"The moon will be up in another hour. It will be the harvest-moon in England. The harvest-moon here, too--but a harvest, alas! of blood.
"Now, Benee," he continued, "as soon as we are ready, guide these men with Captain Rodrigo for some distance down-stream, then curl round the savages, and when they begin to retreat, or even before that, attack them in the rear. Good luck to you!"
As silently as ghosts two hundred and fifty well-armed Indians, a short time after Roland made that brave little speech, glided down the brow of the hill, and disappeared in the woods beyond.
Though our heroes listened, they could not hear a sound, not even the crackling of a bush or broken branch.
Soon the moon glared red through the topmost boughs of the far-off trees, and flooded all the land with a light almost as bright as day. The stars above, that before had glittered on the river's rippling breast, and the stars beneath--those wondrous flitting fire-insects--paled before its beams, and the night-birds sought for shelter in caves among the rocks. So over all the prairie and woodlands there fell a stillness that was almost oppressive. It was as if Nature held her breath, expectant of the fight that was to follow.
Nor was that fight very long delayed. But it must have been well on towards midnight before the first indication of an approaching foe was made manifest.
Only a long, mournful hoot, away in the bush, and bearing a close resemblance to that of the owl.
It was repeated here and there from different quarters, and our heroes knew that an attack was imminent.
There was in the centre of the camp a roomy cave. In this all stores had been placed, with water enough for a night at all events, and here were Peggy and Weenah safely guarded by Brawn. Roland had managed to make the darkness visible by lighting two candles and placing them on the wall.
In a smaller cave was Peter, and as he had given evidence lately of a great desire to escape, the boys had taken the liberty to rope him.