the work of our hands with much satisfaction. Asa was the only one who
seemed cast down.

"I've a notion," said he, "this blockhouse will be a bloody one before
long; and what's more, I guess it will be the blood of one of us that'll
redden it. I've a sort of feelin' of it, and of who it'll be."

"Pho! Asa, what notions be these! Keep a light heart, man."

And Asa seemed to cheer up again, and the next day we returned to
working in the fields; but as we were not using the horses, one of us
went every morning to patrol ten or twelve miles backwards and forwards,
just for precaution's sake. At night two of us kept watch, relieving one
another, and patrolling about the neighbourhood of our clearing.

One morning we were working in the bush and circling trees, when
Righteous rode up full gallop.

"They're coming!" cried he; "a hundred of them at least."

"Are they far off?" said Asa, quite quietly, and as if he had been
talking of a herd of deer.

"They are coming over the prairie. In less than half an hour they will
be here."

"How are they marching? With van and rear guard? In what order?"

"No order at all, but all of a heap together."

"Good!" said Asa; "they can know little about bush-fighting or
soldiering of any kind. Now then, the women into the blockhouse."

Righteous galloped up to our fort, to be there first in case the enemy
should find it out. The women soon followed, carrying what they could
with them. When we were all in the blockhouse, we pulled up the ladder,
made the gate fast, and there we were.

We felt strange at first when we found ourselves shut up inside the
palisades, and only able to look out through the slits we had left for
our rifles. We weren't used to be confined in a place, and it made us
right-down wolfish. There we remained, however, as still as mice. Scarce
a whisper was to be heard. Rachel tore up old shirts and greased them,
for wadding for the guns; we changed our flints, and fixed every thing
about the rifles properly, while the women sharpened our knives and axes
all in silence.

Nearly an hour had passed in this way when we heard a shouting and
screaming, and a few musket-shots; and we saw through our loopholes some
Spanish soldiers running backwards and forwards on the crest of the
slope on which our houses stood. Suddenly a great pillar of smoke arose,
then a second, then a third.

"God be good to us!" cried Rachel, "they are burning our houses." We
were all tremb