Beadle's Dime Novels No. 139: The Border Foes — page 31: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

; ATTACK AND DEFENSE. 88 from its ,egs) Tom, the negro man, who was a stout and resolute fellow, was similarly armed, and the two men coolly prepared to defend themselves and the family. Mrs. Ryeburn and Hannah armed themselves with axes, Alice seized a hatchet, and little Sammy flourished a dilapi- dated pistol, which he had used as a plaything. “Keep cool, all of you!” said the old man. “It is not likey that the red-skins can get in at the doors or windows, and I hope we can keep them off until daylight. If we can, we will have a fair chance at them then.” “Unless they burn the house down before that time,” sug- gested his wife. “If they set fire to the house, may God help us! We can only do our best, out that much we will do. Tom, do you } watch the back door and the little window, while I look after this room.” After being repulsed from the front door, the assailants tried the back door and the windows, but found them all se- curely fastened. They were then heard bustling about near _the front door, and Jacob Ryeburn, who was listening there, Said that they intended to try to break in the door. The attempt was soon made, a rush was heard, and a heavy blow was struck upon the door, as if a rail or some other piece of timber was driven against it; but the stout oak showed no signs of splitting, nor were the ponderons bars shaken in their fastenings. “ Those fellows act queerly for red-skins,” said the old man. “They neither yell nor jabber. They have neither tried to cut down the house with their hatchets, nor to scare us to death with their screeching. I never knew the dogs to go to work so quietly.” The attempt was renewed again and again, but without effecting the object, and then Mr. Ryeburn resolved that he Would try to put a stop to that mode of attack. _ Directing the negro man to stand near him with his rifle, __ he listened attentively until he knew that the rail was being Carried back for another rush. Then the door was suddenly thrown open, and he and Tom fired out into the darkness, ‘Siming at the light which the attacking party carried. Hay- ing lelivered their fire, they closed and barred the door ; pcomicbooks* com : —, ——— = |