rt hasn't read his Roman
history in vain."

"Then it's agreed," said Colden, "and as soon as another night as dark
as this comes we'll try it."

The plan being formed, they waited a week before a night, pitchy
black, arrived.

CHAPTER VII

THE RED WEAPON

The night was admirably suited to their purpose--otherwise they would
not have dared to leave Fort Refuge--and Willet, Tayoga and Robert
alone undertook the task. Wilton, Carson and others were anxious to
go, but, as an enterprise of such great danger required surpassing
skill, the three promptly ruled them out. The hunter and young Lennox
would have disguised themselves as Indians, but as they did not have
any paint in the fort they were compelled to go forth in their own
garb.

The cold had softened greatly, and, as heavy clouds had come with it,
there was promise of snow, which in truth the three hoped would fall,
since it would be an admirable cloak for their purpose. But in any
event theirs was to be a perilous path, and Colden shook hands with
the three as they lowered themselves softly from the palisade.

"Come back," he whispered. "If you find the task too dangerous let it
go and return at once. We need you here in the fort."

"We'll come back as victors," Robert replied with confidence. Then he
and his comrades crouched, close against the palisade and
listened. The Indian fires showed dimly in the heavy dusk, and they
knew that sentinels were on watch in the woods, but still keeping in
the shadow of the palisade they went to the far side, where the Indian
line was thinner. Then they dropped to hand and knee and crept toward
the forest.

They stopped at intervals, lying flat upon the ground, looking with
all their eyes and listening with all their ears. They saw ahead but
one fire, apparently about four hundred yards away, and they heard
only a light damp wind rustling the dry boughs and bushes. But they
knew they could not afford to relax their caution by a hair, and they
continued a slow creeping progress until they reached the woods. Then
they rested on their elbows in a thicket, and took long breaths of
relief. They had been a quarter of an hour in crossing the open and it
was an immense relief to sit up again. They kept very close together,
while their muscles recovered elasticity, and still used their eyes
and ears to the utmost. It was impossible to say that a warrior was
not near crouching in the thicket as they were, and they did n