"Who did that?" cried Boone, stamping with vexation.

"Was that you, Joe?" demanded Glenn.

Joe made no answer.

"Oh, dod! my mouth's smashed all to pieces!" said Sneak, crawling up
from a prostrate position, caused by the rebound of the musket, for he
was looking over Joe's shoulder when the gun went off.

"Where's Joe?" inquired Glenn, pushing Sneak aside.

"He's dead, I guess--I believe the gun's busted," said Sneak.

"Now, sir! why did you fire?" cried Glenn, somewhat passionately,
stumbling against Joe, and seizing him by the collar. No answer was
made, for poor Joe's neck was limber enough, and he quite insensible.

"He's dead in yearnest, jest as I told you," said Sneak; "for that gun
kicked him on the shoulder hard enough to kill a cow--and the hind
side of his head struck my tooth hard enough to've kilt a horse. He's
broke one of my upper fore-teeth smack in two."

"Every man to his post!" exclaimed Boone, as a shower of arrows
rattled about the premises.

Sneak now occupied Joe's station, and the first glance in the
direction of the savages sufficed to determine him how to act. Perhaps
no one ever discharged a rifle more rapidly than he did. And a brisk
and well-directed fire was kept up for some length of time, likewise,
by the rest of the besieged.

It was, perhaps, a fortunate thing that Joe _did_ fire without orders,
and without any intention of doing so himself. It seemed that the
savages had been meditating a desperate rush upon the fort,
notwithstanding Boone's prediction; for no sooner did Joe fire, than
they hastily retreated a short distance, scattering in every
direction, and, without a moment's consultation, again appeared,
advancing rapidly from every quarter. It was evident that this plan
had been preconcerted among them; and had all fired, instead of Joe
only, they might easily have scaled the palisade before the guns could
have been reloaded. Neither had the besiegers been aware of the
strength of the garrison. But they were soon made to understand that
they had more than Glenn and his man to contend against. The
discharges followed in such quick succession that they paused, when
but a moment more would have placed them within the inclosure. But
several of them being wounded, and Boone and Glenn still doing
execution with their pistols, the discomfited enemy made a precipitate
retreat. An occasional flight of arrows continued to assail the
besieged, but they came from a great di