Produced by Darleen Dove, Roger Frank, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net A VOLUNTEER WITH PIKE _The True Narrative of One Dr. John Robinson and of His Love for the Fair Senorita Vallois_ BY ROBERT AMES BENNET AUTHOR OF "FOR THE WHITE CHRIST," "INTO THE PRIMITIVE," ETC. _With four Illustrations in color by_ CHARLOTTE WEBER-DITZLER CHICAGO A. C. McCLURG & CO. 1909 COPYRIGHT BY A. C. MCCLURG & CO. 1909 Published October 2, 1909 Entered at Stationers' Hall, London _All rights reserved_ THE UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE, U. S. A. TO ONE WHO FOLLOWED AFTER PIKE TO THE GRAND PEAK HALF A CENTURY LATER MY FATHER [Illustration: "'We go in now, senorita,' I said, offering her my arm"] _Contents_ I. THE ROSE IN THE MIRE II. PLAIN THOMAS JEFFERSON III. AT THE PRESIDENT'S HOUSE IV. SENORITA ALISANDA V. GULF AND BARRIER VI. THE WEB OF THE PLOTTER VII. SHIP AND CREW VIII. THE HOSPITABLE BLENNERHASSETTS IX. MY INDIAN TALE X. THE FATHER OF WATERS XI. GENERAL WILKINSON XII. AU REVOIR XIII. AGAINST THE CURRENT XIV. THE LURE XV. THE PAWNEE PERIL XVI. THE BARRIER OF ROCK XVII. THE GRAND PEAK XVIII. FAMINE AND FROST XIX. BEYOND THE BARRIER XX. A MESSAGE TO MY LADY XXI. HO FOR CHIHUAHUA! XXII. GLIMPSES OF FATE XXIII. THE HOUSE OF VALLOIS XXIV. THE SERENADE XXV. A VICTORY XXVI. A DEFEAT XXVII. HEART TO HEART XXVIII. A SPANISH BALL XXIX. THE INSULT XXX. THE DUEL XXXI. MY CROSS XXXII. THE MESSAGE XXXIII. IMPRESSED XXXIV. SHAME XXXV. UNDER THE LASH XXXVI. ACROSS THE GULF _Illustrations_ "'We go in now, senorita,' I said, offering her my arm" "We swung out into the current and drifted swiftly away" "'The Grand Peak!' I shouted. 'We'll name it for you'" "He fell like a steer: my sword blade broke clean off, a span beyond the hilt" _A Volunteer with Pike_ _The True Narrative of One Dr. John Robinson and of His Love for the Fair Senorita Vallois_ CHAPTER I THE ROSE IN THE MIRE The first time I was blessed with a sight of the senorita was on the day of my arrival in the Federal City,--in fact, it was upon my arrival. An inquiry in the neighborhood of the President's House for my sole acquaintance in the city, Senator Adair of Kentucky, had resulted in my being directed to Conrad's boarding house on the Capitol Hill.