d take it also for a
signal."

"An' so it is. It's just such a whistle as hunters use when they want to
talk to one another without words. I've whistled to my pardners that way
in the woods hundreds of times. I think, Ned, that some Texans are at
hand waitin' a chance to slip in."

Crockett emitted a whistle, low but clear and penetrating, almost like
the song of a night bird, and in a half minute came the rejoinder. He
replied to it briefly, and then they waited. Others had gathered at the
low plaza wall with them. Hidden to the eyes, they peered over the
parapet.

They heard soft footsteps in the darkness, and then dim forms emerged.
Despite the darkness they knew them to be Texans, and Crockett spoke
low:

"Here we are, boys, waitin' for you! This way an' in a half minute
you're in the Alamo!"

The men ran forward, scaled the wall and were quickly inside. They were
only thirty-two. Ned had thought that the Panther, Obed, and Will Allen
might be among them, but they were not there. The new men were shaking
hands with the others and were explaining that they had come from
Gonzales with Captain Smith at their head. They were all well armed,
carried much ammunition, and were sure that other parties would arrive
from different points.

The thirty-two were full of rejoicings over their successful entry, but
they were worn, nevertheless, and they were taken into one of the
buildings, where food and water were set before them. Ned stood by, an
eager auditor, as they told of their adventures.

"We had a hard time to get in here to you," said Captain Smith, "and
from the looks of things I reckon we'll have as hard a time to get out.
There must be a million Mexicans around the Alamo. We tried to get up a
bigger force, but we couldn't gather any more without waiting, and we
thought if you needed us at all you needed us in a hurry."

"Reckon you're right about the need of bein' in a hurry," said Crockett.
"When you want help you want it right then an' there."

"So you do," said Smith, as he took a fresh piece or steak, "and we had
it in mind all the time. The wind was blowing our way, and in the
afternoon we heard the roaring of cannon a long distance off. Then as we
came closer we heard Mexicans buzzing all around the main swarm, scouts
and skirmishers everywhere.

"We hid in an arroyo and waited until dark. Then we rode closer and
found that there would never be any chance to get into the Alamo on
horseback. We to