“My duty, sir. When I heard what was happening I reported to General Hood. I’m on secret dispatch work.” Vassar gripped the boy’s hand, dropped it, tore the letter open, read it hastily, and turned to the crowd: “Now men, listen! The forts are intact. General Wood appoints me on his staff, with the rank of colonel. He is establishing his headquarters at Southhampton, Long Island. The _Pennsylvania_ has slipped to sea and is gathering our fleet. She has picked up wireless messages which leads her to believe that the landing will be made at that point. Our little fleet is getting ready for the fight. I want every man that can find a gun to hustle over to Jamaica. The army holds the Long Island Railroad from Jamaica. Trains are now waiting for you there. “They can’t begin to enforce that proclamation until their army lands. The garrisons here will stick to the armories and their machine guns until reinforced--” A suppressed cheer swept the crowd. Vassar lifted his hand for silence. “Now I want volunteers to take this order to every election district in New York--” “Si--si, signor,” Benda cried. “Angela and my bambino--they go too. I play and shout for the Emperor. Angela she beat the tambourine and play for the soldiers. We get the word in the danger places, quick!” “Good boy!” Vassar exclaimed. “I’ll send you where the others might fail--” In rapid succession he sent his five hundred followers through the city bearing the whispered word to every district. When the last man had hurried away he turned to Billy. “Your sister and the children?” “Virgina’s gone to a mountaineer’s cabin in the Adirondacks--left the night the Jubilee began--” “No wonder she didn’t reply--“ Vassar muttered. “She’ll be back here in double quick time, though, when she hears of this. You know Virginia’s got no commonsense--” “And the kids?” “I took Zonia and Marya over to our house. The old man and your father’s with them. They’ve a couple of shotguns and two revolvers. They’re all right.” Vassar smiled grimly at the boy’s faith. “Report to General Hood that I will reach Jamaica within six to eight hours and that he may expect twenty thousand men to be there before nine o’clock tonight. How’d you get here?” “Hid my bicycle in Brooklyn and walked across the bridge.” “I’ll follow suit. I know where I can put my hand on a good bicycle or two at the Athletic Club--” Billy saluted and hurried on his mission. At nine o’clock, the Jamaica terminal was jammed with forty thousand volunteers armed with every weapon conceivable, from a crowbar to a yacht cannon. A sailor had actually smuggled an old brass saluting piece into a ramshackled automobile and gotten into the station with it. These relics from the ark were left in the basement of the terminal.