Adventure Magazine Cover — page 81: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

William Walker, Filibuster Colonel Walker formed squads. of the ‘natives, giving each of his white men a com- mand of three barefoots. He studied the ground for a moment and stationed these squads to best advantage. The little officer was never known to laugh. He was a taciturn man, very earnest and terribly serious. Yet when he glanced behind his army at the deep green waters of the Gran Lago he smiled grimly. The jabbering mob was sweeping toward them at a steady run. The shouts of “Drive the white dogs into the sea!’’ had changed to “Drive the white dogs into the lake!” Walker’s high-pitched voice popped with nervous energy as he rose on’ tiptoe and gave on old-time American order— “Fire when you see the whites of their eyes!” The little squads of four with a white man at the point of each wedge stood firm. A bullet cut through Colonel Walker’s coat and penetrated a packet of letters. An- other glancing ball struck him in the neck and knocked him sprawling. As he strug- gled to his knees Captain Doubleday rushed to his side and helped him to his feet. Then the fury of hell broke upon the little band. Hubbub was let loose. Rifles and horse-pistols banged with deafening rapidity. Swords and bowie-knives slashed into bodies. 7 : : The fierce charge of the enemy with a dead weight of seventeen hundred running men carried them clear on to the lake on either side of the little army. But at the center the ranks were mowed down. At this point the forces of General Guardiola fell like grain before a scythe. The flanks closed in. Walker’s army was borne backward by the second rush until his men stood upon the very brink of the lake. Valle, the Indian ally, sprang from group to group and exhorted his men in Spanish and Maya. Unfamiliar muskets were dropped and familiar machetes were grasped by brown hands. Naturalized white Nicaraguans and na- tive brown brothers surged shoulder to ° shoulder in a semicircle that met the howl- ing mob on front and flanks. To the pop- ping of guns was added the chopping slash- slash of gleaming heavy machetes. Heads were falling from bodies and being cleft in half by the short broadswords. The semicircle widened and was thrust back upon itself time and again. A wall - fierce charge. 75 of human bodies grew around the battling one hundred.and sixty men. They had slain triple their number. Walker clambered upon the wall of dead that surrounded them and gave a shrill yell. The gray eyes were flashing sparks of fire. The narrow mouth was set. His tow hair sprouted upward in an uncanny white mop. ‘The other white men reechoed his yells with a cheer that shook the earth. Guardiola’s army paused. A hail of musket-balls rained around Colonel Walker. He threw back his head and yelled defiance, again and again. The wedge-shaped squads forged to his side, and into the midst of the enemy they charged furiously. Battling their way up the hill in a crescendo of fury and daring, they broke the ranks of the ‘enemy and set them to running. The rum had died in Guardiola’s army. Empty jugs were being kicked under foot. Dead men were lying all about. Guardiola’s officers beat and kicked to stop the retreat. The yelling white men were using gun-butts, and the native allies were chopping lanes with their machetes. Those who had failed to run previously now broke and joined the wild stampede toward Rivas. Walker’s men speeded them on their way for a few miles and then returned. For an hour and a half they had fought hand to hand with the speed of demons. They had killed several times their own number in the struggle. Wounded men were groaning on all sides, and Dr. Alex Jones was having them gathered up so he could treat them, a thing not done before in Central America. Walker’s army lost only a drummer-boy, a lad of sixteen who was at Colonel Walker’s side in the last He now sprawled over his silent drum. V BATTLE followed battle, whole books full of details of them, written by Walker and by other literary men in his command. There was no stop- ping this army in the cause of freedom. They seized a lake steamer and captured the fortiffed stronghold of the Serviles at Granada. From this base they waged a bitter and ceaseless war. They brought the Serviles to utter defeat. The aristocratic Serviles begged humbly for (e(6) JOOKS AACE (E90)