of the man before Laura.

"May this give your mind ease!" gritted Ensign Darrin, bringing down the
butt of the revolver on the head of the Mexican facing Belle.

Then the other Mexicans in the room attempted to take a hand, but they
were soon put to flight. One of them limped, or rather hopped--for he
had encountered Hank Butts. Tom and Hank helped the injured out in a
hurry.

Mrs. Bentley revived at sight of the uniforms, and still more at sight
of the well-known faces of two of the officers. As for Laura, she threw
her arms about Dick Prescott's neck, embracing him ecstatically, too
overjoyed at first to speak. Not so with Belle Meade. She, too, gave her
intended husband an enthusiastic embrace, but she murmured in his ear:

"Sorry we couldn't give a better account of ourselves, Dave. But the
scoundrels came in here in a drove. They've killed at least two men who
tried to defend us."

"If they try to start anything more, Belle, girl, they'll all get
killed."

Lieutenant Dick Prescott, a mist swimming before his eyes, could only
murmur:

"Laura, you need have no further fears. There are squads from two
regiments of regulars on the spot."

Presently Dick and Dave were left behind at the hotel with five soldiers
of the Thirty-fourth. Lieutenant Hal led the remainder of the troops
through the streets. The comparatively few Texans of the village, who
had been greatly outnumbered, and driven to fighting behind cover, now
appeared in the wake of the troops. Wherever bands of rioters were found
they were herded and driven out of the town. It required all the
firmness and tact of Lieutenant Hal to keep the justly enraged Texans
from piling up a big slaughter.

Before the arrival of troops some twenty Mexican rioters had been
killed, and many more wounded. Six of the Texans of the village had also
been killed, including the two--the hotel proprietor and one other--who
had gone to the defense of Mrs. Bentley and the girls. A score of
rioters who had met Hank Butts were limping now.

Thirty houses of the village, some of them belonging to Mexicans, had
been fired. As they were not attached to other buildings these fires
were allowed to burn out.

At daylight a company of Texas militia marched into town, having arrived
from a distant point.

The rioters belonged to a peculiar class from the sister republic. Many
were criminals, wanted in their own country, who had found safety across
our border. Many more had been