The San Francisco call., 1908-12-20
CHATTER xxv-osntan>.A

disconnected his nsld tsls-
graph, cased and poo5stod st.
Then there was al insesnt
aA5ournmane to the rear windows
a. the camp side. Happily the
$olIinE bomb was as yet only on the
Say. Pebbles and roushnesSes intor-
vaned hero and there to stop or 20 turn
q aside. and Siaoe II was oct Of reach
of thsdr longest pole the cynasnitsrs
would start ii on again By throwing
sAonea at Il
Hsrsupon ersuod 2 struggle which.
xnder conditions. would have figured
- horsapIxy. One after another the
eAres men In the car heeved cushions.
pfn0ws, obstructions OF any sort. In the
path Of tho rolling menace. And be-
hind the oommissarJ bszgtoads the
dyuaniterz patiently twt.ohad the
bounb by the firmly fastened fuse this
way and that to zvcid the obstacles.
OF SAINT - forward under the impact
of well directed missiles
Ford wss the first OK the three TO
recognize the futIIity OF the cushion
hS<rfca6es.
they'll beat rs-theyu drop Il in
eho ditch right here under us IA apite
uf tate" he cried. ~Br,ssac, so and
break the glass ia the accident tool
uAss and bring me the Ak. quickly
And when he had II. Now get
me g piece Of that telegraph
wire and bend hook on the
end OF it-junp for II; you'n have to
ewist - or with your hngers"
count o. the famed arm, Ford tore up
the carpet and fell to work fercely.
cutting 2 hole through the car floor;
while Brisssc broke q piece from the
wire and bent p finger shaped hook
on the end OF 81. Adair. with his eye
at q hole ia d window shade, gave his
attension 10 the attack
"SThev are getting i here slowly but
surely" he reported 1T IS going to
roll under Us just about where you are.
Now It has gone past my line Of sight
And moment later, IL the same
drawing monotone. They have lighted
the fuse but there IS a good long string
of Il to burn through Take your
fime-" then. with 2 sudden failure in
the monotone; 40 by Jovel you can't
take your time, The fire is jumping
across the road to beat the bandH'
The hole was opened through the
door, and Ford was on his stomach
with his face and an arm IN the aper-
ture, fishing desperately for the loop
IN the fuse. II was his success, his
sudden drawing Of the loop up into the
car, that had shocked Acair out OF his
pose Brissac was ready with the ak,
and the instant the loop appeared II
was severed. the burning end cast off,
and the other end with the bomb at
tached. was safely drawn UP into the
car.
The perspiration was running from
Fords face in streams when he had
the engine OF death securely IN his
hands.
Take il. Roy" ne gasped. Drop il
into the water cooler. That viii be the
safest place for il II they fall back or
the gun play"
As II his word had evoked II, a storm
OF rife bullets swept through the car
smashing windows breaking the re.
manning gas globes and splintering the
woodwork. Again and again the
flashes leaped out OF the surrounding
shadows and the air was sibilant with
whining missiles
Brissac had the Internal machine; al
FIRST he fell upon it and covered IL witt
his body; afterward he crawled with 4
into the nearest staterom and mufieC
Il IN a roll Of berth mattresses.
When the storm ceased, as suddenly
as II had begun. they crept together
tnsthe vestibule ferthest from the com
nisssry lead hurting volcano % coun
the casualties.
There was none; not even bClie
score or a splinter wound 10 show fol
the hot bornbardment. though the sid'
OF the Nadia facing the commissar,
was riddled.
TN believing all I've ever reaC
about it's taking a hundred pounds O.
lead 20 kill one man in a war battle,
said the New Yorker. grimly humorou
90 the last. How do you two c. e.
account for it?'
I'VE don't" said Ford shortly '"we'r
merely thankful that all HUMANKIND
hAbitually shoots high when It's ex
cited or in ? hurry"
Then he sprang afoot. secured hi
AK. and sent Brissac TO the pantry Z
rummage for other weapons. "a rusl
is the next thing in order" he sug
gested; and they prepared as the.
could 10 meet it.
But the rush did not come. 1nstesJ
OF Il, one man. carrying what appeare'
20 be bundle OF dripping rags, cam
cautiously into the open and ap
preached the shattered CAT. The nigh
WIND sweeping down from the uppe
valley was with him. and the pungen
odor of kerosene was waited 20 an
through the broken windows.
"Oho." said Adair Having safel
shot you dead or disabled, they are nov
going 70 give you Christian buria
Ford. Also. they viii comfortabl
Obiiterste all the marks and scars o
this pleasant evenings diversion. Hol
near shall ] let him come before
squsnder one Of the two remainin
cartridges on him?"
Wait" said Brissac in half whis
per. In his second pantry rummagin
he had found nothing more promisin
than a cast-iron sl1iliet-promising be
cause II had weight and a handle :
WELD II by. The intending incendiar
was no more than a few yards froi
his goal when Brissac rose up opposit
the nearest shattered window an
hurled the skillet like a clumsy discu
Eis aim was true to a hands breadth
q bullet from Adair's pistol could hav
done no more. With q cry that wa
fairly shogged out OF him by the i'm
pact OF the iron missile, the man fun
away his burden, dropped in his track
md lay groaning.
They looked for another storm
lead TO follow this, and hugged I'll
floor in readiness for It. When il di
not come, Ford crept to the hole in til
car floor and listened long and intentI
Half an hour ne had cviVen TsrfSbia I