"No."
"Quick! Try and find that boy," said my father, angrily now. "He ought
to have been here."
_Bang_! _bang_! Then report after report, followed by a volley quite
from the other side of the enclosure; and, horrible as it seemed,
followed as it was by a burst of yells, I felt my heart leap with
satisfaction.
There was a rush being made for the spot whence the firing had come; but
my father's voice rang out, calling upon the men to stand fast, and it
was well that his order was promptly obeyed, for almost immediately
after there was a whizzing sound that I well knew, accompanied by a
sharp series of pats as of arrows striking wood, and we knew that the
Indians were attacking on our side too.
Then followed the quick firm command, and the darkness was cut by the
flashes of a dozen fire-locks, whose reports went rolling away, to be
echoed by the great trees of the forest beyond the clearings.
Then nothing was heard but the quick beating and hissing of the iron
ramrods in the guns, while I stood close under the shelter of the fence,
listening intently in the terrible silence, and trying to make out
whether the Indians were near.
Again came the report of a firelock, and a volley from nearer the gate,
followed by a burst of yells; and a minute later a fresh volley, and the
same defiant shouting, just as if the Indians had made their attack in
four different places, but had been checked by the watchfulness of our
men, who had been thoroughly prepared for the attacks.
I was wondering to myself whether the Indians were in a body, and had
come on in one place, and then hurried on to the others, or were in four
different bodies; but my wonderings soon ceased, for I quite started at
hearing a voice close to my ear.
"No got arrow 'tick in um dis time, Mass' George. Tell um Injum coming
again."
"Where? Where?" I whispered.
"Pomp see um crawl 'long de groun' like 'gator," he said. "Dah--one,
two, tick, nineteen, twenty."
I gazed intently over the fence, but could only see the dark ground; but
Pomp's warning was too valuable to be trifled with. He had proved
himself now, and I hurried to where my father stood ready with twenty of
our men, and told him.
He gave orders, and half the men fired slowly, one after the other, the
instructions being to those who held their fire, that if they could make
out the bodies of the crawling Indians by the flashing of their
comrades' pieces, they were to fire too.
The rapid scattered reports were followed by a furious burst of yells;
there was the rush of feet, sounds as of blows struck against the stout
poles, and directly after, dimly-seen against the starlit sky, dark
grotesque-looking heads appeared as at least a dozen of the Indians
gained the top of the defence, but only to be beaten back by the
butt-ends of the men's fire-locks, all save two who dropped over in our
midst, and fought desperately for a time before they were despatched.
As silence--an ominous silence full of danger and portent--fell upon us
again here, we could tell that quite as desperate a struggle was going
on at other points of the palisading. Flash was succeeded by report and
yell, so loud and continuous that we knew now that the Indians were
delivering their attack in four different places; and more than once I
shuddered as I felt how terrible it would be should one of these bands
gain an entry. I knew enough of such matters from old conversations
with my father, to be able to grasp that if a party did get in over the
stockade they would desperately attack one of our defending companies in
the rear, and the others in response to their yells would come on at the
same moment, when our numbers and discipline would be of little value in
a hand-to-hand attack with the lithe savages, whose axes and knives
would be deadly weapons at close quarters.
For quite half an hour the firing and yelling continued. Then it ceased
as quickly as it had begun, and the Indians seemed to have retreated.
But there was no relaxation of our watchfulness, for we could not tell
but that in their silent furtive way the enemy were preparing for a
fresh assault, or perhaps merely resting and gathering together to come
on in one spot all at once.
"More likely to make a feint somewhere," I heard the General say to my
father. "If they do it will be to make a big attack somewhere else, and
that is where the supports must be ready to flock down."
"You will see to that, sir?" said my father.
"Yes. You and Preston cannot do better service," continued the General,
"so keep your places."
"Pomp," I whispered; "where are you?"
"Here, Mass' George."
"Let's go all round, and you can tell me where the Indians are gathering
now."
"Pomp go outside," he said, softly. "Climb over."
"No, no; they would see and kill you."
"No. Dey too 'tupid. I go ober. You gib leg lil hyste up."
"I tell you no. Come along with me, and let's try and find out where
they are."
"Much too dark, Mass' George, but I look all de same, try and fine em."
"Quick then; come!"
We started off, creeping along silently close inside the great palisade,
and stopping to listen from time to time.
We had left one of the parties that defended the palisade close to the
far side of the gate behind for about twenty yards, when Pomp, who was
first, suddenly stopped short, caught me by the wrist, and said softly--
"You listum. Injum dah."
I placed my ear close to the paling, and stood for a few moments unable
to make sure that the dull heavy rustling I heard meant anything; but at
last I felt at one with my companion, for I felt convinced that a strong
party was once more creeping up to the attack, and just to a spot where
the sentries had not been placed.