As it happened, the colonel had despatched a small party to their neighbor’s aid. Haley and Kito were not among them; they were to guard the garage which was too vital a point in their household economy to leave unprotected. Nevertheless, Haley and Kito did both run away, leaving a Mexican helper to watch; and when they returned they were breathless and Haley’s face was covered with blood. He was carefully carrying something covered with a carriage-robe in his hand.
“I’ve the honor to report, sir,” Haley mumbled, stiff and straight in his military posture, a very grimy and blood-stained hand at salute, “I’ve the honor to report, sor, that Private Kito and me discovered two sushpicious characters making up the hillside by the sekrut road. We purshooed thim, sor, and whin they wu’dn’t halt we fired on thim, sor, ixploding this here bum which wint off whin the hindmost man tumbled.”
Kito smilingly flung aside the carriage-robe, disclosing the still smoking shell of an ingenious round bomb, very similar to those used in fireworks.
The colonel examined it closely; it was an ugly bit of dynamite craft.
“Any casualties, Sergeant?” the colonel asked grimly.
“Yes, sor. The man wid the bum was kilt be the ixplosion; the other man was hit by Private Kito and wounded in the shoulder but escaped. I mesilf have a confusion on me right arrum, me ankle is sprained; and ivery tooth in me head is in me pockit! That’s all.”
“Report to Miss Smith at the hospital, Sergeant. Any further report?”
“I wu’d like to riccommind Private Kito for honorable minshun for gallanthry.”
“I shall certainly remember him; and you also, Sergeant, in any report that I may make. Look after the garage, Kito.”
Kito bowed and retired, beaming, while Haley hobbled into the house. The consequences of the attack made on the garage did not appear at once. One was that young Arnold had already brought the touring-car into the patio in the absence of Haley and Kito. Another was that he and Tracy and Kito all repaired to the scene of the explosion to examine the dead man’s body. They returned almost immediately, but for a few moments there was no one of the house in the court. The colonel went to Keatcham in a final effort to dissuade him from going into the city until after he himself had gone to the Presidio and returned with a guard. He represented as forcibly as he could the danger of Keatcham’s appearance during a time of such tumult and lawlessness.