The little blockhouse stood in the trees on a rise of ground. Lea, with her Indians about her, moved silently through the underbrush. It was her intention to creep up and surprise the Dutch guards, and to overcome them without arousing the near-by village. The door of the blockhouse faced the other way. The building stood black and silent. Were we in there? Was any one in there? She did not know. Without warning, taking Lea wholly by surprise, at the edge of the thickets the savages knelt abruptly and shot their arrows. "Why--" Momentarily she lost her poise. The young brave beside her drew her back behind a tree-trunk. It startled her. But she saw that he was reverential. "We will go no farther," he said. "Drive them away." The lust of battle abruptly swept over the young Indians. With the launching of the first arrow they seemed to forget Lea. The forest rang with their shouts. They spread out; creeping forward. And then with flint and steel bartered from the pale-face, they set their arrows into flame. And launched them. The young leader standing by Lea murmured: "They are running! See them go--off there--running for their village. The fort will burn." It was already burning. Dry walls and roof; the flaming arrows struck and caught the bark. Spots of spreading flame. "Wait!" commanded Lea. "Enough!" She stopped them at last. The fort was blazing. The Dutchmen had decamped. She added: "Come!" But the young Indians feared to advance; suddenly fearful of what they had done; the great pale-face village could pour out many wrathful men upon occasion. "Then stay here," said Lea hurriedly. * * * * * She left them. She dashed across the short intervening space. She ran around the corner of the burning building. A prayer was in her heart that Alan and Nanette and I were inside and still safe. She came to the door. It stood open. The room was full of smoke. Its candles gleamed dully; but she saw that the room was empty. And saw a door across it. She rushed in. The smoke choked her. She held her breath. The door between the rooms was not fastened. She flung it open. Saw, in the yellow glare of the burning roof--saw Alan and me lying bound and helpless. We called: "Lea!" She came--saw the ropes binding us. She dashed back to get a knife lying on the table by the candles. We rolled so that she might cut our ropes. We were all gasping in the smoke. She helped us up; we could barely stand at first, but with her help we staggered out into the blessed cool air of the night. The building was blazing all over its side and roof. To the south, by the city stockade, the Dutchmen were shouting, but none of them advanced. We ran back to Lea's waiting Indians. There seemed still a chance that Turber's aero might still be there. The Indians led us to the spot. But it was gone, and the camp was deserted.