s sufficient to attract their
attention, and they saw, too, that he was wild in appearance, with long,
uncombed hair and torn clothing. They were hunters who had come out from
the little town of Refugio.

Ned hailed them again when he came closer.

"You are Texans and friends?" he said.

"Yes, we are Texans and friends," replied the older of the two men. "Who
are you?"

"My name is Fulton, Edward Fulton, and I come from the Alamo."

"The Alamo? How could that be? How could you get out?"

"I was sent out on an errand by Colonel Crockett, a fictitious errand
for the purpose of saving me, I now believe. But I fell at once into the
hands of Santa Anna. The next morning the Alamo was taken by storm, but
every Texan in it died in its defence. I saw it done."

Then he told to them the same tale that Mrs. Dickinson had told to the
Panther and his little party, adding also that a large Mexican force was
undoubtedly very near.

"Then you've come just in time," said the older man. "We've heard that a
big force under General Urrea was heading for the settlements near the
coast, and Captain King and twenty-five or thirty men are now at Refugio
to take the people away. We'll hurry there with your news and we'll try
to get you a saddle and bridle, too."

"For which I'll be thankful," said Ned.

But he was really more thankful for human companionship than anything
else. He tingled with joy to be with the Texans again, and during the
hours that they were riding to Refugio he willingly answered the
ceaseless questions of the two men, Oldham and Jackson, who wanted to
know everything that had happened at the Alamo. When they reached
Refugio they found there Captain King with less than thirty men who had
been sent by Fannin, as Jackson had said, to bring away the people.

Ned was taken at once to King, who had gathered his men in the little
plaza. He saw that the soldiers were not Texans, that is, men who had
long lived in Texas, but fresh recruits from the United States, wholly
unfamiliar with border ways and border methods of fighting. The town
itself was an old Mexican settlement with an ancient stone church or
mission, after the fashion of the Alamo, only smaller.

"You say that you were in the Alamo, and that all the defenders have
fallen except you?" said the Captain, looking curiously at Ned.

"Yes," replied the boy.

"And that the Mexican force dispatched against the Eastern settlements
is much nearer than was supp