University of Virginia Library

5. CHAPTER V.
THE STRATAGEM FOILED.

The event most desirable for the savages, and for which
they had probably been waiting, now unfortunately occurred.
The heavy drifting clouds which had long blackened the
western horizon, began now to obscure the whole sky, and
a thick darkness soon settled upon the landscape. To fire
the building and compel its evacuation, and thus to capture
or massacre the whole party, while its defenders had no advantage
of shelter, and were impeded with the care of their
women and children, was the chivalrous feat which the besiegers
now contemplated.

The danger could not be concealed, and hope consisted
only in meeting it courageously. In a momentary interview
which Dudley obtained at this period with Miss Welles,
the latter communicated to him the dreadful suspicion that
one of the leaders of the enemy was Enoch Waldon, whom
she believed that she had recognized both by his figure and
gait. Although horrified at the supposition, there was also
a gleam of pleasure in the announcement; for whether
Waldon were so deeply guilty or not, the fact that he could
be obnoxious to such a suspicion of Ellen, precluded the
idea of her entertaining for him any partial feeling. Animated
by an increased hope, Dudley begged Ellen to consider
herself under his especial protection, and, with an
earnest and eloquent look, he added, not to believe herself
in danger while he continued to live. There was nothing
in the words, but there must have been something in the

manner of the speaker to call the quick blood to the cheek
of Ellen. Hurriedly thanking him, she turned away, and
Dudley, with a comparatively light heart, hastened to prepare
for further defence.

Placing two or three men at each of the several windows,
so as to command to some extent every side of the house,
he directed them to keep up a random fire, in hopes that
the besiegers would be intimidated from a near approach.
For a while this plan seemed to succeed, and no sound of
the foe being detected, the belief was entertained that they
were effectually repulsed. But the more wary were not
disposed to such ready hope. The silence was too deep
and ominous. Alarmed by the very quietude without,
Dudley, after ordering increased vigilance on every side,
announced his determination to ascend to the house-top,
and called upon three or four of his most resolute companions
to follow him. A small “sky-light” afforded means
for effecting this object, and with extreme silence and caution
Dudley ascended only until his head had fully emerged
into the open air. Pausing to reconnoitre the adjacent
fields, his eye was immediately arrested by what at first
seemed a few fire-flies flitting about the roof. With a sudden
and fearful suspicion he remained motionless, and made
a closer scrutiny. Feeling cautiously about him, he ascertained
that the wetted blankets had been removed, and the
conviction that the roof was already in possession of the
savages forced itself upon his mind. His position was
nearly at one extremity of the building, which was long
and narrow, with a single chimney at the opposite end.

Peering earnestly through the thick darkness, he at
length discovered part of the outline of several figures in a
stooping attitude. The sound of breath, as in the act of
blowing at embers, also reached his ear from several quarters,
and convinced him that the Indians were at that moment

engaged in setting fire to the building. His prudence
for the moment almost yielded to the quick feeling of rage
which prompted him to rush headlong upon so diabolical a
foe; but restraining his wrath, he immediately drew back
and communicated to his astounded companions the nature
of his discovery. His resolution was immediately taken.
The sky-light, which was gained only by moveable steps,
would admit of only three persons standing within it; and
having stationed that number of his little garrison at the
foot of the steps with reserve guns, he called upon Lee and
Rogers to follow him, and once more ascended with the
same perfect silence as before. Rising until their shoulders
were above the roof, the three remained standing, motionless,
with presented arms. It was doubtless a hazardous
experiment for the besieged party to wait for the kindled
light of their own roof to reveal the persons of their
foes; but the importance of striking a signal blow, and one
that might deter the enemy from making any further attack,
overcame every other consideration. The dampened
state of the shingles rendered the process of ignition slow;
but at length a faint, blue flame made its appearance in
the vicinity of the chimney, where a number of small faggots
had been carefully inserted. Flickering with the
wind, now sinking, now rising, the unsteady blaze was
guarded from the air by both hands of a kneeling Indian,
whose fiendish features as he bent over the light could be
distinctly traced. Brighter and higher rose the blaze, and
soon began to reveal the other objects in its immediate vicinity,
while the place occupied by Dudley and his companions
remained in impenetrable obscurity. Brighter and
higher still, until the alarmed inmates beneath saw the fire
gleaming downward through the chinks of the unceiled
roof. But the time for action had arrived. Other faint
lights had sprung up, and the savages, to the number of
five, were distinctly visible, when Dudley, having exchanged
signals with his men, in order to select their several
victims, quietly gave the command to fire. The report
of the guns, and the death-screech of the Indians, was a
mingled and simultaneous sound. They each rolled rapidly
down the roof and fell heavily to the earth. But although
Dudley and his comrades instantly handed down their guns
and received others from below, only one of the enemy remained
visible when they were again prepared to fire.
Running rapidly along the apex of the building, he had already
gained hold of the rope, which, thrown lasso-like over
the chimney, had been the means of his ascent, and was
about to swing himself off, when he received the contents
of Dudley's gun. Still convulsively clutching the rope, he
was seen by the now growing light to totter for a moment
on the extreme end of the building, when Lee, more in pity
than in wrath, gave him another ball.

“'Twould have been a hard fall for a living man,” he
said, as the noise of the body striking the ground reached
his ear; “but a stack of feather beds wouldn't have been
any mercy to him now.”

“Don't be too sure,” replied Rogers, banteringly; “your
dead men have a remarkable faculty of coming to life again,
and I think I see the red devil now, scampering across the
field, with the rope in his hand!”

“And a piece of the chimeny, I suppose!” retorted Lee,
who understood his comrade's propensity to joke too well
to take offence.

But the triumph which produced this temporary elation
of spirits in these brave men was far from being complete.
The fire had gained a headway that demanded instant attention,
and whoever ventured within its light would doubtless
be a prominent mark for the outlying foe. No time,
however, was to be lost, and two brave fellows of the Life

Guard already stood prepared at the foot of the stairs for
the perilous enterprise. Bearing blankets, saturated as
before, they rushed hastily to the flames. The expected
volley was discharged, and, unhappily, as the groans of
the young men testified, not without effect. One, but
slightly injured, fled hastily back, while the other, convinced
of the mortal nature of his wounds, nobly resolved
that his life should prove no idle forfeit. Staunching the
life-blood with one hand, he dragged himself feebly from
blaze to blaze, until the last flickering light was extinguished,
and then, with the remnant of his failing strength,
crept slowly back to his companions. Drawn hastily, but
gently, within, the youth was deposited upon a couch, and
hasty preparations were made to examine and relieve his
wounds. But observing the changing expression of his
face, and obeying his significant gestures to desist, his comrades
crowded with tearful eyes around his bed.

“My sister?” faintly ejaculated the dying man, as he
slowly turned his eyes toward the door. A low wail was
heard without; the door opened, and the fainting maiden
was supported to his bedside. A placid smile stole like
sunlight over the features of the youth; his lips moved,
and the trembling girl bent lower and lower to hear. The
whispered words with which the parting soul went upwards,
were soft as sound could be; yet distinctly articulated, they
fell upon every ear, “We shall meet again!”