"
"But what do you imagine to be their object, Ready, in cutting down
trees, and making the faggots?"
"Either, sir, to pile them up outside the palisades, so large as to be
able to walk up upon them, or else to pile them up to set fire to them,
and burn us out."
"Do you think they will succeed?"
"Not without very heavy loss; perhaps we may best them off, but it will
be a hard fight; harder than any we have had yet. We must have the
women to load the muskets, so that we may fire as fast as we can. I
should not think much of their attempt to burn us, if it were not for
the smoke. Cocoa-nut wood, especially with the bark on, as our
palisades have, will char a long while, but not burn easily when
standing upright; and the fire, when the faggots are kindled, although
it will be fierce, will not last long."
"But suffering as we are now, Ready, for want of water, how can we
possibly keep up our strength to meet them in a suffocating smoke and
flame? we must drop with sheer exhaustion."
"We must hope for the best, and do our best, Mr. Seagrave," replied
Ready; "and recollect that should anything happen to me during the
conflict, and if there is any chance of your being overpowered, you
must take advantage of the smoke to escape into the woods, and find
your way to the tents.
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