The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-08-03

was ominous enough in itself. The sound of a violent struggle in the lower corridor came to their ears. Loud voices, blows, single shot, the rush. ing of feet. the panting of men in fierce combat-and then, even as the whites turned to retreat up the stairway, a crowd of men surged up the stairs from below, headed by Bail1o, the ma ior domo.
 "Stop, excellencies!" he shouted again and again. Bobby Browne and Deppingham were covering the retreat, prepared to fight to the end for their women, although unarmed. It was the American who first realized that Baill& was not heading an attack upon them Baillo and a score of his men had re- fused to join the stablemen and gar. deners in the plot to assassinate the white people. As a last resort the con- spirators contrived to steal into the chateau, hoping to fall upon their vic tims before Bailo could interpose. The major domo, however, with the willy sagacity of his race, anticipated the move. The two forces met in the south hall after the plotters had eff fected an entrance from the garden. The struggle was brief, for the con- spirators were outnumbered and sur prised. They were even now lying be- low, bound and helpless, awaiting the disposition of their intended victims.
 "It Is not because we love you, ex- cellencies," explained Baillo, with a sudden fierce look in his eyes, "but be cause Allah has willed that we should serve you faithfully. We are your dogs. Therefore we fight for you. It is a vile dog which bites it's master"
 Browne, with the readiness of the average American, again assumed command of the situation. He gave instructions that the prisoners, seven in number, be confined in the dungeon, temporarily at least.
 "There will be no other attack on us tonight said Browne, rejoining the women after his interview with Baillo. "It has missed fire for the present, but they will try to get at us sooner or lat CT from the outside. Britt, will you and MT. Saunders put those prisoners through the sweat box? You may be able to bluff something out of them if you threaten them with death. They
 ''It won't do, Browne" said Dep bingham, shaking his head. '3They are fatalists; they are stoics. I know the breed better than you. Question if you like, but threats will be of no avail. Keep 'em locked up; that's all."
 Firearms and ammunition were talk en from the gunroom to the quarters occupied by the white people. Every preparation was made for defense in the event of an attack from the out side or inside. The white servants were moved into rooms adjoining their employers. Britt and Saunders trans ferred their belongings to certain gor- geous apartments. Miss Pelham went into a Marie Antoinette suit close by that of the princess. The native serv- ants retained their customary quar- ters below stairs.
 Far in the night Genevra, sleepless and depressed. stole into the hanging garden. Her E=lind was full of the hor- rid thing that had happened to Hol- Hngsworth Chase. He had been noth- ing to her. He could not have been anything to. her had he escaped the guns of the assassins. And yet her heart was stunned by the stroke that it had sustained. Wide eyed and sick,
 
 clinging to the vines, stared for she knew not how long at the dull red glow on the mountain.
 The night was still and ominously dark. She had never known a night since she came to Japat when the birds and insects were so mute. A somber, supernatural calm hung over the is land like a pail. The smell of smoke hung about her. She could not help wondering if his fine, strong body was lying up there burned to a crisp. It was far past midnight. She was alone in the garden. Sixty feet below her was the ground; above, the black dome of heaven.
 She was not to know till long after ward that one of her faithful Thor berg men stood guard in the passage leading up from the garden, armed and willing to die. One or the other slept in front of her door through all those nights on the island.
 Something hot trickled down her cheeks from the wide, pitying eyes that stared so hard. She was won dering now if he had a mother, sis ters. How their hearts would be wrenched by this! She was thinking of kim with pity and horror in her heart, not love.
 A question was beginning to form itself vaguely in her troubled mind. Were all of them to die as Chase had died?
 ITO ho Continued