ng men and returned, startled, to
drag out their sleepy spouses and all the children. The sun had warmed
the whole of this little world now and trees and houses stood out
clean and distinct as though freshly washed. To the left the dry
crackle of the rifles still sounded. It was evident that Otaballo had
met with a good-sized force and one evidently prepared. It was not
long before the road took them into the city proper. Before they had
reached the first paved street Danbury turned to his men.

"Now, come on at a jump. There is a five-hundred-dollar bonus to the
first man in the palace."

He drew a revolver from his holster and, spurring on the guide,
encouraged the men to a double-quick. Wilson kept by his side. They
ran through the silent streets like phantom ghouls in a deserted city.
Every window was tight shut and every door double-barred. The rumor
had spread fast and entered the city an hour before them. They made a
great rattling as they ran heavily down the narrow alleys and through
the silent squares, but they received no more attention than a party
of merry-makers returning in the small hours from some country dance.
Then they rounded a corner and--a blinding flash from a red line of
rifles checked their brisk progress. Wilson staggered back a few steps
with his hand over his eyes like a man hit beneath the chin. The
noise was deafening. Then he turned slowly in a daze and looked to see
what the men were doing. A half dozen of them had lain down as though
to sleep, sprawled out in curiously uncomfortable attitudes. The
others had paused a moment as if in doubt.

Their frightened eyes brought him to himself.

"Come on," he growled. "Shoot low and fast."

A group of the real fighters swept past to the accompaniment of biting
snaps like the explosion of firecrackers. Then he fought his way to
the front again, elbowing men to one side.

The thing that seemed remarkable to him was that he could face that
spitting red line of rifles and yet keep his feet. They must be poor
shots, he thought. He himself began to shoot rather deliberately. He
did not see the faces of the men at whom he shot, for he always aimed
at their breasts. Once, however, he took careful aim at a white face
which lay against the breech of a rifle leveled at him. He aimed for
the white space between the eyes quite as coolly as though he were
facing a target. Yet he jumped a little in surprise as, following his
report, he saw a blotch of r