Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-12
XXV-Contiuued.

XXV-Continued.
Brissac had crept to a window and was
accommodating the deserted camp street
and the commissary through peephole
in the drawn shade. AS Adair spoke he
sprang back, trpped Ford and fell with
| him. crying:
| Down! both of you.''
At the cry there was a shot from with
out and a window on the exposed side of
| the Nadia fell in shivers. There were
| yells of terror from the cooks pantry.
and the two negroes came crawling
through the side vestibule, their eyes like
saucers and their teeth chattering. Ford
jumped up and turned off the Pintsch
lights. and he was barely down again
when another shot broke second
window.
wouldn't that jolt your" said Adair.
''They are feeling for you with both
hands. What heavens pity it is that
we haven't so much as potato popgun
among US to talk back with. What did
you see. Mr. Brissac?"
| "A crowd of them punched on the COM
missary porch. One of them was sight
| ing a Winchester at the car when I got
| busy"
Adair was again lamenting the lack of
arms when the negro porter produced a
pocket bulldog pistol of the cheap and
| 49, y Se>AA -OA 49, NAAS~"AA
| Charles" he suffered.
"Ah. Williams - concealed weapons?
That is fifty dollars fine in your native
Tennessee. isn't it," Then to Brissac;
| mark down for me, Mr.. Brissac. I don't
like to have those fellows do all the
| bluffing.''
While the assistant was complying. a
tore high through the car. smashing one
| of the gas globes. Adair crawled to a
broken window and the cheap revolver
roared like an overloaded musket.
marking post. you got one of them;
| he's down and they're dragging him in
| side. Now they have all ducked to
cover"
and the pipe of peace. guess said
Adair: as indiferently as If he had just
| brought down a clay pigeon. "Prophesy.
S;uart-what comes next?'
Ford shook his head.
They can't quit now till they are sure
I am permanently obliterated; they have
gone too far. They'll credit me with that
| shot Of yours. and they will take II as a
pretty emphatic proof that I still live.
We'll. what do we do? You are the
| captain
picket the car and keep a sharp look
| out for the next move. Brissac. you take
the forward end and I'll take the rear
platform. Adair. post your Africans in
| here where they'll do the most good, and
see that they don't go to sleep on their
| jobs
The disposition Of forces was quickly
| made. after which suspense set in. ST.
| lence and the solitude of the deserted
camp reigned unbroken; yet the watchers
knew that the shadows held determined
| enemies. alertly besieging the private car.
To prove it. Adair pulled down a por-
| there. gave 1t bulk with a stufflng of berth
pillows and dropped the bundle from one
| Of the shattered windows. Three jets of
fire belched from the nearest shadow and
one Of the flashes. resting the short
barreled pistol across the window ledge.
and the retaliatory shot brought Ford
hurrying in from his post.
For heavens sake. don't waste your
ammunition!" he whispered. Zone Of
them has gone up to the powder house
| after dynamite: I heard the creaking of
the iron door,"
Adair whistled softly. Dynamite!
That will bring things to focus beauti-
fully won't 1t? When they have blown
| us no I wonder how they will account to
Uncle Sidney for the loss of his carp
sound of the firing. He missed the grim
| humor in Adair's query.
"Car nothing!'' he retorted. Better say
the entire camp and everything in 1t!
mite and caps out here in the yard-sub-
contractors supplies waiting for the
freighters' teams from the west end. If
they smash us the chances are ten to one
that therell be a sympathetic explosion
| out yonder in the yard somewhere that
will leave nothing but a hole In the
ground"'
mo" said Ford. II gave orders my
self to have that car set down below the
junction when the Nadia came in.''
$50 you did, and so it was" Brissac
cut in. "But afterward it got mixed in
the shifting. and It's back In the yard-I
don't know just where"
Adair turned to the covering porter.
Have you any more cartridges for this
cannon Of yours. Williams?' he asked.
"N-n-no. sah.'
"Then we have three more chances in
the hat. Much obliged for the dynamite
hint. Stuart. I'll herd these three cart
! ridges pretty carefully. Back to your
sentry boxes you two. and make noise
II you need the artillery"
Another interval of suspense followed.
thickly scored with pricklings Of anxiety
for the besieged. Then an attempt was
made from the rear. Ford saw dodg-
ing shadow working its way from car to
car In the yard and signaled softly to
Adair.
Hold low on him." he cautioned. when
the New Yorker was at his elbow. "those
cheap guns jump like a scared cow
pony Then he added: And pray God
you don't hit what he's carrying
There was another musketlike roar and
an instant though harmless reply from
| two rifles on the other side Of the Nadia
But the lodging shadow was no longer
advancing.
i've stopped him for the time being.
| anyhow" said Adair exulting like boy
IF we only had a decent weapon we
could get them all one at time"
"Eckstein will think up something better
| for the next attempt
| 1t was a prophecy which found its full
| fllment after another sweating interval
| of watchfulness. This time 1t was Bris-
| sac who made the discovery, from the
J forward end Of the Nadia. The nearest
| Of the material cars was q box. lying
broadside to the private car on the next
| side track but one. From behind the
| trucks of the box car a slender pole,
headed with what appeared to be an
| empty oyster tin, and trailing a black
line of fuse. was projecting itself along
| the ground by slow meetings.. creeping
across the lighted space between the two
cars. Brissac promptly gave the alarm
This Is where we lose out pointedly
and definitely" predicted Adair. still
cheerful. Anybody want to try run
| for it?'
| 1t was Ford who thought of the two
negroes.
Tell them. Roy" he said to Brissac
rifles"
Brissac crept back to the central COM
part ment. and the two watchers marked
| the progress of the inching pole, with its
dynamite head and the ominous black
thread of communication trailing like a