about 10 o'clock
Ned , riding behind Will Allen , scarcely spoke . Obed White , then and afterward , observed a great change in him . He seemed to have matured suddenly far beyond his years , and Obed always felt that he had some unchanging purpose that had little to do with gentleness or mercy . They slept in the timber until about 10 o'clock , and then resumed their ride northward , still holding to the opinion that the peripatetic Texan government would be found at Harrisburg , or somewhere in its vicinity . In the afternoon they encountered a Mexican force of eight mounted men , and attacked with such vigor that Ned and Will , riding double , were never able to get into the fight . Two of the Mexicans fell , and the rest got away . The Texans were unharmed .