hirt, and armed with revolvers like ours, that shoot twelve times,
and have bullets like bomb-shells, that burst inside of a man and
blow him to pieces."

_Captain_, coldly,--"That crow didn't blow up."

_Buttons_.--"Oh yes it did. It was dark, and you didn't notice.
Go get it to-morrow, examine it, and you will find traces of the
exploded shell."

_Bandit No. 4_.--"Santa Maria! What lies this giant tells his friends!
and they all laugh. They don't believe him."

_Bandit No. 3_. "Well, that revolver is enough for me; and they all
have them."

The above conversation was all carried on very rapidly, and did not
take up much time.

At once the Club proceeded to carry out the Senator's plan. First
they talked nonsense, and roared and laughed, and perfected their
plan, and thus passed about ten minutes. Then Buttons asked the
Italians if they wished more music.

"Answer, gallant Captain of these Kings of the Road. Will you hear
our foreign songs?"

"Most gladly," said the gallant Captain. "There will yet be time
before we get our supper."

A sinister gleam in his eye as he said this about the supper did not
escape the notice of Buttons. Thereupon he handed the guitar to Dick,
and the latter began to sing once more the strains of "Ole Virginny."
The Italians showed the same delight, and joined in a roaring chorus.
Even the men by the door stood yelling or whistling as Dick sang.

Lastly, Dick struck up the final song. The hour had come!

"Yankee Doodle came to town
To buy himself a pony,
Stuck a feather in his hat
And called it--_Maccaroni_!"

As the song began each man had quietly braced himself for one grand
effort. At the sound of the last word the effect was tremendous.

The Senator threw his mighty arms round the Captain and the other
bandit. They were both small men, as indeed Italians are generally,
and beside his colossal frame they were like boys to a grown man. He
held them as if a vice, and grasping their hands, twisted them back
till their guns fell from their grasp. As he hurled the affrighted
ruffians to the floor, the guns crashed on the stone pavement, one
of them exploding in its fall. He then by sheer strength jerked the
Captain over on his face, and threw the other man on him face
downward. This done he sat on them, and turned to see what the others
were doing.

Buttons had darted at No. 5 who was on his right, seized his gun and
thrown him backward. He was holding him down now