you understand? What do WE amount to? They have fired on
the American flag! Don't you see what that means? It means
war. A great international war. And I am a war-correspondent
at last!" He ran up to Stedman and seized him by the arm so
tightly that it hurt.

"By three o'clock," he said, "they will know in the office
what has happened. The country will know it to-morrow when
the paper is on the street; people will read it all over the
world. The Emperor will hear of it at breakfast; the
President will cable for further particulars. He will get
them. It is the chance of a lifetime, and we are on the
spot!"

Stedman did not hear this; he was watching the broadside of
the ship to see another puff of white smoke, but there came no
such sign. The two rowboats were raised, there was a cloud of
black smoke from the funnel, a creaking of chains sounding
faintly across the water, and the ship started at half-speed
and moved out of the harbor. The Opekians and the Hillmen
fell on their knees, or to dancing, as best suited their sense
of relief, but Gordon shook his head.

"They are only going to land the marines," he said; "perhaps
they are going to the spot they stopped at before, or to take
up another position farther out at sea. They will land men
and then shell the town, and the land forces will march here
and co-operate with the vessel, and everybody will be taken
prisoner or killed. We have the centre of the stage, and we
are making history."