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Show The Med J$g& A Romance of J&s Hugh Pendex-hr Mm w.m.u. service fffrj CHAPTER VIII Continued I popped out from ,l,e door mill pick ms ur hl,lt' sli'' " illlu'e iiiiiliiiiiS ' ""'ee skins In plait?. I would have persisted lonjei Hiil slie nut rim out ! upbraid me sivliliH."! n vix''"- Then began (he phase of warfare I had been dreading l!ie seiiiliS ot li,t' tuvs. None III! !l,f reof; ii ml lille lliey were prcpnr In; mure tire I rushed fort h nin tin one side of tlie runt. Tlie cirl scolded me us If I had been a wayward child. tier ;i n v ll y nnd serieusness became her pretlily The linle leeture was Inu rrtipted by it ti o:!;er Hi.-1'! of burning arrows I Ms lire tliey had 'he raine and we heard iwu strike on the roof liofoi e I knew w riii she was doing she had stepped out ti observe how her scheme was working. I followed and picked ber up auJ carried her Inside. "Anyway, mister, there ain't any ar-rers ar-rers en ( tie roof." she told me as I s-lVd her on ber feet. "I'ulnts (s-utdu't g'l any hold od them skins Ju;t slithered off." Between volleys was the gulden time fur work. I begged her to keep nier cover aud went to tiulsh patch-leg patch-leg the south side. This time the foe was awaiting my appearance and delivered de-livered a crushing volley the moment 1 cleared the door. Some of the lend wsistled unwholesoniely close. A voice s::ou;ed loudly nr.d ten Indians, selected select-ed for their lli-elness of foot, came racing across the opening. It was finilj significant .that they were armed nitii ases only. They were determined de-termined to tiring the fight to close carters. 1 entered the cabin as the prl began Bring from the rear loop-t'i!e. loop-t'i!e. "Here they come from ull directions! direc-tions! They mean it this time!" she crifd Tl.e attack was persisted In nnti: one brave was hacking the door with lis ax. It is a peculiar fact thai witn t'ro at such close quarters none of their omi.ber was nn.rtally wounded rviahiless we were nervous Hnrt h hit confused by the attack being pressed oo three sides while some of them iciually climbed on to the root aud dislodged some ol the skins. I nave dh clear recollection of details. I know we darted from side to side and cischaned the two rilles and the muskets. mus-kets. The room was thick with smoke and I recall uiy fear lest those on the roof should make an opening and lamp down upon as. II was not unill they began to full back that I discovered the girl had ln more culm than U for she had refused re-fused to discharge ber pistol. I I'eered from a loophole and saw them running tor the woods and not a eaiD In the cabin was loaded One 1 their Dumber had been hit in the foot and was limping along with two men helping him. Probably he had beta hit while climbing onto the roof. t"S foot coming Id range with one of Hie loopholes as a musket, was discharged. dis-charged. I losdeo rapidly to get one of the ''"ree men making off together hut Hie moment I opened the door m laming was shouted from the leader in the woods and the wounded man as dropped n a little hollow His assistants raced off In different di Actions. The hollow containing the w"unded man was too slight efTec-tually efTec-tually to protect him. and opening the 1"r sufficiently to accommodate my nile-harrel I would have stirred him P had qoi the girl thrust her hnd ov" the flint and at the same time Pulled me backward I opened tm mouth to rebuke her. but she clapped ' band over my mouth and pointed "'urd the room. Then ng mi ear dnwn her lips she whispered: "They didn't all quit the roof. there- ' " 'm'e "n'Se V I nodded and gently closed the door a"1 barred It and cocked mv ear " nudged me as the man on r,r. " made a faint scraping sound, "is was a danger I had never count "Don To get at the fellow neoes stated my leaving the cabin. We tall(ln8 to allay any suspicions His part, and the girl said: over m m0Vins alonS t0 g" directly p ',e d00r- We must fool him." . ndlng her to move about at th- taikln" Cahi" an1 t0 keep nn In ii,' ' 8teIJ''P(1 to 'he door and ti JThes l'u' lD the so 111 ai the en C"'"h 10 8 tTev'ce nnrter Hnro 8 "n(i scrulln7-e the openfnt in? fl0Penln8 the d",,r- gently placed ejest aDd P""P(1 ,nyself u" unril .v cii,Se Te at "'e frtvi-,e. My head was clmip " the ro"' and as the gir' ""nnd, a'ng 1 h('n', rlle fell f n I r 4r,Wn 1 , le lavage working his wa Uf dnor e"VeS "nfl fl,rp,'"-T ovt', f':rt ' Wiis a,o.ir to (lescend. I mis !), dr reW!1 fieri, for a nioi-c.-isiiieil HnB 'V li"vvo neros mv nairon UI vision. The Indian' uas si, ting wiib one fool hanging down Tom the eaves and wailing fo, Mie to leave the cabin, when be would drop down "1" 'e. The roof was formed ol sapling size poles covered will, lum sections ol thick bark, which In tnrn was hclil In place by pides rminini; leiiglliuUe at regular Iniervnly. drov. mv knile mid gently ln.pi'ted It between two ol the poll's, then desisted, de-sisted, as in the st I woiihi only prick I he fellow UM( U1, hHn ou bl guard. liegaliilng the Hoot 1 moved a rough table, which l-'ia.ler used for displaying dis-playing his trade-goods, close to the chimney, and gave the girl an Iron prod and directed her to stand .n the table and pretend to be making an opening through the roof. She hesl tated and asked: "You're going oul?" "He'll be watching the chimney" "There may be two of 'em." 1 shook my head and held up a linger and directed her to kepp talking talk-ing In a loud voice as she assailed tin? roof. Then taking the short rllle and loading It I tiptoed to the doot and noiselessly removed the bar and waited. The girl began Jnbblng the Iron rod between two of the poles and calling down to me to mount the table and help her. She made much noise snd yet 1 believed I caught a faint sound from over the door. Lifting the door so It would not sag and scrape the i floor. I worked It open wide enough for me to pass onu "The rod's through the roof!" criej the girL At the same time a shout rose from the forest. I darted through the narrow nar-row opening and whirled about nnd raised the rilie. One savage was there und had been on the point ot crawling to the ridge-pole to investl gate the several Inches ot Iron rod showing through the bark when the yell from the woods had warned him to be on his guard. He must have connected the outcry of his frlend-witb frlend-witb the sudden appearance of the rod. for be was on all fours and staring over his shoulder to where his friends were In ftlding. When be saw me the rilie was at m shoulder He made a convulsive effort to hurl his as and roll o,T the roof, bet lie was dead before he could throw ll. From the Indians point ol view there should have been but one thing for them to do return at once with their guns and endeavor to shoot us through the loopholes. Luckily for us, they were not Inclined to risk any more of their men. I could hear their leader shouting to them, but If he were exhorting them to charge, they had no heart for It. They renewed the attack with Hre-arrows. With loose hides. I patched the bare spots as far as I could reach while the girl looped s-kins together to go over the ridgepole. ridge-pole. I had ignored their musket tire but when a small bullet whined close to my head I knew Some Indian or Frenchman had arrived on the scene with a rilie. and I lost nn time in tak ing cover. "Thai sounds like cannon," said the girl as I closed aud made fast the door. "Il was a rifle. We must be more careful." "1 know a rifle when I heat It. Tliat's what I uiean. mister." I listened aud heard IL It was thunder beyond any douhl. I opened the dooi a crack aud s-canned the heavens. There was no storm lu sight "It's up the Monongahela. I told bet It's so far off I fear we won't gel even the skirt ot It." We needed much ot It; not only to drench the cabin but to cool the air Inside. Willi the door closed and the stout shutter in place over the one small opening that served as a win dow It was blood hot In the cabin The plnce. was so Im-ulTonilile from smoke and powdet fiiines anil Unheal Un-heal thai I risked a chance shot from the forest by removing the shtittei and opening the d The thunder rolled across (he sky again und the girl sighed: "Let s wish It's a smart one and wliv come this way." I made her drink some water and with a pcwiel dish bathed her wrists and slim net k. She complained thai I was wasting H. and In the next mo moid was on the point id weeping as she said no one hail been kind to her. except her crippled uncle, since her mothers death. I brushed back bei hair and balhed her forehead and washed the smoke and grime from her face and tried to be very gentle with tier. I was beginning to realize what a slip of a thing she was to be par-'Icipnling par-'Icipnling In such grim tragedies. 1 al.-n appreciated her sturdy spirit. Suddenly she drew away from me and rearranged her hair and dillident-ly dillident-ly said : "You've been master kind to me, mister. I wish I was u witch, like folks In Creat cove say. I'd change you .Into a boss, or a bird, und you'd git dear of all this." "Sit here. Just Inside the door, while I stand watch. I've uever had a chani-e to wait ou such a brave little woman before." "lino I That's fooling." she feuded, and eyeing me In surprise. "You've been in big Settlements. You ve seen women, mobbe, who never see a Injun All they have lo do Is be brave. If 1 had u pair of shoes like what some of them sell lenient women most likely wear, I'd die lighting to keep 'em." "If we get out of this, you s-hall have the gayest pair of shoes to be found lu Alexandria." 1 promised, and 1 thought of Josephine and ber love of luxury and wondered bow she would have endured the ordeal ot being cornered cor-nered In a trader's cabin at the mouth of Turtle creek. "I ain't used to have folks give me things," she gravely told me. "We'll have to think about that." Then shyly: shy-ly: "19 that where you want nie to go? To Alexandria, a real big settlement?" settle-ment?" lu truth, 1 had given no thought as to Just where s-be should go did we escape. Yei how could I give her a pair of shoes In Alexandria If she were not there to receive them? "If I go back there, yes, I have do home there now. Like yourself, I am homeless." This pleased her and she snuggled against my knee and murmured: "I'm thinking It's mighty good thai you're like that no borne. You can build a home anywhere. All you need Is an as und pome trees. If you'd bad a home, you'd never have come poking round Great cove. Lor's love! What would have happened to me If you hadn't come along? At Will's creek, tun. And In that other cabin, when I run away. And now here." "You have nothing to thank me for," I sadly told her. "At all those places you name, you have bad trouble be cause I did go to the cove. Now we II close the door while I take a look at the woods from the back of the cabin. Tlie Indians are too quiet to suit me." I bent down to the loophole and Immediately called to her to make sure the bar was firmly In plnce. "Another fight." she sighed. "And we was having such a talk I" I heard her reloading her rifle, but did not remove my eye from the hole. Something was slowly approaching the cabin. For a moment 1 could not make It out, and then glimpsed the top ot a feather showing above the strange object Simultaneously wiib my discovery, the Indians be gan firing their guns at the front of the cabin and yelling. I paid do heed to the gunfire and the shouting for the real menace was where the feather bobbed and slowly advanced She elbowed nie aside and after a glance Informed me: "They've fastened some of the skin.-together skin.-together and are holding them In front of them. Wonder If It'll stop a bullet." I fired my rifle. The moving bar rienrie stopped, and then came on again The savage, or savages, bad diliiculty in keeping it in place am; their approach was very slow. ExUt ing cries resounded from the woods as the hidden watchers witnesse : how Ineffective had heen my hulipt It seemed to be a very long time rhat I waited, and finally noled how dark the Interior of the cabin was growing. Had I not known the posi tion of tlie sun. I would have said Ii was later than the twilight hour. "1 can't hardly see you. mis-ter." sain the girl uneasily. "You look all humped over like a bear." (TO BE CONTINUED.) |