geant, staggering to his feet, and holding his
wounded arm, from which the blood was streaming.

But another volley brought down two more of the horses, and the Sergeant
seeing they were outnumbered more than two to one, ordered a halt, and
made preparations to resist a charge, which he thought would surely come.
No charge came, and all was silent in front. The Sergeant ordered an
advance, but no enemy was found. They had silently decamped and left no
trace behind, and had taken Calhoun and Nevels with them.

Crippled as they were, and the Sergeant suffering terribly from his wound,
it was decided it would be madness to pursue with their small force. So
one of the men on a swift horse was sent to carry the news to Morgan,
while the others followed more leisurely.

When the news reached camp, the greatest excitement prevailed, and every
man in the command clamored to be sent to the rescue. Colonel Morgan chose
Captain Huffman, who, with thirty of his famous Texan rangers, was soon
galloping to the scene of the encounter, under the guidance of the courier
who had brought the news. On the way they met Calhoun's little squad
sorrowfully returning. Not a man but begged to be allowed to go with the
rescuing party, but this, on account of the tired condition of their
horses, and on account of the two wounded men, had to be refused.

It was well along in the afternoon when the theatre of the encounter was
reached. Captain Huffman had with him three or four men who for years had
been accustomed to Indian fighting in Texas; these men took up the trail
and followed it like bloodhounds. After going three or four miles, the
advance ran into two men, who sought safety by running into the woods; but
a shot in the leg brought one of them down, and he was captured. At first
he denied knowing anything of the affair, saying he had heard nothing of a
fight. But when Captain Huffman ordered a rope to be brought and it was
placed around his neck, he begged piteously, saying that if they would
spare his life he would tell them all he knew. And this is what he told
them:

He belonged to a band led by a man known as "Red Bill" from his florid
complexion. It was this band that had captured Calhoun and Nevels. It
seemed that the officer whom they had captured had known Red Bill in
Danville, and taunted him with being a chicken-thief. This so angered Red
Bill that he determined to hang the officer. This resulted in a quarrel
among the members