The Romance of Golden Star ...Griffith, George Chetwynd
Science
The Romance of Golden Star ...
Griffith, George Chetwynd
Fantasy fiction
'I'm going to catch one of those horses,' said Hartness suddenly to me,
'then I'll ride out and bring those other fellows up and show them what
to do. That'll be more in my line than this sort of work. Good-bye; you
will see or hear of me again before long.'
The next moment he was gone, and I had not fired many more shots before
I saw him, mounted on one of the officers' horses, galloping through the
hollow towards the ridge. All this time none of my men had shown
themselves, and the constant stream of shots coming from all sides of
them had thrown the Governor's troops into utter confusion. The officers
were shouting orders which no one listened to, the horses were galloping
wildly about, rearing and plunging with the pain of their wounds, and
many of the soldiers had already taken to flight, believing, in their
panic, that the hollow was full of hidden enemies.
We kept up the fire from our hiding-places until we heard shouts and
cheers coming from the ridge, and I looked and saw Hartness with a drawn
sword in his hand, leading a body of some hundred and fifty troopers
down into the hollow.
Now I saw that we should be able to end the battle quickly, so I sent up
my signal-cry again and called for my own men to come out. Then I pulled
the rope and released the chain, and ran out towards my men, shouting to
them to close round the entrance to the water-cavern and shoot all who
tried to get out. Some three or four sought to escape and were shot, and
then the rest, seeing my men running at them with the bayonet, and the
other troopers coming up, led by a stranger, lost heart, and crowded
back into the cleft, firing their revolvers wildly as they went.
The next moment we heard cries of terror coming up out of the darkness,
mingled with the rushing of water, and the Governor, followed by about
six of his officers, came leaping up the steps to find a line of
bayonets drawn up across the mouth. With the waters surging up behind
them, and the bayonets in front of them, there was nothing for them but
surrender or death.
Hartness, who had now dismounted, ordered the men to fall back a pace,
and, as they did so, he went through the line with his sword in one hand
and a revolver in the other, and said to the Governor,--
'Senor, will you yield or go back down yonder?'
'We must yield,' said the Governor, 'since there is no choice. But who
are you, and what are you, an Englishman, doing here in arms against the
Government?'
'Who I am matters nothing just now,' he replied, 'and as for your
Government, it no longer exists. That must be enough for you. Now,
senores, give up your swords and revolvers quietly and no harm shall
come to you. You, Senor Prada, give your sword to this caballero here,
who is the Inca Vilcaroya and lawful ruler of this country.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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