osed?"

"Yes," replied Ned, "and as proof of my words there it is now."

He had suddenly caught the gleam of lances in a wood a little distance
to the west of the town, and he knew that the Mexican cavalry, riding
ahead of the main army, was at hand. It was a large force, too, one with
which the little band of recruits could not possibly cope in the open.
Captain King seemed dazed, but Ned, glancing at the church, remembered
the Alamo. Every Spanish church or mission was more or less of a
fortress, and he exclaimed:

"The church, Captain, the church! We can hold it against the cavalry!"

"Good!" cried the Captain. "An excellent idea!"

They rushed for the church and Ned followed. Old Jack did not get the
saddle and bridle that had been promised to him. When the boy leaped
from his back he snatched off the halter of withes and shouted loudly
to him: "Go!"

It pained him to abandon his horse a second time under compulsion, but
there was no choice. Old Jack galloped away as if he knew what he ought
to do, and then Ned, running into the church with the others, helped
them to bar the doors.

The church was a solid building of stone with a flat roof, and with many
loopholes made long ago as a defence against the Indians. Ned heard the
cavalry thundering into the village as they barred the doors, and then
he and half a dozen men ran to the roof. Lying down there, they took aim
at the charging horsemen.

These were raw recruits, but they knew how to shoot. Their rifles
flashed and four or five saddles were emptied. The men below were also
firing from the loopholes, and the front rank of the Mexican cavalry was
cut down by the bullets. The whole force turned at a shout from an
officer, and galloped to the shelter of some buildings. Ned estimated
that they were two hundred in number, and he surmised that young Urrea
led them.

He descended from the roof and talked with King. The men understood
their situation, but they were exultant. They had beaten off the enemy's
cavalry, and they felt that the final victory must be theirs. But Ned
had been in the Alamo, and he knew that the horsemen had merely hoped to
surprise and overtake them with a dash. Stone fortresses are not taken
by cavalry. He was sure that the present force would remain under cover
until the main army came up with cannon. He suggested to Captain King
that he send a messenger to Fannin for help.

King thought wisely of the suggestion and chose Jackson, wh