Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-12-30
FOES IN AMBUSH.
By oapt. OHARLEs K1Ne, D. s. A.
Copyright, lsaa by Charles King.l
 CHAPTER V

CHAPTER V.
 At midnight the situation at More nos ranch was a strange one. The oc- cupants of the two rooms farthest to the east were being besieged by 10 or 15 outlawed men, some Mexican, some "gringo," but all cutthroats, and up to this moment the besieged had had the best of it.
 And yet their plight was desperate. In the easternIpost room, secure from bullet or missile of any kind so long as they crouched close to the ground and back from the doorway, lay trembling in silence old Harvey's daughters. At the door, only the barrel of his rife protruding, keeping under cover all he possibly could behind an improvised parapet of barloy bags, knelt their de- voted brother, cool and determined, ev- cry now and then whispering words of hope and encouragement. In the ad- joining room, connected with the east ern chamber by doorless aperture through the adobe wall, lay the pay master, sorely wounded, but still con- scious and plucky, his faithful clerk ministering to him as best he could, stanching the flow of blood and comfort ing him with cool water.
 At the doorway opening on the hard, trampled space at the southern front of the ranch, sheltering himself behind his breastwork of barley. but never re- laxing vigilant watch, knelt Sergeant Feeny, a bandana bound about his fore head. the blood trickling down his right cheek, the sleeve of his flannel shirt rent by bullet that just grazed the upper arm. Knecling on the counter and peeping through hole in the bot tom of the wooden window shutter, one of Harvey's men kept guard. The other faced the doorway into Moreno's domestic apartments, every now and then letting drive shot through the woodwork to keep them. as he said, from monkeying with the bolt on the other side"
 In planning his roadside ranch More no had allowed outer doors only to those rooms which were for public use. The three which lay to the west of the bar could not be entered except through that resort or by dour giving on the corral, both of these doors being sup piled with I2assive lolts as security against intruders, and all three rooms being furnished with air ports rather than windows, pierced at such a height through the adobe that no one from without, except in saddle, could peer through the aperture and see what was going on within. The travellers room and the barroom ports, however, were low and large. sad all the rooms were spacious. The bar of course. being the dining as we'll as drinking room, carried off the honorS in point of size. This, too, was furnished with an open ing into the corral, but Feeny's first thought on reaching his comrades was to barricade.
 Springing into the walled inclosure and bidding Harvey watch while the others worked, he had soon succeeded in Juggling a score of big barley sacks into the interior and piling them into breastworks at the three doors, the one opening into the corral being provided in addition with a high traverse to protect its guard against shots that might come through from Moreno's room. All this was accomplished amid the wailing of the Mexican women and the fusillade begun by the assailants in hopes of terrorizing the defense before venturing to closer quarters. Like fla nous Croghan of Fort Stephenson, Fee ny had kept up fire from so many diff ferent points Gs to impress the enemy with the idea there were dozen men and dozen guns where there was in reality only one, and even the tempta- ton of that vast sum in the paymaster's safe was not sufficient to nerve the fol- lowers St Morales to instant attack.
 The valor and vigor of the defense and the appalling death of one of their leaders had so unnerved them that Pas qual himself raging, imploring, threat ening by turns, was unable to urge them to close quarters. Most men are towards in the dark is theory widely believed in. Indians certainly are only brave against defenseless wom- en and children at such time. Not until the firing had ceased and it was evident that the defenders had retired to the shelter of the ranch, and then only very slowly and cautiously, would these brigands of the desert be induced to resume their stealthy approach. For fully half an hour there was a Hull in the fight, and then, guided by the light Mo reno was now able to show, Pasqual and two of the stouter hearted 6naves approached the western wall and held brief consultation with the rascally owner.
 Rage at the death of their leaders brother and ally. the thirst for ven- geance and the hope of securing such reno's fiery assurances and encourage