14 Ned’s Night Journey

Ned, Will and young Zavala were sitting on the grass, under one of the great live oaks at the edge of the grove. The mournful Spanish moss hung above them, and swayed in the wind that blew lightly from the west. The Texan army settled into silence again. The polished muzzles of the Twin Sisters projected from the wood, but all seemed peaceful there, despite the arms. The men, lying down mostly, were talking in low tones and here and there two or three were writing on faded sheets of paper with stubs of old lead pencils. They were making wills, taking the chance that if they fell their last words would some day reach the hands of friends.

Now that the great event was at hand it was almost like a dream to Ned. The people around him, the forest, the prairie and the dark line of the Mexican army were scarcely real. It was difficult to feel that after all the marchings, strivings and risks the mightiest of moments —for them—had come. He stared long at that dark line. Urrea was there. Almonte was there, and Santa Anna was there. Little mercy would the dictator show the Texans if they were beaten. It would be Goliad over again, but without hesitation. Santa Anna was raging, because these miserable Texans kept him from his capital, the great city in the south, where he could enjoy the luxuries and splendors that he loved, and parade himself before his own admiring people.

Ned looked around with a certain curiosity at the Texans. it seemed to him that he had never realized before how very few they were. Only seven or eight hundred to stand as a barrier against the Mexican millions, and to fight a battle which, should they win it, would prove one of the great, decisive combats of history. Now the sense of it pressed upon him. He was one of the few there in the grove, under the drooping Spanish moss, who thrilled not only with the certainty of coming battle, but with the magnitude of its issues.

The Panther, who had been walking along the line, sat down with them. His gaze followed theirs.

“They’re in no hurry to attack,” he said, “an’ it means one of two things. Either he thinks he’s got us secure here, lookin’ on us as a rat in a trap, or he’s a little afraid an’ is waitin’ for reinforcements. You said, Ned, that Sesma or Cos was comin’ with more men.”

“That’s what I learned.”

“Then I think the last guess is the right one. Santa Anna is waitin’ for his army to grow. He knows that we can’t get out of here without a fight, but he don’t know that a fight is the very thing we’re lookin’ for. So he bides his time, an’ won’t attack until his numbers are overwhelmin’.”

“It seems to me that his policy is a good one for his side,” said Ned.

“So it is,” said the Panther, “but we may stir him up. See, Houston an’ the other officers are talkin’ it over.”

Houston, Rusk, Sherman, Millard, Bennett, Burleson and others had gathered under one of the trees, and were talking earnestly. Ned watched them, hoping intensely that they would agree upon immediate action. He felt sure that Santa Anna’s full force was not in front of them, but that other troops would soon come. If the Texans attacked now their chance of success would be greater. Nor were the men yet wearied by waiting. Their spirit was at the highest, and, as he thought, would achieve the most at this very moment. Were the fiery Texans right when they had asserted so often that Houston delayed too much?

The council broke up, and an order was sent to the cavalry to mount at once and ride toward the enemy with the purpose of bringing on a general battle. Colonel Sherman commanded, and Ned and all his friends were in this force. The Panther was on one side of him and Will on the other. Just behind him rode Obed, Stump and young Zavala.

The reins in their left hands, their rifles in their right hands, the brave horsemen rode from the wood and out upon the prairie, where the grass in places rose to the knees of their horses. The afternoon was near the middle, and the sun was at the brightest. Brilliant rays poured down upon this little band of men who rode knee to knee. It was like a spectacle, a dramatic effect, the result of chance and not of arrangement. Behind them Houston and the larger part of the army were watching intently, and before them Santa Anna and his army were not missing a single movement.

On went the horsemen with measured tread, the hoofs making a soft rhythm as they sank in the high grass. The eye at such times often takes almost unconscious note of details. Ned saw that the prairie was very beautiful. The grass was uncommonly fresh and tall. Wild flowers were blooming everywhere, and the forest afar was a great mass of living green.

His eyes, after following the curve of the prairie and the woods, came back to the Mexican lines, and he saw a movement there. Horsemen were riding out, presenting a front double that of the Texans. Ned heard a low cry of satisfaction from the Panther. It was evident that the Mexican cavalry would meet the Texan, and the general battle so much desired by the Texans might follow.

He noted that the Mexican cavalry was in great force, far outnumbering the Texans, but Sherman led on steadily. The boy was able to recognize a figure riding at the head of the Mexicans. It was the gallant and enterprising Almonte, and he believed that another not far away was that of Urrea. The Mexicans came forward in a diagonal course, and it seemed to Ned that they were trying to cut off the Texans from their own army in the wood. He was about to whisper his suspicions to the Panther, but Sherman also noted the plan, and turned the course of his own men. This brought the two columns much closer together and they began to fire at each other.

Ned heard the bullets singing and hissing through the air. A Texan near him was wounded mortally, but a comrade held him on his horse. Another near by was hit badly, but maintained his own seat, and sent bullets in return. The conflict grew warmer. The horsemen steadily came to closer range, and the great numbers of the Mexicans gave them an advantage, enabling them to overlap the Texans. Moreover they were picked men, and Almonte and Urrea led them well.

Now they came so close together that the lines were involved. Several Texans were cut off from their friends and were about to be surrounded. A youth named Lane was wholly separated from his comrades, and his death or capture would have been a matter of seconds when the gallant Lamar rode his horse straight at the Mexicans, knocking down with his own horse one Mexican horse and rider, cutting down a second man and compelling a third to surrender, galloping back to the Texan group with his prisoner and the rescued Lane. It was an extraordinary exploit comparable to those done by the knights of chivalry when, clad in steel they fought in front of their armies. But Lamar’s coat was of buckskin not of steel.

Ned had been a breathless witness of this deed which was done in a minute, and he joined in the mighty cheer that greeted Lamar and Lane as they rode up. Houston, watching anxiously from the edge of the wood through his glasses, had seen it also, and he had noticed, too, the superior numbers of the Mexicans. He instantly ordered a body of infantry to support his cavalry.

Ned, Will and Zavala kept together. They were not in close enough contact with the Mexicans to watch for the sword and lance, but they were firing their rifles and pistols as fast as they could reload into the mass of Mexican cavalry. A dense cloud of smoke was gathering over their heads and about them, interfering with the order and method of the battle.

Ned at last caught a glimpse through the smoke of the Texan infantry advancing to their support. Almonte and Urrea saw also. Fearing a deadly Texan fire on their flanks they drew back slowly, and the Texans began to shout in triumph.

“Now, we’re goin’ to have the big battle!” shouted the sanguine Panther.

But he was wrong. Houston, either deeming the hour too late or for some other cause, would not make the venture. When the Mexican cavalry retired he sent orders for his own cavalry and supporting infantry to withdraw also. Disappointed and chagrined, they retired slowly to the grove of live oaks. When they were well among the trees, the Panther threw himself from his horse.

“It was our chance, an’ we let it go!” he exclaimed.

“But the General has to think of everything,” said Obed White. “Too much haste sometimes spoils the broth, and we’ve got only one kettle of broth to be spoiled.”

Ned, although he felt disappointment too, thought Obed was right. But he did not say anything, merely unsaddling and tethering his horse at the rear of the grove. He went back to the edge of the live oaks and looked across the prairie toward Santa Anna’s army. It was obvious that no battle could be fought that day because the first haze of twilight was already appearing in the east. A few minutes later, lights sprang up in the forest on the other side of the prairie, and he knew that they were the camp fires of the Mexican army.

Fires were rising behind him, too. The Texans, despite their disappointment, were showing great patience. They were cooking their suppers now, and discussing the morrow. Then the great battle would surely be fought. It could not be delayed any longer. But Ned’s attention returned to the prairie. He stood there a long time, watching the twilight thicken into the dusk, and the night come trailing after. Imaginative, always intensely alive to everything that surrounded him, he was in an excited and exalted state. It did not show itself in words or nervous movements. Externally none was more calm, but inside the soul was working at white heat.

Ned was taking a great resolution, one that involved his life, but he felt that this was the greatest chance to serve his people that had ever come to him. With his knowledge of Spanish and its Mexican variants he was the very one for the work. Yes, he would do it, he must do it, and he put away the last doubt. But he did not move until the whole curve of the world was in darkness,

Houston and his chief officers were sitting about a fire, when Ned approached and saluted respectfully:

“What is it, my boy?” asked Houston kindly.

“I have been much in Mexico, as you know, General,” replied Ned, “and I not only understand the Mexican tongue but I also understand the Mexican ways. You want to know what force Santa Anna has with him and what he expects. This information is vital. I hope you won’t think I’m presumptuous, sir, but all the men say it is.”

“You are neither wrong nor presumptuous,” said Houston. “Go on.”

“I would suggest, sir, that with your leave I go to the Mexican camp and find out.”

Houston stared at him a moment and then shook his head.

“Your life would not be worth a moment’s purchase in the Mexican camp,” he said. “It shall not be told of me that I sent a boy to his death.”

“But, General, I do not take any very great risk,” Ned persisted. “I have been so much among the Mexicans that I can easily pass for one. There is always a great deal of disorder about a Mexican camp. A single man can wander almost as he pleases. Let me go. I know, as all the men know, that the crisis of Texas is at hand. What happens to-morrow will mean the life or death of thousands of people. It will mean whether Texas shall become great and powerful, or cease to exist, and the knowledge that I can bring to-night may swing the balance in our favor.”

Ned spoke with much earnestness, and with such complete forgetfulness of self that his words sank deeply into the mind of Houston. The frontier General was a keen judge of men. He read Ned’s mind by his flushed face, and his voice, so sincere that it trembled. He hesitated, and then looked at Rusk who looked back his assent.

“Go, my boy, and God bless you,” he said. “You make us a great offer, and I devoutly hope that you will come back safe.”

He and his officers rose, and, one by one, shook Ned’s hand. It was at once a farewell and a hope to see him again. Ned left them and quickly made his preparations, the Panther being his chief aid.

He was so much browned by sun and wind that the matter of complexion presented no difficulty. A Mexican hat and an entire Mexican costume were secured for him, piece by piece, from the other men, many of whom were dressed much like the Mexicans. While the brief transformation was being made, the Panther showed no apprehension for the youth whom he liked so much.

“Come back safe? Of course he will,” he said to Obed White. “Don’t he always come back safe? Hasn’t he passed through things that would have been the end of you an’ me, an’ him only a boy, too. He’s chose, Obed, you know that. He’s our magic leader. Some bigger power than any that we see has put in his head the idea of goin’ into Santa Anna’s camp to-night, an’ he’s shore to bring back the very things we want to know.”

“I hope you’re right, you must be right, Panther,” said Obed, “but it’s an awful risk, and I hate to see him go.”

But the Panther seemed to have never a doubt. He was the last to grasp Ned’s hand in good-bye, and he said confidently:

“I’ll be waitin’ here at the edge of the trees when you come back before mornin’. I’ve only one piece of advice and it’s to watch out for that fellow Urrea.”

“I’ll bear it in mind,” said Ned as he left the grove and slipped away in the long grass. There, as he bent low, he became quickly invisible to his friends, who were watching at the edge of the grove, although he did not look back toward them. His course at present was toward the first clump of woods which stood in the prairie between the two armies.

The night was normal. If the Mexicans had out spies they might or might not see him. But he could not yet discern any figure against the dusky horizon. He advanced very swiftly now, and passed within the shadow of the first group of trees. They were not many in number, just a dense little cluster shooting up from the prairie, but it was very dark in them, and, straightening himself, he stood erect and listened.

He heard night birds calling softly to one another in the boughs high above, but he heard nothing else. Satisfied that he was alone there he left them, and crossed the grass to the second and larger clump where he sank down instantly behind a big oak. But he rose the next instant. He had seen a human figure among the trees, a short dark man in Mexican dress with a musket on his shoulder. He knew that he was a spy from Santa Anna’s army and he thought it a good time to test his own skill.

Ned whistled softly. The startled Mexican whirled about and thrust forward the muzzle of his musket.

“What do you find, friend?” asked Ned. “I am of Almonte’s cavalry and I have been sent here on foot to look at the Texan army. I have crept in the long grass almost to the wood in which they lie. Most of them are asleep, but a double guard watches.”

“I am Miguel Marrin of the corps of Castrillon,” said the man, sinking his gun muzzle and looking much relieved. “I knew that other scouts were out, but I was not told where I should meet them.”

“We’re likely to meet anywhere,” replied Ned. “Do you go on toward the Texan camp?”

“Even so. It is my duty, a perilous one, but I fear to disobey.”

“Trouble yourself but little, friend,” said Ned. “It is easy enough to approach the Texan camp through the long grass. Adios.”

“Adios!” said Miguel Marrin, going on toward the task that he did not like. Ned took the other direction, and, curving a little toward the right, made for the left flank of Santa Anna’s army.

The test had been a complete success. His Mexican had been perfect both in language and manner. Miguel Marrin had never suspected for an instant. Much emboldened he kept on toward the camp fires which were now growing brighter. He saw dusky figures passing before them and presently he heard the trampling of horses.

Knowing that it was unwise to go straight into the Mexican camp he veered further to one side, and struck the swamps, which now spread far out from the San Jacinto. They gave him a good line of approach and he decided that he would be a common soldier who had been sent out to look for strayed cavalry horses.

He walked in the deep mud, getting himself well spattered, which was entirely suitable to his design and came into the outskirts of the camp. He saw at once that it was in much disorder. Many of the men had thrown themselves down here and there, and hundreds were already sound asleep on the grass.

Others, however, were at work and Ned observed with grim satisfaction the task upon which they were engaged. They were building breastworks in front of the army. Many boughs of trees had been cut and they had been formed into a sort of abatis, reinforced with boxes, saddles, and all kinds of baggage. But a wide opening had been left in the center and through it pointed the muzzles of Santa Anna’s cannon.

“And so he is afraid! The great, the powerful Santa Anna is afraid!” said Ned to himself. “He fears that the miserable Texans whom he has denounced so much will rush him in his own camp. The Mexicans would shun the battle, while the Texans seek it.”

This was a great and important fact to be carried back to Houston. Santa Anna, the magnificent and invincible, was afraid, afraid of a tiny Texan army! He kept repeating it to himself, because men who are afraid do not win battles. But he must know more. He must also go back with definite details. He made his way to one of the fires where some men were eating, and, sitting down boldly, asked one of them for meat. The soldier with a casual glance passed him a piece of beef.

“Whence do you come, comrade?” he asked. “You have much mud upon your person.”

“From the swamps,” Ned replied in a tone of deep complaint. “I belong to the corps of Castrillon, and I was sent to look for strayed horses down in the marshes. And what marshes! The continual rains and the floods have given them a depth of which you can’t conceive, comrade. I verily believe that some of them go all the way through the earth and open out on the other side in China, Japan or some other heathen country. And they are yellow, black and brown. You can see the mud on me.”

All the Mexicans around the fire laughed at his vehemence. They liked him and passed him another piece of beef.

“Did you find any horses?” one of them asked.

“No, they wandered far, and after falling into one marsh after another I came back lest I should tumble into one that would swallow me up. What are the Texan cattle doing?”

“Keeping to their grove, where we will make the slaughter to-morrow. It was thought that a battle would be brought on before sunset, and the rebels seemed to wish it, but the General preferred to wait. He seems to be without his usual great courage and energy.”

“That cannot be,” said Ned, waiting eagerly for the answer.

“But it is so,” said the man with some emphasis, proud of his information and not wishing it to be questioned. “Did I not see it myself at the place the rebels call New Washington, when our Captain Barragan brought him the news that the Texans under Houston were near? He sprang upon his horse and galloped at full speed among our troops, knocking down his own men, sending them flying right and left, and shouting aloud: ‘The enemy are coming! The enemy are coming! Houston is at hand!’ Ah, comrade, this singular conduct of our General who is the greatest man in the world, frightened us terribly. We were in confusion. Many of us were about to run, whither we knew not, nor from what. But he grew calmer after a while. The brave officers, Castrillon and Almonte, worked hard. Order was restored and the men were put in line. We saw no enemy, but we marched across the prairie until we did see one. See, you can behold their lights in the grove, if you stand up and look!”

Ned stood up boldly. His sombrero was drawn low down over his eyes and the serape with which he had provided himself was around his chin.

“I can see the lights,” he said. “There will be merry doings to-morrow, and I shall be there and have a part. I have missed much to-day, through exploring those wretched swamps for horses.”

“Good lad,” said the man of much information. “You show a right valiant spirit, and you will have a better chance to show it to-morrow. These Texans die hard. Our officers tell us that they are cowards, but I know better. Who should know it better than I? I was at the Alamo, and perhaps my eyes shall never again look upon such another sight. All the Texans died with their faces to us, and many, very many of us died first.”

“At the Alamo?” said Ned, almost in a whisper.

“Aye, at the Alamo,” said the man proudly. “I was in the division of Cos then. Never can I forget that Sunday morning when we made the last charge. The band played the Deguelo, and we rushed forward to the sound of the music. The Texans fought like the devils they are. We left a stream of dead and dying behind us, and they fought us from room to room, until the last of them was gone.”

Ned was silent for a little while. His memories were too strong.

“When will Cos be here?” he asked at length, but not wholly at random. He knew that Santa Anna would strive to reunite his divided army.

“He is expected at dawn with the pick of Sesma’s army,” replied the man.

Ned now remained a long time in silence. He knew all that was needed, the condition of Santa Anna and the fact that Cos would be at hand before a battle could be fought. But he was too shrewd to leave the fire now. His rifle was across his knees, he stared into the blaze, and after a while his eyelids began to droop.

“The swamps have winded you, comrade,” said one of the men.

“They have, truly,” said Ned. “I wish never to see or hear of a swamp again. I have to make report to my officer, but there is no hurry since I bring nothing. Let me stay here a little while longer, comrades, since the fire and rest are good.”

They were willing for him to stay as long as he liked, and he sank into an easier position, from which he did not stir for a full hour. Then he rose and with a word of thanks slipped away. But few of the men heard him. They were asleep.

Ned saw that he could not pass the breastworks where the guard was strong and wary, and he turned aside again for the marshes, but a great white tent drew his notice, and he stopped. He knew that it was the tent of Santa Anna, and he hoped to see the dictator himself.

In the general lack of order in the Mexican camp it was not difficult to approach the big tent. Two guards stood on either side of the entrance, but the flaps were swung wide and within twenty feet of it soldiers lay on the ground, sleeping soundly. Ned lay down with them and counterfeited sleep. Then when no one was noticing he gradually edged forward until he was within ten feet of the tent.

Ned knew that he was taking a great risk, but the desire to see Santa Anna and to learn perhaps a more intimate knowledge of his plans was overwhelming. His head lay upon his arms and from his lowered lids he could look into the tent. Then he saw Santa Anna.

The dictator, the man who in his own florid announcements marched only from one triumph to another, had changed. His manner did not now show the immense satisfaction that had always marked him hitherto. The yellowish tint of his face had deepened. There were black pouches under his eyes, which showed a greenish tint when the light from the candle on the table in front of him fell on his face. His gorgeous uniform of white and gold was splashed plentifully with mud. He seemed nervous and restless, moving his head from side to side. He reminded Ned of the black jaguar that he had faced once. Presently he put his hand inside his coat and drew out a little gold box. He opened the box, took from it a pinch of something that Ned could not see, and put it in his mouth. He closed the box, returned it to the inside pocket, and soon grew calmer.

Santa Anna had been alone in the tent, but when Ned had been watching him about ten minutes the sinewy figure of a handsome young man entered. It was Juan Nepomuceno Almonte, as Ned easily saw, and the young Colonel saluted respectfully. He was followed soon by General Castrillon and other officers, including Urrea, and they all talked earnestly with Santa Anna.

Ned lay in such a position that Santa Anna faced him across the blaze of the candle. The change in the face of the man was extraordinary. Evidently he had taken a powerful dose of the drug and its effect had been rapid. His eyes were brilliant and sparkling. His whole face was flushed and Ned saw that he was talking with rapidity and confidence, although he could not hear the words he said.

They talked for a long time. Ned strained his ears, but he caught only an occasional word. But the others seemed to be inspired by the confidence of Santa Anna, and, when they left the tent, their steps were more springy than they were when they had entered.

The officers departed in different directions, and Ned hugged the earth very closely now. Urrea was coming in his direction. He walked so close to him that his feet almost touched Ned, but he never suspected that a Texan lay there among these soldiers, who, strewed upon the ground, slept through very weariness. He walked on and Ned felt relief when he was gone.

Ned looked into the tent again and he saw that Santa Anna’s head was drooping over the table. The drug had spent its force already, and he was collapsing. He rose presently, as if with an effort, and Ned saw that his face was haggard. Then he gave an order to the soldiers at the entrance and the flaps were closed.

Ned, convinced that he had seen all that he could see, rose, and walked staggering, like a man yet half asleep who seeks a better couch. No attention was paid to him. Other men were wandering, engaged in a similar pursuit, or doing some task. He turned gradually away towards the marshes of the San Jacinto. The Mexicans had no guards there, knowing that an army could not come that way, and Ned was interrupted only once. A petty officer asked him his errand and he repeated the fiction about the horses. He had not been able to find them, he said, and his captain had sent him back to hunt for them again, even if it took all night. The man sympathized with him.

“A hard task,” he said. “One should have some sleep before a battle.”

“Aye, sleep and rest,” said Ned bitterly, and with an “Adios” he passed on. Five minutes later he was in the marshes among bushes, tall grass and weeds, where a hundred soldiers might have hunted long without finding him. But he was able to see the Mexican camp fires’ from his concealment. They were burning low now, and Ned knew that the army gathered about them had been in a disorganized state. If Houston had only pushed the attack that afternoon, when the skirmish was on, they could surely have won the victory. If he had only known! But Santa Anna and his troops would be refreshed in the morning, and Cos would be there with enough new men almost to double the Mexican force. Now that he knew everything with such absolute certainty, his disappointment became intense.

But he was not one to brood over anything, and, as nearly as he could, he retraced the same circuitous route through the swamp by which he had come. His knowledge did not save him from mire and one or two falls, but in another hour he emerged from the swamps, well plastered with black, yellow, red and brown mud, and stood once more upon the comparatively solid ground of the prairie.

He lingered a while before venturing the passage of the open ground. The Mexican spies might still be abroad, and he did not wish to have trouble with any of them. He saw the low lights of Houston’s camp burning on the far side of the prairie and his heart throbbed. Overhead sounded the low note of a night bird, calling.

He did not see any human figure in the tall grass of the prairie and now he ventured boldly, cocking his rifle and holding it ready for instant use. He reached the clump of timber nearest to Santa Anna’s camp and paused there a while. Convinced after a period of looking and listening that nothing was moving on the prairie, he advanced to the second clump and thence to his own camp. But he took proper precautions. Before entering the wood he crouched low in the long grass, and uttered a soft whistle. The note was answered instantly from the live oaks, and, rising, he walked forward without further effort at concealment. A gigantic figure stood in the shadow of the first live oak, and an eager voice said in a loud whisper:

“Is, it you, Ned? Is it really you?”

“Yes, it’s really I, Panther.”

“An’ have you been in the Mexican camp or did you have to turn back?”

“I’ve been in the Mexican camp, Panther, and I saw Santa Anna himself. He did not see me, or if he did, he did not know who I was. I’ve been lucky, Panther, lucky beyond our hopes.”

“I knowed you’d have the luck,” said the Panther with deep sincerity. But Ned did not know the basis of the Panther’s confident belief.

“I’ve got information,” he continued rapidly, “big information, information of the first importance, and I must see General Houston at once.”

“He left orders that you was to be brought to him the moment you came, if you did come. This is the way, Ned.”

The Panther led to a small tent, with one end open. They saw Houston lying upon some blankets. The tent contained nothing else besides his clothes and arms. The Panther called without hesitation:

“General Houston! General Houston!”

Houston sat up instantly. He had not been asleep and was at once keen and alert. He was a striking contrast to that other General in the camp on the far side of the prairie.

“Is it you, Palmer?” said Houston, peering into the dark.

“Yes, General,” replied the Panther, “and the boy, Ned Fulton, is here. He has been in the camp of Santa Anna, he has seen Santa Anna himself, an’ he comes back with important news.”

There was a thrill of pride in the Panther’s voice. Ned’s exploit was an exploit by one of his own. Houston saw the shadow behind the Panther’s great form, and he called quickly:

“Come in, Fulton! Come in, Ned, boy! And you have succeeded! I feared that you would never come back.”

He wrung Ned’s hand and then sent for Rusk and one or two others high in command. He had the Panther stay also, and then they listened to Ned’s story. He told it clearly and in detail. Houston frowned a little as he listened.

“We have missed an opportunity,” he said, “I concede that, gentlemen. To-morrow we shall have Cos also to fight, but we can whip them both. We will go out and smash them on their own ground.”

But Rusk demurred.

“When the division of Cos comes they will outnumber us perhaps three to one,” he said, “and we should await them in our position here, which is very strong.”

The other officers were silent. Ned inferred that they wished to reserve their opinions until the morning.

But Houston was sanguine. The change in him was marvelous. The man who had delayed so much, even in the face of fierce criticism, was now the most eager of them all to fight. Yet the conference was not long, and they agreed to make no decision until day came. Every one in turn thanked Ned and praised him until he blushed, and was glad to withdraw with the Panther from the tent. Houston gave them both a caution as they went out to say nothing about the arrival of another Mexican force under Cos.

“All our boys are sleepin’ over here under the limbs of one of the big live oaks,” said the Panther, “an’ I think we’d better j’in ’em. You an’ me, Ned, want to be fresh for the battle to-morrow. There’s goin’ to be one. I know it now. It wasn’t worth while for them in the tent back there to be discussin’ it. It’s settled. Them are times, Ned, when things keep gatherin’ an’ gatherin’ on a certain point. They may hang back an’ there may be delays but at last they all crash together, an’ you can’t hold ’em back any more. You gen’ally feel the time when it comes an’ I feel it now.”

“So do I,” said Ned.

“Do you think you could get the Texans away from here now without a battle?” continued the Panther. “Houston and all the other officers might order an’ order, but they wouldn’t go. They are just ragin’ an’ b’ilin’ with all that Santa Anna has done to our people, an’ they’re goin’ to have it out with him.”

“I know, but I mean to sleep if I can. I am very tired, Panther.”

“Well, here’s the place, an’ look at the boys stretched on their blankets, an’ snoozin’ so beautiful!”

Ned lay down. He was suffering now from mental as well as physical exhaustion, and the blanket on the grass was wonderfully soft and soothing. He saw the dim figures of the sentinels walking back and forth at the edge of the wood, and once again came the call of the night bird, but he was soon asleep.

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