"Forward!" he cried again, still from outside the house. "I will discharge the man who hesitates now! Go on! Go on!"
They obeyed him this time.
With a wild shout, given, no doubt, more to buoy up their own courage than to urge those who were behind, the men in front started rapidly up the stairs, closely followed by the others, and Nick Carter perceived that before the leaders could reach the top the others would be behind them in a dense throng.
"Shout 'now!' when we are ready for the shock!" he whispered rapidly to the senator; and then he turned and dashed into the room and stood with his hand on the switch, waiting for the word.
The time was short until it came; perhaps five seconds-no more than that; and then
"Now!" cried the senator.
Instantly Nick threw the switch all the way over, giving them in the beginning the full force of that terrible shock; but as instantly he threw it back again, half-way, so that only half of the awful current remained.
But it was enough.
If you had been listening there, a mere observer of the proceedings, you might have thought that pandemonium had suddenly broken loose in that hallway, and upon the stairs.
A chorus of shrieks that would have done credit to the biggest kind of a madhouse went up from a score of tongues; shrieks of terror and of agony; cries of pain and of fright.