to make the stoutest heart quail.

"It was too bad you came out here on a vacation," said the captain
sadly, to his brother and his cousin. "Perhaps you'll never see home
again."

"Oh, Will, do you really think it's so bad?" came from Darry.

"It is hard to tell what I think, Darry. I know we are in a mighty tight
box."

"Let us hope for the best," said Joe. "Leeson must be doing something."

"If he wasn't caught and shot down, Joe."

"That is true," and now Joe gave a long sigh that meant a good deal.

"There is but one thing in our favor now, this daylight. But if no
relief reaches us by sundown----" The captain did not finish, but shook
his head.

A moment later one of the guards called down that he could see some
Indians to the northwest of the fort.

A glass was brought into play, and by this a party of seventy-five red
men could be made out marching directly for the fort. Behind the red men
came a dozen or fifteen whites.

Hardly had this discovery been made when another body of Indians and
whites were seen marching upon the fort from the south.

"We are to suffer a double attack now!" was Captain Moore's comment.
"Heaven help us and bring us through it in safety!"

CHAPTER XXXII.

RELIEF AT LAST--CONCLUSION.

The attack did not come until half an hour later, and during the time of
waiting the nerves of the boys were strained to the utmost. The
seriousness of the situation was depicted upon the faces of all the
soldiers, who felt that the coming contest must decide whether or not
the fort was to stand.

The firing began on the part of the Indians and desperadoes, who
advanced upon the stronghold from four points of the compass at once.
The enemy had learned the folly of massing their force, and Indians and
whites came on in a wide open skirmish line.

The soldiers within the stockade fired upon the advancing foe as best
they could. Yet by the time red men and desperadoes were within reach of
the stockade only three of the foe had fallen.

As before, some of the Indians carried a board with strips nailed across
it for steps, and the desperadoes had a similar contrivance. The two
boards were placed at opposite ends of the stockade, and, while some of
the enemy began to mount them, others came rushing on with a tree trunk,
which they used as a battering-ram against the stockade gate.

The noise was now terrific, as rifle and cannon shot sounded out,
mingled with the warwhoops of the Ind