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men, could not stop that reckless
onslaught. They drew together,
striking out with clubbed rifles,
surrounded by a ring of savage,
taunting foes. There was no
chance to load. Areach rifle butt
fell the fanatics rushed in upon
the wielder, slashing with their
long knives, forcing the others
back, hemming them in, assailing
them from every side. There
was no thought of quarter. Rich
ards found himself snapping the
trigger of his empty revolver.
He drew his sword and ran alone
into the heart of his foes, cutting
them down, eluding their blows
almost miraculously. When at
last he stepped back, having gain
ed a little space, but six of his
men remained unscathed.
Suddenly, far down the valley,
the clear notes of a bugle rang
through the air. Then, over the
stillness of the afternoon came
the faint sound of jangling bits. A
doud of dust was rising above
the palms. The Filipinos, sur
rounding the last of their ene
mies, hesitated to rush forward to
certain death, and, swinging his
sword, Richards momentarily
cowed the bravest of them.
"Now, men," he shouted above
the tumult, "each of you take a
wounded man on his shoulder and
'retire down tne trail. I'll stay
here and cover you until you
reach the road." And, stepping
behind the rock, he seized the
rifle of the wounded sergeant, and
crouching over him, began pump
ing bullets into the ranks of the.
enemy, while his men, at first
hesitant, yielded to his peremp
tory cdmmand and withdrqw,
carrying their wounded com
rades. Richards was now facing the
savages alone. Poised between
two gigantic boulders, he could
be reached by but one man.at a
time, and as they came sweeping
forward his rifle cracked method
ically and the brown bodies tum
bled in the approach. They could
take him in the rear by a detour
but the approaching column
was drawing visibly nearer and
the bugles rang loudly, and al
ready horsemen were spurring
forward, looking like grotesque
insects in the plain beneath. .
Crack! went the rifle, and at
each shot a man dropped. Now
his men were hastening toward
safety. Richards emptied his
rifle into the retreating masses
and then, catching up the wound
ed sergeant, crept down the hill.
It was a whole minute before the
natives discovered he was gone.
They dared not follow him be
yond the crest, for they feared the
vengeance of those yellow-clad
cavalrymen now spurring toward
the slope. But they lined the hill
and began firing with their old
antelope guns, so that the bullets
hissed and sputtered round the
lieutenant as he ran through the
jungle. Zip! A mass of fused
telegraph wire cleft a tree at his
side; now a spurt of dust rose at
his side and anothef between his
feet. The jungle concealed him
momentarily, and then again he
was racing forward over the
short grass, with those winged
messengers of destruction hum-
