will be most determined," said Henry.
"What do you think we ought to do, Mr. Boone?"

"Hit first, an' hit with all our might," said Boone with emphasis. "Mr.
Colfax is takin' ammunition to the east, but he's got to use some of it
here."

A happy thought occurred to Henry.

"They had cannon, which we sunk," he said, "and of course they've got a
lot of ammunition for these guns left. What if we should capture it? It
would more than make up for what he will have to expend."

"And why couldn't we raise them guns?" said Shif'less Sol. "It ain't
likely that the explosion tore 'em up much, jest sunk 'em, an' even ef
they wuz dented about a bit they could be fixed up all right."

"That is certainly worth thinkin' about," said Boone. "We must lay that
notion before Adam Colfax and Major Braithwaite. If the guns are raised
it ought to be done to-night."

They hurried toward the spot where they had left their canoe, but they
did not forget caution. Their message was too important for the
messengers to be caught by scouting Indian bands. They trod softly, and
stopped at frequent intervals to listen, hearing now and then the hoot
of owl or whine of wolf. They knew that the warriors were signaling to
one another, but they felt equally sure that these signals had no
reference to themselves, and they pressed steadily on until they came to
the river.

They found their canoe untouched, and rowed out into the middle of the
stream, where they stopped at Daniel Boone's command.

"You know just where them boats were when you sunk 'em?" he said to
Henry.

Henry pointed to a spot upon the water.

"It was within three feet of that place," he replied. "I'd stake
anything upon it."

"Then it'll 'pear strange to me if they don't belong to us before
mornin'," said Boone. "The fleet has all kinds of men, an' some of 'em
will know about raisin' things out of water. What do you say, Simon?"

"Why, that them cannon are just as good as ours already," replied Kenton
with energy.

Boone laughed softly.

"Always the same Simon," he said. "You see a thing that ought to be
done, an' to you it's as good as done. I don't know but that it's well
for a man to feel that way. It helps him over a heap of rough places."

The boat resumed the passage, and without interruption reached the
further shore, where they hid it again, and then entered the woods on
their way to the fort.

"All of us must talk mighty strong about this attack," said Boone.