“But we are practically dismounted,” he continued.  “It is winter and we do not know what would happen to us if we undertook to roam over the prairies as we are.  On the other hand, we have an abundance of arms and ammunition and a large and well-built cabin.  I suggest that we supply ourselves with food, and stay here until we can acquire suitable mounts.  We may also contrive to keep a watch upon any Mexican armies that may be marching north.  I perhaps have more reason than any of you for hastening away, but I can spend the time profitably in regaining the use of my limbs.”

“Your little talk sounds mighty good to me,” said the Panther.  “In fact, I don’t see anything else to do.  This cabin must have been built an’ left here ’speshully fur us.  We know, too, that the Texans have all gone home, thinkin’ that the war is over, while we know different an’ mebbe we can do more good here than anywhere else.  What do you say, boys?  Do we stay?”

“We stay,” replied all together.

They went to work at once fitting up their house.  More firewood was brought in.  Fortunately the men had been provided with hatchets, in the frontier style, which their rescuers had not neglected to bring away, and they fixed wooden hooks in the walls for their extra arms and clothing.  A half dozen scraped away a large area of the thin snow and enabled the horses to find grass.  A fine spring two hundred yards away furnished a supply of water.

After the horses had eaten Obed, the Panther and Ned rode away in search of game, leaving Mr. Roylston in command at the cabin.

The snow was no longer falling, and that which lay on the ground was melting rapidly.

“I know this country,” said the Panther, “an’ we’ve got four chances for game.  It may be buffalo, it may be deer, it may be antelope, and it may be wild turkeys.  I think it most likely that we’ll find buffalo.  We’re so fur west of the main settlements that they’re apt to hang ‘roun’ here in the winter in the creek bottoms, an’ if it snows they’ll take to the timber fur shelter.”

“And it has snowed,” said Ned.

“Jest so, an’ that bein’ the case we’ll search the timber.  Of course big herds couldn’t crowd in thar, but in this part of the country we gen’rally find the buffalo scattered in little bands.”

They found patches of forest, generally dwarfed in character, and looked diligently for the great game.  Once a deer sprang out of a thicket, but sped away so fast they did not get a chance for a shot.  At length Obed saw large footprints in the thinning snow, and called the Panther’s attention to them.  The big man examined the traces critically.

“Not many hours old,” he said.  “I’m thinkin’ that we’ll have buffalo steak fur supper.  We’ll scout all along this timber.  What we want is a young cow.  Their meat is not tough.”

They rode through the timber for about two hours, when Ned caught sight of moving figures on the far side of a thicket.  He could just see the backs of large animals, and he knew that there were their buffalo.  He pointed them out to the Panther, who nodded.