She took hold of Inez’s arm and shook her into wakefulness. The old woman, who had nursed Maria as a baby, sat up rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. “Keep quiet,” Maria whispered in a commanding voice. “We are all in danger of being murdered. I want you to take this revolver and go to each outpost, tell the officer on guard that it is Señor Rodriguez’s order to form his men to repel an attack at once. If you fail fire the revolver as a signal to us.” The old woman rose to her feet trembling violently. She counted her beads, murmuring her prayers, but there was never a word of fear or hesitancy. “Good, Inez,” Maria whispered, kissing the old wrinkled face. The girl saw it was set determinedly, yet a great and unknown terror looked out of her appealing eyes. But the girl knew that she would be the safest messenger. No one else could be depended upon like Inez, and she would sacrifice her old life willingly to help her beloved master. When Maria again entered the dining-room O’Neil had turned out the lamp and was ready to carry out his daring plan. “Two of my men will remain here with you, señorita,” he told Maria as she held open the door. “We’ll soon bag this fellow Garcia, if he’s still hanging about.” O’Neil, followed cautiously by his two men, walked slowly about the great house. As noiselessly as Indians they crept within its shadow, straining their eyes toward the portico and covered porches above their heads. There still remained the light in the room above where the girl and her two protectors were doubtless now guarding her father and his treasure. While O’Neil stood listening eagerly, a shadow crossed the windows; it moved slowly inch by inch. The house was silent. Off to his left O’Neil could hear a babble of excited voices and the rattle of military accoutrements. Inez’s warning had been given and the native soldiers were hastening to their stations to repel an enemy. The shadow slowly crossed and disappeared and then the light was suddenly extinguished. O’Neil was about to seek further when a noise from above arrested his attention. He recognized at once that a sash was being opened slowly. Then as he watched a dark figure appeared and dropped noiselessly to the porch roof a few feet below the window. Quietly it lowered itself to the edge of the roof and then with the agility of an acrobat or a sailor climbed down the post near which the boatswain’s mate and his men were standing. The next moment two powerful arms enfolded it and a cry of fear was promptly stifled. Then from the dark shadow of the woods to the northward came a volley of musketry, followed by the war-cry of the bolo-man.