ngs of the North in the South, the greater the
indisposition of at least that element to have conditions down here
disturbed, I think. I believe that by acting now we shall receive far
more sympathy from the North than we would be likely to get a few years
later."

"Suppose, for the sake of progress in the discussion we concede the
validity of your conclusions. Granting that the present is the time to
act, what would you do?" asked Ensal.

"Let me state first of all what I would not do. I would not attempt an
exodus. The white people of the South would resort to force to prevent
our leaving in a mass. I would not attempt a _general_ uprising. They
have absolute charge of the means of transportation and
intercommunication as well as the control of the necessary equipments
for waging war."

Earl now paused and looked steadily at Ensal, who awaited with almost
breathless anxiety Earl's next words.

"When I was a lad I declaimed the address of Leonidas to his brave
Spartan band, and the idea of a vicarious offering has ever since lain
heavily on my heart.

"In Almaville here I have a picked band of five hundred men who are not
afraid to die. To-night we shall creep upon yonder hill and take charge
of the state capitol. When the city awakes to-morrow morning it will
find itself at our mercy. We also have a force of men which will take
charge of the United States government building. This will serve to make
it a national question.

"When called upon to surrender, we shall issue a proclamation setting
forth our grievances as a race and demanding that they be righted. Of
course, what we shall call for cannot be done at once, and our surrender
will be called for.

"We shall not surrender. Each one of us has solemnly sworn not to come
out of the affair alive, even if we have to commit suicide. Our act will
open the eyes of the American people to the gravity of this question and
they will act. Once in motion I am not afraid of what they will do. I am
not fearful of America awake, but of America asleep.

"Such is my plan. In brief, it is the determination of desperate men to
provoke intervention.

"Look at Cuba. A handful of men stayed in the field and kept up a show
of resistance until our great nation intervened. It is within the power
of the Negro race to bring about intervention at any time that it is
willing to pay the price. I have found the men and recruited them from
the ranks of the plain people who were alread