The Horseshoe struck everybody as being ideal. The river made a horseshoe curve, about 100 yards wide. In the curve was a stretch of bottom-land, flat and brushy, fifty to 100 yards deep. From the points of the horseshoe, on either side to the river, was a strip of timber, and between the points of the horseshoe and extending well into the timber was a natural parapet, about six feet high, caused by the bottom-land lying below the surrounding prairie. From the top of the parapet the grassy, flowery prairie stretched level and open, like a parade-ground. From the prairie one could descry, only a mile and a half in the north, the Alamo, and the dun roof-tops of Bejar itself, and sharp eyes could see the Mexican flags lazily floating in the light of the setting sun.
“Whoopee!” quoth Jim, as all sat their saddles while Colonel Bowie and his officers rode about, on the bottoms, inspecting and conferring. “Now we’ve found it. Wood, water and cover; and the whole Mexican army couldn’t smoke us out.”
“’Tisn’t big enough for the Texan army, though,” prompted Ernest.
“Well, it’s a right snug little place for _this_ army,” proclaimed Jim.
“But we’re supposed to go back to Espada and report, before night, aren’t we?”
“Aw, fiddle!” scoffed Jim. “It’s too good a place to leave in a hurry. Jim Bowie’s itching for a fight, same as the rest of us; and we’d be better off fighting in here than out on the prairie somewhere. Who wants to ride back this time of evening and maybe get surrounded on the way? The army can do without us till we’re ready to go in. Camp? Of course we’re going to camp! We’ll see whether those Mexicans have any spunk in ’em.”
Sure enough, the order was given to off-saddle and make camp in the bottoms. And away galloped David Macomb, the assistant adjutant-general, bearing the word to Espada.
Captain Fannin’s command, whose company of fifty men from East Texas formed one detachment, were posted along the lower bend of the river; the Colonel Bowie detachment were posted opposite, along the upper bend. The horses were picketed, fires for coffee were lighted, sentries were stationed at the river in the rear and on the edge of the prairie in the front. Robert Calder and six others were sent into the cupola of the mission building, 500 yards distant, whence they could spy over the country.