A quarter of an hour elapsed, during which no time was lost, but
everything possible done to make the place a little less insecure; and
then, impatient at Mr Meadow's non-return, Murray proposed that they
should fetch him in.
"How, young man?" said old Lee sternly.
"Try fair means first; and if not so, by force."
Bray laughed, and Murray turned upon him angrily; but their attention
was suddenly taken up by a loud shouting in the direction of the enemy,
and they could distinctly see that a struggle was taking place.
Directly after, Mr Meadows was seen running towards them.
"Throw open the door!" exclaimed the settler; and it was done just as a
shot rang out, and its report went echoing up the sides of the valley,
while Mr Meadows was seen to fall.
Without an instant's pause, Murray bounded out, gun in hand, closely
followed by Wahika, who had now returned, just as, with a shout, the
convicts came running towards them. But as they reached Mr Meadows, he
had risen to his knees, and begun to limp towards the house.
"Not much hurt; but never mind me; get back."
As he spoke, a couple of shots were fired at the little group, but
without effect; and, by being supported on either side, Mr Meadows was
enabled to reach the house; the door was rapidly closed, and barricaded;
and then he sank into a chair; while, this being different from a
surprise, the convicts were seen to pause, and to consult as to the plan
of their operations.
"Are you much hurt, parson?" said old Lee gravely.
"No, not much, friend Lee," was the reply. "I don't believe the bullet
struck me, only some stones driven up when it hit the ground; but it
lamed me for the time. There!" he said, as he finished binding his
handkerchief round his leg; "I'm ready now, and we must try the strong
hand with them. They made me prisoner, but I knocked down my keepers,
and escaped. Thanks, friend Murray!" he continued, taking the gun and
its appurtenances offered by the young man. "I'm rather out of
practice, but I think I can leg and wing a few of the rascals."
"I think you had better body them!" said old Lee fiercely.
"I don't," said Mr Meadows, priming his piece. "But don't let me
interfere with you. Suppose you open the windows on either side the
door, my men?" And this being done, he placed a featherbed upon a
table, so that it half filled the window, when, resting his piece upon
it, he stood ready, his example being followed by the others.
The next instant he took rapid aim, and fired, when a convict, who had
been reconnoitring, was seen to drop, and then try to drag himself back
to his comrades, who sent a volley at the house in reply.
"There!" said Mr Meadows, coolly reloading; "that was as good as a
body-shot, friend Lee. Think I'd aim low, if I were you."
The old man nodded doubtfully, and smiled; when Murray, observing that
the men were dividing into two parties, made towards the back of the
house, so as to be on the look-out for an attack in that quarter; and it
was well he did so, for six men were creeping up under the shade of the
trees.
He fired, and one dropped, leaped up, but fell again, to lie motionless;
and the young man felt a cold chill run through him as he knew that he
had, for the first time, taken a human life.
On turning to reload, he found himself face to face with Kate; and dark
as it was, he could make out the agitation depicted in her countenance.
"Go back," he said; "go back, darling!" And, for a moment, he pressed
her in his arms, when, yielding to his entreaties, she returned to the
inner room, just as half a dozen more shots came whistling through door
and window.
"Keep watch here," Murray whispered to one of the shepherds. And the
man took his place, while he went to the front, to find that several
shots had been exchanged, and that one of the shepherds was bleeding
upon the floor.
Just then a tall, burly ruffian rushed forward recklessly, and, shouting
to the occupants of the house to give up, if they wished to save their
lives, fired another shot, and then turned to join his companions.
"I believe that's the rascal who wounded our poor friend here,"
exclaimed Mr Meadows, firing as he spoke. "No; I've missed him! Legs
_are_ hard to hit as they run. Fire low, my friends."
Several of the convicts had fallen, for the besieged kept up a
well-sustained fire; and this made the assailants cautious, for they
took shelter behind trees and sheds, firing almost at random, but not
without effect; for another shepherd was badly hit, and a groan from the
inner room told that mischief was done there. And it was so; for, after
a few minutes, Mrs Lee, Katie, and one woman came calmly out, Mrs Lee
whispering something to her husband; and then, in answer to entreaties
that they would go back, they replied that they were as safe in the
front room as elsewhere; and, tearing up some linen, proceeded to
bandage the wounds of those who were hurt.
Suddenly, a cry made Murray dart to the back, to find the shepherd
struggling with a convict, who had forced his way in, thus giving time
for a couple more to enter, when a fierce struggle ensued, ending in two
of the men being struck down, and the other beating a retreat; but this
episode had been fatal, the besieged having been drawn off just as a
daring assault was made upon the front.
It was in vain that Mr Meadows fired, and then knocked down two who
were rushing in over the broken door. The struggle was short, but very
fierce, and one after the other the defenders were beaten down, or back
from room to room, till, turning for a moment, on hearing a loud cry for
help, Murray saw Bray in the act of passing through a door, and bounding
after him, he was in time to see him drag Katie through the window, and
disappear.
The next instant he had followed, but receiving a tremendous blow upon
the head, he fell heavily to the ground.
That blow was given by what should have been a friend's hand, but it had
an effect that Anthony Bray had not intended. The minute before he had
been dragging a timid, yielding girl after him. But now, as in the dim
light she saw the dastardly act, a feeling of rage filled Katie's soul;
and, tearing herself away, she flung herself upon her knees, lifting the
head of Murray gently, and with her handkerchief binding up a severe
wound the young man had received.
The place they were in was a sort of outhouse, which had been added to
the side of the building, but without the window being filled up; and as
Murray climbed out, the casement had swung to again; and it was well for
the moment, for having beaten down the little remaining resistance, the
convicts spread through the place, seizing the arms and ransacking
cupboard and drawer; while old Lee, beaten down, wounded, looked on with
agonised countenance; but not alone, for his wife clung to him, turning
a defiant face upon the destroyers of her home.
Two men rushed into the chamber, through which Bray had dragged Katie,
and concluding that those of whom they were in search had passed through
a door on the other side, they hurried through that, and disappeared,
but only to make their way back into the central room.
Meanwhile, overcoming his surprise at the fierce way in which Katie
resisted him, Bray caught her in his arms, and drew her towards the
outhouse door.
"Foolish girl! it's for life and liberty! There, I'm stronger than
you," he cried, "and if I must use force, I will. Come quietly, Katie--
come. We can reach the horses--mine is there yet--and fly to safety,
away from this scene!"
But she struggled fiercely, although the weaker, while he forced her
step by step towards the door.
"Little fool!" he hoarsely said. "Would you have us both killed?"
"Yes, yes, coward," she cried. "Loose me, or I'll call for help!
Edward! Ned! help me!" she cried loudly; and as he lay just beneath the
chamber window, he half raised himself, but only to sink back again with
exhaustion.
"You'll have the ruffians upon us, Kate," hissed Bray; and mad with
rage, he tried to lift her from the ground, when she again called out,
"Ned! Ned! help me! O, help!"
Startled by this sudden outburst, Bray relaxed his hold sufficiently for
Katie to tear herself away, and throw herself upon Murray's prostrate
body, to which she clung.
But Bray was at her side in an instant, trying again to drag her away,
but in vain; when, seizing his rival by the throat, he fiercely
whispered in the poor girl's ear, "Come on, or it will be his death!"
"You have killed him now, coward!" cried the girl, vainly tearing at the
hand so ruthlessly grasping her lover; when again seizing the
opportunity Bray lifted her once more from the floor, and bore her
towards the door, but only for there to be a repetition of the fierce
struggle; the light, active girl writhing herself free again, calling
upon Ned for the help he was powerless to give, he, poor fellow,
responding with a groan, as in the shadowy place he could mistily make
out what was going on.
Tearing herself away, Katie was again by the side of Murray, when the
casement above her head was suddenly thrown open, a couple of streams of
flame flashed across the place, and, with a loud cry, Bray sprang
through the door at the other end. The moonbeams shone in for an
instant, showing the wreaths of smoke curling slowly upward, and all was
once more darkness, while Katie knelt, hardly daring to breathe; her
hand, too, pressed upon Murray's lips, lest he should moan, and so
betray their whereabouts.
But the next moment her breath was drawn with a sob, for the window
swung-to again, and from the rapid beat of footsteps, it was evident
that the men who fired had gone round in pursuit of Bray; but apparently
in vain, for they soon returned, stopped before the outhouse door, and
looked in; but coming from the outer brightness, they saw nothing but
the wreathing smoke; and, closing the door violently, hurried on towards
the front of the house, where loud talking, and more than once a weak
cry for help, fell upon the ears of the poor girl.
Murray had attempted to speak, and then seemed to become inanimate. In
her grief, Katie clung to him, calling upon him, in whispers, to speak
to her, if but a word, for she felt that he must be dying; and then,
forgetful of all but her love, she clasped him fondly, bathing his face
with her tears, and kissing him again and again. Then suddenly she
started up with affright, for, just above her head, she heard the
grating of the casement, as it slowly opened. Then there was a dread
pause, broken by the loud talking and quarrelling of the convicts, but a
few yards away.
Involuntarily she turned her face towards the open window, trying to
pierce the darkness--for the moon had sunk behind the shoulder of the
mountain, and in the last few minutes all had become black as night.
But she could see nothing, only hear the sound of hard breathing, as
some one leaned out into the place where she crouched, cold and
paralysed, but with her mind in a state of fearful activity.
But was it fancy? Had her over-wrought imagination conjured up this new
terror? No; it was no fancy, for the window was thrust farther back,
and the dread seemed greater than she could bear, as just above her she
could feel, as it were, that there was a face stretched out towards her.
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