CHAPTER VI.
POKE STOVER TO THE FRONT.
"Here they come, Dan!"
"Yes, Ralph. Watch your chance, and fire at the fellow on the left.I'll take the one on the right."
There was no time to say more, for now the Comanches were close to thecabin. Both youths were tremendously excited, but they felt that it wasa case of life or death, and did their best to nerve themselvesaccordingly. Each picked his man, and both guns rang out at the sametime. The reports had not yet died away when the redskin aimed at byDan flung up one arm and sank back, badly wounded in the side. Ralphhad missed his mark by a few inches.
The sudden attack brought the remaining Indians to a halt, and for asecond they appeared not to know what to do next. Then the wounded manstaggered back toward the timber, and with another war-whoop the otherscontinued toward the cabin.
The boys had no time left to reload, and caught up the pistols and letdrive again. This time it was Ralph who hit his man, a slight wound inthe leg. Hardly had the pistols belched forth than the Indians openedfire, and four bullets buried themselves close to the firing-holes inthe loft openings.
"They mean to overpower us if they can," cried Dan. "We must load up asfast as we can!"
The Indians, or at least the three that were not wounded, had nowgained the door, and were trying to force it open. But their hatchetsand the axe they had brought along failed to make much of an impressionon it, and all they could do was to shout in their rage and demand thatthe boys open the door at once.
"Open! Open!" came in Wolf Ear's voice. "Open, or we will scalp you!"
"Go away, or we'll shoot you all down!" answered Dan, who had nowreloaded his gun.
"We will not go away. What is in the house belongs to the red man, andhe must have it."
"It belongs to our father, and you shall not have one thing," retortedDan.
He had unbarred the shutter of one of the upper windows, and now,leaning out swiftly, he took aim at the forms grouped below, and fired.
A howl went up, for the bullet had nipped one red man in the ear andglanced along the shoulder of a second. Then came a quick fire inreturn, and Dan gave a scream that caused Ralph's heart to almost stopbeating.
"You are struck?" queried the younger brother.
"It's not much," came from Dan, and, breathing heavily, he flung to thewindow-shutter and bolted it again. Then he came down the ladder, theblood flowing from a wound in his neck. Had the bullet come two inchescloser, Dan would have been killed on the spot.
The Indians were now trying to batter the door down with a log of woodpicked up close at hand. The cow bothered them in their efforts, andone of the red men had to take time to cut her loose, at which the cowran off to the cattle shed once more.
Thus far three of the attackers had been wounded, one quite seriously.The other two continued to hammer away at the door, which presentlyshowed signs of giving way.
"Let us try to fire through the door," whispered Ralph, when he sawthat his brother was still able to continue the struggle. "We may hitthem, and, anyway, we'll give them a scare."
Dan nodded, and both drew closer to the barrier with their guns. Butbefore they could level their firearms, there came a report from theedge of the timber next to the burn, and one of the Indians was heardto yell in mortal agony and fall on the doorstep.
"Somebody is coming!" cried Dan, joyfully. "It must be father!" Then asecond report rang out, and another red man was struck, in the arm.This was the savage who had previously been nipped in the ear, and,without waiting for another shot, he sped away in the darkness, and histwo companions after him, leaving the dead Indian where he had fallen.
There was now no use of trying to fire through the door, and Danmotioned Ralph to run up to the loft.
"See if you can make out who it was that fired," he said, "and if it isfather, and he wants to come in, call for me to open the door."
The boys had lit a single lantern, but now this was put out, since theywere afraid some treacherous red man might still be lurking at hand, tofire at them through a crack in the cabin walls. While Ralph made hissurvey from above, Dan stood at the door, his hand on the bar, ready tothrow it back on an instant's notice.
"A man is coming on the run!" announced Ralph, presently. "He is wavingfor us to open the door. I can't make out who it is."
"Is it father?"
"No, I can't make out---- It's Poke Stover! Let him in, quick!"
Back shot the bolt and up went the heavy bar, and as the door wasopened to the width of a foot, the figure of a tall, heavily beardedfrontiersman slipped into the cabin. He helped hold the door while Dansecured it again.
"Poke Stover!" cried the youth. "I'm mighty glad you've come!"
"Are you and Ralph safe?" was the question, as soon as the man couldcatch his breath, for he had been running with all the swiftness at hiscommand.
"Yes, although I've got a scratch on the throat. But father--do youknow anything of him?"
"Yes, he has gone to Gonzales to bring help. He says he signalled toyou from the tall pine."
"So he did. Did he have a fight with any of the Indians?"
"Yes, he was attacked by Bison Head and Hank Stiger, the half-breed. Heput a bullet through Stiger's left calf, and knocked the Injun downwith the butt of his gun. That's the reason the two were not with theparty that attacked the cabin."
"How many are there, all told?" asked Ralph, who had come down theladder again.
"Not more than ten, and one of 'em's dead outside."
"And two or three of them are wounded," added Dan.
"The wust on it is, they'll be gittin' thicker and thicker," resumedthe old frontiersman, who had drifted into Texas from Missouri severalyears ago, and who had spent all of his life on the plains. "I've halfa notion as how Bison Head is tryin' to git the whole Comanche nationon the war-path."
"If that's the case, they may organise around here," said Ralph. "Howlong do you suppose it will be before father gets back?"
"He said he would try to make it by daybreak," answered Poke Stover."It's accordin' as how he finds his men."
The talking now dropped off, as the frontiersman said it would be bestto remain silent and keep on guard at the various port-holes in theshutters.
Slowly the night wore away, until it was three o'clock in the morning.Only one alarm had come, but this had amounted to nothing.
"I see a light," announced Dan. "Can it be a camp-fire?"
"Not likely, lad," answered Stover. "Comanches on the war-path don'tlight 'em. It's a signal."
"Another signal to attack?" queried Ralph.
"More'n likely. We must keep our eyes peeled for 'em."
Another half-hour dragged by, and the only sound that broke thestillness was the morning breeze, as it began to stir through thetimber surrounding the clearing. Outside not a soul was to be seen.
"Perhaps that was a signal to withdraw," suggested Dan. "I hope itwas." But Poke Stover shook his head, for he had seen much of theComanches and understood them thoroughly.
"They won't go until they've had another round at ye," he said. "I'mexpectin' 'em every minit now."
Scarcely had he finished, when something attracted Dan's attention backof the cattle shed. An object was moving around. Presently it startedstraight for the cabin.
"It looks like one of the cows--and it is," he announced. "I wonderwhat started her up?"
"Let me take a squint," said the frontiersman, and covered theport-hole searchingly for half a minute. Then he raised his rifle, tookcareful aim, and blazed away. There was a grunt of dismay, and anIndian, who had been driving the cow and dodging directly behind, ranback, while the cow kicked up her heels and flew in the oppositedirection.
"Thar, I reckon he'll know enough to keep back after this," growledPoke Stover, with much self-satisfaction. "He thought he was goin' tosneak up unbeknown to us, but I crossed his trail fer him that trip."
"What do you suppose he was going to do, if he had gotten close to thec
abin?" asked Ralph.
"He had a bunch of brush in his hand, lad, and probably a bit o' fireabout him, too, although I allow as how I didn't see no light."
"Then he wanted to burn us out!" ejaculated the youngest Radbury.
"That was his game."
Ralph shivered at the thought. It was bad enough to be shot at, but tobe burned out! He wished daylight would come and his father wouldreturn with the much-needed aid.
With the coming of daylight those in the cabin could see with greaterclearness under the tall timber, and soon Poke Stover announced thatseveral Indians were in sight.
"They are making something," he announced. "Looks like a stone-boat,"meaning thereby a sort of flat drag-sled often used for removing stonesfrom a field.
"I know what it is!" exclaimed Dan. "It's a shield! One or two of themwill come up behind it. See if I am not right."
The three waited anxiously, Ralph fairly holding his breath inexpectancy. At last the shield, for such it was, was done, and slowlytwo Comanches came forward, holding it in front of them, and takingcare that neither should expose so much as a hand or foot.
"Hang 'em!" muttered the tall frontiersman, and, taking deliberate aimat a slight crack in the wooden shield, he fired. But the barrier wasthick and tough, and the bullet failed to penetrate to the oppositeside.
One of the Indians behind the shield carried a bunch of dry grass andsome brush, and as they came closer this was lighted. Then the burningstuff was hurled forward. It was tied into a bundle with some strongvines, and had a stone attached to give it weight. It landed on theroof of the cabin, blazing brightly, then rolled off to a spot directlybelow one of the windows.