he attack beaten off at three
points. A force of twenty to one had been compelled to recoil. His heart
swelled with pride in those friends of his. But they were so few in
number! Even now the Mexican masses were reforming. The officers were
among them, driving them forward with threats and blows. The great ring
of Mexican cavalry, intended to keep any of the Texans from escaping,
also closed in, driving their own infantry forward to the assault.

Ned's heart sank as the whole Mexican army, gathering now at the
northern or lower wall, rushed straight at the barrier. But the deadly
fire of the rifles flashed from it, and their front line went down.
Again they recoiled, and again the cavalry closed in, holding them to
the task.

There was a pause of a few moments. The town had been silent for a long
time, and the Mexican soldiers themselves ceased to shout. Clouds of
smoke eddied and drifted about the buildings. The light of the morning,
first gray, then silver, turned to gold. The sun, now high above the
earth's rim, poured down a flood of rays.

Everything stood out sharp and clear. Ned saw the buildings of the Alamo
dark against the sun, and he saw men on the walls. He saw the Mexican
columns pressed together in one great force, and he even saw the still
faces of many who lay silent on the plain.

He knew that the Mexicans were about to charge again, and his feeling of
exultation passed. He no longer had hope that the defenders of the Alamo
could beat back so many. He thought again how few, how very few, were
the Texans.

The silence endured but a moment or two. Then the Mexicans rushed
forward in a mighty mass at the low northern wall, the front lines
firing as they went. Flame burst from the wall, and Ned heard once more
the deadly crackle of the Texan rifles. The ground was littered by the
trail of the Mexican fallen, but, driven by their officers, they went
on.

Ned saw them reach the wall and plant the scaling ladders, many of them.
Scores of men swarmed up the ladders and over the wall. A heavy division
forced its way into the redoubt through the sallyport, and as Ned saw he
uttered a deep gasp. He knew that the Alamo was doomed. And the Mexicans
knew it, too. The shrill screaming of the women began again from the
flat roofs of the houses, and shouts burst from the army also.

"We have them! We have them!" cried Santa Anna, exultant and excited.

Sheets of flame still burst from the Alamo, and the rifles