"This is just a spanking good breeze," he said. "Look how the waves
dance!"
"Let 'em dance," said the Panther, "an' they can do my share of dancin',
too. I never felt less like roarin' an' t'arin' an' rippin' in my life."
"Any way, we're getting a fine rest," said Will Allen. "It's pleasant to
be out here, where nobody can drop suddenly on you from ambush."
The schooner made another curve to the eastward, the water became
smoother and the Panther's qualms disappeared. Food and water were
brought to them on deck, and they ate and drank with good appetites.
Then John Roylston, who had gone below, as soon as they were out of
range, reappeared. He went directly to Ned, shook hands with him with
great energy, and said in a tone of deep gratitude:
"I had given you up for lost. But you reappeared with your friends, just
in time to save the most valuable of all cargoes for the Texans. I
should like to hear now how you rose from the dead, because I had direct
information that you were in the Alamo, and I know that everybody there
perished."
"I come, nevertheless, as the bearer of bad news," said Ned, with Goliad
fresh in his mind.
"How is that?"
Then Ned told for the second time the dreadful deed done by order of
Santa Anna, and it seemed to him as he told it that all the details were
as vivid and terrible as ever.
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