THE INDIAN ATTACK.
For nearly half an hour the occupants of the tower remained without
hearing the smallest sound. Then there was a slight jarring noise.
'They are getting over the fence,' Mr. Hardy whispered. 'Go down now
every one to his station. Keep the dogs quiet, and mind, let no one fire
until I give the signal.'
Over and over again the clinking noise was repeated. Cautious as the
Indians were, it was impossible even for them to get over that strange
and difficult obstacle without touching the wires with their arms.
Occasionally Mr. Hardy and the boys fancied that they could see dark
objects stealing towards the house through the gloom; otherwise all was
still.
'Boys,' Mr. Hardy said, 'I have changed my mind. There will be numbers
at the doors and windows, whom we cannot get at from here. Steal quietly
down-stairs, and take your position each at a window. Then, when the
signal is given, fire both your revolvers. Don't throw away a shot.
Darken all the rooms except the kitchen. You will see better to take aim
through the loopholes; it will be quite light outside. When you have
emptied your revolvers, come straight up here, leaving them for the
girls to load as you pass.'
Without a word, the boys slipped away. Mr. Hardy then placed on a round
shelf nailed to the flag-staff, at about eight feet from the ground, a
blue-light, fitting into a socket on the shelf. The shelf was made just
so large that it threw a shadow over the top of the tower, so that those
standing there were in comparative darkness, while everything around was
in bright light. There, with a match in his hand to light the
blue-light, he awaited the signal.
It was a long time coming,--so long that the pause grew painful, and
every one in the house longed for the bursting of the coming storm. At
last it came. A wild, long, savage yell from hundreds of throats rose on
the still night air, and, confident as they were in their position,
there was not one of the garrison but felt his blood grow cold at the
appalling ferocity of the cry. Simultaneously there was a tremendous
rush at the doors and windows, which tried the strength of frame and
bar. Then, as they stood firm, came a rain of blows with hatchet and
tomahawk.
Then came a momentary pause of astonishment. The weapons, instead of
splintering the wood, merely made deep dents, or glided off harmlessly.
Then the blows redoubled, and then a bright light suddenly lit up the
whole scene. As it did so, from every loophole a stream of fire poured
out, repeated again and again. The guns, heavily loaded with buck-shot,
told with terrible effect upon the crowded mass of Indians around the
windows, and the discharge of the four barrels from each of the three
windows of the room at the back of the house, by Fitzgerald, Lopez, and
Terence, for a while cleared the assailants from that quarter. After the
first yell of astonishment and rage, a perfect quiet succeeded to the
din which had raged there, broken only by the ring of the ramrods, as
the three men and their assistants hastily reloaded their guns, and then
hurried to the front of the house, where their presence was urgently
required.
Knowing the tremendous rush there would be at the door, Charley and
Hubert had posted themselves at its two loopholes, leaving the windows
to take care of themselves for the present. The first rush was so
tremendous that the door trembled on its posts, massive as it was; and
the boys, thinking that it would come in, threw the weight of their
bodies against it. Then with the failure of the first rush came the
storm of blows; and the boys stood with their pistols levelled through
the holes, waiting for the light which was to enable them to see their
foes.
As it came, they fired together, and two Indians fell. Again and again
they fired, until not an Indian remained standing opposite the fatal
door. Then each took a window, for there was one at each side of the
door, and these they held, rushing occasionally into the rooms on either
side to check the assailants there.
In this fight, Sarah had certainly the honour of first blood. She was a
courageous woman, and was determined to do her best in defence of the
house. As an appropriate weapon, she had placed the end of the spit in
the fire, and at the moment of the attack it was white-hot. Seeing the
shutter bend with the pressure of the Indians against it, she seized the
spit, and plunged it through the loophole with all her force. A fearful
yell followed, which rose even above the tremendous din around.
There was a lull so profound, after the discharge of the last barrels of
the boys' revolvers, as to be almost startling. Running up-stairs, they
fitted fresh chambers to their weapons, left the empty ones with their
sisters, and joined their father.
'That's right, boys; the attack is beaten off for the present. Now take
your carbines. There is a band of Indians down by the animals. I heard
their war-whoops when the others began, but the light hardly reaches so
far. Now look out, I am going to send up a rocket over them. The cows
are the most important; so, Charley, you direct all your shots at any
party there. Hubert, divide yours among the rest.'
In another moment the rocket flew up into the air, and, as the bright
light burst out, a group of Indians could be seen at the gateway of each
of the enclosures.
As the brilliant light broke over them, they scattered with a cry of
astonishment. Before the light faded, the twelve barrels had been fired
among them.
As the rocket burst, Mr. Hardy had gazed eagerly over the country, and
fancied that he could see a dark mass at a distance of half a mile. This
he guessed to be the Indians' horses.
By this time the blue-light was burning low, and Mr. Hardy, stretching
his hand up, lit another at its blaze, and planted the fresh one down
upon it. As he did so, a whizzing of numerous arrows showed that they
were watched. One went through his coat, fortunately without touching
him; another went right through his arm; and a third laid Charley's
cheek open from the lip to the ear.
'Keep your heads below the wall, boys,' their father shouted. 'Are you
hurt, Charley?'
'Not seriously, papa, but it hurts awfully;' and Charley stamped with
rage and pain.
'What has become of the Indians round the house?' Hubert asked. 'They
are making no fresh attack.'
'No,' Mr. Hardy said; 'they have had enough of it. They are only
wondering how they are to get away. You see the fence is exposed all
round to our fire, for the trees don't go within twenty yards of it.
They are neither in front nor behind the house, for it is pretty open in
both directions, and we should see them. They are not at this side of
the house, so they must be standing close to the wall between the
windows, and must be crowded among the trees and shrubs at the other
end. There is no window there, so they are safe as long as they stay
quiet.'
'No, papa,' Hubert said eagerly; 'don't you remember we left two
loopholes in each room, when we built it, on purpose, only putting in
pieces of wood and filling up the cracks with clay to keep out the
wind?'
'Of course we did, Hubert. I remember all about it now. Run down and
tell them to be ready to pull the wood out and to fire through when they
hear the next rocket go off. I am going to send another light rocket
over in the direction where I saw the horses; and directly I get the
line I will send off cracker-rocket after cracker-rocket as quickly as I
can at them. What with the fire from below among them, and the fright
they will get when they see the horses attacked, they are sure to make a
rush for it.'
In a minute Hubert came back with the word that the men below were
ready. In a moment a rocket soared far away to behind the house; and
just as its light broke over the plains, another one swept over in the
direction of a dark mass of animals, seen plainly enough in the
distance.
A cry of dismay burst from the Indians, rising in yet wilder alarm as
three shots were fired from the wall of the house into their crowded
mass. Again and again was the discharge repeated, and, with a yell of
dismay, a wild rush was made for the fence. Then the boys with their
carbines, and Mr. Hardy with the revolvers, opened upon them, every shot
telling in the dense mass who struggled to surmount the fatal railings.
Frenzied with the danger, dozens attempted to climb them, and, strong as
were the wires and posts, there was a cracking sound, and the whole side
fell. In another minute, of the struggling mass there remained only some
twenty motionless forms. Three or four more rockets were sent off in the
direction where the horses had been seen, and then another signal
rocket, whose light enabled them to see that the black mass was broken
up, and that the whole plain was covered with scattered figures of men
and animals, all flying at the top of their speed.
'Thank God, it is all over, and we are safe!' Mr. Hardy said solemnly.
'Never again will an Indian attack be made upon Mount Pleasant.'
'It is all over now, my dear,' he said to Mrs. Hardy as he went down the
stairs; 'they are off all over the country, and it will take them hours
to get their horses together again. Two of us have got scratched with
arrows, but no real harm is done. Charley's is only a flesh wound. Don't
be frightened,' he added quickly, as Mrs. Hardy turned pale and the
girls gave a cry at the appearance of Charley's face, which was
certainly alarming. 'A little warm water and a bandage will put it all
right.'
'Do you think it will leave a scar?' Charley asked rather dolorously.
'Well, Charley, I should not be surprised if it does; but it won't spoil
your beauty long, your whiskers will cover it: besides, a scar won in
honourable conflict is always admired by ladies, you know. Now let us go
down-stairs; my arm, too, wants bandaging, for it is beginning to smart
amazingly; and I am sure we all must want something to eat.'
The supper was eaten hurriedly, and then all but Terence, who, as a
measure of precaution, was stationed as watchman on the tower, were glad
to lie down for a few hours' sleep. At daybreak they were up and moving.
Mr. Hardy requested that neither his wife or daughters should go outside
the house until the dead Indians were removed and buried, as the sight
could not but be a most shocking one. Two of the peons were ordered to
put in the oxen and bring up two carts, and the rest of the men set
about the unpleasant duty of examining and collecting the slain.
These were even more numerous than Mr. Hardy had anticipated, and showed
how thickly they must have been clustered round the door and windows.
The guns had been loaded with buck-shot; two bullets he dropped down
each barrel in addition; and the discharge of these had been most
destructive, more especially those fired through the loopholes at the
end of the house. There no less than sixteen bodies were found, while
around the door and windows were thirteen others. All these were dead.
The guns having been discharged through loopholes breast-high, had taken
effect upon the head and body.
At the fence were fourteen. Of these, twelve were dead, another still
breathed, but was evidently dying, while one had only a broken leg.
Unquestionably several others had been wounded, but had managed to make
off. The bullets of revolvers, unless striking a mortal point, disable
a wounded man much less than the balls of heavier calibre. It was
evidently useless to remove the Indian who was dying; all that could be
done for him was to give him a little water, and to place a bundle of
grass so as to raise his head. Half an hour later he was dead. The other
wounded man was carried carefully down to one of the sheds, where a bed
of hay was prepared for him. Two more wounded men were found down by the
cattle enclosures, and these also Mr. Hardy considered likely to
recover. They were taken up and laid by their comrade. Three dead bodies
were found here. These were all taken in the bullock-carts to a spot
distant nearly half a mile from the house.
Here, by the united labour of the peons, a large grave was dug, six feet
wide, as much deep, and twelve yards long. In this they were laid side
by side, two deep; the earth was filled in, and the turf replaced. At
Hubert's suggestion, two young palm trees were taken out of the garden
and placed one at each end, and a wire fence was erected all round, to
keep off the animals.
It was a sad task; and although they had been killed in an attack in
which, had they been victorious, they would have shown no mercy, still
Mr. Hardy and his sons were deeply grieved at having caused the
destruction of so many lives.
It was late in the afternoon before all was done, and the party returned
to the house with lightened hearts, that the painful task was finished.
Here things had nearly resumed their ordinary aspect. Terence had washed
away the stains of blood; and save that many of the young trees had been
broken down, and that one side of the fence was levelled, no one would
have imagined that a sanguinary contest had taken place there so lately.
Mr. Hardy stopped on the way to examine the wounded men. He had acquired
a slight knowledge of rough surgery in his early life upon the prairies,
and he discovered the bullet at a short distance under the skin in the
broken leg. Making signs to the man that he was going to do him good,
and calling in Fitzgerald and Lopez, to hold the Indian if necessary, he
took out his knife, cut down to the bullet, and with some trouble
succeeded in extracting it. The Indian never flinched or groaned,
although the pain must have been very great, while the operation was
being performed. Mr. Hardy then carefully bandaged the limb, and
directed that cold water should be poured over it from time to time, to
allay the inflammation. Another of the Indians had his ankle-joint
broken: this was also carefully bandaged. The third had a bullet wound
near the hip, and with this Mr. Hardy could do nothing. His recovery or
death would depend entirely upon nature.
It may here be mentioned at once that all three of the Indians
eventually recovered, although two of them were slightly lamed for life.
All that care and attention could do for them was done; and when they
were in a fit condition to travel, their horses and a supply of
provisions were given to them. The Indians had maintained during the
whole time the stolid apathy of their race. They had expressed no thanks
for the kindness bestowed upon them. Only when their horses were
presented to them, and bows and arrows placed in their hands, with an
intimation that they were free to go, did their countenances change.
Up to that time it is probable that they believed that they were only
being kept to be solemnly put to death. Their faces lit up, and without
a word they sprang on to the horses' backs and dashed over the plains.
Ere they had gone three hundred yards they halted, and came back at
equal speed, stopping abruptly before the surprised and rather startled
group. 'Good man,' the eldest of them said, pointing to Mr. Hardy.
'Good,' he repeated, motioning to the boys. 'Good misses,' and he
included Mrs. Hardy and the girls; and then the three turned, and never
slackened their speed as long as they were in sight.
The Indians of the South American Pampas and Sierras are a very inferior
race to the noble-looking Comanches and Apaches of the North American
Prairies. They are generally short, wiry men, with long black hair. They
have flat faces, with high cheek bones. Their complexion is a dark
copper colour, and they are generally extremely ugly.
In the course of the morning after the fight Mr. Cooper rode over from
Canterbury, and was greatly surprised to hear of the attack. The Indians
had not been seen or heard of at his estate, and he was ignorant of
anything having taken place until his arrival.
For the next few days there was quite a levee of visitors, who came over
to hear the particulars, and to offer their congratulations. All the
outlying settlers were particularly pleased, as it was considered
certain that the Indians would not visit that neighbourhood again for
some time.
Shortly afterwards the government sales for the land beyond Mount
Pleasant took place. Mr. Hardy went over to Rosario to attend them, and
bought the plot of four square leagues immediately adjoining his own,
giving the same price that he had paid for Mount Pleasant. The
properties on each side of this were purchased by the two Edwards, and
by an Englishman who had lately arrived in the colony. His name was
Mercer: he was accompanied by his wife and two young children, and his
wife's brother, whose name was Parkinson. Mr. Hardy had made their
acquaintance at Rosario, and pronounced them to be a very pleasant
family. They had brought out a considerable capital, and were coming in
a week with a strong force to erect their house. Mr. Hardy had promised
them every assistance, and had invited Mrs. Mercer to take up her abode
at Mount Pleasant with her children, until the frame-house which they
had brought out could be erected,--an invitation which had been gladly
accepted.
There was great pleasure at the thought of another lady in the
neighbourhood; and Mrs. Hardy was especially pleased for the girls'
sake, as she thought that a little female society would be of very great
advantage to them.
The plots of land next to the Mercers and Edwards were bought, the one
by three or four Germans working as a company together, the other by Don
Martinez, an enterprising young Spaniard; so that the Hardys began to be
in quite an inhabited country. It is true that most of the houses would
be six miles off; but that is close, on the Pampas. There was a talk,
too, of the native overseer of the land between Canterbury and the
Jamiesons selling his ground in plots of a mile square. This would make
the country comparatively thickly populated. Indeed, with the exception
of Mr. Mercer, who had taken up a four-league plot, the other new
settlers had in no case purchased more than a square league. The
settlements would therefore be pretty thick together.
In a few days Mrs. Mercer arrived with her children. The boys gave up
their room to her,--they themselves, with Mr. Fitzgerald and four peons,
accompanying Mr. Mercer and the party he had brought with him, to assist
in erecting his house, and in putting up a strong wire fence, similar to
their own, for defence. This operation was finished in a week; and Mrs.
Mercer, to the regret of Mrs. Hardy and the girls, then joined her
husband. The house had been built near the northeast corner of the
property. It was therefore little more than six miles distant from Mount
Pleasant, and a constant interchange of visits was arranged to take
place.
Shortly afterwards Mr. Hardy suggested that the time had now come for
improving the house, and laid before his assembled family his plans for
so doing, which were received with great applause.
The new portion was to stand in front of the old, and was to consist of
a wide entrance-hall, with a large dining and drawing room upon either
side. Upon the floor above were to be four bed-rooms. The old
sitting-room was to be made into the kitchen, and was to be lighted by
a skylight in the roof. The present kitchen was to become a laundry, the
windows of that and the bedroom opposite being placed in the side-walls,
instead of being in front. The new portion was to be made of properly
baked bricks, and was to be surrounded by a wide verandah. Of the
present bed-rooms, two were to be used as spare rooms, one of the others
being devoted to two additional indoor servants whom it was now proposed
to keep.
It was arranged that the carts should at once commence going backwards
and forwards to Rosario, to fetch coal for the brickmaking, tiles, wood,
etc., and that an experienced brickmaker should be engaged, all the
hands at the farm being fully occupied. It would take a month or six
weeks, it was calculated, before all would be ready to begin building;
and then Mrs. Hardy and the girls were to start for a long promised
visit to their friends the Thompsons, near Buenos Ayres, so as to be
away during the mess and confusion of the building. An engagement was
made on the following week with two Italian women at Rosario, the one as
a cook, the other as general servant, Sarah undertaking the management
of the dairy during her mistress's absence.