act as a conductor of sound, and
he heard faintly voices and the tread of horses' hoofs. They were on
watch there, also.

He walked back and forth a long time, and the air continued to thicken.
A heavy fog was rising from the prairie, and it became so dense that he
could no longer see the fires in the Mexican camp. Everything there was
shut out from the eye, but he yet heard the faint noises.

It seemed to him toward four o'clock in the morning that the noises were
increasing, and curiosity took hold of him. But the sentinel on the left
and the sentinel on the right were now hidden by the fog, and, since he
could not confer with them at once, he resolved to see what this
increase of noise meant.

He cocked his rifle and stole forward over the prairie. He could not see
more than ten or fifteen yards ahead, but he went very near to the
Mexican camp, and then lay down in the grass. Now he saw the cause of
the swelling sounds. The Mexican force, gathering up its arms and
horses, was retreating.

Ned stole back to the camp with his news.

"You have done well, Ned, lad," said Moore. "I think it likely, however,
that they are merely withdrawing to a stronger position, but they can't
escape us. We'll follow 'em, and since they wanted that cannon so badly
we'll give 'em a taste of it."

The cannon, a six-pounder, had been brought over on the ferryboat in the
night and was now in the Texan camp.

"Ned," said Moore, "do you, Obed and the Panther ride after those
fellows and see what they do. Then come back and report."

It was a dangerous duty, but the three responded gladly. They advanced
cautiously through the fog and the Ring Tailed Panther roared softly.

"Runnin' away?" he said. "I'd be ashamed to come for a cannon an' then
to slink off with tail droopin' like a cowardly coyote. By the great
horn spoon, I hope they are merely seekin' a better position an' will
give us a fight. It would be a mean Mexican trick to run clean away."

"The Mexicans are not cowards," said Ned.

"Depends on how the notion strikes 'em," said the Panther. "Sometimes
they fight like all creation an' sometimes they hit it for the high
grass an' the tall timber. There's never any tellin' what they'll do."

"Hark!" said Obed, "don't you hear their tramp there to our left?"

The three stopped and listened, and they detected sounds which they knew
were made by the retreating force. But they could see nothing through
the heavy white fog which