t I never want to see ag'in. I've
seen red, red everywhere. I've been through the rooms of the Alamo, an'
they're red, splashed with the red blood of men. The water in the ditch
was stained with red, an' the earth all about was soaked with it.
Somethin' awful must have happened in the Alamo. There must have been a
terrible fight, an' I'm thinkin' that most of our fellows must have died
before it was took. But it's give me the creeps, boys, an' I think we'd
better get away."

"We can't leave any too quick to please me," said Will Alien. "I'm
seeing ghosts all the time."

"Now that we know for sure the Alamo has fallen," said Smith, "nothin'
is to be gained by stayin' here. It's for Sam Houston to lead us to
revenge, and the more men he has the better. I vote we ride for
Gonzales."

"Seein' what we can see as we go," said Karnes. "The more information we
can pick up on the way about the march of the Mexicans the better it
will be for Houston."

"No doubt of that," said the Panther. "When we go to roarin' an' rippin'
an' t'arin' we must know what we're about. But come on, boys, all that
red in the Alamo gives me conniption fits."

They rode toward the east for a long time until they thought they were
beyond the reach of Mexican skirmishing parties, and then they slept in
a cypress thicket, Smith and Karnes standing guard by turns. As
everybody needed rest they did not resume their journey the next day
until nearly noon, and they spent most of the afternoon watching for
Mexican scouts, although they saw none. They had a full rest that night
and the next day they rode slowly toward Gonzales.

About the middle of the afternoon, as they reached the crest of a swell,
Will Allen uttered an exclamation, and pointed toward the eastern
horizon. There they saw a single figure on horseback, and another
walking beside it. The afternoon sun was very bright, casting a glow
over the distant figures, and, shading their eyes with their hands, they
gazed at them a long time.

"It's a woman that's ridin'," said Smith at last, "an' she's carryin'
some sort of a bundle before her."

"You're shorely right, Deaf," said Karnes, "an' I think the one walkin'
is a black fellow. Looks like it from here."

"I'm your way of thinkin'," said the Panther, "an' the woman on the
horse is American, or I'm mightily fooled in my guess. S'pose we ride
ahead faster an' see for shore."

They increased the speed of their mustangs to a gallop and rapid