, 1917-02-15
was nearly dawn.

+ "AAA 49,
flame and the crack came the sound
of a man running. 1t was the Ken
tuckian, Stephen Mars, of Geiger's
company, an outpost. A dozen rifles
in the hands of crawling Indians rang
out; he fell in the wet and tangled
brush. his face in the sodden ground.
The night, which had been sound
less save for the soft rush of the rain
and the dripping of the water from
the trees, suddenly became filed with
the stir and uproar of the awakening
camp. with the whOoping of the hid
den foe, striking in the dark.
David awoke from sleep and bound
ed to his feet. A hand clutched his
wrist and dragged him down again,
while a voice commanded, Keep low ~
He saw that all the Others in the
company were quickly, silently look
ing to their rifles, but that all re-
manned crouching on the ground. The
yells of h Indians seemed loudest
at the extreme left, where Geiger's
horsemen stood, and al the extreme
right, where Spencer's riflemen lay be
hind their kneeling horses. Before his
own company, which, with the other
militia companies of Wilson, Norris
and wilkins, was stationed in the CEN
ter of the rear line, the woods lay
quiet, seemingly empty of any Indians.
David turned about and glanced
toward the center of the camp. Fifty
yards away were the tents of the off
GERS, lighted up by the campfires. He
could distinguish the figures of them
all. They We're all fully dressed and
were %buckling on their sword-belts as
they talked. Harrison was standing
impatiently waiting while an orderly
struggled with his horse.
HargrOve, divining that it was the
generals intention to ride away
toward the points where the savages
were attacking in numbers, struck
David on the shoulder in his hurry:
go ask Colonel Decker if we are
to stand here! Quick, before General
Harrison goes"
David ran toward the officers. As
he reached them, Harrison succeeded
In getting his foot into the stirrup and
threw himself into the saddle. Decker
was about to mount David suluted
as he ran, crying, as Captain Har-
grove to stand where he is?'
Harrison answered before the colon
ell could reply:
"All the captains are to hold their
companies as they stand! You will
do nothing but hold the ground until
light enough to advancer'
He gathered up the reins and with
a bound IA gone through the falling
r,igt pnyd nuran II,r-f 1N,v-Ia,
Washington Johnston and Daviess
urging their horses at his heels.
David ran back toward his captain.
The hOrrid tumult at the northwest
and southeast angles grew louder. Da-
vid listened with an excitement that
filed his ears with the sound of his
own hearts %throbbing. Two hundred
yards away the rifles cracked in Il
c~easeless sputter.
The drums began. The orderly
drummer at the officers tents was
beating the long roll; the steady I'M
varying tattoo spread its imperious
summons through the night with Il
sound that forced its way through all
the wilder babel of the camp. David
wondered why it had not begun soon
err; it did not seem possible that not
sixty seconds had elapsed since the
first alarm had been given.
A cold gust made the ralndrOps
He became conscious that his
teeth We're chattering. Two men,
wriggling on the ground. succeeded in
scattering the fire so that its light
died down to the embers. David saw
the other company fires go out, N
by one. But they had not all been ex-
tinguiShed soon enough.
As the light of the fires died out the
flashing of the rifles became more
plainly visible. The damp air was
heavy with the acrid smell of powder
smoke. In the swamp at the east Da-
vid could see the flames of the Indl-
ans rifles twlnkling like irefies.
The uproar at the northwest angle
of the camp, two hundred yards away,
grew louder. David strained his eyes
through the darkness but distin-
guished nothing. Suddenly from the
dark angle II trumpet blared out its
immemorial to charge. On
the last note arose a burst of cheer
ing.
"Charging!" calculated Hargrove
at David's side.
It was the plan of the Indians to
wait until n girdle had been formed
on three sides of the camp, where u
simultaneous attack might be made,
north, east and south but before they
had completed this detour of the
wooded plateau the impatient saw
ages stationed at the northwest cor
ner had drawn in closer and closer