"It is a decoy party," said one of the men positively. "They will draw you out of the fort and before you know it you will find yourselves surrounded by more than a hundred of those howling savages." "That is right" said another. "My suggestion is that we all make for the other side of the fort. I believe the Indians are trying to draw us out on this side and then attack us on the other." The experiences which many already had had with the Indians of the border confirmed the impression made by the words of the last speaker. Even the younger men, who were eager to sally forth and attack the young warriors that were making such a commotion, were held back by the suggestion. "We cannot protect ourselves very long in the fort," said one of the men when the defenders had been divided into two bands. "Why not?" inquired another. "Because we have no water. There is not enough water in the fort to last us thirty hours." "What can we do?" inquired one of the older men after a tense silence had followed the statement of the speaker. "If we go down to the spring the Indians will pick us off, every one." "Send the women," suggested another. "They go to the spring every morning. The Indians may not think we have any suspicion of what they are planning to do. If the women and girls go to the spring for water just as they usually do the Indians will not fire at them. They will want to save all their bullets for their attack on this side when our men have been drawn out to chase the savages who are yelling now on the other side." "It seems cowardly," said another man "to ask the women to go down to the spring when we know it would be sure death for us to go." "It will not be sure death for the women, and my opinion is that not one of them will be harmed," said the first speaker positively. "At all events we can ask them to go and let them say whether they will or not." When the proposition was made to the women there were some who made replies not unlike those which their male defenders had suggested in the council. Some of them said: "If the men were afraid that they might be shot, why should they ask the women to go in their place?" Then it was explained just why the request was made. Immediately some of the bolder women and girls, taking their buckets, opened the gates and started toward the spring, which was only a short distance from the fort. Frightened, the women undoubtedly were, and with good reason. But with unbroken lines they continued on their way to the spring. One by one they knelt and filled their buckets and then joined the line which was returning to the fort. When the matrons and maids had arrived within a few yards of the open gate their terror became so overpowering that they all began to run for the shelter. Many a dusky face had been seen on the borders of the forest, but not a shot was fired at the bold girls and the women of Bryant's Station when they brought the water from the spring to the inmates of the fort.