and the old hunter had more than one hairbreadth escape from
Indians, desperadoes, and savage beasts, ere he got to the
neighborhood of San Antonio, and joined another adventurer, a
bee-hunter, bent on the same errand as himself. The two had been
in ignorance of exactly what the situation in Texas was; but they
soon found that the Mexican army was marching toward San Antonio,
whither they were going. Near the town was an old Spanish fort,
the Alamo, in which the hundred and fifty American defenders of
the place had gathered. Santa Anna had four thousand troops with
him. The Alamo was a mere shell, utterly unable to withstand
either a bombardment or a regular assault. It was evident,
therefore, that those within it would be in the utmost jeopardy
if the place were seriously assaulted, but old Crockett and his
companion never wavered. They were fearless and resolute, and
masters of woodcraft, and they managed to slip through the
Mexican lines and join the defenders within the walls. The
bravest, the hardiest, the most reckless men of the border were
there; among them were Colonel Travis, the commander of the fort,
and Bowie, the inventor of the famous bowie-knife. They were a
wild and ill-disciplined band, little used to restraint or
control, but they were men of iron courage and great bodily
powers, skilled in the use of their weapons, and ready to meet
with stern and uncomplaining indifference whatever doom fate
might have in store for them.

Soon Santa Anna approached with his army, took possession of the
town, and besieged the fort. The defenders knew there was
scarcely a chance of rescue, and that it was hopeless to expect
that one hundred and fifty men, behind defenses so weak, could
beat off four thousand trained soldiers, well armed and provided