The hours which followed were like some horrible nightmare to Dan, whose nerves had been wrought up to the top notch of excitement by the scenes in the courtyard and the church. From a distance he heard calls and groans and an occasional shot. The Alamo had fallen and now Santa Anna was himself upon the scene, to make certain that not one of the Texans should escape. "I told them what to expect," he is reported to have said, and then, when five men were brought before him, and his own officer, General Castrillon, interceded for the Texans, he gave Castrillon a lecture for his soft-heartedness, and the prisoners were speedily put to the bayonet. Such was Santa Anna, now high in power, but who was destined in time to be shorn of all rank and to die in bitter obscurity. His last act of atrocity at the Alamo was to have the bodies of his victims piled up with layers of brushwood and burned. The hours passed, how slowly or swiftly neither Dan nor Poke Stover knew. No one came to disturb them, and at length the boy sank into a doze due to his exhausted condition. When he awoke he found the frontiersman also aroused. "I hope the sleep did ye good, Dan," he said. "Was I asleep? I did not know it. How long have we been here?" "I can't say." "Have you heard anything more of the Mexicans?" "Only a faint sound or two, comin' from behind. I reckon we had best push on and see whar this passage leads to." They arose, to find their legs stiff from the dampness of the passageway. At least three hundred yards were passed, and still there seemed to be no end. "One satisfaction, we are gittin' farther away from the church," observed Stover. "I can't hear nuthin' now." "Nor I, Poke. But did you notice how wet the passageway is getting?" "I did, lad. We must be nigh to a spring or else the river." They went on again, but not for long. A hundred feet further and they walked into water up to their ankles. "We are blocked," groaned Dan. "What if we can't get out this way?" "I reckon ye had best strike another light." This was no easy matter with their clothing and everything else so damp. But finally the light was struck, and they pushed on into the passageway until the water was up to their waists. "We can't go much farther," said Dan soberly. "Do you think this leads to the river?" "I do; but I can't say how far off the stream is. Let us go a little farther." A couple of rods were covered, and they sank down until the water was up to Dan's neck. "If I go any further I'll have to swim," he observed, and just then the candle slipped from his hand and fell into the water, leaving them in total darkness. As there seemed nothing else to do, they moved back to the nearest dry spot and sank down to rest and to consider the matter. "We can stay here for several days, if we wish," said Stover. "We have got enough to drink." "Yes, but I've had nothing to eat since last night."