e in a clear and
penetrating voice. "What does Simon Girty want with us?"

"I see you know me," said the renegade laughing. "Then you ought to
know, too, that it's worth while to listen to what I have to say."

Henry stood on a lower part of the ledge. Only his head appeared above
the palisade, and Girty and Wyatt had not yet noticed him. But Major
Braithwaite, almost unconsciously, looked down to him for advice.

"Draw him out as much as you can," said Henry.

"I am listening," said the Major. "Proceed."

"I want to tell you," called Girty, "that this place is surrounded by
hundreds of warriors. We've got the biggest force that was ever gathered
in the west, and it ain't possible for you to escape us."

A groan came from the palisade. It was some of the women who uttered it.
But the Major waved his hand in reproof, and no one cried out again.

"You have yet to prove what you say," he replied. "We beat you off last
night."

"That was only a little skirmish," said Girty. "We were just feeling of
you. See, here are a dozen great chiefs beside me, Shawnee, Miami,
Delaware, and others, which shows that we can send against you a
thousand warriors, two thousand, if we wish. But we mean to be merciful.
I'm a white man and the chiefs will listen to me. But if you don't do as
I say, nothing will be left of this place two days from now but ashes
and coals. All the men will be dead, and the women and children will be
carried away, the women to be squaws of our warriors, the children to
grow up as Indians, and never to know that they were white."

Faces along the barrier blanched. Major Braithwaite himself shuddered,
but he replied in a strong voice:

"And what is the alternative that you offer us?"

"We admit that we would lose lives in taking your fort, lives that we
wish to save. So we promise you that if you surrender, your women and
young children shall go safely up the Ohio on boats to Pittsburgh, the
men to be held for ransom."

"Don't think of accepting, Major!" exclaimed Henry. "Don't think of it,
even if they had ten thousand warriors! If you put your people in his
power, Girty would never dream of keeping his promise, and I doubt if
the chiefs understand what he is saying while he is speaking English!"

"Never fear that I shall do such a thing, my boy," said Major
Braithwaite. "Meekly surrender a place like this to a scoundrel like
Girty!"

Then he called out loudly:

"It may be that you can take us in