Free Davy Crockett by Robert E. Hollmann Page B

few men, and we will burn down the buildings.”
    Travis looked at the buildings again. “Be careful. We can’t afford to lose any men.”
    “I will. If we do it right, we can be down there, set the buildings on fire and get back in here before they know we are doing anything.”
    Travis looked back at the men cooking in the courtyard. “I will have the men fire at the enemy from the north wall. That should keep his attention away from you.”
    “That will be fine, Colonel. Just be sure that they don’t shoot us.”
    “Yell when you start back to the fort. The guards will be watching for you. We will have the gate open.”
    Travis walked away. Davy walked over to Jim Bowie’s room. He knocked on the door. The lady watching Bowie opened the door and peeked out.
    “How is he doing, Juana?” Davy asked.
    “He was sleeping, but the firing woke him up.”
    Bowie called out, “Who is it?”
    Davy stepped into the room. “It is me, Jim. I came to check on you.”
    Bowie coughed. “Davy. Good to see you. What is going on?”
    “Santa Anna paid us a little visit. We drove him away. The men did well.”
    “That is what I thought. He will be more careful next time.”
    “Travis and I decided to burn down those wooden houses outside the walls. They make good cover for the enemy.”
    “How are you going to do it?” Bowie asked.
    “After dark, I am taking some men and we are going to set them on fire.”
    Bowie tried to sit up, but he began to cough and he fell back onto his pillow. “Be careful. There will be enemy in those houses.”
    “How do you know that?” Davy asked.
    “Because that is where I would be.” Bowie coughed. Juana brought him some water. He drank it and lay back on his cot. “Sorry I can’t go with you.”
    “That’s fine, Jim. When you get better and this war is over, we will go hunting together.”
    Bowie smiled. “I look forward to it.”
    Davy put his hand on Bowie’s shoulder. “I have to go, Jim. I have some houses I need to burn down.”

Chapter Twenty-Four
    It was a dark night. Clouds covered the moon. The cold wind still blew, forcing people to take shelter. Davy thought that would be in their favor as he and ten other men prepared to slip out and burn down the houses that provided cover for the enemy. The men waited for the firing on the north wall to begin. Before long the men on the north wall began firing. The enemy returned the fire. Davy and his men lit their torches and ran out of the gate toward the houses.
    Addie, Dylan, and Braden followed the men as they ran across the open ground to the first house. Davy motioned for the men to spread out. The men split up and ran to different houses. One of the men threw his torch inside one of the houses. Flames lit up the house as it began to burn. Other houses were set on fire, and soon the flames were making the night bright. Suddenly enemy troops ran out of some of the houses. Davy remembered that Jim Bowie had said they would be there. The enemy started firing at the Texans.
    “Get down,” Davy shouted. “Return their fire.”
    The Texans took cover and shot back at the enemy. Bullets were whistling through the air. The children huddled down in a hole and listened to the battle. They could hear the yells of the enemy soldiers as they fired at the Texans. Bullets hit the ground, throwing sprays of dirt on them. They could hear Davy yelling at his men to keep shooting. The burning houses provided enough light that the children could see the enemy as they fired at them.
    Addie looked behind her. There was open ground between the Texans and the Alamo. If they tried to run across the open area, the enemy could plainly see them and they would make easy targets. More enemy soldiers were joining the fight. A Texan came running around a building with several enemies chasing him. It looked like the enemy would catch him when the Texans fired at them. The enemy soldiers ran for cover as the Texan joined his friends.
    All of the houses