Adventure Magazine Cover — page 75: what you’re looking at

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

hat a 4 ‘ Se ie: Me - nies 1 4 My William Walker, Filibuster Men thrilled and grasped his hand. Hun- dreds promised. Walker got together a thousand dollars by popular subscription and chartered a brig, the Vesta, but the day she sailed only fifty-six men showed up. This did not daunt him. How he fared in Nicaragua shall be shown at closer range. 2 ow the jungles. At the head is a zambo guide, dressed in a breech-clout and wielding a machete. Behind him is a small man wearing a black slouch hat and a blue flannel shirt, with corduroy trousers stuffed into his heavy cowhide boots. Across his shoulder is a rifle. A pistol is thrust into a holster on one side of his belt and a sword dangles from the other. The handle of a bowie-knife is protruding from each boot- top.. William Walker in campaign outfit. Behind him march in single file the fifty- six immortals dressed in similar manner and armed in similar style except that they lack the sword and in addition they were packing heavy blanket rolls upon their backs. They II A CARAVAN is winding through are big men, for the most part, tall, heavily — bearded, and upon each man’s hat is pinned a ribbon, the red ribbon of the liberals; for they had landed at Realejo farther up the coast and met the revolutionary chieftain and had become naturalized by the simple expedient of declaring themselves Nica- raguans. Castellon had furnished Walker with one hundred and ten native allies, and these were following through the jungles somewhere in the rear. The Vesta had landed them at Point Gigante, nine leagues to the north of San Juan del Sur. They were intending to surprize the opposing army, the Serviles, at Rivas. Suddenly the murky dimness gave place to sunlight which filtered through the thin- ning forest. The zambo ran forward to the edge of the plain where the jungle ended. The little officer came abreast of him. The zambo pointed to the red roofs of the city a few miles away. The officer nodded. The half-breed started back over the path they had arrived over. As he disappeared the van of the native reenforcements began to appear from the jungle trail. They swarmed out, a motly array of Spanish mixtures with Indian. One, a lanky, dark-skinned man with pointed mustachios, wore shoes. This calzado, or Sen ee en s. ot wie Stas at Rete se eee ee . ~ a - « < 4 a shoe-clad one, was Ramirez, the officer in charge of them. _ The best dressed of the native forces wore shirt, breeches and straw hat. The poorer dressed wore a breech-clout or ragged drawers. They were voluntarios and were armed with rusty muskets, machetes or lances. > + Ee oe Tee _ eee. a ee Xk cee Oe "7 ee 8 oe OS OC Ee Ph Be Pomed ge ee we hae ae Ne ge PROG Sy nS giles A oo: % et te al fake Poe my &. ee ie Wetene wee nl et Eee ae ot ee E wp oe oe yt ie oe 69 The diminutive white officer Walker ex- plained the plan of attack. They were to march swiftly to the city and capture it. Colonel Bosque was entrenched in the city with one thousand two hundred~ native veterans. Walker’s voice was low and tense with pent strength as he harangued the men in English and Spanish for a few. moments. His words caused men’s teeth to set grimly and their hair to tingle with zeal. | With the American-born white men in' the van the body of one hundred and sixty- eight men began to march swiftly across the plain toward the city. A half-mile from the outskirts puffs of smoke were seen aris- ing from the outposts and clouds of dust began to spring up around them. Walker’s, orders to advance at double quick rang out. The American-born Nica- raguans dashed down their blanket rolls and _ started advancing. Walker dashed to the front, and, sprinting lustily, led the running men into the end of a narrow street tha ran toward the plaza. , A barricade blocked the street. <A hail of bullets swept over their heads. They crouched low and dashed upon it. Hurdling it, they fell upon the jabbering troupe be- hind it. Steel crashed upon steel. . Yells rent the air. Gun-butts thudded upon heads and slashing bowie-knives ripped into panting chests. The loud yells of Walker’s men burst forth as they carried the place and swept on. Another barricade was encountered. In like manner they crossed it. A galling rifle-fire was pouring upon them from loop-holes cut through the buildings on either side of the street. They were zig- _zagging as they ran and presented poor targets. Now and then a rifle would fly to a shoulder, and with unerring aim the sharp- shooter would fire through a loop-hole as he swept onward. A horde of men charged out of the plaza and met them hand to hand. On and on came this horde in waves which began far back of the plaza and surged across it like Gomichboo gS)