I have said!"
Scarcely were these words finished, when the general and his four
followers found themselves surrounded by twenty Comanches, who conducted
them back to the stream in rather an abrupt manner. The greatest officer
of the land swore revenge, but as his guides did not understand him, he
was lucky enough to reserve his tongue for more lies and more swearing
at a more fitting time.
He soon rejoined his men, and fell back with them about a mile,
apparently to prepare for an attack upon our encampment. In the evening,
Roche and some five or six Indians passed the stream a few miles below,
that they might observe what the Texans were about; but unfortunately
they met with a party of ten of the enemy hunting, and Roche fell
heavily under his horse, which was killed by a rifle-shot. One of the
Comanches immediately jumped from his horse, rescued Roche from his
dangerous position, and, notwithstanding that the Texans were at that
instant charging, he helped Roche to his own saddle and bade him fly.
Roche was too much stupefied by his fall that he could not reflect, or
otherwise his generous nature would never have permitted him to save his
life at the expense of that of the noble fellow who was thus sacrificing
himself. As it was, he darted away, and his liberator, receiving the
shock of the assailants, killed two of them, and fell pierced with their
rifle-balls[23].
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