hingles. Against such an accident, however,
we prepared ourselves by carrying water to the upper rooms, and we could
at any time, if it became necessary, open holes in the roof, for we
greater facility of extinguishing the fire. In the meantime we covered
it with a coat of clay in the parts which were most exposed.

We were now ten men, seven of us armed with firearms and pretty certain
of our aim: we had also sixteen women and nine children, boys and girls,
to whom various posts were assigned, in case of a night attack. The six
warriors who had gone to the settlement for firearms would return in a
short time, and till then we had nothing to do but to be cautious, to
wait for the enemy, and even bear their first attack without using our
firearms, that they might not suspect our strength inside. One of the
old men, a cunning fellow, who had served his time as a. brave warrior,
hit upon a plan which we followed. He proposed that another man should
accompany him to the neighbourhood of the place where the canoes had
been concealed, and keep up the fires, so that the smoke should lull all
suspicion. The Umbiquas, on their arrival before the post, would
indubitably send one of their men to call the canoe-keepers; this one
they would endeavour to take alive, and bring him to the post. One of
the canoes was consequently launched in the river, and late in the
evening the two Indians, well armed with fusils, started on this
expedition.

CHAPTER VIII.

The Umbiquas came at last; their want of precaution showed their
certainty of success. At all events, they did not suspect there were any
firearms in the block-house, for they halted within fifty yards from
the eastern tower, and it required more than persuasion to prevent Roche
from firing. The horses were not with them, but before long we saw the
animals on the other side of the river, in a little open prairie, under
the care of two of their party, who had swam them over, two or three
miles above, for the double purpose of having them at hand in case of
emergency, and of giving them the advantage of better grazing than they
could possibly find on our side. This was an event which we had not
reckoned upon, yet, after all, it proved to be a great advantage to us.

The savages, making a very close inspection of the outer buildings, soon
became convinced of the utter impossibility of attacking the place by
any ordinary means. They shot some arrows, and once fired with a fu