Page:Don Coronado through Kansas.djvu/112

101 NEW THUNDER AND LIGHTNING. 101 ants. Domingo Martin and a fellow named Sanches were down, and numerous Indians were about to slay them with their weapons, when Alonso sprang into their midst flourishing his sword in the approved manner taught him by his old fencing master. The natives held their ground seeing so few of the enemy were really in their midst, and ceasing to notice the prostrate soldiers, concentrated their efforts upon the new arrival, who although outnumbered yet because of his_ superior skill in the use of the keen three-feet-six highly burnished Grenada blade, was able to protect the fallen men from further injury. But the helmet of our hero received several dents as weU as his body armor, and when lie found the throng becoming too numerous, he drew from his belt the "dag," that all cavaliers carried, which upon being discharged at close range, emitting fire and smoke, so awed the inexperienced Indians that they turned and ran, thinking the evil spirit was on the side of the invaders. Take your watch in hand, now raise your good right arm, then locate the little min- ute hand, and now in fancy think you are holding in your hand a sword, then pretend that you are slash- ing at a foe and keep account of the number of times you lunge or strike. " In one minute it will be dis- covered to be somewhere in the neighborhood of fifty; so when it is stated that it was only a minute that Alonso stood in the seething mass of retreating In- dians, yet in such a position it is a very long time. Not only did he save the lives of his two comrades, but when succor came he was the cause of cutting off the retreat of a score of Indians who were taken prisoners.