The whirling torch on the horizon stopped presently. The Panther whirled his own for half a minute, then he sprang back upon his horse and the three rode rapidly forward.
The sight of the lights sparkling in the twilight so far across the prairie thrilled Ned. He felt that he was in very truth riding to a fight as the Panther had said. Perhaps it was a part of the force of Cos that was coming to Gonzales. Cos himself had turned from the land route with a part of his force and, coming by sea, had landed at Copano about two weeks before. Ned, having full cause, hated this brutal man, and he hoped that the Texans would come to grips with him.
The night was at hand when they reached four men sitting on horseback and waiting for them. They greeted the Ring Tailed Panther with few words but with warmth. They gave to Ned and Obed, too, the strong handclasp which men in danger give to friends who come. Ned thrilled once more with pride that he should be a.s.sociated with heroes in great deeds. Such they undoubtedly were to him.
"The Mexicans will be at Gonzales to-morrow," said one of the men. "The place, as you know, has refused to give up its cannon and has defied them, but it"s almost bare of men. I don"t think they have a dozen there."
"The battle is generally to the strong if they get there in time," said Obed, "and here are seven of us on good horses."
"Not countin" the fact that one of us is a Ring Tailed Panther with claws a foot long an" two sets of teeth in his mouth," said Palmer.
"Ride on, boys, an" ride hard."
They urged their horses into a gallop and sped over the prairie. At midnight they clattered into the tiny village of Gonzales on the Guadalupe River, where everybody except the little children was awake and watching. Lights flared from the cabins, and the alarm at first, lest they were Mexicans, changed to joy when they were disclosed as Texans.
But the armed force of the place, though stout of heart, was pitifully small. They found only eleven men in Gonzales capable of bearing arms, and no more help could be expected before the Mexicans came the next day. But eleven and seven make eighteen, and now that they were joined, and communicating spirit and hope to one another, the eighteen were more than twice as strong as the eleven had been. The Ring Tailed Panther poured forth a stream of cheer and encouragement. He grew more voluble at the approach of danger. Never had his teeth and claws been longer or sharper.
"I"m afraid of nothin" except that they won"t come," he said. "If they don"t, my health will give way. I"ll be a-droopin" an" a-pinin" an" I"ll have to go off an" fight the Comanches an" Lipans to get back my strength."
But he was a.s.sured that his health would not suffer. Mexican cavalry, a hundred strong, were coming under a captain, Castenada, sent by Ugartchea, the Mexican commander at San Antonio de Bexar. Scouts had brought that definite news. They were riding from the west and they would have to cross the Guadalupe before they could enter Gonzales.
There were fords, but it would be a dangerous task to attempt their pa.s.sage in face of the Texan rifles.
The ferryboat was tied safely on the Gonzales side, and then the eighteen, every one a fine marksman, distributed themselves at the fords. Ned, Obed and the Ring Tailed Panther stayed together. They did not antic.i.p.ate the arrival of the Mexican forces before dawn, but Castenada might send spies ahead, and the Mexican scouts were full of wiles and stratagems.
"At any rate," said the Panther, "if we catch any Mexican prowling around here we"ll throw him into the river."
"All things, including Mexicans, come to him who waits," said Obed, "and speaking for myself I"d rather they wouldn"t come until day. It"s more comfortable to sit quiet in the dark."
These three and six others had taken a position under a great oak tree, where they were well shaded but could easily see anyone who approached the ford on the opposite side. Back of them a few lights burned in the little town, where the anxious women watched, but no noise came from it or the second ford, where the other half of the eighteen were on guard.
Their horses were tethered some distance in the rear and they, too, rested in quiet.
The tree sent up a great gnarled root and Ned sat on the ground, leaning against it. It just fitted into the curve of his back and he was very comfortable. But he did not allow his comfort to lull him into lethargy.
Always he watched the river and the farther sh.o.r.e. He had now become no mean scout and sentinel. The faculties develop fast amid the continuous fight for life against all kinds of dangers. Above all, that additional sense which may be defined as prescience, and, which was a development of the other five, was alive within him, ready to warn him of a hostile presence.
But Ned neither saw nor heard anything, nor did his sixth sense warn him that an enemy was near. The Guadalupe, wide, yellow and comparatively shallow like most of the Texas rivers, flowed slowly and without sound.
Now and then Obed and the Panther walked down to the other ford, where all, too, was quiet, but Ned kept his place against the root. Toward morning the Panther sat down beside him there.
"Waitin"s hard," he said. "I like to jump on the enemy with claws an"
nails an" have it out right there an" then. I like to roar an" bite.
That"s why I"m a Ring Tailed Panther."
Ned laughed.
"If Castenada is coming, and they say he surely is," he said, "we"ll soon have use for all our claws and teeth."
"Patience will bring our Mexicans," said Obed White.
At daylight women from the cabins brought them all coffee and warm food, for which they were very grateful. Then the sun rose, and the morning was fresh and crisp, it now being autumn. The men remained by the river, still watching intently and Ned caught a sudden sharp glint which was not that of the sun, far out on the prairie. He knew that it was a brilliant ray reflected from the polished head of a lance, and he said as he pointed a finger:
"The Mexicans are coming."
"So they are," said the Ring Tailed Panther. "I see a horseman, an"
another, an" another, an" now a lot of "em. They must be a hundred at least. It"s the troop of Castenada, an" they"re after that cannon. Well, I"m glad."
The man seemed to swell and his eyes darkened. He was like some formidable beast about to spring. The boaster was ready to make good his boast.
"Run down to the other ford, Ned," said Palmer, "an" tell the men there that the Mexicans are at hand."
Ned did his errand, but returned very quickly. He was anxious to see the advance of Castenada"s troop. The Mexicans, about half of whom were lancers and the rest armed with muskets, came on very steadily. An officer in fine uniform, whom Ned took to be Castenada himself, rode at their head. When they came within rifle shot a white flag was hoisted on a lance.
"A white flag! This is no time for white flags," growled the Ring Tailed Panther. "Never have any faith in a Mexican comin" under a white flag.
What we"ve got to do now is to roar an" rip an" claw."
"Still," said Obed, "it"s evil to him who evil does, and we"ve got to wait till these Mexicans do it. First we"ve got to hear what they say, and if the saying isn"t to our liking, as I"m thinking it won"t be, then it"s ripping and roaring and clawing and all the other "ings" to our taste as long as we can stand it."
"Go ahead," growled the Ring Tailed Panther, "I"m not much on talkin".
Fightin"s more in my line an" when it"s that I come with a hop, a skip an" a jump, teeth an" claws all ready."
"Ned," said Obed, "you speak the best Spanish, so go down there to the bank of the river, and hear what they have to say. Just remember that we"re not giving up the cannon, and clothe the answers in what fine words you please. There isn"t any rock here, but sooner this rock shall fly from its firm base than the Texans will yield their cannon when they are sure to be attacked by Indians and maybe Mexicans too."
Ned walked down to the edge of the river and the officer, whom he rightly supposed to be Castenada, dismounting, came to the sh.o.r.e at an opposite point.
"What do you want?" cried Ned in pure Spanish across the water.
"Are you empowered to speak for the people of Gonzales?"
"You hear me speaking and you see the other Texans listening."
"Then I have to say that on the order of General Cos I demand your cannon in the name of General Santa Anna and Mexico."
"We"ve made up our minds to keep it. We"re sure to need it later on."
"This is insolent. If you do not give it we shall come and take it."
"Tell him, Ned," growled the Ring Tailed Panther, "that we just hope he"ll come an" try to take it, that I"m here roarin" all the time, that I"ve filed my teeth an" nails "till they"re like the edge of a razor, an" that I"m just hungerin" to rip an" claw."
"The men of Gonzales mean to defend their cannon and themselves,"
called Ned across the river. "If you come to take the gun it means war.
It means more, too. It means that you will lose many of your soldiers.
The Texans, as you know, are both able and willing to shoot."
"This is rebellion and treason!" cried Castenada. "The great Santa Anna will come with a mighty force, and when he is through not a Texan will trouble the surface of the earth."
A roar of approval came from the men behind the Mexican captain, but Ned replied:
"Until the earth is rid of us we may make certain spots of it dangerous for you. So, I warn you to draw back. Our bullets carry easily across this river."
Captain Castenada, white with rage, retired with his troop beyond the range of the Texan rifles.