“You see, Captain, that General Baker has all his men ready to attack you, but he gives you one more chance. The fifteen minutes are up, and he sent me to ask if you are going to surrender, and give the guns up?” “I can’t give them up to him. I don’t desire no fuss, and we’ve got out of the street into our hall for the safety of our lives, and there we’re going to remain; but we are not going to give up the guns to anybody without authority to take ’em.” The messenger galloped back to his chief. It was a time of too intense feeling for speech, in that hall. A brief moment of suspense, and the sound of hoofs was heard, and the horsemen who had been stationed in front of the building removed to a street in the rear. Then down by the river-bank came a flash, a quick, sharp report, and a small column of smoke rose straight up into the air. It was a signal gun, and quickly followed by a volley from the men stationed behind the abutment of the railroad bridge. “Crash! crash! crash!” came the bullets like hail through the glass windows, for the strong shutters had not been closed; the little band preferring exposure to suffocation and ignorance of the enemies’ maneuvers. As the colored men had less than five rounds of cartridges, they reserved their fire twenty or thirty minutes. Then Captain Doc gave the order. The discipline of the men was excellent, and their small supply was eked out by irregular and infrequent discharges. “Good Laud!” exclaimed several at once, after firing a light volley. A young man down by the abutment was seen to throw up his arms and fall. “That was Merry Walter,” said one of the men. “Was it?” asked Doc. “He’s gone at his work hind side before. Not more’n two hours or so ago, he said, “We’re gwoine to kill all the colored men in Baconsville to-day, and then we’ll take the women and children, and then I’m going to kill all that are against me.” That’s just the words he said.” “Oh!” was the general exclamation. “_That’s just awful!_” said Friend Robins. “But he’s gone to meet it. I a’n’t prepared to die myself, but I shouldn’t like to meet the Laud right after saying such a thing as that.” “We may all have to meet Him ’fo’ dis job is done,” said another. The attack commenced about six o’clock, and soon every pane of glass in the numerous windows was strewed in fragments upon the floor, yet not one of the men was injured, and Merry Walter was the only white man harmed during the whole affray except one slightly wounded by a comrade. Night was coming on apace, calm, but moonless; and Captain Doc went upon the roof again to take observations. Several of his men were already there, though each unaware of the presence of the others, on account of the peculiar construction of the roof.