The three archers walked into the compound with the hog loosely carried over a shoulder.

“You got it then,” Terrance said.

“It put up a bit of a fight but in the end a couple of arrows dealt with it.”

“Glad to see you all back safely.”

“How’s Trudy doing?”

Terrance shrugged his shoulders.

“After four months she’s doing alright at present.”

As he walked over to the log hut, the sentry shouted a warning.

“What’s up?” the leader asked.

“Seems that we have company sir.”

When Terrance climbed the ladder, he was astonished to see a small
group of natives approaching from the forest.

“So there is intelligent life here after all.”

“Surely the commodore would have checked for that.”

“Natives do not send out signals mate. I better see what they want.
Open up the gate.”

When he stepped outside the small party stopped too.

Terrance looked over their rough clothes and noted the quiver slung over their shoulders.

“How do I communicate with them?”

“Hey tow lateson?”

The leader shook his head and tried something. Pointing to himself he said slowly, “Me friend.”

The natives looked at each other for a moment.

A tall individual came toward him.

“Lateson povokteh.”

“Sorry mate.”

This seemed to annoy the fellow for he suddenly pointed to the stockade.

“Lateson non prenda!”

“You wish to go inside?” Terrance asked.

A second warrior approached and removed a knife from its sheath. Handing it to his supposed chief, he returned to the braves.

“Soleh yanno datum!”

He threw the blade at the closed gate and promptly walked off with his men, leaving Terrance none the wiser.

He pulled the blade out and walked back inside.

“At least we know there is steel ore somewhere.”

“You think they are friendly sir?”

Terrance glanced at the sentry.

“I’m not quite sure. Just keep a sharp lookout.”

He wandered over to one of the homes and knocking, entered swiftly.
As the five men looked he said, “I need bowmen to bolster our defences.”

As they snapped to it, one asked, “We expecting trouble then?”

Terrance showed them the blade.

“Just keep an eye out.”

He found Trudy lying upon the floor doing exercises that were essential for a mother to be.

“Enjoying that?”

“Why not join me dear?”

“What do you make of this? It was thrown at the gate.”

She sat up and examined it.

“Very well made. You saw who threw this?”

Terrance nodded.

“A group of Indians no less.”

She stood at once, despite the increased bump.

“It’s a declaration of war love.”

“Are you positive?”

“He was making a statement of intent.”

“After all this time, why now?”

“It could be any number of reasons. He may be just as surprised to find us here. Perhaps we are upon his happy hunting ground. One thing I’m sure of though.”

“Go on.”

“When the sun dips below the horizon, his braves will attack.”

“I’ll make the arrangements. Just stay here.”

He dashed to the communal fire and taking the wooden spoon began banging the pot loudly.

When the people came, he raised his hands.

“I want all women to remain inside their homes tonight. Every able
bodied man will join me in defence.”

There was a shocked silence.

“A people that we knew nothing about have chosen to make war upon us. As it is, this is our home now. We have no option but to defend it.”

As the females scurried off, Terrance began splitting the men into groups. Each one deployed to the four long walls.

Petra however dashed over.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Go with the woman just in case.”

“We only have twelve archers sir. You need another gunman.”

When he shook his head, she became rather annoyed.

“Who will treat the wounded then?" Your wife?”

Terrance grimaced.

Our medics are trained now, and we have enough. Now please do as I ask.”

When she dashed off, he gazed around the compound at the waiting men. As an afterthought he shouted, “Put some extra ladders against the walls. We need to keep the enemy as far off as possible.”

He shook his head as men scurried to and fro muttering quietly, “This had better be enough to stop them.”
...
As the darkness fell, strange new sounds echoed from the nearby forest. Terrance stood ready as an archer approached.

“What do they think they’ll do first?”

“Perhaps launch probing attacks to judge our strength.”

A shout from the west wall made them dash over.

“I saw something moving sir.”

“Remember to fire at fifty yards,” Terrance called out. “Archers, try and use those arrows sparingly. We don’t have a lot to spare.”

He had just finished when a hail of arrows rained from across the wall. As they struck the flat roofs, the women cowered in side.

“Wait for them,” the leader said as screams came from the west wall.

Moments later a group of hostiles ran at the defenders who opened up at once. As the sonic blasters struck, the natives went down and did not move.

“We got that lot,” Terry said.

“Just keep them off,” Terrance advised.

A second hail of arrows struck just as ineffectively followed by another group attack. As they neared the wall, the defenders easily cut them down.

“It’s like shooting rabbits,” John muttered.

“Rabbits don’t fire back,” Terry reminded him.

A pause ensued until the gate wall came under heavy attack. A shower of arrows smashed against the wood, quickly followed by ladder men.

The defenders stopped this onslaught until the enemy bowmen started targeting the upper wall. Two men yelled and plummeted to the ground. As the remainder ducked for cover, hordes of natives surged forward.

“Hold your position!” Terrance yelled as the ladders hit the gate wall.

The defenders tried to stop them, but well placed axe blows took a heavy toll.

“West wall to the gate!” Terrance screamed as the natives broke over the top.

The defenders rushed over and Sammy was one of them. As an axe-wielding enemy rushed at him, he fired automatically.

Terrance ran over and gave covering fire as the natives began to fall in large numbers.

“We need to plug the gap,” Terry warned as another swarm climbed the wall.

Terrance knew that he had no real option now.

“Everyone to the gate wall now!”

As they dashed over the enemy buckled under the weapons of the settlers and survivors turned to flee. Seeing this the leader shouted, “Let them go.”

As the bodies were quickly dragged to a corner Terrance found Larry and asked, “How many did we lose?”

“No more than ten sir. We killed more of them.”

“This is ruddy stupid. We can’t replace these losses.”

The woods went quiet at last, and no further attacks were launched that night. When daylight broke the weary defenders remained on station.

“At least they have not returned,” Dudley said happily.

“We have a reprieve for a moment,” Terrance said. “Make sure the dead are buried outside the compound eh?”

As he returned to his partner, she glanced up.

“How are we doing love?”

“We lost ten last night. At that rate, it won’t take long to grind us down I’m afraid.”

“Can’t we strike back?”

He shook his head.

“If we get caught in the open it’s over.”

The hours passed without incident, as more arrows were frantically made. Just before sunset, the strange sounds began again.

“Here we go again,” the leader muttered stepping toward the gate wall.

“Any sign of them?”

The sentry shook his head.

Seconds later an arrow took him down.

“Here they come!” a voice shouted as Terrance clambered onto the vacant ladder.

“Open fire!”

The blasters opened up as the natives came on in a solid pack. A shower of arrows struck the upper wall, allowing the ladders to be placed against it.

Terrance found himself clubbing the attackers as they clambered up as his colleagues did their best to resist the onslaught.

“There are too many!” Larry shouted as the men fell back.

“Everyone over here!” Terrance yelled as he fired repeatedly at the yelling foe.

As bodies fell the attack petered out at last, and this time no casualties were reported.

“They can’t do this all night,” Dudley said.

“There could be thousands of them mate,” the guard said. “If they rush at once, we won’t be able to hold them.

“Let’s hope that it doesn’t come to that eh?”

After an hour of quiet, the strange sounds began again. This time however, the enemy stood up and yelled from a safe distance.

Terrance ran from wall to wall and gazed at them.

“We’re damn well surrounded.”

“I hope they stay where they are,” Larry said.

“So do I.”

A sudden hail of arrows took down five men, as the horde struck en -masse.

“Oh crikey!” Terry yelled out.

“We fight to our last breath!” Terrance yelled as arrows bounced off the flat roofs.

Despite heavy losses, the natives reached the wall line and threw up the ladders as the bowmen concentrated upon the upper wall.

“Fall back!” Terrance screamed. “Form a wall around our homes!”

The leader watched his men obey, and the enemy scrambling over the walls in hot pursuit. Sammy ran to join him and Terrance smiled down.

“If we survive this lad, I’ll get you a medal.”

Sammy nodded.

The natives fell under the concentrated fire but soon reached the defenders. As fierce hand-to-hand fighting broke out, a screaming native carrying an axe rushed at Sammy. When Terrance cut him down, he grabbed it.

“This should come in handy.”

He swung fiercely, smashing the skulls of those around him as Sammy fired again and again.

A sudden yell went up.

“We can’t hold them!”

Terrance swung around and screamed, “Remember the Alamo!”

He suddenly saw the many doors of the homes open and the woman appearing.

“Get back inside!”

A single voice that he recognised cried out, “Let’s get them girls!”

Armed with blasters, knives and pans, they rushed to help their failing men folk. Terrance smashed his axe into the face of a howling warrior who crashed down before him.

From the corner of his eye, he saw a warrior charge at pregnant Trudy and dashed to intercept. As he ran, an arrow slammed into his back. His fading vision recorded her cutting the attacker down with a well-placed knife blow.

She dashed across and pulled the arrow out.

“You stupid man! I had him covered.”

Terrance groaned and he managed to glance up.

“Pardon me for breathing.”

As he blacked out, the warriors were at last driven back against the walls and killed to the last man.

When he opened his eyes once more, he saw Trudy looking down at him.

“How did we do?” he groaned.

“Don’t try to sit up. We held them off. At least three hundred were killed.”

“How about us?”

“We lost another thirty I’m afraid.”

“Damn the losses. We must make peace.”

“Only they can do that Terrance, not us.”

He pushed her off and sat up slowly.

“Help me outside.”

“If you insist.”

As they hobbled out, he saw the large pile of now rotting corpses.

“This carnage has to stop. Where is that knife they gave us?”

“It’s inside, why?”

“Go and get it.”

When she handed it over, they hobbled over to the gate wall.

“Any sign of them?”

“No sir,” Dudley said. “Not a peep.”

Then a shout went up from the west wall. By the time Terrance got there, a group of warriors had advanced to within firing range.

“They are unarmed sir.”

“Hold your fire,” Terrance yelled.

He managed to climb the ladder and saw the same warrior he had met earlier. Pointing to the wall, he said weakly, “We mean you no harm.”

“Hetop nokly son.”

Terrance rolled his eyes.

“I don’t understand!”

“Yotep son lee. Rah fed conteh.”

He saw the chief point at the knife and the penny dropped. He aimed carefully and threw it back, watching the blade as it landed at the warrior’s feet.

The proud man picked it up and placed his two arms across his chest.

“Yoh solap conteh.”

He turned his back and led the party back to the woods and toward their distant encampment.

“What was that all about?” the sentry asked.

“How the hell do I know?”

When night fell, they waited but no attack came. As dawn broke, Terrance stood them down at last. As Trudy helped him back home, he shook his head sadly.

“Surely he did not simply want his knife back?”

As she laid him down, she shook her head.

“You threw it at his feet love. You stated your intent and he got the message.”

Terrance was more than a little confused.

“What message?”

“That you would rather die than leave this place. The chief won’t be back and perhaps one day, we can even be friends.”

That happy thought made him smile.

“I sure hope so.”