“According to the tell,” spoke Jim, “there aren’t more than a hundred of the Texan volunteers who would go.”
“Well, I’d go,” asserted Leo. “But there are a lot of us fellows who have our families to think of. We didn’t come here to be killed if we could do just as much without being killed. We thought there’d be a bigger army. I tell you, this is a serious proposition, to send only eight hundred men, just volunteers, against a fort with plenty cannon and upward of a thousand trained regulars.”
“This army’s figuring too close,” blurted Sion. “We’ve hung ’round here so long that we’ve talked ourselves tired, and some of our best men have gone home.”
“It’s pretty tough on General Austin,” proposed Ernest. “He’s about sick over it—and he was sick anyway.”
“That’s so,” agreed they all. “First we were sore because he wouldn’t let us attack Bejar, and now we won’t attack it when he tells us to!”
“He’ll have to leave us, anyway, and go to the United States,” remarked Leo. “Expect he’d like to have finished this job first, though.”
This day a council of war was held, and was reported to have about decided that if Bejar did not surrender before winter set in, the army ought to be moved into winter quarters at Goliad, where there were provisions and shelter. The next day, which was the 24th, a general parade was ordered, at which General Austin made a farewell address. He said that he was required by the Texas government to leave at once, and visit the United States, to raise money for the Texan cause. But he requested that his going should make no difference in the plans against Bejar; he hoped that the army would stay right there, and press the siege hard, until General Cos either surrendered or else was so weakened that a short attack would end matters in a hurry.
He complained or scolded not by a word or gesture, did General Austin, and the troops showed their love for him by volleys of cheers.