t yet. The Indians were too wary to batter themselves to
pieces against the palisade, and the Frenchmen with them, skilled in
forest war, would hold them back.

"Perhaps they've gone away, realizing that we're too strong for 'em,"
said Wilton.

"That's just what we must guard against," said Robert. "The Indian
fights with trick and stratagem. He always has more time than the
white man, and he is wholly willing to wait. They want us to think
they've left, and then they'll cut off the incautious."

The afternoon wore on, and the silence which had grown oppressive
persisted. A light pleasant wind blew through the forest, which was
now dry, and the dead bark and wintry branches rustled. To many of the
youths it became a forest of gloom and threat, and they asked
impatiently why the warriors did not come out and show themselves like
men. Certainly, it did not become Frenchmen, if they were there to
lurk in the woods and seek ambush.

Willet was the pervading spirit of the defense. Deft in word and
action, acknowledging at all times that Colden was the commander, thus
saving the young Philadelphian's pride in the presence of his men, he
contrived in an unobtrusive way to direct everything. The guards were
placed at suitable intervals about the palisade, and were instructed
to fire at anything suspicious, the others were compelled to stay in
the blockhouse and take their ease, in order that their nerves might
be steady and true, when the time for battle came. The cooks were also
instructed to prepare an unusually bountiful supper for them.

Robert was Willet's right hand. Next to the hunter he knew most about
the wilderness, and the ways of its red people. There was no
possibility that the Indians had gone. Even if they did not undertake
to storm the fort they would linger near it, in the hope of cutting
off men who came forth incautiously, and at night, especially if it
happened to be dark, they would be sure to come very close.

The palisade was about eight feet high, and the men stood on a
horizontal plank three feet from the ground, leaving only the head to
project above the shelter, and Willet warned them to be exceedingly
careful when the twilight came, since the besiegers would undoubtedly
use the darkness as a cover for sharp-shooting. Then both he and
Robert looked anxiously at the sun, which was just setting behind the
black waste.

"The night will be dark," said the hunter, "and that's bad. I'm afraid
some