“Why, I would be happy to, ma’am.”
“Tell him that we love him and we miss him and we hope he hurries home.”
“I surely will. I imagine he wants to get home as fast as he can.”
Mrs. Millsaps stood up. “I better go in and get the children ready for bed.”
Davy watched as she walked inside the cabin. He sat there staring at the ground in silence. Finally Addie sat next to him. “What are you thinking about, Davy?”
Davy looked at her and the other children. “I am thinking we better get some sleep. We have an early start and a long ride tomorrow.”
“Where are we going?” Dylan asked.
Davy stood up and stretched. “San Antonio. We have a message to deliver.”
Chapter Fifteen
“There she is, Davy. San Antonio.” One of Davy’s companions pointed to the buildings rising from the plains. “Looks good, doesn’t it?”
“Sure does.” Davy took off his cap and looked at the buildings. “Guess we should ride down and say hello.”
The children followed the men as they rode into the town. The dusty street was crowded with people. Adobe buildings lined the street. The interiors of the buildings looked dark and cool. Davy stopped his horse in front of a blacksmith shop. A strong-looking man was pounding on a horseshoe.
Davy dismounted and walked over to the blacksmith. “Howdy. My name’s David Crockett. My friends and I have just arrived from Tennessee.”
The blacksmith wiped his hands on his leather apron and shook Davy’s hand. “Glad to meet you. My name’s Almeron Dickinson. I’m from Tennessee myself. I heard of you, Mr. Crockett. Glad to meet you.”
“Call me David. Or Davy if you heard the stories. What’s going on here, Almeron?”
“Everybody’s getting ready for Santa Anna and his army. They should be here anytime. Colonel Travis doesn’t think they will be here for several weeks, but we have had reports that they are getting close.”
“Colonel Travis. He the one in charge?”
“Yes. Well, he and Bowie are splitting the command right now. Trouble is, they don’t always agree. Bowie believes the reports that Santa Anna is near. He wants us to get ready faster. Not a good situation to have your leaders fighting when an enemy army is coming.”
“Where would I find these two?” Davy asked.
Almeron Dickinson pointed across the street. “That’s Travis’s office. I don’t know where Bowie is.”
The back door of the shop opened, and a young woman walked in carrying a baby.
“Davy, this is my wife, Susannah. And my daughter, Angelina. Susannah, this is the famous Davy Crockett. You remember we heard about him back in Tennessee.”
The young lady extended her hand. “Of course I remember. Nice to meet you, Mr. Crockett.”
Davy took her hand. “Please, ma’am, call me Davy. It makes me feel old to be called Mr. Crockett.”
Davy smiled down at the baby. “You have a lovely daughter, Susannah. Well, I guess I better go meet Colonel Travis. I hope to see you later.”
Davy and his friends walked across the street. Addie, Dylan, and Braden followed Davy into the small room. A young man was sitting at a small desk writing a letter. He looked up as Davy entered.
“Yes, sir. What can I do for you?”
Davy walked over to the desk. “Colonel Travis? My name is David Crockett. I hear you are in charge here.”
Travis stood up. “Congressman Crockett. It is a great pleasure to meet you.”
“Please, don’t call me Congressman. Those days are long gone. Call me David, or Davy.”
Travis motioned to a chair. “Please sit down, Davy. I am glad you are here.”
Davy sat in the chair. Addie and the others stood behind him.
“Colonel Travis, I hear that Santa Anna is getting close.”
Travis laughed. “Those are rumors being spread by people who are scared by their own shadows. This is February, Davy. The grass is dead. Where would Santa Anna get food for his animals? He will need a lot of animals to transport such a large army. No, I believe he will wait until spring, when the grass is green.”
“I don’t know, Colonel. My friends and I just crossed the plains to get here. That dry grass made good food for our horses. They ate it like it was good anyway.”
Travis turned in his chair. He did not like to have his ideas questioned. “Trust me, Davy. I have been here longer than you. I know an army cannot cross this country in the winter.”
“Well, if you say so. On the way here we stopped at Isaac Millsaps’ place. His wife wanted me to give him a message. Do you happen to know where he is?”
Travis thought for a moment. “I believe he is with Green Jameson working on the defenses of the Alamo.”
Davy stood up. “It was nice to meet you. I think I will go over to the Alamo and try to find Mr. Millsaps.”
Travis walked him to the door. “I will talk to you later, Davy. I would like to talk to you about the upcoming battle.”
Davy walked outside the office. He walked over to his friends who had been waiting for him. One of the men walked over to him.
“Well, Davy. What are we going to do?”
Davy looked back at Travis’s office and then toward the old mission on the outskirts of town.
“Well, I guess we are going to the Alamo.”
Chapter Sixteen
The Alamo buzzed with activity as Davy and his friends rode through the gates of the old mission. A group of men were placing cannons on the walls. Another group was digging a well in the center of the courtyard. A third group was building a wooden fence on the south part of the Alamo to close a gap in the walls. Davy dismounted and walked over to a group of men who were pushing a cannon up a ramp to the top of the Alamo chapel.
“Howdy. I am David Crockett. I am looking for Isaac Millsaps.”
A man walked over to him. “I am Green Jameson. I am in charge of building the defenses here. I think Isaac is here somewhere. Gregorio, do you know where Isaac is?”
A man who was pushing the cannon up the ramp stopped and wiped his head with a handkerchief. “I think he and Antonio Fuentes were working on the north wall.” The man extended his hand to Davy. “I am Gregorio Esparza. It is nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too. I think I will take a walk to the north wall.”
Davy walked through the Alamo courtyard. He passed the men digging the well. They were taking a break, and watched Davy as he walked past. Davy found some men working on the north wall. He walked up to the group.
“Howdy. Would one of you happen to be Isaac Millsaps?”
One man walked over to Davy. “That would be me. Who are you?”
“My name is David Crockett. We stopped by your place on the way here, and your wife asked me to look you up.”
“How is my family doing?”
“Your wife is doing fine. So are the children. All seven of them.”
Millsaps smiled. “That makes me feel better. I sure hated to go and leave them.”
“She said they miss you and hope you can get home soon.”
Millsaps smiled. “If Colonel Travis is right, Santa Anna won’t be here for several weeks. When I get through here, I might go home for a while.”
Davy turned to go. “I guess I better find a place for my men and me to stay. I hope to see you later.”
Davy walked back across the courtyard.
“Davy Crockett.”
Davy turned and saw a big man walking toward him.
“Glad to see you. My name is Jim Bowie. This is my good friend, Juan Seguin.”
Davy shook Jim’s hand. “Good to meet you. I have heard a lot about you. And your knife.”
Bowie laughed. “I think more people know about my knife than about me.”
“I met Colonel Travis in town. I understand that you and he share the command.”
Bowie shook his head. “I don’t think Travis likes that arrangement. He wants to be in charge.” Bowie coughed. He doubled over with pain, then stood back up and smiled weakly at Davy.
“Dadgum cough. I don’t know what’s wrong. A bad cold, I guess.”
“That sounds like more than a cold,” Davy said. “Have you seen a doctor?”
Bowie nodded. “I have seen several. They don’t really know what is wrong. I think it will be better when the weather warms up.”
Davy looked over at his friends, who were watching him. “Do you know where we might find a place to stay in town?”
Bowie wiped some sweat from his face. “There aren’t too many places to stay in town. I have several empty rooms in my house. You and your men are welcome to stay there until something better becomes available.”
Davy smiled at Bowie. “Thank you, Jim. I think I will take you up on your offer.”
Bowie turned to his friend. “Juan, will you show Davy and his friends to my house? I need to meet with Travis.”
“Sure, Jim. If you and your friends will come with me, Davy.”
Davy walked away with Juan. He turned to Bowie. “I will see you later, Jim.”
Bowie waved then coughed again.
“What is really wrong with him, Juan?”
Juan shook his head. “I don’t know. But I think it is very serious. I do know that we cannot afford to lose him as a commander of the Alamo. The men respect him. I don’t know if Travis can lead them.”
Davy looked at the old mission as he walked with Juan. The walls were thick, but there were no loopholes to fire through. Some parapets had been built, but anyone firing from them would be exposed to enemy fire. It was not a place that gave Davy much hope that it could be successfully defended.
Juan turned to Davy. “Let’s get you and your men settled in. There is a party tonight.”
“What is the party for?” Davy asked.
“George Washington’s birthday. It should be a nice party. With Santa Anna on the way, there is no telling when the next party will be.”
Chapter Seventeen
The sounds of fiddles and guitars filled the night air. Addie, Dylan, and Braden stood under a tree and watched the couples dancing on the dusty street. Young women from town joined the Alamo defenders for the party. Stern-faced chaperones watched the dancers. They were ready to intervene if the dancing became too close.
“I don’t think I have ever seen dancing like that,” Braden said.
Dylan shook his head. “No. It sure is different from the dances we see in Eden Prairie. Looks like they are having fun, though.”
“Looks to me like they are stomping on snakes. I wonder what Davy and Colonel Travis are talking about?” Addie said.
Davy and Colonel Travis sat at a small table. They ignored the dancers as they talked about Santa Anna’s approaching army.
“I think you should pay more attention to the stories that Santa Anna is on his way,” Davy said. “These people are taking a chance to warn you about his army.”
“I know that, Davy. But it makes no sense that he could move an army that large across the desert of Northern Mexico in the winter. These people are scared, and they are seeing things that are not there. By the time Santa Anna gets here, we will have received many reinforcements, and we will be able to stop him right here.”
“Do you really think that old mission can stand up to a real fight? When I was there today, it looked like it was ready to fall down.”
Travis shook his head. “I know there is much to be done, but Green Jameson and the others are doing the best they can. You should have seen it before they began working on it. They have made a lot of improvements.”
“I don’t mean to criticize their work. I just do not like to be hemmed in. I would rather fight in the open.”
Travis looked at the dancers. “You sound like Bowie. He wants to move on and fight them in the open too. But if we leave San Antonio, we give the enemy one of the major cities in Texas. They can use it for supplies and as a base to move deeper into our settlements. We must stop them here.”
The watching children turned as Jim Bowie and a group of men walked up to Davy and Travis. Addie and the others walked closer so they could hear what was being said. Bowie stood in front of Travis.
“This man just rode in. He is one of Juan Seguin’s scouts. He said he saw the enemy army not over two days’ march away from here. We need to get ready. I still think we need to move out on the plains and fight them in the open.”
The children watched Travis as he listened to Bowie. They could tell by his expression that he did not believe the report.
“Colonel Bowie. We receive these reports all the time. According to these people, Santa Anna has done an impossible task. He cannot bring an army that size from Mexico at this time of year.”
Juan Seguin frowned when he heard Travis’s words. “My men do not lie, Colonel Travis. He is reporting what he saw. He risked his life to bring this news to you.”
“I am not saying that he is lying, Juan. I know your men are loyal, and they are doing a great service to our fight for independence. I just think he is mistaken.”
Davy looked at the man who had brought the report. “Colonel Travis, I think we should check out this man’s story. I will take some men and scout the countryside to see if the enemy army is near.”
Travis rose from the table. “I do not have enough men to spare to send on a wild goose chase. If you will excuse me, gentlemen, I will go to my office. I have some reports to write. If it will make you feel better, Colonel Bowie, I will put a man in the bell tower of the church in the morning to watch for signs of the enemy’s approach. Good night.”
“Why is he so stubborn?” Dylan asked.
Braden watched Travis walk away. “I don’t know. He just won’t listen to anybody.”
Bowie sat down by Davy as Juan and the messenger walked away. “There goes a stubborn man. I think he is going to get us all in a lot of trouble real soon.”
Davy shrugged his shoulders. “He is doing what he thinks is right.”
“By the way, Davy. I sent Isaac Millsaps home today. He needs to look after his family.”
“That was good of you, Jim. As badly as we need men here, his family needs him more. Well, let’s see what is going on at the party.”
Several miles away, the army of Santa Anna was camped for the night. Santa Anna was meeting with his officers.
“I have information that the Texans are having a party tonight to honor George Washington. I think it will be easy to surprise them. General Sesma, I want you to take your cavalry and attack that party. If you have trouble, fall back and we will join you in the morning, and together we will destroy the Texans. I want all Texans to understand that if they want to fight me, I will destroy them.”