“Here we are, boys, waitin’ for you!  This way an’ in a half minute you’re in the Alamo!”

The men ran forward, scaled the wall and were quickly inside.  They were only thirty-two.  Ned had thought that the Panther, Obed, and Will Allen might be among them, but they were not there.  The new men were shaking hands with the others and were explaining that they had come from Gonzales with Captain Smith at their head.  They were all well armed, carried much ammunition, and were sure that other parties would arrive from different points.

The thirty-two were full of rejoicings over their successful entry, but they were worn, nevertheless, and they were taken into one of the buildings, where food and water were set before them.  Ned stood by, an eager auditor, as they told of their adventures.

“We had a hard time to get in here to you,” said Captain Smith, “and from the looks of things I reckon we’ll have as hard a time to get out.  There must be a million Mexicans around the Alamo.  We tried to get up a bigger force, but we couldn’t gather any more without waiting, and we thought if you needed us at all you needed us in a hurry.”

“Reckon you’re right about the need of bein’ in a hurry,” said Crockett.  “When you want help you want it right then an’ there.”

“So you do,” said Smith, as he took a fresh piece or steak, “and we had it in mind all the time.  The wind was blowing our way, and in the afternoon we heard the roaring of cannon a long distance off.  Then as we came closer we heard Mexicans buzzing all around the main swarm, scouts and skirmishers everywhere.

“We hid in an arroyo and waited until dark.  Then we rode closer and found that there would never be any chance to get into the Alamo on horseback.  We took the saddles and bridles off our horses, and turned them loose on the prairie.  Then we undertook to get in here, but it was touch and go.  I tell you it was touch and go.  We wheeled and twisted and curved and doubled, until our heads got dizzy.  Wherever we went we found Mexicans, thousands of ’em.”

“We’ve noticed a few ourselves,” said Crockett.

“It was pretty late when we struck an opening, and then not being sure we whistled.  When we heard you whistle back we made straight for the wall, and here we are.”

“We’re mighty glad to see you,” said Crockett, “but we ain’t welcomin’ you to no picnic, I reckon you understand that, don’t you, Jim Smith?”

“We understand it, every one of us,” replied Smith gravely.  “We heard before we started, and now we’ve seen.  We know that Santa Anna himself is out there, and that the Mexicans have got a big army.  That’s the reason we came, Davy Crockett, because the odds are so heavy against you.”

“You’re a true man,” said Crockett, “and so is every one of these with you.”

The new force was small—­merely a few more for the trap—­but they brought with them encouragement.  Ned shared in the general mental uplift.  These new faces were very welcome, indeed.  They gave fresh vigor to the little garrison, and they brought news of that outside world from which he seemed to have been shut off so long.  They told of numerous parties sure to come to their relief, but he soon noticed that they did not particularize.  He felt with certainty that the Alamo now had all the defenders that it would ever have.