He asked him briefly
about the Alamo, and Ned gave him the usual replies. Then he told of
what he had seen before he joined King.
"How large do you think this force was?" asked Ward.
"About fifteen hundred men."
"And we've a hundred and fifty here. You were not much more than a
hundred and fifty in the Alamo, and you held it two weeks against
thousands. Why should we retreat?"
"But the Alamo fell at last," said Ned, "and this Refugio mission is not
so defensible as the Alamo was."
"You think, then, we should retreat?"
"I do. I'm sure the place cannot be held against a large army."
There was much discussion. Ned saw that all the men of the new force
were raw recruits from the States like King's. Many of them were mere
boys, drawn to Texas by the love of adventure. They showed more
curiosity than alarm, and it was evident to Ned that they felt able to
defeat any number of Mexicans.
Ned, called upon again for his opinion, urged that they withdraw from
the church and the town at once, but neither Ward nor King was willing
to make a retreat in the night. They did not seem especially anxious to
withdraw at all, but finally agreed to do so in the morning.
Ned left the council, depressed and uneasy.
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