Her idea, as a good cook, appeared to be that, if several thousands of people were about to be shut up and starved to death, they ought all to feed themselves as liberally as possible before the actual process of starvation should begin. Ned felt a strong sympathy with that notion, as he walked along with her, and he was ready to tell her anything but the perilous truth concerning the lost battle at the north. As to that, it was quite enough to assure her and half a dozen other patriotic Mexican women, who were at her humble home when he went in, that the great and successful General Santa Anna was hastening to rescue them from the American barbarians who were at this hour getting ashore with a great deal of difficulty through the surf, which was wetting every uniform among them. If anything at all resembling a "norther" had been blowing, the landing would necessarily have been postponed until it had blown over. Among other things, however, Ned told Anita of his visit to the house, and when the very good supper was ended, she led him to a room which must have contained at least a third of all the space under her roof. It was anything but hollow space now, for it was heaped to the ceiling with furniture, beds, bedding, and a miscellaneous collection of other household goods. "There, Senor Carfora!" she said, exultingly. "The Puebla robbers did get some things, but we saved all these. They were not ready to carry off heavy stuff, and when they came again, with a cart, at night, it had all been cared for. The senora has not lost so much, after all." "You are a faithful woman!" said Ned, admiringly. "I'm glad, too, that they could not steal the house, for I want to sleep there." "It's the best place you can find," she told him. "But you had better always bar the door at night, and sleep with your machete and pistols where you can reach them." CHAPTER XV. UNDER FIRE "Where am I?" exclaimed Ned, as his eyes came lazily open the next morning, and in a moment more they were open very widely. He knew the room he was in, and his thoughts came swiftly back to him. There hung his sheathed machete at the head of the hammock, and his pistols lay at his side. There was as yet only just enough light to see them by, but he sprang out and began to get ready for his first day in a besieged city. His satchel and pony, he remarked, would be safe enough at headquarters, and he could go after them whenever he might need them. "I'll go to Anita's for breakfast," he added. "I can pay her for it, too. Then I want to see the American fleet, if I can. Oh, but am I not glad that General Zuroaga gave me that old telescope? I've seen lots of mountains with it, and now I'll make it show me the ships and the army. Oh, my soul and body! I'm part of the garrison of Vera Cruz."