reloading they got out of our reach. The
troopers then sweeping over the ground sabred all who had fallen and
still showed signs of life. Not a prisoner was taken.

"You came in the nick of time," said my father; "for we were fearfully
overmatched, and many had been wounded,--your uncle, I fear, very
badly."

I saw to my dismay, as he spoke, that an arrow was sticking in his own
side, while Uncle Denis lay under a waggon where he had crawled, his
head bleeding, and with two severe wounds in the leg and shoulder.
Martin Prentis and three of the other men were also badly hurt. They
were all crying out for water, as not a drop remained, and the cattle,
they said, could scarcely proceed. My mother, as may be supposed, was
fearfully agitated and alarmed, as were the two little girls; but they
were cheered by hearing from the guide that a stream existed about two
miles on, nearer the fort.

The wearied oxen were therefore at once again yoked up, and we knew that
they would eagerly press on the moment they scented the water.

The Dominie and I, aided by my mother, lost no time in attending to the
wounded. My father insisted on waiting until Uncle Denis had been
looked to, while Dio and Dan gave their aid to the other wounded men.

We first sawed off the head of the arrow sticking in my uncle's
shoulder. This done, the shaft was extracted; and his other wounds
being bound up, we placed him in one of the waggons.

We had next to perform the same operation on my father, who bore the
pain without flinching. He then consented to lie down in the waggon,
when, the train being ready, we moved forward, led by the guide.

Soon after we had started, I saw Dio galloping off with a couple of skin
bottles over his saddle. My fear was that the Indians would discover
him, and cut him off, but he was quickly out of sight. In a wonderfully
short time he came galloping back again with both the bottles full.

His arrival was hailed with gratitude by the wounded men. The fresh
water he had brought greatly revived them. Even those who had not been
hurt were complaining bitterly of thirst. We could scarcely restrain
the eagerness of the cattle as they reached the water. The sergeant,
however, would not allow us to remain longer than was absolutely
necessary to enable the cattle to quench their thirst, stating that his
orders were to return as soon as possible to the fort. This indeed, for
the sake of my father and uncle and th