Part 29 (1/2)

”Who did you fire at?” said she.

”The chief, as I believe, who was on the hill giving orders. He fell; and I think that he fell dead.”

”Then depend upon it they will retreat,” said she.

”I think not; they will be revenged, if they possibly can; and we must expect a hard fight for it.”

”Why, what can they do? They never can break through the door, and when daylight comes we can shoot them by dozens.”

”Depend upon it,” said I, ”they will try to burn us out. The wind is high, which is all in their favour, and I suspect they are now gone to collect fire-wood.”

”And if they do fire the cabin, what shall we do? I never thought of that.”

”We must remain in it as long as we can, and then sally out and fight to the last; but everything depends on circ.u.mstances. Be guided by me, and I will save you if I can.”

”Be guided by you!”

”Yes! Recollect I am not in chains now, and that although you have the courage of a man, still you have not been so accustomed to warfare as I have been. I have long been accustomed to command, to plan, and to execute, in times of peril like this.”

”You have great strength and courage; I little thought what a lion I had chained up,” replied she. ”Well, I love you all the better for it, and I will be guided by you, for I perceive already that you have the best head of the two. Hark! What is that?”

”It is what I said,” replied I; ”they are laying fire-wood against the logs of the cabin on the windward side--(this was on the side opposite to the door). Now we must try if we cannot pick off some more of them,”

said I, rising and taking a musket. ”Bring the stools over to this side, for we must fire from the upper loop-holes.”

We remained at our posts for some time without seeing an Indian. They had gone back to the wood for more combustibles. At last we perceived them coming back with the wood. I should imagine there were at least twenty of them.

”Now, take good aim,” said I.

We both fired almost at the same moment, and three Indians fell.

”Get down, and give me another musket,” said I to my mistress.

She handed me one, and, taking another for herself, resumed her station.

We fired several times; sometimes with and sometimes without success; for the Indians went away twice for fire-wood before they had collected what they considered sufficient. By this time it was piled up to the eaves of the cabin, and our loop-holes were shut up; we therefore went over to the other side, where the door was, to see if there were any Indians there, but could not see one. We had been on the look-out for about five minutes, when the crackling of the wood, and the smoke forcing itself though the crevices between the logs, told us that the fire had been applied, and the wind soon fanned it up so that the flame poured through every c.h.i.n.k and loop-hole, and lighted up the cabin.

”We must retreat to the fire-place,” said I. ”Come quickly, or we shall be shot.”

”Why so?” said she, as she did as I requested.

”They will peep through the loop-holes on the side of the cabin where the door is and see us plainly, until the cabin is filled with smoke, which it soon will be.”

”But tell me what we are to do now, for I feel if this smoke increases we shall not be able to speak to one another.”

This she said about five minutes after we had remained standing in the fire-place, with our heads up the chimney.

”Perhaps it will be as well,” replied I, ”that I do speak so. This fierce wind drives the smoke to leeward in volumes, but the great burst of smoke will be when the roof is well on fire. It is now burning fiercely on the windward side, but we must wait till the lee-side has caught, and then the volume of smoke will be greater. The great point is to hit the precise time of opening the door, and escaping shrouded in a volume of smoke. If too soon, they will perceive us, and we shall be shot down; if too late, the roof will fall upon us, and we shall be smothered or burnt. We had better now, I think, leave this, and be all ready. Our best weapon, if we had to fight our way, will be an axe.

Let us each take one; and, by now going near to the door, and putting our mouths to one of the loop-holes, we shall breathe freer, and unbar the door at the right time. Do you agree with me?”

”You are right,” said she; ”you are a _man_, and I am a _woman_.”