CHAPTER XV
IN ANOTHER TRAP
When Ned Fulton scaled the lowest wall of the Alamo and dropped into thedarkness he ran for a long time. He scarcely knew in what direction hewas going, but he was anxious to get away from that terrible town of SanAntonio de Bexar. He was filled with grief for his friends and angeragainst Santa Anna and his people. He had passed through an event sotremendous in its nature, so intense and fiery in its results, that hiswhole character underwent a sudden change. But a boy in years, the mannevertheless replaced the boy in his mind. He had looked upon the faceof awful things, so awful that few men could bear to behold them.
There was a certain hardening of his nature now. As he ran, and whilethe feeling of horror was still upon him, the thought of vengeanceswelled into a passion. The Texans must strike back for what had beendone in the Alamo. Surely all would come when they heard the news thathe was bringing.
He believed that the Texans, and they must be assembled in forcesomewhere, would be toward the east or the southeast, at Harrisburg orGoliad or some other place. He would join them as soon as he could, andhe slackened his pace to a walk. He was too good a borderer now toexhaust himself in the beginning.
He was overpowered after a while by an immense lethargy. A greatcollapse, both physical and mental, came after so much exhaustion. Hefelt that he must rest or die. The night was mild, as the spring was nowwell advanced in Texas, and he sought a dense thicket in which he mightlie for a while. But there was no scrub or chaparral within easy reach,and his feeling of lassitude became so great that he stopped when hecame to a huge oak and lay down under the branches, which spread far andlow.
He judged that he was about six miles from San Antonio, a reasonablysafe distance for the night, and, relaxing completely, he fell asleep.Then nature began her great work. The pulses which were beating so fastand hard in the hoy's body grew slower and more regular, and at lastbecame normal. The blood flowed in a fresh and strong current throughhis veins. The great physician, minute by minute, was building up hissystem again.
Ned's collapse had been so complete that he did not stir for hours. Theday came and the sun rose brilliant in red and gold. The boy did notstir, but not far away a large animal moved. Ned's tree was at the edgeof a little grassy plain, and upon this the animal stood, with a headheld high and upturned nose sniffing the breeze that came from thedirection of the sleeper.
It was in truth a great animal, one with tremendous teeth, and afterhesitating a while it walked toward the tree under which the boy lay.Here it paused and again sniffed the air, which was now strong with thehuman odor. It remained there a while, staring with great eyes at thesleeping form, and then went back to the grassy little meadow. Itrevisited the boy at intervals, but never disturbed him, and Ned sleptpeacefully on.
It was nearly noon when Ned awoke, and he might not have awakened thenhad not the sun from its new position sent a shaft of light directlyinto his eyes. He saw that his precious rifle was still lying by hisside, and then he sprang to his feet, startled to find by the sun thatit was so late. He heard a loud joyous neigh, and a great bay horsetrotted toward him.
It was Old Jack, the faithful dumb brute, of which he had thought sorarely during all those tense days in the Alamo. The Mexicans had nottaken him. He was here, and happy chance had brought him and his mastertogether again. It was so keen a joy to see a friend again, even ananimal, that Ned put his arm around Old Jack's neck, and for the firsttime tears came to his eyes.
"Good Old Jack!" he said, patting his horse's nose. "You must have beenwaiting here all the time for me. And you must have fared well, too. Inever before saw you looking so fat and saucy."
The finding of the horse simplified Ned's problem somewhat. He hadneither saddle nor bridle, but Old Jack always obeyed him beautifully.He believed that if it came to the pinch, and it became necessary forhim to ride for his life, he could guide him in the Indian fashion withthe pressure of the knees.
He made a sort of halter of withes which he fastened on Old Jack's head,and then he sprang upon his bare back, feeling equal to almost anything.He rode west by south now, his course taking him toward Goliad, and hewent on at a good gait until twilight. A little later he made out theshapes of wild turkeys, then very numerous in Texas among the boughs ofthe trees, and he brought a fine fat one down at the first shot. Aftersome difficulty he lighted a fire with the flint and steel, which theMexicans fortunately had not taken from him, toasted great strips overthe coals, and ate hungrily of juicy and tender wild turkey.
He was all the time aware that his fire might bring danger down uponhim, but he was willing to chance it. After he had eaten enough he tookthe remainder of his turkey and rode on. It was a clear, starry nightand, as he had been awake only since noon, he continued until about teno'clock, when he again took the turf under a tree for a couch. Heslipped the rude halter from Old Jack, patted him on the head and said:
"Old Jack, after the lofty way in which you have behaved I wouldn'tdisgrace you by tying you up for the night. Moreover, I know that you'rethe best guard I could possibly have, and so, trusting you implicitly, Ishall go to sleep."
His confidence was justified, and the next morning they were away againover the prairie. Ned was sure that he would meet roving Texans orMexicans before noon, but he saw neither. He surmised that the news ofSanta Anna's great force had sent all the Texans eastward, but theloneliness and desolation nevertheless weighed upon him.
He crossed several streams, all of them swollen and deep from springrains, and every time he came to one he returned thanks again because hehad found Old Jack. The great horse always took the flood withouthesitation, and would come promptly to the other bank.
He saw many deer, and started up several flights of wild turkeys, but hedid not disturb them. He was a soldier now, not a hunter, and he soughtmen, not animals. Another night came and found him still alone on theprairie. As before, he slept undisturbed under the boughs of a tree, andhe awoke the next morning thoroughly sound in body and much refreshed inmind. But the feeling of hardness, the desire for revenge, remained. Hewas continually seeing the merciless face of Santa Anna and thesanguinary interior of the Alamo. The imaginative quality of his mindand his sensitiveness to cruelty had heightened the effect produced uponhim.
He continued to ride through desolate country for several days, livingon the game that his rifle brought. He slept one night in an abandonedcabin, with Old Jack resting in the grass that was now growing rankly atthe door. He came the next day to a great trail, so great in truth thathe believed it to have been made by Mexicans. He did not believe thatthere was anywhere a Texan force sufficient to tread out so broad aroad.
He noticed, too, that the hoofs of the horses were turned in the generaldirection of Goliad or Victoria, nearer the sea, and he concluded thatthis was another strong Mexican army intended to complete the ruin ofinfant Texas. He decided to follow, and near nightfall he saw the campfires of a numerous force. He rode as near as he dared and reckoned thatthere were twelve or fifteen hundred men in the camp. He was sure thatit was no part of the army with which Santa Anna had taken the Alamo.
Ned rode a wide circuit around the camp and continued his ride in thenight. He was forced to rest and sleep a while toward morning, butshortly after daylight he went forward again to warn he knew not whom.Two or three hours later he saw two horsemen on the horizon, and he rodetoward them. He knew that if they should prove to be Mexicans Old Jackwas swift enough to carry him out of reach. But he soon saw that theywere Texans, and he hailed them.
The two men stopped and watched him as he approached. The fact that herode a horse without saddle or bridle was sufficient to attract theirattention, and they saw, too, that he was wild in appearance, with long,uncombed hair and torn clothing. They were hunters who had come out fromthe little town of Refugio.
Ned hailed them again when he came closer.
"You are Texans and friends?" he said.
"Yes, we are Texans and friends," replied the olde
r of the two men. "Whoare you?"
"My name is Fulton, Edward Fulton, and I come from the Alamo."
"The Alamo? How could that be? How could you get out?"
"I was sent out on an errand by Colonel Crockett, a fictitious errandfor the purpose of saving me, I now believe. But I fell at once into thehands of Santa Anna. The next morning the Alamo was taken by storm, butevery Texan in it died in its defence. I saw it done."
Then he told to them the same tale that Mrs. Dickinson had told to thePanther and his little party, adding also that a large Mexican force wasundoubtedly very near.
"Then you've come just in time," said the older man. "We've heard that abig force under General Urrea was heading for the settlements near thecoast, and Captain King and twenty-five or thirty men are now at Refugioto take the people away. We'll hurry there with your news and we'll tryto get you a saddle and bridle, too."
"For which I'll be thankful," said Ned.
But he was really more thankful for human companionship than anythingelse. He tingled with joy to be with the Texans again, and during thehours that they were riding to Refugio he willingly answered theceaseless questions of the two men, Oldham and Jackson, who wanted toknow everything that had happened at the Alamo. When they reachedRefugio they found there Captain King with less than thirty men who hadbeen sent by Fannin, as Jackson had said, to bring away the people.
Ned was taken at once to King, who had gathered his men in the littleplaza. He saw that the soldiers were not Texans, that is, men who hadlong lived in Texas, but fresh recruits from the United States, whollyunfamiliar with border ways and border methods of fighting. The townitself was an old Mexican settlement with an ancient stone church ormission, after the fashion of the Alamo, only smaller.
"You say that you were in the Alamo, and that all the defenders havefallen except you?" said the Captain, looking curiously at Ned.
"Yes," replied the boy.
"And that the Mexican force dispatched against the Eastern settlementsis much nearer than was supposed?"
"Yes," replied Ned, "and as proof of my words there it is now."
He had suddenly caught the gleam of lances in a wood a little distanceto the west of the town, and he knew that the Mexican cavalry, ridingahead of the main army, was at hand. It was a large force, too, one withwhich the little band of recruits could not possibly cope in the open.Captain King seemed dazed, but Ned, glancing at the church, rememberedthe Alamo. Every Spanish church or mission was more or less of afortress, and he exclaimed:
"The church, Captain, the church! We can hold it against the cavalry!"
"Good!" cried the Captain. "An excellent idea!"
They rushed for the church and Ned followed. Old Jack did not get thesaddle and bridle that had been promised to him. When the boy leapedfrom his back he snatched off the halter of withes and shouted loudlyto him: "Go!"
It pained him to abandon his horse a second time under compulsion, butthere was no choice. Old Jack galloped away as if he knew what he oughtto do, and then Ned, running into the church with the others, helpedthem to bar the doors.
The church was a solid building of stone with a flat roof, and with manyloopholes made long ago as a defence against the Indians. Ned heard thecavalry thundering into the village as they barred the doors, and thenhe and half a dozen men ran to the roof. Lying down there, they took aimat the charging horsemen.
These were raw recruits, but they knew how to shoot. Their riflesflashed and four or five saddles were emptied. The men below were alsofiring from the loopholes, and the front rank of the Mexican cavalry wascut down by the bullets. The whole force turned at a shout from anofficer, and galloped to the shelter of some buildings. Ned estimatedthat they were two hundred in number, and he surmised that young Urrealed them.
He descended from the roof and talked with King. The men understoodtheir situation, but they were exultant. They had beaten off the enemy'scavalry, and they felt that the final victory must be theirs. But Nedhad been in the Alamo, and he knew that the horsemen had merely hoped tosurprise and overtake them with a dash. Stone fortresses are not takenby cavalry. He was sure that the present force would remain under coveruntil the main army came up with cannon. He suggested to Captain Kingthat he send a messenger to Fannin for help.
King thought wisely of the suggestion and chose Jackson, who slipped outof the church, escaped through an oak forest and disappeared. Ned thenmade a careful examination of the church, which was quite a strongbuilding with a supply of water inside and some dried corn. The men hadbrought rations also with them, and they were amply supplied for a siegeof several days. But Ned, already become an expert in this kind of war,judged that it would not last so long. He believed that the Mexicans,flushed by the taking of the Alamo, would push matters.
King, lacking experience, leaned greatly on young Fulton. The men, whobelieved implicitly every word that he had said, regarded him almostwith superstition. He alone of the defenders had come alive out of thatterrible charnel house, the Alamo.
"I suspect," said King, "that the division you saw is under GeneralUrrea."
"Very probably," said Ned. "Of course, Santa Anna, no longer having anyuse for his army in San Antonio, can send large numbers of troopseastward."
"Which means that we'll have a hard time defending this place," saidKing gloomily.
"Unless Fannin sends a big force to our help."
"I'm not so sure that he'll send enough," said King. "His men are nearlyall fresh from the States, and they know nothing of the country. It'shard for him to tell what to do. We started once to the relief of theAlamo, but our ammunition wagon broke down and we could not get ourcannon across the San Antonio River. Things don't seem to be going rightwith us."
Ned was silent. His thoughts turned back to the Alamo. And so Fannin andhis men had started but had never come! Truly "things were going wrong!"But perhaps it was just as well. The victims would have only been morenumerous, and Fannin's men were saved to fight elsewhere for Texas.
He heard a rattle of musketry, and through one of the loopholes he sawthat the Mexican cavalry in the wood had opened a distant fire. Only afew of the bullets reached the church, and they fell spent against thestones. Ned saw that very little harm was likely to come from such afire, but he believed it would be wise to show the Mexicans that thedefenders were fully awake.
"Have you any specially good riflemen?" he asked King.
"Several."
"Suppose you put them at the loopholes and see if they can't pick offsome of those Mexican horsemen. It would have a most healthy effect."
Six young men came forward, took aim with their long barreled rifles,and at King's command fired. Three of the saddles were emptied, andthere was a rapid movement of the Mexicans, who withdrew further intothe wood. The defenders reloaded and waited.
Ned knew better than Captain King or any of his men the extremelydangerous nature of their position. Since the vanguard was already herethe Mexican army must be coming on rapidly, and this was no Alamo. Norwere these raw recruits defenders of an Alamo.
He saw presently a man, holding a white handkerchief on the end of alance, ride out from the wood. Ned recognized him at once. It was youngUrrea. As Ned had suspected, he was the leader of the cavalry for hisuncle, the general.
"What do you think he wants?" asked King.
"He will demand our surrender, but even if we were to yield it is likelythat we should be put to death afterward."
"I have no idea of surrendering under any circumstances. Do you speakSpanish?"
"Oh, yes," said Ned, seizing the opportunity.
"Then, as I can't, you do the talking for us, and tell it to himstraight and hard that we're going to fight."
Ned climbed upon the roof, and sat with only his head showing above theparapet, while Urrea rode slowly forward, carrying the lance and thewhite flag jauntily. Ned could not keep from admiring his courage, asthe white flag, even, in such a war as this might prove no protection.He stopped at a distance of abo
ut thirty yards and called loudly inSpanish:
"Within the church there! I wish to speak to you!"
Ned stood up, his entire figure now being revealed, and replied:
"I have been appointed spokesman for our company. What do you want?"
Urrea started slightly in his saddle, and then regarded Ned with a lookof mingled irony and hatred.
"And so," he said, "our paths cross again. You escaped us at the Alamo.Why General Santa Anna spared you then I do not know, but he is not hereto give new orders concerning you!"
"What do you want?" repeated Ned.
"We want the church, yourself and all the other bandits who are withinit."
Ned's face flushed at Urrea's contemptuous words and manner, and hisheart hardened into a yet deeper hatred of the Mexicans. But hecontrolled his voice and replied evenly.
"And if we should surrender, what then?"
"The mercy of the illustrious General Santa Anna, whatever it may be."
"I saw his mercy at the Alamo," replied Ned, "and we want none of it.Nor would we surrender, even if we could trust your most illustriousGeneral Santa Anna."
"Then take your fate," said Urrea. "Since you were at the Alamo you knowwhat befell the defenders there, and this place, mostly in ruins, is notnearly so strong. Adios!"
"Adios!" said Ned, speaking in a firm tone. But he felt that there wastruth in Urrea's words. Little was left of the mission but its strongwalls. Nevertheless, they might hold them.
"What did he say?" asked King.
"He demanded our surrender."
"On what terms?"
"Whatever Santa Anna might decree, and if you had seen the red flag ofno quarter waving in sight of the Alamo you would know his decree."
"And your reply?"
"I told him that we meant to hold the place."
"Good enough," said King. "Now we will go back to business. I wish thatwe had more ammunition."
"Fannin's men may bring plenty," said Ned. "And now, if you don't mind,Captain King, I'm going to sleep down there at the foot of the wall, andto-night I'll join the guard."
"Do as you wish," said King, "you know more about Texas and theseMexicans than any of us."
"I'd suggest a very thorough watch when night comes. Wake me up aboutmidnight, won't you?"
Ned lay down in the place that he had chosen. It was only the middle ofthe afternoon, but he had become so inured to hardship that he sleptquickly. Several shots were fired before twilight came, but they did notawaken him. At midnight King, according to his request, took him by theshoulder and he stood up.
"Nothing of importance has happened," said King.
"You can see the camp fires of the Mexicans in the wood, but as far aswe can tell they are not making any movement."
"Probably they are content to wait for the main force," said Ned.
"Looks like it," said King.
"If you have no objection, Captain," said Ned, "I think I'll go outsideand scout about a little."
"Good idea, I think," said King.
They opened the door a moment and Ned slipped forth. The night was quitedark and, with the experience of border work that he was rapidlyacquiring, he had little fear of being caught by the Mexicans. He kepthis eye on the light burning in the wood and curved in a half circle tothe right. The few houses that made up the village were all dark, buthis business was with none of them. He intended to see, if he could,whether the main Mexican force was approaching. If it should prove to beat hand with the heavy cannon there would be no possible chance ofholding the mission, and they must get away.
He continued in his wide curve, knowing that in this case the longestway around was the best and safest, and he gradually passed into astretch of chaparral beyond the town. Crossing it, he came into ameadow, and then he suddenly heard the soft pad of feet. He sought tospring back into the chaparral, but a huge dim figure bore down uponhim, and then his heart recovered its normal beat when he saw that itwas only Old Jack.
Ned stroked the great muzzle affectionately, but he was compelled to putaway his friend.
"No, faithful comrade," he said. "I can't take you with me. I'd like todo it, but there's no room in a church for a horse as big as you are.Go now! Go at once, or the Mexicans will get you!"
He struck the horse smartly on the jaw. Old Jack looked at himreproachfully, but turned and trotted away from the town. Ned continuedhis scout. This proof of affection from a dumb brute cheered him.
An hour's cautious work brought him to the far side of the wood. As wellas he could judge, nearly all the Mexican troopers were asleep aroundtwo fires, but they had posted sentinels who walked back and forth,calling at intervals "Sentinela alerte" to one another. Obviously therehad been no increase in their force. They were sufficient to maintain ablockade of the church, but too few to surround it completely.
He went two or three miles to the west and, seeing no evidence that themain force was approaching, he decided to return to the church. Hisoriginal curve had taken him by the south side of the wood, and he wouldreturn by the north side in order that his examination might becomplete.
He walked rapidly, as the night was far advanced, and the sky was veryclear, with bright stars twinkling in myriads. He did not wish day tocatch him outside the mission. It was a prairie country, with patches offorest here and there, and as he crossed from one wood to another he waswholly without cover.
He was within a mile of the mission when he heard the faint tread ofhorses' hoofs, and he concluded that Old Jack, contrary to orders, wascoming forward to meet him again. He paused, but the faint treadsuddenly became rapid and heavy. A half dozen horsemen who had riddeninto the prairie had caught sight of him and now they were gallopingtoward him. The brightness of the night showed Ned at once that theywere Mexican cavalrymen, and as he was on foot he was at a greatdisadvantage.
He ran at full speed for the nearest grove. The Mexicans fired severalmusket shots at him, but the bullets all went wild. He did not undertakea reply, as he was straining every effort to reach the trees. Severalpistols also were emptied at him, but he yet remained unhurt.
Nevertheless, the horsemen were coming alarmingly near.
He heard the thunder of hoofs in his ears, and he heard also a quickhiss like that of a snake.
Ned knew that the hissing sound was made by a lasso, and as he dodged hefelt the coil, thrown in vain, slipping from his shoulders. He whirledabout and fired at the man who had thrown the lasso. The rider uttered acry, fell backward on his horse, and then to the ground.
As Ned turned for the shot he saw that Urrea was the leader of thehorsemen. Whether Urrea had recognized him or not he did not know, butthe fact that he was there increased his apprehension. He made a mightyeffort and leaped the next instant into the protection of the trees andthickets. Fortune favored him now. A wood alone would not have protectedhim, but here were vines and bushes also.
He turned off at a sharp angle and ran as swiftly and with as littlenoise as he could. He heard the horses floundering in the forest, andthe curses of their riders. He ran a hundred yards further and, comingto a little gully, lay down in it and reloaded his rifle. Then he stayedthere until he could regain his breath and strength. While he lay heheard the Mexicans beating up the thickets, and Urrea giving sharporders.
Ned knew that his hiding place must soon be discovered, and he began toconsider what would be the best movement to make next. His heart had nowreturned to its normal beat, and he felt that he was good for anotherfine burst of speed.
He heard the trampling of the horses approaching, and then the voice ofUrrea telling the others that he was going straight ahead and to followhim. Evidently they had beaten up the rest of the forest, and now theywere bound to come upon him. Ned sprang from the gully, ran from thewood and darted across the prairie toward the next little grove.
He was halfway toward the coveted shelter when Urrea caught sight ofhim, gave a shout, and fired his pistol. Ned, filled with hatred ofUrrea, fired in return. But the bullet
, instead of striking thehorseman, struck the horse squarely in the head. The horse fellinstantly, and Urrea, hurled violently over his head, lay still.
Ned caught it all in a fleeting glance, and in a few more steps hegained the second wood. He did not know how much Urrea was hurt, nor didhe care. He had paid back a little, too. He was sure, also, that thepursuit would be less vigorous, now that its leader was disabled.
The second grove did not contain so many vines and bushes, but, hidingbehind a tree there, Ned saw the horsemen hold off. Without Urrea tourge them on they were afraid of the rifle that the fugitive used sowell. Two, also, had stopped to tend Urrea, and Ned decided that theothers would not now enter the grove.
He was right in his surmise. The horsemen rode about at a safe distancefrom the trees. Ned, taking his time, reloaded his rifle again anddeparted for the mission. There was now fairly good cover all the way,but he heard other troops of Mexicans riding about, and blowing trumpetsas signals. No doubt the shots had been heard at the main camp, and manymen were seeking their cause.
But Ned, fortunately for himself, was now like the needle in thehaystack. While the trumpets signaled and the groups of Mexican horsemenrode into one another he stole back to the old mission and knocked uponthe door with the butt of his rifle. Answering King's questions throughthe loophole, he was admitted quickly.
"The main army hasn't come up yet," he said, in reply to the eagerinquiries of the defenders. "Fannin's men may get here in time, and ifthey are in sufficient force to beat off the cavalry detachment Isuggest that we abandon the mission before we are caught in a trap, andretreat toward Fannin. If we linger the whole Mexican army will bearound us."
"Sounds right," said King, "but we've got to hear from Fannin first. Nowyou look pretty tired, Fulton. Suppose you roll up in some blanketsthere by the wall and take a nap."
"I don't want to sleep now," said Ned. "You remember that I slept untilnearly midnight. But I would like to stretch out a while. It's not veryrestful to be hunted through woods by Mexicans, even if you do getaway."
Ned lay by the wall upon the blankets and watched the sun go slowly upthe arch of the heavens. It seemed a hard fate to him that he shouldagain be trapped thus in an old mission. Nor did he have here thestrength and support of the great borderers like Bowie and Crockett. Hemissed them most of all now.
The day passed slowly and with an occasional exchange of shots that didlittle harm. Toward the twilight one of the sentinels on the walluttered a great and joyous shout.
"The reinforcements!" he cried. "See, our friends are coming!"
Ned climbed upon the wall and saw a force of more than a hundred men,obviously Texans, approaching. They answered the hail of the sentineland came on more swiftly. His eyes turned to the wood, in which theMexican camp yet lay. Their cavalry would still outnumber the Texanforce two or three to one, but the Mexicans invariably demanded greaterodds than that before they would attack the Texans. Ned saw no stir inthe wood. Not a shot was fired as the new men came forward and werejoyously admitted to the church.
The men were one hundred and twenty in number, led by Colonel Ward, whoby virtue of his rank now commanded all the defenders. As soon as theyhad eaten and rested a council, at which Ned was present, was held. Kinghad already told the story of young Fulton to Ward, and that officerlooked very curiously at Ned as he came forward. He asked him brieflyabout the Alamo, and Ned gave him the usual replies. Then he told ofwhat he had seen before he joined King.
"How large do you think this force was?" asked Ward.
"About fifteen hundred men."
"And we've a hundred and fifty here. You were not much more than ahundred and fifty in the Alamo, and you held it two weeks againstthousands. Why should we retreat?"
"But the Alamo fell at last," said Ned, "and this Refugio mission is notso defensible as the Alamo was."
"You think, then, we should retreat?"
"I do. I'm sure the place cannot be held against a large army."
There was much discussion. Ned saw that all the men of the new forcewere raw recruits from the States like King's. Many of them were mereboys, drawn to Texas by the love of adventure. They showed morecuriosity than alarm, and it was evident to Ned that they felt able todefeat any number of Mexicans.
Ned, called upon again for his opinion, urged that they withdraw fromthe church and the town at once, but neither Ward nor King was willingto make a retreat in the night. They did not seem especially anxious towithdraw at all, but finally agreed to do so in the morning.
Ned left the council, depressed and uneasy. He felt that his countrymenheld the Mexicans too lightly. Were other tragedies to be added to thatof the Alamo? He was no egotist, but he was conscious of his superiorityto all those present in the grave affairs with which they were nowdealing.
He took his rifle and went upon the wall, where he resolved to watch allthrough the night. He saw the lights in the wood where the Mexicans werecamped, but darkness and silence prevailed everywhere else. He had nodoubt that young Urrea had sent messengers back to hurry up the mainforce. He smiled to himself at the thought of Urrea. He was sure thatthe young Mexican had sustained no fatal injury, but he must havepainful wounds. And Ned, with the Alamo as vivid as ever in his mind,was glad that he had inflicted them.
Midnight came, and Ward told Ned that he need not watch any longer whenthe second relay of sentinels appeared. But the boy desired to remainand Ward had no objection.
"But you'll be sleepy," he said, in a good-humored tone, "when we startat the break of day, and you won't have much chance to rest on a longmarch."
"I'll have to take the risk," said Ned. "I feel that I ought to bewatching."
Toward morning the men in the mission were awakened and began to preparefor the march. They made considerable noise as they talked and adjustedtheir packs, but Ned paid no attention to them. He was listening insteadto a faint sound approaching the town from the south. No one in thechurch or on the walls heard it but himself, but he knew that it wassteadily growing louder.
Ned, moreover, could tell the nature of that sound, and as it swelledhis heart sank within him. The first spear of light, herald of dawn,appeared in the east and Ward called out cheerfully:
"Well, we are all ready to go now."
"It is too late," said Ned. "The whole Mexican army is here."
The Texan Scouts: A Story of the Alamo and Goliad Page 15