silent file. How much farther would they go
without being seen or heard? It seemed amazing to Ned that they had come
so far already.

They were actually at the edge of the town. Now they were in it, going
up the narrow Soledad Street between the low houses directly toward the
main plaza, which was fortified by barricades and artillery. A faint
glimmer of dawn was just beginning to appear in the east.

A dusky figure suddenly appeared in the street in front of them and gave
a shout of alarm. "Deaf" Smith fired and the man fell. A bugle pealed
from the plaza and a cannon was fired down the street, the ball
whistling over the heads of the Texans. In an instant the garrison of
Cos was awake, and the alarm sounded from every point of San Antonio.
Lights flashed, arms rattled and men called to one another.

"Into this house" cried "Deaf" Smith. "We cannot charge up the narrow
street in face of the cannon!"

They were now within a hundred yards of the plaza, but they saw that the
guide was right. They dashed into the large, solid house that he had
indicated, and Ned did not notice until he was inside that it was the
very house of the Vice-Governor, Veramendi, into which he had come once
before. Just as the last of the Texans sprang through the doors another
cannon ball whistled down the street, this time low enough. Milam's
division, meanwhile, had rushed into the house of De La Garcia, near by.

As Ned and the others sprang to cover he trampled upon the flowers in a
patio, and he saw a little fountain playing. Then he knew. It was the
house of Veramendi, and he thought it a singular chance that had brought
him to the same place. But he had little time for reflection. The column
of Texans, a hundred and fifty in number, were taking possession of
every part of the building, the occupants of which had fled through the
rear doors.

"To the roof!" cried "Deaf" Smith. "We can best meet the attack from
there."

The doors and windows were already manned, but Smith and many of the
best men rushed to the flat roof, and looked over the low stone coping.
It was not yet day and they could not see well. Despite the lack of
light, the Mexicans opened a great fire of cannon and small arms. The
whole town resounded with the roar and the crash and also with the
shouting. But most of the cannon balls and bullets flew wide, and the
rest spent themselves in vain on the two houses.

The Texans, meanwhile, held their fire, and waited for