John H. Moore was elected colonel, to command operations; Mr. J. W. E. Wallace was elected lieutenant-colonel.
Ernest sought out Jim Hill, the first thing after breakfast, and he and Jim stayed together most of the day. Along toward noon a Mexican soldier appeared on the west bank of the river, and signalled that he bore dispatches. Colonel Moore answered that if he had anything to communicate he might leave his horse and swim and wade across, and so he did, not in very good humor.
He had three dispatches. One was from Colonel Ugartechea, at Bejar, saying he had sent Lieutenant Castañeda and one hundred dragoons for the cannon; and if it was not surrendered, the alcalde and all other citizens who resisted were to be brought as prisoners to Bejar. Another was from the political chief, Angel Navarro, ordering the alcalde to obey him and not to delay for further instructions. The third was from Lieutenant Castañeda himself, saying that he was within a few hours’ march, and wished an interview with the alcalde.
Colonel Moore replied that Alcalde Ponton was again absent, but might return within three hours, when an answer would be made.
“Whoopee!” laughed Jim. “It’s just a little waiting game, while we get reinforcements.”
That afternoon the cannon was dug up out of George Davis’s peach orchard and was mounted on the two front wheels of one of Captain Martin’s cotton wagons; John Sowell and Dick Chisholm, who were blacksmiths, said they would make some cannon-balls for it.
That night Jesse McCoy, Joe Kent, Graves Fulshear, and Will Arrington kept watch at the ford to see that no Mexicans crossed. In the morning they reported that several dragoons had come down to the river to water horses, and could have been easily potted, but weren’t.
In the morning the whole Mexican troop were in sight, camped across the river. Lieutenant Castañeda rode forward to the ford and called over that he would receive the reply from the alcalde, as promised. First Regidor (or councilman) Joseph Clements called back that the alcalde was still absent, but he had been sent for and would reply about four o’clock. So Lieutenant Castañeda retired, because he dared not try to force the ford, in the face of the Texas rifles.