told Bracken and Kaffenburgh that it was evident from the barometer
that a severe storm was approaching (which must have had a sinister
implication to these two unfortunate gentlemen), and that he could
not think of putting to sea. Once the "storm" had blown over, the
tug started out across the blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico. But
now Bracken and Kaffenburgh were informed for the first time it was
impossible to consider putting into any port of the Republic of
Mexico, since to do so would cause international complications and
compel the revocation of the captain's license. In desperation the
Hummel interests offered the captain five thousand dollars in cash
to disregard his instructions and put into Tampico, but the worthy
sea-dog was adamant. It was probably worth five thousand dollars
to him to see three gentry of this pattern so much put about.

While Dodge and his accomplices were dallying in the harbor of
Galveston, Jesse was taking advantage of his opportunity to proceed
at once by railroad to Alice, Texas, which at that time was the
furthermost southern point reached by any railway in the direction
of Brownsville. On his arrival, he at once applied to Captain John
R. Hughes, commanding Company D of the Texas Rangers, who received
him with great joy and ordered a detachment of the Rangers to meet
the tug at Point Isabelle at the mouth of the Rio Grande River on
the border of Mexico. In the meantime, Jesse started on a toilsome
stage journey to Brownsville, across one hundred and seventy miles
of desert, which occupied two days and nights, and necessitated his
going without sleep for that period. During the trip Jesse heard
no word of English and had as his associates only Mexican
cattlemen. Every fifteen miles a fresh relay of broncos was
hitched to the stage and after a few moments' rest the misery began
again.