“Give him a shot. Be careful not to hit him; only give him a hint to keep out of way or he will get hurt.”
The man obeyed. Van Curter, seeing the uselessness of further parley, formed his men in the woods and made ready for the attack. Holmes threw more wood on the fire, ordered his men to cheer, which they did with a will, and waited.
“Do you think they will try it,” asked the captain of Barlow.
“I don’t know,” he replied. “We are ready for them in any case.”
CHAPTER IX.
CUDGELS TO THE FRONT.
Van Curter did not intend to give up without a struggle. The attempt to take the officers prisoners was made at the instigation of Captain Van Zandt, who argued that they were to the garrison at Windsor what the head is to the body, and that the head once off the body is useless. How poorly they succeeded has been seen. Still at their posts within the fort, Holmes knew that they were gathering to attack him. He passed the word to the men to fight steadily.
Van Curter’s men advanced from four sides, bearing ladders hastily constructed, with which to scale the walls. Even now Holmes did not like to use his rifles on them, and called on them to stay. They only answered by yells of defiance, and quickened their pace. Holmes reluctantly gave the order to fire.
The balls whistled about the ears of the Dutch. Several of them were wounded, but none killed. The injured were hurried to the rear, and the rest planted their ladders and begun the ascent. Holmes, who did not like to kill any of them, ordered his men to throw down the ladders as fast as they were placed. As there were generally two or three men on each ladder when they fell, bruises and broken ribs resulted.