Their faces were tanned and bore all the signs of hardship.

Near the middle of the column four cannon drawn by oxen rumbled along, and behind them came a heavy wagon loaded with ammunition.
It was raining, and the rain was the raw cold rain of early spring in the southwest.

The men, protecting themselves as well as they could with cloaks and serapes, rarely spoke.

The wheels of the cannon cut great ruts in the prairie, and the feet of the horses sank deep in the mud.
Two men and a boy rode near the head of the column.

One of these would have attracted attention anywhere by his gigantic size.