osh was so rash and
headstrong, once he found himself up against a dangerous situation.

The door, being very heavy, was resisting the attack of the soldiers
successfully, though Rod did not plume himself on this account. He
feared there were many other ways by means of which the Uhlans could
accomplish their purpose and enter the house did they care to bother
about looking.

Just then there arose a new cause for alarm. The good woman came crying
from the other part of the building. Rod heard what she said and was
able to understand, although the other two were left in the dark.

"What's happened next, Rod?" demanded Josh, with the air of a veteran;
for Josh often affected to liken himself to those old worthies who, when
sorely beset, never asked about the number of their foes, but where they
could be found, so that they might attack them hip and thigh.

"She says they've set fire to the house, and that the whole rear of the
same is already blazing fiercely," Rod explained.

Hanky Panky's face was a study. Of course it was not really _fear_
that gripped him so fiercely; but nevertheless the boy had a peaked look
about the eyes, and watched Rod eagerly, as though hoping the other
would eventually find some way of extricating them from this new
predicament.

"Now here's a pretty kettle of fish," growled Josh; "house afire, and we
can't even rush out to throw water on the flames, just because there's a
lot of cowardly skunks waiting to spit us like we were fowls. Whee!
what're we going to do about it, Rod, tell me? I'll sally out and try to
create a diversion, if you say the word."

Perhaps Josh honestly meant it, but Rod only laughed at him.

"Don't be silly, Josh," was what the other said; "you'd have about as
much chance against those half-dozen Uhlans as a baby might. All we can
do is to hold tight, and hope the zouaves will get along before it's too
late. But if they do try to smash their way in we're going to fight;
hear that?"

"You just bet we are; every time," said Josh, who had found a heavy
poker and was swinging it around in a way that made poor Hanky Panky
duck every time it barely missed his devoted head.

He had hardly finished saying those few expressive words than there was
an awful crash, and the front door, struck by some sort of battering
ram, seemed to be partly knocked from its hinges. The Uhlans were
apparently determined to enter; and the more opposition they met the
greater their desire