Mass' George

"No, no," I heard the General say quietly; "don't blame the boys. Of course it is vexatious, and seems like hara.s.sing the men for nothing; but it has its good side, for it proves how quickly we can man our defences. Well, what do you say--shall we go back to our beds? There seems to be no danger. Ah, here is Preston. Well, have you been all round?"

"Right round, sir, and there does not seem to be anything moving. A false alarm, I think."

"Yes," said the General, "a false alarm, and--What is it?"

My father had caught his arm in a strong grip, and pointed over the palisade.

"I don't know what it is," he whispered; "but something is moving out yonder, a hundred yards away."

Amidst a dead silence every eye was fixed in the direction pointed to by my father; but no one else could make anything out, and the General said--

"No; I cannot see it."

"Are you sure?" whispered my father. "George, are you there?"

I replied in a whisper too, and crept to his side.

"Look. Can you make out anything?" he said.

I looked long and intently, and was obliged to answer--

"No."

"Quick! Try and find that boy," said my father, angrily now. "He ought to have been here."

_Bang_! _bang_! Then report after report, followed by a volley quite from the other side of the enclosure; and, horrible as it seemed, followed as it was by a burst of yells, I felt my heart leap with satisfaction.

There was a rush being made for the spot whence the firing had come; but my father's voice rang out, calling upon the men to stand fast, and it was well that his order was promptly obeyed, for almost immediately after there was a whizzing sound that I well knew, accompanied by a sharp series of pats as of arrows striking wood, and we knew that the Indians were attacking on our side too.

Then followed the quick firm command, and the darkness was cut by the flashes of a dozen fire-locks, whose reports went rolling away, to be echoed by the great trees of the forest beyond the clearings.

Then nothing was heard but the quick beating and hissing of the iron ramrods in the guns, while I stood close under the shelter of the fence, listening intently in the terrible silence, and trying to make out whether the Indians were near.

Again came the report of a firelock, and a volley from nearer the gate, followed by a burst of yells; and a minute later a fresh volley, and the same defiant shouting, just as if the Indians had made their attack in four different places, but had been checked by the watchfulness of our men, who had been thoroughly prepared for the attacks.

I was wondering to myself whether the Indians were in a body, and had come on in one place, and then hurried on to the others, or were in four different bodies; but my wonderings soon ceased, for I quite started at hearing a voice close to my ear.

"No got arrow 'tick in um dis time, Ma.s.s' George. Tell um Injum coming again."

"Where? Where?" I whispered.

"Pomp see

I gazed intently over the fence, but could only see the dark ground; but Pomp's warning was too valuable to be trifled with. He had proved himself now, and I hurried to where my father stood ready with twenty of our men, and told him.

He gave orders, and half the men fired slowly, one after the other, the instructions being to those who held their fire, that if they could make out the bodies of the crawling Indians by the flas.h.i.+ng of their comrades' pieces, they were to fire too.

The rapid scattered reports were followed by a furious burst of yells; there was the rush of feet, sounds as of blows struck against the stout poles, and directly after, dimly-seen against the starlit sky, dark grotesque-looking heads appeared as at least a dozen of the Indians gained the top of the defence, but only to be beaten back by the b.u.t.t-ends of the men's fire-locks, all save two who dropped over in our midst, and fought desperately for a time before they were despatched.

As silence--an ominous silence full of danger and portent--fell upon us again here, we could tell that quite as desperate a struggle was going on at other points of the palisading. Flash was succeeded by report and yell, so loud and continuous that we knew now that the Indians were delivering their attack in four different places; and more than once I shuddered as I felt how terrible it would be should one of these bands gain an entry. I knew enough of such matters from old conversations with my father, to be able to grasp that if a party did get in over the stockade they would desperately attack one of our defending companies in the rear, and the others in response to their yells would come on at the same moment, when our numbers and discipline would be of little value in a hand-to-hand attack with the lithe savages, whose axes and knives would be deadly weapons at close quarters.

For quite half an hour the firing and yelling continued. Then it ceased as quickly as it had begun, and the Indians seemed to have retreated.

But there was no relaxation of our watchfulness, for we could not tell but that in their silent furtive way the enemy were preparing for a fresh a.s.sault, or perhaps merely resting and gathering together to come on in one spot all at once.

"More likely to make a feint somewhere," I heard the General say to my father. "If they do it will be to make a big attack somewhere else, and that is where the supports must be ready to flock down."

"You will see to that, sir?" said my father.

"Yes. You and Preston cannot do better service," continued the General, "so keep your places."

"Pomp," I whispered; "where are you?"

"Here, Ma.s.s' George."

"Let's go all round, and you can tell me where the Indians are gathering now."

"Pomp go outside," he said, softly. "Climb over."

"No, no; they would see and kill you."

"No. Dey too 'tupid. I go ober. You gib leg lil hyste up."

"I tell you no. Come along with me, and let's try and find out where they are."

"Much too dark, Ma.s.s' George, but I look all de same, try and fine em."

"Quick then; come!"

We started off, creeping along silently close inside the great palisade, and stopping to listen from time to time.

We had left one of the parties that defended the palisade close to the far side of the gate behind for about twenty yards, when Pomp, who was first, suddenly stopped short, caught me by the wrist, and said softly--

"You listum. Injum dah."

I placed my ear close to the paling, and stood for a few moments unable to make sure that the dull heavy rustling I heard meant anything; but at last I felt at one with my companion, for I felt convinced that a strong party was once more creeping up to the attack, and just to a spot where the sentries had not been placed.

CHAPTER THIRTY SIX.

Certainly there was a body of our defenders five-and-twenty yards away in one direction, and sixty in another; but while the alarm was spreading a dozen active Indians would be able to scale the fence.

At least so it seemed to me, as without hesitation I uttered a wild cry for help, Pomp raising his voice to supplement mine.

"Here! This way! Here! Indians!" I shouted; and I heard the sound of hurrying feet, and a sharp decisive order or two being given; but at the same moment there was a peculiar sc.r.a.ping sound on the rough fence which told me that the Indians were climbing over, and I stood hesitating, puzzled as to whether it was my duty to run or stop where I was, so as to keep up the alarm and guide our people through the darkness to the exact spot.

All this was a matter of moments, and I hesitated too long. I was conscious of our people being close at hand; then of feeling Pomp dragging at me, and saying something excitedly. Then it was as if a big ma.s.s had fallen from above, and I lay crushed down and senseless in a darkness far greater than that of the night.