He rose and ran toward the firing. He saw from the crest of a hillock a
wide plain with timber on one side and a creek on the other. The center
of the plain was a shallow valley, and there the firing was heavy.
Ned saw many flashes and puffs of smoke, and presently he heard the thud
of cannon. Then he saw near him Mexican cavalry galloping through the
timber. He could not doubt any longer that a battle was in progress. His
excitement increased, and he ran at full speed through the bushes and
grass into the plain, which he now saw took the shape of a shallow
saucer. The firing indicated that the defensive force stood in the
center of the saucer, that is, in the lowest and worst place.
A terrible fear assailed young Fulton, as he ran. Could it be possible
that Fannin also was caught in a trap, here on the open prairie, with
the Mexicans in vastly superior numbers on the high ground around him?
He remembered, too, that Fannin's men were raw recruits like those with
Ward, and his fear, which was not for himself, increased as he ran.
He noticed that there was no firing from one segment of the ring in the
saucer, and he directed his course toward it. As soon as he saw horses
and men moving he threw up his hands and cried loudly over and over
again: "I'm a friend! Do not shoot!" He saw a rifle raised and aimed at
him, but a hand struck it down.
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