Assault on Fort Bennett by Fenton Sadler

Author:Fenton Sadler [Sadler, Fenton]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Robert Hale
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

When the colonel came to he was seated on his horse, with his wrists bound together. His head felt vile, as though he had the worst hangover of his whole, entire life, combined with a bout of heatstroke and the ague. He had no recollection of being mounted upon the horse. As he recovered his senses a little he became aware that he was at the centre of a small cluster of men near to the fort’s entrance.

Don Jose was overcoming some remonstrance from a man to his left. Sykes saw to his horror that it was one of the Spaniard’s sons: the one he had cracked round the head with the metal rod. This man too was mounted on horseback and Sykes realized that he was to be escorted by this fellow to wherever it was that he was going. This boded ill for his future welfare. He glanced to the right and saw the other son sitting on a horse. When this man saw that Colonel Sykes was awake he gave him an evil leer that suggested that there was to be some sort of reckoning for the bruises which he had given the two youngsters.

The argument seemed to be about his belongings: the Springfield rifle, black powder, pistol and so on. The two boys wanted to keep these things for themselves, but Don Jose insisted that all should be handed over to the Comanche with the prisoner as a goodwill gesture. It seemed to Sykes that he and all his possessions were being given in payment for the firing pins.

Don Jose was not a man used to being crossed and the boys sullenly agreed that they would hand over all the weaponry, along with the colonel. Don Jose came round to bid him farewell.

He said, ‘I truly wish that matters might have taken another course, my dear Colonel. But there it is; we shall not meet again. I only hope that your death is not as prolonged as some of which I have heard.’

Sykes stared at the comanchero leader and said softly, ‘I will be back, Don Jose. I will be back, and when I return I will kill you. Don’t doubt it.’

‘Perhaps. What will be, will be. For now, farewell.’

The party left Fort Bennett at a walk, Don Jose’s sons riding on either side of Colonel Sykes. None of the three men spoke a word: for twenty minutes they just walked on in this fashion. When they were completely out of view of the fort the two young men halted their horses and turned to Sykes. Their Spanish was fairly literate, not at all like the weird dialect spoken by the Mexicans and half-breeds.

‘We far enough from the fort now?’ one said to his brother.

‘Surely,’ replied the other. ‘Nobody can see us from here.’

‘We must not damage his legs. If he does not give good sport the Indians will complain to Pa and we’ll catch it hot.’

‘There’s much we can do, without touching his legs.’

None of this made very pleasant listening for a man whose wrists were lashed together with leather thongs.

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