distinguished above.

"Come hither!" exclaimed Boone in a whisper to Glenn.

"Do you see any of them?" inquired Glenn, joining his friend.

"Not yet--but we will see enough of them presently. The sounds in the
valleys are signals, and they will attack us on these sides. You may
abandon your watch on the east, and assist me here."

"And you may come and spell me," said Sneak to Joe.

"I must not desert my post," said Joe.

"If you stay there, you'll be dead sure to be shot!" replied Sneak.

"You don't think they're coming back, do you?" inquired Joe, gliding
swiftly to Sneak's side.

"They'll be on us in no time. Is your gun loaded?

"I declare I have forgotten whether I loaded it again or not!" said
Joe.

"You're, a purty feller, to watch with an empty gun, now ain't you?
Never mind blowing in her--run down a cartridge as quick as you kin;
it makes no odds how much you have in; a big noise will do as much
good as any thing else," said Sneak, hurriedly, evidently expecting to
see the savage enemy every moment, while Joe did his bidding,
asserting all the time that he believed his musket was already loaded,
and expressing a decided dislike to being kicked over every day from
overcharging.

As Boone predicted, but a very short time elapsed before a series of
startling and frightful yells were heard below, which were answered by
similar horrid sounds above. Joe first ran towards Boone and Glenn,
and then sprang back to his place at the side of Sneak, fully
convinced there were no means of retreat, and, being effectually
cornered, at length evinced an ardent desire to fire. When the yells
died away in the distance, a flight of arrows from the north south
poured upon the besieged party. Many of them pierced the outer side of
the palisade, while others, flying over, penetrated the opposite
timbers, and quivered above the heads of the men; and some rattled
against the top of the house, (the snow having melted from the roof,)
and fell harmless to the earth.

There having been no shot yet fired in the direction whence the arrows
came, (for such was the order of Boone,) the savages, emboldened by
the absence of any demonstrations of resistance, and thinking their
foes were shut up in the house, or killed by their numberless shafts,
charged upon the premises simultaneously from both sides, shooting
their arrows and yelling as they came. When they had approached within
a hundred paces of the inclosure, Boone and Snea