"Wal?" asked Uncle Moses, in an inquiring tone.
"There"s no one to be seen," said Frank; "but I thought I heard voices, or rather whispers, just under the end window."
There was a solemn silence now, and they all sat looking at one another with very earnest faces.
"It"s a solemn time, boys," said Uncle Moses, "a deeply solemn time."
To this the boys made no reply, but by their silence signified their a.s.sent to Uncle Moses" remark.
At length, after a silence of some time, Frank spoke.
"I think we can manage something," said he, "to keep them out for the night. My idea is, to put the largest bedstead against the door. It opens inside; if the bedstead is against it, it can"t be opened."
"But the windows," said Clive.
"O, we needn"t bother about the windows, they"re too high up," said Frank, confidently.
And now they all set themselves fairly to work making preparations for the night, which preparations consisted in making a barricade which should offer resistance to the a.s.saults of the b.l.o.o.d.y-minded, murderous, beetle-browed, scowling, and diabolical brigands below, Frank"s suggestion about the bed was acted upon first. One of the bedsteads was large, ponderous, old-fashioned, and seemed capable, if placed against a doorway, of withstanding anything less than a cannon ball. This they all seized, and lifting it bodily from the ground, they placed it hard and fast against the door. The result was gratifying in the highest degree to all of them.
They now proceeded to inspect the room, to search out any weak spots, so as to guard against invasion. As to the windows, they thought that their height from the ground was of itself sufficient to remove all danger in that quarter.
But in their search around the room they noticed one very alarming thing. At the south corner there was a step-ladder, which led up into the attic, thus affording an easy entrance to any one who might be above. Frank rushed up to the step-ladder and shook it.
To his great relief, it was loose, and not secured by any fixtures.
They all took this in their hands, and though it was very heavy, yet they succeeded in taking it down from its place without making any noise. They then laid it upon the floor, immediately underneath the opening into the attic. They would have felt, perhaps, a trifle more secure if they had been able to close up the dark opening above; but the removal of the step-ladder seemed sufficient, and in so doing they felt that they had cut off all means of approach from any possible enemy in that quarter.
Frank drew a long breath of relief as he looked around. He felt that nothing more could be done. All the others looked around with equal complacency, and to the apprehensions which they had been entertaining there now succeeded a delicious sense of security.
"We"re safe at last," said Clive.
do. said Bob.
do. said David.
do. said Frank.
"Yes, boys," said Uncle Moses, "we"re jest as safe now as if we were to hum. We can defy a hull army of them b.l.o.o.d.y-minded miscreants, fight them off all right, and by mornin there"ll be lots of wagons pa.s.sin by, an we can git help. But before we go, let"s see what weepins we can skear up in case o" need. It"s allus best to have things handy."
"Well," said Frank, "I"m sorry to say I"ve got nothing but a knife;"
and saying this, he displayed an ordinary jackknife, not particularly large, and not particularly sharp. "It isn"t much," said he, as he opened it, and flourished it in the air, "but it"s something."
"Well," said Clive, "I haven"t got even a knife; but I"ve heard that there"s nothing equal to a chair, if you want to disconcert a burglar; and so I"ll take this, and knock down the first brigand that shows his nose;" and as he said this, he lifted a chair from the floor, and swung it in the air.
"I rely on the barricades," said David, "and don"t see the necessity of any arms; for I don"t see how we"re going to be attacked. If we are, I suppose I can use my knife, like Frank."
"Well," said Bob, "I"ve given my knife away, and I"ll have to take a chair."
"Wal," said Uncle Moses, "I"ve got a razor, an it"s pooty ugly weepin in the hands of a savage man--a desprit ugly weepin."
"And now let"s go to bed," said David, do. said Bob.
do. said Clive.
do. said Frank.
"Yes, boys, that"s about the best thing we can do," said Uncle Moses, decisively.
CHAPTER XXIII.
_The sleepless Watch.--The mysterious Steps.--The low Whispers.--They come! They come!--The Garrison roused.--To Arms! To Arms!--The beleaguered Party.--At Bay.--The decisive Moment.--The Scaling Ladders.--Onset of the Brigands._
So they all went to Bed.
So great was the confidence which they all felt in their preparations, precautions, and barricades, that not the slightest thought of danger remained in the mind of any one of them to create alarm, with the single exception of Bob.
For some reason or other Bob was more excitable at this time than the others. It may have been that this was his nature, or it may have been that his nerves were more sensitive since his tremendous adventures during the night of horror near Paestum; but whatever was the cause, certain it is, that on this occasion he remained wide awake, and incapable of sleep, while all the others were slumbering the sleep of the innocent.
He and Frank had the same bed, and it was the bed which had been placed against the door. It had been placed in such a way that the head of the bed was against the door. On the north side of the room, and on the left of this bed, was another, in which Uncle Moses slept; while on the south side, or the right, was the bed which was occupied by David and Clive. In this way they had disposed of themselves.
Bob was very wakeful. The beds were father unprepossessing, and consequently they had all retired without altogether undressing themselves; but in spite of this comparative discomfort they soon fell asleep. Bob alone remained awake.
He tried all he could to overcome his wakefulness. He resorted to all the means for producing sleep that he had ever heard of or read of. He tried counting, and went on counting and counting tens, and hundreds, and thousands. He counted fast, and he counted slow. In vain. Counting was useless, and when he had reached as high as four thousand seven hundred and thirty-seven, he gave it up in disgust.
Then he tried another infallible recipe for sleep He imagined, or tried to imagine, endless lines of rolling waves. This also was useless.
Then he tried another. He endeavored to imagine clouds of smoke rolling before him. This was as useless as the others.
Then he tested ever so many other methods, as follows:--
Waving grain.
Marching soldiers.
Funerals.
A sh.o.r.e covered with sea-weed.
An illimitable forest.
A ditto prairie.
The vault of heaven.
The wide, sh.o.r.eless ocean.
A cataract.
Fireworks.
The stars.
A burning forest.
Looking at his nose.
Wishing himself asleep.
Rubbing his forehead.
Lying on his back, do. do. right side.
do. do. left side.
do. do. face.
And about seventy-nine other methods, which need not be mentioned, for the simple reason that they were all equally useless.