They had learned that Fannin
and his men had been taken, and they had sought also to discover what
the Mexican generals meant to do with the troops. But the Mexican
patrols had been so numerous and strong that they could not get close
enough to Goliad. Early in the morning while in the timber by the river
they had heard the sound of heavy firing near Goliad, which continued
for some time, but they had not been able to fathom its meaning. They
concluded finally that a portion of Fannin's men must have been still
holding out in some old building of Goliad, and that this was the last
stand.
They made another effort to get closer to the town, but they were soon
compelled to turn back, and, again they sought the thickest timber along
the river. Now they were riding back, in the hope of finding some Texan
detachment with which they could cooeperate.
"If we keep huntin' we ought to find somebody who can tell us
somethin'," said the Panther.
"It's a long lane that has no news at the end," said Obed White, with an
attempt at buoyancy.
"That's so," said "Deaf" Smith. "We're bound to hit a trail somehow an'
somewhere. We heard that Fannin's men had surrendered an' then we heard
that firin'.
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