Nor had they found any opportunity to capture Braxton Wyatt and his maps
and plans. Nevertheless, they hung so closely on the trail of Alvarez that
every night and morning they could see the smoke of his camp fire.
They stopped one evening in a cove of the river, sheltered by great
mournful cypresses, and Henry and Shif'less Sol went out again to
scrutinize the Spanish camp. They returned before midnight with unusual
news. Alvarez with his whole force had turned from the Mississippi and had
gone up a bayou about four miles. There he had landed some of his small
cannon and stores at a rude wharf, and showed all the signs of making a
stay, but whether short or long they could not tell.
"Alvarez must have a place, a plantation, I believe they call it, near
here," said Paul intuitively, "and he's going to stop at it. As he wants
to get Spain into a war with us he could plot a lot of mischief in a house
of his own away from New Orleans."
"Of course, that's it," said Henry with conviction. "Now if we could only
capture Braxton Wyatt and then carry off the fellow and his maps and plans
with us, it would be a great stroke. It might make Alvarez quit his wicked
plot."
Henry and Shif'less Sol slept briefly, and rising before daylight, went
forth to investigate again.
Pages:
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169