He, too, may come at any moment."

Scarcely had the words left his mouth when a storm of yells came
from outside the convent; and immediately the boy rushed to his
brother's side.

"Great Csesar, there's a thousand of them!" cried Rogers.

Instantly every man made for the position assigned to him. The gun
was in readiness. Outside, the Mausers rattled, bullets coming from
all quarters and thumping sharply against the opposite walls with
a patter that warned the Americans against standing erect.

Occasionally, a scout would peep from a window and take a shot
into the darkness, but these ventures were few. All lights were
extinguished; the men fired at the spots from which burst the flames
of rifles, then dropped suddenly. After a while the firing of the
Filipinos dwindled into a shot now and them.

"Keep low! They don't dare risk a charge! Be ready to defend the
door!" Captain Groce commanded.

The night wore on, and, with the cessation of hostilities, confidence
increased. Reinforcements were not far off, and it did not seem
possible that the sounds of battle could not be heard. The men,
worn out by the exciting events of the day, were generally silent;
Sergeant Connell, however, was an exception.

"Get us I Not a bit of it!" he was saying. "The dirty, little cowards!
Major March will be here in the shake of a dead lamb's tail."