had fallen upon their knees and had raised their
arms upward; and then a low moaning, that presently grew louder and more
thrilling, broke forth among them as they gave vent to the feeling of
awful dread that was in their hearts.

"That's business, that is," Young said, in tones of great satisfaction.
"Those fellows do believe in th' prophecy, for a fact; and if th' folks
once get it fairly into their heads that th' time has come for their
rascally Priest Captain t' have an upset, that's a good long start for
our side towards upsettin' him. It was just everlastin'ly level-headed
in th' Colonel t' make Pablo ride El Sabio, and so regularly cram th'
thing down these critters' throats. I don't know how much of th'
prophecy he believes himself, but he's workin' it for all it's worth,
any way. There don't seem t' be any flies worth speakin' of on th'
Colonel--eh, Professor? And I guess that anybody who wants t' get up
earlier 'n th' mornin' than he does 'll have to make a start overnight."

By this time the road that we followed had come down to the lake-level,
and presently we reached the end of it, which was a well-built pier that
extended out from the shelving shore into deep water. Here a boat was in
waiting for us--a barge of near forty feet in length, with twenty men to
row it, and carrying also a mast, stepped well forward, so rigged as to
spread a sail that was a compromise between a lug and a lateen. There
was some little talk between the officer in charge of the barge and
Tizoc, and then the latter motioned us to go on board. The barge-master
gave the order to the guard to follow us, as though the command of the
party now had devolved upon him; and it seemed to us, from the close
group that the guard made around us in the boat, and from the anxious
looks which the barge-master cast upon us, that very strict orders must
have been given concerning keeping us closely in ward. Under these
circumstances, it caused us some little wonder that we were permitted to
retain our arms, until the thought occurred to me that these people,
having no knowledge of such things, did not at all realize that our
rifles and revolvers were arms at all. To test which theory I drew one
of my pistols--not violently, but as though this were something that I
was doing for my own convenience--and so held it in my hands that the
muzzle was pointed directly at the heart of the soldier who sat beside
me; yet beyond the interest that its odd shape