"You will take care of my sister, I know you will," I said as I parted
from him.
"Indeed, Ralph, I will," he answered solemnly; and I felt that she was
as safe as she would have been had I accompanied her.
The moon was now shining brightly, and enabled the lieutenant and his
companions to pursue their way at a rapid rate. They took no baggage
except such as could be strapped to the saddles of their horses; they
were, therefore, not impeded as we had been by slow-moving mules. It
was nearly midnight when they set off; and as little noise as possible
was made when they left the house, in case any of the enemy's scouts
watching in the neighbourhood might hear them.
The stranger Indian had, some time before the party set off, thrown
himself on a buffalo robe in a corner of the room, and was apparently
asleep; but I suspected that he knew pretty well all that was going
forward. He remained, however, without moving, as if in a sound
slumber.
As soon as Uncle Jeff and I returned (we had accompanied our friends a
little way down the hill), Uncle Jeff addressed his small garrison.
"Putting all things together, lads," said he, "I believe these Redskin
varmints whom we have been hearing of for some days past will really at
last make an attempt to rob the farm; but I know that you will fight to
the last, and we shall manage to drive them off. There is no reason why
we should not feel confident of success. We have a good store of powder
and bullets, with trustworthy rifles and muskets; and what more, pray,
can men wish for?"
The men, one and all, promised to stand by him.
"That is all I want," he answered. "The first thing we have to do is to
barricade the lower windows and the doors, so that while we are
defending one side the Indians may not walk in at the other."
There were ten of us altogether, and having abundance of tools and
materials, we soon put the building in a state of defence, with
loopholes on all sides. Before the doors were finally closed, Uncle
Jeff told Bartle to bring in his favourite horse "Jack;" the remainder
of the animals had been turned loose to seek their own safety.
The day dawned, but as nothing had yet been seen of our expected
enemies, Bartle agreed to go out and ascertain their whereabouts as soon
as the sun rose above the horizon. Bartle was too old a scout to care
whether he had to approach an enemy in daylight or darkness; his only
object at present was to find out if the Indians were really marching
towards the farm.
While we were busily engaged in barricading the house, no one had
thought of our Redskin visitor. When last seen he was apparently
wrapped in slumber.
"I suppose we may count on Piomingo as one of the defenders of the
house; he probably knows how to use a rifle," observed Uncle Jeff, near
whom I was working. "Go and speak to him. Say that we expect him to do
his duty; and ask him if he knows how to load a rifle."
As soon as I had finished the work I was about, I went to where Piomingo
had been lying down. He was not there; I looked everywhere about for
him, but he had disappeared. No one had seen him leave the house, so
that, if he was not still within, he must have watched his opportunity
when our eyes were off him, and slipped out.
What his object was in coming, and then going away secretly, it was
difficult to say. His departure was suspicious, too; he might have
visited us with treacherous intentions. But perhaps he was merely a
coward, and finding that we would not take his advice and desert the
farm, he had escaped, to avoid the danger to which he would be exposed.
However, if he intended treachery, it was better to have him out of the
way.
"Maybe, afther all, the spalpeen is hiding somewhere," observed
Gillooly, when he found that we were inquiring for the Indian; "if he is
anywhere inside, sure I'll ferret him out;" and the Irishman immediately
began poking his nose into every hole and cranny in the building.
"Bedad! he's convarted himself into a rat, for nowhere can I find him in
any hole that a mortal man could stow himself into!" exclaimed Barney,
after a long search.
I have not yet described the building which, if we were attacked, was to
serve as our fortress. It was of considerable size; the lower part of
the walls consisting of stout logs, the upper portion being of
framework, and boarded. Round three sides was a stout palisade, forming
an enclosure, while the remaining side was occupied by stables and other
out-buildings. Barns, cow-sheds, and piggeries were placed at some
little distance off. Then there was the hut occupied by the farm hands;
while overhanging the stream, which flowed by on one side, was a small
mill, the wheel of which was turned by its waters.
The hills rose on either side, but too far off to allow an enemy to
command the house from them; while the intervening space was rough and
rocky,--forming shelter, however, to an approaching foe. Had we felt
sure that we would be attacked, we should have been wise to have
destroyed many of these out-buildings, as they were calculated to
protect the enemy. But to the last Uncle Jeff was not fully persuaded
that the Indians would venture to approach the place, as they must have
known that we were prepared for their reception.
The day drew on, but still Bartle did not return; and we began to hope
that after all no enemy would appear. But about noon, and just as we
were making ready to sit down to dinner, he was seen approaching the
house with rapid strides.
"There is no doubt about what these varmints intend!" he exclaimed as he
rushed into the house. "They are coming on as fast as their legs can
carry them, and will be here before the day is much older. Look to your
firearms, lads; we must be ready for them, and give them such a dose of
bullets that they will wish they hadn't come to Roaring Water."
In accordance with Bartle's advice, all the doors and windows were fast
closed, and we were shut up in our fortress.
"It is ill to fight on empty stomachs, so turn to and eat your dinner,
lads; I'll give you notice when you are wanted."
Uncle Jeff having thus spoken, mounted to a window commanding the road
by which the enemy were likely to approach; and there, after snatching a
hasty meal, I quickly joined him. I first, however, took a glance out
of another window, opening to the southward, as it was possible that
some of the Indians might make their way over the hills so as to take us
on the flank.
To each man was given his particular post, at which he was to remain
until summoned elsewhere.
The time now seemed to go by very slowly.
"I do not think they will come, after all," I observed to Uncle Jeff;
"more than an hour has passed since Bartle returned."
He looked at his watch. "It is not one o'clock yet," he observed; "and
Bartle does not often make a mistake."
Just as he spoke, I saw the plumes of a chief's head-dress rising over a
point of rocky ground round which the road passed, and shortly
afterwards a band of painted warriors came into view. They approached
very cautiously, and gazed about them, as if expecting at any moment to
encounter an enemy. Finding, however, that none of us were visible,
they began to advance at a more rapid rate. Immediately afterwards I
saw another and a much larger party coming over the hill, who, as they
drew near, scattered themselves in every direction, so as to be able to
get under shelter behind the intervening rocks and shrubs.
"Tell the men to be ready," cried Uncle Jeff; "and charge them not to
fire until I give the word,--they must not throw a shot away."
I ran hastily round the building, and ascertained that every man was at
his post, prepared for whatever might happen. I then returned to Uncle
Jeff for further orders.
Presently an Indian belonging to the party which had descended the hill
advanced towards the house with a white handkerchief on a pole.
"The fellows have some pretensions to civilisation," said Uncle Jeff
when he saw it; "perhaps their white friends have put them up to that."
The Indian, having got within speaking distance, now halted; but seeing
no one whom he could address, he proceeded around the building,
apparently examining our preparations for defence. At length he again
stopped, having satisfied himself that the building was fortified, and
contained a garrison.
"Friends," he shouted, "do you want to lose your scalps? If not, march
out and leave this house to us. We mean to come in."
Uncle Jeff now appeared at the window opposite to where the Indian was
standing.
"Clear out of this, you rascal!" he exclaimed. "We do not intend that
you shall have our scalps, or get inside these walls. If you make the
attempt, you will pay dearly for it; that is what I've got to say."
The Indian seemed to recognise Uncle Jeff. "You, Jeff Crockett," he
shouted out, "you good man! If you like to go out you may go, and we
take scalps of rest."
Uncle Jeff burst into a loud laugh.
"That's a likely thing," he thundered out. "If it was not for your
white flag, I would treat you as you deserve."
The tone of voice in which this was said convinced the Indian that Uncle
Jeff was in earnest; and in no very dignified fashion he scampered off
to rejoin his companions.
The whole of the band now united in giving utterance to a terrific
war-whoop, and came rushing up to the house. There was no longer any
doubt as to their intentions; they halted for a moment to fire, and then
came right on at a rapid pace, up to the palisade.
"Now, lads, give it them!" shouted Uncle Jeff; and every bullet fired by
our little garrison brought down one of our foes.
The death of their companions served but to inflame the rage of the
rest; and climbing up over the palisade of which I have spoken, they
attempted to get into the enclosure. Several were shot down in the act;
but others succeeded in reaching the enclosure, though they soon paid
dearly for their activity, as they were shot down as soon as we could
reload our rifles. The loss of so many men in their first attack seemed
to discourage the rest, and they drew off to a distance, under such
shelter as they could find.
"We have soon settled the fellows; they have had enough of it," cried
some of our men.
"Wait a bit, lads," said Bartle; "that is not the Indian fashion. They
will be upon us again before long."
He was right; in a few minutes a considerable number of the enemy were
seen moving round, in order to get to the rear of the out-buildings--
Bartle and Gideon meanwhile picking off two or three who incautiously
exposed themselves. Having gained the position they desired, they made
a rush towards the buildings, which sheltered them almost entirely from
our fire. Breaking through the enclosure on that side, they next
advanced boldly into the open space in front of the stables, where they
were once more exposed to view. Scarcely had they reached it when
Bartle's unerring rifle brought down their leader. His followers, on
seeing this, rushed into the stables, while others made their appearance
in the same direction.
Either because they fancied that their chief was still alive, or that it
was a disgrace to allow his body to remain on the ground, a couple of
warriors dashed out for the purpose of carrying it off; but before they
had time to stoop down and lift it from the ground, Gideon and Bartle's
rifles had laid them both by its side. Two others followed, and were
picked off by Gillooly and Klitz, both of whom showed themselves no
despicable shots. In the meantime Bartle and Gideon had reloaded, and
two more warriors shared the fate of the first.
As yet, all the success had been on our side; and there appeared every
probability of our being able to defeat any attempt of the enemy to
enter the building. Those who had got into the stables were so many
withdrawn from the attack; and although under shelter, they could effect
nothing against us. Had the Indians been alone, we might have kept them
at bay, cunning as they were; but there were white men among them, who,
although not eager to expose their own lives, were well able to assist
our enemies by their advice.
Presently our assailants, with the exception of those in the stables and
other out-buildings, retreated. It was but for a short time, however;
soon they appeared on the opposite side of the house, many of them
carrying burning brands, which they threw under the fencing. This being
of combustible materials, soon blazed up; and, sheltered by the
intervening flames and smoke, the enemy opened a hot fire on us. Every
now and then, however, a dark form was seen, and as surely a bullet
searched it out. But the whole of our little garrison was now required
to keep the enemy at bay on this side; and those who had been hidden in
the out-buildings took the opportunity of making their escape. Some of
them, we found, had thrown themselves into the mill, which afforded them
sufficient shelter to fire steadily at our loopholes with less risk of
being hit in return. None of us had hitherto been struck, but no sooner
had the mill been taken possession of than two of the farm hands, who
were less cautious than the experienced hunters, were badly wounded--one
of them mortally, while the other was unable to handle his rifle.
The palisade being now burned to the ground, we were deprived of its
protection, and our assailants could consequently get close up to the
walls. But though our numbers were diminished, we endeavoured, by the
rapidity of our fire, not to let the enemy discover our loss.
The fight had now continued for some hours, but still our foes seemed as
determined as ever to capture the place. They, or perhaps the white
men, had heard a report that Uncle Jeff was the owner of fabulous
wealth, of which they had resolved to make themselves the possessors.
This would account for their obstinate perseverance.
Fresh bands continued to arrive, too; and after a cessation of firing, a
shower of arrows, from enemies concealed behind the rocks, came flying
over the house. Had they been simply arrows, they would not have done
much harm; but, to our dismay, we saw that each one carried a piece of
burning tow; and if these fell on the shingles of the roof, they would
too probably set them on fire. To extinguish the flames, too, we should
have to expose ourselves to a great risk of being shot. Happily, as yet
the arrows either flew over the building, or the tow fell out, and as
far as we could discover no damage had been done. Some, however, struck
the out-buildings; and the roofs of these being thatched, they were soon
in flames. The barns, too, were set on fire, and blazed furiously.
Night at length came on, but it brought us no respite; for our savage
foes could be seen, by the light from the burning out-buildings, still
hovering in vast numbers round us. Suddenly, too, the granary burst
into flames, making the night almost as bright as the day. It enabled
us, however, to see our foes more clearly, and of this we did not fail
to take advantage. We prudently retained only light enough in the house
to enable us to see our way about; and we were thus comparatively
concealed, while they were exposed to view.
We might have still kept the enemy at bay, had not the other two field
hands both been struck down, in the same manner as their companions. We
were now only six, opposed, as it appeared to us, to several hundred
foes. Still no one dreamed of giving in.
Klitz and Gillooly behaved admirably, and did much to retrieve their
character. They always kept together--Klitz kneeling down to fire,
while Gillooly sprang now on one side, then on the other, of his
loophole, as he fired his rifle through it.
Our position had become very critical; the wind might at any moment
bring the flames of the out-buildings against the house itself, in which
case our fate would be sealed, for it would be almost impossible for us
to extinguish them.
At length, to our relief, the enemy again drew off. From their previous
daring conduct, we could not hope, however, that they intended to raise
the siege; perhaps they only waited to see whether the flames from the
out-buildings would set the house on fire, and thus save them all
further trouble and danger. But the wind, fortunately, continued to
blow up the valley, keeping the flames away from the house.
Uncle Jeff now directed me to go round and give some food to each man.
When I came to him, "Ralph," said he, "go and look into the
ammunition-chest. I have my fears that we are running short of
cartridges!"
I did as directed, and what was my dismay to find that no more than
three rounds remained for each one of us! One of the poor fellows who
had been last hit had been employed in supplying us with cartridges, and
he had omitted to tell Uncle Jeff how short we had run.
"I wish I had let you go, Ralph," he said; "but it cannot be helped now.
We must cut our way out; it is possible that all of us who are alive
may succeed. If the enemy come on again, we must begin blazing away at
them as before; then, when our last shot is expended, we must burst open
the door and dart out. Call Bartle and Gideon, and I will tell them
what I propose doing. You and they are active, and know the country,
and if you can reach the mountains you may get off free; although it
will go hard, I fear, with the two troopers."
His two old followers, on hearing that the ammunition was almost
expended, agreed that it was the only course to pursue with any chance
of saving our lives.
Fortunately there were several swords, and we each of us provided
ourselves with one, and besides this we had a pistol apiece.
"Now, then," said Uncle Jeff, "I propose doing what will look like
deserting you, but in reality it is the best plan for saving your lives.
I am thinking of dressing up a figure, and placing it on Jack's back,
so as to partly cover me when I am mounted; and I will conceal myself by
hanging over along his neck. I will then dash out ahead of you, when
the enemy are certain to direct their fire at me, though I hope that
they will hit the figure instead. You, in the meantime, can make up the
valley; and as you know every inch of the ground, you will soon distance
them. What say you to my proposal, Bartle?"
"It is as good as any I can think of," answered Bartle. "I wish you
would let me ride the horse, though, for I think you run a greater risk
than any of us."
"No, no," answered Uncle Jeff; "although that may be true, it is my duty
to you all. And Jack knows me better than any one else; it won't be his
fault if he doesn't carry me clear."
I at once began to consider how I could make such a figure as would
answer Uncle Jeff's purpose, and as I was of an ingenious turn, I was
not long, with the aid of some pliable laths and some strips of
cow-hide, in making the framework; the arms I formed in the attitude of
holding the reins. The framework once formed, it was quickly clothed in
the costume generally worn by Uncle Jeff; and as I placed it with the
legs over a chair, it was allowed that, on a dark night, it might
deceive those not prepared for the trick to be played upon them.
Jack, who had been busy munching his hay in a corner of the room, was
now saddled, and the figure placed in position, and secured with straps
round the body; while Uncle Jeff himself, stripped to his trousers, hung
over in the attitude he proposed. Looking across the dimly-lighted
room, we could scarcely perceive him.
"That will do," cried Bartle enthusiastically; "it will give you a
better chance of escape, at all events."
We had reason to be thankful that the Indians gave us so long a time for
preparation. The night was now advancing, and any doubts that we might
have entertained as to their having taken their departure were soon
dissipated, for once more showers of fiery arrows came flying over and
against the house--shot, however, from a distance. Several whistled
through the loopholes, but none of us were hit, and these were of course
immediately extinguished.
I was in the upper story, when, looking up, to my dismay I saw a bright
light overhead; the roof had been set on fire. Under other
circumstances we might have attempted to extinguish it; as it was, I ran
to tell Uncle Jeff what had occurred.
"Then the time has come, my lads, when we must cut our way out. God
protect one and all of us. Would that I could help you further."
We shook hands round, and Bartle and Gideon stood by with their axes to
knock away the barricade. Uncle Jeff mounted Jack, and secured the
figure behind him. Some time passed, however, before he gave the word.
The enemy were close at hand, but they were concentrated, as far as we
could judge by the sounds which reached us, on one side of the house,
and Uncle Jeff would be able to pass by them, and thus leave the road
open for us.
A few strokes cleared away the barricade. Uncle Jeff was to dash out
first, Bartle and Gideon were to follow, they understanding that I
should keep between them, while Klitz and Gillooly were to bring up the
rear.
"Now open the door!" cried Uncle Jeff.
Just as he spoke I looked around, and discovered that neither Klitz nor
Gillooly was behind me. What had become of them I could not tell; and
there was no time to consider, for the door was thrown open, and out
dashed Uncle Jeff, directing his course by the path down the valley.
For some seconds he was not observed by the enemy, until he went
clattering away down the steep path at a pace which would have brought
many a steed on his knees. But Jack knew what he was about. Not until
Uncle Jeff found that the enemy had seen him did he utter a sound. He
then gave vent to a loud shout, which rang through the air, echoing from
rock to rock. It had the effect he intended, and drew the attention of
our foes to him. A shower of bullets went whistling through the figure
and on either side of it; still the horse kept on his way uninjured.
The Indians, who had their horses tethered below, mounted in haste, and
pushed on in hot chase. But Uncle Jeff was on ahead of them, so,
casting off the straps which bound the figure, he let it fall to the
ground, whilst he, recovering his proper position, turned round, and
shaking his fist at his astonished foes, continued his course at
increased speed.
We of course could not see what occurred, but we heard of it afterwards.