said, "Captain Andrews, if you take your men into that thicket it will be equivalent to leading them into a slaughter pen for they will every one be killed."[74]  Captain Andrews and a number of his men, who were thinking about assaulting the unseen enemy, seemed impressed by this remark. In the meantime, while the Texans discussed the question of making an attack, the enemy moved off into the heart of the cedar brake.

In the end, Captain Andrews withdrew his men and turned his course homeward. Most of the men of his command, who were made of sterner stuff, evinced great dissatisfaction with the conduct of their captain and were soon expressing themselves in unmistakable language. The farther they got away from the enemy, the more indignant they became. After riding about three miles in the direction of home, one of the party, A. J. Adkisson, told the disaffected to hold up a little until he could ride up and ask Captain Andrews to give those who desired it permission to return and follow the enemy, for in their minds it was now beyond a doubt who they were. The men assented to this proposition. Adkisson then rode up to the Captain, informed him of the sentiment of the men, and asked permission for those who wished to do so to return and continue the pursuit. He indicated that they did not wish Captain Andrews to assume any responsibility for them, but simply to grant them permission to withdraw from his command. The Captain, we are told, hesitated a moment, and then with an oath replied: "Yes; and I'll go back, too." This was joyful news to all but six of the patrol, who continued their course homeward.

The Texans in pursuit now numbered only twenty. They cut across the country in a westerly direction with the intention of intercepting the Mexican force as it came out of the cedar brake; but when they arrived at the point where they expected to meet them, the rangers found that the enemy had already emerged from the cedar. It was now nine o'clock in the morning. The Texans started in a long gallop on the trail, but soon realized that the enemy, too, was traveling at a rapid gait. The Texans were unable to overtake them during the day. Night coming on, the rangers camped near the mountains about one mile to the north of the Colorado. During the night a heavy rain fell rendering it difficult to follow the trail the next morning. Soon after resuming the march on the morning of the 17th, Captain Andrews' horse became quite lame, and since he was a large man, of about two