Three fell, but the rest ran, splashing
through the sand and water, until they turned the curve and were
protected from the deadly bullets. Then the Panther, calling to the
others, rushed to the other side of the grove, where a second attack,
led by Urrea in person, had been begun. Here men on horseback charged
directly at the wood, but they were met by a fire which emptied more
than one saddle.
Much of the charge was a blur to Ned, a medley of fire and smoke, of
beating hoofs and of cries. But one thing he saw clearly and never
forgot. It was the lame man with the thick white hair sitting with his
back against a tree calmly firing a rifle at the Mexicans. Roylston had
time for only two shots, but when he reloaded the second time he placed
the rifle across his knees as before and smiled.
Most Mexican troops would have been content with a single charge, but
these returned, encouraged by shouts and driven on by fierce commands.
Ned saw a figure waving a sword. He believed it to be Urrea, and he
fired, but he missed, and the next moment the horseman was lost in the
shadows.
The second charge was beaten back like the first, and several
skirmishers who tried to come anew down the bed of the creek were also
put to flight.
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