“Well, they’ll find us prepared when they do come,” rejoined Mr. Walters.

“What do you propose?” asked Mr. Ellis.  “Are we to fire on them at once, or wait for their attack?”

“Wait for their attack, by all means,” said he, in reply;—­“if they throw stones, you’ll find plenty in that room with which to return the compliment; if they resort to fire-arms, then we will do the same; I want to be strictly on the defensive—­but at the same time we must defend ourselves fully and energetically.”

In about an hour after this conversation a dull roar was heard in the distance, which grew louder and nearer every moment.

“Hist!” said Esther; “do you hear that noise?  Listen! isn’t that the mob coming?”

Mr. Walters opened the shutter, and then the sound became more distinct.  On they came, nearer and nearer, until the noise of their voices became almost deafening.

There was something awful in the appearance of the motley crowd that, like a torrent, foamed and surged through the streets.  Some were bearing large pine torches that filled the air with thick smoke and partially lighted up the surrounding gloom.  Most of them were armed with clubs, and a few with guns and pistols.

As they approached the house, there seemed to be a sort of consultation between the ringleaders, for soon after every light was extinguished, and the deafening yells of “Kill the niggers!” “Down with the Abolitionists!” were almost entirely stilled.

“I wonder what that means,” said Mr. Walters, who had closed the shutter, and was surveying, through an aperture that had been cut, the turbulent mass below.  “Look out for something soon.”

He had scarcely finished speaking, when a voice in the street cried, “One—­two—­three!” and immediately there followed a volley of missiles, crushing in the windows of the chamber above, and rattling upon the shutters of the room in which the party of defenders were gathered.  A yell then went up from the mob, followed by another shower of stones.

“It is now our turn,” said Mr. Walters, coolly.  “Four of you place yourselves at the windows of the adjoining room; the rest remain here.  When you see a bright light reflected on the crowd below, throw open the shutters, and hurl down stones as long as the light is shining.  Now, take your places, and as soon as you are prepared stamp upon the floor.”

Each of the men now armed themselves with two or more of the largest stones they could find, from the heap that had been provided for the occasion; and in a few seconds a loud stamping upon the floor informed Mr. Walters that all was ready.  He now opened the aperture in the shutter, and placed therein a powerful reflecting light which brought the shouting crowd below clearly into view, and in an instant a shower of heavy stones came crashing down upon their upturned faces.