“When they come up, if they attack, fire at them until you have emptied every cartridge, then stand back and let three other men take your places.
“Those who have fired will reload at once, ready to jump in again as soon as the second three have fired.
“In this way,” Trim concluded, “we can keep up a battle as long as we have got a cartridge left, and I should be surprised if our ammunition doesn’t hold out as long as theirs does.”
“We’ve got a big advantage in shooting from under cover,” remarked one of the whites.
“Yes,” responded Trim, “but they outnumber us a good many times. If the savages are as desperate as savages sometimes are, they may force an entrance in spite of anything.”
“Let them try it!” muttered the white man, looking carefully at his rifle.
The blacks in the party were silent, but Trim knew that they could be depended on.
They were not experienced fighters, but they were in a situation where it was perfectly certain that they had got to fight for their lives, and he therefore had faith that they would stand to their guns manfully. Having arranged his men for the attack, Trim gave all his own attention to Dobbin.
From his earliest boyhood Trim had[Pg 27] had experience in the western parts of America in caring for men who were injured, either by accident or as a result of shooting affairs.
He knew therefore just what to do for Dobbin, and he had been wise enough to include in the baggage taken by the party a quantity of bandages, salves, and other matters that were necessary for the proper dressing of wounds.