"I wish we had an American flag to run up," thought Ted, as the next volley was fired.
A moment later he forgot this aspiration, as a cry of pain was heard from the slackers' covert.
Buck chuckled. Jones laughed aloud. Intense excitement reigned, mingled with a fierce exultation which Ted, as he realized afterward, fully shared.
The three white men and the negro fired again, and were raising their guns once more when Buck suddenly called a halt.
"Hold on," he said. "Looks like they've quit. And if they have, we'll quit, too."
All listened intently and looked cautiously forth. There were now no answering shots. It was evident that the slackers had either "quit" or, as Peters suggested, were "hatching some mischief."
While keeping a wary eye on the open woods behind them, the watchful listeners waited for some sign from the silenced "fort," and presently it came. A white handkerchief rose on the end of a stick and fluttered above the clump of palmettos.
"Hello, there!" shouted Buck. "Is that you, Jenkins? It's got to be Jenkins, or we won't trust you."
"It's me," they heard the voice of Jenkins, rather fainter than it had been during the previous parley. "It's all over, Hardy. You've got us. James and Thatcher have run--they're in the boats and gone by this time. Nobody here but me and Carter."
"We're both hit, but I reckon we can do that much."
Jenkins came out of cover, limping, and stood his gun against the tree. Behind him came Carter, dragging his gun with one hand, his other arm hanging limp at his side.
"I reckon it's all right," said Buck. "But, July, you stay here and keep them boys till we make sure."
Then the three white men, holding their guns in readiness, walked across the open to investigate. Left alone with the boys, July suddenly began to laugh with all the abandon of the happiest of darkies.
"Dat sho was a grand fight," he assured the boys. "An' what you reckon, Cap'n Ted? Atter I shot once I wasn't scared. I des 'joyed myself shootin' at dem slackers an' list'nin' to de bullets rattlin' round us in dese permeters. I wouldn't 'a' believed it. I sho is a 'stonished nigger dis mawnin'."
July laughed ecstatically, and before the amused and pleased boys had spoken he continued: