He was oppressed by a deep and unaccountable
gloom, and it was not lifted when, in the dusk, he looked at the rows of
sleeping figures, crowded so close together that no part of the floor
was visible.
He saw the first light appear in the east, and then spread like the slow
opening of a fan. The recruits began to awaken by and by, and their good
spirits had carried over from the night before. Soon the old church was
filled with talk and laughter.
The day came fully, and then the guards brought food and water, not
enough to satisfy hunger and thirst, but enough to keep them alive. They
did not complain, as they would soon be free men, able to obtain all
that they wanted. Presently the doors of the church were thrown open,
and the officers and many soldiers appeared. Young Urrea was foremost
among the officers, and, in a loud voice, he ordered all the prisoners
to come out, an order that they obeyed with alacrity and pleasure.
Ned marched forth with the rest, although he did not speak to any of
those about him. He looked first at Urrea, whose manner was polite and
smiling, as it had been the night before, and then his glance shifted to
the other officers, older men, and evidently higher in rank.
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