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.Then came a whiteflash, a sharp report.Kurt heard the thud of a bullet striking some onenear him.The man cried out, but did not fall."Spread out an' hide!" ordered Olsen."An' shoot fer keeps!"The little crowd broke and melted into the shadows behind and under thebox-cars.Kurt crawled under a car and between the wheels, from whichvantage-point he looked out.Glidden's gang were there in the red glow,most of them now standing.The sentry who had given the alarm still saton top of the flat-car, swinging his legs.His companions, however, hadjumped down.Kurt heard men of his own party crawling and whisperingbehind him, and he saw dim, dark, sprawling forms under the far end ofPage 98 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlthe car."Boss, the hayseeds have run off," called the man from the flat car.Laughter and jeers greeted this sally.Kurt concluded it was about time to begin proceedings.Resting hisrevolver on the side of the wheel behind which he lay, he took steadyaim at the sentry, holding low.Kurt was not a good shot with a revolverand the distance appeared to exceed fifty yards.But as luck would haveit, when he pulled trigger the sentry let out a loud bawl of terror andpain, and fell off the car to the ground.Flopping and crawling like acrippled chicken, he got out of sight below.Kurt's shot was a starter for Olsen's men.Four or five of the shot-gunsboomed at once; then the second barrels were discharged, along with asharper cracking of small arms.Pandemonium broke loose in Glidden'sgang.No doubt, at least, of the effectiveness of the shot-guns! Amedley of strange, sharp, enraged, and anguished cries burst upon theair, a prelude to a wild stampede.In a few seconds that lighted spotwhere the I.W.W.had grouped was vacant, and everywhere were fleeingforms, some swift, others slow.So far as Kurt could see, no one hadbeen fatally injured.But many had been hurt, and that fact augured wellfor Olsen's force.Presently a shot came from some hidden enemy.It thudded into the woodof the car over Kurt.Some one on his side answered it, and a heavybullet, striking iron, whined away into the darkness.Then followedflash here and flash there, with accompanying reports and whistles oflead.From behind and under and on top of cars opened up a fire thatproved how well armed these so-called laborers were.Their volleycompletely drowned the desultory firing of Olsen's squad.Kurt began to wish for one of the shot-guns.It was this kind of weaponthat saved Olsen's followers.There were a hundred chances to one ofmissing an I.W.W.with a single bullet, while a shot-gun, aimed fairlywell, was generally productive of results.Kurt stopped wasting hiscartridges.Some one was hurt behind his car and he crawled out to see.A villager named Schmidt had been wounded in the leg, not seriously, butbad enough to disable him.He had been using a double-barreledbreech-loading shot-gun, and he wore a vest with rows of shells in thepockets across the front.Kurt borrowed gun and ammunition; and withthese he hurried back to his covert, grimly sure of himself.At thoughtof Glidden he became hot all over, and this heat rather grew with theexcitement of battle.With the heavy fowling-piece loaded, Kurt peeped forth from behind hisprotecting wheel and watched keenly for flashes or moving dark figures.The I.W.W.had begun to reserve their fire, to shift their positions,and to spread out, judging from a wider range of the reports.It lookedas if they meant to try and surround Olsen's band.It wasextraordinary--the assurance and deadly intent of this riffraff gang oftramp labor-agitators.In preceding years a crowd of I.W.W.men had beennothing to worry a rancher.Vastly different it seemed now.They actedas if they had the great war back of them.Kurt crawled out of his hiding-place, and stole from car to car, insearch of Olsen.At last he found the rancher, in company with severalmen, peering from behind a car.One of his companions was sitting downand trying to wrap something round his foot.Page 99 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www
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