e is so much to be done,
Captain," he protested.

"Now look here, lad," said the old sailor, "say those fellows have got
their boat finished and start for that island we left this morning, it
will take them quite a while to get there and I expect they will look
it over a bit before following us. Take the time spent there and the
time it will take them to reach here, an' I reckon it will be late in
the afternoon before we see anything of them."

"It won't do to take any chances, Captain. We had ought to be ready
now."

"Go ahead and say what you want done and we will do it while you
sleep," said the captain. "But if you persist in getting up, I'll be
hanged if I'll do a stroke of work, outlaws or no outlaws."

"Me neither," chimed in Chris.

"Better go to sleep, Charley," advised his chum. "I am going to get a
nap, myself. I know I'll be able to work better for it."

Charley gave in with an unwilling sigh. "All right, I suppose I'll
have to do as you all say."

"Tell us your plans and we will see that they are carried out," the
captain said.

"We cannot keep those fellows from landing on the island," said the
young leader, thoughtfully. "There are so many places where they can
come ashore, and we are too few to guard the entire coast. I do not
think we can even hold the walls against so many. There are more gaps
in them than we could defend. I have thought it all over and I believe
that all we can do is to confine the defense to this house. We ought
to be able to hold this place until the Indians come."

"My ideas exactly," approved the captain.

"It's the only sensible thing to do," Walter agreed.

"To be successful, it is necessary for us to have a good supply of food
and water. I intended to dry the venison, but there is not time to do
that, you will have to cut it into thin strips and smoke it, that will
not take long and it will keep for several days. That big copper and
all the gourds should be filled with water and brought inside. When
that is all done, we will have food and drink to last us a week with
care."

"Chris and I will see to it all," said the captain arising. "Is that
all, lad?"

"We had ought to keep a lookout at the landing so as to know when they
come and be ready for them."

"We'll 'tend to that when we get the other chores done. It's too early
to expect them yet, anyway. Now you lie down and get a nap, lads, and
don't worry, Chris and I will look out for everythi