as the last man passed out Antonio exclaimed in Italian, "I smell
smoke, Joseph; they have fired the house! They have set fire to the room
below," he translated to the lads; but even before he spoke the boys
understood what had taken place, for a light smoke poured out from the
inner room, and a smell of burning wood came to their nostrils.

"The beggars have done us," Jim Tucker said bitterly. "We could have
held these stairs against them for an hour, but this fire will turn us
out in no time."

The smoke rose thicker and thicker, and they could hear the crackling of
wood.

"Let us get out of the back window, we may get off that way."

Touching Antonio's arm he beckoned him in that direction. The Italian
nodded, and the party went into the back room. Antonio drew the sheets
from the beds and knotted them. Jim went to the window and looked out.
As he did so there was a yell of derision from below. A score of the
natives had made their way through the adjoining houses, and taken up
their station from behind to cut off their retreat. It needed no words
to tell those in the room what had taken place. Antonio threw down the
sheets and said to his brother, "Let us sally out, Joseph; the sooner it
is over the better. See, the smoke is coming up through the floor
already. Let us go out before we are suffocated."

"I am ready," the other replied.

Followed by the boys the brothers left the room and descended the
stairs. The flames were already rushing out of the back room. There was
a shout from without as the defenders were seen to descend the ladder.
The boys grasped each other's hands as a final farewell, and then with
set lips and knives firmly grasped followed the two Italians and dashed
into the street. Sharp cracks of the revolvers sounded out, and then in
an instant the mob closed round the little party. Keeping close
together, cutting and thrusting with their knives, the boys tried to
make their way through. The crowd was so thick, that mixed up as they
were in it, the natives could not use their sticks, but drawing their
knives grappled with the boys. Jack felt a sharp pain in several places;
he fell, struggled to his feet again, was again struck down. He seemed
to hear a voice raised above the din, then he knew nothing more.

When he recovered his senses he found that a native was stooping over
him and pressing a cloth to his forehead. He lay still for a minute or
two, wondering faintly what had become of him.