e shedding of much innocent
blood."

"Have ye finished?" demanded Dick. "Then--" as Sachar made no
reply--"now hearken all of you unto me. Ye know that this man Sachar,
once a Uluan noble, is now outlawed and a price set upon his head for
threatening her most gracious Majesty, Queen Myrra--whom may God grant a
long and prosperous reign--" Here the soldiers of the bodyguard broke in
with loud and enthusiastic cheers. "And," continued Dick, when silence
was once more restored, "ye have also now heard his audacious and
treasonable demand that the Queen shall be surrendered, a prisoner, into
his keeping, that he may work his wicked will upon her. Know,
therefore, that, rather than concede this outlaw's treasonable demands,
I will die here in the road fighting in defence of the Queen's person
and liberty, and so will every man who wears her Majesty's uniform--"
Here fresh cheers from the bodyguard again interrupted him. "Ye hear
those cheers?" resumed Dick, as the shouts died into silence. "And know
ye what they mean, oh misguided adherents of the outlawed Sachar? They
mean death to you! For your own sakes, therefore, I counsel you to
return to your allegiance to the Queen, surrendering Sachar to me, a
prisoner, to be tried and dealt with for his offence as the law of Ulua
directs. Those of you who are willing to save your lives, face about
and retire with all speed, lest evil befall you."

"So!" roared Sachar, advancing upon Dick with uplifted sword, "ye would
pervert my followers and terrify them into deserting me!" And he aimed
a mighty blow at Dick as the pair rushed at each other. But Dick,
anticipating something of the sort, had already dropped the bridle upon
his charger's neck, thrust his automatic back into his belt, and whipped
out the good steel sword that he had that morning deemed it advisable to
substitute for the handsome but comparatively useless weapon that went
with his uniform, and the next instant the two blades clashed together.
The result was precisely what Dick had anticipated, the steel shattered
the hardened and toughened copper blade as though the latter had been
glass, and before Sachar in the least realised what had happened Dick
had driven his sword hilt into his antagonist's face, causing the Uluan
noble to stagger so that he would have fallen, had not Dick leaned
forward in his saddle and gripped the man by the arm.

"Sergeant Mato," he called, "take this man back to the centre of