Original sentence: At the book's climax, Gertrude is attacked on their front porch by several Indians bent on burning the house.Later that day, while she and the children are out herding the cattle, Gertrude spots a column of smoke in the distance and realizes that raiders are getting closer.Returning to the house, she prepares for a possible Indian attack by loading the matchlock gun  and instructing Edward how to fire it.She manages to shout a warning to Edward, but is wounded by a thrown tomahawk, and the boy fires the gun through the front window, killing three raiders and driving off the rest
Edited sentence: At the book's climax, Gertrude spots five Indians approaching in the darkness, bent on burning the house.Barely able to outrun them, she reaches the front porch and manages to shout a warning to Edward, but is wounded by a thrown tomahawk, and the boy fires the gun through the front window, killing three raiders and driving off the rest (one of them, apparently wounded, is later killed by the returning militia).Later that day, while she and the children are out herding the cows, Gertrude spots a column of smoke in the distance and realizes that raiders are getting closer.Returning to the house, she prepares for a possible Indian attack by loading the matchlock gun and instructing Edward how and when to fire it.She then goes outside to keep a watch for any approaching raiders