were closed and fastened, the
water-supply augmented, and at last the captain turned to the pale-faced
women who had been helping with all their strength, and said:

"There, we need not fear blacks a hundred strong. All we have to do now
is to come in, shut and bar the door, roll two or three of the casks
against it, and laugh at them."

"But I don't feel happy about my kitchen," said Aunt Georgie.

"No: that is our weakest place," said the captain; "but I'll soon set
that right.--See anything of them, boys?" he cried to the sentries.

"No, not a sign."

"Metancoly black fellow all along a trees," said Shanter, jumping up,
for he had finished his damper.

"Can you see them?" cried the captain.

"Baal see black fellow. Plenty hide."

He illustrated his meaning by darting behind a barrel and peering at the
captain, so that only one eye was visible.

"Yes, I see," cried the captain. "Get up.--Now, good folks, some
dinner. I'm hungry. Cheer up. We can beat them off if they attack,
which I hope they will not."

"So do I," said Norman in a whisper to Rifle; "but if they do come, we
must fight."

"Yes," said Rifle; "but they will not come fair. I'm afraid they'll try
to take us by surprise."

"Let 'em," said Tim, scornfully. "If they do, we must try and surprise
them."

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE.

"THINK YOU CAN HIT A BLACK?"

A long anxious afternoon of watching, but the blacks made no sign, and
upon Shanter being referred to, he replied coolly: "Plenty come along
when piggi jump down, all no see."

Tim shuddered at the black's coolness.

"Make shoot bang. Black fellow run along holler--ow!"

"He doesn't seem to mind a bit," whispered Tim.

"Don't know the danger, I suppose," said Norman. "I say, boys, how long
could we hold out?"

"Always," said Rifle. "Or till we had eaten all the cattle."

"If the blacks don't spear them and drive them away."

As the afternoon wore on the conversation grew less frequent, and all
waited, wondering whether the blacks would attack them or try to drive
off the cattle. Guns were laid ready; ammunition was to hand, and the
captain seemed to have quite thrown aside his suspicions of the black,
who, on his side, had apparently forgotten the cut across his shoulder,
though a great weal was plainly to be seen.

In spite of bad appetites there had been two meals prepared.

"Men can't fight on nothing, wife," the captain said; and then seeing
the frightened loo