one of the earliest and most
striking incidents of my residence in Texas. Had I not myself seen him
hung, I could have sworn that _Bob Rock, the murderer_, now lay before
me.

A second look at the man gave additional force to this idea.

"Bob!" I exclaimed.

"Bob!" repeated the wounded man, in a broken voice, and with a look
of astonishment, almost of dismay. "Who calls Bob?"

A wild gleam shot from his eyes, which the next instant closed. He had
become insensible.

It was neither the time nor the place to indulge in speculations on
this singular resurrection of a man whose execution I had myself
witnessed. With twelve hundred foes around us, we had plenty to occupy
all our thoughts and attention. My people were already masters of the
gun, and some of them drew it forwards and pointed it against the
enemy, while the others spread out right and left to protect it with
their rifles. I was busy loading the piece when an exclamation of
surprise from one of the men made me look up.

There seemed to be something extraordinary happening amongst the
Mexicans, to judge from the degree of confusion which suddenly showed
itself in their ranks, and which, beginning with the cavalry and right
flank of the infantry, soon became general throughout their whole
force. It was a sort of wavering and unsteadiness which, to us, was
quite unaccountable, for Fanning and Wharton had not yet fired twenty
shots, and, indeed, had only just come within range of the enemy. Not
knowing what it could portend, I called in my men, and stationed them
round the gun, which I had double-shotted, and stood ready to fire.

The confusion in the Mexican ranks increased. For about a minute they
waved and reeled to and fro, as if uncertain which way to go; and, at
last, the cavalry and right of the line fairly broke, and ran for it.
This example was followed by the centre, and presently the whole of
the two battalions and three hundred cavalry were scattered over the
prairie, in the wildest and most disorderly flight. I gave them a
parting salute from the eight-pounder, which would doubtless have
accelerated their movements had it been possible to run faster than
they were already doing.

We stood staring after the fugitives in perfect bewilderment, totally
unable to explain their apparently causeless panic. At last the report
of several rifles from the island of trees gave us a clue to the
mystery.

The infantry, whose left flank extended to the Sa