ewood."

"And if they do fire the cabin, what shall we do? I never thought of
that."

"We must remain in it as long as we can, and then sally out and fight
to the last; but every thing depends on circumstances. Be guided by
me, and I will save you if I can."

"Be guided by you!"

"Yes! Recollect I am not in chains now, and that although you have all
the courage of a man, still you have not been so accustomed to warfare
as I have been. I have long been accustomed to command, to plan, and
to execute, in times of peril like this."

"You have great strength and courage; I little thought what a lion I
had chained up," replied she. "Well, I love you all the better for it,
and I will be guided by you, for I perceive already that you have the
best head of the two. Hark! What is that?"

"It is what I said," replied I; "they are laying firewood against the
logs of the cabin on the windward side--(this was on the side
opposite to the door). Now we must try if we cannot pick off some more
of them," said I, rising and taking a musket. "Bring the stools over
to this side, for we must fire from the upper loop-holes."

We remained at our posts for some time without seeing an Indian. They
had gone back to the wood for more combustibles. At last we perceived
them coming back with the wood. I should imagine there were at least
twenty of them.

"Now, take good aim," said I.

We both fired almost at the same moment, and three Indians fell.

"Get down, and give me another musket," said I to my mistress.

She handed me one, and, taking another for herself, resumed her
station. We fired several times; sometimes with and sometimes without
success; for the Indians went away twice for firewood before they had
collected what they considered sufficient. By this time it was piled
up to the eaves of the cabin, and our loop-holes were shut up; we
therefore went over to the other side, where the door was, to see if
there were any Indians there, but could not see one. We had been on
the look-out for about five minutes, when the crackling of the wood,
and the smoke forcing itself through the crevices between the logs,
told us that the fire had been applied, and the wind soon fanned it up
so that the flame poured through every chink and loop-hole, and
lighted up the cabin.

"We must retreat to the fire-place," said I. "Come quickly, or we
shall be shot."

"Why so?" said she, as she did as I requested.

"They will peep through the loop-h