The cattle in the plaza would furnish meat for a long time, but they would need bread also.

Again Ned felt that pleasant glow of triumph.

It seemed that fortune was aiding them.
He went outside and stood by the ditch which led a shallow stream of water along the eastern side of the church.

It was greenish in tint, but it was water, water which would keep the life in their bodies while they fought off the hosts of Santa Anna.
The sun was now past the zenith, and since the Norther had ceased to blow there was a spring warmth in the air.

Ned, conscious now that he was stained with the dirt and dust of flight and haste, bathed his face and hands in the water of the ditch and combed his thick brown hair as well as he could with his fingers.
"Good work, my lad," said a hearty voice beside him.