 Chapter 10 of the Texan Scouts. This is a LibriVox recording. Oh, LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Edmunds. The Texan Scouts by Joseph B. Altscheller. Chapter 10. Unluckily for the Texans, the night was the darkest of the month. No bonfires burned in San Antonio, and there were no sounds of music. It seemed to Ned that the silence and darkness were sure indications of action on the part of the foe. He felt more lonely and depressed than at any other time, hither too in the siege, and he was glad when Crockett and a young Tennesseean whom he called the bee hunter joined him. Crockett had not lost any of his whimsical good humor, and when Ned suggested that Santa Ana was likely to profit by the dark, he replied, If he is the general I take him to be, he will, or at least try. But meanwhile we'll just wait and look and listen. If that's the way to find out if things are going to happen, don't turn little troubles into big ones. You don't need a cow skin for a calf, we'll just rest easy. I'm mighty not old enough to be your grandfather, Ned, and I've learned to take things as they come. I guess men of my age were talking this same way five thousand years ago. You've seen a lot in your life, Mr. Crockett, said Ned, to whom the Tennesseean was a great hero. Crockett left low, but deep in his throat and with much pleasure. So I have, so I have, he replied, and by the blue blazes I can say it without bragging. I've seen a lot of water go by since I was running around a barefooted bow in Tennessee. I've ranged pretty far from east to west and all the way to Boston and the north to this old mission, and that must be some thousands of miles. And I have some big times in New York, too. You've been to New York, said Ned, with quick interest. It must be a great town. It is. It's certainly a bulger of a place. There are thousands and thousands of houses and you just can't count the sales in the bay. I saw the city hall and it's a mighty fine building, too. It's all marble on one side looking south and plain stone on the other side looking north. I asked why and they said all the poor people lived to the north of it. That's the way things often happen, Ned. I saw a great big hotel. John Jacob Asker was beginning to build on Broadway just below the city hall. They said it would cost $700,000, which is an all-fire lot of money, and that would cover mighty night a whole block, and there would be nothing else in America coming up to it. I'd like to see that town, said Ned. Maybe you will someday, said Crockett, because you're young. You don't know how young you look to me. I heard a lot there, Ned, about that rich man, Mr. Aster. He got his start as a fur trader, and I guess he was about the biggest fur trader that ever was. He was so active that all them animals that wore furs on their backs concluded he might as well give up. I heard one story about an otter and a beaver talking, says the otter to the beaver when he was telling the beaver goodbye after a visit. For a while, I never expect to see you again, my dear old friend. Don't be too much distressed, replied the beaver. You and I, old comrade, will soon meet again at the Hat Store. Ned and the bee hunter laughed, and Crockett delved again into his past life and his experiences in the great city, relatively as great then to the whole country as it is now. I saw a heap in New York, he continued. And one of the things I liked best in it was the theaters. Glad I saw the great Fanny Kemble play there, and she surely was one of the finest women that ever walked this troubled earth. I saw her first as Portia in that play of Shakespeare's called... Called... Called... The Merchant of Venice, suggested Ned. Yes, that's it, the merchant of Venice, where she was the woman lawyer. She was fine to see, and the way she could change her voice and looks was clean miraculous. If I ever need a lawyer, I want her to act for me. She had me mad, and then she had me laughing, and then she had the water starting to my eyes. Whenever she wanted me to see, I saw, and whatever she wanted me to think, I thought. And then too, she was many kinds of a woman, different in turn. In fact, Ned, she was just like a handsome piece of changeable silk. First one color and then another, but always clean. He paused, and the others did not interrupt him. I don't like cities, he resumed presently. They crowd me up too much, but I do like the theater. It makes you see so many things and so many kinds of people that you wouldn't have time to see if you had to travel for them. We don't have much chance to travel right now, do we, bee hunter? A few hundred yards only for our bodies, replied the young Tennessean, but our spirits so far. Upon your bannerm freedom, thy champions cling to thee. The fellow where you lead them to death or victory, up with your bannerm freedom. He merely hummed the words, but Ned caught his spirit and repeated to himself, up with your bannerm freedom. I guess you heard enough tales from an old fellow like me, said Crockett. At least you won't have time to hear any more, because the Mexicans must be moving out there. Do you hear anything, Ned? Nothing but a little wind. Then my ears must be deceiving me. I've used them such a long time that I guess they feel they've got a right to trick me once in a while. But Ned was thinking just then of the great city which he wanted to see someday as Crockett had seen it. But it seemed to him at that moment as far away as the moon. Would his comrades and he ever escape from those walls? His mind came back with a jerk. He did hear something on the plane. Crockett was right. He heard the tread of horses and the sound of wheels moving. He called the attention of Crockett to the noises. I think I know what causes them, said Crockett. Santa Ana is planting his battery under the cover of the knife, and I don't see, boys. I work on to keep him from doing it. The best of the Texan sharpshooters lined the wall and they fired occasionally at indistinct and flitting figures. But they were quite certain that they did no execution. The darkness was too great. Travis Bowie and Crockett considered the possibility of a sortie, but they decided that it had no chance of success. The few score Texans would be overwhelmed in the open plane by the thousands of Mexicans. But all the leaders were uneasy. If the Mexican batteries were brought much closer and were protected by earthquakes and other fortifications, the Alamo would soon be much less defensible. It was decided to send another messenger for help, and Ned saw Bonham drop over the rear wall and slip away in the darkness. It was to go to Goliad where Fanon had 300 men and four guns and bring them in haste. When Bonham was gone, Ned returned to his place on the wall. For hours he heard noises without, the distant sound of voices, the heavy clank of metal against metal. He knew farewell that Santa Ana was planting his batteries. At last he went to his place in the long room of the hospital and slept. When dawn came, he sprang up and rushed to the wall. There was the battery of Santa Ana, only 300 yards from the entrance to the main plaza and to the southeast, but a little further away was another. The Mexicans had worked well during the night. They're creeping closer, Ned. They're creeping closer, said Crockett, who had come to the wall before him. But even at that range, I don't think their cannon will do us much harm. Duck ball or duck, they're going to fire. The two batteries opened at the same time and the Mexican masses in the rear, out of range, began a tremendous cheering. Many of the balls and shells now fell inside the mission, but the Texans stayed well and recovered and they still escaped without harm. The Mexican gunners in their turn kept so well protected that the Texan riflemen had little chance. The Great Bombardment lasted an hour, but when it ceased and the smoke lifted, Ned saw a heavy mass of Mexican cavalry on the eastern road. Both Ned and Crockett took a long look at the cavalry, a fine body of men, some carrying lances and others' muskets. Ned believed that he recognized Urea and the figure of their leader, but the distance was too great for certainty. But when he spoke of it to Crockett, the Tennessean borrowed Travis' food glasses. Take these, he said, and if it's that beloved enemy of yours, you can soon tell. Boy, with the aid of the glasses, recognized Urea at once, the young leader in the uniform of a Mexican captain, and with a cocked and loomed hat upon his head sat his horse hodlily. Ned knew that he was swelling with pride and that he, like Santa Anna, expected the trap to be shut down on the little band of Texans in a day or two. He felt some bitterness that fate should have done so much for Urea. I judge by your face, said Crockett whimsically, that it is Urea. But remember, Ned, that you can still be hated and live long. It is indeed Urea, said Ned. Now, what are they gathering cavalry out there for? They can't expect to gallop over our walls. Guess they've got the idea that we're going to try and slip out and they're shutting off that road of escape. Seems to me, Ned, they're coming so close that it's an insult to us. They're almost within rifle shots. Then these bad little Mexican boys must have their faces scorched as a lesson. Just you wait here, Ned, till I have a talk with Travis and Bowie. It was obvious to Ned that Crockett's talk with the commander and his second was satisfactory because when he returned his face was in a broad grin. Bowie moreover came with him and his blue eyes were lighted up with a fire of battle. We're going to teach them the lesson, Ned, beginning with a B, C, said Crockett. And Jim here, who has a lot of experience in Texas, will lead us. Come along, I'll watch over you. A force of 70 or 80 was formed quickly and hidden from the view of the Mexicans. They rushed down the plaza, climbed the low walls and dropped down upon the plain. The Mexican cavalry outnumbered them four or five to one, but the Texans cared little for such odds. Now, boys, up with your rifles, cried Bowie, pump it into him. Bowie was a product of the border, hard and desperate, a man of many fierce encounters, but throughout the siege he had been singularly gentle and considerate in his dealings with his brother Texans. Now he was all warrior again, his eyes blazing with blue fire while he shouted vehement words of command to his men. The sudden upherance of the Texan rifleman outside the Alamo took Urea by surprise, but he was quick of perception and action, and his cavalrymen were the best in the Mexican army. He wheeled them into line with a few words of command and shouted them to charge. Bowie's men instantly stopped, forming a rough line and up with their rifles. Urea's soldiers who carried rifles or muskets opened a hasty and excited fire at some distance. Ned heard the bullet singing over his head or saw them kicking up dust in front of the Texans, but only one of the Texans fell and but few were wounded. The Mexican rifles or muskets were now empty, but the Mexican Lancers came on in good order and in almost a solid group, the yellow sunlight flashing across the long blades of their lances. It takes a great will to face sharp steel in the hands of horsemen, thundering down upon you, and Ned was quite willing to own afterwards that every nerve in him was jumping, but he stood, all stood, and at the command of Bowie, their rifles flashed together in one tremendous explosion. The rifles discharged, the Texans instantly snatched out their pistols, ready for anything that might come galloping through the smoke, but nothing came. When the smoke lifted, they saw that the entire front of the Mexican column was gone. Fallen men and horses were thick on the plane, and long lances lay across them. Other horses, riderless, were galloping away to right and left, and unhorsed men were running to the rear, but Eurea had escaped unharmed and had saw him trying to reform his shattered force. Reload your rifles, man, shouted Bowie, you can be ready for him before they come again. These were skilled sharpshooters, and they rammed their loads home with startling rapidity. Every rifle was loaded and a finger was on every trigger when the second charge of Eurea swept down upon them. At no need of a command from Bowie now, the Texans picked their targets and fired straight into the dense group. Once more, the front of the Mexican column was shot away, and their lances fell clattering on the plane. Adam, boys, with your pistols, shouted Bowie, don't give him a second chance. The Texans rushed forward, firing their pistols. Ned and the smoke became separated from his comrades, and when he could see more clearly, he beheld but a single horseman. That man was Eurea. The two recognized each other instantly. The Mexican had the advantage. He was on horseback and the smoke was in Ned's eyes, not his own. With a shout of triumph, he rode straight at the boy and made a fierce sweep with his cavalry saver. It was fortunate for Ned that he was agile of both body and mind. He ducked and leaped to one side. He felt a swish of heavy steel over his head, but as he came up again, he fired. Eurea was protected largely by his horse's neck, and Ned fired at the horse instead, although he would have greatly preferred Eurea as a target. The bullet struck true and the horse fell, but the rider leaped clear and, still holding the saber, sprang at his adversary. Ned snatched up his rifle, which lay on the ground at his feet and received a slash of its sword upon its barrel. The blade broke in two, and then, clubbing his rifle, Ned struck. It was fortunate for Eurea, too, that he was agile of mind and body. He sprang back quickly, but the butt of the rifle grazed his head and drew blood. The next moment the other combatants came between, and Eurea dashed away in search of a fresh horse. Ned, his blood on fire, was rushing after him, and Bowie seized his arm and pulled him back. No further than Ned, he cried. We scattered the cavalry, and we must get back to the Alamo, where the whole Mexican army will upon us. Ned heard far away the beat of flying hoofs, which was made by the horses of the Mexican cavalry fleeing for their lives. Bowie quickly gathered together his men, and carrying with them two who had been slain in the fight, they retreated rapidly to the Alamo, the Texan cannon firing over their heads at the advancing Mexican infantry. In three or four minutes, they were inside the walls again, and with their comrades. The Mexican cavalry did not reappear upon the eastern road, and the Texans were exultant, yet they had lost two good men, and their joy soon gave way to more solemn feelings. It was decided to bury the slain at once in the plaza, and a common grave was made for them. They were the first of the Texans to fall in the defense, and their fate made a deep impression upon everybody. It took only a few minutes to dig the grave, and the men, laid side by side, recovered with their cloaks. While the spades were yet at work, the Mexican cannon opened anew upon the Alamo. A ball and a bomb fell in the plaza, the shell burst, but fortunately too far away to hurt anybody. Neither the bursting of the shell nor any other part of the cannonade interrupted the burial. Crockett, a public man and orator, said a few words. They were sympathetic and well-chosen. He spoke of the two men dying for Texas. Others too would fall in the defense of the Alamo, but their blood would water the tree of freedom. Then they threw in the dirt. While Crockett was speaking, the cannon still thundered without, but every word could be heard distinctly. When Ned walked away, he felt the full, the deep solemnity of the moment. Hitherto they had fought without loss to themselves. The death of the two men now cast an ominous light over the situation. The Mexican lines were being drawn closer and closer about the Alamo, and he was compelled to realize the slenderness of their chances. The boy resumed his place on the wall, remaining throughout the afternoon, and watched the coming of the night. Crockett joined him, and together they saw troops of Mexicans marching away from the main body, some to right and some to left. Stretching their lines, said Crockett, saying to Anna, means to close us in entirely after a while. Now, by the blue blazes, that was a close shave. A bullet sang by his head and flattened against the wall. He and Ned dropped down just in time. Other bullets thuttered against the stone. Nevertheless, Ned lifted his head above the edge of the parapet to take a look. His eyes swept a circle and he saw little puffs of smoke coming from the roofs and windows of the Jack Halls or Mexican huts on their side of the river. He knew at once that the best of the Mexican sharpshooters had hidden themselves there, and a knot opened fire not with muskets, but with improved rifles. He called Crockett's attention to this point of danger, and the frontiersmen grew very serious. We've got to get them out some way or another, he said. As I said before, the cannonballs make a big fuss, but they don't come so often and they come at random. It's the bullets that have the sting of the wasp, and when a man looks down the sights, draws a bead on you and sends one of them lead pellets at you, he generally gets you. Ned, we've got to drive them pellets out of there some way or the other. The bullets from the Jack Halls now swept the walls, and the truth of Crockett's words became painfully evident. The Texan cannon fired upon the huts, but the balls went through the soft adobe and seemed to do no harm. It was like firing into a great sponge. Triumphant shouts came from the Mexicans, their own batteries resumed the cannonade, while their sheltered riflemen sent in the bullets faster and faster. Crockett tapped the barrel of Betsy significantly. The work has got to be done with this old lady and others like her, he said. We must get rid of them, Jack Halls. How? That's Ned. You come along with me and I'll show you, said Crockett. I'm going to have a talk with Travis, and if he agrees with me, we'll soon wipe out that wasp's nest. Crockett briefly announced his plan, which is bold in the extreme. 60 picked riflemen, 20 of whom bore torches also, would rush out at one of the side gates, storm the Jack Halls, set fire to them, and then rush back to the Alamo. Travis hesitated. The plan seemed impossible of execution and face of the great Mexican force, but Bowie warmly seconded Crockett, and at last the commander gave his consent. Ned at once asked to go with the daring troop and secured permission. The band gathered in a close body by one of the gates. The torches were long sticks, lighted at the end, and burning strongly. The men had already cocked their rifles, but knowing the immense risk they were about to take, they were very quiet. Ned was pale, and his heart beat painfully, but his hand did not shake. The Texan cannon, to cover the movement, opened fire from the walls, and the riflemen, hosted at various points, helped also. The Mexican cannon aid increased. When the thunder and crash read their height, the gate was suddenly thrown over and 60 dashed out. Fortunately, the drifting smoke hid them partially, and they were almost upon the Jack Halls before they were discovered. A great shout came from the Mexicans when they saw the daring Texans outside, and bullets from the Jack Halls began to knock up grass and dust about them. But Crockett himself, waving a torch, led them on, shouting, It's only a step, boys, it's only a step, now let them have it. The Texans fired as they rushed, but they took care to secure a good aim. The Mexicans were driven from the roofs and the windows, and then the Texans carrying the torches dashed inside. Every house contained something inflammable, which was quickly set on fire, and two or three huts made of wood were lighted in a dozen places. The dry materials blazed up fast, a light wind fanned the flames which joined together and leaped up, a roaring pyramid. The Mexicans, who had lately occupied them, were scuttling like rabbits toward their main force, and the Texan bullets made them jump higher and faster. Crockett, with a shout of triumph, flung down his torch. Now, boys, he cried, here's the end of them Jack Halls. Nothing on Earth can put out that fire, but if we don't make a foot race back to the Alamo, the end of us will be here too, in a minute. The little band wheeled for its homeward rush, Ned heard a great shot of rage from the Mexicans, and then the hissing and singing of shells and cannonballs over his head. He saw Mexicans running across the plane to cut them off, but his comrades and he reloaded their rifles, and as they ran they sent a shower of bullets that drove back their foe. Ned's heart was pumping frightfully, and myriads of black specks danced before his eyes, but he remembered afterward that he calculated how far they were from the Alamo and how far the Mexicans were from them. A number of his comrades had been wounded, but nobody had fallen, and they still raced in a close group for the gate, which seemed to recede as they rushed on. A few more steps, Ned cried Crockett, and we're in. Ah, there go our friends. The Texan cannon over their head now fired into the pursuing Mexican masses, and the sharpshooters on the walls also poured in a deadly hail. The Mexicans recoiled once more, and then Crockett's party made good at the gate. All here, cried Crockett, as those inside held up torches. He ran over the list rapidly himself and counted them all, but his face fell when he saw that his young friend, the bee hunter, staggered. Crockett caught him in his arms and bore him to the hospital. He and Ned watched by his side until he died, which was very soon. Before he came unconscious, he murmured some lines from an old Scotch poem. But home came the saddle, all bluity to see, and home came the steed, but never home came he. They buried him that night beside the other two, and Ned was more solemn than ever when he sawed his usual place in the hospital by the wall. It had been a day of victory for the Texans, but the Omans nevertheless seemed to him to be bad. The next day he saw the Mexicans spreading further and further about the Alamo, and they were in such strong force that the Texans could not now afford to go out and attack any of these bands. A light cold rain fell, and as he was not on duty, he went back to the hospital where he sat in silence. He was deeply depressed, and the thunder of the Mexican cannon beat upon his ears like the voice of doom. He felt a strange annoyance at the reports of the guns. His nerves jumped, and he became angry with himself at what he considered a childish weakness. Now, for the first time, he felt despair. He borrowed a pencil and a sheet of paper torn from an old memorandum book and made his will. His possessions were singularly few, and the most valuable at hand was his fine, long-barreled rifle, which he left to his faithful friend, Obed White. He bequeathed his pistol and knife to the panther, and his clothes to Will Allen. He was compelled to smile at himself when he finished his page of writing. Was it likely that his friends would never find this paper, or, if finding it, was it likely that any of them should ever obtain his inheritance? But it was a relief to his feelings, and, folding the paper, he put it on the inside pocket of his hunting shirt. The bombardment was renewed in the afternoon, but Ned stayed in his place in the hospital. After a while, Davy Crockett and several others joined him there. Crockett, as usual, was jocular, and told more stories of his trips to the large eastern cities. He had just finished an anecdote of Philadelphia when he turned suddenly to Ned. Boy, he said, you and I have fought together more than once now, and I like you. You're brave, and you have a head full of sense. When you grow older, you'll be worth a lot to Texas. They'll need you in the council. No, don't protest. This is the time when we can say what is in it for us. The Mexican circle around the Alamos is almost complete, and that's so, boys. It is. Then I'll say what we all know. Three or four days from now, the chances will be 100 to one against any of us ever getting out of here. And you're the youngest of the defense, Ned, so I want you to slip out tonight while there's yet time. Maybe you can get up a big lot of men and come to our help. Ned looked straight at Crockett, and the veteran's eyes wavered. It's the little scheme you have, said Ned, to get me out of the way. You think that because I'm the youngest, I have to go off alone at night and save my own life. Well, I'm not going. I intend to stay here and fight it out with the rest of you. I meant for the best, boy. I meant for the best, said Crockett. I'm an old fellow, and I've had a terrible lot of fun in my time. About as much, I guess, as one man isn't entitled to, but you've got all your life before you. Couldn't think of it, said Ned lightly. Besides, I've got a password in case I'm taken by Santa Anna. What's that? asked Crockett curiously. It's the single word, Roylston. Mr. Roylston told me that if I were taken by Santa Anna to mention his name to him. That's queer, and then maybe it ain't, said Crockett musingly. I've heard a lot of John Roylston. He's about the biggest trader in the Southwest. I guess he must have had some sort of financial hold on Santa Anna, who was always wanting money. Ned, if the time should ever come, don't you forget to use that password. The next night was dark and chilly with gusts of rain, and the afternoon the Mexican cannonade waned and at night it ceased entirely. The Alamo itself, except for a few small lights within the buildings, was kept entirely dark in order that skulking sharpshooters without might not find a target. Ned was on watch near one of the lower walls about the plaza. He wrapped himself in his youthful syrupy, closely about his body, and the lower part of his face in order to protect himself from the cold and wet, and the broad brim of his sombrero was drawn down to meet it. The other Texans on guard were protected in similar fashion, and in the flitting glances that Ned caught of them, they looked to him like men in disguise. The time went on very slowly, and the look backward every hour in the Alamo seemed to him as ten. He walked back and forth a long time, occasionally meeting other sentinels, and exchanging a few words with them. Once he glanced at their cattle, which were packed closely under a rough shed, where they lay groaning with content, then he went back to the wall and noticed the dim figure of one of the sentinels going toward the convent yard in the church. Ned took only a single glance at the man, but he rather envied him. The man was going off duty early, and he would soon be asleep in a warm place under a roof. He did not think of him again until a full hour later, when he too, going off duty, saw a figure hidden in syrupy and sombrero passing along the inner edge of the plaza. The walk and figure reminded him of the man whom he had seen an hour before, and he wondered why anyone could have been asleep under shelter and returned to the cold and rain. He decided to follow, but the figure flitted away before him down the plaza toward the lowest part of the wall. This was doubly curious. Moreover, it was ground for great suspicion. Ned followed swiftly. He saw the figure mounting the wall as if to take position there as a sentinel, and then the truth came to him in a flash. It was Urea playing the congenial role of spy. Ned brushed forward, shouting. Urea turned, snatched a pistol and fired. The bullet whistled past Ned's head. The next moment, Urea dropped over the wall and fled away in the darkness. The other sentinels were not able to obtain a shot at him. End of chapter 10, according by Edmunds. Chapter 11 of the Texan Scouts. This is a LibriVox recording. While LibriVox recordings are in the public domain, for more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Edmunds. The Texan Scouts by Joseph A. Alchiller. Chapter 11. Ned's report created some alarm among the defenders of the Alamo, but it passed quickly. I don't see just how it can help him, said Crockett. He's found out there were a few in number. They already knew that. The Texans learned that the Alamos made up of a church and other buildings with walls around them. They already knew that too, and so here we all are, Texans and Mexicans, just where we stood before. Nevertheless, the bombardment rose to a fiercer pitch of intensity the next day. The Mexicans seemed to have an unlimited supply of ammunition, and they rained balls and shells on the Alamo. Many of the shells did not burst, and the damage done was small. The Texans did not reply from the shelter of their walls for a long time. Last the Mexicans came closer, emboldened perhaps by the thought that resistance was crushed, and then the Texan's sharpshooters opened fire with their long, barreled rifles. The Texans had two or three rifles apiece, and they poured in a fast and deadly fire. So many of the Mexicans fell that the remainder retreated with speed, leaving the fallen behind them. But when the smoke lifted, others came forward under a white flag, and the Texans allowed them to take away their dead. The cannon now became sped as monarch. All the Mexican cannon would fire continuously for a half hour or so, and then would ensue a silence of perhaps an hour. In the afternoon, Bowie was taken very ill, owing to his great exertions, and a bed was made for him in the hospital. Ned sat there with him for a while. The gentle mood that had distinguished the Georgian throughout the siege was even more marked now. Ned, he said, you all too have gone out the other night when we wanted you to go. Fanon may come to our help, or he may not, but even if he should come, I don't think his force is sufficient. It would merely increase the number of Texans in the Shrap. I've made up my mind that I won't go, said Ned. I'm sorry, said Bowie. As for me, it's different. I'm a man of violence, Ned. I don't deny it. There's human blood on my hands, and some of it is that of my own countrymen. I've done things I'd like to call back, and so I'm glad to be here, one of a full-on hope fighting for Texas. It's a sort of atonement, and if I fall, I think it will be remembered in my favor. Ned was singularly impressed. Crockett had taught it in much the same way. Could these men, heroes of a thousand dangers, have really given up? Not to give up in the sense of surrender, but to expect death fighting. But for himself, he could not believe such a thing possible. Youth was too strong in him. He was on the watch again for the part of the next night, and he and Crockett were together. They heard sounds made by the besiegers on every side of them. Mexicans were calling to Mexicans. Bridal bits rattled and metal clanked against metal. I suppose the circle is complete, said Ned. Looks like it, said Crockett. We've got our cattle to eat and water and to drink, and only a direct attack and force can take us. They can bang away with their can until next Christmas, and they won't shake our grip on the Alamo. The night was fairly dark, and an hour later Ned heard a whistle. Crockett heard it too, and stiffened instantly into attention. Did that sound to you like a Mexican whistling? He asked. No, I'd say it came from American lips, but I'd also take it for a signal. And so it is. It's just a whistle as hunters use when they want to talk to one another without words. I've whistled to my partners in that way in the woods hundreds of times. I think, Ned, that some Texans are at hand waiting a chance to slip in. Crockett emitted a whistle, low but clear and penetrating, almost like the song of a night bird. And in a half-minute came the rejoinder. He replied to it briefly, and then they waited. Others had gathered at the low plaza wall with them. Hidden to the eyes, they peered over the parapet. They heard soft footsteps in the darkness, and then dim forms emerged. Despite the darkness, they knew them to be Texans, and Crockett spoke low. Here we are, boys, waiting for you. This way, in a half-minute, you're inside the Alamo. The men ran forward, scaled the wall, and were quickly inside. They were only thirty-two. Ned had thought that the Panther, Obed, and Will Allen might be among them, but they were not there. The new men were shaking hands with the others, and were explaining that they had come from Gonzalez with Captain Smith at their head. They were all well-armed, carried much ammunition, and were sure that other parties would arrive from different points. The thirty-two were full of rejoicings over their successful entry, but they were warned nevertheless, and they were taken into one of the buildings where food and water were set before them. Ned stood by, an eager auditor, as they told of their adventures. We had a hard time to get in here, too, you, said Captain Smith, and from the looks of things, I reckon we'd have as hard a time to get out. There must be a million Mexicans around the Alamo. We tried to get up a bigger force, but we couldn't gather any more without waiting, and we thought that if you needed us at all, you needed us in a hurry. I reckon you're right about need of being in a hurry, said Crockett. When you want help, you want it right, then there. So you do, said Smith, as he took a fresh piece of steak, and we had it in mind all the time. The wind was blowing your way, and in the afternoon we heard the roaring of the cannon a long distance off. Then as we came closer, we heard Mexicans buzzing all around the main swarm, scouts and skirmishers everywhere. We hid in an arroyo and waited until dark. Then we rode closer and found that there would never be any chance to get into the Alamo on horseback. We took the saddles and bridles off our horses and turned them loose on the prairie. Then we undertook to get in here, but it was touch and go. I tell you, it was touch and go. We wheeled and twisted and curved and doubled until our heads got dizzy. Wherever we went, we found Mexicans, thousands of them. We've noticed a few ourselves, said Crockett. It was pretty late when we struck an opening, and then not being sure we whistled. When we heard you whistle back, we made straight for the wall, and here we are. We're mighty glad to see you, said Crockett. We ain't welcome you to no picnic. I reckon you understand that, don't you, Jim Smith? We understand it. Every one of us replied Smith gravely. We heard it before we started, and now we've seen. We know that Santa Ana himself is out there, and that Mexicans have got a big army. That's the reason we came, David Crockett, because the odds are so heavy against you. You are a true man, said Crockett, and so is every one of these with you. The new force was small, merely a few more for the trap, but they were brought with them some encouragement. Ned shared it in the general mental uplift. These new faces were very welcome indeed. They gave fresh vigor to the little garrison, and they brought news that of that outside world from which he seemed to have been shut off so long. They told of numerous parties, sure to come to their relief, but he soon noticed that they did not particularize. He felt with certainty that the Alamo now had all the defenders that it would ever have. Repeated examinations from the walls of the church confirmed Ned and his belief. The Mexican circle was complete, and their sheltered batteries were so near that they dropped balls and shells whenever they pleased inside the Alamo. Duals between the cannon and the Texan sharpshooters were frequent. The gunners, as they worked their guns, were forced to show themselves at times, and every exposure was instantly the signal for a Texan bullet, which rarely missed. But the Mexicans kept on. It seemed that they intended to wear out the defenders by the sheer persistency of their cannon fire. Ned became so hardened to the bombardment that he paid little attention to it. Even when a ball fell inside the Alamo, the chances were several hundred to one that it would not hit him. He had amused himself with a mathematical calculation of the amount of space he occupied, compared with the amount of space in the Alamo. Thus, he arrived at the result, which indicated comparatively little risk for himself. The shrewdest calculations are often wrong. As he passed through the convent yard, he met Crockett, and the two walked on together. But before they had gone a half a dozen steps, a bomb hissed through the air, fell and rolled at their feet. It was still hissing and smoking, but Ned, driven by some unknown impulse, seized it and with a mighty effort hurled it over the wall where it burst. Then he stood licking his burned fingers, and looking rather confusedly at Crockett. He felt a certain shyness over what he had done. The veteran frontiersman had already formed a great affection for the boy. He knew that Ned's impulse had come from a brave heart and a quick mind, and that he had probably saved both their lives. He took a great resolution that this boy, the youngest of all the defenders, should be saved. I was well done, Ned, he said quietly. I'm glad, boy, that I've known you. I'd be proud if you were a son of mine. We can talk plainly here with death all around us. You've got a lot in that head of yours. You ought to make a great man, a great man for Texas. Won't you do what I say and slip out of the Alamo while there's still a chance? Ned was much moved, but he kept his resolution as he had kept it before. He shook his head. You were all very good to me here, he said. Mr. Bowie, too, has asked me to go. But if I should do so, and the rest of you were to fall, I'd be ashamed of myself all the rest of my life. I'm a Texan now, and I'm going to see it through with the rest of you. All right, said Crockett lightly. I've heard that you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. And if a boy don't want to go, you can't make him go. So we'll just go into this little improvised armory of ours, and you and I will put our time molding bullets. They entered one of the Adobe buildings. A fire had been built on the hearth, and half a dozen Texans were already busy there. But they quickly made room for Crockett and Ned. Crockett did not tell Ned that their supplies of powder and lead were running low, and that they must reduce their fire from the walls in order that they might have sufficient to meet an attack and force. But it was a cheerful little party that occupied itself with molding bullets. Ned put a bar of lead into a ladle and held it over the fire until the bar became molten. Then he poured it into the mold until it was full, closed it, and when he opened it again, the shining bullet dropped out. He worked hour after hour. His face became flushed with the heat, but with pride he watched his heap of bullets grow. Crockett at last said they had done enough for the day, and Ned was glad when they got outside and breathed the fresh air again. There was no firing at that time, and they climbed once more upon the church wall. Ned looked out upon the scene, every detail of which was so familiar to him now, but conspicuous, and seeming to dominate all was the blood-red flag of no quarter, floating from the tower of the Church of San Fernando. Wind and rain had not dimmed its bright color. The menace of its most vivid hue was always there. Travis, who was further along the wall with a pair of strong field glasses, came back and joined Ned and Crockett. If you would like to see Santa Anna, you can, he said to Ned. He was on the Church of San Fernando now with his generals looking at us. Take these glasses, and your gaze may meet his. Ned took the glasses, and there was Santa Anna standing directly under the folds of the banner, with his own glasses to his eyes, studying the Alamo and its defenders. About him stood a half a dozen generals. Ned's heart swelled with anger. The charming genius of Santa Anna made him all more repellent now. He knew that he would break any promise if it suited him, and that cunning and treachery were his most potent tools. Santa Anna, at that very moment, was discussing with Cezma, Kos, Geona, and others the question of the immediate result on the whole army upon the Alamo. They had heard rumors of an advance by Fanon with help for the Texans, but, while some of the younger spirits wished prompt attack, Santa Anna decided on delay. The dictator doubted whether Fanon would come up, and if he did, he would merely put so many more rats in the trap. Santa Anna felt secure in his vast preponderance of numbers. He would take the Texans in his own good time, that is, whenever he felt like it. He did not care to hurry, because he was enjoying himself greatly in San Antonio. Capable of tremendous energy at times, he gave himself up at other times to Babylonian rebels. Ned handed the glasses to Crockett, who also took long look. I heard a lot of Santa Anna, he said, and maybe I'll yet meet him eye to eye. It's possible, said Travis, but Davy, we got to wait on the Mexicans. It's always for them to make the move, and then we'll meet it if we can. I wish we would hear from Bonham. I'm afraid he's been taken. Not likely, said Crockett, one man all alone, and as quick an eye and foot of Bonham would be pretty sure to make his way safely. Certainly hope so, said Travis. At any rate, I intend to send out another letter soon. The Texans are made to realize our situation. They will surely come, no matter how far away they may be. I hope they will, said Crockett, but Ned noticed that he did not seem to speak with any great amount of confidence. Balancing everything as well as he could, he did not see how much help could be expected. The Texan towns were tiny. The whole fringe of Texan settlements was small. The Texans were about 50 or 60,000 against the seven or eight millions of Mexicans. And now they knew a great Mexican army was in Texas. The scattered borderers would be put to it to defend themselves. He did not believe that in any event they could gather a force great enough to cut its way through the coil of Santa Ana's multitude. But Travis' faith in Bonham, at least, was justified. The next night, about halfway between midnight and morning, in the darkest hour, a man scaled the wall and dropped inside the plaza. It proved to be a bonham-self, pale, worn, covered with mud and dust, but bringing glad tidings. Ned was present when he came up into the church and was met by Travis, Bowie, Crockett, and Smith. Only a single torch lighted up the grim little group. Vaughn and his left goliad with 300 men and four cannons to join us, Bonham said. He was started five days ago and should be here soon. With his rifles and big guns, he'll be able to cut his way through the Mexicans and enter the Alamo. I think so, too, said Travis with enthusiasm. But Ned steadily watched Bowie and Crockett. They were men of experience and in matters such as these, they had minds of uncommon penetration. He noticed that neither of them said anything and that they showed no elation. Everybody in the Alamo knew the next day that Bonham had come from Fanon and the whole place was filled with new hope. As Ned reckoned, it was about 150 miles from San Antonio to Bexar to Goliad. But, according to Bonham, Fanon had already been five days on the way and they should soon hear the welcome thunder of his guns. He eagerly scanned the southeast in which the direction lay Goliad, but the only human beings he saw were Mexicans. No sound came to his ears but the note of a Mexican trumpet to the crack of a Bacuero's rip. He was not the only one who looked and listened. They watched that day and the next through all the bombardment and the more dangerous rifle fire. They never saw on the horizon the welcome flash from any of Fanon's guns. No sound that was made by a friend reached their ears. The only flashes of fire they saw outside were those that came from the mouths of Mexican cannon. And the only sounds they heard beyond the Alamo were made by the foe. The sun, huge, red, and vivid sank in the prairie and as the shadows thickened over the Alamo, Ned was sure in his heart that Fanon would never come. A few days before the defenders of the Alamo had begun to scan the southeast for help of a body of 300 men were marching towards San Antonio de Bejar. They were clad in buckskin and they were on horseback. 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 a 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. He was dressed completely in buckskin, save for a raccoon skin cap that crowned his thick, black hair. The rider on his right hand was long and thin with the calm countenance of a philosopher and the one on his left was an eager and impatient boy. I wish this rain would stop. Said the panther, his insanguine eye expressing impatience and anger. I don't mind getting cold and I don't mind getting wet, but there's nothing stickier or harder to plow through than the Texas mud. And every minute counts. Them boys at the Alamo camp fight off thousands of Mexicans forever. Look at them steers. Did you ever see anything go as slow as they do? I'd like to see Ned again, said Will Allen. I'd be willing to take my chance with him there. That boy of ours is surely with Crockett and Bowie and Travis and the others, helping to fight off Santa Anna and his hood, said Obed White. Bonham couldn't have made any mistake about him. If we had seen Bonham himself, he would have gone with him to the Alamo. But we gave Ned's name to Colonel Fanon, said Will, and it's so sure to be he. A comrade is certainly there, said Obed White. And we've got to help rescue him as well as help rescue the others. It's hard not to hurry on by ourselves, but we can be of most help by trying to push on this force, although it seems as if everything has conspired against us. It surely looks as if things was trying to keep us back, exclaimed the Panther angrily. We've had such a hard time getting these men together, and look at this rain and this mud. We ought to be at Bihar right now, a roaring and a tearing and a ripping and a jawing among them Mexicans. Patience, patience, said Obed White soothingly. Sometimes the more haste, the oftener you trip. Patience on our part ain't much good. Men 60 or 80 miles away, who need us yelling and shooting for them this very minute. I'm bound to own that what you say is so, said Obed White. They relaxed into silence. The pace of the column grew slower. The men were compelled to adapt themselves to the cannon and ammunition wagon, which are now almost mired. The face of the Panther grew black as thunder with impatience and anger, but he forced himself into silence. They stopped a little while at noon, and scanty rations were rolled out. They had started in such haste that they had only a little rice and dried beef, and there was no time to hunt game. They started again in a half hour, creeping along to the mud, and the Panther was not only the man who suffered hot words of impatience under his breath. They were nearing the San Antonio River now, and Fanon began to show anxiety about the fort, but the Panther was watching the ammunition wagon, which was sinking deeper and deeper into the mire. It seemed to him that it was groaning and creaking too much, even for the deep mud through which it was passing. The driver of the ammunition wagon cracked his long whip over the oxen, and they tugged at the yoke. The wheels were now down into the hub, and the wagon ceased to move. The driver cracked his whip again and again, and the oxen threw their full weight into the effort. The wheels slowly rose from their sticky bed, and something cracked with the report like a pistol shot. The Panther groaned aloud because he knew what had happened. The axle of the wagon had broken, and it was useless. They distributed the ammunition, including the cannonballs, which they put in sacks as well as they could among the horsemen, and went on. They did not complain, but everyone knew now that it was a heavy blow. In two more hours, they came to the banks of the muddy San Antonio, and they stared in dismay at the swollen current. It was evident at once to everybody that the passage would be most difficult for the cannon, which, like the ammunition wagon, were drawn by oxen. The river was running deep with muddy banks and a muddy bottom, and taking the lightest of the gun, they tried first to get it across. Many of the men waited neck deep into the water and strove at the wheels, but their stream went completely over the cannon, which also sank deeper and deeper in the oozy bottom, and then became an effort to save the gun. The panther put all his strength at the wheel, and a dozen others helping. They at last got it back to the bank from which they had started. Fanon, not a man of great decision, looked deeply discouraged, but the panther and the others urged him on to new attempts. The panther himself, as he talked for the aspect of a huge river god, yellow water streamed from his hair, beard, and clothing, and formed a little pool around him. But he noticed it not at all, urging the men on with all the fiery energy which a dauntless mind had stored in a frame so great and capable. If it can be done, the panther would get the guns across, said Will to Obed. That's so, said Obed. But who'd have thought of this when we started out? We expected to have a big fight with an army and not with the river. They took the cannon into the water a second time, but the result was the same. They could not get it across, and with infinite exertion they dragged it back to the bank. Then they looked at one another in despair. They could ford the river, but it seemed madness to go on without the cannon. While they debated there, a messenger came with news that the investment of the Alamo by Santa Ana was now complete. He gave what rumor said, and rumor told that the Mexican army numbered 10 or 12,000 men with 50 or 60 guns. Santa Ana's force was so great that already he was sending off large bodies to the eastward to attack techs and detachments wherever they could be found. Fanon held an anxious council with his officers. It was an open talk on the open prairie, and never anybody who chose could listen. Will Allen and Obed White said nothing, but the panther was vehement. We've got to get there, he exclaimed. We can't leave our people to die in the Alamo. We've got to cut our way through, and if the worst comes to the worst, die with them. That would benefit nobody, said Fanon. We've made every human effort to get our cannon across the river, and we have failed. It would not profit Texas for us to ride on with our rifles merely to be slaughtered. There will be other battles and other sieges, and we shall be needed. Does that mean we're not going on? As the panther, we can't go on. Fanon waved his hand at the yellow and swollen river. We must return to Goliad. He said, I've decided. Beside, there's nothing else for us to do about face men and take up the march. The men turned slowly and reluctantly, and the cannon began to plow the mud on the road to Goliad from which they had come. The panther had remounted, and he drew to one side with Will and Obed, who were also on their horses. His face was glowing with anger. Never had he looked more tremendous as he sat on his horse, and the water still flowing with him. Colonel Fanon, he called out, you go back to Goliad. But as for me and my partners Obed White and Will Allen, we're going to Bexar and the Alamo. I have no control over you, said Fanon, but it would be much better for you three to keep with us. No, said the panther firmly. We hear the Alamo calling, stand at the river, boys, but keep your weapons and ammunition dry. Their horses urged into the water, swam to the other bank, and, without looking back, the three rode for San Antonio at Bexar. While the panther, Obed White and Will Allen, were riding over the prairie, Ned Fulton sat once more with his friend. Davy Crockett, in one of the Adobe buildings, night had come and they heard outside the fitful crackle of rifle fire, but they paid no attention to it. Travis, at a table with a small tallow candle at his elbow, was writing his last message. Ned was watching the commander as he wrote, but he saw no expression of despair or even discouragement on Travis' fine face. The letter, which a messenger succeeded in carrying through the lines that night, breathed a noble and lofty courage. He was telling again how few were his men and how the balls and bombs had rained almost continually for days upon the Alamo. Even as the pen was poised, they heard the heavy thud of a cannon, but the pen descended steadily and he wrote, I shall continue to hold it until I get relief from my countrymen or perish in its defense. He wrote on a little longer and once more came the heavy thud of a great gun. Then the pen wrote, Again I feel confident that the determined spirit and desperate courage here to fore, exhibited by my men, will not fail them in the last struggle and, although they may be sacrificed to the vengeance of a Gothic enemy, the victory will cost that enemy so dear worse than defeat. Worse than a defeat, Travis never knew how significant were the words that he penned then. A minute or two later the sharp crack of half a dozen rifles came to them and Travis wrote, A blood-red flag waged from the church of Bihar and in the camp above us, in token that the war is one of vengeance against rebels. They heard the third heavy thud of a cannon and a shell falling in the court outside burst with a great crash. After no damage, Travis had continued his letter and now he wrote, These threads which have no influence upon my men, but to make all fight with desperation and with that high-sold courage which characterizes the patriot who is willing to die in defense of his country, liberty and his own honor, God in Texas. Victory or Death He closed the letter and addressed it and hour later the messenger was beyond the Mexican lines with it, but Travis sat for a long time and perhaps he was blaming himself for not having been more watchful for not having discovered the advance of Santa Ana but he was neither a soldier nor a frontiersman and since the retreat to the Alamo he had done it all that man could do. He rose the last and went out then Crockett said to Ned knowing that it was now time to speak the full truth. He has given up all hope a help, so have I said Ned, but we can still fight said Crockett. The day that followed was always like a dream to Ned vivid in some ways and vague in others. He felt that the coil around the Alamo had tightened, neither he nor anyone else expected aid now and they spoke of it freely to one another. Several who could obtain paper wrote, as Ned had done, brief wills which they put in the inside pockets of their coats. Always they spoke very gently to one another these wild spirits of the border. The strange and softening shadow which Ned had noticed before was deepening over them all. Boy was again in the hospital having been bruised severely in a fall from one of the walls but his spirit was as dauntless as ever. The assault by the Mexicans in full force cannot be delayed much longer he said to Ned Santa Ana is impatient and energetic and he surely has brought up all his forces by this time. Do you think we can beat them off? asked Ned, but he hesitated a little and then replied frankly, I do not we have only one hundred and seventy or eighty men to guard the great space we have here but in falling we will not such a flame that will never go out until Texas is free. Ned talked with him a little longer and always Boy spoke as if the time were at hand when he should die for Texas. The man of wild and desperate life seemed at this moment to be closed about with the mantle of the seer. The Mexican batteries fired very little that day and Santa Ana soldiers kept well out of range. They had learned a deep and lasting respect for the Texan rifles. Hundreds had fallen already before them and now they kept undercover. The silence seemed ominous and brooding to Ned. The day was bright and the flag of no quarter burned a spot of blood red against the blue sky. Ned saw Mexican officers occasionally on the roofs of the higher buildings but he took little notice of them. He felt instinctively that the supreme crisis had not yet come they were all waiting, waiting. The afternoon drew its slow length away in almost dead silence and the night came on rather blacker than usual. Then the word was passed for all to assemble in the courtyard. They gathered there, Boy dragging his sick body with the rest. Every defender of the Alamo was present. The cannon and the walls were for a moment deserted but the Mexicans did not know it. These are ineffable scenes in the life of everyone. Scenes which after the lapse of many years are as vivid as of yesterday. Such the last meaning of the Texans always remained in the mind of Ned. They stood in a group strong, fiery men but worn now by the eternal vigilance and danger of the siege. One man held a small torch which cast by a dim light to the brown faces. Travis stood before them and spoke to them. Man, he said, all of you know what I know, that we stand alone. No help is coming for us. The Texans cannot send it or it would have come. For ten days we have beaten off every attack of a large army but another assault and much greater forces at hand. It is not likely that we can repel it. You have seen the red flag in no quarter flying day after day over the church and you know what it means. Santa Ana never gives mercy. It is likely that we all shall fall but if any man wishes to go I, your leader, do not order him to stay. You have done all your duty ten times over. There is just a chance to escape over the walls and into the darkness. Now go and save your lives as you can. We stay. It came the deep rumble of voices together. One man slipped quietly away a little later but he was the only one. Save for him there was no thought of flight in the minds of that heroic band. Ned's heart thrilled and the blood pounded in his ears. Life was precious doubly so because he was so young but he felt a strange exultation in the face of death. An exultation that left no room for fear. The eyes of Traffas glistened when he heard the reply. It is what I expected, he said. Every one of you was willing to die for Texas. Now lads, we'll go back to the walls and wait for Santa Ana. End of Chapter 11. Recording by Edmonds. Chapter 12 of the Texan Scouts This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Edmonds. The Texan Scouts by Joseph A. Offcheller. Chapter 12. Ned's feeling of exultation lasted. The long siege, the incessant danger and excitement and the wonderful way in which the little band of Texans had kept a whole army at bay had geared him up to a pitch in which he was not himself in which he was something a little more than human. Such extraordinary moments come to few people and his vivid imaginative mind was thrilled to the utmost. He was on the early watch and he mounted the wall of the church. The deep silence which marked the beginning of the night still prevailed. They had not heard any shots and for that reason they all felt that the messenger had got through with Travis last letter. It was very dark that night and Ned could not see the red flag on the tower of the church of San Fernando but he knew it was there, waving little in the soft wind which blew out of the southwest, herald of spring. Nothing broke the silence. After so much noise it was ominous, oppressive, surcharged with threats. Fewer lights than usual burned in the town and all the Mexican camp, all the stillness pretended to Ned the coming storm and he was right. His was a short watch and at eleven o'clock he went off duty. It was silent and dark in the convent yard and he sought his usual place for sleep in the hospital where many of the Texans had been compelled to go, not merely for sleep but because they were really ill worn out by so many alarms, so much fighting and so much watching but they were all now asleep overpowered by exhaustion. Ned crept into his own dark little corner and he too was soon asleep but he was awakened about four hours later by someone pulling hard at his shoulder. He opened his eyes and stared sleepily. It was Crockett bending over him and Bowie lying on his sick bed ten feet away had raised himself on his elbow. The light was so faint that Ned could scarcely see Crockett's face but it looked very tense and eager. Get up Ned, get up said Crockett, shaking him again there's great work for you to do. Hey, what is it? screamed the boy springing to his feet. It's your friends Roylston and that man the panther you've been telling me about, replied Crockett in quick tones. All you are asleep a Mexican friendly to us. Sneaked a message over the wall saying that Roylston, the panther and others are laying to the east with a big force not more than twenty miles away not Pannon's crowd but another one that's come down from the north. They don't know whether they're holding out yet or not and of course they don't want a risk destruction by trying to cut through the Mexican army and we ain't here. The Mexican doesn't go out of San Antonio. He won't try it because he says it's your death for him and nobody must go to Roylston with the news that we're still alive fighting and kicking. Colonel Travis has chose you and you've got to go. No there's no letter. You just got to tell Roylston by word of mouth and come on with his men. The words came forth popping like pistol shots. Ned was swept off his feet. He did not have time to argue or to ask questions but he also flashed a quick response. Go Ned. Go at once. He said you are chosen for a great service. It's an honor to anybody. A service of great danger requiring great skill said Crockett but you can do it Ned. You can do it. Ned flushed. This was in truth a great trust. He might indeed bring the help they needed so sorely. Here's your rifle and other weapons and ammunition said Crockett. Then I said it's the darkest and you ain't got any time to waste. Come on. The swift was Crockett that Ned was almost ready before he knew it. The Tennessean never ceased hurrying him and as he started Bowie called to him. Goodbye Ned. The Bowie turned back and offered his hand. The Georgian shook it with unusual warmth and then laid back calmly on his blankets. Goodbye Ned he repeated. And if we don't meet again I hope you'll forget the dark things in my life and remember me as one who is doing his best for Texas. But we will meet again said Ned. The relieving force will be here in two or three days and I'll come with it. And with you said Crockett that's talking enough. What you want to do now is to put on your invisible cap and your seven league boots and go like a Latin and through the Mexican camp. Remember that you can talk their lingo like a native and don't forget neither to always keep you about you a great big piece of presence of mind that you can use on a moment's notice. Ned wore his Serape and he carried a pair of small light but very warm blankets strapped in a pack on his back his avarice contained bread and dried beef and with his smaller weapons in his belt and his rifle over his shoulder he was equipped fully for a long and dangerous journey. Crockett and the boy passed into the convent yard the soft wind from the southwest blew upon their faces and from the high wall of the church a sentinel called All's Well Ned felt an extraordinary shiver a premonition but it passed unexplained. He and Crockett went to the main plaza and reached the part of the wall. All right I see Colonel Travis as Ned as they were on the way. Now he asked me to do it because there ain't no time to waste it's about three o'clock in the morning now and you've got to slip through in two or three hours because the light will be showing then now Ned up with you and over Ned climbed to the summit of the wall beyond lay heavy darkness and he neither saw nor heard any human being he looked back and extended his hand to Crockett as he had to Bowie goodbye Mr. Crockett he said you've been very good to me the great brown hand of the frontiersman clasped his almost convulsively ah Ned he said we've gotten to each other from the first I haven't known you long but it's like you've been a son to me now go and God speed ya Ned recalled afterward that he did not say anything about Roylston's relieving force what he thought of then was the deep feeling in Crockett's words I'm coming back he said and I hope to hunt Buffalo with you over the plains of a free Texas go go hurry Ned said Crockett goodbye said Ned and he dropped lightly to the ground he was outside the Alamo after 11 days inside that seemed in the retrospect almost as many months he flattened himself against the wall and stood there for a minute or two looking and listening he thought he might hear Crockett again inside but evidently the Tennessean had gone back at once in front of him was only the darkness pierced by a single light off towards the west Ned hesitated it was hard for him to leave the Alamo and the friends who had been nitted to him by so many common dangers yet his errand was of one of high importance it might save them all and he must do it strengthening his resolution he started across an open space walking lightly as Crockett had truly said with his perfect knowledge of the language he might pass for a Mexican he had done so before and he did not doubt his ability to do so again he resolved to assume the character of a Mexican scout looking into the secrets of the Alamo and going back to report to Santa Ana as he advanced he heard voices and saw earthworks from which the muzzles of four cannon protruded behind the earthwork was a small fire and he knew that men would be sitting about it he turned aside not wishing to come too much into the light but a soldier near the earthwork hailed him and Ned according to his plan replied briefly that he was on his way to general Santa Ana and San Antonio but the man was talkative what is your name he asked Pedro Miguel Alvarado replied Ned on the spur of the moment well a friend it is a noble name that of Alvarado but it is not noble who bears it though a descendant of the great Alvarado who fought by the side of the glories a mighty conquistador Hernando Cortez I am but the poor peasant offering my life daily for bread and the army of general Santa Ana the man laughed you're off as well as I am he said but what of the weak Texans are they yet ready to surrender with their throats to our knives the dogs hold us over long it is said that they number scarce 200 within the mission surely they fight hard and well they may knowing that death is only at the end Ned shuddered the man seemed to take it also lightly but he replied in a firm voice I learned a little of them save that they still fight I took care not to pull myself before the muzzle of any of their rifles the Mexican laughed again he said they are demons with their rifles when the great assault is made many a good man will speed to his long home before the Alamo is taken so they had already decided upon the assault the premonition within the Alamo was not wrong it occurred to Ned that he might learn more and he paused has it been finally settled he asked we attack about three days from now doing not earlier than that replied the Mexican I know that the time has been chosen and I think it is tomorrow morning Ned's heart beat heavily tomorrow morning even if he got through how could he ever bring Roylston and the relief force in time I thank you he said but I must hurry with my report adios señor said the man politely and Ned repeated his adios in the same tone then he hurried forward continually turning in toward the east hoping to find a passage where the Mexican line was thinnest but the circle of the invaders was complete and he saw that he must rely upon his impersonation of a Mexican to take him through he was in a fever of haste knowing now that the great assault was to come so soon and he made for a point between two smoldering campfire sixty or fifty yards apart boldness would only now avail and with the brim of his sombrero pulled well down over his face he walked confidently forward coming fully within the light of the fire on his left a number of the Mexican soldiers were asleep around the fire but at least a half dozen men were awake they called to Ned as he passed and responded readily but fortune which had been so kind to him for a long time all at once turned her back upon him when he spoke a man in officer's uniform who had been sitting by the fire rose quickly your name he cried Pedro Miguel Alvarado replied Ned instantly at the same moment he recognized Eurea he's not so cried Eurea you are one of the Texans young Fulton I know your voice upon him man seize him his action in the leap of the Mexicans were so sudden that Ned did not have time to aim his rifle but he struck one a short arm below with the bud of it that sent him down with a broken head and he snatched at his pistol as three or four others threw themselves upon him Ned was uncommonly strong and agile and he threw off two of the men but the others pressed him to the ground until at Eurea's command his arms were bound and he was allowed to rise Ned was in despair not so much for himself but because there was no longer a chance that he could get through to Royston it was a deep mortification moreover to be taken by Eurea but he faced the Mexican with an appearance of calmness well he said I am your prisoner you are said Eurea and you might have passed if I had not known your voice but that reminds you that you come from the Alamo you see our flag and you know its meaning the black eyes of the Mexican regard Ned malignantly the boy knew that the soul of Eurea was full of wicked triumph the officer could shoot him down at that moment and would be entirely within orders but Ned had recalled the words of Royston the merchant had told him to use his name if he should ever fall again into the hands of Santa Ana I am your prisoner he repeated and I demand to be taken before General Santa Ana whatever your red flag may mean there are reasons why he will spare me go with me and you will see he spoke with such boldness and directness that Eurea was impressed I shall take you to the general because you demand it but because I think it well to do so it is likely that he will want to examine you and I believe that in his presence you will tell all you know but it is not yet four o'clock in the morning and I cannot awaken him now you will stay here until after daylight very well said Ned trying to be as calm as possible as you have bound me I cannot walk but if you put me on a blanket there by the fire I'll sleep until you want me we won't deny you that comfort yeah grimly when Ned was stretched on his blanket he was fairly easy so far as the body was concerned they had bound him securely but not painfully his agony of mine though was great nevertheless he fell asleep and slept in a restless way for three or four hours until Eurea awoke him and told him that they were going to Santa Ana it was a clear crisp dawn and Ned saw the town the river and the Alamo there only a short distance away stood the dark fortress but a few hours before with such high hopes he even saw the figures of the sentinels moving slowly on the church walls and his heart grew heavy within him he wished now that he was back with the defenders even if he should escape it would be too late as Eurea's orders he was unbound there is no danger of your escaping now said the young Mexican several of my men are excellent marksmen and they will fire at the first step you take on flight and even should they miss what chance do you think you would have here he swept his right hand in a circle and in the clear morning air Ned saw batteries and troops everywhere he knew that the circle of steel about the Alamo was complete perhaps he would have failed in his errand even if he had got by it would require an unusually strong force to cut through an army as large as that of Santa Ana and he did not know where Royalston could have found it he started as a sudden suspicion smote him he remembered Crockett's hurried manner and his lack of explanation he said I see that you look at the Alamo said Eurea ironically well the rebel flag is still there but it will not remain much longer the trap is about ready to shut down Ned's color rose it may be so he said but for every Texan who falls the price will be five Mexicans but they will fall nevertheless said Eurea here is food for you eat and I will take you to the general they offered him Mexican food and he ate little he stretched and tensed his limbs in order to restore the full flood of circulation and announced that he was ready Eurea led the way and Ned followed with a guard of four men about him the boy had eyes and ears for everything around him but he looked most toward the Alamo he could not at the distance recognize the figures on the wall but all those men were his friends and his eyes filled with tears at their desperate case out here with the Mexicans and their extensive preparations the chances of the Texans looked worse than they did inside the Alamo they entered the town and passed through the same streets along which Ned had advanced with the conquering army of the Texans a few months before many evidence of the siege remained there were tunnels, wrecked houses and masses of stone and adobe the appearance of the young prisoner aroused the greatest curiosity among both soldiers and people he often heard the word Texacano from the flat roofs and some spoken pity Ned was silent he usually resolved not to ask Eurea any questions or gave him a chance to show triumph he noticed that they were advancing toward the plaza and then they turned to the veramendi house which he had caused to remember so well these was the home of the vice-cow runner, said Eurea and General Santa Ana is here I know the place, said Ned I am proud to have been one of the Texans who took it on a former occasion I lost it then, but we have it now and we'll keep it, said Eurea my men will wait for you here in the courtyard and I'll see if our aleastris general is ready to receive you Ned waited patiently Eurea was gone a full half hour and when he returned he said the general was at breakfast with his staff he is not quite finished but he is ready to receive you now then Eurea led the way into the veramendi house luxurious fittings had been put in but many of the rents and scars from the old combat were not visible they entered the great dining room and once more Ned stood face to face with the most glorious general the most illustrious dictator Don Antonio Lopez, de Santa Ana but Ned alone stood the dictator sat at the head of the table about which were Castrallion Sezma, Kos, Gaona, the Italian Filiusola and others it seemed to Ned that he had come not only upon a breakfast but upon a conference as well the soldiers who had guarded Ned stood by the wall and the boy was left to meet the fixed gaze of Santa Ana the dictator wore a splendid uniform as usual his face seemed to Ned fuller and more flush than when they had last met in Mexico the marks of dissipation were there Ned saw him slip a little silver box from the pocket of his waistcoat and take from it a pinch of a dark drug which he ate it was opium but the Mexican general seemed to take no note of it Santa Ana's gaze was fixed and piercing as if he would shoot terror into the soul of his enemy a favorite device of his but Ned withstood it then Santa Ana removing his stare from his face looked him slowly up and down the general said nothing waiting upon their leader who could give life or death as he chose Ned was sure that Santa Ana remembered him and in a moment he knew that he was right It is young Fulton who made the daring and ingenious escape from our hospitality in the capital and who also departed in an unexpected manner from one of the submarine dungeons of our castle of San Juan de Ula fate does not seem to reward your courage and enterprises they deserve since you are in our hands again the dictator laughed and his generals laughed obediently also Ned said nothing I am informed by that most notorious young officer captain Yorea continued Santa Ana that you are captured about three o'clock this morning trying to escape from the Alamo that is correct said Ned a rivalry running away in the dark Ned flushed but knowing that was an unworthy and untruthful taunt he remained silent you do not choose to answer said Santa Ana but I tell you that you are the threat fleeing from the sinking ship our cannon have wrecked the interior of the Alamo half of your men are dead and the rest would gladly surrender if I gave them the promise of life it is not true exclaimed Ned with heat despite all your fire the defenders of the Alamo have lost but a few men you offer no quarter and they ask none they are ready to fight to the last there is a murmur among the generals but Santa Ana raised his hand and they were all silent again I cannot believe all that you say he continued it is a boast the Texans are braggarts tomorrow they die every one of them but tell us the exact condition of everything inside the Alamo and perhaps I may spare your life I cut his teeth so hard that they hurt a deep flush surged into the dark face of Santa Ana you are stubborn all the Texans are stubborn but I do not need any information from you I shall crush the Alamo as my fingers would smash an eggshell but your fingers will be pierced deep Ned could not keep from replying they will run blood be that as it may said Santa Ana who great in some things was little enough to taunt an enemy in his power I cannot leave to see it I am about to give orders to have you shot within an hour his lips wrinkled away from his white teeth like those of a great cat about to spring and his cruel eyes contracted holding all the power of Mexico in his hands he was indeed something to be dreaded the generals about that table never spoke but Ned remember the words of Royston a great merchant named John Royston has been a good friend to me he said he told me that if I should ever fall into your hands I would come to you and say that he considered my life of value the expression of the dictator changed he frowned and then regarded Ned intently as if he would read some secret that the boy was trying to hide and so you know John Royston he said at length and he wishes you to say to me that your life is of value Ned saw the truth at once he had a talisman and the talisman was the name of Royston he did not know why it was so but it was a wonderful talisman nevertheless because it was going to save his life for the time being at least he glanced at the generals and he saw a look of curiosity on the face of every one of them I know Royston said Santa Anna slowly there are some matters between us it may be to my advantage to spare you for a while Ned's heart sprang up life was sweet since he was to be spared for a while it must mean ultimately exchange or escape Santa Anna a reader of the human face saw what was in his mind be not too sanguine he said because I have changed my mind once it does not mean that you are to be free now or ever I shall keep you here and you shall see your comrades fall a sudden smile an offspring of a quick thought and satanic in its nature passed over his face I will make you a spectator of the defeat of the Texans he said a great event in ease of witness and since you cannot be a combatant you can serve in that capacity we attack at dawn tomorrow and you shall miss nothing of it the wicked smile passed over his face again it occurred to Ned, a student of history that the gladiatorial cruelty of the ancient Romans had descended to the Spaniards instead of the Italians now he is convinced that it was so you shall be kept prisoner in one of our strongest houses said Santa Anna and Captain Urea whose vigilance prevented your escape would keep guard over you I fancy it is a task that he does not hate Santa Anna had also read the mind of the young Mexican Urea smiled he liked this duty he hated Ned and he too was not above taunting a prisoner he advanced and put a hand on Ned's shoulder but the boy shook it off do not touch me, said Ned I'll follow without resistance Santa Anna laughed late he may have his way for the present Captain Urea, he said but remember that it is due to your gentleness we meet again tomorrow morning and if you shall survive I shall report to Mr. Roylston the manner in which you may batter yourself good day, said Ned, resolved not to be outdone even in an ironical courtesy now Captain Urea, if you will lead the way I'll follow Urea and his soldiers took Ned from the veramendi house and crossed the street to a large and strong stone building you are forging it, said Urea to have escaped immediate death I do not know why the name of Roylston is so powerful with our general but I saw that it was it seemed to have its effect, said Ned Urea led the way to a flat roof with the house, space reached by a single narrow stairway I shall leave you here with two guards, he said I shall give them instructions to fire up on you at the slightest attempt on your part to escape that I fancy that you will have since enough not to make any such attempt Urea departed with the two sentinels set by the entrance to the stairway must get in hand Urea had his chance to get by them and knowing it he sat down on the low stone coping of the roof he wondered why Urea had brought him there instead of locking him up in a room perhaps it was to mock him in the sight of freedom so near and yet so unattainable his gaze turned instinctively to the Alamo like the magnet to the pole there was the fortress gray and grim in the sunshine with the dim figures of the watchers on the walls what were they doing inside now Howard Crockett and Bowie failed them but had he failed them neither Urea nor any other Mexican had spoken of the approach of a relieving force under Roylston there was no sign that the Mexicans were spending any part of their army to meet it the heavy thud of a great gun drew his attention and he saw the black smoke from the discharge rising over the plane a second a third and a fourth cannon shot refired but no answer came from the walls of the Alamo at length he saw one of the men of the nearest Balladerie to the Alamo there was a flash from the wall of the church a little puff of smoke and Ned saw the man fall only as dead men fall perhaps it was Davey Crockett the great marksman who had fired that shot he liked to think that it was so and he rejoiced also that the certain evidence that the little garrison was as jauntless as ever he watched the Alamo for nearly an hour and he saw that the firing was desultory not more than a dozen cannon shots were fired during that time and only three or four rifles replied from the Alamo he knew the firing ceased entirely and Ned knew that this was very fact in truth the lull before the storm his attention wandered to his guards they were mere pions but although watchful they were taking their ease evidently they liked their task they were resting with complete relaxation from the body that only southern races know both had lighted cigarritos and were puffing at them contentedly it had been a long time since Ned had seen such a picture of lazy ease you like it here? he said to the nearest the man took the cigarrito from his mouth emitted smoke from his nose and replied politely it is better to be here lying in the sun than out there in the grass with the Texan bullet through one's body is it not so Fernando? hey it is so replied his comrade I like not the Texan bullets I am glad to be here where they cannot reach me it is said that satan writes their rifles for them because they do not miss they will die hard tomorrow they will die like the bear in its den fighting the hunters that will be an end to all the Texans and we will go back to the warm south but are you sure, asked Ned that it will be an end of the Texans and all the Texans are shut up in the Alamo what matters it replied Fernando lightly it may be delayed but the end will be the same nothing can resist the great the powerful the most illustrious Santa Ana who was always able to dig graves for his enemies the men talked further Ned gathered from them that the whole force of Santa Ana was now present some of the officers wanted him to wait for a siege artillery of the heaviest caliber that would batter down the walls of the Alamo but the dictator himself was impatient for the assault it would certainly take place the next morning and why is the young senior here asked Fernando the order had been issued that no Texan shall be spared and do you not see the red flag waving their close bias Ned looked up the red flag now flaunted its folds very near to him he could not repress his shiver I am here he replied because someone who has power told General Santa Ana that I am not to be put to death it is well for you then said Fernando that you have a friend of such weight it is a pity to die when one is so young and so straight and strong as you ah my young senior the world is beautiful look how green is the grass there by the river and how the sun lies like gold across it Ned had noticed before the love of beauty that the humblest peon sometimes had and there was a certain touch of brotherly feeling between him and his man his jailer the world is beautiful said the boy and I am willing to tell you that I have no wish to leave it nor I said Fernando why are the Texans so foolish as to oppose the great Santa Ana the most illustrious and powerful of all generals and rulers did they not know that he would come and crush them everyone Ned did not reply the peon and repose at least had a gentle heart and the boy knew that Santa Ana was to him omnipotent and omniscient he turned his attention and knew to the alamo that magnet of his thoughts it was standing quiet in the sun now the defiant flag of the defenders upon which they had embroidered the word Texas hung lazily from the staff the guards in the afternoon gave him some food and a jug of water and they also ate and drank upon the roof they were yet amply content with their task and their position there no bullets could reach them the sunshine was golden and pleasant and with the revelations with the prisoner he had not given them the slightest trouble and before and about them was spread the theater upon which a mighty drama was passing all for them to see what more could be asked by two simple peasants of small once Ned was glad that they let him remain upon the roof the alamo drew his gaze with the power that he could not break if he could since he was no longer among its defenders he was eager to see every detail in the vast drama that was now unfolding but the afternoon passed in inaction the sun was brilliant and toward evening turned to a deep glowing red it lighted up for the last time the dim figures that stood on the walls of the alamo Ned choked as he saw them there he felt the premonition Eurea came upon the roof shortly before twilight he was not sneering or ironical and Ned who had no wish to quarrel at such a time was glad of it as generals sent to Anna told you the assault will be made an overwhelming force early in the morning of course, nothing can prevent it though the man in the royals then you have some claim upon general but it may not be strong enough to save you long a service now might make it hard and permanent what you mean by a service now a few words as to the weaker points of the alamo the best places for our troops to attack you cannot do anything for the defenders you cannot alter their fate in any particular but you might do something for yourself Ned did not wish to appear dramatic he merely turned his back upon the young Mexican very well said Eurea I made you the offer it was for you to accept it or not as you wish he left him upon the roof and Ned saw the last rim of the red sun sink in the plane he saw the twilight come and the alamo fade into a dim black bulk in the darkness he thought once that he heard the cry of a sentinel from its walls oh well but he knew that was only fancy the distance was too far great besides all was not well when the darkness had fully come he descended with his two benevolent jailers to a lower part of the house where he was assigned to a small room with a single barred window and without the possibility of escape his guards after bringing him food and water gave him a polite good night and went outside he knew that they would remain unwatched in the hall Ned could eat and drink but little nor could he yet sleep the night was far too heavy upon him for slumber besides it had brought many noises and significant noises that he knew he heard the rumble of cannon wheels over the rough pavements and the shouts of men to the horses or mules he heard troops passing now infantry and then cavalry the hoofs of their horses grinding upon the stone he pressed his face against the barred window he was eager to hear and yet more eager to see he caught glimpses only of horse and foot as they passed but he knew what all those sights and sounds portended in the night the steel coils were closer and closer about the Alamo brave and resolute he was only a boy after all he felt deserted of all men he wanted to be back there with Crockett and Bowie and Travis and the others the water came into his eyes and unconsciously he pulled hard at the iron bars he remained there a long time listening to the sounds once he heard a trumpet and its note in the night was singularly piercing he knew that it was a signal probably for the moving of a regiment but there were no shots for either the Mexicans or the mission the night was clear with many stars after two or three hours at the window Ned tried to sleep there was a narrow bed against the wall and he lay upon it full length but he did not even close his eyes he became so restless that at last he rose and went to the window again it must have been then past midnight the voices had ceased evidently the Mexicans had everything ready the wind blew cold upon his face there was no news of what was passing without he went back to the bed and by and by he sank into a heavy slumber end of chapter 12 recording by Edmunds