,--his gun had
been lost in the fight in the courtyard,--and he had done the same for
the old frontiersman. Boy and man held the pistols ready for use. They
did not mean to give up without a final struggle at close quarters.

But just as one of the soldiers took hold of a big packing-case that
hid the pair from view, there was a commotion in the church proper,
followed by the discharge of several rifles. Three Texans had made a
last stand, and were fighting back to back.

"Come, let us see what that means," cried the Mexican officer, and ran
from the little room, followed by his companions.

Dan felt relieved for the moment, yet he knew only too well that those
Mexicans, or others, would soon be coming to give the place a thorough
overhauling.

"They will kill us----" he began, when, on turning, his foot struck an
iron ring in the flooring of the niche. He felt of the ring and soon
became convinced that it was attached to a trap-door of some kind.

"If it's a trap-door it must lead to a cellar!" said Stover, hurriedly.
"I hope to heaven it does. Try it, lad, an' be quick!"

Both crawled from the narrow opening, and Dan pulled upon the ring with
all of his strength. Up came a trap-door about two feet square. Beneath
this was a space of inky darkness.

"Don't mind the dark," went on the old frontiersman. "Let me go fust,
and be sure an' shet the trap after ye!"

[Illustration: "HE BEGAN TO LOWER HIMSELF INTO THE HOLE."]

He began to lower himself into the hole, and his feet struck a flight
of stone steps. Down this he sped and soon reached a narrow passageway
lined with rough stone, from which the moisture oozed into pools at his
feet.

"I'll try to put them off the scent," said Dan, and drew up one of the
boxes in such a fashion that, when the trap fell into place, the box
came down on top of it. Then he hastened to join Stover.

"I don't believe any of our soldiers knew of this secret passage," said
Stover. "I wonder where it runs to?"

"Perhaps it doesn't run to anywhere," replied Dan. "Go slow, or you may
dash your brains out on the rough wall."

They moved along cautiously. The passageway was not over six feet in
height and from three to four feet wide. It was uneven, but soon they
found themselves going downward and away from the church and convent,
as they learned by the muffled noises overhead.

"This is some secret passage put in by the friars, years ago," was
Stover's comment, after several hund