Page 237 (1/1)

Through a loophole in the gate of the palisade I looked, and saw the sandy neck joining the town to the iving invisibility to a host Between us and that refuge dead men lay here and there, stiff and stark, with the black paint upon them, and the colored feathers of their headdresses red or blue against the sand One warrior, shot through the back, crawled like a wounded beetle to the forest We let hio, for we cared not to waste ammunition upon him

I drew back from my loophole, and held out my hand to the women for a freshly loadedof a breath ca nearthe stretch of wooden stakes that were neither so high nor so thick as they should have been "I am new to this warfare, Captain Percy," he said "Do they think to use those logs that they carry as battering ra ladders, your Honor," I replied "It is on the cards that we may have some sword play, after all"

"We'll take your advice, the next time we build a palisade, Ralph Percy,"the breastwork that we had thrown up to shelter the women ere to load the es "Wait until they pass the blasted pine, ive them a hail of lead that will beat them back to the Pamunkey!"

An arrohistled by his ear; a second struck him on the shoulder, but pierced not his coat of h

"If the leader could be picked off"--I said "It's a long shot, but there's no harun to my shoulder; but he leaned across Rolfe, who stood between us, and plucked ain"

I did as he told me, and lowered my musket It was not for htened and a sudden pallor overspread his face "Nantauquas?" he muttered in my ear, and I nodded yes

The volley that we fired full into the ranks of our foe was deadly, and we looked to see them turn and flee, as they had fled before But this tilish steadfastness Broken for the s, thick branches of trees, oars tied together,--anything by whose help they could hope to surain, but they had planted their ladders Before we could snatch the loaded ures appeared above the sharpened stakes A moment, and they and a score behind them had leaped down upon us