mp; thar ain't no wood that's goin' ter stand agin them blows
long. Do yer hear?"

They did; the dull reverberation as the log butt crashed against the
closed door was plainly audible. Once, twice, three times it struck,
giving forth at last the sharper crackling of splintered wood. They
could see little now distinctly--only the dim outlines of the men's
figures, Mendez shouting and gesticulating, the fellows grasping the
rough battering-ram, a group of others on either side the door,
evidently gathered for a rush the moment the latter gave way.

"My God!" cried Westcott, struggling to restrain himself. "Suppose I
take a crack at them!"

Brennan caught the hand tugging at the half-drawn revolver.

"Are you mad, man? You couldn't even hit the house at that distance.
Holy smoke! There she goes!"

The door crashed in; there was a fusillade of shots, the spits of fire
cleaving the dusk, and throwing the figures of the men into sudden bold
relief. The log wielders sprang aside, and the others leaped forward,
yelling wildly and plunging in through the broken doorway. An instant
later three muffled reports rang out from the interior--one deep and
booming, the others sharper, more resonant--and the invaders tumbled
backward into the open, seeking shelter. Westcott was erect, Brennan
on hands and knees.

"Damn me!" ejaculated the latter, his excitement conquering restraint.
"Whoever they are, Jim, they're givin' ol' Mendez his belly full. Did
yer hear them shots? There's sure two of 'em in thar--one's got a
shotgun an' the other a revolver. I'll bet yer they punctuated some o'
those lads. Lord! They come out like rats."

Westcott's teeth gripped.

"I'm going down," he said grimly, "if I have to go alone."

Brennan scrambled to his feet.

"Just a second, Jim, an' I'm with yer. Moore, get up yere. Now, what
do yer say? Can we count you in on this shindig?"

"Go down thar with yer?"

"Sure! Y're a man, ain't yer? If yer say y're game, I'll play
square--otherwise we'll see to your case afore we start. I don't leave
yer up yere to play no tricks--now which is it?"

Moore stared over the edge into the black depths.

"Yer want me to show you the way?"

"Yer say you've made the trip wunst. If yer have, yer kin do it again.
I'm askin' yer fer the last time."

The boy shivered, but his jaw set.

"I don't give a damn fer you, Dan Brennan," he returned half angrily,
"but I reckon that might be the