The disdainful manner of Hurry prevented a reply, and
he and the old man resumed the discussion of their plans in
a more quiet and confidential manner. This conference
lasted until Judith appeared, bearing the simple, but savoury
supper. March observed, with a little surprise, that she
placed the choicest bits before Deerslayer, and that in the
little nameless attentions it was in her power to bestow, she
quite obviously manifested a desire to let it be seen that she
deemed him the honoured guest. Accustomed, however, to
the waywardness and coquetry of the beauty, this discovery
gave him little concern, and he ate with an appetite that
was in no degree disturbed by any moral causes. The
easily-digested food of the forests offering the fewest possible
obstacles to the gratification of this great animal indulgence,
Deerslayer, notwithstanding the hearty meal both had taken
in the woods, was in no manner behind his companion, in
doing justice to the viands.

An hour later, the scene had greatly changed. The lake
was still placid and glassy, but the gloom of the hour had
succeeded to the soft twilight of a summer evening, and all
within the dark setting of the woods lay in the quiet repose
of night. The forests gave up no song, or cry, or even
murmur, but looked down from the hills on the lovely basin
they encircled, in solemn stillness; and the only sound that
was audible, was the regular dip of the sweeps, at which
Hurry and Deerslayer lazily pushed, impelling the ark towards
the castle. Hutter had withdrawn to the stern of the
scow, in order to steer, but, finding that the young men kept
even strokes, and held the desired course by their own skill,
he had permitted the oar to drag in the water, taken a seat
on the end of the vessel, and lighted his pipe. He had not
been thus placed many minutes, ere Hetty came stealthily
out of the cabin, or house, as they usually termed that part
of the ark, and placed herself at his feet, on a little bench
that she brought with her. As this movement was by
no means unusual in his feeble-minded child, the old man
paid no other attention to it, than to lay his hand kindly on
her head, in an affectionate and approving manner; an act
of grace that the girl received in meek silence.

After a pause of several minutes, Hetty began to sing.
Her voice was low and tremulous, but it was earnest and

[figure description] Page 086.[end figure description]

solemn. The words and the time were of the simplest form,
the first being a hymn that she had been taught by her
mother, and the last one of those natural melodies that find
favour with all classes, in every age, coming from, and
being addressed to, the feelings. Hutter never listened to
this simple strain without finding his heart and manner
softened; facts that his daughter well knew, and by which
she had often profited, through the sort of holy instinct that
enlightens the weak of mind, more especially in their aims
toward good.

Hetty's low, sweet tones had not been raised many moments,
when the dip of the oars ceased, and the holy strain
arose singly on the breathing silence of the wilderness.
As if she gathered courage with the theme, her powers appeared
to increase as she proceeded; and though nothing
vulgar, or noisy, mingled in her melody, its strength and
melancholy tenderness grew on the ear, until the air was
filled with this simple homage of a soul that seemed almost
spotless. That the men forward were not indifferent to this
touching interruption, was proved by their inaction; nor did
their oars again dip, until the last of the sweet sounds had
actually died among the remarkable shores, which, at that
witching hour, would waft, even the lowest modulations of
the human voice, more than a mile. Hutter, himself, was
affected; for, rude as he was by early habits, and even ruthless
as he had got to be by long exposure to the practices
of the wilderness, his nature was of that fearful mixture of
good and evil, that so generally enters into the moral composition
of man.

“You are sad to-night, child,” said the father, whose
manner and language usually assumed some of the gentleness
and elevation of the civilized life he had led in youth,
when he thus communed with this particular child; “we
have just escaped from enemies, and ought rather to rejoice.”

“You can never do it, father!” said Hetty, in a low
remonstrating manner, taking his hard knotty hand into both
her own; “you have talked long with Harry March; but
neither of you will have the heart to do it!”

“This is going beyond your means, foolish child; you
must have been naughty enough to have listened, or you
could know nothing of our talk.”

[figure description] Page 087.[end figure description]

“Why should you and Hurry kill people—especially
women and children?”

“Peace, girl, peace; we are at war, and must do to our
enemies as our enemies would do to us.”

“That's not it, father! I heard Deerslayer say how it
was. You must do to your enemies, as you wish your enemies
would do to you. No man wishes his enemies to kill
him.”

“We kill our enemies in war, girl, lest they should kill
us. One side or the other must begin; and them that begin
first, are most apt to get the victory. You know nothing
about these things, poor Hetty, and had best say nothing.”

“Judith says it is wrong, father; and Judith has sense,
though I have none.”

“Jude understands better than to talk to me of these matters;
for she has sense, as you say, and knows I'll not bear it.
Which would you prefer, Hetty; to have your own scalp
taken, and sold to the French, or that we should kill our
enemies, and keep them from harming us?”

“That's not it, father! Don't kill them, nor let them
kill us. Sell your skins, and get more, if you can; but don't
sell blood.”

“Come, come, child; let us talk of matters you understand.
Are you glad to see our old friend, March, back
again? You like Hurry, and must know that one day he
may be your brother—if not something nearer.”

“That can't be, father,” returned the girl, after a considerable
pause; “Hurry has had one father, and one mother;
and people never have two.”

“So much for your weak mind, Hetty. When Jude
marries, her husband's father will be her father, and her
husband's sister, her sister. If she should marry Hurry,
then he will be your brother.”

“Judith will never have Hurry,” returned the girl mildly,
but positively; “Judith don't like Hurry.”

“That's more than you can know, Hetty. Harry March
is the handsomest, and the strongest, and the boldest young
man that ever visits the lake; and, as Jude is the greatest
beauty, I don't see why they shouldn't come together. He
has as much as promised that he will enter into this job with
me, on condition that I'll consent.”

[figure description] Page 088.[end figure description]

Hetty began to move her body back and forth, and otherwise
to express mental agitation; but she made no answer
for more than a minute. Her father, accustomed to her
manner, and suspecting no immediate cause of concern, continued
to smoke with the apparent phlegm which would seem
to belong to that particular species of enjoyment.

“Hurry is handsome, father,” said Hetty, with a simple
emphasis, that she might have hesitated about using, had
her mind been more alive to the inferences of others.

“I told you so, child,” muttered old Hutter, without removing
the pipe from between his teeth; “he's the likeliest
youth in these parts; and Jude is the likeliest young woman
I've met with since her poor mother was in her best days.”

“Is it wicked to be ugly, father?”

“One might be guilty of worse things—but you're by
no means ugly; though not so comely as Jude.”

“Is Judith any happier for being so handsome?”

“She may be, child; and she may not be. But talk of
other matters, now; for you hardly understand these, poor
Hetty. How do you like our new acquaintance, Deerslayer?”

“He isn't handsome, father. Hurry is far handsomer
than Deerslayer.”

“That's true; but they say he is a noted hunter! His
fame had reached me before I ever saw him; and I did hope
he would prove to be as stout a warrior, as he is dexterous
with the deer. All men are not alike, howsever, child; and
it takes time, as I know by experience, to give a man a true
wilderness heart.”

“Have I got a wilderness heart, father—and, Hurry, is
his heart true wilderness?”

“You sometimes ask queer questions, Hetty! Your heart
is good, child, and fitter for the settlements than for the
woods; while your reason is fitter for the woods than for
the settlements.”

“Why has Judith more reason than I, father?”

“Heaven help thee, child!—this is more than I can answer.
God gives sense, and appearance, and all these things;
and he grants them as he seeth fit. Dost thou wish for
more sense?”

“Not I. The little I have troubles me; for when I think

[figure description] Page 089.[end figure description]

the hardest, then I feel the unhappiest. I don't believe
thinking is good for me, though I do wish I was as handsome
as Judith!”

“Why so, poor child? Thy sister's beauty may cause
her trouble, as it caused her mother before her. It's no
advantage, Hetty, to be so marked for any thing as to become
an object of envy, or to be sought after more than
others.”

“Mother was good, if she was handsome,” returned the
girl, the tears starting to her eyes, as usually happened
when she adverted to her deceased parent.

Old Hutter, if not equally affected, was moody and silent
at this allusion to his wife. He continued smoking, without
appearing disposed to make any answer, until his simple-minded
daughter repeated her remark, in a way to show that
she felt uneasiness, lest he might be inclined to deny her
assertion. Then he knocked the ashes out of his pipe, and
laying his hand in a sort of rough kindness on the girl's
head, he made a reply.

“Thy mother was too good for this world,” he said;
“though others might not think so. Her good looks did
not befriend her; and you have no occasion to mourn that
you are not as much like her as your sister. Think less
of beauty, child, and more of your duty, and you'll be as
happy on this lake, as you could be in the king's palace.”

“I know it, father; but Hurry says beauty is every thing,
in a young woman.”

Hutter made an ejaculation expressive of dissatisfaction,
and went forward; passing through the house, in order to do
so. Hetty's simple betrayal of her weakness in behalf of
March, gave him uneasiness on a subject concerning which
he had never felt before; and he determined to come to an
explanation at once with his visiter; for directness of speech,
and decision in conduct, were two of the best qualities of
this rude being, in whom the seeds of a better education
seemed to be constantly struggling upward, to be choked by
the fruits of a life, in which his hard struggles for subsistence
and security, had steeled his feelings and indurated his
nature. When he reached the forward end of the scow, he
manifested an intention to relieve Deerslayer at the oar,
directing the latter to take his own place aft. By these

[figure description] Page 090.[end figure description]

changes, the old man and Hurry were again left alone,
while the young hunter was transferred to the other end of
the ark.

Hetty had disappeared when Deerslayer reached his new
post, and for some little time he directed the course of the
slow-moving craft by himself. It was not long, however,
before Judith came out of the cabin, as if disposed to do the
honours of the place to a stranger engaged in the service of
her family. The star-light was sufficient to permit objects
to be plainly distinguished, when near at hand, and the
bright eyes of the girl had an expression of kindness in them,
when they met those of the youth, that the latter was easily
enabled to discover. Her rich hair shaded her spirited, and
yet soft countenance, even at that hour rendering it the
more beautiful—as the rose is loveliest when reposing amid
the shadows and contrasts of its native foliage. Little ceremony
is used in the intercourse of the woods; and Judith
had acquired a readiness of address, by the admiration
that she so generally excited, which, if it did not amount to
forwardness, certainly in no degree lent to her charms the
aid of that retiring modesty on which poets love to dwell.

“I thought I should have killed myself with laughing,
Deerslayer,” the beauty abruptly, but coquettishly commenced,
“when I saw that Indian dive into the river! He
was a good-looking savage, too,” the girl always dwelt on
personal beauty as a sort of merit, “and yet one couldn't
stop to consider whether his paint would stand water!”

“And I thought they would have killed you with their
we'pons, Judith,” returned Deerslayer; “it was an awful
risk for a female to run, in the face of a dozen Mingos!”

“Did that make you come out of the cabin, in spite of
their rifles, too?” asked the girl, with more real interest than
she would have cared to betray, though with an indifference
of manner that was the result of a good deal of practice,
united to native readiness.

“Men ar'n't apt to see females in danger, and not come
to their assistance. Even a Mingo knows that.”

This sentiment was uttered with as much simplicity of
manner as of feeling, and Judith rewarded it with a smile so
sweet, that even Deerslayer, who had imbibed a prejudice
against the girl, in consequence of Hurry's suspicions of her

[figure description] Page 091.[end figure description]

levity, felt its charm, notwithstanding half its winning influence
was lost in the feeble light. It at once created a sort
of confidence between them and the discourse was continued
on the part of the hunter without the lively consciousness
of the character of this coquette of the wilderness, with
which it had certainly commenced.

“You are a man of deeds and not of words, I see plainly,
Deerslayer,” continued the beauty, taking her seat near the
spot where the other stood, “and I foresee we shall be very
good friends. Hurry Harry has a tongue, and, giant as he
is, he talks more than he performs.”

“March is your fri'nd, Judith; and fri'nds should be tender
of each other, when apart.”

“We all know what Hurry's friendship comes to! Let
him have his own way in every thing, and he's the best
fellow in the Colony; but, `head him off,' as you say of the
deer, and he is master of every thing near him, but himself.
Hurry is no favourite of mine, Deerslayer; and I dare say,
if the truth was known, and his conversation about me repeated,
it would be found that he thinks no better of me,
than I own I do of him.”

The latter part of this speech was not uttered without uneasiness.
Had the girl's companion been more sophisticated,
he might have observed the averted face, the manner
in which the pretty little foot was agitated, and other signs
that, for some unexplained reason, the opinions of March
were not quite as much matter of indifference to her as she
thought fit to pretend. Whether this was no more than the
ordinary working of female vanity, feeling keenly even
when it affected not to feel at all, or whether it proceeded
from that deeply-seated consciousness of right and wrong,
which God himself has implanted in our breasts that we
may know good from evil, will be made more apparent to
the reader as we proceed in the tale. Deerslayer felt embarrassed.
He well remembered the cruel imputations left
by March's distrust; and, while he did not wish to injure
his associate's suit by exciting resentment against him, his
tongue was one that literally knew no guile. To answer
without saying more or less than he wished, was consequently
a delicate duty.

“March has his say of all things in natur', whether of

[figure description] Page 092.[end figure description]

fri'nd or foe,” slowly and cautiously rejoined the hunter.
“He's one of them that speak as they feel, while the
tongue's a-going, and that's sometimes different from what
they'd speak if they took time to consider. Give me a
Delaware, Judith, for one that reflects and ruminates on his
idees! Inmity has made 'em thoughtful, and a loose tongue
is no riccommend at their council fires.”

“I dare say March's tongue goes free enough when it
gets on the subject of Judith Hutter and her sister,” said the
girl, rousing hereself as if in careless disdain. “Young
women's good names are a pleasant matter of discourse with
some that wouldn't dare to be so open-mouthed, if there was
a brother in the way. Master March may find it pleasant
to traduce us, but, sooner or later, he'll repent!”

“Nay, Judith, this is taking the matter up too much in
'arnest. Hurry has never whispered a syllable ag'in the
good name of Hetty, to begin with—”

“I see how it is—I see how it is”—impetuously interrupted
Judith. “I am the one he sees fit to scorch with his
withering tongue!—Hetty, indeed!—Poor Hetty!”—she
continued, her voice sinking into low husky tones, that
seemed nearly to stifle her in the utterance—“she is beyond
and above his slanderous malice! Poor Hetty! If God has
created her feeble-minded, the weakness lies altogether on
the side of errors of which she seems to know nothing.
The earth never held a purer being than Hetty Hutter,
Deerslayer.”

“I can believe it—yes, I can believe that, Judith, and I
hope 'arnestly that the same can be said of her handsome
sister.”

There was a soothing sincerity in the voice of Deerslayer,
which touched the girl's feelings; nor did the allusion to her
beauty lessen the effect with one who only knew too well
the power of her personal charms. Nevertheless, the still,
small voice of conscience was not hushed, and it prompted
the answer which she made, after giving herself time to
reflect.

“I dare say Hurry had some of his vile hints about the
people of the garrisons,” she added. “He knows they are
gentlemen, and can never forgive any one for being what
he feels he can never become himself.”

[figure description] Page 093.[end figure description]

“Not in the sense of a king's officer, Judith, sartainly,
for March has no turn that-a-way; but in the sense of
reality, why may not a beaver-hunter be as respectable as
a governor. Since you speak of it, yourself, I'll not deny
that he did complain of one as humble as you, being so
much in the company of scarlet coats and silken sashes.
But 't was jealousy that brought it out of him, and I do think
that he mourned over his own thoughts, as a mother would
have mourned over her child.”

Perhaps Deerslayer was not aware of the full meaning
that his earnest language conveyed. It is certain that he
did not see the colour that crimsoned the whole of Judith's
fine face, nor detect the uncontrollable distress that, immediately
after, changed its hue to a deadly paleness. A
minute or two elapsed in profound stillness, the splash of
the water seeming to occupy all the avenues of sound; and
then Judith arose, and grasped the hand of the hunter,
almost convulsively, with one of her own.

“Deerslayer,” she said, hurriedly, “I'm glad the ice is
broke between us. They say that sudden friendships lead
to long enmities, but I do not believe it will turn out so with
us. I know not how it is—but, you are the first man I ever
met, who did not seem to wish to flatter—to wish my ruin—
to be an enemy in disguise—never mind; say nothing to
Hurry, and another time we'll talk together again.”

As the girl released her grasp, she vanished in the house,
leaving the astonished young man standing at the steeringoar,
as motionless as one of the pines on the hills. So abstracted
indeed had his thoughts become, that he was hailed
by Hutter to keep the scow's head in the right direction,
before he remembered his actual situation.

CHAPTER VI.

“So spake the apostate Angel, though in pain,
Vaunting aloud, but racked with deep despair!”
Milton.

[figure description] Page 094.[end figure description]

Shortly after the disappearance of Judith, a light southerly
air arose, and Hutter set a large square-sail, that had
once been the flying top-sail of an Albany sloop, but which,
having become threadbare in catching the breezes of Tappan,
had been condemned and sold. He had a light tough
spar of tamarack that he could raise on occasion, and with
a little contrivance, his duck was spread to the wind in a
sufficiently professional manner. The effect on the ark was
such as to supersede the necessity of rowing; and, in about
two hours, the castle was seen, in the darkness, rising out
of the water, at the distance of a hundred yards. The sail
was then lowered, and by slow degrees the scow drifted up
to the building, and was secured.

No one had visited the house since Hurry and his companion
left it. The place was found in the quiet of mid-night,
a sort of type of the solitude of a wilderness. As an
enemy was known to be near, Hutter directed his daughters
to abstain from the use of lights, luxuries in which they
seldom indulged during the warm months, lest they might
prove beacons to direct their foes where they might be found.

“In open day-light, I shouldn't fear a host of savages,
behind these stout logs, and they without any cover to skulk
into,” added Hutter, when he had explained to his guests
the reasons why he forbade the use of lights; “for I've
three or four trusty weapons always loaded, and Killdeer, in
particular, is a piece that never misses. But it's a different
thing at night. A canoe might get upon us unseen in the
dark; and the savages have so many cunning ways of attacking,
that I look upon it as bad enough to deal with 'em
under a bright sun. I built this dwelling in order to have
'em at arm's length, in case we should ever get to blows
again. Some people think it's too open and exposed, but

[figure description] Page 095.[end figure description]

I'm for anchoring out here, clear of underbrush and thickets,
as the surest means of making a safe berth.”

“You was once a sailor, they tell me, old Tom?” said
Hurry, in his abrupt manner, struck by one or two expressions
that the other had just used; “and some people believe
you could give us strange accounts of inimies and shipwrecks,
if you'd a mind to come out with all you know?”

“There are people in this world, Hurry,” returned the
other evasively, “who live on other men's thoughts; and
some such often find their way into the woods. What I've
been, or what I've seen in youth, is of less matter, now,
than what the savages are. It's of more account to find
out what will happen in the next twenty-four hours than to
talk over what happened twenty-four years since.”

“That's judgment, Deerslayer; yes, that's sound judgment.
Here's Judith and Hetty to take care of, to say
nothing of our own top-knots; and, for my part, I can sleep
as well in the dark, as I could under a noon-day sun. To
me it's no great matter whether there is light, or not, to see
to shut my eyes by.”

As Deerslayer seldom thought it necessary to answer his
companion's peculiar vein of humour, and Hutter was evidently
indisposed to dwell longer on the subject, its discussion
ceased with this remark. The latter had something
more on his mind, however, than recollections. His daughters
had no sooner left them, with an expressed intention of
going to bed, than he invited his two companions to follow
him again into the scow. Here the old man opened his
project, keeping back the portion that he had reserved for
execution by Hurry and himself.

“The great object for people, posted like ourselves, is to
command the water,” he commenced. “So long as there
is no other craft on the lake, a bark canoe is as good as a
man-of-war, since the castle will not be easily taken by
swimming. Now, there are but five canoes remaining in
these parts, two of which are mine, and one is Hurry's.
These three we have with us, here; one being fastened in
the canoe-dock beneath the house, and the other two being
alongside the scow. The other canoes are housed on the
shore, in hollow logs; and the savages, who are such

[figure description] Page 096.[end figure description]

venomous enemies, will leave no likely place unexamined, in the
morning, if they're serious in s'arch of bounties—”

“Now, friend Hutter,” interrupted Hurry, “the Indian
don't live that can find a canoe that is suitably wintered.
I've done something at this business before now, and Deerslayer,
here, knows that I am one that can hide a craft in
such a way that I can't find it myself.”

“Very true, Hurry,” put in the person to whom the appeal
had been made, “but you overlook the sarcumstance
that if you couldn't see the trail of the man who did the job,
I could. I'm of Master Hutter's mind, that it's far wiser to
mistrust a savage's ingenuity, than to build any great expectations
on his want of eye-sight. If these two canoes can be
got off to the castle, therefore, the sooner it's done the better.”

“Will you be of the party that's to do it?” demanded
Hutter, in a way to show that the proposal both surprised
and pleased him.

“Sartain. I'm ready to enlist in any enterprise that's
not ag'in a white man's lawful gifts. Natur' orders us to
defend our lives, and the lives of others, too, when there's
occasion and opportunity. I'll follow you, Floating Tom,
into the Mingo camp, on such an ar'r'n'd, and will strive to
do my duty, should we come to blows; though, never
having been tried in battle, I don't like to promise more than
I may be able to perform. We all know our wishes, but
none know their might, till put to the proof.”

“That's modest and suitable, lad,” exclaimed Hurry.
“You've never yet heard the crack of an angry rifle; and,
let me tell you, 't is as different from the persuasion of one
of your venison speeches, as the laugh of Judith Hutter, in
her best humour, is from the scolding of a Dutch house-keeper
on the Mohawk. I don't expect you'll prove much
of a warrior, Deerslayer, though your equal with the bucks
and the does, don't exist in all these parts. As for the ra'al
sarvice, however, you'll turn out rather rearward, according
to my consait.”

“We'll see, Hurry, we'll see,” returned the other meekly;
so far as human eye could discover, not at all disturbed
by these expressed doubts concerning his conduct on a point
on which men are sensitive, precisely in the degree that
they feel the consciousness of demerit; “having never been

[figure description] Page 097.[end figure description]

tried, I'll wait to know, before I form any opinion myself;
and then there'll be sartainty, instead of bragging. I've
heard of them that was valiant, afore the fight, who did little
in it; and of them that waited to know their own tempers,
and found that they weren't as bad as some expected,
when put to the proof.”

“At any rate, we know you can use a paddle, young
man,” said Hutter, “and that's all we shall ask of you, tonight.
Let us waste no more time, but get into the canoe,
and do, in place of talking.”

As Hutter led the way, in the execution of his project, the
boat was soon ready, with Hurry and Deerslayer at the
paddles. Before the old man embarked, himself, however,
he held a conference of several minutes with Judith, entering
the house for that purpose; then, returning, he took his
place in the canoe, which left the side of the ark at the next
instant.

Had there been a temple reared to God, in that solitary
wilderness, its clock would have told the hour of midnight
as the party set forth on their expedition. The darkness
had increased, though the night was still clear, and the light
of the stars sufficed for all the purposes of the adventurers.
Hutter alone knew the places where the two canoes were hid,
and he directed the course, while his two athletic companions
raised and dipped their paddles with proper caution,
lest the sounds should be carried to the ears of their enemies,
across that sheet of placid water, in the stillness of
deep night. But the bark was too light to require any extraordinary
efforts, and skill supplying the place of strength,
in about half an hour they were approaching the shore, at
a point near a league from the castle.

“Lay on your paddles, men,” said Hutter, in a low voice,
“and let us look about us for a moment. We must now
be all eyes and ears, for these vermin have noses like blood-hounds.”

The shores of the lake were examined closely, in order to
discover any glimmering of light that might have been left
in a camp; and the men strained their eyes, in the obscurity,
to see if some thread of smoke was not still stealing along
the mountain-side, as it arose from the dying embers of a
fire. Nothing unusual could be traced; and as the position

[figure description] Page 098.[end figure description]

was at some distance from the outlet, or the spot where the
savages had been met, it was thought safe to land. The
paddles were plied again, and the bows of the canoe ground
upon the gravelly beach with a gentle motion, and a sound
barely audible. Hutter and Hurry immediately landed, the
former carrying his own and his friend's rifle, leaving Deerslayer
in charge of the canoe. The hollow log lay a little
distance up the side of the mountain, and the old man
led the way towards it, using so much caution as to stop at
every third or fourth step, to listen if any tread betrayed the
presence of a foe. The same death-like stillness, however,
reigned on the midnight scene, and the desired place was
reached without an occurrence to induce alarm.

“This is it,” whispered Hutter, laying a foot on the trunk
of a fallen linden; “hand me the paddles first, and draw
the boat out with care, for the wretches may have left it
for a bait, after all.”

“Keep my rifle handy, butt towards me, old fellow,” answered
March. “If they attack me loaded, I shall want to
unload the piece at 'em, at least. And feel if the pan is full.”

“All's right,” muttered the other; “move slow, when
you get your load, and let me lead the way.”

The canoe was drawn out of the log with the utmost care,
raised by Hurry to his shoulder, and the two began to return
to the shore, moving but a step at a time, lest they should
tumble down the steep declivity. The distance was not
great, but the descent was extremely difficult; and, towards
the end of their little journey, Deerslayer was obliged to
land and meet them, in order to aid in lifting the canoe
through the bushes. With his assistance, the task was successfully
accomplished, and the light craft soon floated by
the side of the other canoe. This was no sooner done, than
all three turned anxiously toward the forest and the mountain,
expecting an enemy to break out of the one, or to come
rushing down the other. Still the silence was unbroken,
and they all embarked with the caution that had been used
in coming ashore.

Hutter now steered broad off towards the centre of the
lake. Having got a sufficient distance from the shore, he
cast his prize loose, knowing that it would drift slowly up the
lake, before the light southerly air, and intending to find

[figure description] Page 099.[end figure description]

it, on his return. Thus relieved of his tow, the old man
held his way down the lake, steering towards the very point
where Hurry had made his fruitless attempt on the life of
the deer. As the distance from this point to the outlet was
less than a mile, it was like entering an enemy's country;
and redoubled caution became necessary. They reached
the extremity of the point, however, and landed in safety on
the little gravelly beach already mentioned. Unlike the last
place at which they had gone ashore, here was no acclivity
to ascend, the mountains looming up in the darkness quite
a quarter of a mile further west, leaving a margin of level
ground between them and the strand. The point itself,
though long, and covered with tall trees, was nearly flat,
and, for some distance, only a few yards in width. Hutter
and Hurry landed, as before, leaving their companion in
charge of the boat.

In this instance, the dead tree that contained the canoe
of which they had come in quest, lay about half-way between
the extremity of the narrow slip of land, and the
place where it joined the main shore; and, knowing that
there was water so near him on his left, the old man led the
way along the eastern side of the belt, with some confidence,
walking boldly, though still with caution. He had landed
at the point expressly to get a glimpse into the bay, and to
make certain that the coast was clear; otherwise he would
have come ashore directly abreast of the hollow tree. There
was no difficulty in finding the latter, from which the canoe
was drawn, as before, and, instead of carrying it down to
the place where Deerslayer lay, it was launched at the
nearest favourable spot. As soon as it was in the water,
Hurry entered it, and paddled round to the point, whither
Hutter also proceeded, following the beach. As the three
men had now in their possession all the boats on the lake,
their confidence was greatly increased, and there was no
longer the same feverish desire to quit the shore, or the
same necessity for extreme caution. Their position on the
extremity of the long, narrow bit of land, added to the feeling
of security, as it permitted an enemy to approach in only
one direction, that in their front, and under circumstances
that would render discovery, with their habitual vigilance,

[figure description] Page 100.[end figure description]

almost certain. The three now landed together, and stood
grouped in consultation on the gravelly point.

“We've fairly tree'd the scamps,” said Hurry, chuckling
at their success; “if they wish to visit the castle, let
'em wade or swim! Old Tom, that idee of your'n, in
burrowing out in the lake, was high proof, and carries a fine
bead. There be men who would think the land safer than
the water; but, after all, reason shows it isn't; the beaver,
and rats, and other l'arned creatur's, taking to the last, when
hard pressed. I call our position, now, entrenched, and set
the Canadas at defiance.”

“Let us paddle along this south shore,” said Hutter,
“and see if there's no sign of an encampment—but, first,
let me have a better look into the bay, for no one has been
far enough round the inner shore of the point, to make sure
of that quarter, yet.”

As Hutter ceased speaking, all three moved in the direction
he had named. Scarce had they fairly opened the
bottom of the bay, when a general start proved that their
eyes had lighted on a common object at the same instant.
It was no more than a dying brand, giving out its flickering
and failing light; but at that hour, and in that place, it was
at once as conspicuous as “a good deed in a naughty
world.” There was not a shadow of doubt that this fire
had been kindled at an encampment of the Indians. The
situation, sheltered from observation on all sides but one,
and even on that, except for a very short distance, proved
that more care had been taken to conceal the spot, than
would be used for ordinary purposes, and Hutter, who knew
that a spring was near at hand, as well as one of the best
fishing-stations on the lake, immediately inferred that this
encampment contained the women and children of the party.

“That's not a warrior's encampment,” he growled to
Hurry; “and there's bounty enough sleeping round that
fire to make a heavy division of head-money. Send the lad
to the canoes, for there'll come no good of him, in such an
onset, and let us take the matter in hand, at once, like men.”

“There's judgment in your notion, old Tom, and I like
it to the back-bone. Deerslayer, do you get into the canoe,
lad, and paddle off into the lake, with the spare one, and set
it adrift, as we did with the other; after which, you can float

[figure description] Page 101.[end figure description]

along shore, as near as you can get to the head of the bay,
keeping outside the point, howsever, and outside the rushes,
too. You can hear us when we want you; and, if there's
any delay, I'll call like a loon—yes, that'll do it—the
call of a loon shall be the signal. If you hear rifles, and
feel like soldiering, why, you may close in, and see if you
can make the same hand with the savages that you do with
the deer.”

“If my wishes could be followed, this matter would not
be undertaken, Hurry—”

“Quite true—nobody denies it, boy; but your wishes
can't be followed; and that inds the matter. So just canoe
yourself off into the middle of the lake, and by the time you
get back, there'll be movements in that camp!”

The young man set about complying with great reluctance
and a heavy heart. He knew the prejudices of the frontiermen
too well, however, to attempt a remonstrance. The
latter, indeed, under the circumstances, might prove dangerous,
as it would certainly prove useless. He paddled the
canoe, therefore, silently, and with the former caution, to a
spot near the centre of the placid sheet of water, and set the
boat just recovered adrift, to float towards the castle, before
the light southerly air. This expedient had been adopted,
in both cases, under the certainty that the drift could not
carry the light barks more than a league or two, before the
return of light, when they might easily be overtaken. In
order to prevent any wandering savage from using them, by
swimming off and getting possession, a possible, but scarcely
a probable event, all the paddles were retained.

No sooner had he set the recovered canoe adrift, than
Deerslayer turned the bows of his own towards the point
on the shore that had been indicated by Hurry. So light
was the movement of the little craft, and so steady the sweep
of its master's arm, that ten minutes had not elapsed ere it
was again approaching the land, having, in that brief time,
passed over fully half a mile of distance. As soon as Deerslayer's
eye caught a glimpse of the rushes, of which there
were many growing in the water a hundred feet from the
shore, he arrested the motion of the canoe, and anchored his
boat by holding fast to the delicate, but tenacious stem of
one of the drooping plants. Here he remained, awaiting

[figure description] Page 102.[end figure description]

with an intensity of suspense that can be easily imagined,
the result of the hazardous enterprise.

It would be difficult to convey to the minds of those who
have never witnessed it, the sublimity that characterizes the
silence of a solitude as deep as that which now reigned over
the Glimmerglass. In the present instance, this sublimity was
increased by the gloom of night, which threw its shadowy
and fantastic forms around the lake, the forest, and the hills.
It is not easy, indeed, to conceive of any place more favourable
to heighten these natural impressions, than that Deerslayer
now occupied. The size of the lake brought all
within the reach of human senses, while it displayed so
much of the imposing scene at a single view, giving up,
as it might be, at a glance, a sufficiency to produce the
deepest impressions. As has been said, this was the first
lake Deerslayer had ever seen. Hitherto, his experience
had been limited to the courses of rivers and smaller streams,
and never before had he seen so much of that wilderness
which he so well loved, spread before his gaze. Accustomed
to the forest, however, his mind was capable of portraying
all its hidden mysteries, as he looked upon its leafy
surface. This was also the first time he had been on a trail
where human lives depended on the issue. His ears had
often drunk in the traditions of frontier warfare, but he had
never yet been confronted with an enemy.

The reader will readily understand, therefore, how intense
must have been the expectation of the young man, as he sat
in his solitary canoe, endeavouring to catch the smallest
sound that might denote the course of things on shore. His
training had been perfect, so far as theory could go, and his
self-possession, notwithstanding the high excitement, that
was the fruit of novelty, would have done credit to a veteran.
The visible evidences of the existence of the camp, or
of the fire, could not be detected from the spot where the
canoe lay, and he was compelled to depend on the sense of
hearing alone. He did not feel impatient, for the lessons he
had heard taught him the virtue of patience, and, most of all,
inculcated the necessity of wariness, in conducting any covert
assault on the Indians. Once he thought he heard the
cracking of a dried twig, but expectation was so intense it
might mislead him. In this manner minute after minute

[figure description] Page 103.[end figure description]

passed, until the whole time since he left his companions
was extended to quite an hour. Deerslayer knew not whether
to rejoice in, or to mourn over this cautious delay, for,
if it augured security to his associates, it foretold destruction
to the feeble and innocent.

It might have been an hour and a half after his companions
and he had parted, when Deerslayer was aroused by
a sound that filled him equally with concern and surprise.
The quavering call of a loon arose from the opposite side of
the lake, evidently at no great distance from its outlet.
There was no mistaking the note of this bird, which is so
familiar to all who know the sounds of the American lakes.
Shrill, tremulous, loud, and sufficiently prolonged, it seems
the very cry of warning. It is often raised, also, at night—
an exception to the habits of most of the other feathered inmates
of the wilderness; a circumstance which had induced
Hurry to select it as his own signal. There had been sufficient
time, certainly, for the two adventurers to make their
way by land, from the point where they had been left to that
whence the call had come, but it was not probable that they
would adopt such a course. Had the camp been deserted,
they would have summoned Deerslayer to the shore, and, did
it prove to be peopled, there could be no sufficient motive for
circling it, in order to re-embark at so great a distance.
Should he obey the signal, and be drawn away from the
landing, the lives of those who depended on him might be
the forfeit—and, should he neglect the call, on the supposition
that it had been really made, the consequences might
be equally disastrous, though from a different cause. In
this indecision he waited, trusting that the call, whether
feigned or natural, would be speedily renewed. Nor was he
mistaken. A very few minutes elapsed before the same
shrill, warning cry was repeated, and from the same part
of the lake. This time, being on the alert, his senses were
not deceived. Although he had often heard admirable imitations
of this bird, and was no mean adept, himself, in raising
its notes, he felt satisfied that Hurry, to whose efforts in
that way he had attended, could never so completely and
closely follow nature. He determined, therefore, to disregard
that cry, and to wait for one less perfect, and nearer
at hand.

[figure description] Page 104.[end figure description]

Deerslayer had hardly come to this determination, wher
the profound stillness of night and solitude was broken by a
cry so startling, as to drive all recollection of the more melancholy
call of the loon, from the listener's mind. It was
a shriek of agony, that came either from one of the female
sex, or from a boy so young as not yet to have attained a
manly voice. This appeal could not be mistaken. Heartrending
terror—if not writhing agony—was in the sounds,
and the anguish that had awakened them was as sudden as
it was fearful. The young man released his hold of the
rush, and dashed his paddle into the water; to do, he knew
not what—to steer, he knew not whither. A very few moments,
however, removed his indecision. The breaking of
branches, the cracking of dried sticks, and the fall of feet,
were all distinctly audible; the sounds appearing to approach
the water, though in a direction that led diagonally
towards the shore, and a little farther north than the spot
that Deerslayer had been ordered to keep near. Following
this clue, the young man urged the canoe ahead, paying but
little attention to the manner in which he might betray its
presence. He had reached a part of the shore, where its
immediate bank was tolerably high and quite steep. Men
were evidently threshing through the bushes and trees on
the summit of this bank, following the line of the shore, as
if those who fled sought a favourable place for descending.
Just at this instant, five or six rifles flashed, and the opposite
hills gave back, as usual, the sharp reports in prolonged,
rolling echoes. One or two shrieks, like those which
escape the bravest when suddenly overcome by unexpected
anguish and alarm, followed; and then the threshing among
the bushes was renewed, in a way to show that man was
grappling with man.

“Slippery devil!” shouted Hurry, with the fury of disappointment—
“his skin's greased! I shan't grapple!—Take
that for your cunning!”

The words were followed by the fall of some heavy object
among the smaller trees that fringed the bank, appearing
to Deerslayer as if his gigantic associate had hurled an
enemy from him, in this unceremonious manner. Again
the flight and pursuit were renewed, and then the young
man saw a human form break down the hill, and rush

[figure description] Page 105.[end figure description]

several yards into the water. At this critical moment the canoe
was just near enough to the spot to allow this movement,
which was accompanied by no little noise, to be seen; and
feeling that there he must take in his companions, if anywhere,
Deerslayer urged the canoe forward, to the rescue.
His paddle had not been raised twice, when the voice of
Hurry was heard filling the air with imprecations, and he
rolled on the narrow beach, literally loaded down with enemies.
While prostrate, and almost smothered with his foes,
the athletic frontier-man gave his loon-call, in a manner
that would have excited laughter under circumstances less
terrific. The figure in the water seemed suddenly to repent
his own flight, and rushed to the shore to aid his companion,
but was met and immediately overpowered by half a dozen
fresh pursuers, who, just then, came leaping down the bank.

“Let up, you painted riptyles—let up!” cried Hurry, too
hard pressed to be particular about the terms he used; “isn't
it enough that I'm withed like a saw-log, that ye must
choke, too?”

This speech satisfied Deerslayer that his friends were prisoners,
and that to land would be to share their fate. He
was already within a hundred feet of the shore, when a few
timely strokes of the paddle not only arrested his advance,
but forced him off to six or eight times that distance from his
enemies. Luckily for him, all of the Indians had dropped
their rifles in the pursuit, or this retreat might not have been
effected with impunity; though no one had noted the canoe
in the first confusion of the mêlée.

“Keep off the land, lad,” called out Hutter; “the girls
depend only on you, now: you will want all your caution
to escape these savages. Keep off, and God prosper you,
as you aid my children!”

There was little sympathy, in general, between Hutter and
the young man, but the bodily and mental anguish with
which this appeal was made, served at the moment to conceal
from the latter the former's faults. He saw only the
father in his sufferings, and resolved at once to give a pledge
of fidelity to his interests, and to be faithful to his word.

“Put your heart at ease, Master Hutter,” he called out;
“the gals shall be looked to, as well as the castle. The
inimy has got the shore, 't is no use to deny, but he hasn't

[figure description] Page 106.[end figure description]

got the water. Providence has the charge of all, and no
one can say what will come of it; but, if good-will can sarve
you and your'n, depend on that much. My exper'ence is
small, but my will is good.”

“Ay—ay, Deerslayer,” returned Hurry, in his stentorian
voice, which was losing some of its heartiness, notwithstanding—
“Ay, ay, Deerslayer, you mean well enough, but what
can you do? You're no great matter in the best of times,
and such a person is not likely to turn out a miracle in the
worst. If there's one savage on this lake shore, there's
forty, and that's an army you ar'n't the man to overcome.
The best way, in my judgment, will be to make a
straight course to the castle; get the gals into the canoe,
with a few eatables; then strike off for the corner of the lake
where we came in, and take the best trial for the Mohawk.
These devils won't know where to look for you for some
hours, and if they did, and went off hot in the pursuit, they
must turn either the foot, or the head of the lake, to get at
you. That's my judgment in the matter; and if old Tom,
here, wishes to make his last will and testament in a manner
favourable to his darters, he'll say the same.”

“'T will never do, young man,” rejoined Hutter. “The
enemy has scouts out at this moment, looking for canoes,
and you'll be seen and taken. Trust to the castle; and,
above all things, keep clear of the land. Hold out a week,
and parties from the garrisons will drive the savages off.”

“'T won't be four-and-twenty hours, old fellow, afore
these foxes will be rafting off, to storm your castle,” interrupted
Hurry, with more of the heat of argument than might
be expected from a man who was bound and a captive, and
about whom nothing could be called free but his opinions
and his tongue. “Your advice has a stout sound, but it
will have a fatal tarmination. If you or I was in the house,
we might hold out a few days, but remember that this lad
has never seen an inimy afore to-night, and is what you
yourself called settlement-conscienced; though, for my part,
I think the consciences in the settlements pretty much the
same as they are out here in the woods. These savages
are making signs, Deerslayer, for me to encourage you to
come ashore with the canoe; but that I'll never do, as it's
ag'in reason and natur'. As for old Tom and myself,

[figure description] Page 107.[end figure description]

whether they'll scalp us to-night, keep us for the torture by
fire, or carry us to Canada, is more than any one knows,
but the devil that advises them how to act. I've such
a big and bushy head, that it's quite likely they'll indivor
to get two scalps off it, for the bounty is a tempting thing,
or old Tom and I wouldn't be in this scrape. Ay—there
they go with their signs ag'in, but if I advise you to land,
may they eat me as well as roast me. No, no, Deerslayer—
do you keep off where you are, and after day-light, on
no account come within two hundred yards—”

This injunction of Hurry's was stopped by a hand being
rudely slapped against his mouth, the certain sign that some
one in the party sufficiently understood English to have at
length detected the drift of his discourse. Immediately after,
the whole group entered the forest, Hutter and Hurry apparently
making no resistance to the movement. Just as the
sounds of the cracking bushes were ceasing, however, the
voice of the father was again heard.

“As you're true to my children, God prosper you, young
man!” were the words that reached Deerslayer's ears; after
which he found himself left to follow the dictates of his own
discretion.

Several minutes elapsed, in death-like stillness, when the
party on the shore had disappeared in the woods. Owing
to the distance, rather more than two hundred yards, and
the obscurity, Deerslayer had been able barely to distinguish
the group, and to see it retiring; but even this dim connection
with human forms, gave an animation to the scene that
was strongly in contrast to the absolute solitude that remained.
Although the young man leaned forward to listen,
holding his breath and condensing every faculty in the single
sense of hearing, not another sound reached his ears to
denote the vicinity of human beings. It seemed as if a
silence that had never been broken, reigned on the spot
again; and, for an instant, even that piercing shriek which
had so lately broken the stillness of the forest, or the execrations
of March, would have been a relief to the feeling
of desertion to which it gave rise.

This paralysis of mind and body, however, could not last
long in one constituted mentally and physically like Deerslayer.
Dropping his paddle into the water, he turned the

[figure description] Page 108.[end figure description]

head of the canoe, and proceeded slowly, as one walks who
thinks intently, towards the centre of the lake. When he
believed himself to have reached a point in a line with that
where he had set the last canoe adrift, he changed his direction
northward, keeping the light air as nearly on his back
as possible. After paddling a quarter of a mile in this direction,
a dark object became visible on the lake, a little to
the right; and turning on one side for the purpose, he had
soon secured his lost prize to his own boat. Deerslayer
now examined the heavens, the course of the air, and the
position of the two canoes. Finding nothing in either to
induce a change of plan, he lay down and prepared to catch
a few hours' sleep, that the morrow might find him equal to
its exigencies.

Although the hardy and the tired sleep profoundly, even
in scenes of danger, it was some time before Deerslayer lost
his recollection. His mind dwelt on what had passed, and
his half-conscious faculties kept figuring the events of the
night, in a sort of waking dream. Suddenly he was up and
alert, for he fancied he heard the preconcerted signal of
Hurry, summoning him to the shore. But all was still
as the grave, again. The canoes were slowly drifting
northward, the thoughtful stars were glimmering in their
mild glory over his head, and the forest-bound sheet of
water lay embedded between its mountains, as calm and
melancholy as if never troubled by the winds, or brightened
by a noon-day sun. Once more the loon raised his tremulous
cry, near the foot of the lake, and the mystery of the
alarm was explained. Deerslayer adjusted his hard pillow,
stretched his form in the bottom of the canoe, and slept.

CHAPTER VII.

“Clear, placid Leman! Thy contrasted lake
With the wild world I dwelt in, is a thing
Which warns me, with its stillness, to forsake
Earth's troubled waters for a purer spring.
This quiet sail is as a noiseless wing
To waft me from distraction: once I loved
Torn ocean's roar, but thy soft murmuring
Sounds sweet as if a sister's voice reproved,
That I with stern delights should e'er have been so moved.”
Byron.

[figure description] Page 109.[end figure description]

Day had fairly dawned, before the young man, whom we
have left in the situation described in the last chapter, again
opened his eyes. This was no sooner done, than he started
up, and looked about him with the eagerness of one who
suddenly felt the importance of accurately ascertaining his
precise position. His rest had been deep and undisturbed;
and when he awoke, it was with a clearness of intellect, and
a readiness of resources that were much needed at that particular
moment. The sun had not risen, it is true, but the
vault of heaven was rich with the winning softness that
`brings and shuts the day,' while the whole air was filled
with the carols of birds, the hymns of the feathered tribe.
These sounds first told Deerslayer the risks he ran. The
air, for wind it could scarce be called, was still light, it is
true, but it had increased a little in the course of the night,
and as the canoes were mere feathers on the water, they
had drifted twice the expected distance; and, what was still
more dangerous, had approached so near the base of the
mountain that here rose precipitously from the eastern shore,
as to render the carols of the birds plainly audible. This
was not the worst. The third canoe had taken the same
direction, and was slowly drifting towards a point where it
must inevitably touch, unless turned aside by a shift of
wind, or human hands. In other respects, nothing presented
itself to attract attention, or to awaken alarm. The
castle stood on its shoal, nearly abreast of the canoes, for

[figure description] Page 110.[end figure description]

the drifts had amounted to miles in the course of the night,
and the ark lay fastened to its piles, as both had been left
so many hours before.

As a matter of course, Deerslayer's attention was first
given to the canoe ahead. It was already quite near the
point, and a very few strokes of the paddle sufficed to tell
him that it must touch before he could possibly overtake it.
Just at this moment, too, the wind inopportunely freshened,
rendering the drift of the light craft much more rapid and
certain. Feeling the impossibility of preventing a contact
with the land, the young man wisely determined not to heat
himself with unnecessary exertions; but, first looking to
the priming of his piece, he proceeded slowly and warily
towards the point, taking care to make a little circuit, that
he might be exposed on only one side, as he approached.

The canoe adrift, being directed by no such intelligence,
pursued its proper way, and grounded on a small sunken
rock, at the distance of three or four yards from the shore.
Just at that moment, Deerslayer had got abreast of the point,
and turned the bows of his own boat to the land; first casting
loose his tow, that his movements might be unencumbered.
The canoe hung an instant on the rock; then it rose
a hair's-breadth on an almost imperceptible swell of the
water, swung round, floated clear, and reached the strand.
All this the young man noted, but it neither quickened his
pulses, nor hastened his hand. If any one had been lying
in wait for the arrival of the waif, he must be seen, and the
utmost caution in approaching the shore became indispensable;
if no one was in ambush, hurry was unnecessary.
The point being nearly diagonally opposite to the Indian
encampment, he hoped the last, though the former was not
only possible, but probable; for the savages were prompt in
adopting all the expedients of their particular modes of warfare,
and quite likely had many scouts searching the shores
for craft to carry them off to the castle. As a glance at the
lake from any height or projection, would expose the smallest
object on its surface, there was little hope that either of
the canoes could pass unseen; and Indian sagacity needed
no instruction to tell which way a boat or a log would
drift, when the direction of the wind was known. As
Deerslayer drew nearer and nearer to the land, the stroke

[figure description] Page 111.[end figure description]

of his paddle grew slower, his eye became more watchful,
and his ears and nostrils almost dilated with the effort to
detect any lurking danger. 'T was a trying moment for a
novice, nor was there the encouragement which even the
timid sometimes feel, when conscious of being observed and
commended. He was entirely alone, thrown on his own
resources, and was cheered by no friendly eye, emboldened
by no encouraging voice. Notwithstanding all these circumstances,
the most experienced veteran in forest warfare
could not have conducted better. Equally free from recklessness
and hesitation, his advance was marked by a sort
of philosophical prudence, that appeared to render him superior
to all motives but those which were best calculated to
effect his purpose. Such was the commencement of a career
in forest exploits, that afterwards rendered this man, in
his way, and under the limits of his habits and opportunities,
as renowned as many a hero whose name has adorned
the pages of works more celebrated than legends simple as
ours can ever become.

When about a hundred yards from the shore, Deerslayer
rose in the canoe, gave three or four vigorous strokes with
the paddle, sufficient of themselves to impel the bark to land,
and then quickly laying aside the instrument of labour, he
seized that of war. He was in the very act of raising the
rifle, when a sharp report was followed by the buzz of a bullet
that passed so near his body, as to cause him involuntarily
to start. The next instant Deerslayer staggered, and
fell his whole length in the bottom of the canoe. A yell—
it came from a single voice—followed, and an Indian leaped
from the bushes upon the open area of the point, bounding
towards the canoe. This was the moment the young man
desired. He rose on the instant, and levelled his own rifle
at his uncovered foe; but his finger hesitated about pulling
the trigger on one whom he held at such a disadvantage.
This little delay, probably, saved the life of the Indian, who
bounded back into the cover as swiftly as he had broken out
of it. In the meantime Deerslayer had been swiftly approaching
the land, and his own canoe reached the point
just as his enemy disappeared. As its movements had not
been directed, it touched the shore a few yards from the
other boat; and though the rifle of his foe had to be loaded,

[figure description] Page 112.[end figure description]

there was not time to secure his prize, and to carry it beyond
danger, before he would be exposed to another shot.
Under the circumstances, therefore, he did not pause an instant,
but dashed into the woods and sought a cover.

On the immediate point there was a small open area,
partly in native grass, and partly beach, but a dense fringe
of bushes lined its upper side. This narrow belt of dwarf
vegetation passed, one issued immediately into the high and
gloomy vaults of the forest. The land was tolerably level
for a few hundred feet, and then it rose precipitously in a
mountain-side. The trees were tall, large, and so free from
under-brush, that they resembled vast columns, irregularly
scattered, upholding a dome of leaves. Although they stood
tolerably close together, for their ages and size, the eye could
penetrate to considerable distances; and bodies of men, even,
might have engaged beneath their cover, with concert and
intelligence.

Deerslayer knew that his adversary must be employed in
re-loading, unless he had fled. The former proved to be the
case, for the young man had no sooner placed himself behind
a tree, than he caught a glimpse of the arm of the Indian,
his body being concealed by an oak, in the very act of
forcing the leathered bullet home. Nothing would have
been easier than to spring forward, and decide the affair by
a close assault on his unprepared foe; but every feeling of
Deerslayer revolted at such a step, although his own life
had just been attempted from a cover. He was yet unpractised
in the ruthless expedients of savage warfare, of which
he knew nothing except by tradition and theory, and it
struck him as an unfair advantage to assail an unarmed foe.
His colour had heightened, his eye frowned, his lips were
compressed, and all his energies were collected and ready;
but, instead of advancing to fire, he dropped his rifle to the
usual position of a sportsman in readiness to catch his aim,
and muttered to himself, unconscious that he was speaking—

“No, no—that may be red-skin warfare, but it's not a
Christian's gifts. Let the miscreant charge, and then we'll
take it out like men; for the canoe he must not, and shall
not have. No, no; let him have time to load, and God will
take care of the right!”

All this time the Indian had been so intent on his own

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movements, that he was even ignorant that his enemy was
in the wood. His only apprehension was, that the canoe
would be recovered and carried away, before he might be
in readiness to prevent it. He had sought the cover from
habit, but was within a few feet of the fringe of bushes, and
could be at the margin of the forest, in readiness to fire, in
a moment. The distance between him and his enemy was
about fifty yards, and the trees were so arranged by nature
that the line of sight was not interrupted, except by the particular
trees behind which each party stood.

His rifle was no sooner loaded, than the savage glanced
around him, and advanced incautiously as regarded the real,
but stealthily as respected the fancied position of his enemy,
until he was fairly exposed. Then Deerslayer stepped from
behind his own cover, and hailed him.

“This-a-way, red-skin; this-a-way, if you're looking for
me,” he called out. “I'm young in war, but not so young
as to stand on an open beach to be shot down like an owl,
by day-light. It rests on yourself whether it's peace, or
war, atween us; for my gifts are white gifts, and I'm not
one of them that thinks it valiant to slay human mortals,
singly, in the woods.”

The savage was a good deal startled by this sudden discovery
of the danger he ran. He had a little knowledge of
English, however, and caught the drift of the other's meaning.
He was also too well schooled to betray alarm, but,
dropping the butt of his rifle to the earth, with an air of confidence,
he made a gesture of lofty courtesy. All this was
done with the ease and self-possession of one accustomed to
consider no man his superior. In the midst of this consummate
acting, however, the volcano that raged within caused
his eyes to glare, and his nostrils to dilate, like those of some
wild beast that is suddenly prevented from taking the fatal
leap.

“Two canoe,” he said, in the deep guttural tones of his
race, holding up the number of fingers he mentioned, by
way of preventing mistakes; “one for you—one for me.”

“No, no, Mingo, that will never do. You own neither;
and neither shall you have, as long as I can prevent it. I
know it's war atween your people and mine, but that's no
reason why human mortals should slay each other, like

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savage creatur's that meet in the woods; go your way,
then, and leave me to go mine. The world is large enough
for us both; and when we meet fairly in battle, why, the
Lord will order the fate of each of us.”

“Good!” exclaimed the Indian; “my brother missionary—
great talk; all about Manitou.”

“Not so—not so, warrior. I'm not good enough for the
Moravians, and am too good for most of the other vagabonds
that preach about in the woods. No, no, I'm only a
hunter, as yet, though afore the peace is made, 't is like
enough there'll be occasion to strike a blow at some of your
people. Still, I wish it to be done in fair fight, and not in a
quarrel about the ownership of a miserable canoe.”

“Good! My brother very young — but he very wise.
Little warrior—great talker. Chief, sometimes, in council.”

“I don't know this, nor do I say it, Indian,” returned
Deerslayer, colouring a little at the ill-concealed sarcasm
of the other's manner; “I look forward to a life in the
woods, and I only hope it may be a peaceable one. All
young men must go on the war-path, when there's occasion,
but war isn't needfully massacre. I've seen enough of the
last, this very night, to know that Providence frowns on it;
and I now invite you to go your own way, while I go mine;
and hope that we may part fri'nds.”

“Good! My brother has two scalp — grey hair under
t'other. Old wisdom—young tongue.”

Here the savage advanced with confidence, his hand extended,
his face smiling, and his whole bearing denoting
amity and respect. Deerslayer met his offered friendship
in a proper spirit, and they shook hands cordially, each
endeavouring to assure the other of his sincerity and desire
to be at peace.

“All have his own,” said the Indian; “my canoe, mine;
your canoe, your'n. Go look; if your'n, you keep; if mine,
I keep.”

“That's just, red-skin; though you must be wrong in
thinking the canoe your property. Howsever, seein' is believin',
and we'll go down to the shore, where you may
look with your own eyes; for it's likely you'll object to
trustin' altogether to mine.”

The Indian uttered his favourite exclamation of “good!”

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and then they walked, side by side, towards the shore.
There was no apparent distrust in the manner of either, the
Indian moving in advance, as if he wished to show his companion
that he did not fear turning his back to him. As
they reached the open ground, the former pointed towards
Deerslayer's boat, and said emphatically—

“No mine—pale-face canoe. This red-man's. No want
other man's canoe—want his own.”

“You 're wrong, red-skin, you 're altogether wrong.
This canoe was left in old Hutter's keeping, and is his'n,
according to all law, red or white, till its owner comes to
claim it. Here's the seats and the stitching of the bark to
speak for themselves. No man ever know'd an Indian to
turn off such work.”

“Good! My brother little old—big wisdom. Indian no
make him. White man's work.”

“I'm glad you think so, for holding out to the contrary
might have made ill blood atween us; every one having a
right to take possession of his own. I'll just shove the
canoe out of reach of dispute, at once, as the quickest way
of settling difficulties.”

While Deerslayer was speaking, he put a foot against the
end of the light boat, and giving a vigorous shove, he sent
it out into the lake a hundred feet or more, where, taking the
true current, it would necessarily float past the point, and be
in no further danger of coming ashore. The savage started
at this ready and decided expedient, and his companion saw
that he cast a hurried and fierce glance at his own canoe, or
that which contained the paddles. The change of manner,
however, was but momentary, and then the Iroquois resumed
his air of friendliness, and a smile of satisfaction.

“Good!” he repeated, with stronger emphasis than ever.
“Young head, old mind. Know how to settle quarrel.
Farewell, brother. He go to house in water—muskrat
house—Indian go to camp; tell chiefs no find canoe.”

Deerslayer was not sorry to hear this proposal, for he
felt anxious to join the females, and he took the offered hand
of the Indian very willingly. The parting words were
friendly; and, while the red-man walked calmly towards the
wood, with the rifle in the hollow of his arm, without once
looking back in uneasiness or distrust, the white man moved

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towards the remaining canoe, carrying his piece in the same
pacific manner, it is true, but keeping his eyes fastened on
the movements of the other. This distrust, however, seemed
to be altogether uncalled for, and, as if ashamed to have
entertained it, the young man averted his look, and stepped
carelessly up to his boat. Here he began to push the canoe
from the shore, and to make his other preparations for departing.
He might have been thus employed a minute, when,
happening to turn his face towards the land, his quick and
certain eye told him, at a glance, the imminent jeopardy
in which his life was placed. The black, ferocious eyes of
the savage were glancing on him, like those of the crouching
tiger, through a small opening in the bushes, and the
muzzle of his rifle seemed already to be opening in a line
with his own body.

Then, indeed, the long practice of Deerslayer, as a hunter,
did him good service. Accustomed to fire with the deer on
the bound, and often when the precise position of the animal's
body had in a manner to be guessed at, he used the
same expedients here. To cock and poise his rifle were the
acts of a single moment, and a single motion; then, aiming
almost without sighting, he fired into the bushes where he
knew a body ought to be, in order to sustain the appalling
countenance, which alone was visible. There was not time
to raise the piece any higher, or to take a more deliberate
aim. So rapid were his movements, that both parties discharged
their pieces at the same instant, the concussions
mingling in one report. The mountains, indeed, gave back
but a single echo. Deerslayer dropped his piece, and stood,
with head erect, steady as one of the pines in the calm of a
June morning, watching the result; while the savage gave
the yell that has become historical for its appalling influence,
leaped through the bushes, and came bounding across
the open ground, flourishing a tomahawk. Still Deerslayer
moved not, but stood with his unloaded rifle fallen against
his shoulders, while, with a hunter's habits, his hands were
mechanically feeling for the powder-horn and charger.
When about forty feet from his enemy, the savage hurled
his keen weapon; but it was with an eye so vacant, and a
hand so unsteady and feeble, that the young man caught it
by the handle, as it was flying past him. At that instant

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the Indian staggered and fell his whole length on the
ground.

“I know'd it—I know'd it!” exclaimed Deerslayer, who
was already preparing to force a fresh bullet into his rifle;
“I know'd it must come to this, as soon as I had got the
range from the creatur's eyes. A man sights suddenly, and
fires quick, when his own life's in danger; yes, I know'd it
would come to this. I was about the hundredth part of a
second too quick for him, or it might have been bad for me!
The riptyle's bullet has just grazed my side—but, say what
you will, for or ag'in 'em, a red-skin is by no means as sartain
with powder and ball as a white man. Their gifts don't
seem to lie that-a-way. Even Chingachgook, great as he
is in other matters, isn't downright deadly with the rifle.”

By this time the piece was reloaded, and Deerslayer, after
tossing the tomahawk into the canoe, advanced to his victim,
and stood over him, leaning on his rifle, in melancholy
attention. It was the first instance in which he had seen a
man fall in battle—it was the first fellow-creature against
whom he had ever seriously raised his own hand. The
sensations were novel; and regret, with the freshness of our
better feelings, mingled with his triumph. The Indian was
not dead, though shot directly through the body. He lay
on his back motionless, but his eyes, now full of consciousness,
watched each action of his victor—as the fallen bird
regards the fowler—jealous of every movement. The man
probably expected the fatal blow, which was to precede the
loss of his scalp; or, perhaps he anticipated that this latter
act of cruelty would precede his death. Deerslayer read his
thoughts; and he found a melancholy satisfaction in relieving
the apprehensions of the helpless savage.

“No, no, red-skin,” he said; “you 've nothing more to
fear from me. I am of a Christian stock, and scalping is
not of my gifts. I'll just make sartain of your rifle, and
then come back and do you what sarvice I can. Though
here I can't stay much longer, as the crack of three rifles
will be apt to bring some of your devils down upon me.”

The close of this was said in a sort of a soliloquy, as the
young man went in quest of the fallen rifle. The piece was
found where its owner had dropped it, and was immediately

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put into the canoe. Laying his own rifle at its side, Deerslayer
then returned and stood over the Indian again.

“All inmity atween you and me's at an ind, red-skin,”
he said; “and you may set your heart at rest, on the score
of the scalp, or any further injury. My gifts are white, as
I've told you; and I hope my conduct will be white also!”

Could looks have conveyed all they meant, it is probable
Deerslayer's innocent vanity, on the subject of colour, would
have been rebuked a little; but he comprehended the gratitude
that was expressed in the eyes of the dying savage,
without in the least detecting the bitter sarcasm that struggled
with the better feeling.

“Water!” ejaculated the thirsty and unfortunate creature;
“give poor Indian water.”

“Ay, water you shall have, if you drink the lake dry.
I'll just carry you down to it, that you may take your fill.
This is the way, they tell me, with all wounded people—
water is their greatest comfort and delight.”

So saying, Deerslayer raised the Indian in his arms, and
carried him to the lake. Here he first helped him to take
an attitude in which he could appease his burning thirst;
after which he seated himself on a stone, and took the head
of his wounded adversary in his own lap, and endeavoured
to soothe his anguish, in the best manner he could.

“It would be sinful in me to tell you your time hadn't
come, warrior,” he commenced, “and therefore I'll not say
it. You 've passed the middle age, already, and, considerin'
the sort of lives ye lead, your days have been pretty well
filled. The principal thing, now, is to look forward to what
comes next. Neither red-skin nor pale-face, on the whole,
calculates much on sleepin' for ever; but both expect to live
in another world. Each has his gifts, and will be judged
by 'em, and, I suppose, you 've thought these matters over
enough, not to stand in need of sarmons, when the trial
comes. You'll find your happy hunting-grounds, if you 've
been a just Indian; if an unjust, you'll meet your desarts
in another way. I 've my own idees about these things; but
you 're too old and exper'enced to need any explanations
from one as young as I.”

“Good!” ejaculated the Indian, whose voice retained its

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depth even as life ebbed away; “young head—old wisdom!”

“It's sometimes a consolation, when the ind comes, to
know that them we've harmed, or tried to harm, forgive
us. I suppose natur' seeks this relief, by way of getting a
pardon on 'arth; as we never can know whether He pardons,
who is all in all, till judgment itself comes. It's
soothing to know that any pardon, at such times; and that,
I conclude, is the secret. Now, as for myself, I overlook
altogether your designs ag'in my life; first, because no
harm came of 'em; next, because it's your gifts, and natur',
and trainin', and I ought not to have trusted you at all; and,
finally and chiefly, because I can bear no ill-will to a dying
man, whether heathen or Christian. So put your heart at
ease, so far as I'm consarned; you know best what other
matters ought to trouble you, or what ought to give you
satisfaction, in so trying a moment.”

It is probable that the Indian had some of the fearful
glimpses of the unknown state of being which God, in mercy,
seems, at times, to afford to all the human race; but they
were necessarily in conformity with his habits and prejudices.
Like most of his people, and like too many of our
own, he thought more of dying in a way to gain applause
among those he left, than to secure a better state of existence,
hereafter. While Deerslayer was speaking, his mind
was a little bewildered, though he felt that the intention was
good; and when he had done, a regret passed over his spirit
that none of his own tribe were present to witness his stoicism,
under extreme bodily suffering, and the firmness with
which he met his end. With the high, innate courtesy that
so often distinguishes the Indian warrior, before he becomes
corrupted by too much intercourse with the worst class of
the white men, he endeavoured to express his thankfulness
for the other's good intentions, and to let him understand that
they were appreciated.

“Good!” he repeated, for this was an English word much
used by the savages—“good—young head; young heart,
too. Old heart tough; no shed tear. Hear Indian when
he die, and no want to lie—what he call him?”

“Deerslayer is the name I bear now, though the

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Delawares have said that when I get back from this war-path, I
shall have a more manly title, provided I can 'arn one.”

“That good name for boy—poor name for warrior. He
get better quick. No fear there”—the savage had strength
sufficient, under the strong excitement he felt, to raise a
hand and tap the young man on his breast—“eye sartain—
finger lightening—aim, death—great warrior, soon. No
Deerslayer—Hawkeye—Hawkeye—Hawkeye. Shake
hand.”

Deerslayer—or Hawkeye, as the youth was then first
named, for in after years he bore the appellation throughout
all that region—Deerslayer took the hand of the savage,
whose last breath was drawn in that attitude, gazing in admiration
at the countenance of a stranger, who had shown
so much readiness, skill and firmness, in a scene that was
equally trying and novel. When the reader remembers it
is the highest gratification an Indian can receive to see his
enemy betray weakness, he will be better able to appreciate
the conduct which had extorted so great a concession, at
such a moment.

“His spirit has fled!” said Deerslayer, in a suppressed,
melancholy voice. “Ah's me!—Well, to this we must all
come, sooner or later; and he is happiest, let his skin be of
what colour it may, who is best fitted to meet it. Here lies
the body of, no doubt, a brave warrior, and the soul is already
flying towards its heaven, or hell, whether that be a
happy hunting-ground, a place scant of game; regions of
glory, according to Moravian doctrine, or flames of fire!
So it happens, too, as regards other matters! Here have
old Hutter and Hurry Harry got themselves into difficulty,
if they havn't got themselves into torment and death, and
all for a bounty that luck offers to me in what many would
think a lawful and suitable manner. But not a farthing of
such money shall cross my hand. White I was born, and
white will I die; clinging to colour to the last, even though
the King's Majesty, his governors, and all his councils, both
at home and in the Colonies, forget from what they come,
and where they hope to go, and all for a little advantage in
warfare. No, no—warrior; hand of mine shall never molest
your scalp, and so your soul may rest in peace on the

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p'int of making a decent appearance, when the body comes
to join it, in your own land of spirits.”

Deerslayer arose as soon as he had spoken. Then he
placed the body of the dead man in a sitting posture, with
its back against the little rock, taking the necessary care to
prevent it from falling, or in any way settling into an attitude
that might be thought unseemly by the sensitive, though
wild notions of a savage. When this duty was performed,
the young man stood gazing at the grim countenance of his
fallen foe, in a sort of melancholy abstraction. As was his
practice, however, a habit gained by living so much alone
in the forest, he then began again to give utterance to his
thoughts and feelings aloud.

“I didn't wish your life, red-skin,” he said, “but you left
me no choice atween killing, or being killed. Each party
acted according to his gifts, I suppose, and blame can light
on neither. You were treacherous, according to your natur'
in war, and I was a little oversightful, as I'm apt to be in
trusting others. Well, this is my first battle with a human
mortal, though it's not likely to be the last. I have fou't
most of the creatur's of the forest, such as bears, wolves,
painters and catamounts, but this is the beginning with the
red-skins. If I was Indian born, now, I might tell of this,
or carry in the scalp, and boast of the expl'ite afore the
whole tribe; or, if my inimy had only been even a bear,
't would have been nat'ral and proper to let every body know
what had happened; but I don't well see how I'm to let even
Chingachgook into this secret, so long as it can be done
only by boasting with a white tongue. And why should I
wish to boast of it, after all? It's slaying a human, although
he was a savage; and how do I know that he was a
just Indian; and that he has not been taken away suddenly,
to any thing but happy hunting-grounds. When it's onsartain
whether good or evil has been done, the wisest way
is not to be boastful—still, I should like Chingachgook to
know that I haven't discredited the Delawares, or my training!”

Part of this was uttered aloud, while part was merely
muttered between the speaker's teeth; his more confident
opinions enjoying the first advantage, while his doubts were
expressed in the latter mode. Soliloquy and reflection

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received a startling interruption, however, by the sudden appearance
of a second Indian on the lake shore, a few hundred
yards from the point. This man, evidently another
scout, who had probably been drawn to the place by the
reports of the rifles, broke out of the forest with so little
caution, that Deerslayer caught a view of his person before
he was himself discovered. When the latter event die
occur, as was the case a moment later, the savage gave a
loud yell, which was answered by a dozen voices from different
parts of the mountain-side. There was no longer
any time for delay, and, in another minute the boat was
quitting the shore under long and steady sweeps of the paddle.

As soon as Deerslayer believed himself to be at a safe
distance, he ceased his efforts, permitting the little bark to
drift, while he leisurely took a survey of the state of things.
The canoe first sent adrift was floating before the air, quite
a quarter of a mile above him, and a little nearer to the
shore than he wished, now that he knew more of the savages
were near at hand. The canoe shoved from the point was
within a few yards of him, he having directed his own course
towards it, on quitting the land. The dead Indian lay in
grim quiet where he had left him, the warrior who had
shown himself from the forest had already vanished, and
the woods themselves were as silent, and seemingly as deserted,
as the day they came fresh from the hands of their
great Creator. This profound stillness, however, lasted but
a moment. When time had been given to the scouts of the
enemy to reconnoitre, they burst out of the thicket upon the
naked point, filling the air with yells of fury, at discovering
the death of their companion. These cries were immediately
succeeded by shouts of delight, when they reached the
body, and clustered eagerly around it. Deerslayer was a
sufficient adept in the usages of the natives, to understand
the reason of the change. The yell was the customary
lamentation at the loss of a warrior, the shout a sign of rejoicing
that the conqueror had not been able to secure the
scalp; the trophy, without which a victory was never considered
complete. The distance at which the canoes lay,
probably prevented any attempts to injure the conqueror,
the American Indian, like the panther of his own woods,

[figure description] Page 123.[end figure description]

seldom making any effort against his foe, unless tolerably
certain it is under circumstances that may be expected to
prove effective.

As the young man had no longer any motive to remain
near the point, he prepared to collect his canoes, in order to
tow them off to the castle. That nearest was soon in tow,
when he proceeded in quest of the other, which was, all this
time, floating up the lake. The eye of Deerslayer was no
sooner fastened on this last boat, than it struck him that it was
nearer to the shore than it would have been, had it merely
followed the course of the gentle current of air. He began
to suspect the influence of some unseen current in the water,
and he quickened his exertions, in order to regain possession
of it before it could drift in to a dangerous proximity to the
woods. On getting nearer, he thought that the canoe had
a perceptible motion through the water, and, as it lay broadside
to the air, that this motion was taking it towards the
land. A few vigorous strokes of the paddle carried him still
nearer, when the mystery was explained. Something was
evidently in motion on the off-side of the canoe, or that
which was furthest from himself, and closer scrutiny showed
that it was a naked human arm. An Indian was lying in
the bottom of the canoe, and was propelling it slowly, but
certainly, to the shore, using his hand as a paddle. Deerslayer
understood the whole artifice at a glance. A savage
had swum off to the boat while he was occupied with his
enemy on the point, got possession, and was using these
means to urge it to the shore.

Satisfied that the man in the canoe could have no arms,
Deerslayer did not hesitate to dash close alongside of the
retiring boat, without deeming it necessary to raise his own
rifle. As soon as the wash of the water, which he made in
approaching, became audible to the prostrate savage, the
latter sprang to his feet, and uttered an exclamation that
proved how completely he was taken by surprise.

“If you 've enj'yed yourself enough in that canoe, red-skin,”
Deerslayer coolly observed, stopping his own career
in sufficient time to prevent an absolute collision between the
two boats—“if you 've enj'yed yourself enough in that
canoe, you 'll do a prudent act by taking to the lake ag'in.
I 'm reasonable in these matters, and don't crave your blood,

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though there's them about that would look upon you more
as a due-bill for the bounty, than a human mortal. Take
to the lake, this minute, afore we get to hot words.”

The savage was one of those who did not understand a
word of English, and he was indebted to the gestures of
Deerslayer, and to the expression of an eye that did not
often deceive, for an imperfect comprehension of his meaning.
Perhaps, too, the sight of the rifle that lay so near the
hand of the white man quickened his decision. At all events,
he crouched like a tiger about to take his leap, uttered a
yell, and the next instant his naked body had disappeared
in the water. When he rose to take breath, it was at the
distance of several yards from the canoe, and the hasty
glance he threw behind him, denoted how much he feared
the arrival of a fatal messenger from the rifle of his foe.
But the young man made no indication of any hostile intention.
Deliberately securing the canoe to the others, he began
to paddle from the shore; and by the time the Indian reached
the land, and had shaken himself, like a spaniel on quitting
the water, his dreaded enemy was already beyond rifle-shot,
on his way to the castle. As was so much his practice,
Deerslayer did not fail to soliloquize on what had just occurred
while steadily pursuing his course towards the point
of destination.

“Well, well”—he commenced—“'t would have been
wrong to kill a human mortal without an object. Scalps
are of no account with me, and life is sweet, and ought not
to be taken marcilessly, by them that have white gifts. The
savage was a Mingo, it's true; and I make no doubt he is,
and will be, as long as he lives, a ra'al riptyle and vagabond;
but that's no reason I should forget my gifts and colour.
No, no—let him go; if ever we meet ag'in, rifle
in hand, why then 't will be seen which has the stoutest heart
and the quickest eye.—Hawkeye! That's not a bad name
for a warrior, sounding much more manful and valiant than
Deerslayer! 'T wouldn't be a bad title to begin with, and
it has been fairly 'arned. If 't was Chingachgook, now, he
might go home and boast of his deeds, and the chiefs would
name him Hawkeye, in a minute; but it don't become white
blood to brag, and 't isn't easy to see how the matter can be
known, unless I do. Well, well—every thing is in the

[figure description] Page 125.[end figure description]

hands of Providence; this affair as well as another; I'll
trust to that for getting my desarts in all things.”

Having thus betrayed what might be termed his weak
spot, the young man continued to paddle in silence, making
his way diligently, and as fast as his tows would allow him,
towards the castle. By this time the sun had not only risen,
but it had appeared over the eastern mountains, and was
shedding a flood of glorious light on this, as yet, unchristened
sheet of water. The whole scene was radiant with
beauty; and no one unaccustomed to the ordinary history
of the woods, would fancy it had so lately witnessed incidents
so ruthless and barbarous. As he approached the
building of old Hutter, Deerslayer thought, or rather felt,
that its appearance was in singular harmony with all the
rest of the scene. Although nothing had been consulted but
strength and security, the rude massive logs, covered with
their rough bark, the projecting roof, and the form, would
contribute to render the building picturesque in almost any
situation, while its actual position added novelty and piquancy
to its other points of interest.

When Deerslayer drew nearer to the castle, however,
objects of interest presented themselves, that at once eclipsed
any beauties that might have distinguished the scenery of the
lake, and the site of the singular edifice. Judith and Hetty
stood on the platform, before the door, Hurry's door-yard,
awaiting his approach with manifest anxiety; the former,
from time to time, taking a survey of his person and of the
canoes, through the old ship's spy-glass that has been already
mentioned. Never probably did this girl seem more
brilliantly beautiful than at that moment; the flush of anxiety
and alarm increasing her colour to its richest tints,
while the softness of her eyes, a charm that even poor Hetty
shared with her, was deepened by intense concern. Such,
at least, without pausing, or pretending to analyze motives,
or to draw any other very nice distinctions between cause
and effect, were the opinions of the young man as his canoes
reached the side of the ark, where he carefully fastened all
three, before he put his foot on the platform.

CHAPTER VIII.

“His words are bonds, his oaths are oracles;
His love sincere, his thoughts immaculate;
His tears pure messengers sent from his heart;
His heart as far from fraud, as heaven from earth.”
Shakspeare.

[figure description] Page 126.[end figure description]

Neither of the girls spoke, as Deerslayer stood before
them alone, his countenance betraying all the apprehension
he felt on account of the two absent members of their party.

“Father!” Judith at length exclaimed, succeeding in uttering
the word, as it might be, by a desperate effort.

“He's met with misfortune, and there's no use in concealing
it,” answered Deerslayer, in his direct and simple-minded
manner. “He and Hurry are in Mingo hands, and
Heaven only knows what's to be the tarmination. I've got
the canoes safe, and that's a consolation, since the vagabonds
will have to swim for it, or raft off, to come near this
place. At sunset we'll be reinforced by Chingachgook, if
I can manage to get him into a canoe; and then, I think,
we two can answer for the ark and the castle, 'till some of
the officers in the garrisons hear of this war-path, which
sooner or later must be the case, when we may look for
succour from that quarter, if from no other.”

“The officers!” exclaimed Judith, impatiently, her colour
deepening, and her eye expressing a lively but passing emotion.
“Who thinks or speaks of the heartless gallants,
now?—We are sufficient of ourselves to defend the castle;—
but what of my father, and of poor Hurry Harry?”

“ 'Tis natural you should feel this consarn for your own
parent, Judith, and I suppose it's equally so that you should
feel it for Hurry Harry, too.”

Deerslayer then commenced a succinct but clear narrative
of all that occurred during the night, in no manner concealing
what had befallen his two companions, or his own
opinion of what might prove to be the consequences. The
girls listened with profound attention, but neither betrayed

[figure description] Page 127.[end figure description]

that feminine apprehension and concern, which would have
followed such a communication when made to those who
were less accustomed to the hazards and accidents of a frontier
life. To the surprise of Deerslayer, Judith seemed the
most distressed, Hetty listening eagerly, but appearing to
brood over the facts in melancholy silence, rather than betraying
any outward signs of feeling. The former's agitation,
the young man did not fail to attribute to the interest
she felt in Hurry, quite as much as to her filial love, while
Hetty's apparent indifference was ascribed to that mental
darkness which, in a measure, obscured her intellect, and
which possibly prevented her from foreseeing all the consequences.
Little was said, however, by either, Judith and
her sister busying themselves in making the preparations
for the morning meal, as they who habitually attend to such
matters, toil on mechanically even in the midst of suffering
and sorrow. The plain but nutritious breakfast was taken
by all three, in sombre silence. The girls ate little, but
Deerslayer gave proof of possessing one material requisite
of a good soldier, that of preserving his appetite in the midst
of the most alarming and embarrassing circumstances. The
meal was nearly ended before a syllable was uttered; then,
however, Judith spoke in the convulsive and hurried manner
in which feeling breaks through restraint, after the latter
has become more painful than even the betrayal of emotion.

“Father would have relished this fish!” she exclaimed;
“he says the salmon of the lakes is almost as good as the
salmon of the sea.”

“Your father has been acquainted with the sea, they tell
me, Judith,” returned the young man, who could not forbear
throwing a glance of inquiry at the girl; for, in common
with all who knew Hutter he had some curiosity on the
subject of his early history. “Hurry Harry tells he was
once a sailor.”

Judith first looked perplexed; then, influenced by feelings
that were novel to her, in more ways than one, she became
suddenly communicative, and seemingly much interested in
the discourse.

“If Hurry knows any thing of father's history, I would
he had told it to me!” she cried. “Sometimes I think, too,
he was once a sailor, and then again I think he was not. If

[figure description] Page 128.[end figure description]

that chest were open, or if it could speak, it might let us into
his whole history. But its fastenings are too strong to be
broken like pack-thread.”

Deerslayer turned to the chest in question, and for the
first time examined it closely. Although discoloured, and
bearing proofs of having received much ill-treatment, he
saw that it was of materials and workmanship altogether
superior to any thing of the same sort he had ever before
beheld. The wood was dark, rich, and had once been
highly polished, though the treatment it had received left
little gloss on its surface, and various scratches and indentations
proved the rough collisions that it had encountered with
substances still harder than itself. The corners were firmly
bound with steel, elaborately and richly wrought, while the
locks, of which it had no less than three, and the hinges,
were of a fashion and workmanship that would have attracted
attention even in a warehouse of curious furniture.
The chest was large too; and when Deerslayer arose, and
endeavoured to raise an end by its massive handle, he found
that the weight fully corresponded with the external appearance.

“Did you never see that chest opened, Judith,” the young
man demanded with frontier freedom, for delicacy on such
subjects was little felt among the people on the verge of
civilization, in that age, even if it be to-day.

“Never. Father has never opened it in my presence, if
he ever opens it at all. No one here has ever seen its lid
raised, unless it be father; nor do I even know that he has
ever seen it.”

“Now, you're wrong, Judith,” Hetty quietly answered.
“Father has raised the lid, and I've seen him do it.”

A feeling of manliness kept the mouth of Deerslayer shut;
for, while he would not have hesitated about going far beyond
what would be thought the bounds of propriety, in
questioning the elder sister, he had just scruples about taking
what might be thought an advantage of the feeble intellect
of the younger. Judith, being under no such restraint, however,
turned quickly to the last speaker, and continued the
discourse.

“When and where did you ever see that chest opened,
Hetty?”

[figure description] Page 129.[end figure description]

“Here, and, again and again. Father often opens it,
when you are away, though he don't in the least mind my
being by, and seeing all he does, as well as hearing all he
says.”

“And what is it that he does, and what does he say?”

“That I cannot tell you, Judith,” returned the other, in
a low, but resolute voice. “Father's secrets are not my
secrets.”

“Secrets! This is stranger still, Deerslayer; that father
should tell them to Hetty, and not tell them to me!”

“There's good reason for that, Judith, though you're
not to know it. Father's not here to answer for himself,
and I'll say no more about it.”

Judith and Deerslayer looked surprised, and, for a minute,
the first seemed pained. But, suddenly recollecting herself,
she turned away from her sister, as if in pity for her
weakness, and addressed the young man.

“You've told but half your story,” she said, “breaking
off at the place where you went to sleep in the canoe—
or, rather, where you rose to listen to the cry of the loon.
We heard the call of the loons, too, and thought their cries
might bring a storm, though we are little used to tempests
on this lake, at this season of the year.”

“The winds blow, and the tempests howl as God pleases;
sometimes at one season, and sometimes at another,” answered
Deerslayer; “and the loons speak accordin' to their
natur'. Better would it be, if men were as honest and
frank. After I rose to listen to the birds, finding it could
not be Hurry's signal, I lay down and slept. When the
day dawned I was up and stirring as usual, and then I went
in chase of the two canoes, lest the Mingos should lay hands
on 'em.”

“You have not told us all, Deerslayer,” said Judith,
earnestly. “We heard rifles, under the eastern mountain;
the echoes were full and long, and came so soon after the
reports, that the pieces must have been fired on, or quite
near to the shore. Our ears are used to these signs, and
are not to be deceived.”

“They've done their duty, gal, this time; yes, they've
done their duty. Rifles have been sighted this morning,
ay, and triggers pulled, too, though not as often as they

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might have been. One warrior has gone to his happy hunting-grounds,
and that's the whole of it. A man of white
blood, and white gifts, is not to be expected to boast of his
expl'ites, and to flourish scalps.”

Judith listened almost breathlessly; and, when Deerslayer,
in his quiet, modest manner, seemed disposed to quit the
subject, she rose, and, crossing the room, took a seat by his
side. The manner of the girl had nothing forward about
it, though it betrayed the quick instinct of female affection,
and the sympathizing kindness of a woman's interest. She
even took the hard hand of the hunter, and pressed it in
both her own, unconsciously to herself, perhaps, while she
looked earnestly and even reproachfully into his sun-burned
face.

“You have been fighting the savages, Deerslayer, singly
and by yourself!” she said. “In your wish to take care
of us—of Hetty—of me, perhaps—you've fought the enemy
bravely, with no eye to encourage your deeds, or to
witness your fall, had it pleased Providence to suffer so
great a calamity!”

“I've fou't, Judith; yes I have fou't the inimy, and that,
too, for the first time in my life. These things must be,
and they bring with 'em a mixed feelin' of sorrow and triumph.
Human natur' is a fightin' natur', I suppose, as all
nations kill in battle, and we must be true to our rights and
gifts. What has yet been done is no great matter, but,
should Chingachgook come to the rock this evening, as is
agreed atween us, and I get him off it, onbeknown to the
savages, or, if known to them, ag'in their wishes and designs,
then may we all look to something like warfare, afore
the Mingos shall get possession of either the castle, or the
ark, or yourselves.”

“Who is this Chingachgook; from what place does he
come, and why does he come here?”

“The questions are nat'ral, and right, I suppose, though
the youth has a great name, already, in his own part of the
country. Chingachgook is a Mohican by blood, consorting
with the Delawares by usage, as is the case with most of
his tribe; which has long been broken up by the increase
of our colour. He is of the family of the great chiefs,
Uncas, his father, having been the considerablest warrior

[figure description] Page 131.[end figure description]

and counsellor of his people. Even old Tamenund honours
Chingachgook, though he is thought to be yet too young to
lead in war; and then the nation is so disparsed and diminished,
that chieftainship among 'em has got to be little more
than a name. Well, this war having commenced in 'arnest,
the Delaware and I rendezvous'd an app'intment to meet
this evening, at sunset, on the rendezvous-rock, at the foot
of this very lake, intending to come out on our first hostile
expedition ag'in the Mingos. Why we come exactly this-a-way,
is our own secret; but thoughtful young men, on a
war-path, as you may suppose, do nothing without a calculation,
and a design.”

“A Delaware can have no unfriendly intentions towards
us,” said Judith, after a moment's hesitation, “and we know
you to be friendly.”

“Treachery is the last crime I hope to be accused of,”
returned Deerslayer, hurt at the gleam of distrust that had
shot through Judith's mind; “and, least of all, treachery
to my own colour.”

“No one suspects you, Deerslayer,” the girl impetuously
cried. “No—no—your honest countenance would be a
sufficient surety for the truth of a thousand hearts! If all
men had as honest tongues, and no more promised what
they did not mean to perform, there would be less wrong
done in the world, and fine feathers and scarlet cloaks would
not be thought excuses for baseness and deception.”

The girl spoke with strong, nay, even with convulsed
feeling, and her fine eyes, usually so soft and alluring,
flashed fire as she concluded. Deerslayer could not but
observe this extraordinary emotion; but, with the tact of a
courtier, he avoided not only any allusion to the circumstance,
but succeeded in concealing the effect of his discovery
on himself. Judith gradually grew calm again, and,
as she was obviously anxious to appear to advantage in the
eyes of the young man, she was soon able to renew the
conversation as composedly as if nothing had occurred to
disturb her.

“I have no right to look into your secrets, or the secrets
of your friend, Deerslayer,” she continued, “and am ready
to take all you say on trust. If we can really get another
male ally to join us, at this trying moment, it will aid us

[figure description] Page 132.[end figure description]

much; and I am not without hope that when the savages
find we are able to keep the lake, they will offer to give up
their prisoners in exchange for skins, or, at least for the
keg of powder that we have in the house.”

The young man had the words “scalps,” and “bounty,”
on his lips, but a reluctance to alarm the feelings of the
daughters, prevented him from making the allusion he had
intended to the probable fate of their father. Still, so little
was he practised in the arts of deception, that his expressive
countenance was, of itself, understood by the quick-witted
Judith, whose intelligence had been sharpened by the
risks and habits of her life.

“I understand what you mean,” she continued, hurriedly,
“and what you would say, but for the fear of hurting me—
us, I mean; for Hetty loves her father quite as well as I
do. But this is not as we think of Indians. They never
scalp an unhurt prisoner, but would rather take him away
alive; unless, indeed, the fierce wish for torturing should get
the mastery of them. I fear nothing for my father's scalp,
and little for his life. Could they steal on us, in the night,
we should all probably suffer in this way; but men taken in
open strife, are seldom injured; not, at least, until the time
of torture comes.”

“That's tradition, I'll allow, and it's according to practice—
but, Judith, do you know the 'ar'nd on which your
father and Hutter went ag'in the savages?”

“I do; and a cruel errand it was! But what will you
have? Men will be men, and some even that flaunt in their
gold and silver, and carry the king's commission in their
pockets, are not guiltless of equal cruelty.” Judith's eye
again flashed, but, by a desperate struggle, she resumed her
composure. “I get warm, when I think of all the wrong
that men do,” she added, affecting to smile, an effort in
which she only succeeded indifferently well. “All this is
silly. What is done, is done, and it cannot be mended by
complaints. But the Indians think so little of the shedding
of blood, and value men so much for the boldness of their
undertakings, that, did they know the business on which
their prisoners came, they would be more likely to honour,
than to injure them for it.”

“For a time, Judith; yes, I allow that, for a time. But,

[figure description] Page 133.[end figure description]

when that feelin' dies away, then will come the love of revenge.
We must indivour, Chingachgook and I, we must
indivour to see what we can do to get Hurry and your father
free; for the Mingos will, no doubt, hover about this lake
some days, in order to make the most of their success.”

“You think this Delaware can be depended on, Deerslayer?”
demanded the girl, thoughtfully.

“As much as I can myself. You say you do not suspect
me, Judith?”

“You!” taking his hand again, and pressing it between
her own with a warmth that might have awakened the
vanity of one less simple-minded, and more disposed to
dwell on his own good qualities, “I would as soon suspect
a brother! I have known you but a day, Deerslayer, but
it has awakened the confidence of a year. Your name,
however, is not unknown to me; for the gallants of the garrisons
frequently speak of the lessons you have given them
in hunting, and all proclaim your honesty.”

“Do they ever talk of the shooting, gal?” inquired the
other eagerly, after, however, laughing in a silent but heart-felt
manner. “Do they ever talk of the shooting? I want
to hear nothing about my own, for, if that isn't sartified to,
by this time, in all these parts, there's little use in being
skilful and sure; but what do the officers say of their own—
yes, what do they say of their own! Arms, as they call
it, is their trade, and yet there's some among 'em that know
very little how to use 'em!”

“Such, I hope, will not be the case with your friend
Chingachgook, as you call him—what is the English of his
Indian name?”

“Big Sarpent—so called for his wisdom and cunning.
Uncas is his ra'al name—all his family being called Uncas,
until they get a title that has been 'arned by deeds.”

“If he has all this wisdom, we may expect a useful friend
in him, unless his own business in this part of the country
should prevent him from serving us.”

“I see no great harm in telling you his ar'n'd, after all,
and, as you may find means to help us, I will let you and
Hetty into the whole matter, trusting that you'll keep the
secret as if it was your own. You must know that Chingachgook
is a comely Indian, and is much look'd upon and

[figure description] Page 134.[end figure description]

admired by the young women of his tribe, both on account
of his family, and on account of himself. Now, there is a
chief that has a daughter called Wah-ta!-Wah, which is intarpreted
into Hist-oh!-Hist, in the English tongue, the rarest
gal among the Delawares, and the one most sought after
and craved for a wife, by all the young warriors of the nation.
Well, Chingachgook, among others, took a fancy to
Wah-ta!-Wah, and Wah-ta!-Wah took a fancy to him.”
Here Deerslayer paused an instant; for, as he got thus far
in his tale, Hetty Hutter arose, approached and stood attentive
at his knee, as a child draws near to listen to the legends
of its mother. “Yes, he fancied her, and she fancied him,”
resumed Deerslayer, after casting a friendly and approving
glance at the innocent and interested girl; “and when that
is the case, and all the elders are agreed, it does not often
happen that the young couple keep apart. Chingachgook
could'n't well carry off such a prize without making inimies
among them that wanted her as much as he did himself. A
sartain Briarthorn, as we call him in English, or Yocommon,
as he is tarmed in Indian, took it most to heart, and we mistrust
him of having a hand in all that followed. Wah-ta!-
Wah went with her father and mother, two moons ago, to
fish for salmon, on the western streams, where, it is agreed
by all in these parts, that fish most abounds, and while thus
empl'y'd the gal vanished. For several weeks we could
get no tidings of her; but, here, ten days since, a runner
that came through the Delaware country, brought us a message,
by which we l'arn that Wah-ta!-Wah was stolen from
her people—we think, but do not know it, by Briarthorn's
sarcumventions,—and that she was now with the inimy,
who had adopted her, and wanted her to marry a young
Mingo. The message said that the party intended to hunt
and forage through this region, for a month or two, afore it
went back into the Canadas, and that if we could contrive
to get on a scent in this quarter, something might turn up
that would lead to our getting the maiden off.”

“And how does that concern you, Deerslayer?” demanded
Judith, a little anxiously.

“It consarns me, as all things that touches a fri'nd consarns
a fri'nd. I'm here as Chingachgook's aid and helper,
and if we can get the young maiden he likes back ag'in, it

[figure description] Page 135.[end figure description]

will give me almost as much pleasure as if I had got back
my own sweetheart.”

“And where, then, is your sweetheart, Deerslayer?”

“She 's in the forest, Judith—hanging from the boughs
of the trees, in a soft rain—in the dew on the open grass—
the clouds that float about in the blue heavens—the birds
that sing in the woods—the sweet springs where I slake my
thirst—and in all the other glorious gifts that come from
God's Providence!”

“You mean that, as yet, you've never loved one of my
sex, but love best your haunts, and your own manner of
life.”

“That's it—that's just it. I am white—have a white
heart, and can't, in reason, love a red-skinned maiden, who
must have a red-skin heart and feelin's. No, no, I 'm
sound enough in them particulars, and hope to remain so,
at least till this war is over. I find my time too much
taken up with Chingachgook's affair, to wish to have one of
my own on my hands afore that is settled.”

“The girl that finally wins you, Deerslayer, will at least
win an honest heart; one without treachery or guile; and
that will be a victory, that most of her sex ought to envy.”

As Judith uttered this, her beautiful face had a resentful
frown on it; while a bitter smile lingered around a mouth that
no derangement of the muscles could render any thing but
handsome. Her companion observed the change, and,
though little skilled in the workings of the female heart, he
had sufficient native delicacy to understand that it might be
well to drop the subject.

As the hour when Chingachgook was expected, still remained
distant, Deerslayer had time enough to examine into
the state of the defences, and to make such additional arrangements
as were in his power, and the exigency of the
moment seemed to require. The experience and foresight
of Hutter had left little to be done in these particulars; still
several precautions suggested themselves to the young man,
who may be said to have studied the art of frontier warfare,
through the traditions and legends of the people among whom
he had so long lived. The distance between the castle and
the nearest point on the shore, prevented any apprehension
on the subject of rifle-bullets thrown from the land. The

[figure description] Page 136.[end figure description]

house was within musket-shot, in one sense, it was true, but
aim was entirely out of the question, and even Judith professed
a perfect disregard of any danger from that source.
So long, then, as the party remained in possession of the
fortress, they were safe; unless their assailants could find
the means to come off and carry it by fire or storm; or, by
some of the devices of Indian cunning and Indian treachery.
Against the first source of danger, Hutter had made ample
provision, and the building itself, the bark roof excepted,
was not very combustible. The floor was scuttled in several
places, and buckets provided with ropes, were in daily use,
in readiness for any such emergency. One of the girls could
easily extinguish any fire that might be lighted, provided it
had not time to make much headway. Judith, who appeared
to understand all her father's schemes of defence, and who
had the spirit to take no unimportant share in the execution
of them, explained all these details to the young man, who
was thus saved much time and labour in making his investigations.

Little was to be apprehended during the day. In possession
of the canoes and of the ark, no other vessel was to be
found on the lake. Nevertheless, Deerslayer well knew
that a raft was soon made, and as dead trees were to be
found in abundance near the water, did the savages seriously
contemplate the risks of an assault, it would not be a
very difficult matter to find the necessary means. The celebrated
American axe, a tool that is quite unrivalled in its
way, was then not very extensively known, and the savages
were far from expert in the use of its hatchet-like substitute;
still, they had sufficient practive in crossing streams by this
mode to render it certain they would construct a raft, should
they deem it expedient to expose themselves to the risks of
an assault. The death of their warrior might prove a sufficient
incentive, or it might act as a caution; but Deerslayer
thought it more than possible that the succeeding night would
bring matters to a crisis, and in this precise way. This impression
caused him to wish ardently for the presence and
succour of his Mohican friend, and to look forward to the
approach of sunset with an increasing anxiety.

As the day advanced, the party in the castle matured
their plans, and made their preparations. Judith was active,

[figure description] Page 137.[end figure description]

and seemed to find a pleasure in consulting and advising
with her new acquaintance, whose indifference to danger,
manly devotion to herself and sister, guilelessness of manner,
and truth of feeling, had won rapidly on both her imagination
and her affections. Although the hours appeared long in
some respects to Deerslayer, Judith did not find them so, and
when the sun began to descend towards the pine-clad summits
of the western hills, she felt and expressed her surprise
that the day should so soon be drawing to a close. On the
other hand, Hetty was moody and silent. She was never
loquacious, or if she occasionally became communicative, it
was under the influence of some temporary excitement, that
served to arouse her unsophisticated mind; but, for hours
at a time, in the course of this all-important day, she seemed
to have absolutely lost the use of her tongue. Nor did apprehension
on account of her father, materially affect the manner
of either sister. Neither appeared seriously to dread
any evil greater than captivity, and once or twice, when
Hetty did speak, she intimated the expectation that Hutter
would find the means to liberate himself. Although Judith
was less sanguine on this head, she too betrayed the hope
that propositions for a ransom would come, when the Indians
discovered that the castle set their expedients and artifices
at defiance. Deerslayer, however, treated these passing
suggestions as the ill-digested fancies of girls, making his
own arrangements as steadily, and brooding over the future
as seriously, as if they had never fallen from their lips.

At length the hour arrived when it became necessary to
proceed to the place of rendezvous appointed with the Mohican;
or Delaware, as Chingachgook was more commonly
called. As the plan had been matured by Deerslayer, and
fully communicated to his companions, all three set about
its execution, in concert, and intelligently. Hetty passed
into the ark, and fastening two of the canoes together, she
entered one, and paddled up to a sort of gate-way in the
palisadoes that surrounded the building, through which she
carried both; securing them beneath the house by chains
that were fastened within the building. These palisadoes
were trunks of trees driven firmly into the mud, and served
the double purpose of a small enclosure, that was intended
to be used in this very manner, and to keep any enemy that

[figure description] Page 138.[end figure description]

might approach in boats at arm's-length. Canoes thus
docked were, in a measure, hid from sight, and as the gate
was properly barred and fastened, it would not be an easy
task to remove them, even in the event of their being seen.
Previously, however, to closing the gate, Judith also entered
within the enclosure with the third canoe, leaving Deerslayer
busy in securing the door and windows inside the building,
over her head. As every thing was massive and strong,
and small saplings were used as bars, it would have been
the work of an hour or two to break into the building, when
Deerslayer had ended his task, even allowing the assailants
the use of any tools but the axe, and to be unresisted. This
attention to security arose from Hutter's having been robbed
once or twice, by the lawless whites of the frontiers, during
some of his many absences from home.

As soon as all was fast in the inside of the dwelling, Deerslayer
appeared at a trap, from which he descended into the
canoe of Judith. When this was done, he fastened the door
with a massive staple and stout padlock. Hetty was then
received in the canoe, which was shoved outside of the palisadoes.
The next precaution was to fasten the gate, and
the keys were carried into the ark. The three were now
fastened out of the dwelling, which could only be entered by
violence, or by following the course taken by the young man
in quitting it.

The glass had been brought outside as a preliminary step,
and Deerslayer next took a careful survey of the entire
shore of the lake, as far as his own position would allow.
Not a living thing was visible, a few birds excepted, and
even the last fluttered about in the shades of the trees, as if
unwilling to encounter the heat of a sultry afternoon. All
the nearest points, in particular, were subjected to severe
scrutiny, in order to make certain that no raft was in preparation;
the result everywhere giving the same picture of
calm solitude. A few words will explain the greatest embarrassment
belonging to the situation of our party. Exposed
themselves to the observation of any watchful eyes,
the movements of their enemies were concealed by the
drapery of a dense forest. While the imagination would be
very apt to people the latter with more warriors than it
really contained, their own weakness must be too

[figure description] Page 139.[end figure description]

apparent to all who might chance to cast a glance in their
direction.

“Nothing is stirring, hows'ever,” exclaimed Deerslayer,
as he finally lowered the glass, and prepared to enter the
ark: “If the vagabonds do harbour mischief in their minds,
they are too cunning to let it be seen; it's true, a raft may be
in preparation in the woods, but it has not yet been brought
down to the lake. They can't guess that we are about to
quit the castle, and, if they did, they 've no means of knowing
where we intend to go.”

“This is so true, Deerslayer,” returned Judith, “that now
all is ready, we may proceed, at once, boldly, and without
the fear of being followed—else we shall be behind our
time.”

“No—no—the matter needs management—for, though
the savages are in the dark as to Chingachgook and the
rock, they 've eyes and legs, and will see in what direction
we steer, and will be sartain to follow us. I shall strive to
baffle 'em, hows'ever, by heading the scow in all manner of
ways, first in one quarter, and then in another, until they
get to be a-leg-weary, and tired of tramping after us.”

So far as it was in his power, Deerslayer was as good as
his word. In less than five minutes after this speech was
made, the whole party was in the ark, and in motion. There
was a gentle breeze from the north; and boldly hoisting the
sail, the young man laid the head of the unwieldy craft in
such a direction as, after making a liberal but necessary allowance
for lee-way, would have brought it ashore a couple of
miles down the lake, and on its eastern side. The sailing
of the ark was never very swift, though, floating as it did
on the surface, it was not difficult to get it in motion, or to
urge it along over the water, at the rate of some three or
four miles in the hour. The distance between the castle and
the rock was a little more than two leagues. Knowing the
punctuality of an Indian, Deerslayer had made his calculations
closely, and had given himself a little more time than
was necessary to reach the place of rendezvous, with a view
to delay, or to press his arrival, as might prove most expedient.
When he hoisted the sail, the sun lay above the
western hills, at an elevation that promised rather more than

[figure description] Page 140.[end figure description]

two hours of day; and a few minutes satisfied him that the
progress of the scow was such as to equal his expectations.

It was a glorious June afternoon, and never did that solitary
sheet of water seem less like an arena of strife and
bloodshed. The light air scarce descended as low as the
bed of the lake, hovering over it, as if unwilling to disturb
its deep tranquillity, or to ruffle its mirror-like surface.
Even the forests appeared to be slumbering in the sun, and
a few piles of fleecy clouds had lain for hours along the
northern horizon, like fixtures in the atmosphere, placed
there purely to embellish the scene. A few aquatic fowls
occasionally skimmed along the water, and a single raven
was visible, sailing high above the trees, and keeping a
watchful eye on the forest beneath him, in order to detect
any thing having life that the mysterious woods might offer
as prey.

The reader will probably have observed, that, amidst the
frankness and abruptness of manner, which marked the frontier
habits of Judith, her language was superior to that used
by her male companions, her own father included. This
difference extended as well to pronunciation, as to the choice
of words and phrases. Perhaps nothing so soon betrays
the education and association as the modes of speech; and
few accomplishments so much aid the charm of female
beauty as a graceful and even utterance, while nothing so
soon produces the disenchantment that necessarily follows a
discrepancy between appearance and manner, as a mean
intonation of voice, or a vulgar use of words. Judith and
her sister were marked exceptions to all the girls of their
class, along that whole frontier; the officers of the nearest
garrison having often flattered the former with the belief
that few ladies of the towns acquitted themselves better than
herself, in this important particular. This was far from
being literally true, but it was sufficiently near the fact to
give birth to the compliment. The girls were indebted to
their mother for this advantage, having acquired from her, in
childhood, an advantage that no subsequent study or labour
can give without a drawback, if neglected beyond the earlier
periods of life. Who that mother was, or, rather, had been,
no one but Hutter knew. She had now been dead two
summers, and, as was stated by Hurry, she had been

[figure description] Page 141.[end figure description]

buried in the lake; whether in indulgence of a prejudice, or
from a reluctance to take the trouble to dig her grave, had
frequently been a matter of discussion between the rude beings
of that region. Judith had never visited the spot, but
Hetty was present at the interment, and she often paddled a
canoe, about sunset, or by the light of the moon, to the place,
and gazed down into the limpid water, in the hope of being
able to catch a glimpse of a form that she had so tenderly
loved, from infancy to the sad hour of their parting.

“Must we reach the rock exactly at the moment the sun
sets?” Judith demanded of the young man, as they stood
near each other, Deerslayer holding the steering-oar, and
she working with a needle at some ornament of dress, that
much exceeded her station in life, and was altogether a
novelty in the woods. “Will a few minutes, sooner or later,
alter the matter? it will be very hazardous to remain long
near the shore as that rock!”

“That 's it, Judith; that's the very difficulty! The
rock's within pi'nt blank for a shot-gun, and 't will never
do to hover about it too close and too long. When you
have to deal with an Indian, you must calculate and manage,
for a red natur' dearly likes sarcumvention. Now,
you see, Judith, that I do not steer towards the rock at all,
but here to the eastward of it, whereby the savages will be
tramping off in that direction, and get their legs awearied,
and all for no advantage.”

“You think, then, they see us, and watch our movements,
Deerslayer? I was in hopes they might have fallen
back into the woods, and left us to ourselves, for a few
hours.”

“That's altogether a woman's consati. There 's no
let-up in an Indian's watchfulness when he's on a war-path;
and eyes are on us at this minute, 'though the lake
presarves us. We must draw near the rock on a calculation,
and indivour to get the miscreants on a false scent.
The Mingos have good noses, they tell me; but a white
man's reason ought always to equalize their instinct.”

Judith now entered into a desultory discourse with Deerslayer,
in which the girl betrayed her growing interest in the
young man; an interest that his simplicity of mind, and her
decision of character, sustained as it was by the

[figure description] Page 142.[end figure description]

consciousness awakened by the consideration her personal charms so
universally produced, rendered her less anxious to conceal
than might otherwise have been the case. She was scarcely
forward in her manner, though there was sometimes a freedom
in her glances, that it required all the aid of her exceeding
beauty to prevent from awakening suspicions unfavourable
to her discretion, if not to her morals. With Deerslayer,
however, these glances were rendered less obnoxious to so
unpleasant a construction; for she seldom looked at him,
without discovering much of the sincerity and nature that
accompany the purest emotions of woman. It was a little
remarkable that, as his captivity lengthened, neither of the
girls manifested any great concern for her father; but, as
has been said already, their habits gave them confidence,
and they looked forward to his liberation, by means of a
ransom, with a confidence that might, in a great degree,
account for their apparent indifference. Once before, Hutter
had been in the hands of the Iroquois, and a few skins
had readily effected his release. This event, however, unknown
to the sisters, had occurred in a time of peace between
England and France, and when the savages were
restrained, instead of being encouraged to commit their excesses,
by the policy of the different colonial governments.

While Judith was loquacious and caressing in her manner,
Hetty remained thoughtful and silent. Once, indeed,
she drew near to Deerslayer, and questioned him a little
closely as to his intentions, as well as concerning the mode
of effecting his purpose; but her wish to converse went no
farther. As soon as her simple queries were answered—
and answered they all were, in the fullest and kindest manner—
she withdrew to her seat, and continued to work on a
coarse garment that she was making for her father, sometimes
humming a low melancholy air, and frequently sighing.

In this manner the time passed away; and when the sun
was beginning to glow behind the fringe of pines that bounded
the western hill, or about twenty minutes before it actually
set, the ark was nearly as low as the point where Hutter
and Hurry had been made prisoners. By sheering first
to one side of the lake, and then to the other, Deerslayer
had managed to create an uncertainty as to his object; and,

[figure description] Page 143.[end figure description]

doubtless, the savages, who were unquestionably watching
his movements, were led to believe that his aim was to communicate
with them, at or near this spot, and would hasten
in that direction, in order to be in readiness to profit by circumstances.
This artifice was well managed; since the
sweep of the bay, the curvature of the lake, and the low
marshy land that intervened, would probably allow the ark
to reach the rock, before its pursuers, if really collected
near the point, could have time to make the circuit that
would be required to get there by land. With a view to aid
this deception, Deerslayer stood as near the western shore
as was at all prudent; and, then, causing Judith and Hetty
to enter the house, or cabin, and crouching himself so as to
conceal his person by the frame of the scow, he suddenly
threw the head of the letter round, and began to make the
best of his way towards the outlet. Favoured by an increase
in the wind, the progress of the ark was such as to
promise the complete success of this plan, though the crab-like
movement of the craft compelled the helmsman to
keep its head looking in a direction very different from that
in which it was actually moving.