ildings and took pot
shots at the snipers ahead.

"Darrin, pick out two of your best men, and send them to lie down
in the middle of the street, facing that roof-top," Trent ordered,
then shouted the order across the open street to Dalzell.

Thus, with four jackies lying flat in the middle of the street,
and offering no very good targets to the roof snipers, and with
two men behind each protecting corner, the Mexicans on the roof
were subjected to the sharpshooting fire of the eight best shots
in Trent's command.

"Darley, you stand here on the sidewalk, and watch the roof-top
across the street," Dave ordered. "Hemingway, you get over on
the other side and keep your eyes on the roof on this side of
the street. If you see any one on a rooftop, let him have it
as fast as you can fire."

Dan Dalzell, seeing that manoeuvre from across the street, stationed
two roof-watchers similarly on his side.

"We'll stick to this sharpshooting stunt," Lieutenant Trent called
in Darrin's ear, over the crackling of the rifles, "until we get
a few of the Mexicans ahead. Then we'll rush their position and
try to drive them from it. The only way-----"

That was as far as Lieutenant Trent got, for Dave, making a sudden
leap at his superior, seized him by the collar, jerking him backward
a few feet and landing him on his back.

"What the-----" sputtered Lieutenant Trent. That was as far as
he got, for there was a crash, the sidewalk shook, and then Darrin
quickly pulled his superior to his feet.

The report of Hemingway's rifle was not heard, but a tiny cloud
of thin vapor curled from the muzzle of his uplifted weapon.

"I think I got one of the pair, sir!" called the sailor, gleefully.
"He threw up his hands and pitched backward out of sight."

Lieutenant Trent looked at the sidewalk astounded, for, where
he had stood hay the broken pieces of a cookstove that had been
hurled from the roof two stories above.

"That mass of iron fell right where I was standing," muttered Trent.
"Darrin, I wondered why on earth you should jerk me back and
lay me out in that unceremonious fashion. If you hadn't done
it the cookstove would have crushed my bones to powder."

"It shows the temper of the kind of people we're fighting," muttered
Darrin, compressing his lips tightly. "We'll soon have the whole
city full trying to wipe us out!"

"We may as well rush that building ahead," muttered the lieutenant.
"I'd rather have my men killed i