n attack, but Wyatt was eager for it.

"I was at Wyoming," said the younger renegade with a vicious snap of his
teeth, "and it was the rush there that did it. We enveloped them on both
front and flank and rushed in with such force that we beat them down in
a few minutes. Nor did many have a chance to escape."

"But they were mostly old men and boys," said Blackstaffe, "and they had
little experience in fighting the tribes. Clark has a bigger force here,
and they are all borderers. You know how these Kentuckians can use the
rifle."

Wyatt made a reply, but Henry could not hear it as the two renegades and
the warriors passed on in the underbrush. But he did hear the click of a
gun lock and he quickly pushed down the hand of Shif'less Sol.

"Not now! not now, Sol!" he whispered. "Wyatt and Blackstaffe deserve
death many times over, but if you fire they'd all be on us in a whoop,
and then we'd be of no further use."

"You're right, Henry," said the shiftless one, "but my blood was mighty
hot for a minute."

The band disappeared, turning off toward the south, and the five,
feeling that they had now gone far enough, returned to the camp. On the
way they met Boone and the remainder of the scouts. Henry told what they
had seen and heard and the great frontiersman agreed with them that the
attack was at hand.

"You saw the war paint of four nations," he said, "an' that proves that
a great force is here. I tell you I wish I knew about Logan, an' the
men that are comin' down the Lickin'."

It was now nearly midnight and they found Colonel Clark sitting under a
tree at the eastern edge of the camp. He listened with the greatest
attention to every detail that they could give him, and then his jaw
seemed to stiffen.

"You have done well, lads," he said. "There is nothing more dangerous
than the calling of a scout in the Indian wars, but not one of you has
ever shirked it. You have warned us and now we are willing for
Timmendiquas and Girty to attack whenever they choose."

Many of the men were asleep, but Clark did not awaken them. He knew
fully the value of rest, and they were borderers who would spring to
their feet at the first alarm, alive in every sense and muscle. But at
least a third of his force was on guard. No attack was feared on the
water. Nevertheless many of the men were there with the boats. It was,
however, the semicircle through the forest about the camp that was made
thick and strong. Throughout its whol