at the hard-fought battle of Angostura, or Buena Vista, on the
22d of February, he had shattered the American army under General
Taylor. He had, he said, effectively prevented its further advance into
Mexico, and there was really a strong appearance of truth in his way of
presenting the consequences of the battle, for the American army seemed
to have retreated. Horse after horse had been ridden to death in taking
such great tidings to the city of Mexico, and, for the hour, at least,
the great Mexican commander was more firmly fixed in supreme power than
ever.

Of course, the triumphant bulletin did not make any mention of the fact
that General Taylor had had no intention of advancing any further, being
under express orders from General Scott not to do so, and that Santa
Anna's well-planned and at first nearly successful attempt to crush the
northern invaders had really proved a failure. Ned Crawford listened to
Felicia's enthusiastic account of the battle with a curious question in
his mind which he was too polite to utter.

"Why," he thought, "if Santa Anna was so completely victorious, did he
not make General Taylor surrender?"

There was no one to inform Ned that the Mexican commander had invited
General Taylor to do so before the fight was half over, and that the
stubborn old American had unkindly refused the invitation. At this
moment, however, the senorita's tongue began to busy itself with quite
another matter. The United States fleet, under Commodore Connor, had,
indeed, begun to arrive in front of Vera Cruz on the 18th of February,
with a vast convoy of transport ships under its protection, having on
board the army of General Scott. Neither Ned nor the senorita was aware,
however, how many important questions have to be answered before so many
military passengers might undertake to land, with all their baggage,
within possible reach of the artillery of an enemy. Felicia, for her
part, was positive that they all were too badly scared by the Castle of
San Juan de Ulua and by the bad news from Buena Vista to so much as try
to make a landing.

"General Santa Anna himself is now marching down to meet them," she told
him, "with his whole victorious army, and he will crush them as fast as
they can get out of their ships."

Owing to the grand reports from their army, this was precisely the idea
which was forming in the minds of all the people of Mexico.

"Oh, Senorita Felicia!" said Ned, as if he were quite will