About nine o’clock that night a council of war was held in Colonel Travis’ room. Herrera was brought before it and required to report what he had seen. He reported that he had seen the army crossing the river and through inquiry had ascertained that the main body of the force, numbering thirty-five hundred, would travel slowly, but that the cavalry, fifteen hundred strong, would make a forced march for the purpose of taking the Texians by surprise. This created some considerable discussion. Some held that it was more authentic than anything that had reached them before, whilst a majority declared that it was only the report of a Mexican, and entitled to no more consideration than many others of a like character that were daily harangued throughout the country. The council adjourned without coming to any conclusion as to whether it was necessary to give any heed to the warning or not.

In justice to the incredulous part of the council, I will remark that such was the universal distrust of Mexican authority that no report coming from it ever received due consideration. So many false alarms had been given by a degraded class of "Greasers" continually passing to and fro through the west, that no danger was apprehended. Many had persuaded themselves that Santa Anna would never attempt to conquer Texas and the most general reply to any argument to the contrary was that he was afraid to meet us. "He knew better." A majority believed that Cos’ defeat would have the effect of intimidating him and, if not deterring him from invasion altogether, would at least induce him to postpone it till a late day. This will relieve Travis of the charge which has been urged against him that he manifested a want of subordination in neglecting scouting service. He only reached San Antonio, as we have seen, two days before this report, and that area being the extreme western part, information from Mexico was most likely to arrive there first. Finding such an opinion prevailing, it was almost an unavoidable conclusion that the newcomers would fall into it. Until Colonel Neill’s departure, Deaf Smith had been a regular scout, but they too, entertained the common belief, or they would have never left their post.

The night and following day, after the arrival of Herrera, passed as usual, without the occurrence of anything worthy of notice. The little excitement which was created passed off as fast as the report which produced it became more and more discredited. The twenty-second passed likewise. On the morning of the twenty-third the inhabitants were observed to be in quite an unusual stir. The citizens of every class were hurrying to and fro through the streets with obvious signs of excitement. Houses were being emptied and their contents put into carts and hauled off. Such of the poorer class who had no better mode of conveyance, were shouldering their effects and leaving on foot.

These movements solicited investigation. Orders were issued that no others be allowed to leave the city, which had the effect of increasing their commotion. Several were arrested and interrogated as to the cause of the movement, but no satisfactory answer could be obtained. The most general reply was that they were going out to the country to prepare for the coming crop. This excuse, however, availed nothing for it was not to be supposed that every person in the city was a farmer. Colonel Travis persisted in carrying out his order and continued the investigation. Nine o’clock came and no discoveries were made. Ten o’clock in like manner passed and finally the eleventh hour was drawing near and the matter was yet a mystery. It was hoped by Colonel Travis that his diligent investigation and the strict enforcement of the order prohibiting the inhabitants from leaving the city would have the effect of frightening them into a belief that their course was not the wisest for them to pursue; that he, provoked by their obstinacy in refusing to reveal the true cause of the uneasiness, would resort to measures which might be more distasteful than any which would probably follow an open confession. But in that he was disappointed. The treacherous wretches persisted in their course, greatly to his discomfiture all the while.
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