A room below was turned over for hospital use, and there the wounded of both sides were treated.
Still the firing continued heavily throughout the city. Trent, with his field glass constantly to his eyes, picked out the nearest roof-tops from which the Mexicans were firing. Then he assigned sharpshooters to take care of the enemy on these roofs.
"We can do some excellent work from this position," the lieutenant remarked to his two younger officers.
It was peculiar of this fight that no regular volleys of shots were exchanged. The Mexicans, from roof-tops, from windows and other places of hiding, fired at an American uniform wherever they could see it.
The very style of combat adopted by the enemy made it necessary for the Americans, avoiding needless losses, to fight back in the same sniping way. Slowly, indeed, were these numerous detachments of Mexicans, numbering some eight hundred men in all, driven back.
Boom! boom! boom! The Mexican artillery now started into life, driving its shells toward the invaders.
"The real fight is going to begin now," uttered Dave, peering eagerly for a first glimpse of the artillery smoke.
"I hope the ships tumble down whole squares of houses!" was Danny
Grin's fervent wish.
"If they start that, we're in a hot place," smiled Trent, coolly.
From the harbor came the sound of firing.