The Ring Tailed Panther growled, but sat down.

In the afternoon the Mexicans again formed in line and trotted down toward the other ford, but as before they did not like the look of the Texan rifles and turned away, after shouting many challenges, brandishing lances and firing random shots.  But the Texans contented themselves again with a grim silence, and the Mexicans rode back to their camp.  The disgust of the Ring Tailed Panther was so deep that he could not utter a word.  But Obed was glad.

“More men will come to-night,” he said to Ned.  “You know that requests for help were sent in all directions by the people of Gonzales, and if I know our Texans, and I think I do, they’ll ride hard to be here.  Castenada, in a way, is besieging us now, but—­well, the tables may be turned and he’ll turn with ’em.”

Just at twilight a great shout arose from the women in the village.  There was a snorting of horses, a jingling of spurs and embroidered bridle reins, and twenty lean, brown men, very tall and broad of shoulder, rode up.  They were the vanguard of the Texan help, and they rejoiced when they found that the Mexican force was still on the west side of the Guadalupe.

Their welcome was not noisy but deep.  The eighteen were now the thirty-eight, and to-morrow they would be a hundred or more.  The twenty had ridden more than a hundred miles, but they were fresh and zealous for the combat.  They went down to the river, and, in the darkness, looked at the Mexican camp fires, while the Ring Tailed Panther roared out his opinion.

“The Mexicans won’t bring the fight to us,” he said, “so we must carry it to them.  They’ve galloped down here twice an’ they’ve looked at the river an’ they’ve looked at us, an’ they’ve galloped back again.  We can’t let ’em set over there besiegin’ us, we must cross an’ besiege them an’ get to roarin’ an’ rippin’ an’ clawin’.”

“To-morrow,” said Obed, “more of our friends will be here and when we all get together we will discuss it and make a decision.”

“Of course we’ll discuss it!” roared the Ring Tailed Panther, “an’ then we’ll come to a decision, an’ there’s only one decision that we can come to.  We’ll cross the river an’ mighty quick we’ll make them Mexicans wish they’d chose a camp a hundred miles from Gonzales.”

The others laughed, but after all, the Ring Tailed Panther had stated their position truly.  Every man agreed with him.  The watch at the river that night was as vigilant as ever, and the next morning parties of Texans arrived from different points, swelling their numbers to more than one hundred and fifty men, fully equaling the company of Castenada, after allowing for reinforcements received by the Mexican captain.

With one of the Texan troops came a quiet man of confident bearing, dressed like the others in buckskin, but with more authority in his manner.  The Ring Tailed Panther greeted him with great warmth, shaking his hand and saying: