f Mons Dupre, the French
instructor, had become an expert swordsman. With the weapon in his
hand, he felt equal to facing any of the excited little yellow-faced
Mexican officers. As for them, they showed an equal disposition to
annihilate the Americanos.

Hardly had Jack gauged the balance of his new-found weapon, before one
of his opponents, a lithe, sinewy chap, with fiercely twirled
moustache, came charging in, handling his sword like a duelist. Jack
parried his furious onslaught easily. The fellow checked abruptly,
when he found that, instead of a green boy, he had an expert swordsman
to deal with. Steadying himself, he began a systematic play for Jack's
heart. This was no play duel or mock fencing match with buttoned
foils. It was the real thing, and Jack knew it.

But the lad kept his head admirably. The Mexican, on the contrary, as
lunge after lunge was parried, became furious.

"Carramba!" he hissed. "You dog of an Americano, I keel you!"

"If I let you," rejoined Jack, falling back a pace. The fierce thrust
of his opponent fell upon thin air. The next instant Jack recovered,
as if by magic, and his blade flashed and writhed thrice like a
writhing serpent.

Suddenly the Mexican found his sword abruptly jerked clean out of his
hand by Jack's weapon, and sent ringing over the heads of the other
combatants.

"Senor, I am at your mercy!" exclaimed the Mexican, dramatically
throwing his arms open for the death-thrust, which it is likely he
himself would have given, had the circumstances been reversed.

"Bring me your sword," ordered Jack.

The other fetched it and handed it, hilt first, to his conqueror. Jack
took it, and, placing it across his knee, snapped it clean in two.

"Save the pieces," he said, handing them to the Mexican.

"Diablo!" cried the fellow, mad at the deliberate insult, "for that you
die!"

Holding a snapped section of the sword by the hilt, he drove in at Jack
full tilt, only to be met by a healthy American fistic uppercut,
planted with such accuracy that the Mexican's wiry form was actually
lifted off its feet. He whirled round twice in the air, as if
performing some sort of grotesque dance, and then fell in a heap.

"You won't bother us for a time," muttered Jack, turning to aid his
companions.

While he had been engaged with his officer, the others had had their
hands full.

Like a snarling pack of wolves, the Mexicans had withdrawn and suddenly
made a swoop on