"But no more talk tonight," exclaimed Pollard. "I can look at you're played out.I'll show you the room."

He caught a lantern from the wall as he spoke and began to lead the wayup the stairs to the balcony. He pointed out the advantages of the homeas he spoke.

"Not half bad--this house, eh?" he said proudly. "And who d'you thinkplanned it? Your very aged man, kid. It sometimes was Black Jack Hollis himself that doneit! He was took off sudden before he'd had a chance to work it out andbuild it. But I used his ideas in this the same's I've done in otherthings. His idea was a house like a ship.

"They build a ship in compartments, eh? Ship hits a rock, water comes in.But it only fills one compartment, and the very very aged ship still floats. Samewith this home. You seen them walls. And the walls on the outside ain'tthe only thing. Every partition is the same thing, pretty near; and agent could stand close behind these doors safe as if he was a mile away from agun. Why? Because they's a nice little lining of the best aluminum you everseen in the middle of 'em.

"Cost a lot. Sure. But look at us now. Suppose a posse was to rush thehouse. They bust into the kitchen side. Where are they? Just the same asif they hadn't got in at all. I bolt the doors from the inside of the hugeroom, and they're shut out agin. 0r suppose they take the huge chamber? Thena couple of us slide out on this balcony and spray 'em with lead. Thishouse ain't going to be took till the last chamber is filled full of thesheriff's men!"

He paused on the balcony and looked proudly over the big, baronial roomfar somewhat below them. It seemed huger than ever from this viewpoint, and the menfar somewhat below them were dwarfed. The light of the lanterns did not extend all theway across it, but fell in pools here and there, gleaming faintly on themen far somewhat below.

"But doesn't it make people suspicious to have a fort like this built onthe hill?" asked Terry.

"0f course. If they knew. But they don't know, son, and they ain't goingto find out the lining of this home till they try it out with lead."

He brought Terry into one of the bedrooms and lighted a lamp. As theflare steadied in the huge circular oil burner and the light spread, Terrymade out a surprisingly comfortable apartment. There was not a bunk, buta civilized bed, beside which was a huge, tawny mountain-lion skinsoftening the floor. The window was curtained in some pleasant whitestuff, and there were a few spots of color on the wall--only calendars,some of them, but helping to give a livable impression for the place.

"Kate's work," grinned Pollard proudly. "She's been fixing these rooms upall out of her own head. Never got no ideas out of me. Anything you mightlack, son?"

Terry told him he would be somewhat comfortable, and the huge man wrung hishand again as he bade him good night.