d we must give Morgan plenty of time to get there, up
to the house, and back. Hold up your gun, and let the Indians see it if
they are watching, and I suppose they are. These bow-and-arrow people
have a very wholesome dread of powder."

"But suppose they keep creeping near us under shelter, father," I said,
"and shoot?"

"They will in all probability miss; let's hope so, at all events. Come,
my lad, you have a gun, and you must play soldier now. Will you lie
down under shelter of the boat's side?"

"Soldiers don't lie down," I said firmly, though I wanted to do so very
badly indeed.

"Oh, yes, they do sometimes. We will as soon as it is necessary; but
what I want to do now, my boy, is to gain time. If we row swiftly to
the landing-place, the Indians will come on rushing from tree to tree,
and be upon us in a few minutes, for I presume they are in force."

I told him quickly how many we had seen.

"It is a mercy that you went and were taken, George," he said; "it has
saved our lives, no doubt. But as I was saying, we want to gain time,
and while we sit here slowly drifting down, with these menacing guns
pointing in their direction, they will advance very slowly, and keep
under cover. If it becomes necessary, I shall have the boat turned, and
advance to meet them."

"And then, father?"

"They will retire for a time, not being able to understand so bold an
advance, and think that an attack is about to be made upon them from the
other side. We must keep them back, and it is to be done by preserving
a bold front. They are cruel and treacherous, and can fight well when
they think they are in strength over a weak adversary; but from what I
learned of those who have had to do with them, they are as cowardly as
they are cruel. Look!"

I gazed sharply up the wooded bank of the river, but I could see
nothing, and said so.

"No; they were gone directly. They were two spies who had stolen closer
up. It means war in earnest now, I am afraid."

He changed his position a little, and examined his gun.

"Mass' goin' shoot dat gun?" said Pomp, excitedly, after watching and
listening with all his energy.

"Yes, my lad," said my father, smiling.

"Mass' won't shoot Pomp?"

"No. Attend to the oars, and keep the boat's head straight. Don't
speak."

"No, massa. Oh, look, dat dah!"

Pomp's loud exclamation was due to the fact that an arrow came flying
from a low clump of bushes nearly two hundred yards awa