"You must have been asleep," Pearson said savagely. "Where were your
eyes to let them redskins crawl up through the corn without seeing
'em? With such a crowd of 'em the corn must have been a-waving as if
it was blowing a gale. You ought to have a bullet in yer ugly
carkidge, instead of its being in yer mate's out there."

While this conversation was going on no one had been idle. Each took
up his station at a loop-hole, and several shots were fired whenever
the movement of a blade of corn showed the lurking place of an
Indian.

The instant the gate had been closed War Eagle had called his men
back to shelter, for he saw that all chance of a surprise was now
over, and it was contrary to all redskin strategy to remain for one
moment unnecessarily exposed to the rifles of the whites. The farmer
and his wife had rushed at once up into the lookout as the Indians
drew off and, to their joy, saw the canoe darting away from shore.

"They are safe for the present, thank God!" Mr. Welch said. "It is
providential indeed that they had not come a little further from the
shore when the redskins broke out. Nothing could have saved them, had
they fairly started for the house."

"What will they do, William?" asked his wife anxiously.

"I cannot tell you, my dear. I do not know what I should do myself
under the circumstances. However, the boy has got a cool head on his
shoulders, and you need not be anxious for the present. Now let us
join the others. Our first duty is to take our share in the defense
of the house. The young ones are in the hands of God. We can do