thewomen had pistols, and knives strapped to their girdles. The men wentout and again returned, bearing quantities of food, sufficient tolast us during a siege, and also during our flight to my home. Waterwas also collected in kegs and barrels, for the supply might be cutof. Then Max came, and under his orders, as soon as night fell, thelower windows, the cellar openings and the front door were coveredwith sheathings of thick oak plank, of three thicknesses, stronglynailed; then the second story windows were similarly protected,loopholes being first bored, through which our rifles could bethrust, if necessary. Then the upper windows were also covered in thesame way. The back door was left free for ingress and egress throughthe yard and back street, but powerful bars were arranged across it,and the oak plank left ready to board it up when required. Thehand-grenades--there were a pile of them--were carried up to the flatroof. Then one of the men went out and painted red crosses on thedoors and windows.
We ate our supper in silence. A feeling of awe was upon all of us.Every one was told to pack up his goods and valuables and be readyfor instant flight when the word was given; and to each one wereassigned the articles he or she was to carry.
About ten o'clock Max returned and told us all to come up to theroof. The house stood, as I have already said, upon a corner; it wasin the older part of the city, and not far from where the first greatbattle would be fought. Max whispered to me that the blow would bestruck at six o'clock in Europe and at twelve o'clock at night inAmerica. The fighting therefore had already begun in the Old World.He further explained to me something of the plan of battle. TheBrotherhood at twelve would barricade a group of streets in whichwere the Sub-Treasury of the United States, and all the principalbanks, to wit: Cedar, Pine, Wall, Nassau, William, Pearl and WaterStreets. Two hundred thousand men would be assembled to guard thesebarricades. They would then burst open the great moneyed institutionsand blow up the safes with giant powder and Hecla powder. At daybreakone of Quincy's air-ships would come and receive fifty millions ofthe spoils in gold, as their share of the plunder, and the price oftheir support. As soon as this was delivered, and carried to theirarmory, the whole fleet of air-vessels would come up and attack thetroops of the Oligarchy. If, however, General Quincy should violatehis agreement, and betray them, they had provided a large number ofgreat cannon, mounted on high wheels, so that they could be firedvertically, and these were to be loaded with bombs of the mostpowerful explosives known to science, and so constructed withfulminating caps that, if they struck the air-ship at any point, theywould explode and either destroy it or so disarrange its machinery asto render it useless. Thus they were provided, he thought, for everyemergency.
At eleven he came to me and whispered that if anything happened tohim he depended on me to take his wife and mother and his father, ifpossible, with me to Africa. I grasped his hand and assured him of mydevotion. He then embraced Christina and his mother and left them,weeping bitterly, in each other's arms.
There was a parapet around the roof. I went to the corner of it, and,leaning over, looked down into the street. Estella came and stoodbeside me. She was very calm and quiet. The magnetic lights yetburned, and the streets below me were almost as bright as day. Therewere comparatively few persons moving about. Here and there acarriage, or a man on horseback, dashed furiously past, at fullspeed; and I thought to myself, "The Oligarchy have heard of thetremendous outbreak in Europe, and are making preparations foranother here." It was a still, clear night; and the great solemnstars moved over the face of heaven unconscious or indifferent as towhat was going forward on this clouded little orb.
I thought it must be nearly twelve. I drew out my watch to look atthe time. It lacked one minute of that hour. Another instant, and thewhole city was wrapped in profound darkness. Some of the workmenabout the Magnetic Works were members of the Brotherhood, and, inpursuance of their orders, they had cut the connections of the worksand blotted out the light.
CHAPTER XXXI.
"SHEOL"
I looked down into the dark street. I could see nothing; butimmediately a confused buzz and murmur, of motion everywhere, arosefrom the depths below me. As it grew louder and clearer I could hearthe march of thousands of feet, moving rapidly; and then a number ofwagons, heavily loaded, creaked and groaned over the pavements. Isurmised that these wagons were loaded with stones, and were to beused in the construction of the barricades. There was no music, noshouting, not even the sound of voices; but tramp, tramp, tramp, inendless multitude, the heavy feet went by; and now and then, wherethe light yet streamed out of the window of some house, I could seethe glitter of the steel barrels of rifles; and here and there Icaught a glimpse of men on horseback, officers apparently, butdressed in the rough garb of workmen. Along the line of the housesnear me, I could see, at opened, lighted windows, an array of palefaces, looking out with astonishment and terror at this dark andsilent procession, which seemed to have arisen out of the earth, andwas so vast that one might dream that the trumpet of the archangelhad been blown, and all the dead of a thousand battle-fields hadrisen up for one last grand review. And not alone past our doors, butthrough all the streets near us, the same mighty, voicelessprocession moved on; all converging to the quarter where thetreasures of the great city lay, heaped up in safe and vault.
And then, several blocks away, but within the clear range of myvision, a light appeared in the street--it blazed--it rose higher andhigher. I could see shadowy figures moving around it, heaping boxes,barrels and other combustibles upon the flame. It was a bonfire,kindled to light the work of building a barricade at that point.Across the street a line of wagons had been placed; the tail of eachone touching the front of another, the horses having been withdrawn.And then hundreds of busy figures were to be seen at work, tearing upthe pavements of the street and heaping the materials under thewagons; and then shovels flew, and the earth rose over it all; a deepditch being excavated quite across the street, on the side near me.Then men, lit by the red light, looked, at the distance, like hordesof busy black insects. Behind them swarmed, as far as I could see,thousands upon thousands of dark forms, mere masses, touched here andthere by the light of the bonfire, gleaming on glittering steel. Theywere the men within the barricades. There was a confused noise inother quarters, which I supposed was caused by the erection of anumber of similar barricades elsewhere. Then the tramp of themarching masses past our doors ceased; and for a time the silence wasprofound.
So far not a soldier or policeman had been visible. The Oligarchywere evidently carrying out the plan of the Prince of Cabano. Theywere permitting the insurgents to construct their "rat-trap" withoutinterruption. Only a few stragglers were upon the street, drawn theredoubtless by curiosity; and still the pale faces were at the windows;and some even talked from window to window, and wondered what it allmeant.
Suddenly there was a terrific explosion that shook the house. I couldsee a shower of stones and brick and timbers and dust, rising like asmoke, seamed with fire, high in the air, within the lines of thebarricades. Then came another, even louder; then another, andanother, and another, until it sounded like a bombardment. Then theseceased, and after a little time came the sounds of smallerexplosions, muffled as if under ground or within walls.
"They are blowing open the banks," I whispered to Estella.
Then all was quiet for a space. In a little while the bombardmentbegan again, as if in another part of the territory inclosed in thebarricades.
And still there was not a soldier to be seen in the deserted streetsnear me.
And again came other explosions.
At last I saw the red light beginning to touch the clouds along theeastern horizon with its crimson brush. The fateful day was dawning.
And then, in a little while, far away to the north, soft and dull atfirst, but swelling gradually into greater volume, a mighty soundarose; and through it I could hear bursts of splendid melody, risingand falling and fluttering, like pennons, above the tumult; and Irecognized the notes of tha
t grand old Scotch air, "The Campbells areComing."
It was the defenders of society advancing with the swinging step ofassured triumph.
Oh, it was a splendid sight! In all the bravery of banners, anduniforms, and shining decorations, and amidst the majestic andinspiriting outpouring of music, they swept along, the thousandsmoving as one. How they did contrast with that gloomy, dark, ragged,sullen multitude who had preceded them. And with them came, rattlingalong, multitudes of those dreadful machine guns--those cataracts offire and death--drawn by prancing, well-fed, shining horses. And thelips of the gunners were set for carnage; for they had receivedorders _to take no prisoners!_ The world was to be taught a lessonto-day--a bloody and an awful lesson. Ah! little did they think howit would be taught!
In the gray light of the breaking day they came--an endlessmultitude. And all the windows were white with waving handkerchiefs,and the air stormy with huzzas and cries of
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