ooking every moment to see
their blue heads bobbing about among the underbrush, when I heard a sharp
fusilade of shots ahead.

"Somebody 's found 'em!" I cried. "Come on. Perhaps we can get some yet."

We tore through a bit of marshy ground, up a slight hill, and came
suddenly to the edge of a little clearing. One glance into it sent me
headlong behind a bush, and I tripped up Spiltdorph beside me.

"Good God, man!" he cried, but I had my hand over his mouth before he
could say more.

"Be still," I whispered "an you value your life. Look over there."

He peered around the bush and saw what I had seen, a dozen Indians in
full war paint busily engaged in setting fire to a log cabin which stood
in the middle of the clearing. They were going about the task in unwonted
silence, doubtless because of the nearness of our troops, and a half
dozen bodies, two of women and four of children, scattered on the ground
before the door, showed how completely they had done their work. Even as
we looked, two of them picked up the body of one of the women and threw
it into the burning house.

"The devils!" groaned Spiltdorph. "Oh, the devils!" and I felt my own
blood boiling in my veins.

"Come, we must do something!" I said. "We can kill two of them and reload
and kill two more before they can reach us. They will not dare pursue us
far toward the camp, and may even run at the first fire."

"Good!" said Spiltdorph, between his teeth. "Pick your man;" but before I
could reply he had jerked his musket to his shoulder with a cry of rage
and fired. An Indian had picked up one of the children, which must have
been only wounded, since it was crying lustily, and was just about to
pitch it on the fire, when Spiltdorph's bullet caught him full in the
breast. He threw up his hands and fell like a log, the child under him.
Quick as a flash, I fired and brought down another. For an instant the
Indians stood dazed at the suddenness of the attack, and then with a yell
they broke for the other side of the clearing. Spiltdorph would have
started down toward the house, but I held him back.

"Not yet," I said. "They will stop so soon as they get to cover.
Wait a bit."

We waited for half an hour, watching the smoke curling over the house,
and then, judging that the Indians had made off for fear of being
ambushed, we crossed the clearing. It took but a glance to read the
story. The women had been washing by the little brook before the cabin,
with