The times., 1894-05-25
% lost. Thex must act at once.

be lost. They must act at once.
And 30 Morales hurried to station
and instruct his men. Prowling like
| coyotes through the darkness and at re-
spectful distance from the guarded end
Of the corral ranch, half dozen of the
number crept into the corral. Others
were distributed over the southern
front. Three of the lighter and more
slender of the band were boosted"
through the high west window into Mo-
reno's domain. Then through the mid
die room they made their way, where
sat the sonora, rocking, weeping and
moaning over the body Of the outlaw
leader, where, hiding under the bed,
shivering and praying, crouched the
senorita, her daughter, and then, bare
footed, they crept into the room adjoin-
ing the bar and listened, breathless, to
the low toned instructions of the veter-
an sergeant. From without no glim-
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 bsttlecry all hands were
to rush simultaneously to the attack,
firing no shot for fear Of hitting one
another, but with pistol in one hand
and the long, deadly knife in the other
close at once upon the defenders, leap
over their barriers and overwhelm them
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
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 well
knew that this was but the lull before
the storm.
Lay low, boys, and be ready. Shoot
the first man that shows" was the last
caution old Plummer heard before the
bursting of the tempest.
All on sudden wild cry went up
in the corral. All on a sudden from
north and south the assailants dashed
forward with answering yell. In an
instant the dark apertures flashed their
lightning, and rifle and revolver shots
rang on the still night air. Harvey's
Henry barked like Gatling. Feeny's
old Springfield banged like six pound
er. 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
Colts A tearing through his thigh.
In vain Moreno's squad fred shot aft
er 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
the attack with the splinters from the
heavy panels. Pleading, raging, mad
dened, Morales learned that the dash had
failed and that two Of his most daring
men, the two Americanos who had rid
den forward to personate prospectors
and who had led the rush in the south
ern front, were knocked out of the fight.
And then it was that the inhumap
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
raj suddenly lighted up with broad
red glare. The match had been applied
to the big haystack close to the brush
covered shed, close to the leanto," un-
der which so much infammable rub
bish was stored. 1t could be question
Of only few moments; then they, too,
would be 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
GUS pine logs that formed the basis Of
the bulky structure. Over these the
lighter boards Of pine and over all,
thickly piled, dry as bone and infam-
mable as tinder, heap on heap Of brush.
Once this was fairly ablaze the hapless
occupants of the rooms beneath might
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 al
ready dragging into the corral their few
treasures and rushing back for such
raiment as they could save. Far over
at the corral gate, where the bullets Of
the besieged could not find them, Pas
quail 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