g.

Again and again its walls caught fire, but each blaze was extinguished
by the activity of the garrison as soon as discovered.

Fire-arrows, shot into the air, fell on the dry shingles of the roof,
and hardly a minute passed that a tiny blaze did not spring from one
part or another of it. The roof could be gained from the interior,
through an opening protected on two sides by a barricade of plank, and
here Donald was stationed, at his own request.

From this elevated position he soon discovered a new danger, and one
that he had never before heard of in Indian warfare. He could see
quantities of earth and stones being thrown out behind one of the
breastworks, and became convinced that the enemy were excavating a
subterranean passage, or mine, toward the blockhouse. So well did the
young soldier realize the terrible menace of this new danger, against
which no defence could be made, that he dared not announce it to the
troops for fear of disheartening them. So, deserting his post for a
moment, he hastened to report it in person to Christie.

Ere the latter had time to consider this peril, another equally grave
and more imminent confronted him. The water barrels were nearly empty,
and the roof was again on fire. Donald rushed back to his post, while
Christie ordered two men to follow him to the lower story. He knew
that without water all hope of resistance must quickly disappear.
Certain death awaited him who should attempt to reach the well in the
parade ground. There was no other.

"So," said Christie, with a calm cheerfulness, "we must needs dig one
nearer at hand." With this, he and his two men set to work tearing up
the floor of the lower story, and, seizing a spade, the commander
himself began flinging out the earth beneath it.

Inspired by this example, his men worked with a will at this cheerless
task, and in spite of darkness, heat, thirst, and the suffocating
atmosphere, never was a well sunk more quickly. At the same time it
was not half completed when so serious a fire broke out on the roof
that the entire remaining stock of water was exhausted in extinguishing
it.

An hour later the roof was again in a blaze; but Donald caused himself
to be lowered by a rope, and amid a shower of bullets tore away the
flaming shingles with his bare hands. Thus was the danger once more
averted.

By this time the day was well spent. Several of the garrison had been
killed, and a number were wounded. Thes