The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-02-05


Copyright, 1909, by Doud.
Mead d Company. Published
Sept, 19O9.)
The next morning Captain HaPsI
ANNOUNCED to his followers that
Marlanx had begun to shell the
castle. Big guns in the fortress
were hurting great shells over the
city, dropping them in the park.
On the other hand, Colonel Quin-
nox during the night had swung
three Calling guns to the top of
the wall; they were stationed at
Intervals along the wall, COM
manding every point from which
an assault might be expected. 1t
was a well-known fact that there
was no heavy ordnance at the cas-
tie. All day long, Marlanx's men,
stationed in the upper stories OF
houses close to the walls. kept up
a constant rifle fire, their bullets
being directed against the dis
tant windows of the castle. That
this desultory fusillade met with
scant response at the hands of
IQuinnox, was quite apparent to
near the monastery.
"Marlanx will not begin the
actual bombardment until he
knows that Tullis is drawing to-
gether a formidable force" proph-
esied Prince Dantan.
But when he does begin the
real shelling," mourned Truxton
King, chatting like a lion under
the deadly inaction. 81 can't bear
the thought of what 1t means to
those inside the castle. He can
lblow it to pieces over their heads.
Then, from the house tops, he can
lpick them off like black birds. It's
LAWFUL Is there nothing that we
lean do, Prince? Damn it all, |
know we can force a gate. And
lif we once get in where those cow
Iardly dogs are loading it, you'll
lsee 'em take the walls like steeple-
lchasers."
"My dear Mr.. King" said Prince
lDantan calmly, you don't know
Colonel Quinnox and the House
IGuard. The Quinnoxs have guard
ed Graustark's rulers for l don't
know how many generations. His
tory does not go back so far,
fear. You may depend on it,
there will be no living guardsmen
inside those walls when Marlanx
lays his hands on the prince"
That night recruits from the
farms and villages began to stray
lyle into the camp. They were
armed with rifles, ordinary shot
gums and antique 'blunders
buses; swords, slaves and aged
lances. All were willing to die in
the service of tine little prince; all
they needed was determined, ca
Ipable leader to rally them from
the state of utter panic. They re-
ported that the crown foragers
might expect cheerful and plente-
Gus tribute from the farmers and
stock growers. Only the noun
taineers were hostile.
The army now grew with aston
ishing rapidly. The recruits were
not fighting men in military
sense, but their hearts were true
and they hungered for the chance
to stamp out the evil that lay at
their fet. By the close of the sec
ond day nearly three thousand
men were encamped above the
city. Late that night John Tul-
lis rode into camp at the head of
a great company from the Gan
look province. He had retaken
the town of, Ganlook, seized the
fortress, and recruited the entire
fighting strength of the neigh
borhood. More than that, he had
numbered and conveyed to the
provisional camp two of the big
guns that stood above the gates
at the fortress. There had been a
iozen skirmishes between the reg
ulars and rowing bands of desper-
ADDE'S. A savage fight took place
at Ganlook and another in the gap
below the witch's hut. In both of
these sanguinary affrays the
government forces had come off
victorious, splendid omens that
did not fail TO put confidence into
1.-THE hearts of the men.
Marlanx trained two of his
big guns on the camp in the hills.
From the fortress he threw many
futile shells toward their place of
shelter. They did no damage; in
stead of death, they brought only
laughter to the scornful camp.
Under cover of night, the two Gan
look cannons were planted in a po-
sition commanding the southeast
ern city gate. 1t was the plan of
the new besiegers to lombard this
/ gate, tearing it TO pieces with shot.
/ When their force was strong
enough extensively, an assault
would be flung against this open
ing. Drill and discipline were
necessary, however, before the at
Tempt could be made. In the
present chaotic, unframed condi-
ton of their forces, an assault
would prove not only Intellectual,
but disastrous. Day after day the
recruits were put through hard
drill under the direction of the
regular officers. Every day saw
the force increased. This made
hard work for the drill-masters.
The willingness of the recruits,
however, lessened the task consid-
erably.
| The knowledge that Maflanx
had no big guns except those sta
toned in the fortress was most
ISohSohhS " uiIlS anu his TRENDS.
He could not destroy the castle
gates with shells, except by purest
chance. He could drop shells into
the castle, but to hit gate twenty
feet wide? Neverl Field ord
nance was unknown to this coun-
TRY of mountains.
/. The Iron Counts inability to
destroy the castle gates made it
feasible for the men in the hills
to devote considerably more time
to drill and preparation than they