![34. Match the following file types to their description.
I. Sockets A. Unbuffered files used to exchange data
II. Character devices B. Virtual connections between two processes
III. Named pipes C. Provide a FIFO mechanism
IV. Block devices D. Buffered files used to exchange data
Answer: B A C D Reference: File Systems Difficulty: Difficult
35. Match the type of directory to its definition.
I. /lib A. Where files with no names are placed
II. /etc B. Contains information on printers, log files, and transient data
III. /lost+found C. Could be a rich source of evidence if not recently cleaned
IV. /var D. Library files
V. /tmp E. Contains shadow password files
Answer: D E A B C Reference: System Directories Difficulty: Difficult
36. Match the following GREP tokens with their related functions.
I. * A. Used to match the ASCII hexadecimal representation of a single character
II. xHH B. Implements an OR situation
III. [] C. When placed after a character, matches any number of occurrences of that character
IV. . D. Matches a single character
Answer: C A B D Reference: Using Grep to Search File Contents Difficulty: Difficult
37. Match the hex signature with its file extension.
I. 00 00 01 00 A. BMP
II. FF D8 FF E1 xx xx 45 78 69 66 00 B. ICO
III. 42 4D C. PNG
IV. 89 50 4E 47 0D 0A 1A 0A D. JPEG
Answer: B D A C Reference: File Signatures Difficulty: Difficult](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/8837-250326072920-ed838c7a/85/Computer-Forensics-Principles-and-Practices-1st-Edition-Volonino-Test-Bank-11-320.jpg)
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- 5. CHAPTER 7: INVESTIGATING WINDOWS, LINUX, AND GRAPHIC FILES Multiple Choice: 1. Examples of user data include all of the following EXCEPT A. User passwords B. User profiles C. Program files D. Temp files Answer: A Reference: Investigating Windows Systems Difficulty: Easy 2. In an NTFS system, by default, which of the following have access to files and folders not uniquely theirs? A. Each user in the Group folder B. Only those users in the Users folder C. Each user who successfully logs in D. Only the user assigned to those resources Answer: D Reference: Separation of Duties Difficulty: Moderate 3. All of the following are key differences in identifying an operating system EXCEPT A. The Recycle Bin folder B. Operating system folder names C. User root folder construction D. Folders containing group userids Answer: D Reference: Identifying the Operating System Difficulty: Moderate of a Target Hard Drive
- 6. 4. Which of the following is the primary default folder in Windows 2000 and XP? A. Documents and Settings B. My Documents C. User Root D. My Computer Answer: A Reference: Documents and Settings Folder Difficulty: Moderate 5. The user root folder may contain all of the following EXCEPT A. Internet data B. Application parameters C. Wallpaper D. Registry settings Answer: D Reference: User Root Folder Difficulty: Difficult 6. Sources of e-evidence within Windows subfolders can include all of the following EXCEPT A. Pointers to Office files B. Listing of programs on the Quick Launch bar C. Pointers to Internet Favorites D. The user’s address book Answer: C Reference: Application Data Folder Difficulty: Moderate 7. In a forensics context, hidden information about files and folders is called A. Artifact data B. Metadata C. Archive data D. Read-only data Answer: B Reference: Metadata Difficulty: Moderate
- 7. 8. All configuration information needed by the operating may be located in which of the following? A. System folder B. Configuration file C. Autoexec.bat file D. Registry hives Answer: D Reference: Registry Difficulty: Moderate 9. When you send a job to the printer, Windows creates a(n) A. Enhanced metafile (EMF) B. Enhanced image file (IMF) C. Temporary print file (TPF) D. Tagged image format file (TIFF) Answer: A Reference: Print Spool Difficulty: Moderate 10. Which of the following is NOT one of the file types available within Linux? A. Block devices B. Directories C. Named pipes D. Superblock Answer: D Reference: File Systems Difficulty: Moderate 11. Which of the following is one of the default directories created when installing Linux? A. /setup B. /default C. /bin D. /swap Answer: C Reference: System Directories Difficulty: Moderate
- 8. 12. Which of the following is considered an excellent source to obtain information on when passwords were last changed within a Linux system? A. /etc/sysconfig B. /etc/shadow/passwd C. /etc/shadow D. /etc Answer: C Reference: Key Linux Files and Directories to Investigate Difficulty: Moderate 13. If you change a file extension by renaming the file, A. You also change the data in the file B. You will not be able to open the file C. Windows will change the icon that represents the file D. You also change the data header Answer: C Reference: File Signatures Difficulty: Moderate 14. In steganography, the original file that contains the hidden information is the A. Steganographic carrier B. Carrier medium C. Hiding medium D. Concealing medium Answer: B Reference: Steganography Difficulty: Moderate 15. Clues that may indicate stego use include all of the following EXCEPT A. The sophistication of the computer’s owner B. Software clues on the computer C. Type of crime being investigated D. Large number of files in the Recycle Bin Answer: D Reference: Steganography Difficulty: Moderate
- 9. Fill in the Blank: 16. System data and artifacts are files generated by the ________. Answer: operating system Reference: Investigating Windows Systems Difficulty: Moderate 17. Files are first loaded into a(n) ________ before being printed. Answer: buffer Reference: Investigating Windows Systems Difficulty: Difficult 18. A(n) ________ is created by the computer for each user. Answer: userid Reference: Data and User Authentication Weaknesses of FAT Difficulty: Moderate 19. A(n) ________ is designed as a hierarchical listing of folders and files. Answer: directory tree structure Reference: Identifying the Operating System Difficulty: Moderate of a Target Hard Drive 20. The ________ folder is used by Internet sites to store information about the user. Answer: Cookies Reference: Cookies Folder Difficulty: Moderate 21. The ________ subfolder lists the files that the user has accessed over several time periods. Answer: History Reference: Local Settings Folder Difficulty: Moderate 22. The ________ folder generally contains information concerning the programs the user typically works with. Answer: Start Menu Reference: Start Menu Folder Difficulty: Moderate 23. One application of metadata used by Windows is an uncommon storage concept called ________. Answer: alternate data streams Reference: Metadata Difficulty: Difficult 24. Windows NT and higher changed the registry to a mixture of several files referred to as ________. Answer: hives Reference: Registry Difficulty: Moderate 25. The ________ tracks those actions deemed as events by the software application. Answer: application log Reference: Event Logs Difficulty: Easy 26. By default, the ________ is used as virtual memory. Answer: swap file (or page file) Reference: Swap File/Page File Difficulty: Moderate 27. The ________ command gives Linux users the ability to perform administrative duties, which require a separate password for each user. Answer: sudo Reference: Investigating Linux Systems Difficulty: Moderate
- 10. 28. In Linux, everything—including all devices, partitions, and folders—is seen as a unified ________. Answer: file system Reference: Investigating Linux Systems Difficulty: Moderate 29. ________ are used to determine where data starts and ends when graphic files are located in unallocated or slack space. Answer: File signatures Reference: Graphic File Forensics Difficulty: Moderate 30. The process of retrieving image data from unallocated or slack space is called ________. Answer: data carving (or salvaging) Reference: Data Carving Difficulty: Moderate Matching: 31. Match the following to their definitions. I. User profiles A. Internet history files II. Program files B. Installed applications III. Temp files C. Though used only briefly, they are not deleted IV. Application-level files D. Data created by a user Answer: D B C A Reference: Terms throughout the chapter Difficulty: Moderate 32. Match the following keys to their hive file. I. HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT A. Default II. HKEY_USERS.Default B. System III. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESAM C. SAM IV. HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG D. Software Answer: D A C B Reference: Registry Difficulty: Difficult 33. Match the following to their data structures. I. Data block A. Contain metadata for each file II. Inodes B. Unit of allocation for storage III. Dentry object C. Created for every file system mounted IV. Superblock D. Contains information about the directory structure Answer: B A D C Reference: File Systems Difficulty: Moderate
- 11. 34. Match the following file types to their description. I. Sockets A. Unbuffered files used to exchange data II. Character devices B. Virtual connections between two processes III. Named pipes C. Provide a FIFO mechanism IV. Block devices D. Buffered files used to exchange data Answer: B A C D Reference: File Systems Difficulty: Difficult 35. Match the type of directory to its definition. I. /lib A. Where files with no names are placed II. /etc B. Contains information on printers, log files, and transient data III. /lost+found C. Could be a rich source of evidence if not recently cleaned IV. /var D. Library files V. /tmp E. Contains shadow password files Answer: D E A B C Reference: System Directories Difficulty: Difficult 36. Match the following GREP tokens with their related functions. I. * A. Used to match the ASCII hexadecimal representation of a single character II. xHH B. Implements an OR situation III. [] C. When placed after a character, matches any number of occurrences of that character IV. . D. Matches a single character Answer: C A B D Reference: Using Grep to Search File Contents Difficulty: Difficult 37. Match the hex signature with its file extension. I. 00 00 01 00 A. BMP II. FF D8 FF E1 xx xx 45 78 69 66 00 B. ICO III. 42 4D C. PNG IV. 89 50 4E 47 0D 0A 1A 0A D. JPEG Answer: B D A C Reference: File Signatures Difficulty: Difficult
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- 13. "On my honour, no. Your place, in my opinion, is wherever a snare is laid; hence nothing is more natural than your presence." "It is wrong, John Davis, for a man to take advantage of his weakness to insult people, especially when he is ignorant of their intentions." "Ah, they appear to me tolerably clear at this moment." "You might be mistaken." "I do not believe it. However, I shall soon be certain." "What are you doing?" "As you see, I am dismounting." In fact, the American leapt from his horse, drew his pistols from the holsters, and walked toward the monk with a most quiet step and thoroughly natural air. "Why do you not go, as I advised you to do?" Fray Antonio continued. "For two reasons, my dear Señor. The first is, that I have no orders or advice to receive from you; the second, because I shall not be sorry to be present at the pretty little act of scoundrelism you are of course meditating." "Then your intention is—" "To defend my friend, by Heaven!" the American exclaimed, warmly. "What! your friend?" the monk said, in amazement: "why, only a minute ago you were trying to take his life." "My dear Señor," Davis remarked, ironically, "there are certain remarks whose sense you unhappily never catch. Understand me clearly: I am ready to kill this gentleman, but I will not consent to see him assassinated. That is clear enough, hang it all!" Fray Antonio burst into a laugh. "Singular man!" he said.
- 14. "Am I not?" Then turning to his adversary, who still stood perfectly quiet, he continued: "My dear Colonel, we will resume, at a later date, the interesting interview which this worthy Padre so untowardly interrupted. For the present, permit me to restore you one of the pistols you so generously lent me; it is undoubted that these scamps will kill us; but, at any rate, we shall have the pleasure of settling three or four of them first." "Thank you, Davis," the Colonel answered, "I expected nothing less from you. I accept your proposition as frankly as you make it." And he took the pistol, and cocked it. The American took his place by his side, and bowed to the stranger with mocking courtesy. "Señores," he said, "you can charge us whenever you think proper, for we are prepared to sustain your charge bravely." "Ah, ah!" said Fray Antonio, "Then you really mean it?" "What!—mean it? The question seems to me somewhat simple; I suppose you think the hour and place well chosen for a joke?" The monk shrugged his shoulders, and turned to the men who accompanied him. "Be off!" he said. "In an hour I will join you again, you know where." The strangers gave a nod of assent, and disappeared almost instantaneously among the trees and shrubs. The monk then threw his weapons on the ground, and drew so near to the men as almost to touch them. "Are you still afraid?" he said; "It is I now who am in your power." "Halloh!" Davis said, as he uncocked his pistol, "why, what is the meaning of this?" "If, instead of taking me as a bandit, as you did, you had taken the trouble to reflect, you would have understood that I had but one object, and that was, to prevent the resumption of the obstinate fight which my presence so fortunately interrupted."
- 15. "But how did you arrive here so opportunely?" "Accident did it all. Ordered by our Commander-in-chief to watch the enemy's movements, I posted myself on the two roads, in order to take prisoner all the scouts who came in this direction." "Then you do not owe either the Colonel or myself any grudge?" "Perhaps," he said, with hesitation, "I have not quite forgotten the unworthy treatment you inflicted on me; but, at any rate, I have given up all thoughts of vengeance." John Davis reflected for a moment, and then said, as he offered him his hand, "You are a worthy monk. I see that you are faithful to the pledge of amendment you made. I am sorry for what I did." "I will say the same, Señor," the Colonel remarked; "I was far from expecting such generosity on your part." "One word, now, Señores." "Speak," they said, "we are listening." "Promise me not to renew that impious duel, and follow my example by forgetting your hatred." The two men stretched out their hand with a simultaneous movement. "That is well," he continued, "I am happy to see you act thus. Now let us separate. You, Colonel, will mount and return to camp—the road is free, and no one will try to oppose your passing. As for you, John Davis, please to follow me. Your long absence has caused a degree of alarm which your presence will doubtless dissipate. I had orders to try and obtain news of you." "Good-bye for the present," the Colonel said; "forget, Señor Davis, what passed between us at the outset of our meeting, and merely remember the manner in which we separate." "May we, Colonel, meet again under happier auspices, when I may be permitted to express to you all the sympathy with which your
- 16. frank and loyal character inspires me." After exchanging a few words more, and cordially shaking hands, the three men separated. Colonel Melendez set off at a gallop in the direction of the rancho, while the monk and Davis started at an equal pace in exactly the opposite direction. It was about midnight when the Colonel reached the main guard, where an aide-de-camp of the General was waiting for him. A certain degree of animation appeared to prevail in the rancho. Instead of sleeping, as they might be expected to be doing at so late an hour, the soldiers were traversing the streets in large numbers; in short, an extreme agitation was visible everywhere. "What is the matter?" the Colonel asked the aide-de-camp. "The General will tell you himself," the officer answered, "for he is impatiently expecting you, and has already asked several times for you." "Oh, then, there is something new." "I believe so." The Colonel pushed on ahead, and in a few minutes found himself before the house occupied by the General. The house was full of noise and light; but so soon as the General perceived the young man, he left the officers with whom he was talking, and walked quickly toward him. "Here you are at last," he said; "I was impatiently expecting you." "What is the matter then?" the Colonel asked, astounded at this reception, which he was far from expecting, for he had left the camp so quiet, and found it on his return so noisy. "You shall know, Señores," the General added addressing the officers in the room: "be kind enough not to go away. I shall be with you in an instant. Follow me, Colonel." Don Juan bowed, and passed into an adjoining room, the door of which the General shut after him. Hardly were they alone, ere the
- 17. General took the young man affectionately by one of his coat buttons, and fixed on him a glance that seemed trying to read the depths of his heart. "Since your departure," he said, "we have had a visit from a friend of yours." "A friend of mine?" the young man repeated. "Or, at any rate, of a man who gives himself out as such." "I only know one man in this country," the Colonel replied distinctly, "who, despite the opinions that divide us, can justly assume that title." "And that man is?" "The Jaguar." "Do you feel a friendship for him?" "Yes." "But he is a bandit." "Possibly he is so to you, General; from your point of sight, it is possible that you are right. I neither descry his character, nor condemn him; I am attached to him, for he saved my life." "But you fight against him, for all that." "Certainly; for being hurled into two opponent camps, each of us serves the cause that appears to him the better. But, for all that, we are not the less attached to each other in our hearts." "I am not at all disposed to blame you, my friend, for our inclinations should be independent of our political opinions. But let us return to the subject which at this moment is the most interesting to us. A man, I say, presented himself during your absence at the outposts as being a friend of yours." "That is strange," the Colonel muttered, searching his memory; "and did he mention his name?"
- 18. "Of course; do you think I would have received him else? However, he is in this very house, for I begged him to await your return." "But his name, my dear General?" "He calls himself Don Felix Paz." "Oh," the Colonel exclaimed eagerly, "he spoke the truth, General, for he is really one of my dearest friends." "Then we can place in him——" "Full and entire confidence; I answer for him on my head," the young officer interrupted warmly. "I am the more pleased at what you tell me, because this man assured me that he held in his hands means that would enable us to give the rebels a tremendous thrashing." "If he has promised it, General, he will do so without doubt. I presume you have had a serious conversation with him?" "Not at all. You understand, my friend, that I was not willing, till I had previously conversed with you, to listen to this man, who after all might have been a spy of the enemy." "Capital reasoning; and what do you propose doing now?" "Hearing him; he told me enough for me, in the prevision of what is happening at this moment, to have everything prepared for action at a moment's notice; hence no time will have been lost." "Very good! We will listen to him then." The General clapped his hands, and an aide-de-camp came in. "Request Don Felix to come hither, Captain." Five minutes later, the ex-Major-domo of the Larch-tree hacienda entered the room where the two officers were. "Forgive me, Caballero," the General said courteously as he advanced to meet him, "for the rather cold manner in which I received you; but unfortunately we live in a period when it is so
- 19. difficult to distinguish friends from enemies, that a man involuntarily runs the risk of confounding one with the other, and making a mistake." "You have no occasion to apologise to me, General," Don Felix answered; "when I presented myself at your outposts in the way I did, I anticipated what would happen to me." The Colonel pressed his friend's hand warmly. A lengthened explanation was unnecessary for men of this stamp; at the first word they understood each other. They had a lengthened conversation, which did not terminate till a late hour of the night, or rather an early hour of the morning, for it struck four at the moment when the General opened the door of the room in which they were shut up, and accompanied them, conversing in whispers, to the saguan of the house. What had occurred during this lengthened interview? No one knew; not a syllable transpired as to the arrangements made by the General with the two men who had remained so long with him. The officers and soldiers were suffering from the most lively curiosity, which was only increased by the General's orders to raise the camp. Don Felix was conducted by the Colonel to the outermost post, where they separated after shaking hands and exchanging only one sentence— "We shall meet again soon." The Colonel then returned at a gallop to his quarters, while Don Felix buried himself in the forest as rapidly as his horse could carry him. On returning to camp, the Colonel at once ordered the boot and saddle to be sounded, and without waiting for further orders, put himself at the head of about five hundred cavalry, and left the rancho. It was nearly five in the morning, the sun was rising in floods of purple and gold, and all seemed to promise a magnificent day. The General, who had mounted to his observatory, attentively followed with a telescope the movements of the Colonel, who, through the
- 20. speed at which he went, not only got down the hill within a quarter of an hour, but had also crossed, without obstacle, a stream as wide as the Rio Trinidad itself. The General anxiously watched this operation, which is so awkward for an armed body of men; he saw the soldiers close up, and then, at a sign from the leader, this column stretched out like a serpent undoing its rings, went into the water, and cutting the rather strong current diagonally, reached the other bank in a few minutes, when, after a moment of inevitable tumult, the men formed their ranks again and entered a forest, where they were speedily lost from sight. When the last lancero had disappeared, and the landscape had become quite desolate, the General shut up his glass, and went down again, apparently plunged in serious thought. We have said that the garrison of Galveston consisted of nine hundred men; but this strength had been raised to nearly fourteen hundred by calling in the numerous small posts scattered along the coast. Colonel Melendez had taken with him five hundred sabres the General left at the rancho, which he determined on retaining at all hazards as an important strategical point, two hundred and fifty men under the orders of a brave and experienced officer; and he had at his disposal about six hundred and fifty men, supported by a battery of four mountain howitzers. This force, small as it may appear, in spite of the smile of contempt it will doubtless produce on the lips of Europeans accustomed to the shock of great masses, was more than sufficient for the country. It is true that the Texan army counted nearly four thousand combatants, but the majority of these men were badly-armed peasants, unskilled in the management of the warlike weapons which a movement of revolutionary fanaticism had caused them to take up, and incapable of sustaining in the open field the attack of skilled troops. Hence, in spite of his numerical inferiority, he reckoned greatly on the discipline and military education of his soldiers, to defeat this assemblage of men, who were more dangerous through their numbers than for any other reason.
- 21. The start from the rancho was effected with admirable regularity; the General had ordered that the baggage should be left behind, so that nothing might impede the march of the army. Each horseman, in accordance with the American fashion, which is too greatly despised in Europe, took up a foot soldier behind him, so that the speed of the army was doubled. Numerous spies and scouts sent out to reconnoitre in every direction, had announced that the Insurrectionary army, marching in two columns, was advancing to seize the mouth of the Trinidad and cover the approaches to Galveston, a movement which it was of the utmost importance to prevent; for, were it successful, the Insurgents would combine the movements of the vessels they had so advantageously seized with those of their army, and would be masters of a considerable extent of the seaboard, from which possibly the Mexican forces would not be strong enough to dislodge them. On the other hand, General Rubio had been advised that Santa Anna, President of the Republic, had left Mexico, and was coming with forced marches, at the head of twelve hundred men, to forcibly crush the Insurrection. General Santa Anna has been very variously judged; some make him a profound politician and a thunderbolt of war; and he seems to have that opinion about himself, as he does not hesitate to say that he is the Napoleon of the New World; his enemies reproach him for his turbulence and his unbounded ambition; accuse him of too often keeping aloof from danger, and consider him an agitator without valour or morality. For our part, without attempting to form any judgment of this statesman, we will merely say in two words, that we are convinced he is the scourge of Mexico, whose ruin he accelerates, and one of the causes of the misfortunes which have for twenty years overwhelmed that ill-fated country. General Rubio understood how important it was for him to deal a heavy blow before his junction with the President, who, while following his advice, would not fail, in the event of defeat, to attribute the reverses to him, while, if the Mexicans remained masters of the field, he would keep all the honour of victory to himself.
- 22. The Texan insurgents had not up to this moment dared to measure themselves with the Mexican troops in the open field, but the events that had succeeded each other during the last few days with lightning speed, had, by accelerating the catastrophe, completely changed the aspect of affairs. The Chiefs of the revolutionary army, rendered confident by their constant advantages, and masters without a blow of one of the principal Texan seaports, felt the necessity of giving up their hedge warfare, and consolidating their success by some brilliant exploit. To attain this end, a battle must be gained; but the Texan Chiefs did not let themselves be deceived by the successes they had hitherto met with, successes obtained by rash strokes, surprises, and unexampled audacity; they feared with reason the moment when they would have to face the veteran Mexican troops with their inexperienced guerillas. Hence they sought by every means to retard the hour for this supreme and decisive contest, in which a few hours might eternally overthrow their dearest hopes, and the work of regeneration they had been pursuing for the last ten years with unparalleled courage and resignation. They desired, before definitively fighting the regulars, that their volunteers should have acquired that discipline and practice without which the largest and bravest army is only an heterogeneous compound of opposing elements, an agglomeration of men, possessing no consistency or real vitality. After the capture of the fort a grand council had been held by the principal Texan Chiefs, in order to consult on the measures to be taken, so as not to lose, by any imprudence, results so miraculously obtained. It was then resolved that the army should occupy Galveston, which its position rendered perfectly secure against a surprise; that the freebooters should alone remain out to skirmish with the Mexicans and harass them; while the troops shut up in the town were being drilled, and receiving a regular and permanent organization.
- 23. The first care of the Chiefs, therefore, was to avoid any encounter with the enemy, and try to enter Galveston without fighting the Mexicans. The following was the respective position of the two armies; the Texans were trying to avoid a battle, which General Rubio was lodging, on the contrary, to fight. The terrain on which the adversaries would have to manoeuvre was extremely limited, for scarce four leagues separated the videttes of the two armies. From his observatory the General could clearly distinguish the camp fires of the rebels. In the meanwhile Colonel Melendez had continued to advance; on reaching the cross where he and John Davis had fought so furiously on the previous evening, the Colonel himself examined the ground with the utmost care, then, feeling convinced that none of the enemy's flankers had remained ambushed at this spot, which was so favourable for a surprise, he gave his men orders to dismount. The horses were thrown down, secured, and their heads wrapped in thick blankets to prevent their neighing, and after all these precautions had been taken, the soldiers lay down on their stomachs among the shrubs, with instructions not to stir. General Rubio had himself effected a flank march, which enabled him to avoid the crossways; immediately after descending the hill, he marched rapidly upon the river bank. We have said that the Rio Trinidad, which is rather confined at certain spots, is bordered by magnificent forests, whose branches form on the bank grand arcades of foliage overhanging the mangroves; it was among the latter, and on the branches of the forest trees, about two gunshots from the spot where he had landed, that the General ambuscaded about one-third of his infantry. The remainder, divided into two corps, were echeloned along either side of the road the Insurgents must follow, but it was done in the American fashion, that is to say, the men were so hidden in the tall grass that they were invisible. The four mountain howitzers crowned a small hill which, through its position, completely commanded the road, while the cavalry was massed in the rear of the infantry. The silence momentarily disturbed
- 24. was re-established, and the desert resumed its calm and solitary aspect. General Rubio had taken his measures so well that his army had suddenly become invisible. When it was resolved in the council of the Texan Chiefs that the Insurrectionary army should proceed to Galveston, a rather sharp discussion took place as to the means to be adopted in reaching it. The Jaguar proposed to embark the troops aboard the corvette, the brig, and a few smaller vessels collected for the purpose. Unfortunately this advice, excellent though it was, could not be followed, owing to General Rubio's precaution of carrying off all the boats; collecting others would have occasioned an extreme loss of time; but as the boats the Mexicans had employed were now lying high and dry on the beach, and the guard at first put over them withdrawn a few hours later, the Texans thought it far more simple to set them afloat, and use them in their turn to effect the passage. By a species of fatality the council would not put faith in the assertions of John Davis, who in vain assured them that General Rubio, entrenched in a strong position, would not allow this movement to be carried out without an attempt to prevent it; so that the abandonment of the boats by the Mexicans was only fictitious, and a trap adroitly laid to draw the Revolutionists to a spot where it would be easy to conquer them. Unfortunately, the mysterious man to whom we have alluded had alone the right to give orders, and the reasons urged by Davis could not convince him. Deceived by his spies, he persuaded himself that General Rubio, far from having any intention of recapturing Galveston, wished to effect his junction with Santa Anna before attempting any fresh offensive movement, and that the halt at the rancho had been merely a feint to embarrass the rebels. This incomprehensible error was the cause of incalculable disasters. The chiefs received orders to march forward, and were constrained to carry them out. Still, when this erroneous resolution had been once formed, the means of execution were selected with extreme prudence. The corvette and brig were ordered to get as near land as
- 25. they could, in order to protect, by their cross fire, the embarkation of the troops, and sweep the Mexicans, if they offered any opposition. Flying columns were sent off in advance and on the flanks of the army, to clear the way, by making prisoners of any small outposts the enemy might have established. Four principal chiefs commanded strong detachments of mounted freebooters. The four were the Jaguar, Fray Antonio, El Alferez, and Don Felix Paz, whom the reader assuredly did not expect to find under the flag of the rebels, and whom he saw only a few hours back enter the Mexican camp, and hold a secret conference with General Rubio and Colonel Melendez. These four chiefs were ordered by the Commander-in-Chief to prevent any surprise, by searching the forests and examining the tall grass. El Alferez was on the right of the army, Fray Antonio on the left, the Jaguar had the rear guard, while Don Felix, with six hundred sabres, formed the van. One word as to the guerillas of the ex-Mayor-domo of the Larch-tree hacienda. The men who composed his band, raised on lands dependent on the hacienda, had been enlisted by Don Felix. They were Indios mansos, vaqueros, and peons, mostly half savages, and rogues to a certain extent, who fought like lions at the order of their leader, to whom they were thoroughly devoted, but only recognising and obeying him, while caring nothing for the other leaders of the army. Don Felix Paz had joined the insurgents about two months previously, and rendered them eminent service with his guerillas. Hence, he had in a short time gained general confidence. We shall soon see whether he was worthy of it. By a singular coincidence, the two armies left their camp at the same time, and marched one against the other, little suspecting that two hours later they would be face to face. CHAPTER VI.
- 26. THE BATTLE OF CERRO PARDO. The battle of Cerro Pardo was one of those sanguinary days, whose memory a nation retains for ages as an ill-omened date. In order to explain to the reader thoroughly how the events happened which we are about to narrate, we must give a detailed account of the ground on which they took place. The spot selected by the Mexicans to effect their landing after leaving Galveston, had been very cleverly chosen by General Rubio. The stream, which, for some distance, is enclosed by high banks, runs at that spot through an extensive plain, covered with tall grass and clumps of trees, the last relics of a virgin forest, which the claims of trade have almost destroyed. This plain is closed by a species of cañón, or very narrow gorge, enclosed between two lofty Mils, whose scarped flanks are carpeted at all seasons with plants and flowers. These two hills are the Cerro Pardo and the Cerro Prieto,—that is to say, the Red Mountain and the Black Mountain. At the canyon begins a road, or, to speak more correctly, a rather wide track, bordered by bogs and morasses, and running to the cross we have before visited. This road is the only one that can be followed in going from the interior to the seashore. A little in advance of the two hills, whose summit is covered with dense wood and scrub, extend marshes, which are the more dangerous, because their surface is perfidiously covered with close green grass, which completely conceals from the traveller the terrible danger to which he is exposed if he venture on to this moving abyss. The Cerro Pardo, which is much higher than the other hill, not only commands the latter, but also the surrounding country, as well as the sea. After what we have said, the reader will easily perceive that the enterprise attempted by the Texans was only possible in the event of the coast being entirely undefended; but under the present circumstances, the inconceivable obstinacy of the Commander-in- Chief was the more incomprehensible, because he was not only thoroughly acquainted with the country, but at the moment when
- 27. the army was about to begin its forward movements, several spies came in in succession, bringing news which entirely coincided with the positive reports already made by John Davis. Whom the gods wish to destroy, they first blind. This wise and thoughtful man, who had ever acted with extreme prudence, and whose conceptions up to this day had been remarkable for their lucidity, was deaf to all remonstrances, and the order was given to march. The army at once set out; Don Felix Paz went on ahead with his guerillas, while the Jaguar's cuadrilla, on the contrary, remained in the rear. Tranquil, in spite of the wounds he had received, would not remain in the fort; he came along lying in a cart, having at his side Carmela and Quoniam, who paid him the utmost attention; while Lanzi, at the head of a dozen picked Freebooters given him by the Jaguar, escorted the cart, in the event of the army being disturbed during the march. The Jaguar was sorrowful, a gloomy presentiment seemed to warn him of a misfortune. This daring man, who carried out as if in sport the maddest and most venturesome deeds, now advanced reluctantly, hesitating and constantly looking about him suspiciously, and almost timidly. Assuredly, he feared no personal danger; what did he care for an attack? What alarm did he feel about dying? Peril was his element; the heated atmosphere of battle, the odour of powder intoxicated him, and made him feel strange delight; but at this moment Carmela was near him; Carmela, whom he had so miraculously found again, and whom he feared to lose again. This strong man felt his heart soften at the thought, hence he insisted on taking the rear guard, in order to watch more closely over the maiden, and be in a position to help her if necessary. The superior Commander had not dared to refuse the bold partisan this post, which he asked for as a favour. This condescension on the part of the Chief had terrible consequences, and was partly the cause of the events that happened a few hours later. The Texan troops, in spite of the various element of which they were composed, advanced, however, with an order and discipline that
- 28. would have done honour to regulars. Don Felix Paz had thrown out to the right and left of the road flankers ordered to investigate the chaparral, and guarantee the safety of the route; but in spite of these precautions, whether the Mexicans were really ambushed in inaccessible places, or for some other reason, the flankers did not discover them, and the vanguard advanced at a pace which heightened the security of the main body, and gradually induced the Chiefs to relax their previous watchfulness. The vanguard reached the cross, and nothing had as yet happened in any way to trouble the march of the army. Don Felix, after allowing his cuadrilla to halt for twenty minutes, resolutely entered the road that led to the spot where the Mexicans had landed. From the cross to the Rio Trinidad was no great distance, and could be covered in less than two hours by troops marching at the ordinary pace. The road, however, after passing the cross, insensibly becomes narrower, and soon changes into a very confined track, in which three persons can scarce walk abreast. We have said that trembling prairies extend on either side of this road. We will explain, in a few sentences, what these trembling prairies are, which are met with in several parts of America, but principally in Texas and Louisiana. These prairies, if we may trust to the frequently false theories of science, have a similar organ to that of Artesian springs, for the earth does in one case what water does in the other. Through the action of geological dynamics, the earthy matter which constitutes the trembling prairies ascends to the surface of lakes and ponds, while in Artesian wells the water rushes up from the depths through the pressure of the strata by which it was held down. Nothing is more dangerous than those trembling prairies, covered with a perfidious vegetation that deceives the eye. The Rio Trinidad flows at a few hundred yards from the prairie we have just described, conveying into the Gulf of Mexico the sedimentary deposits which would consolidate this shifting soil. Nature has already traced canals intersecting the prairie, and which run between
- 29. banks formed by mysterious forces. The wild beasts, whose admirable instinct never deceives them, have for ages past formed tracks across these dangerous zones, and the path followed by the Texan army was no other than one of those trails trodden by the wild beasts when they go down at night to water. I know not whether, since Texas has gained its liberty and been incorporated with the United States, any attempt has been made to drain these prairies. And yet, I believe that it would require but a very slight effort to complete the work so intelligently sketched out by nature. It would be sufficient to dig a series of colmates, or aqueducts, which would introduce into the trembling prairie the turbid waters of the river, and convey to it the sedimentary matter; and, before all, the vegetation growing on the prairie should not be burnt, as is the unfortunate custom. With these two conditions, a firm, rich, and fertile soil would soon be attained in the line of these slimy and pestilential marshes that poison the air, produce contagious diseases, and cause the death of so many unfortunate travellers, deceived by the luxuriant appearance of these prairies, and who perish miserably, by being swallowed up in their fetid mud. But in America it is not so much land that is wanting as men. Probably, the trembling prairies will remain for a long time what they are at the present day, for no one has a really personal interest in draining and getting rid of them. We will now take up our story at the point where we broke it off, begging the reader to forgive us the long digression in which we indulged, but which has its value, we think, in a work intended to make known a country which is destined ere long to assume an important part in the trade of the world. The Texan Vanguard passed the cross at about nine A.M. It had halted for about twenty minutes and then resumed its march. Still, without any apparent motive, after crossing without obstacle the defile of the Cerro Pardo, instead of advancing in the direction of the river, on the bank of which the stranded boats could already be seen, Don Felix ordered his cuadrilla to wheel at about two hundred
- 30. yards from the defile, and formed a front of fifty horses by ten deep. After commanding a halt, he dug his spurs in and returned to the gorge, but on this occasion alone. While galloping, the partisan looked searchingly around him. As far as the eye could see, the road was entirely deserted. Don Felix halted and bent over his horse's neck, as if wishing to arrange some buckle, but while patting his noble animal he twice repeated the croak of a rook. At once the harsh cry of the puffin rose from the bushes that bordered the right hand side of the road; the branches were then parted—a man appeared—it was Colonel Don Juan Melendez de Gongora. Don Felix did not appear at all surprised at seeing him; on the contrary, he advanced hurriedly towards him. "Return to your ambush, Colonel," he said, "you know that there is an eye in every leaf. If I am seen alone on the road my presence will arouse no suspicions; but you, Cuerpo de Cristo! You must not be seen. We can converse equally well at a distance, as the ears able to overhear us are those of friends." "You are always prudent, Don Felix." "I, not at all; I merely wish to avenge myself on those bandits who have plundered so many magnificent haciendas, and hatred renders a man prudent." "Whatever be the motive that impels you, it gives you good inspirations, that is the main point. But let us return to our business: what do you want with me?" "Merely to know two things." "What are they?" "Whether General Rubio is really satisfied with the plan I submitted to him?" "You have a proof of it before you; if he were not so, should I be here?" "That is true."
- 31. "Now for the second." "That is of an extremely delicate nature." "Ah, ah! You pique my curiosity," the Colonel said, laughingly. Don Felix frowned and lowered his voice, as it were involuntarily. "It is very serious, Don Juan," he continued; "I wish, before the battle, to know if you have retained towards me that esteem and friendship with which you deigned to honour me at the Larch-tree hacienda?" The Colonel turned away in embarrassment. "Why ask that question at this moment?" he remarked. Don Felix turned pale and fixed a flashing glance upon him. "Answer me, I implore yon, Don Juan," he said, pressingly. "Whatever you may think, whatever opinion you may have of me, I wish to know it; it must be so." "Do not press me, I beg, Don Felix. What can you care for any opinion I may have, which is isolated and unimportant?" "What can I care, do you ask?" he exclaimed, hotly; "but it is, indeed, useless to press you farther, for I know all I wish to know. Thank you, Don Juan, I ask no more. When a man of so noble a character and such a loyal heart as yours condemns the conduct of another man, it is because that conduct is really blameable." "Well, be it so; since you absolutely insist, I will explain my views, Don Felix. Yes, I blame but do not condemn you, for I cannot and will not be your judge. Don Felix, I am internally convinced in my soul and conscience that the man who makes himself, no matter the motive that impels him, the agent of treachery, commits worse than a crime, for he is guilty of an act of cowardice! Such a man I can pity, but no longer esteem." The ex-Mayor-domo listened to these harsh words with a forehead dripping with perspiration, but with head erect and eye sparkling
- 32. with a gloomy fire. When the officer stopped he bowed coldly and took the hand which Don Juan did not attempt to draw from his grasp. "It is well," he said; "your words are rude, but they are true. I thank you for your frankness, Don Juan; I know now what remains for me to do." The Colonel, who had involuntarily allowed his feelings of the moment to carry him away, fancied that he had gone too far, and was alarmed at the consequences of his imprudence. "Don Felix," he added, "forgive me; I spoke to you like a madman." "Come, come, Don Juan," he replied, with a bitter smile, "do not attempt to recall your words, you were but the echo of my conscience; what you have said aloud my heart has often whispered to me. Fear not that I shall let myself be overcome by a passing feeling of passion. No! I am one of those men who, when they have once entered a path, persevere in it at all hazards. But enough of this; I notice a dust, which probably announces our friends," he added, with a poignant irony. "Farewell, Don Juan, farewell." And, not waiting for the answer Don Juan was preparing to give him, Don Felix spurred his horse, turned hastily round, and went off as rapidly as he had come. The Colonel looked after him for a moment thoughtfully. "Alas!" he muttered, "that man is now more unhappy than culpable, or I am greatly mistaken; if he be not killed today it will not be for want of seeking death." He then buried himself again in the chaparral with a melancholy shake of his head. In the meanwhile, the Texan army rapidly advanced; like the Mexicans, each mounted man had a foot soldier behind him. At about a gunshot from the cross roads, the Texans came upon the edge of the trembling prairie; they were consequently obliged to halt in order to call in their flankers, scattered on the right and left, which naturally produced a
- 33. momentary disorder, promptly repaired, however, by the activity of the chief, then they started again. The order of march was necessarily altered, the path grew narrower at every step, and the cavalry were unable to keep their ranks any longer. However, from the moment of the start, the vanguard had not announced any danger. The army, trusting in the experience of the officer detached to clear the way, marched in perfect security, which was augmented by the hope of speedily reaching the mouth of the Rio Trinidad, and at once embarking for Galveston. The Jaguar alone did not share the general confidence: accustomed for a long period to a war of ambushes, the ground he now trod seemed to him so suitable in every way for a surprise, that he could not persuade himself that they would reach the seashore without an attack. In a word, the young Chief had an intuition of approaching danger. He guessed it, felt it, so to speak, though he could not tell from what quarter it would come, and suddenly burst on his comrades and himself. There is nothing so terrible as such a situation, where a man is obliged to stand on his defence against space. The desert tranquilly surrounds him on all sides, in vain does he interrogate the air and earth, to find a clue which constantly escapes him, and yet he has in his heart a certainty for which he finds it impossible to account! He can only answer questions with the enigmatical, though strictly logical phrase, "I do not know, and yet I am sure of it." The Jaguar resolved, whatever the consequences might be, to avoid personally a surprise, whose results would be disastrous to those he had vowed to protect and defend, that is to say, to Tranquil and Carmela. Gradually slackening the pace of his detachment, he succeeded in leaving a sufficiently wide distance between himself and the main body, to regain almost entirely his liberty of action. His first care was to collect round the cart the men in whom he placed most confidence. Then selecting those of his comrades whom he supposed most conversant with Indian tricks, he placed them under the command of John Davis, with orders to force their way, as well
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