ert, who, at Vaughan's
request, had taken command. "Let not a shot be thrown away, nor a word
be spoken."

The Indians came on, again and again uttering those terrific whoops, but
no reply was made. They might have supposed that the house was
untenanted; still they advanced till they got within range of the
garrison's fire-arms.

"Go back whence you came, or advance at your peril," shouted Gilbert.

The Indians replied by a shower of arrows.

"Now fire, my lads," cried Gilbert, and all the men having collected on
one side, discharged a volley which brought well nigh a score of Indians
to the ground. The rest wavered, though they did not fly. Time was
thus afforded to the garrison to reload, and another volley almost as
destructive as the first was fired. Many sprang back and gazed around
with looks of astonishment, supposing that the defenders of the house
were twice as numerous as was the case. Still, urged on by their
chiefs, they discharged another flight of arrows, but, shot at random,
they caused no injury. Gilbert again ordered his men to fire, but the
Indians, as they looked round and saw so many of their tribe struck down
on the ground, were seized with a panic, and as the bullets again flew
among them, they turned and fled.

Some of the party proposed mounting their horses and following them up,
but Gilbert advised that they should retain their advantageous post, as
it was probable that the Indians would rally and return to the attack.
They had, however, received a lesson not easily forgotten, and where
they had expected to overcome a few unprepared people, they had met with
a determined resistance. Great reason had Gilbert to be thankful to
Oncagua for his timely warning. A vigilant watch was kept during the
night, but no enemy appeared.

The next morning one of their party volunteered to set off to the town,
and in a short time he came back with the intelligence that it had been
assailed by the enemy, who had been driven back with great slaughter.
James Town in the same way had been preserved; but in a few days sad
news came from the remote ones, where, before the messengers arrived the
Indians had begun to put into execution the sanguinary plan they had
conceived for the destruction of all the palefaces in the country, and
several hundreds were massacred. More ships arriving shortly afterwards
with fresh settlers, a fearful retribution overtook the Indians, and the
country which once they ca