would be
forty."

He took Crockett triumphantly into the building and showed him the
treasure, which was soon transferred to one of the arched rooms beside
the entrance of the church. It was in truth one of the luckiest finds
ever made. The cattle in the plaza would furnish meat for a long time,
but they would need bread also. Again Ned felt that pleasant glow of
triumph. It seemed that fortune was aiding them.

He went outside and stood by the ditch which led a shallow stream of
water along the eastern side of the church. It was greenish in tint, but
it was water, water which would keep the life in their bodies while they
fought off the hosts of Santa Anna.

The sun was now past the zenith, and since the Norther had ceased to
blow there was a spring warmth in the air. Ned, conscious now that he
was stained with the dirt and dust of flight and haste, bathed his face
and hands in the water of the ditch and combed his thick brown hair as
well as he could with his fingers.

"Good work, my lad," said a hearty voice beside him. "It shows that you
have a cool brain and an orderly mind."

Davy Crockett, who was always neat, also bathed his own face and hands
in the ditch.

"Now I feel a lot better," he said, "and I want to tell you, Ned, that
it's lucky the Spanish built so massively. Look at this church. It's got
walls of hewn stone, five feet through, an' back in Tennessee we build
'em of planks a quarter of an inch thick. Why, these walls would turn
the biggest cannon balls."

"It surely is mighty lucky," said Ned. "What are you going to do next,
Mr. Crockett?"

"I don't know. I guess we'll wait on the Mexicans to open the battle.
Thar, do you hear that trumpet blowin' ag'in? I reckon it means that
they're up to somethin'."

"I think so, too," said Ned. "Let's go back upon the church walls, Mr.
Crockett, and see for ourselves just what it means."

The two climbed upon the great stone wall, which was in reality a
parapet. Travis and Bowie, who was second in command, were there
already. Ned looked toward San Antonio, and he saw Mexicans everywhere.
Mexican flags hoisted by the people were floating from the flat roofs of
the houses, signs of their exultation at the coming of Santa Anna and
the expulsion of the Texans.

The trumpet sounded again and they saw three officers detach themselves
from the Mexican lines and ride forward under a white flag. Ned knew
that one of them was the young Urrea.

"Now what in t