"
"I'm with you," said Ned, "if I have to go all the way back to the City
of Mexico, an' I know that I can speak for Obed, too."
"I jest asked as a matter of form," said the Panther. "I knowed before
askin' that you an' Obed would stick to me."
There was a sudden gust of wind at that moment and the light of the fire
sprang higher. The flames threw a glow across the faces of the
prisoners. Most of them were asleep, but Ned saw them very distinctly
now. One was a boy but little older than himself, his face pale and
worn. Near him was an old man, with a face very uncommon on the border.
His features were those of a scholar and ascetic. His cheeks were thin,
and thick white hair crowned a broad white brow. Ned felt instinctively
that he was a man of importance.
Both the boy and the man slept the sleep of utter exhaustion.
Urrea rose presently and looked at his prisoners. The moonlight was
shining on his face, and it seemed to Ned to be that of some master
demon. The boy was far from denying many good qualities to the Mexicans,
but the countenance of Urrea certainly did not express any of them that
night. It showed only savage exultation as he looked at the bound men,
and Ned knew that this was a formidable enemy of the Texans, one who
would bring infinite resources of cunning and enterprise to crush them.
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