him all the time.



8

 


THE PRISONERS



  Santa Anna began to talk now of the great future
that awaited the Texans under the banner of Mexico.
He poured forth the words with so much Latin fervor
that it was almost like listening to a song. Ned felt the
influence of the musical roll coming over him again,
but, with an effort of the will that was almost physical,
he shook it off.
  Santa Anna painted the picture of a dream, a gorgeous
dream of many colors. Mexico was to become a mighty
country and the Texans with their cool courage and
martial energy would be no mean factor in it. Austin
would be one of his lieutenants, a sharer in his great-
ness and reward. His eloquence was wonderful, and
Ned felt once more the fascination of the serpent.
This was a man to whom only the grand and magnificent
appealed, and already he had achieved a part of his
dream.
  Ned moved a little closer to the window. He wished
the fresh air to blow upon his face.- He saw that Mr.
Austin was fully under the spell.  Santa Anna was
making the most beautiful and convincing promises. He
himself was going to Texas. He was the father of his
people. He would right every wrong. He loved the
Texans, these children of the north who had come to
his country for a home. No one could ever say that he
appealed in vain to Santa Anna for protection. Texans
would be proud that they were a part of i\Iexico, they
would be glad to belong to a nation which already had
a glorious history, and to come to a capital which had
more splendor and romance than any other in America.
  Ned literally withdrew his soul within itself. He
sought to shut out the influence that was radiating from
this singular and brilliant figure, but he saw that 'Mr.
Austin was falling more deeply under it.



9

 



THE TEXAN STAR



  " Look! " said Santa Anna, taking the man by the
arm in the familiar manner that one old friend has
with another and drawing him to the window. " Is not
this a prospect to enchant Is not this a capital of which
you and I can well be proud "
  He lifted a forefinger and swept the half curve that
could be seen from the window. It was truly a pano-
rama that would kindle the heart of the dullest. Forty
miles away the white crests of Popocatepetl and Ixtac-
cihuatl still showed against the background of burning
blue, like pillars supporting the dome of heaven. Along
the whole line of the half curve were mountains in fold
on fold. Below the green of the valley showed the
waters of the lake both fresh and salt gleaming with
gold where the sunlight shot down upon them. Nearer
rose the spires of the cathedral, and then the sea of
tile roofs burnished by the vivid beams.
  Santa Anna stood in a dramatic position, his finger
still pointing. There was scarcely a day that Ned did
not feel the majesty of this valley of Tenochtitlan, but
Santa Anna deepened the spell. Could the world hold
another place its equal -Mlight not the Texans indeed
have a glorious future in the land of which this city was
the capital Poetry and romance appealed powerfully to
the boy's thoughtful mind, and he felt that here in Mexico
he was at their very heart. Nothing else had ever moved
him so much.
  " You are pleased! It impresses you! " said Santa
Anna to Austin. " I can see it on your face. You are
with us. You are one of us. Ah, my friend, how noble
it is to have a great heart."
  " Do I go with your message to the Texans" asked
Austin.
  " I must leave now, but I shall come again soon, and



IO

 


THE PRISONERS



I will tell you all. You shall carry words that will sat-
isfy every one of them."
  He threw his arms about Austin's shoulders, gave
Ned a quick salute, and then left the room, taking young
de Zavala with him. Ned heard the heavy bar fall in
place on the outside of the door, and he knew that they
were shut in as tightly as ever. But Mr. Austin was in
a glow.
  "What a wonderful, flexible mind!" he said, more to
himself than to the boy. " I could have preferred a sort
of independence for Texas, but since we're to be ruled
from the City of Mexico, Santa Anna will do the best
he can for us. As soon as he sweeps away the revo-
lutionary troubles he will repair all our injuries."
  Ned was silent. He knew that the generous Austin
was still under Santa Anna's magnetic spell, but after
his departure the whole room was changed to the boy.
He saw clearly again. There were no mists and clouds
about his mind. Moreover, the wonderful half curve
before the window was changing. Vapors were rolling
up from the south and the two great peaks faded from
view. Trees and water in the valley changed to gray.
The skies which had been so bright now became sombei
and menacing.
  The boy felt a deep fear at his heart, but Mr. Austin
seemed to be yet under the influence of Santa Anna,
and talked cheerfully of their speedy return to Texas.
Ned listened in silence and unbelief, while the gloom
outside deepened, and night presently came over Ana-
huac. But he had formed his resolution. He owed
much to Mr. Austin. He had come a vast distance to
be at his side, and to serve him in prison, but he felt
now that he could be of more use elsewhere. More-
over, he must carry a message, a warning to those who



I I

 



THE TEXAN STAR



needed it sorely. One of the windows opened upon the
north, and he looked intently through it trying to pierce,
with the mind's eye at least, the thousand miles that lay
between him and those whom he would reach with the
word.
  Mr. Austin had lighted a candle. Noticing the boy's
gloomy face, he patted him on the head with a benignant
hand and said:
  "Don't be down of heart, Edward. my lad. We'll
soon be on our way to Texas."
  " But this is Mexico, and it is Santa Anna who holds
us."
  " That is true, and it is Santa Anna who is our best
friend."
  Ned did not dispute the sanguine saying. He saw that
Mr. Austin had his opinion, and he had his. The door
was opened again in a half hour and a soldier brought
them their supper. Young de Zavala, who was their im-
mediate guardian, also entered and stood by while they ate.
They had never received poor food, and to-night MIexi-
can hospitality exerted itself - at the instance of Santa
Anna, Ned surmised. In addition to the regular supper
there was an ice and a bottle of Spanish wine.
  " The President has just given an order that the
greatest courtesy be shown to you at all times," said
de Zavala, "and I am very glad. I, too, have people
in that territory of ours from  which you come-
Texas."
  He spoke with undeniable sympathy, and Ned felt his
heart warm toward him, but he decided to say nothing.
He feared that he might betray by some chance word
the plan that he had in mind. But Mr. Austin, believing
in others because he was so truthful and honest himself,
talked freely.



12

 


THE PRISONERS



  "All our troubles will soon be over," he said to de
Zavala.
  "I hope so, Sefior," said the young man earnestly.
  By and by, when de Zavala and the soldier were gone,
Ned went again to the window, stood there a few mo-
ments to harden his resolution, and then came back to
the man.
  " Mr. Austin," he said, " I am going to ask your con-
sent to something."
  The Texan looked up in surprise.
  "Why, Edward, my lad," he said kindly, " you don't
have to ask my consent to anything, after the way in
which you have already sacrificed yourself for me."
  " But I am not going to stay with you any longer, AMr.
Austin -that is, if I can help it. I am going back to
Texas."
  Mr. Austin laughed. It was a mellow and satisfied
laugh.
  " So you are, Edward," he said, " and I am going with
you. You will help me to bear a message of peace and
safety to the Texans."
  Ned paused a moment, irresolute. There was no
change in his determination. He was merely uncertain
about the words to use.
  "There may be delays," he said at last, "and - Mr.
Austin, I have decided to go alone - and within the next
day or two if I can."
  The Texan's face clouded.
  " I cannot understand you," he said.  " \Vhy this
hurry It would in reality be a breach of faith to our
great friend, Santa Anna-that is, if you could go. I
don't believe you can.'
  Ned was troubled. Hie was tempted to tell what was
in his mind, but he knew that he would not be believed,



I3

 


TIlE TEXAN STAR



so he fell back again upon his infinite capacity for
silence. Mr. Austin read resolution in the closed lips
and rigid figure.
  "Do you really mean that you will attempt to steal
away" he asked.
  "As soon as I can."
  The man shook his head.
  " It would be better not to do so," he said, " but you
are your own master, and I see I cannot dissuade you
from the attempt. But, boy, you will promise me not
to take any unnecessary or foolish risks "
  " I promise gladly, and, Mr. Austin, I hate to leave
you here."
  Their quarters were commodious and Ned slept alone
in a small room to the left of the main apartment. It
was a bare place with only a bed and a chair, but it was
lighted by a fairly large windolw. Ned examined this
window critically. It had a horizontal iron bar across
the middle, and it was about thirty feet from the ground.
He pulled at the iron bar with both hands but, although
rusty with time, it would not move in its socket. Then
he measured the two spaces between the bar and the
wall.
  Hope sprang up in the boy's heart. Then he did a
strange thing. He removed nearly all his clothing and
tried to press his head and shoulders between the bar
and the wall. His head, which was of the long narrow
type, so common in the scholar, would have gone through
the aperture, had it not been for his hair which was
long, and which grew uncommonly thick. His shoulders
were very thick and broad and they, too, halted him.
He drew back and felt a keen thrill of disappointment.
  But he was a boy who usually clung tenaciously to
an idea, and, sitting down, he concentrated his mind



14

 


                THE PRISONERS                    I5

upon the plan that hie had formed. By and by a possible
way out came to him. Then he lay down upon the bed,
drew a blanket over him because the night was chill in
the City of Mexico, and calmly sought sleep.


 









CHAPTER II



                    A HAIR-CUT

T HE optimism of Mr. Austin endured the next
      morning, but Ned was gloomy. Since it was his
      habit to be silent, the man did not notice it at
first. The breakfast was good, with tortillas, frijoles,
other Mexican dishes and coffee, but the boy had no
appetite. He merely picked at his food, made a faint
effort or two to drink his coffee and finally put the cup
back almost full in the saucer. Then Mr. Austin began
to observe.
  " Are you ill, Ned " he asked. " Is this imprisonment
beginning to tell upon you I had thought that you were
standing it well. Can't you eat"
  " I don't believe I'm hungry," replied the boy, " but
there is nothing else the matter with me. I'll be all right,
Uncle Steve. Don't you bother about me."
  He ate a little breakfast, about one half of the usual
amount, and then, asking to be excused, went to the
window, where he again stared out at the tiled roofs, the
green foliage in the valley of Mexico and the ranges
and peaks beyond. He was taking his resolution, and
he was carrying it out, but it was hard, very hard. He
foresaw that he would have to strengthen his will many,
many times. Mr. Austin took no further worry on
Ned's account, thinking that he would be all right again
in a day or two.
  But at the dinner which was brought to them in the
                         i6

 


A HAIR-CUT



middle of the day Ned showed a marked failure of
appetite, and Mr. Austin felt real concern. The boy,
however, was sure that he would be all right before the
day was over.
  "It must be the lack of fresh air and exercise," said
Mr. Austin. " You can really take exercise in here, Ned.
Besides, you said that you were going to escape. If
you fall ill you will have no chance at all."
  He spoke half in jest, but Ned took him seriously.
  "I am not ill, Uncle Steve," he said. " I really feel
very well, but I have lost my appetite. Maybe I am
getting tired of these Mexican dishes."
  " Take exercise! take exercise ! " said Mr. Austin with
emphasis.
  " I think I will," said Ned.
  Physical exercise, after all, fitted in with his ideas,
and that afternoon he worked hard at all the gymnastic
feats possible within the three rooms to which they were
confined. De Zavala came in and expressed his aston-
ishment at the athletic feats, which Ned continued with
unabated zeal despite his presence.
  "Why do you do these things" he asked in won-
der.
  " To keep myself strong and healthy. I ought to have
begun them sooner. The Mexican air is depressing, and
I find that I am losing my appetite."
  De Zavala's eyes opened wide while Ned deftly turned
a handspring. Then the young American sat down
panting, his face flushed with as healthy a color as one
could find anywhere.
  " You'll have an appetite to-night," said Mr. Austin.
But to his great amazement Ned again played with his
food, eating only half the usual amount.
  " You're surely ill," said Mr. Austin. " I've no doubt



I7

 



THE TEXAN STAR



de Zavala would allow us to have a physician, and I
shall ask him for one."
  " Don't do it, Uncle Steve," begged Ned. " There's
nothing at all the matter with me, and anyhow I wouldn't
want a Mexican doctor fussing over me. I've probably
been eating too much."
  Mr. Austin was forced to accede. The boy certainly
did not look ill, and his appetite was bound to become
normal again in a few days. But it did not. As far as
Mr. Austin could measure it, Ned was eating less and
less. It was obvious that he was thinner. He was also
growing much paler, except for a red flush on the cheek
bones. \Ir. Austin became alarmed, but Ned obstinately
refused any help, always asserting with emphasis that
he had no ailment of any kind. But the man could see
that he had become much lighter, and he wondered at the
boy's physical failure. De Zavala, aiso, expressed his
sorrow in sonorous Spanish, but Ned, while thanking
them, steadily disclaimed any need of sympathy.
  The boy found the days hard, but the nights were
harder. For the first time in his life he could not sleep
well. He would lie for hours so wide awake that his
eyes grew used to the dark, and he could see everything
in his room. He was troubled, too, by bad dreams and
in many of these dreams he was a living skeleton, wan-
dering about and condemned to live forever without
food. More than once he bitterly regretted the resolu-
tion he had taken, but having taken it, he would never
alter it. His silent, concentrated nature would not let
him. Yet he endured undoubted torture day by day.
Torture was the only name for it.
  " I shall send an application to President Santa Anna
to have you allowed a measure of liberty," said Mr.
Austin finally. " You are simply pining away here, Ed-



19

 


A HAIR-CUT



ward, my lad. You cannot eat, that is, you eat only a
little. I have passed the most tempting and delicate
things to you and you always refuse. No boy of your
age would do so unless something were very much wrong
with his physical system. You have lost many pounds,
and if this keeps on I do not know what will happen to
you. I shall not ask for more liberty for you, but you
must have a doctor at once."
  " I do not want any doctor, Uncle Steve," said the
boy. " He cannot do me any good, but there is some-
body else whom I want."
   XWho is he"
   "A barber."
   "A barber! Now what good can a barber do you"
   "A great deal. What I crave most in the world is a
hair-cut, and only a barber can do that for me. SMy hair
has been growing for more than three months, Uncle
Steve, and you've seen how extremely thick it is. Now
it is so long, too, that it's falling all about my eyes.
Its weight is oppressing my brain. I feel a little touch
of fever now and then, and I believe it's this awful ha