Davy Crockett by Robert E. Hollmann

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