d hearing the hiss of the water as bucketful
after bucketful was discharged.

"Why, Morgan!" I exclaimed suddenly; "the women and children?"

"Well, sir, they'd be safe enough."

"What, if the fire is not put out?"

"Oh, it'll be put out, my lad. Look, they're battering it now. It
aren't so fierce, but they don't happen to be there; the captain spoke
to the governor this afternoon."

"To the General?"

"Yes, sir. We're getting to call him the governor now; and the captain
told him, I hear, that he was afraid the main attack would be on the
block-house, and it was settled to have all the women and children out;
and they're all safe behind barricades in the middle there. Yonder, you
see."

"See? No," I said; "how can I see through this terrible darkness?"

"Darkness?" said Morgan, in a peculiar tone. "I was just thinking that
it was a bit lighter now, and yet they seem to be getting the fire a bit
under."

"Yes," I said; "and now the clouds of steam are rising; you can see them
quite plainly now. Perhaps they are reflecting the light down upon the
building. Oh, look!"

I could hold back no longer, but started off at a run, closely followed
by Morgan, so as to get to the other side and see what was going on
there.

For I had suddenly grasped the meaning of the light that had puzzled me.
It was plain enough now. With their customary cunning, the Indians had
fired such a flight of fiery arrows that they had forced our people to
combine their forces to put out the blazing side of the block-house, and
then combining their own forces, the enemy had sent low down on the
opposite side, after creeping close in, a tremendous discharge, which at
once took hold, and the flames as I got round were already running up
the building, fanned by the wind which seemed to be rising, and there
was a fluttering roar which sounded like the triumphant utterances of
the flames.

"That comes of using pine-logs," said Morgan, in a low voice, as amidst
the shouting of orders, the tramp of men, and the hissing of the fire,
volley after volley was fired from the palisades; but naturally these
shots sent forth into the darkness were aimless, and in imagination I
could see the enemy, after sending in their arrows, crawling away
unhurt.

The progress of this last fire was rapid. Something was done to check
it at first with the buckets, and the brave fellows on the roof made
desperate efforts by hanging the saturated blankets o