peed from their horses,
and galloped up to a group of astonished men, who were transferring arms
and ammunition by small boats from a schooner to the land Already more
than a hundred rifles, and a dozen barrels of powder lay upon the shore.

"Back to the ship! Back to the ship!" cried Ned, who involuntarily took
the lead. "We are Texans, and a powerful force of Mexicans will be here
inside of fifteen minutes!"

The men looked at him astonished and unbelieving. Ned saw among them a
figure, clad in sober brown, a man with a large head and a broad,
intellectual face, with deep lines of thought. He knew him at once, and
cried:

"Mr. Roylston, it is I! Edward Fulton! You know me! And here are Captain
Palmer, 'Deaf' Smith, Henry Karnes, Obed White and Will Allen! I tell
you that you have no time to lose! Put the supplies back on the
schooner, and be as quick as you can! Captain Urrea and two hundred men
are galloping fast to capture them!"

Roylston started in astonishment at the appearance of Ned, whom he, too,
had believed to be dead, but he wasted no time in questions. He gave
quick orders to have the arms and ammunition reloaded, and directed the
task himself. The Panther sprang from his horse and walked back to the
edge of the wood.

"Here they come at a gallop," he said, "and we need time. Boys, hand me
your rifles, as I call for them, an' I'll show you how to shoot."

The Panther did not mean to boast, nor did the others take it as such.
He merely knew his own skill, and he meant to use it.

"Do as he says," said "Deaf" Smith to the others. "I reckon that, as
Davy Crockett is dead, the Panther is the best shot in all Texas."

The Mexican cavalry were coming at a gallop, several hundred yards away.
The Panther raised his long, slender-barreled rifle, pulled the trigger,
and the first horseman fell from the saddle. Without turning, he held
out his hands and Smith thrust the second rifle into them. Up went the
weapon, and a second Mexican saddle was empty. A third rifle and a third
Mexican went down, a fourth, and the result was the same. The whole
Mexican troop, appalled at such deadly shooting, stopped suddenly.

"Keep it up, Panther! Keep it up!" cried Smith. "We need every minute of
time that we can get."

While the Mexicans hesitated the Panther sent another fatal bullet among
them. Then they spread out swiftly in a thin half circle, and advanced
again. All the six Texans now opened fire, and they were als