"
He came back to his old position. Paul's heart began to thump,
and his thumb fitted itself over the trigger of his cocked rifle.
Then they heard rapid feet, a smash, a crash, and the door flew
open. A half dozen Iroquois and a log that they held between
them were hurled into the middle of the room. The door had given
away so easily and unexpectedly that the warriors could not check
themselves, and two or three fell with the log. But they sprang
like cats to their feet, and with their comrades uttered a cry
that filled the whole cabin with its terrible sound and import.
The Iroquois, keen of eyes and quick of mind, saw the trap at
once. The five grim figures, rifle in hand and finger on
trigger, all waiting silent and motionless were far different
from what they expected. Here could be no scalps, with the long,
silky hair of women and children.
There was a moment's pause, and then the Indians rushed at their
foes. Five fingers pulled triggers, flame leaped from five
muzzles, and in an instant the cabin was filled with smoke and
war shouts, but the warriors never had a chance. They could only
strike blindly with their tomahawks, and in a half minute three
of them, two wounded, rushed through the door and fled to the
woods.
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