The mission of Black Rifle : or, On the trail . ders, had formed them- 38 THE MISSION OF BLACK RIFLE ; selves into a company with this sounding designa-tion, and whom the exigency had induced theirparents to make use of in defence of the garrison. You see, continued Proctor, after youdgone, we found we had a good many more loop-holes than men to man them ; plenty of guns andammunition, and not enough to use the thought as these little chaps were full of grit,and not stout enough to hold out a gun, wed prac-tise em at shooting from a rest, and, when one ofem got so he could hit fairl
The mission of Black Rifle : or, On the trail . ders, had formed them- 38 THE MISSION OF BLACK RIFLE ; selves into a company with this sounding designa-tion, and whom the exigency had induced theirparents to make use of in defence of the garrison. You see, continued Proctor, after youdgone, we found we had a good many more loop-holes than men to man them ; plenty of guns andammunition, and not enough to use the thought as these little chaps were full of grit,and not stout enough to hold out a gun, wed prac-tise em at shooting from a rest, and, when one ofem got so he could hit fairly, give him a loopholeof his own. That was a first-rate plan. It turned out to be; for, though we had tostick em up on blocks to make em tall enoughto reach the loop-holes, when the Indians attackedus Tony Stewart shot one. Shot him ter death ? Dead as a hammer. Come here, my lad. Tony with a flushed cheek obeyed. Youre a brave boy, patting him on thehead. Thats moren I could do at your age;theres not another boy in the lands got sich OR, ON THE TRAIL. 39 Father said hed buy me a rifle when I gotbigger. If he dont, I will. Johnny Crawford got hit in the leg, and BobbyHolt on his arm ; and they didnt nary one of emcry a bit, but went back to their loopholes after itwas bound up. Come here, Johnny; come, Bobb}: I want terlook at you, and I want everybody in the room totake notice of you. It will be told of all over thefrontier. Its a good thing, said McClure, to havethese boys (children, I may say) growing up to therifle, and getting ready to fill the places of thosewho are dead and gone; for weve had sore losses,and those we could ill spare, these last fewmonths. Its my mind, said Holt, that we shouldhave had a much longer and sharper siege; butthe Indians, meeting so heavy a fire, thought thegarrison was full of men, and got discouraged. Itisnt every day that boys of thirteen have scars ofwounds got in battle to show and be proud of. Ned Honeywood, said Holdness (Hone
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