Read Online Davy Crockett by Robert E. Hollmann - Free Book Online Page A

Davy asked.
    Bowie looked up. His eyes were sunken into his head. “I don’t feel very good. I think I better go lie down for a while.”
    The door opened and Juan Seguin walked in. “The enemy has raised a red flag. It is flying from the tower of San Fernando church.”
    Travis looked at Bowie. “What does that mean?”
    Bowie started to answer, but he began coughing again.
    “It means that we can expect no mercy from the enemy. If they win the battle, all of us will be killed,” Juan said.
    “This is the man you thought we could work a deal with?” Travis said to Bowie. “At least we have some chance if we fight them. Reinforcements will be here soon. I don’t know about you, but I will never surrender.”
    Davy walked over to Bowie. “We can talk about this later. Juan, give me a hand. We need to get Jim to his room. He needs to rest.”
    Davy and Juan helped Bowie to his feet. As they were walking out the door, Bowie turned to Travis. “I don’t know how much good I will be for a while, so I am turning command of the volunteers over to you. I will help all I can.”
    Travis walked over and put his hand on Bowie’s shoulder. “Thank you, Jim. We must all work together now. I will check on you later.”
    The children followed Davy and Juan as they helped Bowie across the courtyard. They carried him into his room and laid him on a cot. Bowie was coughing more and his face had turned red. Juan went to get some water while Davy pulled off Bowie’s boots.
    “I’ll talk to some of the ladies about looking after you, Jim.” Davy reached into a drawer and pulled out two pistols. “Just in case you need them. I guess you have your Arkansas toothpick handy.”
    Bowie smiled weakly. He pulled his knife from his belt. “I never let this get too far away.”
    Davy patted Bowie’s shoulder. “I better get back to my post. I will check on you later.”
    Addie, Dylan, and Braden walked out of the room.
    “He looks real sick,” Braden said.
    Dylan nodded. “It is too bad. He is a real good fighter, and I think they are going to need all the fighters they can find.”
    Davy walked over and sat down by the wooden fence. Addie sat next to him. The boys looked over the fence at the enemy soldiers.
    “What do you think, Davy?” she asked.
    “I think there is going to be a real big fight here soon. I hope Travis is right and some people come to help us.”
    “Are you sorry that you came to Texas?”
    Davy smiled. “No. I think Texas is about the prettiest place I have ever seen. A person can make a good life here. I think we are doing what is right. And you know what I say. If you are right, then go ahead.”
    “Wow. Look at all those soldiers,” Dylan said.
    Davy and Addie stood up and looked over the fence. A long line of soldiers was marching into the town.
    “Well,” Davy said. “Looks like Santa Anna got some more men.” He looked at the uniforms the soldiers were wearing, and then looked down at his dirty clothes. “At least they look like soldiers.”
    “Don’t worry, Davy,” Addie told him. “I know you are a better fighter than any of them.”
    Davy smiled and shook his head. “Maybe so, but there are sure a lot of them. Oh well. Guess I will take a walk around the fort.”
    As Davy got up, a cannon fired in the enemy camp. A cannonball hit in the courtyard and exploded. Davy looked at the smoke slowly drifting away from the hole in the ground where the cannonball had exploded. “I guess Santa Anna is showing us he has some cannon too. A whole lot of them.”

Chapter Twenty-One
    Davy walked into the Alamo chapel. It took a few minutes for his eyes to adjust to the dim light. The children looked around. The roof had fallen in, and a great pile of rubble was in the middle of the chapel. A ramp had been built to the top of the church, and a cannon sat on top of the ramp. They could hear talking coming from the rooms where the women and children were staying. Susannah Dickinson walked out of one