e on board the _Rainbow_, and to sail away immediately.
He quickly returned on shore, and I hastened to inform the Governor of
what I had heard. Your messenger will, I trust, induce him to take more
determined measures for defending the town than he might otherwise have
thought necessary."

Captain Fenton's arrival was of great assistance to Gilbert in winning
his fellow-townsmen to a sense of their danger. The chief magistrate
immediately sent round and summoned all the adult population of the
place to meet him without delay. Letters were then despatched to James
Town and in other directions with the request that those who received
them would send on the warning to places further off. Gilbert then
asked for volunteers to accompany him to the assistance of his brother.
Four only appeared,--indeed, the magistrate afforded no encouragement
for the men to go, wishing to keep them for the defence of the place.
Gilbert was in despair, when a grey-headed old man on a rough pony,
armed with a big gun, a cutlass, and a huge pair of pistols, came
clattering up to the council-house.

"What!" he exclaimed, when he heard Gilbert's last appeal; "are none of
you ready to go and help the daughter and son-in-law of my old
commander, Captain Amyas Layton? And from what I hear, they and their
young children will be put to death unless a dozen or more true men are
ready to fight in their defence. You all know me, Ben Tarbox,--some of
you knew my old captain, and have sailed with him, too,--I don't want to
weaken the defence of the town, but I ask for just a few stout hands who
will defend Master Audley's house; and when the Indians find that we can
keep them at bay, as I am sure we shall, they'll not think it worth
while to come and attack the town."

Ben's appeal was responded to by even more men than he required. He
chose eight, which, with the four who had before volunteered, himself,
Gilbert, and Oliver, made fifteen, all well armed. As they expected to
find four men at least with Audley, they would muster twenty--a number
sufficient, inside a log-built house, to withstand a whole host of
Indians.

A considerable portion of the night was spent before they were all ready
to set out. Gilbert found Virginia and Oliver ready to mount, and
without loss of time they commenced their journey. Those on foot were
hardy, active men, who could almost keep pace with their horses for the
distance they had to go. Gilbert was vexed at