ns to recognize that the post which Bob Power held was the key to
the whole situation. He did a good deal of desultory street fighting
in other places, and though he made a strong show of attacking Bob
Power in the end I think he was drawn into it by accident.

Bland lit a cigarette, and he and I stood at the window watching.

A crowd of men appeared at the far end of the street, running in wild
disorder. They ran quite silently with bent heads and outstretched
hands. Behind them, immediately behind them, came a squadron of
dragoons galloping. As the fugitives turned into the street the
soldiers overtook them and struck right and left with their swords.
They were using the flats, not the edges of the blades. The fugitives
staggered under the blows. Some of them stumbled and fell; but I do
not think that any one was seriously hurt.

"Lord Moyne's audience," said Bland. "The corner boys. There's not an
armed man among them."

I noticed that when he pointed it out to me. The flying men, wild
with terror, rushed into the empty trams. For the moment they were
safe enough. The dragoons could not get at them without dismounting.
They pulled up their horses.

Bob Power gave an order. Rifles cracked all along his line. The men
must have emptied their magazines before they stopped firing. The
officer of the dragoons gave an order. His squadron wheeled and
galloped back the way they came. Five horses lay plunging on the
ground. Four men dragged themselves clear of their saddles and ran
after their comrades. The other lay where he fell.

Six men detached themselves from Bob's lines and ran forward. In a few
minutes they were dragging the terrified fugitives from the trams and
driving them along the street. They came towards us, wailing aloud in
high shrill voices, like women. Behind them came Bob's volunteers,
carrying the wounded dragoon, and supporting a couple of the fugitives
who had been knocked down by the soldiers. The howling men were pushed
through the ranks to the rear. The volunteers closed up again in
silence. Not even when the dragoons turned and galloped away did they
break their silence. I have heard of soldiers going into battle with
shouts and greeting moments of success with cheers. These men fired on
their enemies without a shout and saw them fly without a cheer. Five
minutes later a company of infantry marched into the street, extended
into open order, and fired. Bob's men fired. More infantry came. They