away, pushing through the crowd, and calling on Bradley, Sr.,
to follow him. Bradley, Jr., looked at Gordon with eyes that
snapped, like a dog that is waiting for his master to throw a
stone.

"I can fire a Winchester, sir," he said. "Old Tom can't.
He's no good at long range 'cept with a big gun, sir. Don't
give him the Winchester. Give it to me, please, sir."

Albert met Stedman in the plaza, and pulled off his blazer,
and put on Captain Travis's--now his--uniform coat, and his
white pith helmet.

"Now, Jack," he said, "get up there and tell these people that
we are going out to make peace with these Hillmen, or bring
them back prisoners of war. Tell them we are the preservers
of their homes and wives and children; and you, Bradley, take
these presents, and young Bradley, keep close to me, and carry
this rifle."

Stedman's speech was hot and wild enough to suit a critical
and feverish audience before a barricade in Paris. And when
he was through, Gordon and Bradley punctuated his oration by
firing off the two Winchester rifles in the air, at which the
people jumped and fell on their knees, and prayed to their
several gods. The fighting men of the village followed the
four white men to the outskirts, and took up their stand there
as Stedman told them to do, and the four walked on over the
roughly hewn road, to meet the enemy.