"Yes, father," I said.

"Pomp take car' of him, massa."

"Yes, but you are wounded too," said my father.

"Oh, dat nuffum," said the boy contemptuously.

My attention was riveted now on Sarah, whom I could see as the boats
were alongside lying crouched back in the bottom, looking deathly white
as Morgan knelt by her, holding a handkerchief pressed to her shoulder.

"Now let me come," said my father. "Are both your pieces loaded?"

"I have that charged, sir," he said aloud. Then I heard him whisper,
"You don't think she's very bad, do you, sir?"

My father made no reply, but took Morgan's place.

"Go and take an oar," he said then. "Help Hannibal; and try and get us
to the fort if you can. Yes," he continued, after shading his eyes with
his hand, "the flag is still flying; the Indians cannot be there yet."

"Boat coming," cried Pomp; and to our great delight, we saw a
well-manned boat shoot out from the shore, and begin to head in our
direction.

My father uttered a sigh of relief, and I heard him mutter "Thank God!"
as he proceeded to bandage the poor woman's shoulder as well as he
could; and in a momentary glance I saw that an arrow, with the shaft
sticking out, broken short off, was still in the wound.

I wondered why my father did not draw it out, but of course said
nothing, only sat gazing from the coming boat to the shore, which all
seemed peaceful and calm now, there being no sign of Indians or trace of
the trouble, save on board our boats.

Just then, as I was reviving more and more, and fully learning the fact
that I had received what might have proved a dangerous wound had not the
bleeding been stopped, a hail came from the approaching boat, which
proved to be Colonel Preston's.

"Anything the matter? What's all that firing about?" cried the colonel,
as his boat's way was checked.

"Indians!--attacked!" said my father, speaking excitedly as he waved his
hand toward his wounded; and then, "Don't lose a moment. Help us
ashore, and there must not be a soul out of the fort in half an hour's
time."

There was a disposition in Colonel Preston's manner to make light of the
matter, but the sight of the arrows bristling about the defences checked
him; and ordering a couple of men out of his own boat to help row ours,
he stayed with us to hear the narrative of our fight.

"They are good marksmen too," he said; and then, turning to my father, I
heard him whisper, "That woman--wound dangerous?"