Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-12-30

mer of light could guide the assailants | or help them in their aim. The black | apertures of the doorways were poor marks for night shooting, and the more enterprising and adventurous, crawling | like snakes to reconnoiter, were soon able to report that most scientifically had the defense thrown up their breast | works.
 From group to group fitted Pasqual. | At his shrill battlecry all hands were ] to rush simultaneously to the attack, | firing no shot for fear of hitting one i another, but with pistol in one hand | and the long, deadly knife in the other l close at once upon the defenders, leap l over their barriers and overwhelm them 1 in the dark interior. In three minutes | the signal would be given. He himself would lead the dash of the party within the corral. Pasqual was shrewd enough | to know that where there was only one l doorway instead of two there would be better chance of lodging the bullets. But keen eyes and ears and wits were | there alert. Feeny and Harvey we'll knew that this was but the lull before the storm.
 Lay low, boys, and be ready. Shoot 1 the first man that shows, was the last caution old Hummer heard before the bursting of the tempest.
 All on sudden n wild cry went up in the corral. All on a sudden from north and south the nsS;iilants dashed forward with answering yell. In an instant the dark aperturcs flashed their | lightning, and rife and revolver shots rang on tho still night air. Harvey's l l,o, old Springfield banged like a six pound er.s Two of the assailants on the south side went down in the dust, face fore most, the others swerved, broke and scurried for shelter. Pasqual Morales, leading his men close under the north wall, made pantherlike spring for the crest of the barley parapet and was saved from instant death when he fell by being dragged feet foremost, with a Colts II tearing through his thigh.
 In vain Moreno's s squad fired shot aft CT shot through the wooden door. Their bullets buried themselves deep in the | improvised traverse, but let no drop of blood, while two return shots scattered heavy panels. Pleading, raging, mad | uGLGNl. -hOIdlCS lIlAN lIAG ltiSAI LetA ! failed and that two of his most daring men, the two Americanos who had rid den forward to persenate prOspectors and who had led the rush in the south ern front, were knocked out of the fight. l And then it was that the inhuman | brute gave the order to resort to Indian methods, and even old Moreno begged and prayed and blasphemed, all to no purpose. Furious at their repulse, the { band were ready to obey their leaders maddest wish. The word was, Burn them out" Ned Harvey, crouching behind his barley bags, felt his blood turn to ice water in his veins when, with exultant yells and taunts, the cor ral suddenly lighted up with broad red glare. The match had been applled to the big haystack close to the brush | covered shed. close to the 'leanto, " un- der which so much inflammable rub bish was stored. It could be n question of only few moments; then they, too, would be a mass of flames, spreading rapidly westward. The stout adobe wall separating the ranch proper from the sheds would protect the occupants from direct contact with the flame, but what could save the roof? Stretching from wall to wall were the dry, resin ous pine logs that formed the basis of the bulky structure. Over these the | lighter boards of pine and over all, i thickly piled, dry as bone and inflam- i mable as finder, heap on heap of brush. | Once this was fairly ablaze the hapless occupants of tho rooms beneath might i as well be under the grating of some huge furnace.
 High in air shot the leaping flames. Far and wide over the desert spread the lurid glare. Screaming with terror, the women of Moreno's household were all ready dragging into the corral their few treasures and rushing back for such raiment Cs they could save. Far over at the corral gate, where the bullets of the besieged could not find them, Pas Qual Morales and his exulting band were gathered, the chief lying upon his serape, with bloody bandages about his leg, his followers dancing about him in frantic glee, all keeping carefully out of range of tho black doorways, yet three or four crack shots lay flat in the sands, their rifles covering the now glar- ing fronts of the threatened rancho, ready to shoot down, Indianlike, the wretchcd garrison when driven out.
 It was at this juncture that from somewhere in the middle room, behind Moreno s heavy door, a voice was heard
 Hand out the safe. Hand out your money now, and we'll leave you in peace. Every man of us will ride away, and you can come out as soon as We are gone. Answer, for you have no time to lose"
 Answer him, you." shouted Feeny to Mir. Dawes send a shot through and hit him if you can."
 But before the clerk could drop the fan with which he was striving to re- vive his fainting chief, the young fel- low from Harvey's party, he who was stationed at the north door and had been so fortunate as to shoot Morales himself, now suddenly sprang from his
 covert, and placing the muzzle of his Henry rifle close to the door deliberately popped three shots in quick succession through the splintering woodwork, and
 in the confusion and dismay which re,
 suited was able to leap nilnbly into his
 corner again before the answering shot:
 could come.
 Take that for your anSwer! shout
 ed Feeny again, you black hearted black bellied thafe, and take this, too
 bad scran to ye! Every dollar of that
 moneys in greenbacks that'n burn a; aisy as tissue, and if you want it come
 and get it LOW. 'Tis you that's got nc time to lose. Come and get it, say } for be the soul of St. Patrick you'll never have another chance. Just a , sure as ye let that fire reach this rancl and harm those young leddies-old liar vey's daughters that never did ye | r harm in the world-eyery dollar in thu } safe goes whack into the fire. and sorrs } shinplaster will you have for all you