bullets from the surrounding darkness.

"Lie down, everybody!" cried Henry, and the order was obeyed at once. Then
the strange night battle in the heart of the wilderness began. The
savages, after their first attack, ceased to shout, and the voyagers on
their own part made little noise. But they knew that the assailing force
was numerous. It rimmed them on all sides save that of the river, and the
little pink and red beads of fire seemed to flash from every bush. The men
on the boats swarmed to the shore, but Adam Colfax allowed only half of
them to come, the land force at the same time falling back on the river to
meet them. He had no mind to let his communications be cut.

As the white line fell back the red came on, and uttered again the
long-drawn, high-pitched war whoop, a cry of exultation. But it was not
repeated, as the white line withdrew only to the bank, and yielded no
more. Then both lines lay in the forest, faces invisible, but the pink and
red beads of opposing fire ran back and forth in a stream. Now and then,
even in the darkness, a bullet struck true. A groan would start in the
white line, but it would be checked at the lips, because these were men
too proud to give expression to pain.

"They can't make much progress in this way," said Adam Colfax to Henry,
who had crept to his side.

"They can make it terribly wearing by keeping it up all night."

"We can withdraw to the boats entirely and row away."

"I wouldn't do it. They're sure to have boats, too, knowing that we could
take to the water, and if we were to leave here they'd take it as a sign