h the latter was so ill that he scarcely recognized the
man who made the request. After a perilous ride, in which they were
fired upon by the Mexicans, Seguin and his single aid succeeded in
reaching the camp of volunteers which was forming at Gonzales. Here he
induced thirty-six men to leave the camp and proceed to the Alamo, which
they entered, thus raising the number of defenders to about a hundred
and ninety. On the third of March,[144-6] Travis sent another courier
with a letter to his governor. In this he stated the situation calmly,
urged him to assist him, and closed with the following words: "The
bearer of this will give your honorable body a statement more in detail,
should he escape through the enemies' lines. _God and Texas! Victory or
death._"

For about ten days Travis held the little fort under a storm of cannon
balls, which really were more alarming than destructive, for few, if
any, of the defenders were killed or wounded. Travis felt that they had
been almost miraculously preserved, and in all the hardy company was
born a feeling that they could not lose in this terribly one-sided
contest. Every day they looked to the northward, hoping to see relief
coming, and every night turned in disappointment to the little rest that
was allowed them. They fought manfully, wasting no ammunition and making
every shot count. Until the final assault, the execution done by the
guns was overwhelmingly in favor of the Texans.

The Mexicans had fixed on the morning of the sixth of March for the
final assault. Their infantry met, between midnight and dawn, at
convenient distances from the fort, in four columns. To each column was
assigned a commanding officer with a second to take his place in case
the first was disabled. Some of the columns were provided with scaling
ladders, axes and other implements by which they might mount the wall or
open breaches in it. The cavalry was stationed at different points
surrounding the fort, so that they would be able to cut off any
fugitives who might escape from the fort. The attack was probably led by
General Castrillon, a Spaniard, who had already had a brilliant military
career.

[Illustration: THE MEXICANS STORM THE FORT]

It is not thought that Santa Ana engaged personally in the assault, as
it is known that before the advance was made, he was stationed with
several bands of music and a batterv about five hundred yards south of
the Alamo, and that from this point he gave the b