rtridge belts. The rascals' guns stood back of the door behind the
commander of the first battalion.

"It ain't fair to take everything away from us," began Yadder, when
two shots, fired in rapid succession, cut him short. The shots came
from up the stream and not over fifty yards from the mill-house. Soon
followed a shouting of voices, and all in the place knew that a band
of rebels were approaching.

"They are after somebody!" exclaimed Ben. "They are coming--"

The young captain got no further, for just then there sounded a
clatter on the outer steps, and a second later an American soldier
burst into the mill-house. He was in tatters, and his left arm hung
limply by his side, for he had been shot in the shoulder.

"Americans!" he gasped, as he cast a hurried glance about. "Thank God
for that! The rebels are after me, half a dozen strong."

"He went up into the house!" came from without, in the Tagalog
dialect.

"After him, men, the _Americano_ must not escape us!"

And then footsteps were heard around the house and on the stairs. Ben
and the major looked at each other questioningly. What was to be
done?

"The trap," whispered the young captain. "If they come up here, we can
escape through that."

There was no time to say more, for already the rebels were coming up
the stairs, shouting loudly for the escaped _Americano_ to give
himself up. They advanced in a body, evidently not caring to separate
in the darkness, and thinking to find the man alone.

With quick wit Ben ran and placed the table against the door, and on
this piled the bench.

"Now the trap, and be quick!" he whispered, and Major Morris
understood. Flinging open the door in the floor he looked down, to
behold the stream flowing beneath.

"Follow me--it's the best way out," he said to the escaped prisoner.
Then he dropped down, holding his pistols over his head, that they
might not get wet.

The wounded man was in a desperate humor and lost no time in
following. By this time the rebels were hammering lustily on the door
which Ben was holding shut.

"What are we to do?" demanded the older of the deserters. "Are you--"

"You can take care of yourselves," answered the young captain, and
rushing over to the trap-door he let himself through, closing the trap
after him. Then came a plunge into the water, but the stream here was
less than four feet deep, and he followed Major Morris and the wounded
man to the bank without difficulty. A loud sh