lants, but were being fast beaten down. The shrieks
of women rose loud above the shouting of the combatants, while from the
upper windows the cracks of revolvers sounded out as the Greek, Maltese,
and Italian shopkeepers who had not sallied out into the streets tried
to aid their comrades below.

"Now, have you got any arms you can give us?" Tucker asked. "This looks
like a regular rising of the natives. They would never all have their
sticks handy if they hadn't prepared for it."

"There are some long knives in that cupboard," the man said, "and there
is another pistol my brother Antonio has got. He is sick in bed."

Just at this moment the door opened and another Italian came in in
trousers and shirt.

"What is it, Joseph?"

"The natives have risen and are massacring all the Europeans."

The sick man made his way to the window.

"I am not surprised," he said, as he discharged his pistol and brought
down a native who was in the act of battering in the head of a fallen
man. "You said only yesterday, you thought there was mischief
brewing--that the natives were surly and insolent; but I did not think
they would dare to do this."

"Well, brother, we will sell our lives as dearly as we can."

The conflict was now pretty nearly over, and the two men withdrew from
the window and closed the jalousies.

"Most of them are making off," Antonio said, peeping cautiously out
through the lattice-work. "I suppose they are going to attack somewhere
else. What are the police doing? They ought to be here soon."

But the time went on, and there were no signs of the police. The natives
now began to break open the shops and plunder the contents. The two men
placed themselves at the top of the stairs. It was not long before they
heard a crashing of glass and a breaking of wood, then a number of men
rushed into the shop.

"Don't fire, Joseph," Antonio said, "so long as they do not try to come
up here. They may take away the soap and candles and other things if
they choose, if they will but leave us alone."

The stairs were straight and narrow, and led direct from the shop itself
to the floor above. After plundering the shop the natives departed
laden with their spoil, without attempting to ascend the stairs.

"We are in an awful fix here," Jim Tucker said. "What do you think we
had better do? Shall we get out at the back of the house and try and
make a bolt of it?"

"I do not think that is any good," Jack replied. "I was at