The rest of us followed him; Abell and
Moneta first, they being innocent and unsuspicious; and then Lynch,
and then Joe and I.
The prophet stepped out to the street, and was instantly surrounded
by a group of a dozen ex-service men, two of whom grasped him by the
arms. He did not lift a hand, nor even make a sound. Comrade Abell,
of course, started to cry out in protest; Moneta, the Mexican,
reverted to his ancestors. His hand flashed to an inside pocket, and
a knife leaped out. A soldier had hold of him, and Moneta shouted,
"Stand back, or I cut off your ears." At which Carpenter turned, and
in a stern, commanding voice proclaimed: "Let no man use force in my
behalf! They who use force shall perish by force." Moneta stood
still; and of course Lynch and Old Joe and I stood still; and the
dozen men about Carpenter started to lead him away to their
automobiles.
But they did not get very far. Upon the silence of the street a
voice rang out. Ordinarily, one would have known it was the voice of
a woman; but in this place, under these exciting circumstances, it
seemed the voice of a supernatural being.
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