"Oh, don't despair, my boy," he said, cheerfully. "It has seemed very
desperate several times, but the Indians are still at bay, and we are
alive."
"Yes, father, but--"
"Well?"
"The fort is burnt down."
"Yes; the enemy got the better of us there, but we are not beaten yet.
Things looked black last night; after rest and food they are as
different as can be. When shall you be ready to start home to begin
rebuilding?"
"You are only talking like that, father, to cheer me up," I said, sadly.
"Do you think I don't know that it is all over?"
"I do not think--I am sure you don't know, my boy," he said, smiling.
"How can you? A battle is never lost till it is won. Did you ever see
two cocks fight?"
"Yes; once or twice, father," I said, wonderingly.
"So have I," he replied, "not in the case of so-called sport, but
naturally, as such birds will fight; and I have seen one beaten down,
apparently quite conquered, and the victor as he believed himself has
leaped upon his fallen adversary and begun to crow."
"Yes, I know," I cried, eagerly; "and then the beaten bird has struggled
and spurred the other so fiercely that he has run away in turn."
"Yes; you have finished my anecdote for me. It is too soon yet for the
Indians to begin to crow. They are still outside our place, and the
powder is plentiful yet."
I shivered a little at the mention of the powder, and tried to tell him
what I had heard, but somehow the words would not come, and soon after
as he dropped asleep I went down into the open space about the
block-house.
To reach it I had to pass the powder, which still lay covered as before,
and it seemed to me that some fresh place might be found for it, since
if the Indians began to send their fiery arrows into the camp again, one
might fall there, and the destruction talked of befall us at once.
But a little thought told me that if arrows came now, they would be
aimed at men and not at buildings. There was nothing more within for
the fire to burn, so I went in and walked round the pile of smouldering
ashes, and tried to recall the scene of the previous night, and the
position of the magazine. But it was rather hard to do now, there being
nothing left by which I could judge, and I was going on, when I caught
sight of something which made me alter my course, and walk softly up
behind where Pomp was busy with a shovel at the edge of a great heap of
smouldering ashes.
"What are you doing?" I said.
"Eh? Mass' George 'top bit and see."
"No, I can't stop," I cried. "What are you doing with that shovel?"
"Dat to 'crape de fire up. You no see? Pomp bake cake for de capen."
"What?"
"Oh yes. Plenty cake in de hot ash. Hot bread for um. 'Top see if um
done."
He looked up at me and laughed as merrily as if there was no danger
near.
"Mass' George see more Injum?"
"No," I said. "They are in the forest somewhere."
"Pomp like roace all de whole lot. Come burn fellow place down like
dat. Ah, you don't want come, sah! Hah, I pob you in dah lil soft wet
dab ob dough, and now you got to come out nice cake all hot."
He felt about in the fine embers with the shovel, and directly after
thrust it under something invisible, drew it out, blew off a quantity of
glowing ash, tossed his find round and brown up in the air, caught it
again on the shovel, and held just under my nose a hot, well-cooked
bread-cake, showing his teeth the while, as he exclaimed triumphantly--
"Dah!"
"Bread," I said, mechanically.
"Nice hot cake, sah, for de capen, and Pomp got fibe more juss done.
Dat one for capen, one for Mass' George, one for Pomp fader, one for
Pomp. How many dat make?"
"Four," I said, in the same mechanical way.
"Four, and den dah two more for a-morrow mornin'."
"Oh, Pomp," I said, "how can you think of such things now!"
"Eh? Cos such boofle fire, and Pomp know where de barl ob flour. Mass'
George not glad to hab nice hot cake?"
I shook my head, but the boy was too busy fetching out his loaves, and
soon had the whole six, well-cooked and of a delicate creamy-brown,
beside him ready to be replaced in a little heap on the shovel.
"Dah!" he said; "now go take um home ready for tea."
"Why, Pomp," I said, sadly, "suppose the Indians come, what then?"
"What den? Dey 'tupid 'nuff to come, we shoot dem all, sah. Pomp don't
fink much ob Injum."
"Do you think they'll come to-night?"
"Pomp done know. 'Pose so."
"You think so, then?"
"Yes, Mass' George. Injum very 'tupid. Come be shot."
Evening was coming on so fast that it would soon, I felt, be put to the
proof, and followed by the boy with his cakes balanced on the shovel
held over his shoulder, I went back to our apology for a tent.
My coming in awoke my father, and he sat up wincing with pain, but
trying hard directly to hide his sufferings from me.
"Give me your hand," he said. "I must get out now and help."
I gave him my hand, and he rose, but sank back with his eyes half
closed.
"No," he said, sadly; "I have no strength. Go out and see what
preparations are being made, and--"
"Here is Colonel Preston, father," I whispered.
It was he, but he was not alone, for the General was with him, and both
exclaimed loudly against my father attempting to move, but stayed both
of them some time discussing the position, and asking his candid opinion
about certain things which they had done for strengthening the defences,
and they ended by proposing that I should accompany them as a sort of
aide-de-camp, and bear messages to and fro.
I followed them, and was soon after going with them from post to post,
to see that the men were well supplied with ammunition; and I could not
help noticing that in spite of all they had gone through, they looked
rested and self-reliant; quite ready in fact for a fresh encounter with
our hidden foe.
For as the setting sun turned the plantations and edge of the forest to
ruddy gold, all was perfectly calm, and for aught we could see there was
no sign of an enemy. In fact to judge from appearances the Indians
might have departed finally to their home, satisfied with the harm they
had done.
As night fell all fires were extinguished, and we then commenced our
dreary watch, every one feeling that the attack was coming, but how soon
or from what quarter it was impossible to say.