himself together, felt something cold pressed against his right
temple, and saw the barrel of a Browning pistol in the hand of the man
in front of him.

"Hands up!" came the command in a low tone, and a few seconds later he
was bound and gagged. As he lay on the ground, he saw a whole battalion
of foreign soldiers half in the court-yard before the barracks, and
vague thoughts of naval maneuvers and surprises, of Admiral Perry and
the Japs went through his mind, till all at once the notion "Japs"
caused him to sit up mentally--weren't these men real Japanese? And if
so, what did it all mean?

In the meantime double guards had occupied all the men's quarters, in
which Uncle Sam's soldiers began gradually to wake up. The guns and
ammunition had long ago passed into the hands of the Japs, and when at
last the reveille from a Japanese bugle woke up the garrison completely,
there was nothing to be done but to grind their teeth with rage and
submit to the inevitable. They had to form in line in the court-yard at
eight o'clock, and then, disarmed and escorted by Japanese troops, they
had to board the ferry-boats and cross over to Angel Island, while the
cannon on Fort Point (Winfield Scott) thundered out the last notes of
American resistance in San Francisco.

* * * * *

When, shortly after midnight, the guard had been relieved for the last
time, and only a few sleepy soldiers remained in the sentry-boxes of the
coast batteries of San Francisco, the enemy lay in ambush behind the
coast-line, ready, to the last man, to rise at a given signal and render
the unsuspecting American troops _hors de combat_ in their sleep. And
thus, before the sentinels had any idea what was going on, they were
disarmed and gagged. Not a single cry or shot was heard to warn the
sleeping soldiers. They awoke to find themselves confronted by Japanese
bayonets and gun-barrels, and resistance was utterly useless, for the
enemy, who seemed to be remarkably well posted, had already taken
possession of the ammunition and arms.

And where, all this time, was Admiral Perry with his fleet? Nowhere. The
Japanese had made no mistake in relying on the traditional love of
sensation of the American press. The telegram sent on May sixth from Los
Angeles to the San Francisco _Evening Standard_ was nothing but a
Japanese trick. It notified the _Standard_ that Admiral Perry intended
during the naval maneuvers (which were actually to t