They were three in number and appeared to be two or three hundred yards apart.

They watched a little while but they did not see any human outlines passing in front of the fires.
"They are learnin' caution," said the Ring Tailed Panther.

"They are afraid of the Texan rifles, an' while those fires light up a lot of ground they keep their own bodies back in the shadow." "Wise men," said Obed.
The Ring Tailed Panther looked his companions in the eye, one by one.
"We come out here for business," he said.

"What we want to acquire is learnin', learnin' about the new defenses of San Antonio, an' we'd feel cheap if we went back without it.

Now, I don't care to feel cheap myself.