"Glad to meet you, my boy," he said, leaning from his horse and holding
out a powerful hand, burnt as dark as his face. "My name's Smith,
Erastus Smith."

Ned grasped his hand eagerly. This was the famous "Deaf" Smith--destined
to become yet more famous--although they generally pronounced it D-e-e-f
in Texas.

"Guess we didn't come out of season," said Smith with a smile.

"You certainly didn't," broke in Obed. "There's a time for all things,
and this was your time!"

"I believe they're real glad to see us. Don't you think so, Jim?" said
Smith with a smile.

The man whom he called Jim had been sitting on his horse, silent, and he
remained silent yet, but he nodded in reply. Ned's gaze traveled to him
and he was certainly a striking figure. He was over six feet in height,
with large blue eyes and fair hair. His expression was singularly
gentle and mild, but his appearance nevertheless, both face and figure,
indicated unusual strength. Obed had not noticed him before, but now he
exclaimed joyfully:

"Why, it's Colonel Jim Bowie! Jim, it's me, Obed White! Shake hands!"

"So it is you, Obed," said the redoubtable Bowie, "and here we shake."

The hands of the two met in a powerful clasp. Then they all dismounted
and another man, short and thick, shook Obed by the hand and called him
by his first name. He was Henry Karnes, the Tennesseean, great scout and
famous borderer of the Texas plains.

Ned looked with admiration at these men, whose names were great to him.
On the wild border where life depended almost continually upon skill and
quickness with weapons, "Deaf" Smith, Jim Bowie and Henry Karnes were
already heroes to youth. Ned thrilled. He was here with his own people,
and with the greatest of them. He had finished his long journey and he
was with the Texans. The words shaped themselves again and again in his
brain, the Texans! the Texans! the Texans!

"You two seem to have given the Lipans a lot of trouble," said Bowie,
looking at the two fallen warriors.

"We were putting all the obstacles we could in the way of what they
wanted," said Obed modestly, "but we don't know what would have happened
if you hadn't come. Those fellows had been following us for days, and
they must have had some idea that you were near, or they would have
waited still longer."

"They must not have known that we were as near as we were," said Bowie,
"or they would not have invited our attack. We heard the firing and
galloped to it