cease until he
had filled his cap with it. Then he cut off large splinters, until
he had accumulated a great number, and after that he gathered smaller
pieces of half-burned pine.

He was fully two hours doing this work, and the night advanced far, but
he never faltered. His head was bare, but he was protected from the
wind by a fragment of the outhouse wall. Every two or three minutes he
stopped and listened for the sound of a creaking, sliding footstep on
the snow, but, never hearing any, he always resumed his work with the
same concentration. All the while the wind rose and moaned through the
ruins of the little village. When Henry chanced to raise his head above
the sheltering wall, it was like the slash of a knife across his cheek.

Finally he took half of the pine dust in his cap and a lot of the
splinters under his arm, and stole back to the house from which the
light had shone. He looked again through the crevice at the window. The
light had died down much more, and both Wyatt and Coleman were asleep on
the floor. But several of the Iroquois were awake, although they sat as
silent and motionless as stones against the wall.

Henry moved from the window and selected a sheltered spot beside the
plank wall. There he put the pine dust in a little heap on the snow
and covered it over with pine splinters, on top of which he put larger
pieces of pine. Then he went back for the remainder of the pine dust,
and built a similar pyramid against a sheltered side of the second
house.

The most delicate part of his task had now come, one that good fortune
only could aid him in achieving, but the brave youth, his heart aflame
with righteous anger against those inside, still pursued the work. His
heart throbbed, but hand and eye were steady.

Now came the kindly stroke of fortune for which he had hoped. The wind
rose much higher and roared harder against the house. It would prevent
the Iroquois within, keen of ear as they were, from hearing a light
sound without. Then he drew forth his flint and steel and struck them
together with a hand so strong and swift that sparks quickly leaped
forth and set fire to the pine tinder. Henry paused only long enough to
see the flame spread to the splinters, and then he ran rapidly to the
other house, where the task was repeated-he intended that his job should
be thorough.

Pursuing this resolve to make his task complete, he came back to the
first house and looked at his fire. It had alre