s. This beats the old boy himself. It's a mercy they didn't
come all the way and shoot me in the eye!"

"Hush!" said Boone. "They must have heard something, or supposed they
did, or else your neglect would have been fatal to you ere this. They
are now waiting to ascertain whether they were mistaken or not. Move
not, and speak no more, until I order you."

"I won't," said Joe, still gazing at the erect dark forms.

"See how many there is--can't you count 'em?" said Sneak, in a
whisper, leaning against Joe, and slyly taking a cartridge from his
belt, slipped it in the muzzle of the musket which was standing
against the palisade.

"What're you doing with my gun?" asked Joe, in a very low tone, as he
happened to turn his head and see Sneak take his hand away from the
muzzle of the musket.

"Nothing--I was only feeling the size of the bore. It's big enough to
kick down a cow."

"What are you tittering about? you think it's a going to kick me
again, but you're mistaken--it ain't got two loads in this time."

"Didn't Mr. Boone jest tell you to keep quiet?" said Sneak.

"Don't you speak--then I won't," responded Joe.

The moon had not yet reached the meridian, and the dark shadow of the
house reaching to the palisade on the west, prevented the Indians from
observing the movements of the whites through the many slight
apertures in the inclosure, but through which the besieged party could
easily observe them.

After a long pause, during which neither party had uttered a word or
betrayed animation by the least movement, Glenn felt the weight of a
hand laid gently on his shoulder, and turning beheld Mary at his side.
Without a motion of the lips, she placed in his hand some bullets she
had moulded, and then passing on to the other men, gave each a like
quantity.

"Retire, now, my lass," said Boone; and when she returned to the
house, he continued, addressing Glenn--"If they do not move one way or
the other very soon, we will give them a broadside where they are."

"And we could do execution at this distance," observed Glenn.

"I'd be dead sure to kill one, I know I would," said Sneak.

"Let me see if I could take aim," said Joe, deliberately pointing his
musket through the loophole. The musket had inadvertently been cocked,
and left in that condition, and no sooner did Joe's finger gently
press upon the trigger, than it went off, making an astounding report,
and veiling the whole party in an immense cloud of smoke.