“My God!” he exclaimed.  “What has become of King?”

There was no answer.  The Mexicans ceased to fire and shout, and retreated toward the wood.  Ward was destined never to know what had become of King and his men, but Ned soon learned the terrible facts, and they only hardened him still further.  The thirteen had been compelled to surrender to overwhelming numbers.  Then they were immediately tied to trees and killed, where their skeletons remained upright until the Texans found them.

“You were right, Fulton,” said Ward, after a long silence.  “The Mexican army was there, as we have plenty of evidence to show.”

He smiled sadly, as he wiped the smoke and perspiration from his face.  Ned did not reply, but watched through a loophole.  He had seen a glint of bronze in the wood, and presently he saw the Mexicans pushing a cannon from cover.

“They have artillery,” he said to Ward.  “See the gun.  But I don’t think it can damage our walls greatly.  They never did much with the cannon at the Alamo.  When they came too close there, we shot down all their cannoneers, and we can do the same here.”

Ward chose the best sharpshooters, posting them at the loopholes and on the walls.  They quickly slew the Mexicans who tried to man the gun, and General Urrea was forced to withdraw it to such a distance that its balls and shells had no effect whatever upon the strong walls of the church.

There was another period of silence, but the watchers in the old mission saw that much movement was going on in the wood and presently they beheld the result.  The Mexican army charged directly upon the church, carrying in its center men with heavy bars of wood to be used in smashing in the door.  But they yielded once more to the rapid fire of the Texan rifles, and did not succeed in reaching the building.  Those who bore the logs and bars dropped them, and fled out of range.

A great cheer burst from the young recruits.  They thought victory complete already, but Ned knew that the Mexicans would not abandon the enterprise.  General Urrea, after another futile charge, repulsed in the same deadly manner, withdrew some distance, but posted a strong line of sentinels about the church.

Having much food and water the recruits rejoiced again and thought themselves secure, but Ned noticed a look of consternation on the face of Ward, and he divined the cause.

“It must be the ammunition, Colonel,” he said in a whisper.

“It is,” replied Ward.  “We have only three or four rounds left.  We could not possibly repel another attack.”

“Then,” said young Fulton, “there is nothing to do but for us to slip out at night, and try to cut our way through.”

“That is so,” said Ward.  “The Mexican general doubtless will not expect any such move on our part, and we may get away.”

He said nothing of his plan to the recruits until the darkness came, and then the state of the powder horns and the bullet pouches was announced.  Most of the men had supposed that they alone were suffering from the shortage, and something like despair came over them when they found that they were practically without weapons.  They were more than willing to leave the church, as soon as the night deepened, and seek refuge over the prairie.