What could men without
ammunition do against many times their number, well armed? He resolved
that he would not be taken with them, and shortly before day he pulled
through the mud to the edge of the Guadalupe. He undressed and made his
clothes and rifle into a bundle. He had been very careful of his own
ammunition, and he had a half dozen rounds left, which he also tied into
the bundle.
Then shoving a fallen log into the water he bestrode it, holding his
precious pack high and dry. Paddling with one hand he was able to direct
the log in a diagonal course across the stream. He toiled through
another swamp on that shore, and, coming out upon a little prairie,
dressed again.
He looked back toward the swamp in which the Texans lay, but he saw no
lights and he heard no sounds there. He knew that within a short time
they would be prisoners of the Mexicans. Everything seemed to be working
for the benefit of Santa Anna. The indecision of the Texans and the
scattering of their forces enabled the Mexicans to present overwhelming
forces at all points. It seemed to Ned that fortune, which had worked in
their favor until the capture of San Antonio, was now working against
them steadily and with overwhelming power.
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