BESIEGED.
THE boys had little opportunity for conversation in their new rĂ´le as
guards, being separated from each other by the length of the cabin.
Strange as was the position in which they found themselves, they felt
but little fear. The massive logs of which the cabin was constructed
bid defiance to the entry of a bullet, and neither of them could
believe that the affair would amount to more than a few shots being
fired at the building while the attacking party was under the influence
of the liquor they had drank. They believed that with the coming of
day the feudalists would disband and retire to their homes, while they
would be free to return to the rescue of their friends on the island.
Nevertheless, they were not going to take any chances in the duties as
sentinels. They stood well to one side of their loopholes and peeped
out at the little clearing plainly visible in the bright moonlight.
"I reckon they can't see to shot through the loopholes, but you-alls
want to keep youah bodies out of line with them," cautioned Mr. Turner.
"Hit mought be that a stray bullet would pass through one of them. An'
don't either of you young fellows fire 'less you jes' have to. You
doan't want to get mixed up in this hyar quarrel. If yu' jis' naturally
have to shoot, aim low an' give it to 'em in the laigs."
"There seems to be several of them gathering together at the edge of
the woods," called Charley anxiously. "Here they come straight for the
house!"
His host darted to his side. "They've got a long pole an' air aiming to
batter down the door," he announced. "Keep back, boys, an' let me do
the talking an' shootin', if thar's got to be any."
But the boys crowded close to his side, eager to view the coming
attack.
There were about a dozen men in the approaching party and they advanced
at a rapid trot, bearing between them a huge pine log.
"Halt whar you air," commanded Turner when they had approached to
within sixty feet of the house. "If you-alls come any closer meanin'
trouble, someone is goin' to get hurt."
There were enough of timid spirits in the party to cause a halt in the
advance.
"We're goin' to get youah hide this time, Bill Turner," shouted
the foremost of the gang, a big, heavily-whiskered man. "Hit's a
disgrace on us Wrights to have one of youah name livin' still in this
settlement. You're goin' to be done for this time."
"Now, I ain't done nothin' to you-alls in all these years," said Turner
quietly and argumentatively. "You ain't got no cause to come 'round
hectoring me."
"More shame for you," shouted the big man. "We're goin' to do you,
first, 'cause you're a Turner, second, 'cause you've been too
poor-spirited all these years to put up a man's fight."
"Pears lak hit needs a powerful lot of yu to do fo' one, lone,
mean-spirited critter," said Turner, mildly.
The big man stamped his foot with rage. "Hit don't take none but me,"
he roared. "Yu come out hyar an' we'll have it out, man to man."
"I ain't a-doubting you're courage, Jim Wright," returned the other,
slowly, "but I ain't aimin' to hurt no man 'less I have to. Besides, if
I did get the best of yu, all the rest of youah gang would come down on
me. Jes' keep away from my cabin, that's all I've got to say."
"Come on, boys," roared the leader. "He's too mean-spirited to hurt a
fly. He can't shoot all of us, anyway."
There was some hesitation, but his fellows, evidently, believed that
the man inside would not fire. Under the urging of their leader they
picked up the log and started on a run for the door.
But they quickly discovered their mistake. From the loophole shot
out quick jets of flame as the man inside worked the lever of his
Winchester. The log dropped unheeded to the ground as its bearers
broke for the cover of the woods. Some were not able to run but limped
away groaning with pain. After the fleeing ones strode the big leader,
cursing them for cowards and imploring them to return to the assault.
"I don't reckon I've hurt any one of them very much," Turner remarked,
as he slipped more shells into his rifle. "I jes' aimed for their
laigs."
"Thank God, it has all ended without loss of life," Charley said
earnestly, but his host shook his head.
"Hit ain't ended, hit's jes' begun, Jim Wright ain't one to be scart
out by a little lead. He don't know what fear is. If he can't get none
of 'em to come back with him, he'll come back alone. I wish you young
fellows were safe outer hyar, but it won't do for you to try to leave
now. Crazy drunk, like them fellows is, hit wouldn't be safe for you.
Maybe by morning they'll be sobered up enough to listen to reason."
In spite of his words, the boys were hopeful that the night would pass
off without further trouble, but they were soon undeceived. Half an
hour had not passed when the big leader emerged from the woods followed
by a half a dozen of his fellow feudalists.
His followers halted by the fallen log but he advanced boldly direct
for the loophole.
"Keep away, for Gawd's sake, keep away, Jim," Turner implored. "I don't
want to have to shoot you."
"Hit's you or me this time!" shouted the other, "The sun don't rise on
no living Turner in this town."
"Keep back," warned Turner, thrusting his rifle through the loophole,
but even in his desperate situation, the boys, crowded close beside
him, and could see that he aimed only at the legs of the advancing man.
Ruffian though he was, the other was not without brute courage. He
never paused in his advance. "Shoot," he shouted as he whipped out a
pistol, "Shoot, that's what I want yu to do."
The two reports came almost together, but the pistol shot was a
fraction of a second ahead of the other. Like a fire-swept weed Turner
crumpled to the floor, his rifle exploding as he fell.
The big man clapped one hand to his side and fell to the ground.
With the report of his rifle, his followers had grabbed up the log and
rushed for the door, but Charley had been quick to see the danger.
Snatching up the rifle from the fallen man, he fired at the moving
legs as fast as he could work the lever. The whistling lead was more
than the assaulters could stand. Three dropped their hold on the log
and limped hurriedly for cover while their fellows, deprived of their
aid, could no longer sustain the heavy timber, which sank again to the
ground while they hastened after their wounded companions.
The boys watched them in silence until they entered the woods then
Charley set down the rifle.
"I don't think they will be back right away again," he said. "Anyway,
we have got to risk a light. Perhaps Mr. Turner is not dead."
With hands that trembled with excitement Walter struck a match and lit
the lamp, then, the two boys lifted the prostrate man and laid him upon
the bed. "Keep watch at the loophole while I see if anything can be
done for him," Charley commanded.
The man's shirt was matted with blood and the lad did not attempt
to take it off, but cut it away with his sheath knife, exposing the
white chest in the center of which gapped a horrible hole. "He's badly
wounded," he announced after a careful examination of the wound.
"There's two holes, one in his chest and one in his side. I believe the
bullet struck a rib and glanced, coming out at his side. If so, he will
pull through if I can only stop the blood flowing. I'll have to keep
this lamp lit for awhile even it is risky. I'll be as quick as I can."
There was little in the rude cabin with which to do in such a case,
but the resourceful lad made the best of the situation, working with
feverish speed so as to be able to extinguish the lamp as soon as
possible. First, he washed out the wash basin thoroughly and filling it
with clean water from the barrel added to the water a generous handful
of salt. With this he washed the ugly-looking wound, then tearing into
pieces a fresh sheet he found lying on a shelf, he made a little wad
of rags with which, after soaking them in salt water, he plugged up
the gaping hole. Over this he bound wet strips of the sheet to hold it
securely in place. He was rewarded for his labor by seeing that the
flow of blood was quickly checked and soon ceased entirely. As soon as
he made certain of this, he extinguished the light and crept to his
chum's side.
"I think he will pull out all right," he announced. "He is unconscious
yet, and when he does come to he'll be very weak from loss of blood.
Have you seen any more of those fellows?"
"They're still in the woods around the clearing. Listen and you'll hear
their voices every now and then."
"Has the man who was shot moved any?"
"No, he lays just as he fell. I guess he's dead."
"It's a horrible affair," said Charley with a shudder. "I'll never
forget this night. It has put us in a bad fix. We can't leave here now,
and I don't like the way the wind is coming up. If there's a heavy
storm, the captain and Chris will be in danger, it wouldn't take a very
heavy sea to cover that marsh. Just listen how it's blowing."
Walter seemed not to hear what his chum was saying. He stood staring
out at the still figure stretched on the ground. "He hasn't moved, but
maybe he isn't dead," he said at last. "Perhaps, he is bleeding to
death and a little attention might save his life."
"You're right," Charley exclaimed. "We must bring him in."