This the Indians soon learned, and ceased their efforts in this direction. A silence of perhaps a half hour followed—the deep, almost audible silence which precedes the bursting of the storm. The savages, up to this point, had given utterance to no yells, and had persisted to a man in remaining invisible, so that not a shot had been exchanged upon either side. Those in the block-houses had done their utmost to catch a glimpse of their assailants, but thus far had not succeeded. When the flying arrows made their appearance, they seemed as if shot from the branches of the trees, and the wood was so dense that a most effectual concealment was given all. The clearing around the settlement, it will be remembered, extended several hundred feet, so an enemy would be compelled to expose themselves if they made a close attack. As the Shawnees ceased their efforts for a while, every settler loaded his gun, for he well knew that it would be needed in a short time. “What’s the next thing on the programme?” asked Moffat, who was standing beside the minister within the block-house. “It is hard telling, I guess,” replied Edwards. “Some trickery that we ain’t thinking about, I’ll be bound. Them Shawnees won’t give up so easy as all that.” “Moffat—see here, Moffat!” called a man at one of the loop-holes. “What’s the trouble there?” “Just take a peep through the loop-hole and see whether there is anything to be seen.” Moffat stepped forward as requested, and took a scrutinizing glance of the clearing in front. His suspicions were aroused, for he gazed several minutes without speaking a word. “Do you make anything of it?” inquired his friend. “Shawnees, as sure as thunder!” “Pass the word to the others there, and blaze away.” The pioneers were soon aware that the Shawnees were attempting to approach them. As they looked forth, they could see upon the outer edge of the clearing, their forms flat upon the ground, and creeping as stealthily as shadows. At the distance, and among the stumps and logs, it was hard to discover them, and none but a hunter’s eye would have done it. Orders were given to withhold the fire until they were much closer, and upon the point of rising for the result. Steadily, but imperceptibly to the inexperienced eye, the Shawnees approached the settlement. They could not be seen to move, and the way in which Kingman judged of their approach was by comparing the position of one of the dark forms with that of a stationary object. In a short time a relative change of position would be seen which became more perceptible each moment. Edwards, who was one of the leaders, seeing that the savages would turn all their exertions toward scaling the pickets or effecting an entrance through them, dispatched a large number of men from the block-house to guard the block-houses, so that the guards of the towns was not weak at any point.