n had reached the roof. Almost at the same instant, the main
body of the savages advanced at a run, some of them carrying a heavy
log, the others holding boards in front of them. We sent a dozen bullets
among them before they reached the door, but they came on without
faltering. One man, very tall and clad in a suit of fringed buckskin, ran
in front and urged them on. I fired at him twice, but he came on as
before, and I knew that I had wasted the bullets.

Up the steps they came, yelling like devils fresh from hell, and brought
the log crashing against the door, while others thrust their muskets
through the loopholes and fired into the hallway. One of the negroes sank
down without a groan, the blood spurting from his neck, and another
dropped his gun with a yell, and, clapping his hands to his face, ran
shrieking down the hall.

Again the log thundered against the door, one of the bars sprung loose,
and half a dozen shots were fired into the hallway. I saw that the door
could hold but a moment longer, and shouting to the negroes to fall
back, I retreated to the stair, grabbing up a hanger as I passed the
place where we had piled the arms. Running back again, I caught up a
bag of powder and another of ball, so that we might not be utterly
without ammunition, and with these sped up the stair, pushing the women
before me.

We were not an instant too soon, for the door crashed down at the next
blow, and the savages poured over the threshold. They paused a moment to
see what had become of us, and this gave us opportunity to pour a volley
into them. Then on they came, the man in buckskin still leading them. As
they reached the foot of the stair, I took steady aim at him with my
pistol and pulled the trigger. But he seemed to have some intuition of
his danger, for he stooped suddenly, and it was the man behind him who
threw up his hands, sprang into the air, and fell backward. They faltered
only for an instant, and then swarmed up the steps, their greased faces
gleaming in the powder flashes. I thought it as good as ended, and
throwing down my musket, caught up my hanger for a final stand, when
something was thrown past me and bounded down the stair. It swept half
the Indians off their feet and carried them down before it, and the
others, not knowing what had happened, turned and ran down after them.
Nor, indeed, did I know until afterward, when I learned that Brightson,
coming down from the roof and taking in our peril at