"Get into the wagon, Mother!" yelled Dick's father, "and pick off a few with your rifle!" Mother and Aunt Mary were soon blazing away from the canvas fort, and after a short time the Indians retired, evidently to consider what was the next best move.
"Where's Dick?" said his father, looking around anxiously.
"Here I am!" came a voice, and sure enough, under the wagon, crouching down behind the bag of kindling wood, which he had used for a shield, was Dick. "I cracked two, dad!" he called out, "one Injun was sneaking up by the pole, when I dropped him; he's out there now, I can just see his outline."
Just then, a number of arrows fell around the wagon, and Uncle Billy caught sight of half a dozen shadowy figures creeping along the grass in the shadows of the trees to the right. "Look out," he whispered, "let 'em get pretty close and then give 'em hail Columbia."
It was a fierce struggle, for the Indians outnumbered our brave defenders. Twice the redskins rushed up close to the wagon, only to be beaten off in time by courage and good marksmanship. Both Dick's father and Uncle Billy were "nipped" by arrows, but not seriously hurt, and Dick himself had a narrow escape from being captured by a daring enemy who sneaked up behind. But Dick turned and saw him just in time, otherwise our story would have had a sad ending. Mother and Aunt Mary bravely kept up the firing, and the Indians, thinking that there were more defenders than there were, finally withdrew, much to the relief of the besieged.
There was no more sleep in the camp that night, and in the morning, at the first break of day, Dick's father went out to investigate. Two dead Indians close to the camp testified to the good aim of its defenders. "They took the other dead and wounded with them," said Dick's father, turning to his brave boy, "they didn't dare come in so close to get them. Here's the fellow you shot, sonny—I remember he was just about to tomahawk me as you shot him in the nick of time—guess you saved your dad's life," and Dick felt as proud as Punch when his father slapped him on the back like a man.
