“I’ve about a hundred left,” he reflected, “and that’s enough to keep things on a jump, if I can dodge their javelins.”

Meanwhile, Jared Long was not idle.  He had but the opening at the rear to watch, and he did the duty well.  Almost at the moment that his comrade fired his first shot, he descried the figure of a Murhapa trying to steal into the apartment without detection; but just enough of the moonlight that was shut from the front doors and windows, reached the rear of the building, to disclose the outlines of the head and shoulders, as he began stealthily creeping into the building.

Bippo had discovered the peril at the same moment, and clutched the arm of his master with a nervous intensity of terror.  Long impatiently shook him off, and, with the same cool quickness of Professor Grimcke, drove a bullet through the head of the dusky miscreant, who was slain so suddenly that he rolled convulsively backward, without any outcry.

Almost at the same instant, a second native emitted a wild shout.  He was directly behind the first and the latter lurched against him, causing such fright that he leaped back several feet with the involuntary cry fully understood by all whose ears it reached.

Long stood as rigid as a statue for several minutes, waiting for another chance, but none presented.  Then he reflected that his position was much more favorable than Grimcke’s, for not only had he but the single opening to guard, but his apartment was so shrouded in gloom that the sharpest-eyed warrior could not locate him from the outside.

The New Englander stepped to the door communicating with the front apartment and, barely showing himself, spoke: 

“I can attend to the window on the right, Professor; leave that to me, while you watch the door and the other one.”

“Thanks,” returned his friend; “I think there is a little too much light in this part of the house.”

Moving quickly to the hearth he heaped the ashes with his foot upon the blazing embers, until they were so smothered that only a few tiny twists of flame struggled through the covering.  This left the place in such darkness that a sense of security instantly came to him.

“Good!” called the New Englander, who could no longer be discerned; “that makes matters more nearly equal!”

Although, as we have said, the moonlight was substantially shut off from the front of the heavy structure, yet the moon itself, being full, so illumined the surroundings that it was quite easy to distinguish the head and figure of any one of their enemies the instant he presented himself at one of the openings.

What both the defenders feared was, that the savages would make a sudden rush and force themselves within the cabin in spite of the disastrous reception they were sure to be given.  Such an essay was certain to result in the overthrow of the whites, but the Murhapas must have realized the cost it would be to them.  Brave as they were, they hesitated to incur the consequences until other means had failed.