Ned in the Block-House

at the vanishing fugitive, the baffled Wyandot, fo

overhanging floor, built so as to allow the defenders to fire down on the heads of their assailants. The rapid shift

y to dart to be beyond reach of any bullet; but he seemed to think all at once that he had made a mistake. He stopped like a flash, turned with inconceivable quickness, and sped directly

n was discharged at him, but he showed no sign of being harmed, and, without

Jo Stinger, aggravated over the repeated escapes of the da

Wyandot proved him to be no ordinary athlete, and he wa

el contest, and, thrusting his gun hastily through t

at glee, as the warrior sprang in a

im Turner, who was peering through one of the loop

ined scout; "if I had another gun,

ur rifle," was the truthfu

ndot was so near the cabin that he bounded upward from the ground and went through

under such circumstances, a miss was as good as a mile, and the courageous Wyandot plunged t

antly that the veteran Jo Stinger, while exasperated

harging their rifles from the wood beyond the stockade, north, east and south, while Deerfoot was somewhat

harged their pieces at the block-house. This seemed a useless expenditure of ammunition, but there was a chance or two of doing something. Some of the

would strike them, and it was this hope which led the assailants to keep up the desul

enemies, and, when there was a chance of doing execution, they were quick to take advantage of

earing in front of the block-house. It lay flat on its back, with the swarthy face turned upward, still and motionless, an

ove his dead from the battle-ground. They would have gone forward on the present occasion to

the darkness of the night, which is the chosen season of

years, was intensely mortified over his failure, and carefully reload

ent, on their mission of death. The good mother was too sensible of the peril to which they were all exposed, to allow her children to run any risk that could be avoided:

, who, of course, was on the lower floor, grasped each in turn by the hand and congratulated them most warm

down each on a chair until they could recover breath. As Ned drew forth t

e of my life; I never want

and on the head of her nephew, who had taken off his ca

and if it hadn't struck my rifle-barrel as it did, it would have ended my days. I wonder whether it hurt the gun

and, in accordance with the teachings of his father, Ned now proceeded to reload the piece, while the d

e imitated the example of his young master. When he had com

offhand manner, as though there was nothing remarkable in

sed Mrs. Preston, "when we could not be cer

't goin' to shoot straight, and I knowed too dat de tomahawk was gwine to glance along de

ke of the head; "you knew just as muc

rag ob what I'm doin', but I show from de way I act dat I knows what's what. I seed dat tings was gettin' m

ie Preston hurried down the

they came near tumbling through the

he waist of the sturdy lad and insisted on attention. So Ned, after kissing the younger several times, set her down on the floor and did the same with the elder. Then he resumed his chai

rt you," said little Susie, turning he

you know that

when we saw you coming across th

new how, and I think God always takes care of those who do that

ginal, and the little sisters subscribed to it as fully

and had read his own. He had looked out for the opportunity to use his gun, but

t?" was his first

we left, and I suppose he is there yet,

ng, for I notice that some of the shots come from tha

riend of mine, y

it he brought you here and help

ready known to the reader. Before it was finished, the

e to have more guns at command, and that was w

nk he did r

es depended on it. Inasmuch as all of you were safely on the outside, where Jo Stinger tried so hard to get, it would have been the wiser plan, in my

o be done was to place us inside the block-house, and nothing could change his view. He

not made known, for he is an extraor

through the window was

t was anything other than a hostile one. I suppo

see it

e. The moment my eyes rested on it, I noticed the paper tied around the shaft: that told the story, of course, and soon every one within knew t

g it, that, if he had missed sending the arrow through the

what

uick to learn what it meant: then, as he said, we were

what a fearful risk he ran; but he must have ha

p feeling that he has put himself in a trap from which he cannot free himself. Because the Wyandots have surrounded the b

y could not have

e the bow except to shoot burning arrows, and t

ch things to set f

single glance; and, had it been, they would have known all

as the Shawanoe is, beyond any of his years, he has done a thing for which I cannot see the reason, and I believe he has placed himself in per

for several minutes, and who was now snuffing the air in a suggestive