The Comanches had not yet seen the soldiers and came about the Steam Horse in a legion.
But now up the plain came the stentorian order:
“Attention battalion! Draw sabre! double-quick, forward! Charge!”
The clatter of hoofs, the jingling of accouterments and the wild cheer of the soldiers rose upon the air.
Forward rode the troop in headlong fashion and led by a man with as commanding a figure as Murat.
The flash of their sabres could be seen in the torches’ light.
The savages saw them and a panic was created.
At first they seemed inclined to stand their ground.
But their experience with Uncle Sam’s troops had heretofore been of the most expensive sort.
So they did not deem it best to risk an encounter.