ammunition."

Solomon found John Irons and five of his sons and three of his
daughters digging potatoes and pulling tops in a field near the house.
The sky was clear and the sun shining warm. Solomon called Irons aside
and told him of the approaching Indians.

"What are we to do?" Irons asked.

"Send the women an' the babies back to the sugar shanty," said Solomon.
"We'll stay here 'cause if we run erway the Boneses'll git their ha'r
lifted. I reckon we kin conquer 'em."

"How?"

"Shoot 'em full o' meat. They must 'a' traveled all night. Them
Injuns is tired an' hungry. Been three days on the trail. No time to
hunt! I'll hustle some wood together an' start a fire. You bring a
pair o' steers right here handy. We'll rip their hides off an' git the
reek o' vittles in the air soon as God'll let us."

"My wife can use a gun as well as I can and I'm afraid she won't go,"
said Irons.

"All right, let her hide somewhar nigh with the guns," said Solomon.
"The oldest gal kin go back with the young 'uns. Don't want no skirts
in sight when they git here."

Mrs. Irons hid in the shed with the loaded guns.

Ruth Irons and the children set out for the sugar bush. The steers
were quickly led up and slaughtered. As a hide ripper, Solomon was a
man of experience. The loins of one animal were cooking on turnspits
and a big pot of beef, onions and potatoes boiling over the fire when
Jack arrived with the Bones family.

"It smells good here," said Jack.

"Ayes! The air be gittin' the right scent on it," said Solomon, as he
was ripping the hide off the other steer. "I reckon it'll start the
sap in their mouths. You roll out the rum bar'l an' stave it in. Mis'
Bones knows how to shoot. Put her in the shed with yer mother an' the
guns, an' take her young 'uns to the sugar shanty 'cept Isr'el who's
big 'nough to help."

A little later Solomon left the fire. Both his eye and his ear had
caught "sign"--a clamor among the moose birds in the distant bush and a
flock of pigeons flying from the west.

"Don't none o' ye stir till I come back," he said, as he turned into
the trail. A few rods away he lay down with his ear to the ground and
could distinctly hear the tramp of many feet approaching in the
distance. He went on a little farther and presently concealed himself
in the bushes close to the trail. He had not long to wait, for soon a
red scout came on ahead of the party. He was a young Huron brave, his
fac