True, the gate was secured, with sentries around the clock, but a weak point existed to the rear. The fifteen-foot wall made of two-inch-thick upright logs was mostly left unguarded there due to the clear-cut area beyond. It was not considered a threat that Indians would dare swoop down and attack from such an open area, for their approach would be seen by the sentries at the gate as they regularly looked in that direction during the day. At night, soldiers marched up and down along the wall every so often, alert for any sound or sign of movement. But what was not known, and what Luke had no intention of confiding to anyone, was that there was a spot in a far corner where someone could slip through by moving aside a log that had been deftly cut toward the bottom. All an intruder had to do was wait for the soldier to make his passing round, then slip inside. Luke kept the secret for several reasons. Most of all, he liked having undetected entry and exit should he need it, but he also knew how starving Indians had made the passageway in the first place, so they could sneak in and steal food—not enough at one time for it to be missed but enough to satisfy their hunger till they could find other sources.
