and with it the sense of safety. The bullets
of the savages had gone so wild and the darkness was so deep that their
shelter appeared to him truly as a fortress which no numbers of
besiegers could storm.

"Do you think they'll try floating down the stream on trees or logs
again, Tayoga?" he asked.

"No, the danger is too great," replied the Onondaga. "They know now that
we're watching."

An hour passed without any further sign from the foe. The rain decreased
somewhat in violence, but, as the wind rose, its rush and sweep made as
much sound as ever. Then the waiting was broken by scattering shots,
accompanied by detached war whoops, as if different bands were near.
From their shelter they watched the red dots that marked the discharges
from the rifles, but only one bullet came near them, and after chipping
a piece of stone over their heads it dropped harmlessly to the floor.

"That was the one chance out of a hundred," said Willet, "and now we're
safe from the next ninety-nine bullets."

"I trust the rule will work," said Robert.

"I wish you'd hold my left hand in a firm grip," said Willet.

"I will, but why?" returned the youth.

"If I get a chance I'm going to drag up some of that dead and floating
wood and lay it along the edge of the shelf. In the dark the savages
can't pick us off, but we'll need a barrier in the morning."

"You're right, Dave, of course. I'm sorry I didn't think of it myself."

"One of us thought of it, and that's enough. Hold my hand hard, Robert.
Don't let your grip slip."

By patient waiting and help from the others Willet was able to draw up
two logs of fair size, and some smaller pieces which they placed
carefully on the edge of the stone shelf. Lying flat behind them, they
would be almost hidden, and now they could await the coming of daylight
with more serenity.

A long time passed. The three ate strips of the deer meat, and Robert
even slept for a short while. He awoke to find a further decrease in the
rain, although the river was still rising, and Tayoga and Willet were of
the opinion that it would stop soon, a belief that was justified in an
hour. Robert soon afterward saw the clouds move away, and disclose a
strip of dark blue sky, into which the stars began to come one by one.

"The night will grow light soon," said Tayoga, "then it will darken
again for a little time before the coming of the day."

"And we've built our breastwork none too soon," said Willet. "There'l