"If we could keep a couple of fires going before the doors during the
night, sir," said the sergeant, "we might keep them away."
"I am afraid a fire would be of greater advantage to them than to us,"
I replied; "we should have to expose ourselves every time we
replenished it. I wonder if the roof is covered with earth? It is
flat."
"I'll tell you in half a minute, sir," said Frank, and entering the
fireplace he proceeded to ascend the wide-mouthed chimney by stepping
on projecting stones of which it was built. In a moment he called down
to me, "Yes, sir; it is covered with about two feet of earth."
"All right then. If we can get pine enough to keep a blaze going then
we will have one. A fire on the roof will illuminate everything about
us and leave our windows and doorways in darkness. It will aid our aim
and confuse the Indians."
We set to work at once and pulled down all the bunks, and with large
stones from the fireplace succeeded in breaking into fragments the
pine puncheons and posts of which they were made. Then Sergeant
Cunningham ascended the chimney and tore away one side of the part
which projected above the roof--the side looking in the direction
opposite the precipice.
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