nearly noon
`` When we go to roarin ' an ' rippin ' an ' t ` arin ' we must know what we 're about . But come on , boys , all that red in the Alamo gives me conniption fits . '' They rode toward the east for a long time until they thought they were beyond the reach of Mexican skirmishing parties , and then they slept in a cypress thicket , Smith and Karnes standing guard by turns . As everybody needed rest they did not resume their journey the next day until nearly noon , and they spent most of the afternoon watching for Mexican scouts , although they saw none . They had a full rest that night and the next day they rode slowly toward Gonzales . About the middle of the afternoon , as they reached the crest of a swell , Will Allen uttered an exclamation , and pointed toward the eastern horizon . There they saw a single figure on horseback , and another walking beside it .