We can't do
anything more here!"

"Ay, the inclosure is taken!" shouted Captain Rudstone. "Back to the
house! Keep your faces to the foe, and make every shot tell!"

Menzies called out a similar order, seeing that any delay would imperil
our last chance, and those of us who were left slowly began the retreat.
We drew off into the narrow passage, with high banks of snow on either
side, that led to the factor's house. The yelling redskins pressed after
us, and for several moments, by a cool and steady fire, we prevented
them from coming to close quarters again.

We kept firing and loading while we moved backward, and as it was next
to impossible to miss, the Indians seemed disheartened by the heavy
damage we inflicted on them. For ourselves, we lost three men in a brief
time, and we would have lost more but for the shelter of the
outbuildings, round some of which the path turned.

When we were halfway to the house, and had passed the quarters, we were
joined by the sentries from the southwest tower. But now the savages
plucked up courage, and made a rush that brought them within six yards
of us. We stood at bay, and delivered a straggling fire. The Indians
returned it as they pushed on doggedly. A voyageur fell at my side, and
another dropped in front of me. There was a sudden cry that the priest
was shot, and glancing to the right, I saw Father Cleary reel down in
the snow and lie motionless.

"We must run for it!" shouted Captain Rudstone. "Make a dash for the
house, men!"

"For God's sake, no!" I yelled hoarsely. "If we turn now we will be
overtaken and butchered! Hold firm!"

Just then, when the situation was most critical, an unexpected thing
gave us the opportunity we so sorely needed. In the retreat we had
dragged one of the howitzers along with us, and we had forgotten until
now that it was loaded. In a trice we put it in position and touched it
off.

Crash! The heavy charge ploughed into the huddled mass of savages. To
judge from the agonized shrieks that followed the loss of life must have
been terrible, but we could see nothing for the dense cloud of smoke
that hung between us.

"To the house!" cried Menzies.

"Quick--for your lives!" I shouted.

With that we turned our backs and made off, dashing along in some
disorder and leaving the howitzer behind. We half expected to be
overtaken, but by the time the Indians had recovered from their check
and pushed on, the house was before us.

We stagger