He heard troops passing, now infantry, and then cavalry, the hoofs of their horses grinding upon the stones.
He pressed his face against the barred window.

He was eager to hear and yet more eager to see.

He caught glimpses only of horse and foot as they passed, but he knew what all those sights and sounds portended.

In the night the steel coil of the Mexicans was being drawn closer and closer about the Alamo.
Brave and resolute, he was only a boy after all.

He felt deserted of all men.