第14章

Hepaused,leaningforwardinhisexceedingearnestness,withhisbronzedfacelinedbyswellingveins,hiswholepersonmaderigidbythemurderousthought。

Thehehissedbetweenhisteeth:"WhatshallwedowiththeseChristianIndians？"

Piperaisedhiswar—club,struckitupontheground;thenhandedittoHalfKing。

HalfKingtooktheclubandrepeatedtheaction。

Bothchiefsfavoredthedeathpenalty。

"Feed\'emtotherbuzzards,"croakedJimGirty。

SimonGirtyknittedhisbrowinthought。ThequestionofwhattodowiththeconvertedIndianshadlongperplexedhim。

"No,"saidhe;"letusdriveawaythemissionaries,burnthevillage,andtaketheIndiansbacktocamp。We\'llkeepthemthere;they\'llsoonforget。"

"Pipedoesnotwantthem,"declaredtheDelaware。

"ChristianIndiansshallneversitroundHalfKing\'sfire,"criedtheHuron。

SimonGirtyknewthecrisishadcome;thatbutfewmomentswerelefthimtodecideastothedispositionoftheChristians;andhethoughtseriously。

CertainlyhedidnotwanttheChristiansmurdered。Howevercruelhislife,andgreathismisdeeds,hewasstillaman。Ifpossible,hedesiredtoburnthevillageandruinthereligiousinfluence,butwithoutsheddingblood。Yet,withallhispower,hewashandicapped,andthatbytheverychiefsmostnearlyunderhiscontrol。HecouldnotsubduethisgrowingChristianinfluencewithoutthehelpofPipeandHalfKing。Tothesesavagesathingwaseitherrightorwrong。Hehadsowntheseedofunrestandjealousyinthesavagebreasts,andthefruitwasthedecreeofdeath。AsfarastheseIndianswereconcerned,thisdecisionwasunalterable。

Ontheotherhand,ifhedidnotspreadruinovertheVillageofPeace,themissionarieswouldsoongetsuchagrasponthetribesthattheirholdwouldneverbebroken。Hecouldnotallowthat,evenifhewasforcedtosacrificethemissionariesalongwiththeirconverts,forhesawinthegrowthofthisreligionhisowndownfall。Thebordermustbehostiletothewhites,oritcouldnolongerbehishome。Tobesure,hehadaidedtheBritishintheRevolution,andcouldfindarefugeamongthem;butthisdidnotsuithim。

Hebecameanoutcastbecauseoffailuretowinthemilitarypromotionwhichhehadsomuchcoveted。Hehadfailedamonghisownpeople。Hehadwonagreatpositioninanalienrace,andhelovedhispower。Toswaymen——Indians,ifnotothers——tohiswill;toavengehimselfforthefanciedwrongdonehim;tobegreat,hadbeenhisunrelentingpurpose。

HeknewhemustsacrificetheChristians,oreventuallylosehisownpower。HehadnofalseideasabouttheconvertedIndians。Heknewtheywereinnocent;

thattheywereathousandtimesbetteroffthanthepaganIndians;thattheyhadneverharmedhim,norwouldtheyeverdoso;butifheallowedthemtospreadtheirreligiontherewasanendofSimonGirty。

Hisdecisionwascharacteristicoftheman。Hewouldsacrificeanyone,orall,toretainhissupremacy。HeknewthefulfillmentofthedecreeaslaiddownbyPipeandHalfKingwouldbeknownashiswork。Hisname,infamousnow,wouldhaveanadditionalhorror,andeverberememberedbyposterityinunspeakableloathing,inunsofteningwrath。Heknewthis,anddeepdowninhisheartawokeanumbedchordofhumanitythattwingedwithstrangepain。Whatawfulworkhemustsanctiontokeephisvauntedpower！Morebitterthanallwastheknowledgethattoretainthisholdovertheindianshemustcommitadeedwhich,sofarasthewhiteswereconcerned,wouldtakeawayhisgreatname,andbrandhimacoward。

Hebrieflyreviewedhisstirringlife。Singularlyfittedforaleader,inafewyearshehadrisentothemostpowerfulpositionontheborder。Hewieldedmoreinfluencethananychief。Hehadbeenopposedtotheinvasionofthepioneers,andthisalone,withouthissagacityorhisgeneralship,wouldhavegivenhimcontrolofmanytribes。Buthatredforhisownpeople,coupledwithunerringjudgment,aremarkableabilitytoleadexpeditions,andhisinvariablesuccess,hadraisedhimhigherandhigheruntilhestoodalone。HewasthemostpowerfulmanwestoftheAlleghenies。HisfamewassuchthattheBritishhadimportunedhimtohelpthem,andhadactually,inmorethanoneinstance,givenhimcommandoverBritishsubjects。

Allofwhichmeantthathehadagreat,eventoughaninfamousname。Nomatterwhathewasblamedfor;nomatterhowmanydastardlydeedshadbeencommittedbyhisdepravedbrothersandlaidtohisdoor,heknewhehadneverdoneacowardlyact。Thatwhichhehadcommittedwhilehewasdrunkheconsideredashavingbeendonebytheliquor,andnotbytheman。Helovedhispower,andhelovedhisname。

InallGirty\'seventful,ignoblelife,neitherthealienationfromhispeople,thehorrortheyascribedtohispower,northesacrificeofhislifetostandhighamongthesavageraces,noranyofthecrueldeedscommittedwhileatwar,hurthimatitheasmuchasdidthissanctioningthemassacreoftheChristians。

Althoughhewasavengeful,unscrupulous,evilman,hehadneveractedthecoward。

HalfKingwaitedlongforGirtytospeak;sinceheremainedsilent,thewilyHuronsuggestedtheytakeavoteonthequestion。

"LetusburntheVillageofPeace,driveawaythemissionaries,andtaketheChristiansbacktotheDelawaretowns——allwithoutspillingblood,"saidGirty,determinedtocarryhispoint,ifpossible。

"Isaythesame,"addedElliott,refusingthewar—clubheldouttohimbyHalfKing。

"Me,too,"votedMcKee,notsodrunkbutthatheunderstoodthelightninglikeglanceGirtyshotathim。

"Kill\'emall;killeverybody,"criedDeeringindrunkenglee。Hetooktheclubandpoundedwithitontheground。

Piperepeatedhisformerperformance,asalsodidHalfKing,afterwhichhehandedtheblack,knottedsymbolofdeathtoJimGirty。

ThreehaddeclaredforsavingtheChristians,andthreeforthedeathpenalty。

SixpairsofburningeyeswerefastenedontheDeaths—head。

PipeandHalfKingwerecoldlyrelentless;Deeringawoketoabrutalearnestness;McKeeandElliottwatchedwithbatedbreath。Thesemenhadformedthemselvesintoatribunaltodecideonthelifeordeathofmany,andthesituation,ifnotthegreatestintheirlives,certainlywasoneofvitalimportance。

SimonGirtycursedallthefates。Hedarednotopenlyopposethevoting,andhecouldnot,beforethosecruelbutjustchiefs,trytoinfluencehisbrother\'svote。

AsJimGirtytookthewar—club,Simonreadinhisbrother\'sfacethedoomoftheconvertedIndiansandhemutteredtohimself:

"Nowtremblean\'shrink,allyouChristians！"

Jimwasnotinahurry。Slowlyhepoisedthewar—club。Hewasplayingasacatplayswithamouse;hewasgloryinginhispower。Thesilencewasthatofdeath。Itsignifiedthesilenceofdeath。Thewar—clubdescendedwithviolence。

"FeedtheChristianstotherbuzzards！"

ChapterXXIII。

"Ihavebeenherebefore,"saidJoetoWhisperingWinds。"Irememberthatvine—coveredstone。WecrawledoverittogetatGirtyandSilvertip。There\'sthelittleknoll;here\'stheveryspotwhereIwashitbyaflyingtomahawk。

Yes,andthere\'sthespring。Letmesee,whatdidWetzelcallthisspot？"

"BeautifulSpring,"answeredtheIndiangirl。

"That\'sit,andit\'swellnamed。Whatalovelyplace！"

Naturehadbeenlavishinthebeautifyingofthisincloseddell。Itwasaboutfiftyyardswide,andnestledamonglittle,woodedknollsandwallsofgray,lichen—coveredstone。Thoughthesunshonebrightlyintotheopening,andtherainhadfreeaccesstothemossyground,nostormywindseverenteredthiswellprotectedglade。

Joereveledinthebeautyofthescene,evenwhilehewastooweaktostanderect。Hesufferednopainfromhiswound,althoughhehadgraduallygrowndizzy,andfeltasifthegroundwasrisingbeforehim。Hewasgladtolieuponthemossygroundinthelittlecavernunderthecliff。

Uponexaminationhiswoundwasfoundtohaveopened,andwasbleeding。Hishuntingcoatwassaturatedwithblood。WhisperingWindswashedthecut,anddresseditwithcoolingleaves。ThensherebandagedittightlywithJoe\'slinseyhandkerchiefs,andwhileherestedcomfortableshegatheredbundlesofferns,carryingthemtothelittlecavern。WhenshehadalargequantityoftheseshesatdownnearJoe,andbegantoweavethelongstemsintoakindofscreen。Thefernstalkswerefourfeetlongandhalfafootwide;theseshedeftlylacedtogether,makingbroadscreenswhichwouldservetowardoffthenightdews。Thisdone,shenextbuiltafireplacewithflatstones。Shefoundwildapples,plumsandturnipsontheknollabovetheglade。Thenshecookedstripsofmeatwhichhadbeenbroughtwiththem。Lancegrazedonthelonggrassjustwithouttheglade,andMosecaughttworabbits。WhendarknesssettleddownWhisperingWindscalledthedogwithinthecavern,andhungthescreensbeforetheopening。

Severaldayspassed。Joerestedquietly,andbegantorecoverstrength。

Besidestheworkofpreparingtheirmeals,WhisperingWindshadnothingtodosavesitneartheinvalidandamuseorinteresthimsothathewouldnotfretorgrowimpatient,whilehiswoundwashealing。

Theytalkedabouttheirfutureprospects。AftervisitingtheVillageofPeace,theywouldgotoFortHenry,whereJoecouldfindemployment。Theydweltuponthecabintheywouldbuild,andpassedmanyhappymomentsplanninganewhome。

Joe\'sloveofthewildernesshadinnowisediminished;butablowonhisheadfromaheavytomahawk,andaviciousstabintheback,hadlessenedhiszealsofarthatheunderstooditwasnotwisetosacrificelifeforthepleasuresofthepathlesswoods。Hecouldhavethelastwithoutthedangerofbeingshotatfrombehindeverytree。HereasonedthatitwouldbebestforhimtotakehiswifetoFortHenry,therefindemployment,anddevotehisleisuretimetoroamingintheforest。

"WillthepalefacesbekindtoanIndianwhohaslearnedtolovethem？"

WhisperingWindsaskedwistfullyofJoe。

"Indeedtheywill,"answeredJoe,andhetoldherthestoryofIsaacZane;howhetookhisIndianbridehome;howherbeautyandsweetnesssoonwonallthewhitepeople\'slove。"Itwillbesowithyou,mywife。"

"WhisperingWindsknowssolittle,"shemurmured。

"Why,youarelearningeveryday,andevenifsuchwasnotthecase,youknowenoughforme。"

"WhisperingWindswillbeafraid;shefearsalittletogo。"

"I\'llbegladwhenwecanbeonthemove,"saidJoe,withhisoldimpatientdesireforaction。"Howsoon,Winds,canwesetoff？"

"Asmanydays,"answeredtheIndiangirl,holdingupfivefingers。

"Solong？Iwanttoleavethisplace。"

"LeaveBeautifulSpring？"

"Yes,eventhissweetplace。Ithasahorrorforme。I\'llneverforgetthenightIfirstsawthatspringshininginthemoonlight。ItwasrightabovetherockthatIlookedintotheglade。Themoonwasreflectedinthedarkpool,andasIgazedintotheshadowydepthsofthedarkwaterIsuddenlyfeltanunaccountableterror;butIoughtn\'ttohavethesamefeelingnow。Wearesafe,arewenot？"

"Wearesafe,"murmuredWhisperingWinds。

"YetIhavethesamechilloffearwheneverIlookatthebeautifulspring,andatnightasIawaketohearthesoftbabbleofrunningwater,Ifreezeuntilmyheartfeelslikecoldlead。Winds,I\'mnotacoward;butIcan\'thelpthisfeeling。Perhaps,it\'sonlythememoryofthatawfulnightwithWetzel。"

"AnIndianfeelssowhenhepassestohisunmarkedgrave,"answeredWinds,gazingsolemnlyathim。"WhisperingWindsdoesnotlikethisfancyofyours。

LetusleaveBeautifulSpring。Youarealmostwell。Ah！ifWhisperingWindsshouldloseyou！Iloveyou！"

"AndIloveyou,mybeautifulwildflower,"answeredJoe,strokingthedarkheadsonearhisown。

Atendersmileshoneonhisface。Heheardaslightnoisewithoutthecave,and,lookingup,sawthatwhichcausedthesmiletofadequickly。

"Mose！"hecalled,sharply。Thedogwasawaychasingrabbits。

WhisperingWindsglancedoverhershoulderwithastartledcry,whichendedinascream。

NottwoyardsbehindherstoodJimGirty。

Hideouswashisfaceinitstriumphantferocity。Heheldalongknifeinhishand,and,snarlinglikeamadwolf,hemadeaforwardlunge。

Joeraisedhimselfquickly;butalmostbeforehecouldlifthishandindefense,thelongbladewassheathedinhisbreast。

Slowlyhesankback,hisgrayeyescontractingwiththeoldsteelyflash。Thewilltodowasthere,butthepowerwasgoneforever。

"Remember,Girty,murderer！IamWetzel\'sfriend,"hecried,gazingathisslayerwithunutterablescorn。

Thenthegrayeyessoftened,andsoughttheblanchedfaceofthestrickenmaiden。

"Winds,"hewhisperedfaintly。

Shewasasonefrozenwithhorror。

Thegrayeyesgazedintoherswithlingeringtenderness;thenthefilmofdeathcameuponthem。

Therenegaderaisedhisbloodyknife,andbentovertheprostrateform。

WhisperingWindsthrewherselfuponGirtywiththeblindfuryofamaddenedlioness。Cursingfiercely,hestabbedheronce,twice,threetimes。Shefellacrossthebodyofherlover,andclaspeditconvulsively。

Girtygaveoneglanceathisvictims;deliberatelywipedthegoryknifeonWind\'sleggins,and,withanotherglance,hurriedandfearful,aroundtheglade,heplungedintothethicket。

Anhourpassed。Adarkstreamcreptfromthequietfigurestowardthespring。

Itdyedthemossandthegreenvioletleaves。Slowlyitwounditswaytotheclearwater,drippingbetweenthepaleblueflowers。Thelittlefallbelowthespringwasnolongersnowywhite;bloodhadtingeditred。

Adogcameboundingintotheglade。Heleapedthebrook,hesitatedonthebank,andloweredhisnosetosniffatthewater。Heboundedupthebanktothecavern。

Along,mournfulhowlbrokethewilderness\'squiet。

Anotherhourpassed。Thebirdsweresilent;theinsectsstill。Thesunsankbehindthetrees,andtheshadesofeveninggathered。

Thefernsontheothersideofthegladetrembled。Aslightrustleofdeadleavesdisturbedthestillness。Thedogwhined,thenbarked。Thetallformofahunterroseoutofthethicket,andsteppedintothegladewithhiseyesbentuponmoccasintracksinthesoftmoss。

Thetrailhehadbeenfollowingledhimtothisbloodyspring。

"Imighthevknowedit,"hemuttered。

Wetzel,foritwashe,leaneduponhislongriflewhilehiskeeneyestookinthedetailsofthetragedy。Thewhiningdog,thebloodywater,themotionlessfigureslyinginalastembrace,toldthesadstory。

"Joean\'Winds,"hemuttered。

OnlyamomentdidheremainlostinsadreflectionAfamiliarmoccasin—printinthesandonthebankpointedwestward。Heexamineditcarefully。

"Twohoursgone,"hemuttered。"Imightovertakehim。"

Thenhismotionsbecameswift。Withtwoblowsofhistomahawkhesecuredalongpieceofgrapevine。Hetookaheavystonefromthebedofthebrook。HecarriedJoetothespring,and,returningforWinds,placedherbesideherlover。Thisdone,hetiedoneendofthegrapevinearoundthestone,andwoundtheotheraboutthedeadbodies。

Hepushedthemoffthebankintothespring。Astheloverssankintothedeeppooltheyturned,exposingfirstWinds\'sadface,andthenJoe\'s。Thentheysankoutofsight。Littlewavessplashedontheshoreofthepool;therippledisappeared,andthesurfaceofthespringbecametranquil。

Wetzelstoodonemomentoverthewaterygraveofthemaidenwhohadsavedhim,andtheboywhohadlovedhim。Inthegatheringgloomhisstalwartformassumedgiganticproportions,andwhenheraisedhislongarmandshookhisclenchedfisttowardthewest,heresembledamagnificentstatueofdarkmenace。

Withasingleboundheclearedthepool,andthenspedoutoftheglade。HeurgedthedogonGirty\'strail,andfollowedtheeagerbeasttowardthewest。

Ashedisappeared,along,lowsoundlikethesighofthenightwindswelledandmoanedthroughthegloom。

ChapterXXIV。

Whenthefirstruddyraysoftherisingsuncrimsonedtheeasternsky,WetzelslowlywoundhiswaydownaruggedhillfarwestofBeautifulSpring。Awhitedog,wearyandfootsore,limpedbyhisside。Bothmanandbeastshowedevidenceofsevereexertion。

Thehunterstoppedinalittlecaveunderaprojectingstone,and,layingasidehisrifle,begantogathertwigsandsticks。Hewasparticularaboutselectingthewood,andthrewasidemanypieceswhichwouldhaveburnedwell;

butwhenhedidkindleaflameitblazedhotly,yetmadenosmoke。

Hesharpenedagreenstick,and,takingsomestripsofmeatfromhispocket,roastedthemoverthehotflame。Hefedthedogfirst。Mosehadcrouchedcloseonthegroundwithhisheadonhispaws,andhisbrowneyesfasteneduponthehunter。

"Hehadtoobigastartferus,"saidWetzel,speakingasifthedogwerehuman。ItseemedthatWetzel\'swordswereaprotestagainstthemeaninginthoselarge,sadeyes。

Thenthehunterputoutthefire,and,searchingforamoresecludedspot,finallyfoundoneontopoftheledge,wherehecommandedagoodviewofhissurroundings。Thewearydogwasasleep。Wetzelsettledhimselftorest,andwassoonwrappedinslumber。

Aboutnoonheawoke。Hearose,stretchedhislimbs,andthentookaneasypositiononthefrontoftheledge,wherehecouldlookbelow。Evidentlythehunterwaswaitingforsomething。Thedogslepton。Itwasthenoondayhour,whenthestillnessoftheforestalmostmatchedthatofmidnight。Thebirdsweremorequietthanatanyothertimeduringdaylight。

Wetzelreclinedtherewithhisheadagainstthestone,andhisriflerestingacrosshisknees。

Helistenednowtothesoundsoftheforest。Thesoftbreezeflutteringamongtheleaves,therain—callofthetreefrog,thecawofcrowsfromdistanthilltops,thesweetsongsofthethrushandoriole,wereblendedtogethernaturally,harmoniously。

Butsuddenlythehunterraisedhishead。Anote,deeperthantheothers,alittletoostrong,camefromfardowntheshadedhollow。ToWetzel\'strainedearitwasadiscord。Hemanifestednomorethanthisattention,forthebirdcallwasthesignalhehadbeenawaiting。Hewhistledanoteinanswerthatwasasdeepandclearastheonewhichhadrousedhim。

Momentspassed。Therewasnorepetitionofthesound。Thesongsoftheotherbirdshadceased。BesidesWetzeltherewasanotherintruderinthewoods。

Moseliftedhisshaggyheadandgrowled。Thehunterpattedthedog。Inafewminutesthefigureofatallmanappearedamongthelaurelsdowntheslope。Hestoppedwhilegazingupattheledge。Then,withnoiselessstep,heascendedtheridge,climbedtherockyledge,andturnedthecornerofthestonetofaceWetzel。ThenewcomerwasJonathanZane。

"Jack,Iexpectedyouaforethis,"wasWetzel\'sgreeting。

"Icouldn\'tmakeitsooner,"answeredZane。"AfterweleftWilliamsonandseparated,Igotturnedaroundbyabandofseveralhundredredskinsmakin\'

fortheVillageofPeace。Iwentbackagain,butcouldn\'tfindanysignofthetrailwe\'rehuntin\'。ThenImakesforthismeetin\'place。I\'vebeengoin\'forsometenhours,andamhungry。"

"I\'vegotsomebarreadycooked,"saidWetzel,handingZaneseveralstripsofmeat。

"Whatluckdidyouhave？"

"IfoundGirty\'strail,anoldone,overheresomeeighteenortwentymiles,an\'folleredituntilIwentalmostintotheDelawaretown。Itledtoahutinadeepravine。Iain\'toftensurprised,butIwusthen。Ifoundthedeadbodyofthatgirl,KateWells,wefetchedoverfromFortHenry。Thet\'ssad,butitain\'tthesurprisin\'part。IalsofoundSilvertip,theShawneeI\'vebeenlookin\'fer。Hewasallknockedan\'cutup,deader\'nastone。There\'dbeensomethin\'ofascrapinthehut。IcalkilateGirtymurderedKate,butI

couldn\'tthinkthenwhodidferSilver,thoughIallowedtherenegademighthevdonethet,too。Iwatchedroundan\'seenGirtycomebacktothehut。HehadtenInjunswithhim,an\'presentlytheyallmadeferthewest。Itrailedthem,butdidn\'tcalkilateit\'dbewisetotacklethebunchsingle—handed,solaidback。AmileorsofromthehutIcameacrosshosstracksminglin\'withthemoccasin—prints。AboutfifteenmileorfromtheDelawaretown,Girtylefthisbuckskins,an\'theywentwest,whilehestucktothehosstracks。Iwasontohisgameinaminute。IcutacrosscountryferBeautifulSpring,butI

gottheretoolate。IfoundthewarmbodiesofJoeandthetInjungirl,Winds。

Thesnakehedmurderedthem。"

"IallowJoewonoverWinds,gotawayfromtheDelawaretownwithher,triedtorescueKate,andkilledSilverinthefight。Girtyprobablywassurprised,an\'runafterhehadknifedthegirl。"

"\'Pearssotome。Joehadtwoknifecuts,an\'onewasanoldwound。"

"Yousayitwasabadfight？"

"Musthevbeen。Thehutwasallknockedin,an\'stuffscatteredabout。Wal,Joecouldgosomeifheonctgotstarted。"

"I\'llbethecould。HewasthelikeliestladI\'veseenformanyaday。"

"Ifhe\'dlasted,he\'dbeensomethin\'ofahunteran\'fighter。"

"Toobad。ButLord！youcouldn\'tkeephimdown,nomorethanyoucanlotsofthesewildyoungchapsthatdriftouthere。"

"I\'llallowhehadthefeverbad。"

"Didyouhevtimetoburythem？"

"Ihedn\'ttimefermuch。Isunktheminthespring。"

"It\'saprettydeephole,"saidZane,reflectively。"Then,youandthedogtookGirty\'strail,butcouldn\'tcatchupwithhim。He\'snowwiththerenegadecutthroatsandhundredsofriledIndiansoverthereintheVillageofPeace。"

"Ireckonyou\'reright。"

Alongsilenceensued,。Jonathanfinishedhissimplerepast,drankfromthelittlespringthattrickledunderthestone,and,sittingdownbythedog,smoothedouthislongsilkenhair。

"Lew,we\'reprettygoodfriends,ain\'twe？"heasked,thoughtfully。

"Jack,youan\'thecolonelareallthefriendsIeverhed,\'ceptin\'thatboylyin\'quietbackthereinthewoods。"

"Iknowyouprettywell,andain\'tsayin\'awordaboutyourrunnin\'offfrommeonmanyahunt,butIwanttospeakplainaboutthisfellowGirty。"

"Wal？"saidWetzel,asZanehesitated。

"TwiceinthelastfewyearsyouandIhavehaditinforthesamemen,bothwhite—liveredtraitors。Youremember？FirstitwasMiller,whotriedtoruinmysisterBetty,andnextitwasJimGirty,whomurderedouroldfriend,asgoodanoldmanaseverworemoccasins。Wal,afterMillerranofffromthefort,wetrailedhimdowntotheriver,andIpointsacrossandsays,\'Youorme？\'andyousays,\'Me。\'YouwasBetty\'sfriend,andIknewshe\'dbeavenged。

Millerislyin\'quietinthewoods,andvioletshaveblossomedtwiceoverhisgrave,thoughyouneversaidaword;butIknowit\'struebecauseIknowyou。"

Zanelookedeagerlyintothedarkfaceofhisfriend,hopingperhapstogetsomeverbalassurancetherethathisbeliefwastrue。ButWetzeldidnotspeak,andhecontinued:

"Anotherdaynotsolongagowebothlookeddownatanoldfriend,andsawhiswhitehairmattedwithblood。He\'dbeenmurderedfornothin\'。AgainyouandmetrailedacowardandfoundhimtobeJimGirty。Iknewyou\'dbeenhuntin\'

himforyears,andsoIsays,\'Lew,youorme？\'andyousays,\'Me。\'"Igiveintoyou,forIknewyou\'reabettermanthanme,andbecauseIwantedyoutohavethesatisfaction。Wal,themonthshavegoneby,andJimGirty\'sstilllivin\'andcarryin\'on。Nowhe\'soverthereafterthempoorpreachers。Iain\'tsayin\',Lew,thatyouhaven\'tmoreaginhimthanme,butIdosay,letmeinonitwithyou。Healwayshasagangofredskinswithhim;he\'safraidtotravelalone,elseyou\'dhadhimlongago。Twoofus\'llhavemorechancetogethim。Letmegowithyou。Whenitcomestoafinish,I\'llstandasidewhileyougiveittohim。I\'denjoyseein\'youcuthimfromshouldertohip。AfterheleavestheVillageofPeacewe\'llhithistrail,camponit,andsticktoituntilitendsinhisgrave。"

Theearnestvoiceofthebackwoodsmanceased。Bothmenroseandstoodfacingeachother。Zane\'sbronzedfacewashardandtense,expressiveofanindomitablewill;Wetzel\'swascoldlydark,withfatefulresolve,asifhisdecreeofvengeance,oncegiven,wasasimmutableasdestiny。Thebig,hornyhandsgrippedinaviselikeclaspbornoffiercepassion,butnowordwasspoken。

Fartothewestsomewhere,abefrilledanddedizenedrenegadepursuedthewildtenorofhisways;perhaps,evennowsteepinghissoulinmorecrime,orstaininghishandsadeeperred,butsleepingorwaking,hedreamednotofthisdeadlycompactthatmeanthisdoom。

Thetwohuntersturnedtheirsternfacestowardthewest,andpassedsilentlydowntheridgeintothedepthsoftheforest。Darknessfoundthemwithinrifle—shotoftheVillageofPeace。Withthedogcreepingbetweenthem,theycrawledtoapositionwhichwould,indaylight,commandaviewoftheclearing。Then,whileonestoodguard,theotherslept。

Whenmorningdawnedtheyshiftedtheirpositiontothetopofalow,fern—coveredcliff,fromwhichtheycouldseeeverymovementinthevillage。

Allthemorningtheywatchedwiththatwonderfulpatienceofmenwhoknewhowtowait。Thevisitingsavageswerequiet,themissionariesmovedaboutinandoutoftheshopsandcabins;theChristianindiansworkedindustriouslyinthefields,whiletherenegadeslolledbeforeaprominentteepee。

"Thisquietlooksbad,"whisperedJonathantoWetzel。Noshoutswereheard;

notahostileIndianwasseentomove。

"They\'vecometoadecision,"whisperedJonathan,andWetzelansweredhim:

"Iftheyhev,theChristiansdon\'tknowit。"

Anhourlaterthedeeppealingofthechurchbellbrokethesilence。TheentirebandofChristianIndiansgatherednearthelargelogstructure,andthenmarchedinorderlyformtowardthemaplegrovewheretheservicewasalwaysheldinpleasantweather。ThismovementbroughttheIndianswithinseveralhundredyardsofthecliffwhereZaneandWetzellayconcealed。

"There\'sHeckewelderwalkingwitholdmanWells,"whisperedJonathan。"There\'sYoungandEdwards,and,yes,there\'stheyoungmissionary,brotherofJoe。

\'Pearstomethey\'refoolishtoholdserviceinthefaceofallthoseriledInjuns。"

"Wuss\'nfoolish,"answeredWetzel。

"Look！Bygum！AsI\'malivin\'sinnertherecomesthewholecrowdofhostileredskins。They\'vegottheirguns,and——byGum！they\'repainted。Looksbad,bad！Notmuchfriendlinessaboutthatbunch！"

"Theyain\'tintendin\'tobepeaceable。"

"Bygum！You\'reright。Thereain\'toneofthemsettin\'down。\'PearstomeI

knowsomeofthemredskins。There\'sPipe,sureenough,andKotoxen。Bygum！

Ifthereain\'tShingiss;hewasfriendlyonce。"

"Noneofthem\'sfriendly。"

"Look！Lew,look！RightbehindPipe。Seethatlongwar—bonnet。AsI\'mabornsinner,that\'syouroldfriend,Wingenund。\'Pearstomewe\'veroundedupallouracquaintances。"

Thetwobordermenlaycloseunderthetallfernsandwatchedtheproceedingswithsharpeyes。TheysawtheconvertedIndiansseatthemselvesbeforetheplatform。ThecrowdofhostileIndianssurroundedthegladeonallsides,excepton,which,singularlyenough,wasnexttothewoods。

"Lookthar！"exclaimedWetzel,underhisbreath。Hepointedofftotherightofthemapleglade。Jonathangazedinthedirectionindicated,andsawtwosavagesstealthilyslippingthroughthebushes,andbehindtrees。Presentlythesesuspiciousactingspies,orscouts,stoppedonalittleknollperhapsanhundredyardsfromtheglade。

Wetzelgroaned。