246 The Winning of the West 



few hundred yards led beside a field of growing 

 corn taller than a man. Some of the Indians were 

 lying in this field when they were surprised by the 

 sudden appearance of the rescuers, and promptly 

 fired on them. Levi Todd and the horsemen, who 

 were marching in advance, struck spurs into their 

 steeds, and galloping hard through the dust and 

 smoke reached the fort in safety. The footmen 

 were quickly forced to retreat toward Lexington; 

 but the Indians were too surprised by the unlooked- 

 for approach to follow, and they escaped with the 

 loss of one man killed and three wounded. 11 



That night the Indians tried to burn the fort, 

 shooting flaming arrows onto the roofs of the cabins 

 and rushing up to the wooden wall with lighted 

 torches. But they were beaten off at each attempt. 

 When day broke they realized that it was hopeless 

 to make any further effort, though they still kept 

 up a desultory fire on the fort's defenders ; they had 

 killed most of the cattle and pigs, and some of the 

 horses, and had driven away the rest. 



Girty, who was among the assailants, as a last 

 shift, tried to get the garrison to surrender, assur- 

 ing them that the Indians were hourly expecting 

 reinforcements, including the artillery brought 

 against Ruddle's and Martin's stations two years 

 previously; and that if forced to batter down the 

 walls no quarter would be given to any one. Among 

 the fort's defenders was young Aaron Reynolds, 

 the man whose profanity had formerly roused Cap- 



11 Va. State Papers, III, p. 300. 



