. Cowards
and traitors all. I have had an experience with more than one of them. We
are good for a dozen or two of them, if we can keep them in front of us.
Oh, yes, the Bulgarians are great fighters--from behind."

"Is there any way we can fix up that door?" asked Chester.

Colonel Anderson shook his head.

"I am afraid not. Ivan has shattered it beyond repair."

"Then it shall be my post to guard," cried Ivan. "No Bulgarian shall come
through there."

"There are not many other places they can come through," said Helen.
"Only two windows and a second door, in the rear of the house. I shall
guard one of the windows myself."

"You are not afraid?" asked Chester.

"Not now, that I have friends with me."

"All right. Colonel Anderson, I'll take this other window here, near Miss
Ellison. You shall guard the back door."

"The first thing to do is tie this fellow up," said Anderson, indicating
the Bulgarian.

Ivan stepped forward, and taking a piece of rope that Helen gave him,
tied the man up tightly.

"Now," said Chester, "to your posts. We don't want to be caught
unguarded."

All took the places assigned them and examined their weapons. An hour
passed. Then Chester, peering through the window, exclaimed:

"Here they come!"

CHAPTER XXIII.

THE FIGHT IN THE HOUSE.

"I'm ready for them!" shouted Ivan, from his position behind the
broken door.

He stood well back in the darkness, out of sight from beyond the house.

All was quiet and dark within, for with the appearance of the first of
the enemy Chester had extinguished the light. The figures of the
approaching Bulgarians were plainly visible to Chester and Helen through
the windows. Ivan and Colonel Anderson, of course, could not see them,
although they would have been visible to the former had he a mind to take
a chance and expose himself to their view.

As the men approached, Chester counted them. Then he announced:

"Thirteen, I make them."

"My count, too," agreed Helen from her window.

There was not a tremor in her voice now and she seemed totally unlike
the frightened girl Chester had first seen. She held her revolver
steadily in her right hand, a pile of ammunition heaped up in the window
sill before her.

The men came on briskly, absolutely unaware of the rude welcome that
awaited them.

"Let them get close enough so we can't miss, then I'll hold a parley with
them," said Chester.

When the men were less than fifty yards fr