k fired with deadly
aim at the foremost of the party, and the next moment Glenn followed
the example, while Boone reloaded his gun.

"Now fire!" exclaimed Sneak, shaking Joe by the shoulder, having seen
the savages pause when one of their party uttered the death-howl and
fell.

"Here goes!" said Joe, pulling the trigger and falling over on his
back in the snow from the rebound, for the musket had been truly twice
charged.

"Split me if you didn't accidentally throw a handful of bullets among
their legs that crack!" said Sneak, observing the now discomfited and
retreating Indians, as they endeavoured to bear off their wounded, and
then firing on them again himself as they vanished down the valley.
The like result was witnessed above, and again in a very short time
there was not a savage to be seen.

"What's the matter? Why don't you get up?" asked Sneak turning to Joe,
who still remained prostrate on the ground.

"My mouth's bleeding--I don't know but I'm wounded. Didn't an arrow
come through the hole when I was shooting?" asked Joe, rising
partially up and spitting out a quantity of blood on the snow.

"It was nothing but the gun kicking you like it did in the bear hunt.
If it was an arrow you must have swallered it, for I don't see the
shaft. But maybe you did--you're sech a gormandizer," said Sneak.

"Hang it all, I don't believe I'm much hurt!" exclaimed Joe, jumping
up suddenly. "Get from before the hole!" he continued, ramming down a
cartridge hastily, and thrusting out the muzzle of his gun.

"Why don't you blaze away?" asked Sneak, laughing, observing that he
hesitated.

"Why, they're, all gone!" cried Joe, joyfully, "and it was my old
cannon that swept them off, too."

Once more silence pervaded the scene. Boone, after the repeated
solicitations of Mary, partook of another bountiful repast, and the
others in turn likewise refreshed themselves, and then resumed the
watch.

Nor was it long before the Osages were once more heard to howl like
fiends, and the sound had hardly ceased to vibrate through the air
before a singular and unexpected assault terrified the besieged party
for a moment. This was a shower of _blazing arrows_ coming from below,
(where all the savages now seemed to be collected,) which ignited the
palisade in many places where the snow had fallen off. But the fire
was easily extinguished, and all, with the exception of Boone, were
disposed to attach but little importance to any furth