Wild Western Scenes Part 7

"Will they come before father returns?" asked Mary.

"Do you think they will attack us at all?" interrogated Glenn.

"There can be no doubt of it," replied Boone; "but if we do our duty, I think we shall be able to resist them. We must be ready to defend ourselves, at all events--and in the mean time we must watch through the loopholes on every side to prevent a surprise." This was hardly spoken before an arrow whizzed over their heads, and, striking against the stone wall of the house, fell at the feet of Joe.

"Ugh! look at that!" cried he, leaping some ten feet away.

"Go in, child--and the rest to their posts!" remarked Boone, first to Mary, and then addressing the men.

"Yes--_do_ go in, Miss!" cried Joe, forcing Mary into the house, where he also seemed determined to remain himself.

"Come out here!" cried Sneak, going to the door.

"Wait till I screw a flint in my musket," said Joe.

"You can see better out here," replied Sneak.

"But I haven't found the flint yet," answered Joe.

"He's a coward!" said Sneak, turning away and going to his post, whence he could watch the valley below.

Boone's station was on the opposite side, in the direction of the supposed encampment of the Indians. But not a savage could now be seen, and the arrow that fell among them had evidently been discharged from a great distance above.

"Shall we fire if any of them come within the range of our guns?"

inquired Glenn, from his position on the east, which overlooked the cliff.

"Certainly," replied Boone; "the arrow was their declaration of war, and if they are again seen, it will be in a hostile att.i.tude. Watch close, Sneak!" he cried, as another shaft flew over the palisade from the valley below, and penetrated the wood but a few feet above his head.

"Come out to your post, Joe!" cried Glenn, impatiently.

"I will presently--as soon as I get my gun fixed," replied Joe.

"If you do not come forth instantly, I'll thrust you out of the inclosure!" continued Glenn, somewhat fiercely.

"Here I am," said Joe, coming out, and making an effort to a.s.sume a bold bearing: "I'm ready now--I only wanted to fix my gun--who's afraid?" saying which, he strode in a stooping posture to the loophole on the west of the inclosure.

While the whole male force of the garrison was required to act as sentinels, Mary, whose trepidation had been succeeded by deliberate resolution, was busily employed moulding bullets.

An hour pa.s.sed, and no Indians had yet been seen, although an occasional arrow a.s.sured the besieged party that the enemy still remained in the immediate vicinity. They cleared away the snow at their posts, and placing dry straw to stand upon, prepared to continue the watch throughout the day and night. Nor were they to suffer for food; for Mary, though she had not been requested so to do, ere long, to their joyful surprise, came forth with a dinner handsomely provided, which she placed before them with a smile of satisfaction playing on her lips, and entirely unmindful of the shafts that continued to fly overhead, which either pierced the wood and remained stationary, or fell expended and harmless at her feet.

Affairs thus remained till night, when the arrows ceased to fly. There was not a cloud in the heavens, and the moon rose up in purest brightness. A breathless stillness pervaded the air, and no sound for a great length of time could be heard but the hooting of owls on the opposite side of the river, and the howling of wolves in the flats about a mile above.

"I'm not a bit cold--are you?" said Joe, addressing Sneak.

"Dad! keep an eye out!" replied Sneak, in a low tone.

"There's nothing out this way but a bush. But I declare it seems to be bigger and nigher than it was in the daytime," said Joe.

"Don't speak so loud," remarked Boone, crossing to where Joe stood, and looking through at the bush.

"It's nothing but a bush," said Joe.

"Do you wish to kill an Indian?" inquired Boone.

"I wish they were all worms, and I could get my heel on them!" said Joe.

"That would be cruel--but as any execution we may now do, is in our own defence, you may fire at that bush if you like," continued Boone.

"Well," said Joe; and taking deliberate aim, discharged his musket as directed, and was knocked down on his back in the snow by the rebound.

"Plague take the gun!" said he, recovering his feet; "but I remember it had two loads in--I forgot it was charged, and loaded it again. Ha!

ha! ha! but what's become of the bush?" he continued jocularly, not thinking he had fired at an Indian.

"Look for yourself," replied Boone.

"Hang me if it ain't gone!" exclaimed Joe.

"Ay, truly it is; but had you hit the mark, it would have fallen. It was rather too far, however, even for your musket," said Boone, returning to his former position.

"You are the poorest marksman that ever I saw, or you'd 'ave killed that red rascal," said Sneak, coming up to Joe, and finding where the bush had been.

"I didn't know it was any thing but a bush--if I'd only known it was an Indian--"

"You be hanged!" replied Sneak, vexed that such a capital opportunity should be lost, and petulantly resuming his own station.

An intense silence succeeded the discharge of Joe's gun, after the tremendous report died away, in successive reverberations up and down the river, and over the low wood land opposite. The owls and wolves were hushed; and as the watchful sentinels cast their eyes over the snow, on which the calm rays of the moon rested in repose, there was not the least indication of the presence of a dangerous foe.

Joe leant against the palisade, holding with one hand the breech of his gun, while the barrel was thrust through the loophole, and seemed to be indulging in a peculiar train of reflections.

"Now, I'd much rather be in Philadelphia," said he, in a voice but little louder than a, whisper, and unconscious of giving utterance to his thoughts--"a great deal rather be there--in some comfortable oyster-cellar--than standing out here in the lone wilderness, up to my knees in snow, and expecting every minute to have a poisoned arrow shot through my head. Hang it all! I wonder what pleasure Mr. Glenn can enjoy here? Suppose, now, while I'm standing here thinking, an arrow should dart over the, other side, and stick five or six inches into me? I hope they keep a careful look-out. And that reminds me that I ought to keep an eye out myself, for fear some one may he pinked from my side." He applied his eye to the hole, and continued in the same strain: "I don't see a single living thing; maybe they've all gone off. If they have, I'll deserve all the credit, for I'm the only person that shot at them. And I don't think that long hatchet-face Sneak will think that I'm a coward any more. But these savages are strange beings; I had no more idea that the bush hid an Indian than that there's one not ten feet off now, under the snow. And if we hadn't found him out he might have crawled up and shot me in the eye through this hole. I won't hold my eye here all the time!" said he, rising, and to his astonishment Sneak stood at his elbow, whither he had glided softly, his quick ear having caught the hum of Joe's soliloquy, and his curiosity leading him to find out the meaning of the mysterious jargon of his companion-in-arms.

"Of all the men I ever saw you are the dod-rottedest!" exclaimed Sneak, after staring at him a few moments in silent wonderment, and then striding back to his post.

"I should like to hear that sentence pa.r.s.ed," said Joe, looking after him.

The hours wore on in peace, until midnight, when a low chattering, like that of a squirrel, was heard in the valley below; while a shrill whistling, resembling that of quails was distinguished above.

"Come hither!" exclaimed Boone in a whisper to Glenn.

"Do you see any of them?" inquired Glenn, joining his friend.

"Not yet--but we will see enough of them presently. The sounds in the valleys are signals, and they will attack us on these sides. You may abandon your watch on the east, and a.s.sist me here."

"And you may come and spell me," said Sneak to Joe.

"I must not desert my post," said Joe.

"If you stay there, you'll be dead sure to be shot!" replied Sneak.