Dade’s Last Command by Frank Laumer

Author:Frank Laumer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University Press of Florida
Published: 2015-07-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Four

The Fourth Day

Saturday, December 26, 1835

Before dawn a messenger was brought to Belton from Holata Emathla. An interpreter listened, thought, turned the Seminole words into English: Some of Holata Emathla’s people had just come in from getting stock … among them were men who had wives among the hostiles … the women had heard scouts report that the major and his soldiers had crossed the Lokcha-popka-chiska yesterday morning … had marched on toward the Weewa-thlock-ko. Chief Yaholoochee (called Cloud by the white men), leading some of the Pea Creek band and the party who burnt the bridge, planned to attack the soldiers tomorrow night. Holata Emathla was anxious that this warning be carried by express to the major … and he urged that his son, if he was still with the soldiers, be allowed to return with the runner.1

God almighty. Dade had crossed the Hillsborough—was pushing on. Belton had taken for granted that the command would be delayed at the river, that Jewell would reach them there, that Dade would wait. Mountfort would have had only twenty miles or so to go, could have reached him today with a forced march. Still, Jewell should have reached the command last night, even beyond the river. With the knowledge that Mountfort was in, was leaving at dawn, Dade would surely hold up where he was. But now the distance was thirty, thirty-five miles—more than Mountfort could cover in a day. And the Seminoles were lying in wait. He had let himself believe it was only a rumor—Indian talk. At least Holata Emathla believed it, wanted to get his son back before the shooting started. And if he were to credit the warning, if the Seminoles were prepared to attack Dade, what of Mountfort with only fifty men? And if Dade didn’t wait, Mountfort could never reach him now. Have to send an express, warn Dade, let him know that Mountfort and … well, that Mountfort was on the way…. No, he couldn’t do that … couldn’t send him alone … have to wait for Greyson. But how long? … There had been no lights on the bay all night. Still, if Greyson was in the bay, could disembark his command quickly …

The sun finally rose with a clear morning light, the bay watched by every open eye. The light spread, Gadsden’s Point visible more than five miles south, the open water of Tampa Bay beyond. Empty. It seemed impossible. Officers, soldiers, and civilians exchanged rumors. Most seemed to believe that Greyson was in the bay, though no one claimed to have seen his ship. But the peninsula jutting down into the bay from the north that terminated in Gadsden’s Point split the upper part of Tampa Bay in half. The fort stood on the east side of the east lobe, called Hillsborough Bay, while the west lobe, or Old Tampa Bay, twice as large as Hillsborough, was concealed from view by the peninsula between. Looking west from the fort it was a good two miles across Hillsborough, another mile across the heavily wooded peninsula.

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