Meanwhile, Kocoum and two of his fellow warriors watched the settlers and Peanuts Gang digging while Ratcliffe said. "That's it. Keep at it, men. Keep digging. It's got to be here somewhere."
While watching from atop a tree, Namontack, one of the warriors let out a whistle.
"There's thirty more of them, down by the ridge." the other warrior said to Kocoum, who replied. "That makes more than a hundred."
"Well? Anything?" asked Lucy, who was checking on the progress as well.
"Nope." sighed Schroedor.
"Nothing but rocks and dirt, Lucy." added Thomas.
"Uh, Ratcliffe, I love getting dirty as much as the next guy," said Pig Pen, who was getting more dirtier than usual. "But how long do we have to keep digging like this?"
"Aye," said Ben. "We're slaving away, busting our backs day and night..."
"For king and country." Ratcliffe finished for him while gnawing on a chicken leg. "I know, I know, and I share your fatigue.
"Wiggins!" he called out.
Wiggins was busy making topiary animals out of some bushes when Ratcliffe called out to him again.
"Wiggins!"
"Coming!" he called back, rushing to his boss, who handed him his plate with the half-eaten chicken leg, telling him to...
"Dispose of this."
Smiling to himself, Wiggins knelt down and showed Percy the chicken leg, hoping he might like it.
"Who's a good doggie? Hmm? Who's a good doggie?" he cooed while Percy just rolled his eyes in disgust.
"Fetch, boy!" said Wiggins, who, then, threw the chicken leg.
But Percy just stood where he was, when he spotted someone looking up from one of the bushes...and yelped, which caught Ratcliffe's attention.
"Savages!" he said, now realizing he and the others were being watched. "It's an ambush! Arm yourselves!"
"Run!" cried Wiggins as he hid under one of his topiary animals.
"Arm yourselves!" repeated Ratcliffe. "Make sure every man has a musket!"
Every man made sure they did, for they each grabbed a musket of their own, so they can...
"Shoot!" ordered Ratcliffe.
While catching up with the others, Thomas tripped over a log, accidentally setting off his rifle.
Upon hearing the blast, Lucy managed to get out of the way as the shot ran through.
"I'm telling on you, blockhead!" she threatened Thomas.
While he and the settlers fired at the warriors, who fired back, Ratcliffe heard the sound of "Vergnügungspark*" coming from Schroedor's piano.
"Must you play the piano now?" he asked.
"Practice makes perfect, Governor?" replied Schroedor.
Just then, an arrow hit his piano.
"Hey!" Schroedor cried out, only to use his piano as a shield to protect himself from the aiming arrows.
"Where's that blasted Smith when I need him?" bellowed Ratcliffe, who, then, noticed Namontack up in the tree...and shot his leg!
Clutching his wound, Namontack fell from his post and to the ground, crying. "My leg*!"
"Namontack!" cried Kocoum.
Namontack looked up to see Schroedor raising his piano at him, only to be stopped by Kocoum.
"Do you have any idea how much this piano cost?" Schroedor asked through his clenched teeth.
But Kocoum just pushed him away with his foot and hoisted Namontack over his shoulder.
"Let's get back to the village!" he said to his comrades.
"My leg." groaned Namontack.
The settlers and Peanuts Gang cheered victoriously, but Ratcliffe just said. "Shut up! Shut up, you fools! They'll be back.
"Everyone back to camp!" he ordered. "Get the rest of the cannons ashore and finish building the fort!"
As Ratcliffe left in a huff, Lucy caught up to him.
"Uh, Ratcliffe?"
"Yes, Lucille?" replied Ratcliffe, who had knelt down so Lucy could whisper in his ear.
As he listened, Ratcliffe stared coldly at Thomas, who was being helped up by Charlie Brown and Linus.
"Learn to use that thing properly." he instructed, referring to the gun, which Thomas accidentally set off. "A man's not a man unless he knows how to shoot."
"Good grief." groaned Charlie Brown.
Back at the village, in his longhouse, Powhatan knelt beside Namontack as Kekata tended his wound.
"These beasts invade our shores," he fumed. "And now this!"
Once he finished chanting, Kekata sadly shook his head.
"This wound is strange to me." he concluded.
As he watched Namontack groan in pain, Powhatan knew what must be done.
"We will fight this enemy," he delcared. "But we cannot do it alone.
"Kocoum, send messengers to every village in our nation." he said to his bravest warrior. "We will call on our brothers to help us fight."
Then, once outside the longhouse, he addressed the villagers. "These white men are dangerous! No one is to go near them!"
Author's Note:
*"Vergnügungspark," composed by Gerhard Trede, was one of the production music used in "SpongeBob Squarepants," in which the quote "MY LEG!" was famously heard throughout the show.