peered from the portholes; all were listening for the war-cry.

They had not long to wait. Before noon the well-known
whoop came from the wooded shore of the river, and it was
soon followed by the appearance of hundreds of Indians.
The river, which was low, at once became a scene of great ani-
mation. From a placid, smoothly flowing stream it was turned
into a muddy, splashing, turbulent torrent. The mounted
warriors urged their steeds down the bank and into the water;
the unmounted improvised rafts and placed their weapons and
ammunition upon them; then they swam and pushed, kicked
and yelled their way across; other Indians swam, holding the
bridles of the pack-horses. A detachment of British soldiers
followed the Indians. In an hour the entire army appeared
on the river bluff not three hundred yards from the Fort.
They were in no hurry to begin the attack. Especially did
the Indians seem to enjoy the lull before the storm, and as
they stalked to and fro in plain sight of the garrison, or stood
in groups watching the Fort, they were seen in all their hid-
eous war-paint and formidable battle-array. They were ex-
ultant. Their plumes and eagle feathers waved proudly in
the morning breeze. Now and then the long, peculiarly bro-
ken yell of the Shawnees rang out clear and strong. The
soldiers were drawn off to one side and well out of range of the
settlers' guns. Their red coats and flashing bayonets were
new to most of the little band of men in the block-house.

"Ho, the Fort!"

It was a strong, authoritative voice and came from a man
mounted on a black horse.

"Well, Girty, what is it?" shouted Silas Zane.

"We demand unconditional surrender," was the answer.

"You will never get it," replied Silas.

"Take more time to think it over. You see we have a force
here large enough to take the Fort in an hour."

"That remains to be seen," shouted some one through a
porthole.

An hour passed. The soldiers and the Indians lounged
around on the grass and walked to and fro on the bluff. At
intervals a taunting Indan yell, horrible in its suggestiveness,

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