Chapter 17—Parley Before the Citadel
The two young men were little prepared for such a question. It astonished them more than if they had been met by a rifle shot.
Max had had a great many conjectures about this mysterious town, and the very last thing he had expected was that a living being would quietly demand the reason of his visit. His enterprise, legitimate enough, under the supposition that Steeltown was completely deserted, assumed quite another aspect, when the city was found still to be inhabited. That which in the one case was but a kind of archaeological inquiry, in the other became an attack by force of arms, and bore the character of a burglary. These reflections rushed in upon the mind of Max with such force that he stood as if struck dumb.
“Who goes there?” repeated the
