they were working eagerly with their loaded pieces
laid ready, while food and drink were being rapidly passed along the
front.

"Only a temporary check, I'm afraid," said my father, as I described
everything. "Brave fellows! What a defence! But you have waited too
long," he said. "Where is that man?"

"Hannibal?" I exclaimed; "I had forgotten him." For he had evidently
glided away in the dark; but almost as I spoke he came up.

"Boat ready, Mass' George," he said. "Pomp swam out and got him.
Waiting to take Mass' George and capen."

A warning cry just then rang out, and my father caught my arm. "Go and
see," he whispered; "don't keep me waiting so long."

I hurried to the front again, seeing Morgan and another man in earnest
conversation, but they separated before I reached them, and as Morgan
went in the direction from whence he would pass out from our piled-up
defence to get to the powder, I followed him, seeing now clearly enough
he had his gun in his hand.

I forgot about my own escape--the coming on of the Indians, of whom I
had a glimpse outside the palisades--everything, in my intense desire to
stop this man from carrying out his terrible plan. I was very near him
now, and should have caught him up had I not stumbled over a poor fellow
lying in my way, and nearly fallen. As I recovered I could hear a
fearful yelling, and saw Morgan's hard-set face as he climbed backward
down from the boxes, one of the men, whom I recognised as his
confederate, helping him by holding his gun.

In a wild fit of despair, as I saw Morgan's hard-set face, I shouted to
him to stop, but my voice was drowned by the yelling of the Indians now
coming on again with a rush, brandishing their axes, and evidently bent
on carrying all before them.

As I reached the edge, Morgan was half-way to the powder, crawling on
his chest, the Indians to our left, and the men I was trying to pass
firing over Morgan's head.

They shouted to me, but I glided between two of them; and as they tried
to pull me back, Han pressed them apart, and the next moment I was
creeping after Morgan.

The firing went on over us, and the Indians dashed forward on our left,
yelling more loudly than ever. Then I heard a volley, and just caught a
glimpse of the half-naked figures passing through the smoke. It was but
a glance, for my attention was fixed upon Morgan, who had now reached
the tarpaulin and canvas, thrown it partly aside, examined the primin