d man left them and ran
back to his masked battery of loaded muskets. Here, at an owl-cry signal
from Uncanoola, he opened fire upon the redcoats.

The outworking of the _coup de main_ was a triumph for the old
borderer's shrewd generalship. At the death-dealing volley the
Englishmen were thrown into confusion; whilst the Indians, summoned by
the firing and the shrilling of the captain's whistle, dashed blindly
into the trap. At the right moment Uncanoola touched off his powder
train and cut in with a clear field for his rescue of Dick and me.

Of the complete success of these various climaxings, Ephraim Yeates had
his first assurance when we three came safely to the rendezvous; for,
after firing his masked battery, the old hunter lost no time in
rejoining the women and in hastening with them out of the valley. Had
these three been afoot we might have overtaken them; but Yeates had been
lucky enough to stumble upon the black mare peacefully cropping the
grass in a little glade; and with this mount for Margery and her
tire-woman he had easily outpaced us.

All this I had from Yeates what time Margery was pouring the wine and
oil of womanly sympathy into Richard's woundings; and I may confess that
whilst the ear was listening to the hunter's tale, the eye was taking
note of these her tender ministrations, and the heart was setting them
down to the score of a great love which would not be denied. 'Twas
altogether as I would have had it; and yet the thought came unbidden
that she might spare a niggard moment and the breath to ask me how I
did. And because she would not, I do think my burns smarted the crueler.

It was to have surcease of these extra smartings that I turned my back
upon the trio under the flaring torch and took up with Ephraim Yeates
the pressing question of the moment.

"As I take it, we may not linger here," I said. "Have you marked out a
line of retreat?"

The old borderer was busied with his loot of the Indian camp--'twas not
in his nature to come off empty-handed, however hard pressed he had been
for time. In the raffle of it, guns and pistols, dressed skins and
warrior finery, he came upon my good old blade and Richard's great
claymore--trophies claimed by the head men of the Cherokees after our
taking, as we made no doubt.

"Found 'em hanging in the lodge that usen to belong to the Great Bear,"
said the hunter, and then with grim humor: "'Lowed to keep 'em to
ricollect ye by if so be ye was fo