especially as there was plenty to gain by success, and little to lose by
defeat.

I have said that our Coila Villa was some distance from the fortified
Moncrieff houses. It was now connected with the general rampart and
ditches. It was part and parcel of the whole system of fortification; so
my brothers and I might rest assured it would be defended, if ever there
was any occasion.

'It seems hard,' said Townley to Moncrieff one day, 'that you should be
put to so much trouble and expense. Why does not the Government protect
its settlers?'

'The Government will in course of time,' replied Moncrieff. 'At present,
as we lie pretty low down in the western map, we are looked upon as rich
pioneers, and left to protect ourselves.'

They were riding then round the _estancias_, visiting outlying _puestos_.

'You have your rockets and red-lights for night signals, and your flags
for day use?' Moncrieff was saying to each _puestero_ or shepherd.

'We have,' was the invariable reply.

'Well, if the Indians are sighted, signal at once, pointing the fan in
their direction, then proceed to drive the flocks towards the _estancias_.
There,' continued Moncrieff, 'there is plenty of corraling room, and we
can concentrate a fire that will, I believe, effectually hold back these
raiding thieves.'

One day there came a report that a fort had been carried by a cloud of
Indians.

This was in the forenoon. Towards evening some Gauchos came in from a
distant _estancia_. They brought the old ugly story of conflagration and
murder, to which Moncrieff and his Welsh partner had long since become
used.

But now the cloud was about to burst over our _estancia_. We all ate our
meals together at the present awful crisis, just, I think, to be company
to each other, and to talk and keep up each other's heart.

But to-day Moncrieff had ordered an early dinner, and this was ominous.
Hardly any one spoke much during the meal. A heaviness was on every heart,
and if any one of us made an effort to smile and look cheerful, others saw
that this was only assumed, and scarcely responded.

Perhaps old Jenny spoke more than all of us put together. And her remarks
at times made us laugh, gloomy though the situation was.

'They reeving Philistines are coming again, are they? Well, laddie, if the
worst should happen I'll just treat them to a drap parridge.'

'What, mither?'

'A drap parridge, laddie. It was boiled maize I poured ower the shoulders
o