my. The wild uproar
which had lately reigned suddenly ceased; not a sound was heard--even if
any of the wounded Indians lived, they did not give vent to their
sufferings by uttering a single groan; and, as far as the garrison could
discover, the whole body of their foes had retreated to a distance. The
young leaders of the English, aware of the cunning of the Indians, were
not to be deceived; every man continued at his post, watching all sides
of the hill beneath them on which the attack had been made, as well as
the others round which the river flowed. Gilbert and Fenton had gone to
a rock overhanging the stream, a few bushes growing amid the crevices of
which afforded them shelter. Thence they could look down into the dark
water almost directly below them. Their muskets rested on the rock, so
as to command the passage; the only sound heard was the occasional cry
of some night-bird, which came from the neighbouring forest. Harry
Rolfe, Vaughan, and Roger continued moving round the hill, to be sure
that the sentries were keeping a vigilant watch. They knew that the
enemy they had to deal with was not to be despised. Although there was
no moon, the stars shone down from a cloudless sky, casting a faint
light over the plain. Two hours had gone by; the third was drawing on;
Gilbert and Fenton occasionally exchanged a few words in a low whisper,
to assist in keeping each other awake. At length Gilbert was looking
out directly ahead of him, when he caught sight, amid the tall grass, of
an object slowly approaching. It seemed at that distance like a huge
serpent making its way towards the river; now it stopped, and the grass
almost hid it from view; now it advanced, getting nearer and nearer the
river. Gilbert, afraid to speak, touched Fenton's arm, and pointed it
out to him.

"Is it a panther?" asked Fenton.

"No," answered Gilbert; "that is the head of a band of Indians; I can
trace them following one after the other. Wait till their leader
reaches the bank; I will aim at him, and you take the second. Their
intention is to swim across and attack us unawares; if they persevere,
we will raise a shout which will quickly bring our comrades to oppose
them."

Whether or not Gilbert's voice reached the keen ears of the Indians it
was difficult to say. The dark line remained perfectly quiet, and he
almost fancied that he must have been mistaken. At length, however, it
again moved on, and he could distinguish the