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.
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