"Them two shots that hit in the water close to us wuz fired at you,
wuzn't they?" asked Thrale.

"Yes, they were aimed at us," replied Henry, "and so was the little
volley on the bank, which you must have heard. As you probably know,
there's a fort and settlement not many miles on called Fort Prescott.
We've warned it, and the garrison has also beaten off all attacks. But
all the allied tribes of the north are here, and they expect to catch
you, the fort, and everything else, in their net. They are led by all
their great chiefs, but Timmendiquas, the White Lightning of the
Wyandots, is the soul of the attack. We have seen his vigilance in our
effort to reach the river. We were discovered, fired upon by a party,
although their bullets missed us in the dark, and then we had to swim
for it."

"You must have dry clothing at once," said Adam Colfax.

"We won't mind changin'," said Shif'less Sol, "an' we'd like to dry our
rifles an' have 'em reloaded ez soon ez you kin."

"We'll have that done for you," said Adam Colfax, looking at them with
admiration.

They resigned their weapons to his men, although they had succeeded in
keeping their powder dry in tightly closed horns. Adam Colfax then led
the way to his cabin, where dry clothing was brought them, and food and
drink were given. Then Henry told to the little, but deeply interested,
company the tale of their wanderings and adventures.

"It certainly seems as if Providence were watching over you," said the
devout New Englander.

"We have sometimes thought so ourselves," said Paul with the utmost
sincerity.

"This Timmendiquas, as you describe him, is a most formidable chief,"
said Adam Colfax, pondering, "and the renegade, Girty, too, is a very
dangerous man. As I see that we shall have to fight them, I would spare
this fleet further loss if I could."

"We will have to fight," said Drouillard, "eef not to-night, then
to-morrow, and eef not to-morrow, then next week."

"I think he tells a fact, sir," said Henry to Adam Colfax. "But we can
rely upon the fort making a powerful defense. Major Braithwaite is a
brave and active man, and we must not forget, sir, that Daniel Boone and
Simon Kenton are somewhere near in the woods. If they have gathered
their forces, we can gather ours, too."

"That is so," said Adam Colfax, as the council and the five returned to
the deck of the _Independence_. The council might have been depressed,
but the five were not. Warm food and