They were now making ready the second cannon, but as the rammer stepped forward the deadly marksman in the tree reached him with his bullet, and, falling beside his gun, he lay quite still. Once more the thousand voices of the warriors joined in a terrible cry of wrath and menace, but the young forester reloaded calmly, and the sponger, smitten down, fell beside his comrade. Long Jim and the shiftless one, who lay side by side, gazed at the tree in silent admiration. They knew the ability of their comrade as a sharpshooter, but never before had he been so deadly at such long range. "They'll hev to draw them cannon back," whispered Shif'less Sol, "or he'll pick off every one o' the white men that manage 'em." "Then I hope they won't draw 'em back," said Long Jim. But Alloway and the chiefs saw the necessity of taking the gun beyond rifle range, and they withdrew them quickly, although not quickly enough to keep another of the white men from receiving a painful wound. The savages discharged a volley from their rifles and muskets, and flights of arrows were sent into the thickets, but arrows and bullets alike fell short. Many of the arrows merely reached the river, and Paul found a curious pleasure in watching these feathered messengers fly through the air, and then shoot downward into the water, leaving bubbles to tell for a moment where they had gone. "They're goin' to shoot them cannon ag'in," said Shif'less Sol, "but they're puttin' a different kind o' ammunition in 'em." "It's grape," said Paul. "What's grape?" asked Long Jim. "All kinds of metal, slugs and suchlike, that scatter." "Like a handful uv buckshot, only bigger an' more uv it." "That describes it." "Then it 'pears to me that we'd better back water a lot, an' give all them grape a chance to bust an' fly whar we ain't." "Words of wisdom, Jim," said Henry, "and we'd better get behind trees, too." "An' good big ones," said Shif'less Sol. "Ef I've got an oak seven feet through in front o' me they kin go on with thar fireworks." They retreated hastily and lay down behind the great trunks, none too soon either, as the cannon roared and the grapeshot whistled all about them, cutting off twigs and leaves and ploughing the earth. "That shorely is dang'rous business--fur us," said Shif'less Sol. "I'm glad they didn't start with it. It's like a swarm o' iron bees flyin' at you, an' ef you ain't holed up some o' 'em is bound to hit you." "Back there!" exclaimed Henry to the shiftless one, who was peeping behind his oak, "they're about to fire the second gun!" The discharge of grapeshot again fell in the thicket, but it hurt no one, and the five did not reply. Two more shots were fired, doing great damage to the forest at that spot, but none of the five. Then came a pause. "The white men and the chiefs have gone into consultation again," announced Henry. "Why haven't they sent out flankers to cross the river?" said Paul. "I haven't seen a single warrior leave the main band."