第2章

Joetooktwolongstrides,andwasonthedoor—step。HesawNellstrugglingviolentlyinthegraspofthehalf—drunkenteamster。

"I\'lljes\'hev\'tokissthislassieferluck,"hesaidinatoneofgoodhumor。

AtthesameinstantJoesawthreeloungerslaughing,andafourth,thegrizzledfrontiersman,startingforwardwithayell。

"Letmego！"criedNell。

Justwhentheteamsterhadpulledherclosetohim,andwasbendinghisred,moistfacetohers,twobrown,sinewyhandsgraspedhisneckwithanangryclutch。Deprivedthusofbreath,hismouthopened,histongueprotruded;hiseyesseemedstartingfromtheirsockets,andhisarmsbeattheair。Thenhewasliftedandflungwithacrashagainstthecabinwall。Falling,helayinaheaponthegrass,whilethebloodflowedfromacutonhistemple。

"What\'sthis？"criedaman,authoritatively。Hehadcomeswiftlyup,andarrivedatthescenewherestoodthegrizzledfrontiersman。

"Itwaspurtyhandy,Wentz。Icouldn\'thev\'didbettermyself,andIwascomin\'forthatpurpose,"saidthefrontiersman。"Lefflerwastryin\'tokissthelass。He\'sbeendrunkfertwodays。Thatlittlegirl\'ssweetheartkinhandlehimselfsome,nowyoutakemywordonit。"

"I\'llagreeLeff\'sbadwhenhe\'sdrinkin\',"answeredthefur—trader,andtoJoeheadded,"He\'sliabletolookyouupwhenhecomesaround。"

"TellhimifIamherewhenhegetssober,I\'llkillhim,"Joecriedinasharpvoice。Hisgazerestedoncemoreonthefallenteamster,andagainanoddcontractionofhiseyeswasnoticeable。Theglancewascutting,asifwiththeflashofcoldgraysteel。"Nell,I\'msorryIwasn\'troundsooner,"hesaid,apologetically,asifitwasowingtohisneglecttheaffairhadhappened。

AstheyenteredthecabinNellstoleaglanceathim。Thiswasthethirdtimehehadinjuredamanbecauseofher。Shehadonseveraloccasionsseenthatcold,steelyglareinhiseyes,andithadalwaysfrightenedher。Itwasgone,however,beforetheywereinsidethebuilding。Hesaidsomethingwhichshedidnotheardistinctly,andhiscalmvoiceallayedherexcitement。Shehadbeenangrywithhim;butnowsherealizedthatherresentmenthaddisappeared。Hehadspokensokindlyaftertheoutburst。Hadhenotshownthatheconsideredhimselfherprotectorandlover？Astrangeemotion,sweetandsubtleasthetasteofwine,thrilledher,whileasenseoffearbecauseofhisstrengthwasmingledwithherprideinit。Anyothergirlwouldhavebeenonlytoogladtohavesuchachampion;shewould,too,hereafter,forhewasamanofwhomtobeproud。

"Lookhere,Nell,youhaven\'tspokentome,"Joecriedsuddenly,seemingtounderstandthatshehadnotevenheardwhathesaid,soengrossedhadshebeenwithherreflections。"Areyoumadwithmeyet？"hecontinued。"Why,Nell,I\'min——Iloveyou！"

EvidentlyJoethoughtsuchfactasufficientreasonforanyactonhispart。

HistendertoneconqueredNell,andsheturnedtohimwithflushedcheeksandgladeyes。

"Iwasn\'tangryatall,"shewhispered,andthen,eludingthearmheextended,sheranintotheotherroom。

ChapterIII。

Joeloungedinthedoorwayofthecabin,thoughtfullycontemplatingtwoquietfiguresthatwerelyingintheshadeofamapletree。OneherecognizedastheIndianwithwhomJimhadspentanearnesthourthatmorning;theredsonofthewoodswaswrappedinslumber。Hehadplacedunderhisheadamany—huedhomespunshirtwhichtheyoungpreacherhadgivenhim;butwhileasleephisheadhadrolledoffthisimprovisedpillow,andthebrightgarmentlayfree,attractingtheeye。CertainlyithadledtothetrainofthoughtwhichhadfoundlodgmentinJoe\'sfertilebrain。

Theothersleeperwasashort,stoutmanwhomJoehadseenseveraltimesbefore。Thislastfellowdidnotappeartobewell—balancedinhismind,andwasthebuttofthesettlers\'jokes,whilethechildrencalledhim"Loorey。"

He,liketheIndian,wassleepingofftheeffectsofthepreviousnight\'sdissipation。

DuringafewmomentsJoeregardedtherecumbentfigureswithanexpressiononhisfacewhichtoldthathethoughtinthemweregreatpossibilitiesforsport。Withonequickglancearoundhedisappearedwithinthecabin,andwhenheshowedhimselfatthedoor,surveyingthevillagesquarewithmirthfuleyes,heheldinhishandasmallbasketofIndiandesign。Itwasmadeoftwistedgrass,andsimplycontainedseveralbitsofsoft,chalkystonesuchastheIndiansusedforpainting,whichcollectionJoehaddiscoveredamongthefur—trader\'swares。

Heglancedaroundoncemore,andsawthatallthoseinsightwerebusywiththeirwork。Hegavetheshortmanapush,andchuckledwhentherewasnoresponseotherthanalazygrunt。JoetooktheIndians\'gaudyshirt,and,liftingLoorey,slippeditaroundhim,shovedthelatter\'sarmsthroughthesleeves,andbuttoneditinfront。Hestreakedtheroundfacewithredandwhitepaint,andthen,dexterouslyextractingtheeagleplumefromtheIndian\'shead—dress,stuckitinLoorey\'sthickshockofhair。Itwasalldoneinamoment,afterwhichJoereplacedthebasket,andwentdowntotheriver。

SeveraltimesthatmorninghehadvisitedtherudewharfwhereJeffLynn,thegrizzledoldfrontiersman,busiedhimselfwithpreparationsfortheraft—journeydowntheOhio。Lynnhadbeenemployedtoguidethemissionary\'spartytoFortHenry,and,asthebrothershadacquaintedhimwiththeirintentionofaccompanyingthetravelers,hehadconstructedaraftforthemandtheirhorses。

Joelaughedwhenhesawthedozentwo—footlogsfastenedtogether,uponwhicharudeshackhadbeenerectedforshelter。Thisslightprotectionfromsunandstormwasallthebrotherswouldhaveontheirlongjourney。

Joenoted,however,thatthelargerrafthadbeenpreparedwithsomethoughtforthecomfortofthegirls。Thefloorofthelittlehutwasraisedsothatthewaveswhichbrokeoverthelogscouldnotreachit。Takingapeepintothestructure,JoewaspleasedtoseethatNellandKatewouldbecomfortable,evenduringastorm。Abuffalorobeandtworedblanketsgavetotheinterioracozy,warmlook。Heobservedthatsomeofthegirls\'luggagewasalreadyonboard。

"When\'llwebeoff？"heinquired。

"Sun—up,"answeredLynn,briefly。

"I\'mgladofthat。Iliketobeonthegointheearlymorning,"saidJoe,cheerfully。

"MostfolksfromoverEastwaysain\'tinahurrytotackletheriver,"repliedLynn,eyeingJoesharply。

"It\'sabeautifulriver,andI\'dliketosailonitfromheretowhereitends,andthencomebacktogoagain,"Joereplied,warmly。

"Inahurrytobea—goin\'？I\'llallowyou\'llseesomeslimreddevils,withfeathersintheirhair,slippingamongthetreesalongthebank,andmebbeyou\'llhearthepingwhich\'smadewhenwhistlin\'leadhits。Perhapsyou\'llwanttobebackherebytermorrersundown。"

"NotI,"saidJoe,withhisshort,coollaugh。

Theoldfrontiersmanslowlyfinishedhistaskofcoilinguparopeofwetcowhide,andthen,producingadirtypipe,hetookaliveemberfromthefireandplaceditonthebowl。Hesuckedslowlyatthepipe—stem,andsoonpuffedoutagreatcloudofsmoke。Sittingonalog,hedeliberatelysurveyedtherobustshouldersandlong,heavylimbsoftheyoungman,withakeenappreciationoftheirsymmetryandstrength。Agility,enduranceandcourageweremoretoabordermanthanallelse;anew—comeronthefrontierwasalways"sized—up"withreferencetothese"points,"andrespectedinproportiontothemeasureinwhichhepossessedthem。

OldJeffLynn,riverman,hunter,frontiersman,puffedslowlyathispipewhilehemusedthustohimself:"MebbeI\'mwrongintakin\'alikin\'tothisyoungstersosudden。Mebbeit\'sbecauseI\'mfondofhissunny—hairedlass,an\'

ag\'inmebbeit\'sbecauseI\'mgettin\'oldan\'likesyoungfolksbetter\'nIonctdid。Anyway,I\'mkinderthinkin,ifthisyoungfellergitsworkedout,sayferabouttwentypoundsless,he\'lllickawholeraft—loadofwild—cats。"

Joewalkedtoandfroonthelogs,ascertainedhowtheraftwasputtogether,andtookapullonthelong,clumsysteering—oar。AtlengthheseatedhimselfbesideLynn。Hewaseagertoaskquestions;toknowabouttherafts,theriver,theforest,theIndians——everythinginconnectionwiththiswildlife;

butalreadyhehadlearnedthatquestioningthesefrontiersmenisasuremeansofclosingtheirlips。

"Everhandlethelongrifle？"askedLynn,afterasilence。

"Yes,"answeredJoe,simply。

"Evershootanythin\'？"thefrontiersmanquestioned,whenhehadtakenfourorfivepuffsathispipe。

"Squirrels。"

"Goodpractice,shootin\'squirrels,"observedJeff,afteranothersilence,longenoughtoallowJoetotalkifhewassoinclined。"Kinyehitone——say,ahundredyards？"

"Yes,butnoteverytimeinthehead,"returnedJoe。Therewasanapologetictoneinhisanswer。

Anotherintervalfollowedinwhichneitherspoke。Jeffwasslowlypursuinghislineofthought。AfterJoe\'slastremarkhereturnedhispipetohispocketandbroughtoutatobacco—pouch。Hetoreoffalargeportionoftheweedandthrustitintohismouth。ThenheheldoutthelittlebuckskinsacktoJoe。

"Hev\'achaw,"hesaid。

Tooffertobaccotoanyonewasabsolutelyaborderman\'sguaranteeoffriendlinesstowardthatperson。

Jeffexpectoratedhalfadozentimes,eachtimecomingalittlenearerthestonehewasaimingat,somefiveyardsdistant。Possiblythiswastheborderman\'swayofoilinguphisconversationalmachinery。Atallevents,hecommencedtotalk。

"Yerbrother\'sgoin\'topreachouthere,ain\'the？Preachin\'isallright,I\'llallow;butI\'mkinderdoubtfulaboutpreachin\'toredskins。Howsumever,I\'veknowedInjunswhoaregoodfellows,andthere\'snotellin\'。Whatareyegoin\'infer——farmin\'？"

"No,Iwouldn\'tmakeagoodfarmer。"

"Jestcumoutkinderwildlike,eh？"rejoinedJeff,knowingly。

"IwantedtocomeWestbecauseIwastiredoftamelife。Ilovetheforest;I

wanttofishandhunt;andIthinkI\'dliketo——toseeIndians。"

"Ikinderthoughtso,"saidtheoldfrontiersman,noddinghisheadasthoughheperfectlyunderstoodJoe\'scase。"Well,lad,whereyou\'regoin\'seein\'

Injunsain\'tamatterofchoice。Youhastosee\'em,andfight\'em,too。We\'vehadbadtimesforyearsouthereontheborder,andI\'mthinkin\'wussiscomin\'。DidyeeverhearthenameGirty？"

"Yes;he\'sarenegade。"

"He\'satraitor,andJimandGeorgeGirty,hisbrothers,arep\'isinrattlesnakeInjuns。SimonGirty\'sbadenough;butJim\'sthewust。He\'snowwusser\'nafull—bloodedDelaware。He\'sallthetimeonthelookouttocapturewhitewimentotaketohisInjunteepee。SimonGirtyandhispals,McKeeandElliott,desertedfromthattharfortrightaforeyereyes。They\'renowlivin\'

amongtheredskinsdownFortHenryway,raisin\'asmuchhellferthesettlersastheykin。"

"IsFortHenryneartheIndiantowns？"askedJoe。

"There\'sDelawares,ShawneesandHuronsallalongtheOhiobelowFortHenry。"

"WhereistheMoravianMissionlocated？"

"Why,lad,theVillageofPeace,astheInjunscallit,isrightinthemidstofthatInjuncountry。I\'spectit\'samatterofahundredmilesbelowandcross—countryalittlefromFortHenry。"

"Thefortmustbeanimportantpoint,isitnot？"

"Wal,Iguessso。It\'sthelastplaceontheriver,"answeredLynn,withagrimsmile。"There\'sonlyastockadethere,an\'ahandfulofmen。TheInjunshevswarmeddownonittimeandag\'in,buttheyhevneverburnedit。OnlysuchmenasColonelZane,hisbrotherJack,andWetzelcouldhevkeptthatfortstandin\'allthesebloodyyears。EbZane\'sgotbutafewmen,yethekinhandle\'emsome,an\'withsuchscoutsasJackZaneandWetzel,heallusknowswhat\'sgoin\'onamongtheInjuns。"

"I\'veheardofColonelZane。HewasanofficerunderLordDunmore。ThehuntersherespeakoftenofJackZaneandWetzel。Whatarethey？"

"JackZaneisahunteran\'guide。Iknowedhimwellafewyearsback。He\'saquiet,mildchap;butastreakofchain—lightnin\'whenhe\'sriled。WetzelisanInjun—killer。Somepeoplesayashowhe\'scrazyoverscalp—huntin\';butI

reckonthat\'snotso。I\'veseenhimafewtimes。Hedon\'thangroundthesettlement\'ceptwhentheInjunsareup,an\'nobodyseeshimmuch。Athomehesetsroundsilent—like,an\'thenmebbenextmornin\'he\'llbegone,an\'won\'tshowupferdaysorweeks。Butallthefrontierknowsofhisdeeds。Ferinstance,I\'vehearnofsettlersgettin\'upinthemornin\'an\'findin\'acoupleofdeadandscalpedInjunsrightinfrontoftheircabins。Nooneknowedwhokilled\'em,buteverybodysays\'Wetzel。\'He\'salluswarnin\'thesettlerswhentheyneedtofleetothefort,andsurehe\'srighteverytime,becausewhenthesemengobacktotheircabinstheyfindnothin\'butashes。

Therecouldn\'tbeanyfarmin\'doneouttherebutferWetzel。"

"Whatdoeshelooklike？"questionedJoe,muchinterested。

"Wetzelstandsstraightastheoakoverthar。He\'dhev\'togosidewaystogithisshouldersinthatdoor,buthe\'saslightoffootan\'fastasadeer。An\'

hiseyes——why,lad,yekinhardlylookinto\'em。IfyoueverseeWetzelyou\'llknowhimtoonct。"

"Iwanttoseehim,"Joespokequickly,hiseyeslightingwithaneagerflash。

"Hemustbeagreatfighter。"

"Ishe？LewWetzelistheheftiestof\'emall,an\'wehevsomeaskinfightouthere。Iwasdowntheriverafewyearsagoandjoinedapartytogooutan\'huntupsomeredskinsashadbeenreported。Wetzelwaswithus。WesoonstruckInjunsign,andthencomeontoalotofthepeskyvarmints。Wewasallfergoin\'home,becausewehadasmallforce。WhenwestartedtogowefindsWetzelsittin\'calm—likeonalog。Wesaid:\'Ain\'tyegoin\'home？\'andhereplied,\'Icumouttofindredskins,an\'nowaswe\'vefound\'em,I\'mnotgoin\'torunaway。\'An\'welefthimsettin\'thar。Oh,Wetzelisafighter！"

"IhopeIshallseehim,"saidJoeoncemore,thewarmlight,whichmadehimlooksoboyish,stillglowinginhisface。

"Mebbeye\'llgitto;andsureye\'llseeredskins,an\'nottameones,nuther。"

Atthismomentthesoundofexcitedvoicesnearthecabinsbrokeinontheconversation。Joesawseveralpersonsruntowardthelargecabinanddisappearbehindit。HesmiledashethoughtperhapsthecommotionhadbeencausedbytheawakeningoftheIndianbrave。

Risingtohisfeet,Joewenttowardthecabin,andsoonsawthecauseoftheexcitement。Asmallcrowdofmenandwomen,alllaughingandtalking,surroundedtheIndianbraveandthelittlestoutfellow。Joeheardsomeonegroan,andthenadeep,gutturalvoice:

"Paleface——bigsteal——ugh！Injunmad——heapmad——killpaleface。"

Afterelbowinghiswayintothegroup,JoesawtheIndianholdingLooreywithonehand,whilehepokedhimontheribswiththeother。Thecaptive\'sfacewasthepictureofdismay;eventhestreaksofpaintdidnothidehislookoffearandbewilderment。Thepoorhalf—wittedfellowwassobadlyfrightenedthathecouldonlygroan。

"Silvertipscalppaleface。Ugh！"growledthesavage,givingLooreyanotherblowontheside。Thistimehebentoverinpain。Thebystandersweredividedinfeeling;themenlaughed,whilethewomenmurmuredsympathetically。

"This\'snotabitfunny,"mutteredJoe,ashepushedhiswaynearlytothemiddleofthecrowd。Thenhestretchedoutalongarmthat,bareandbrawny,lookedasthoughitmighthavebeenablacksmith\'s,andgraspedtheIndian\'ssinewywristwithaforcethatmadehimloosenhisholdonLooreyinstantly。

"Istoletheshirt——fun——joke,"saidJoe。"Scalpmeifyouwanttoscalpanyone。"

TheIndianlookedquicklyatthepowerfulformbeforehim。WithatwistheslippedhisarmfromJoe\'sgrasp。

"Bigpalefaceheapfun——allsquawplay,"hesaid,scornfully。Therewasamenaceinhissombereyesasheturnedabruptlyandleftthegroup。

"I\'mafraidyou\'vemadeanenemy,"saidJakeWentztoJoe。"AnIndianneverforgetsaninsult,andthat\'showheregardedyourjoke。Silvertiphasbeenfriendlyherebecausehesellsushispelts。He\'saShawneechief。Therehegoesthroughthewillows！"

BythistimeJimandMr。Wells,Mrs。Wentzandthegirlshadjoinedthegroup。

TheyallwatchedSilvertipgetintohiscanoeandpaddleaway。

"Abadsign,"saidWentz,andthen,turningtoJeffLynn,whojoinedthepartyatthatmoment,hebrieflyexplainedthecircumstances。

"NeverdidlikeSilver。He\'sacraftyredskin,an\'nottobetrusted,"repliedJeff。

"Hehasturnedroundandislookingback,"Nellsaidquickly。

"Sohehas,"observedthefur—trader。

TheIndianwasnowseveralhundredyardsdowntheswiftriver,andforaninstanthadceasedpaddling。Thesunshonebrightlyonhiseagleplumes。Heremainedmotionlessforamoment,andevenatsuchadistancethedark,changelessfacecouldbediscerned。Heliftedhishandandshookitmenacingly。

"Ifyedon\'thearfromthatredskinaginJeffLynndon\'tknownothin\',"calmsaidtheoldfrontiersman。

ChapterIV。

Astheraftsdriftedwiththecurrentthevoyagerssawthesettlersonthelanding—placediminishuntiltheyhadfadedfromindistinctfigurestomereblackspecksagainstthegreenbackground。Thencamethelastwaveofawhitescarf,faintlyinthedistance,andatlengththedarkoutlineofthefortwasallthatremainedtotheirregretfulgaze。Quicklythat,too,disappearedbehindthegreenhill,which,withitsboldfront,forcestherivertotakeawideturn。

TheOhio,windinginitscoursebetweenhigh,woodedbluffs,rolledonandonintothewilderness。

Beautifulaswastheever—changingscenery,ruggedgray—facedcliffsononesidecontrastingwithgreen—cladhillsontheother,therehoveredoverlandandwatersomethingmorestrikingthanbeauty。Aboveallhungastillatmosphereofcalmness——ofloneliness。

Andthispenetratingsolitudemarredsomewhatthepleasurewhichmighthavebeenfoundinthepicturesquescenery,andcausedthevoyagers,towhomthiscountrywasnew,totakelessinterestinthegaily—featheredbirdsandstealthyanimalsthatweretobeseenontheway。Bytheformsofwildlifealongthebanksoftheriver,thisstrangeintruderontheirpeacewasregardedwithattention。Thebirdsandbeastsevincedlittlefearofthefloatingrafts。Thesandhillcrane,stalkingalongtheshore,liftedhislongneckastheunfamiliarthingcamefloatingby,andthenstoodstillandsilentasastatueuntiltheraftsdisappearedfromview。Blue—heronsfeedingalongthebars,sawtheunusualspectacle,and,utteringsurprised"booms,"theyspreadwidewingsandlumberedawayalongtheshore。Thecrowscircledabovethevoyagers,cawinginnotunfriendlyexcitement。Smallerbirdsalightedontheraisedpoles,andseveral——arobin,acatbirdandalittlebrownwren——venturedwithhesitatingboldnesstopeckatthecrumbsthegirlsthrewtothem。Deerwadedknee—deepintheshallowwater,and,liftingtheirheads,instantlybecamemotionlessandabsorbed。Occasionallyabuffaloappearedonalevelstretchofbank,and,tossinghishugehead,seemedinclinedtoresentthecomingofthisstrangerintohisdomain。

Alldaytheraftsdriftedsteadilyandswiftlydowntheriver,presentingtothelittlepartyever—varyingpicturesofdenselywoodedhills,ofjutting,brokencliffswithscantevergreengrowth;oflongreachesofsandybarthatglistenedgoldeninthesunlight,andoveralltheflightandcallofwildfowl,theflittingofwoodlandsongsters,andnowandthenthewhistleandbellowofthehornedwatchersintheforest。

Theintenseblueofthevaultabovebegantopale,andlowdowninthewestafewfleecyclouds,gorgeouslygoldenforafleetinginstant,thencrimson—crownedforanother,shadedanddarkenedasthesettingsunsankbehindthehills。Presentlytheredraysdisappeared,apinkglowsuffusedtheheavens,andatlast,asgraytwilightstoledownoverthehill—tops,thecrescentmoonpeepedabovethewoodedfringeofthewesternbluffs。

"Hardan\'fastsheis,"sangoutJeffLynn,ashefastenedtheropetoatreeattheheadofasmallisland。"Alloffnow,and\'we\'llhev\'supper。Thar\'safinespringunderyoncurlybirch,an\'Ifetchedalongalegofdeer—meat。

Hungry,little\'un？"

Hehadworkedhardalldaysteeringtherafts,yetNellhadseenhimsmilingathermanytimesduringthejourney,andhehadfoundtimebeforetheearlystarttoarrangeforheracomfortableseat。Therewasnowasolicitudeinthefrontiersman\'svoicethattouchedher。

"Iamfamished,"shereplied,withherbrightsmile。"IamafraidIcouldeatawholedeer。"

Theyallclimbedthesandyslope,andfoundthemselvesonthesummitofanovalisland,withaprettygladeinthemiddlesurroundedbybirches。Bill,thesecondraftsman,astolid,silentman,atonceswunghisaxeuponalogofdriftwood。Mr。WellsandJimwalkedtoandfrounderthebirches,andKateandNellsatonthegrasswatchingwithgreatinteresttheoldhelmsmanashecameufromtheriver,hisbrownhandsandfaceshiningfromthescrubbinghehadgiventhem。Soonhehadafirecheerfullyblazing,andafterlayingoutthefewutensils,headdressedhimselftoJoe:

"I\'lltellyerighthere,lad,goodvenisonkinbespoiledbybadcuttin\'andcookin\'。You\'reslicin\'ittoothick。See——thar！Nowsaltgood,an\'keepoutentheflame;ontheredcoalsisbest。"

WithasharpenedstickJeffheldthethinslicesoverthefireforafewmoments。Thenhelaidthemasideonsomecleanwhite—oakchipsBill\'saxehadprovided。Thesimplemealofmeat,bread,andafterwardadrinkofthecoldspringwater,waskeenlyrelishedbythehungryvoyagers。Whenithadbeeneaten,Jeffthrewalogonthefireandremarked:

"Seein\'ashowwewon\'tbeinredskinterritoryferawhileyit,wekinhevafire。I\'llallowye\'llallbechillyanddampfromriver—mistaforelong,sotoastyerselvesgood。"

"Howfarhavewecometo—day？"inquiredMr。Wells,hismindalwaysintentonreachingthesceneofhischerishedundertaking。

"\'Boutthirty—oddmile,Ireckon。Notmuchonatrip,thet\'ssartin,butwe\'llpickuptermorrer。We\'vesomequickerwater,an\'theraftshevtogoseparate。"

"Howquiet！"exclaimedKate,suddenlybreakingthesilencethatfollowedthefrontiersman\'sanswer。

"Beautiful！"impetuouslysaidNell,lookingupatJoe。Aquickflashfromhisgrayeyesansweredher;hedidnotspeak;indeedhehadsaidlittletohersincethestart,buthisglanceshowedherhowgladhewasthatshefeltthesweetnessandcontentofthiswildland。

"Iwasneverinawildernessbefore,"brokeintheearnestvoiceoftheyoungminister。"Ifeelanalmostoverpoweringsenseofloneliness。Iwanttogetneartoyouall;Ifeellost。Yetitisgrand,sublime！"

"Hereisthepromisedland——thefruitfullife——NatureasitwascreatedbyGod,"repliedtheoldminister,impressively。

"Tellusastory,"saidNelltotheoldfrontiersman,asheoncemorejoinedthecircleroundthefire。

"So,little\'un,yewantastory？"queriedJeff,takingupalivecoalandplacingitinthebowlofhispipe。Hetookoffhiscoon—skincapandcarefullylaiditaside。Hisweather—beatenfacebeamedinanswertothegirl\'srequest。Hedrewalongandaudiblepullathisblackpipe,andsendforthslowlyacloudofwhitesmoke。Deliberatelypokingthefirewithastick,asifstirringintolifedeadembersofthepast,hesuckedagainathispipe,andemittedagreatpuffofsmokethatcompletelyenvelopedthegrizzledhead。Fromoutthatwhitecloudcamehisdrawlingvoice。

"Ye\'veseenthetbigcurlybirchoverthat——thet\'unasbendskindofsorrowfullike。Wal,itusedtostandstraightan\'proud。I\'veknowedthettreealltheyearsI\'venavigatedthisriver,an\'itseemsnaturalliketomethetitnowdroopsdyin\',feritshadesthegraveofasyoung,an\'sweet,an\'

purtyalassasyerself,MissNell。RivermencalledthisislandGeorge\'sIsland,\'causeWashingtononctcampedhere;butoflateyearsthename\'sgotchanged,an\'themensaysuthin\'likethis:\'We\'lltryan\'makeMilly\'sbirchaforesundown,\'jestasBillandmehevdoneto—day。SomeyearsagoneIwascomin\'upfromFortHenry,an\'hadonboardmyslowoldscowalassnamedMilly——weneverlearnedherothername。Shecometomeatthefort,an\'tellsashowherfolkshedbeenkilledbyInjuns,an\'shewantedtogitbacktoPitttomeethersweetheart。Iwasag\'inhercomin\'allalong,an\'fustoffIsaid\'No。"ButwhenIseentearsinherblueeyes,an\'sheputsherlittlehandonmine,Ijestwilted,an\'saystoJimBlair,\'Shegoes。\'Wal,jestasmighthev\'beenexpected——an\'factisIlookedferit——wewustackledbyredskins。

Somehow,JimGirtygotwindofushevin\'alassaboard,an\'heketchedupwithusjestbelowhere。It\'sabadplace,calledShawneeRock,an\'I\'llshowittoyetermorrer。Therenegade,withhisreddevils,attackedusthar,an\'wehadatimegittin\'away。Millywusshot。Shelivedferawhile,acoupleofdays,an\'allthetimewussopatient,an\'sweet,an\'bravewiththetrenegade\'sbulletinher——ferheshotherwhenheseenhecouldn\'tcaptureher——thettharwusn\'tablamemanofuswhowouldn\'thevdiedtograntherprayer,whichwusthatshecouldlivetoonctmoreseeherlover。"

Therewasalongsilence,duringwhichtheoldfrontiersmansatgazingintothefirewithsadeyes。

"Wecouldn\'tdonuthin\',an\'weburiedhertharunderthetbirch,whereshesmiledherlastsad,sweetsmile,an\'died。Eversincethentheriverhasbeeneatn\'awayatthisisland。It\'sonlyhalfasbigasitwusonct,an\'anotherfloodwilltakeawaythissand—bar,thesefewbirches——an\'Milly\'sgrave。"

Theoldfrontiersman\'sstoryaffectedallhislisteners。Theelderministerbowedhisheadandprayedthatnosuchfatemightovertakehisnieces。Theyoungministerlookedagain,ashehadmanytimesthatday,atNell\'swinsomeface。Thegirlscastgraveglancesatthedroopingbirch,andtheirbrighttearsglistenedinthefire—glow。OncemoreJoe\'seyesglintedwiththatsteelyflash,andashegazedoutoverthewide,darkeningexpanseofwaterhisfacegrewcoldandrigid。

"I\'llallowImighthevtoldamorecheerfulstory,an\'I\'lldosonexttime;

butIwantedyeall,particularthelasses,toknowsomethin\'ofthekindofcountryye\'regoin\'into。Thefrontierneedswomen;butjistyititdealshardwiththem。An\'JimGirty,withmoreofhiskind,ain\'tdeadyit。"

"Whydon\'tsomeonekillhim？"wasJoe\'ssharpquestion。

"Easiersaidthandone,lad。JimGirtyisawhitetraitor,buthe\'sacunnin\'

an\'fierceredskininhiswaysan\'life。Heknowsthewoodsasacrowdoes,an\'keepsoutersight\'ceptwhenhe\'sleastexpected。Thenag\'in,he\'sgotSimonGirty,hisbrother,an\'almostthewholeredskintribebehindhim。

Injunsstickclosetoawhitemanthathasturnedag\'insthisownpeople,an\'

JimGirtyhain\'teverbeenketched。Howsumever,Iheardlasttripthethe\'dbeentryin\'someofhistricksroundFortHenry,an\'thetWetzelisonhistrail。Wal,ifit\'ssothetLewWetzelisarterhim,Iwouldn\'tgiveapincho\'powderferthewhite—redskin\'schancesofalonglife。"

Noonespoke,andJeff,afterknockingtheashesfromhispipe,wentdowntotheraft,returningshortlyafterwardwithhisblanket。Thishelaiddownandrolledhimselfinit。Presentlyfromunderhiscoon—skincapcamethewords:

"Wal,I\'veturnedin,an\'Iadviseyealltodothesame。"

AllsaveJoeandNellactedonJeff\'ssuggestion。Foralongtimetheyoungcouplesatclosetogetheronthebank,gazingatthemoonlightontheriver。

Thenightwasperfect。Acoolwindfannedthedyingembersofthefireandsoftlystirredtheleaves。Earlierintheeveningasinglefroghadvoicedhisprotestagainsttheloneliness;butnowhisdismalcroakwasnolongerheard。

Asnipe,belatedinhisfeeding,ranalongthesandyshoreutteringhistweet—tweet,andhislittlecry,breakinginsosoftlyonthesilence,seemedonlytomakemoredeeplyfeltthegreatvaststillnessofthenight。

Joe\'sarmwasaroundNell。Shehaddemurredatfirst,buthegavenoheedtoherslightresistance,andfinallyherheadrestedagainsthisshoulder。

Therewasnoneedofwords。

Joehadapleasurablesenseofhernearness,andtherewasadelightinthefragranceofherhairasitwavedagainsthischeek;butjustthenlovewasnotuppermostinhismind。Alldayhehadbeensilentundertheforceofanemotionwhichhecouldnotanalyze。Somepower,somefeelinginwhichthethoughtofNellhadnoshare,wasdrawinghimwithirresistiblestrength。Nellhadjustbeguntosurrendertohiminthesweetnessofherpassion;andyetevenwiththatknowledgeknockingreproachfullyathisheart,hecouldnothelpbeingabsorbedintheshimmeringwater,inthedarkreflectionofthetrees,thegloomandshadowoftheforest。

Presentlyhefeltherformrelaxinhisarms;thenhersoftregularbreathingtoldhimshehadfallenasleepandhelaughedlowtohimself。Howshewouldpoutonthemorrowwhenheteasedheraboutit！Then,realizingthatshewastiredwithherlongday\'sjourney,hereproachedhimselfforkeepingherfromtheneededrest,andinstantlydecidedtocarryhertotheraft。Yetsuchwasthenoveltyofthesituationthatheyieldedtoitscharm,anddidnotgoatonce。Themoonlightfoundbrightthreadsinherwavyhair;itshonecaressinglyonherquietface,andtriedtostealunderthedowncastlashes。

Joemadeamovementtorisewithher,whenshemutteredindistinctlyasifspeakingtosomeone。Herememberedthenshehadoncetoldhimthatshetalkedinhersleep,andhowgreatlyitannoyedher。Hemighthearsomethingmorewithwhichtoteaseher;sohelistened。