saw were some heavily-loaded mules following their master into the
ravine.

The Ring Tailed Panther burst into a laugh.

"Them's not reinforcements," he cried, "an' them's not mules loaded with
silver. They're carryin' nothin' but grass. These men have been out
there cuttin' feed in the meadow for Cos' horses."

"You're right, Panther," said "Deaf" Smith, somewhat crestfallen.

"But we'll attack, just the same," said Bowie. "Our men need action.
We'll follow 'em into that gully. On, men, on!"

A joyous shout was his reply and the men galloped into the plain. They
were about to charge for the gully when Bowie cried to them to halt. A
new enemy had appeared. A heavy force of cavalry with two guns was
coming from San Antonio to rescue the grass cutters. They rode forward
with triumphant cheers, but the Texans did not flinch. They would face
odds of at least three to one with calmness and confidence.

"Rifles ready, men!" cried Bowie. "They're about to charge."

The trumpets pealed out the signal again, and the Mexicans charged at a
gallop. Up went the Texans' rifles. A hundred fingers pressed a hundred
triggers, and a hundred bullets crashed into the front of the Mexican
line. Down went horses and men, and the Mexican column stopped. But it
opened in a few moments, and, through the breach, the two cannon began
to fire, the heavy reports echoing over the plain. The Texans
instinctively lengthened their line, making it as thin as possible, and
continued their deadly rifle fire.

Ned, Obed and the Ring Tailed Panther as usual kept close together, and
"Deaf" Smith also was now with them. All of them were aiming as well as
they could through the smoke which was gathering fast, but the Mexicans,
in greatly superior force, supported by the cannon, held their ground.
The grass cutters in the gully also opened fire on the Texan flank, and
for many minutes the battle swayed back and forth on the plain, while
the clouds of smoke grew thicker, at times almost hiding the combatants
from one another.

The Texans now began to press harder, and the Mexicans, despite their
numbers and their cannon, yielded a little, but the fire from the men in
the gully was stinging their flank. If they pushed forward much farther
they would be caught between the two forces and might be destroyed. It
was an alarming puzzle, but at that moment a great shout rose behind
them. The sound of the firing had been heard in the main Texan camp and
more T