CHAPTER XXVII.
SIGNALS AND WHAT FOLLOWED.
The interview over, Captain Moore lost no time in summoning Hank Leeson.
"You must depart for Fort Prescott without delay," he said.
"I'm ready now, captain," replied the old hunter.
"You must ride night and day till you get there."
"I'll do thet too."
"I have received important news. At the longest our enemies will holdoff two days. I will try to make them hold off a day longer if I can.That will give you three days. I will write a letter to Major Hardie atonce."
This was early in the morning, and inside of half an hour the letter waswritten and the old hunter was off, on the back of the freshest and mostenduring horse the fort possessed. He went fully armed, for he knew thathe carried his life in his hands.
As soon as Leeson had gone the young captain summoned the surgeon andtold that individual about the drugged butter and condensed milk.
Dr. Nestor was incredulous, but on an examination said that all weredrugged. A cat that had drunk of the diluted condensed milk was found ina stupor from which she could not be aroused.
"It's awful," said the surgeon.
A trustworthy cook was called in, and all the butter and condensed milkwhich were open, or which showed signs of having been tampered with,were thrown away.
This put the soldiers on short rations so far as these commodities went,but nobody complained. Some suspected Bicker and Drossdell, and therewas talk of a demand on the captain to have the traitors shot, but itcame to nothing.
"What does this mean?" asked Joe, when he caught his brother in a quietspot.
In a few words the young captain explained.
"You and Darry must say nothing," he concluded. "We will have our handsfull as it is. The Indians are in this, but the drugging was not done byMose the half-breed."
"When will you signal to the enemy?" asked Darry.
"This afternoon at four. That will give us at least two whole days--anda lot may happen in that time."
"If only the surgeon can bring some of the men out of their stupor,"remarked Joe.
"He hopes to do so--now he knows more about the drugs used againstthem."
"If you hadn't caught Bicker and Drossdell what do you suppose wouldhave happened?" questioned Darry.
"More than likely every one of us would have been sick," answered theyoung captain with a shudder. "Then the Indians and the desperadoescould have walked in here without a struggle."
"Even if help does not come, you'll fight them, won't you, Will?"
"To be sure--to the bitter end."
"By the way, are you certain the ammunition hasn't been tampered with?"came from Joe.
"I was thinking of that and was going to have an examination made whenyou stopped me," said Captain Moore, and hurried on.
An examination showed that some of the powder on the place had beenhidden. Drossdell said this was under the barn flooring, and his wordsproved true.
Promptly at four o'clock Captain Moore appeared at the southwest cornerof the stockade with a red shirt in one hand and a blue shirt in theother.
Fortunately he was built like Bicker, and donning a private's hat andcoat made him look a good deal like that individual from a distance.
Slowly he waved the coats to and fro for five minutes.
Then an answering signal came back from some brushwood on the top of adistant hill--the answer being similar to the signal itself, showing themessage was seen and understood.
It is likely that the Indians and desperadoes were much chagrined tothink that they would have to hold off for two days, but if so they madeno sign.
The next day proved unusually warm. There was nothing for the boys to doin the fort, and they wandered around from place to place. At drill butthirty-eight soldiers presented themselves, all the others being on thesick list.
"I must say I don't feel very well myself," remarked Darry. "I canhardly keep my eyes open."
"Gracious! don't say that you're going to get sick too!" cried Joe.
"I won't get sick if I can help it," replied Darry. "But I feel awfullyqueer."
Joe did what he could for his cousin. But, with the limited means athand, this was not much, and by sundown Darry was flat on his back,although the attack he sustained was not as severe as that of manyaround him.
"I feel as if I was in something of a dream," he told Joe. "That drugmust have opium in it."
"It's something like opium--I heard the surgeon say so," answered hiscousin.
At night a strict watch was kept, and twice old Benson went out toreconnoiter.
"The Indians and desperadoes have surrounded us on all sides," heannounced. "But it don't look as if they meant to attack us just yet."
With the coming of morning it began to rain, but this cleared away bynoon, and then the sun boiled down as fiercely as ever. The sunny spotswithin the stockade were suffocating, and the boys were glad enough tostay within the cool walls of the stone fort.
As far as he was able Captain Moore had prepared the place to resist anattack. A weak spot in the stockade was strengthened and the cannon ofthe fort were put in the best possible condition. The soldiers were toldwhere to go in case of a sudden alarm, and were cautioned not to wasteany ammunition, for the supply was limited.
Thanks to the surgeon's efforts Colonel Fairfield was now somewhatbetter. Yet he was too weak by far to get up or to manage affairs, sothe command still remained in Captain Moore's hands. Even Captain Leewas now down, and it was a question whether he would live or die.
"You must do your best, Captain Moore," said the colonel feebly. "I knowI can trust you. You are brave, and your training has been a judiciousone."
Early that night there came a sudden alarm, followed by two rifle shotsin quick succession. At once there was a commotion, and everybody sprangto his post.
"The Indians and desperadoes must be coming!" cried Joe, and ran for therifle with which he had been armed.
The cause of the alarm, however, was not from without, but from within.Bicker had forced his way out of the guardhouse, and at the risk ofbreaking his neck had climbed to the roof of the barn and leaped overthe stockade into the ditch outside.
A guard had seen the leap and had fired on the man, hitting him, it wasthought, in the shoulder. Then a second guard had discharged his weapon,but by this time the fleeing prisoner had been swallowed up in thegathering darkness.
"He must not get away!" cried the young captain. "If he does, they willattack us at once. After him, Benson, and you, too, Forshew andDonaldson. I will follow with some horses!"
Without delay the old scout climbed the stockade and scrambled over theditch. The others ran around to the gate, and soon several additionalsoldiers followed. On second thought Captain Moore sent the horses outby a lieutenant, thinking it best that he remain where he was, thatbeing primarily his post of duty.
"Can we go?" asked Joe.
"No, Joe, stay where you are," said his brother. "If that rascal gets tohis friends there will be work enough here, never fear."
The pursuit of Bicker lasted for over an hour, and brought on a smartskirmish between the men from the fort and the desperadoes, in which oneperson on each side was slightly wounded. But the rascal managed to gainthe enemy's camp in safety, and then those from the fort came back asfast as possible to report.
"Now the deception is up," said Captain Moore, with a serious look. "Iwouldn't be surprised to see them attack us before morning."
"Right you are, captain," replied old Benson, "and my opinion is, thatthe desperadoes and Indians will fight hard, when once they get going,"he concluded.