Part 4 (1/2)
”Right away?”
”No, they will probably wait until it grows dark, especially now, after they have seen us barring the windows.”
”Then I had better be ready to bar up the door, too.”
”Yes, but keep a lookout for father. He may come in on the run, you know.”
Dan continued to use the gla.s.s, stepping from one window to another.
But the Indians had disappeared from view, and not another glimpse of a feather or a painted face was to be seen.
Presently he found himself looking toward the burn. Back, in the timber bordering the river, was a tall tree which reared its head a score of feet above its fellow trees. As he turned his gla.s.s in that direction, something unusual in the top of the tree attracted his attention.
He gazed long and earnestly at the object, and at last made out the form of a man, who was waving some dark thing, probably his coat, to and fro.
”It must be father!” he thought. ”I'll signal in return and make sure,”
and catching up a bed sheet he stuck it out of the window for a minute and swung it vigorously. As he did this, the party in the tree flung up the coat and caught it, then disappeared from view. At once Dan drew in the sheet, closed all the shutters of the loft, and went below.
CHAPTER V.
THE ATTACK ON THE RANCH.
”Well, I've just seen father and signalled to him.”
”Where was he, Dan?”
”In the top of the king pine by the river. He was waving his coat to attract my attention. I waved a bed sheet at him and then he threw his coat up in the air and caught it, and got out of sight as soon as he could.”
”Then he was going off.”
”Yes,” answered Dan. For among these pioneers to throw an object from one and then catch it meant to go away and return. ”Probably he is going away for a.s.sistance.”
”I shouldn't think he would leave us alone,” mused Ralph, his face falling perceptibly.
”That makes me feel certain that the Indians don't intend to attack us until dark. Perhaps father heard some of their powwowing, or some talk between them and Stiger. Anyway, I am sure he is going away.”
”Then we may as well close up tight.”
”All but the door. But bring in all the buckets full of water first. We may be in for a regular siege of it.”
Dan's suggestion was carried out, and the older boy also made a raid on the cattle yard and brought in one of the cows, tying her close to the door. ”Now we'll have milk and meat too, if the worst comes to the worst,” he observed. No matter what else happened he did not intend to be starved out.
Their regular ch.o.r.es done, the two boys locked up below, but left the door unbarred, and then went to the loft, taking with them their guns and the spy-gla.s.s.
”I suppose we can count this something of a fort,” remarked Ralph. ”But I don't care to play soldier--I'd rather have the Indians leave us alone.”
”So would I. But I guess I can play soldier if I have to,” added Dan, with quiet emphasis. Secretly he loved soldiering much better than life on the ranch, but in those days he never dreamed of the adventures on the battle-field which were still in store for him.
The afternoon wore away slowly until the sun began to set behind the timber west of the ranch. In the meantime, the boys, having had no dinner, grew hungry, and Ralph spent some time below in boiling a pot of coffee and stirring and baking some ash-cakes, serving both with a bit of broiled steak.