"You're elected, Frank," laughed Billy. "Go out and let Heinie
spiel his little spiel."
Frank laid aside his rifle and stepped from behind his tree. He
walked directly toward the messenger, who lowered the makeshift
flag and stood waiting.
"What is it that you want?" Frank asked in German, when he had
come within speaking distance.
"We want you to surrender," replied the man in excellent English.
"And if we don't?" continued Frank, in his native tongue.
"Then you'll be committing suicide," answered the other promptly.
"I'm not so sure of that," replied Frank. "I suppose you'd have
said that before you made your last rush. But as you see, we're
not dead yet."
"That was different," replied the messenger. "You can see now that
we have double the number we had before and more than double the
guns. You can't possibly hold out against us."
"Maybe not," replied Frank, "but at any rate we're going to try.
If you want us, you'll have to come and take us, and even then
you'll only get our dead bodies, for we won't be taken alive."
He spoke with a decision that seemed to disconcert the man who
stood for a moment irresolute.
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