Such, the
last meeting of the Texans, always remained in the mind of Ned. They
stood in a group, strong, wiry men, but worn now by the eternal
vigilance and danger of the siege. One man held a small torch, which
cast but a dim light over the brown faces.
Travis stood before them and spoke to them.
"Men," he said, "all of you know what I know, that we stand alone. No
help is coming for us. The Texans cannot send it or it would have come.
For ten days we have beaten off every attack of a large army. But
another assault in much greater force is at hand. It is not likely that
we can repel it. You have seen the red flag of no quarter flying day
after day over the church, and you know what it means. Santa Anna never
gives mercy. It is likely that we shall all fall, but, if any man wishes
to go, I, your leader, do not order him to stay. You have all done your
duty ten times over. There is just a chance to escape over the walls and
in the darkness. Now go and save your lives if you can."
"We stay," came the deep rumble of many voices together. One man slipped
quietly away a little later, but he was the only one. Save for him,
there was no thought of flight in the minds of that heroic band.
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