Suddenly an Indian bobbed up, bow and arrow in hand. He let drive directly for the loophole, and the arrow hit the edge of Joe’s rifle barrel. At the same time the youth pulled the trigger of the weapon.
Joe’s aim was true, and the Indian fell with a serious bullet wound close to his ear. Then Pep Frost’s rifle also cracked, and a second Indian fell, shot through the throat.
“Thet’s the time we cotched ’em,” chuckled the old frontiersman. “They can’t play any o’ their funny games around here, ha! ha!”
Again the Indians found their assault on the fort unsuccessful, and again they retreated. Long Knife was at their head, and some of the warriors complained bitterly to him of their want of success.
“Long Knife said the fort would be taken with ease,” said one warrior. “But we have not captured it, and thirteen of our braves are already slain.”
“We have approached too openly,” said Long Knife. “We must come up as panthers in the dark. We will rest and throw them off the watch.”
No other attack was made until nearly four o’clock in the morning. Then half of the Indians entered their canoes and put out on the water. Their idea was to paddle to that part of the fort which rested on the river bank, and then try crawling through the ditch that let the water into the stockade.
But the pioneers were on the watch, and no sooner had the swarm of canoes appeared than several of the warriors were shot down. Two of the craft were sunk, and the occupants had a lively time of it swimming for their lives.
Two canoes reached the ditch, and five Indians dived down under the stockade. When they attempted to come up on the inside they were stopped by a row of long stakes that Daniel Boone had had planted there the day previous. Not wishing to be drowned like rats in a trap, the Indians had to retreat; and then the whole body left the river, not to return.
“Whoopee!” shouted Pep Frost, throwing up his cap in his delight. “Put down another failure fer ’em! It’s a pity they didn’t come in, so ez we could have killed ’em off one at a time!”