"You've got enough to take care of with your own affairs," said Luke. He turned to the policeman.
"Are there many in that crowd out there?" he asked.
"Not many," said the policeman, "but I think there's more comin'!"
Still smarting under Breil's rebuke, the Captain felt some show of his bravery to be a duty to the organization to which he belonged.
"We can handle 'em all right," he said, "however many there are. They're mostly nothin' but foreigners, anyhow."
Luke wanted above all to preserve harmony in his ranks, but an imp of perversity whipped his tongue.
"What's your name?" he asked the Captain.
"Antonio Facciolati," said the Captain, "but I'm a naturalized American citizen."
Luke patted his shoulder.
"That's all right," he said reassuringly. "What have your men got in their guns, Captain? Blank cartridges?"