The general and intense—­almost spell-bound—­attention with which all in the room listened to these gentle but touching wanderings of a mind so single and pure, was interrupted by yells so infernal, and shrieks so wild and fearful, that it seemed, in sooth, as if the last trump had sounded, and men were passing forth from their graves to judgment.  Willoughby almost leaped out of the room, and Maud followed, to shut and bolt the door, when her waist was encircled by the arm of Nick, and she found herself borne forward towards the din.

Chapter XXIX.

  “O, Time and Death! with certain pace,
  Though still unequal, hurrying on,
  O’erturning, in your awful race,
  The cot, the palace, and the throne!”

  Sands.

Maud had little leisure for reflection.  The yells and shrieks were followed by the cries of combatants, and the crack of the rifle.  Nick hurried her along at a rate so rapid that she had not breath to question or remonstrate, until she found herself at the door of a small store-room, in which her mother was accustomed to keep articles of domestic economy that required but little space.  Into this room Nick thrust her, and then she heard the key turn on her egress.  For a single moment, Wyandotte stood hesitating whether he should endeavour to get Mrs. Willoughby and her other daughter into the same place of security; then, judging of the futility of the attempt, by the approach of the sounds within, among which he heard the full, manly voice of Robert Willoughby, calling on the garrison to be firm, he raised an answering yell to those of the Mohawks, the war-whoop of his tribe, and plunged into the fray with the desperation of one who ran a muck, and with the delight of a demon.

In order to understand the cause of this sudden change, it will be necessary to return a little, in the order of time.  While Willoughby was with his mother and sisters, Mike had charge of the gate.  The rest of the garrison was either at the loops, or was stationed on the roofs.  As the darkness increased, Joel mustered sufficient courage to crawl through the hole, and actually reached the gate.  Without him, it was found impossible to spring his mine, and he had been prevailed on to risk this much, on condition it should not be asked of him to do such violence to his feelings as to enter the court of a house in which he had seen so many happy days.

The arrangement, by which this traitor intended to throw a family upon the tender mercies of savages, was exceedingly simple.  It will be remembered that only one leaf of the inner gate was hung, the other being put in its place, where it was sustained by a prop.  This prop consisted of a single piece of timber, of which one end rested on the ground, and the other on the centre of the gate; the last being effectually prevented from slipping by pins of wood, driven into the massive wood-work of the gate, above