"The Moros will try to overwhelm us with a reckless charge, sir," answered the young sergeant. CHAPTER XIII A TALE OF MORO BLACKMAIL "That's what they will do--if anything," nodded Lieutenant Prescott. "A charge is the wisest thing for the brown rascals, if they are bent on winning here. They know now about how many men I have, and they know that my men are regulars. The Moros have plenty of rifles, and I judge that they're well off in ammunition, but they can't shoot as well as American regulars. On a charge, however--in close, hand-to-hand fighting--these Malays are not to be despised. They always fought hand-to-hand in the old days, and it's in their blood." With that expression of his views, Prescott, aided by his acting first sergeant, began to hustle the soldiers into line around the house, forming the men in a rectangle at about fifteen yards distant from the walls of the building. The soldier of to-day must often fight lying on his stomach. These men of B Company crawled to their stations, dragging their rifles after them. Pop! pop! pop! The Moros were watching, and fired from time to time, irregularly. A prostrate man is hard to hit at a few hundred yards. These pot-shots serve to bother and irritate soldiers getting into position. As soon as each soldier was in place he began burrowing with his intrenching tool. It is surprising how quickly a man lying down can dig a little ditch and throw up the dirt on the outside. First, each man dug his own ditch. As soon as he had this completed he connected his ditch with that of the men next to him. Within thirty minutes the men of B Company, without having a man hit by the pot-shots of the enemy, were well intrenched. From time to time some of the soldiers, under orders, ceased their digging to take a few shots themselves, just to keep the Moros from growing too bold. As soon as the encircling trench had been dug Prescott detailed four men, with picks and shovels furnished by the elder Seaforth, to throw up a trench wall in front of the main door of the house, so as to permit any one safely to enter or leave the house by that door. "That'll do, Sergeant," nodded Lieutenant Prescott at last. "It would take a three-inch field piece, sir, to make an impression on this wall of dirt," smiled Sergeant Hal. "Now, I'll look after this part of the ground, Sergeant; you go around to the south side--and be vigilant." Hal Overton stepped out from behind the wall, carrying his rifle in the hollow of his left arm. As he showed himself above the low wall of the regular trench, exposing his head and trunk, the Moros began to take notice. Pop! pop! pop! Bullets struck all about the young sergeant, sprinkling dirt over him. "Keep your head below the top of the trench wall, Sergeant!" called Lieutenant Prescott sternly. "We can't afford to have you hit. Shield yourself. Don't be afraid of any one suspecting you of cold feet!"