this risk. Your absence from home to-night will be doubly dangerous for
what will be done here at this negro armoury under my command. I ask of
these ten men to ride their horses until dawn, even unto death, to ride
for their God, their native land, and the womanhood of the South!

"To each man who accepts this dangerous mission I offer for your bed the
earth, for your canopy the sky, for your bread stones; and when the flash
of bayonets shall fling into your face from the Square the challenge of
martial law, the protection I promise you--is exile, imprisonment, and
death! Let the ten men who accept these terms step forward four paces."

With a single impulse the whole double line of forty white-and-scarlet
figures moved quickly forward four steps!

The leader shook hands with each man, his voice throbbing with emotion as
he said:

"Stand together like this, men, and armies will march and countermarch
over the South in vain! We will save the life of our people."

The ten guides selected by the Grand Dragon rode forward, and each led a
division of one hundred men through the ten townships of the county and
successfully disarmed every negro before day without the loss of a life.

The remaining squadron of two hundred and fifty men from Hambright,
accompanied by the Grand Titan in command of the Province of Western Hill
Counties, were led by Ben Cameron into Piedmont as the waning moon rose
between twelve and one o'clock.

They marched past Stoneman's place on the way to the negro armoury, which
stood on the opposite side of the street a block below.

The wild music of the beat of a thousand hoofs on the cobblestones of the
street waked every sleeper. The old Commoner hobbled to his window and
watched them pass, his big hands fumbling nervously, and his soul stirred
to its depths.

The ghostlike shadowy columns moved slowly with the deliberate
consciousness of power. The scarlet circles on their breasts could be
easily seen when one turned toward the house, as could the big red letters
K. K. K. on each horse's flank.

In the centre of the line waved from a gold-tipped spear the battle-flag
of the Klan. As they passed the bright lights burning at his gate, old
Stoneman could see this standard plainly. The huge black dragon with
flaming eyes and tongue seemed a living thing crawling over a
scarlet-tipped yellow cloud.

At the window above stood a little figure watching that banner of the
Dragon pass with aching