They stopped at times, and it may be that the horse as well as the boy then looked and listened for a foe.  But the Mexicans had melted away completely in the night.  It was likely now that they were going in the opposite direction, and assured that he was safe from them for the time Ned collapsed, both physically and mentally.  Such tremendous exertions and such terrible excitement were bound to bring reaction.  He began to tremble violently, and he became so weak that he could scarcely stand.  The horse seemed to be affected in much the same way and walked slowly and painfully.

Ned saw another little grove, and he and the horse walked straight toward it.  It was fairly dense, and when he was in the center of it he wrapped his rifle and himself in his serape and lay down.  The horse sank on his side near him.  He did not care for anything now except to secure rest.  Mexicans or Comanches or Lipans might be on the plain only a few hundred yards away.  It did not matter to him.  He responded to no emotion save the desire for rest, and in five minutes he was in a deep sleep.

Ned slept until long after daylight.  He was so much exhausted that he scarcely moved during all that time.  Nor did the horse.  Old Jack had run his good race and won the victory, and he, too, cared for nothing but to rest.

Before morning some Lipan buffalo hunters passed, but they took no notice of the grove and soon disappeared in the west.  After the dawn a detachment of Mexican lancers riding to the east to join the force of Santa Anna also passed the clump of trees, but the horse and man lay in the densest part of it, and no pair of Mexican eyes was keen enough to see them there.  They were answering the call of Santa Anna, and they rode on at a trot, the grove soon sinking out of sight behind them.

Ned was awakened at last by the sun shining in his face.  He stirred, recalled in a vague sort of way where he was and why he was there, and then rose slowly to his feet.  His joints were stiff like those of an old man, and he rubbed them to acquire ease.  A great bay horse, saddle on his back, was searching here and there for the young stems of grass.  Ned rubbed his eyes.  It seemed to him that he knew that horse.  And a fine big horse he was, too, worth knowing and owning.  Yes, it was Old Jack, the horse that had carried him to safety.

His little store of provisions was still tied to the saddle and he ate hungrily.  At the end of the grove was a small pool formed by the winter’s rains, and though the water was far from clear he drank his fill.  He flexed and tensed his muscles again until all the stiffness and soreness were gone.  Then he made ready for his departure.

He could direct his course by the sun, and he intended to go straight to San Antonio.  He only hoped that he might get there before the arrival of Santa Anna and his army.  He could not spare the time to seek his comrades, and he felt much apprehension for them, but he yet had the utmost confidence in the skill of the Panther and Obed White.