“He swears to everything,” replied Ned, “and I know that he is the kind to make a trusty comrade to the death.”

“Then you are declared this minute a member of our company in good standin’,” said the Panther to Will, “an’ with this grip I give you welcome.”

He crushed the boy’s hand in a mighty grasp that made him wince, and Obed followed with one that was almost equally severe.  But the boy did not mind the physical pain.  Instead, his soul was uplifted.  He was now the chosen comrade of these three paladins, and he was no longer alone in the world.  But he merely said: 

“I’ll try to show myself worthy.”

They were compelled to stop at noon for rather a long rest, as walking was tiresome.  Fields, who was a good scout, went back and looked for pursuers, but announced that he saw none, and, after an hour, they started again.

“I’m thinkin’,” said the Panther, “that Urrea has already organized the pursuit.  Mebbe he has pow’ful glasses an’ kin see us when we can’t see him.  He may mean to attack to-night.  It’s a lucky thing for us that we can find timber now an’ then.”

“It’s likely that you’re right about to-night,” said Obed, “but there’s no night so dark that it doesn’t have its silver lining.  I guess everybody in this little crowd is a good shot, unless maybe it’s Mr. Roylston, and as we have about three guns apiece we can make it mighty hot for any force that Urrea may bring against us.”

They began now to search for timber, looking especially for some clump of trees that also inclosed water.  They did not anticipate any great difficulty in regard to the water, as the winter season and the heavy rains had filled the dry creek beds, and had sent torrents down the arroyos.  Before dark they found a stream about a foot deep running over sand between banks seven or eight feet high toward the Rio Grande.  A mile further on a small grove of myrtle oaks and pecans grew on its left bank, and there they made their camp.

Feeling that they must rely upon their valor and watchfulness, and not upon secrecy, they built a fire, and ate a good supper.  Then they put out the fire and half of them remained on guard, the other half going to sleep, except Roylston, who sat with his back to a tree, his injured legs resting upon a bed of leaves which the boys had raked up for him.  He had been riding Old Jack and the horse had seemed to take to him, but after the stop Ned himself had looked after his mount.

The boy allowed Old Jack to graze a while, and then he tethered him in the thickest of the woods just behind the sleeping man.  He wished the horse to be as safe as possible in case bullets should be flying, and he could find no better place for him.  But before going he stroked his nose and whispered in his ear.

“Good Old Jack!  Brave fellow!” he said.  “We are going to have troublous times, you and I, along with the others, but I think we are going to ride through them safely.”