“I’ll swear Cuthbert Mackenzie is the leader,” I broke in. “He won’t neglect such an opportunity as offers now.”
“Right you are!” exclaimed Carteret, with a shrug of the shoulders. “It’s temptation thrown in the way of the redskins. Talk about easy! A firm crust on the snow, and the drifts nearly up to the top of the stockade I Why, they could pour a hundred braves into the fort before we could shoot down ten of them!”
“And they will do just that,” declared Captain Rudstone. “They know that we have lost heavily, and can’t offer much resistance to a rush. I’ll venture to predict that the attack is made late this afternoon, when the twilight begins to gather.”
“It will mean the loss of the fort,” said I. “We can’t shut our eyes to that fact. We have a few hours of grace left; let us make the most of them.”
“But what are we to do?” said Dr. Knapp.
“Ay, what?” Menzies echoed dismally. “There’s no chance of help, you’ll admit, and even if a messenger had got through in time, Fort York couldn’t have spared us any men. As it is, they probably have no idea of what is happening here. Do you suggest that we lower our flag and surrender?”
“Never that!” said I.
“Then what other choice have we but to be slaughtered to a man?” continued the hard-headed old Scotchman. “Perhaps you will kindly explain, Mr. Carew, how we are to make the most of these few hours of grace.”
Menzies spoke sneeringly, and with an aggravating touch of irony; but I kept my temper, hoping that he would shortly alter his opinion of my advice. In truth, I had been turning a matter over in my mind while the discussion was going on, and I fancied I saw a way for some of us at least, to save both life and honor.
“If we surrendered, we should likely be slaughtered just the same,” I replied. “So that is out of the question. But I have a plan, Mr. Menzies—a sort of a middle course—to offer in the event of the fort falling.”