第15章

"Thisain\'tcomfortable,"growledZane,inalowwhisper。"Themreddevilsareuptosomethin\'bad。They\'dbetternotmoveroundoverhere。"

Thehunters,satisfiedthatthetwoisolatedsavagesmeantmischief,turnedtheirgazeoncemoretowardthemaplegrove。

"Ah！Simonyouwhitetraitor！Seehim,Lew,comin\'withhispreciousgang,"

saidJonathan。"He\'sgotthewholethingfixed,youcanplainlyseethat。BillElliott,McKee;andwho\'sthatrenegadewithJimGirty？I\'llallowhemustbethefellarweheardwaswiththeChippewas。Toughlookin\'customer;agoodmateferJimGirty！Afinelotofborder—hawks！"

"Somethin\'comin\'off,"whisperedWetzel,asZane\'slowgrowlgrewunintelligible。

Jonathanfelt,ratherthansaw,Wetzeltremble。

"Themissionariesareconsultin\'。Ah！therecomesone！Which？Iguessit\'sEdwards。Bygum！who\'sthatInjunstalkin\'overfromthehostilebunch。Bigchief,whoeverheis。Blestifitain\'tHalfKing！"

ThewatcherssawthechiefwavehisarmandspeakwithevidentarroganceofEdwards,who,however,advancedtotheplatformandraisehishandtoaddresstheChristians。

"Crack！"

Ashotrangoutfromthethicket。Clutchingwildlyathisbreast,themissionaryreeledback,staggered,andfell。

"Oneofthoseskulkin\'redskinshaskilledEdwards,"saidZane。"But,no;he\'snotdead！He\'sgettin\'up。Mebbeheain\'thurtbad。Bygum！there\'sYoungcomin\'forward。Ofallthefools！"

ItwasindeedtruethatYounghadfacedtheIndians。HalfKingaddressedhimashehadtheother;butYoungraisedhishandandbeganspeaking。

"Crack！"

Anothershotrangout。Youngthrewuphishandsandfellheavily。Themissionariesrushedtowardhim。Mr。Wellsranroundthegroup,wringinghishandsasifdistracted。

"He\'shardhit,"hissedZane,betweenhisteeth。"Youcantellthatbythewayhefell。"

Wetzeldidnotanswer。Helaysilentandmotionless,hislongbodyrigid,andhisfacelikemarble。

"Therecomestheotheryoungfellar——Joe\'sbrother。He\'llgetplugged,too,"

continuedZane,whisperingrathertohimselfthantohiscompanion。"Oh,I

hopedthey\'dshowsomesense！It\'snobleforthemtodieforChristianity,butitwon\'tdonogood。Bygum！Heckewelderhaspulledhimback。Now,that\'sgoodjudgment！"

HalfKingsteppedbeforetheChristiansandaddressedthem。Heheldinhishandablackwar—club,whichhewieldedashespoke。

Jonathan\'sattentionwasnowdirectedfromthemaplegrovetothehunterbesidehim。Hehadheardaslightmetallicclick,asWetzelcockedhisrifle。

Thenhesawtheblackbarrelslowlyrise。

"Listen,Lew。Mebbeitain\'tgoodsense。We\'reafterGirty,youremember;andit\'salongshotfromhere——fullthreehundredyards。"

"You\'reright,Jack,you\'reright,"answeredWetzel,breathinghard。

"Let\'swait,andseewhatcomesoff。"

"Jack,Ican\'tdoit。It\'llmakeourjobharder;butIcan\'thelpit。IcanputabulletjustovertheHuron\'slefteye,an\'I\'mgoin\'todoit。"

"Youcan\'tdoit,Lew;youcan\'t！It\'stoofarforanygun。Wait！Wait！"

whisperedJonathan,layinghishandonWetzel\'sshoulder。

"Wait？Man,can\'tyouseewhattheunnamablevillainisdoin\'？"

"What？"askedZane,turninghiseyesagaintotheglade。

TheconvertedIndianssatwithbowedheads。HalfKingraisedhiswar—club,andthrewitonthegroundinfrontofthem。

"He\'sannouncin\'thedeathdecree！"hissedWetzel。

"Well！ifheain\'t！"

JonathanlookedatWetzel\'sface。Thenherosetohisknees,ashadWetzel,andtightenedhisbelt。Heknewthatinanotherinstanttheywouldbespeedingawaythroughtheforest。

"Lew,myrifle\'snogoodferthatdistance。Butmebbeyoursis。Yououghttoknow。It\'snotsense,becausethere\'sSimonGirty,andthere\'sJim,themenwe\'reafter。Ifyoucanhitone,youcananother。Butgoahead,Lew。Plugthatcowardlyredskin！"

Wetzelkneltononeknee,andthrusttheblackrifleforwardthroughthefernleaves。Slowlythefatalbarrelrosetoalevel,andbecameasmotionlessastheimmovablestones。

JonathanfixedhiskeengazeonthehaughtycountenanceofHalfKingashestoodwithfoldedarmsandscornfulmieninfrontoftheChristianshehadjustcondemned。

Evenastheshort,stingingcrackofWetzel\'sriflebrokethesilence,JonathansawthefierceexpressionofHalfKing\'sdarkfacechangetooneofvacantwildness。Hisarmsneverrelaxedfromtheirfoldedposition。Hefell,asfallsamonarchoftheforesttrees,adeadweight。

ChapterXXV。

"Pleasedonotpreachto—day,"saidNell,raisinghereyesimploringlytoJim\'sface。

"Nellie,Imustconducttheservicesasusual。Icannotshirkmyduty,norlettheserenegadesseeIfeartofacethem。"

"Ihavesuchaqueerfeeling。Iamafraid。Idon\'twanttobeleftalone。

Pleasedonotleaveme。"

Jimstrodenervouslyupanddownthelengthoftheroom。Nell\'swornface,herbeseechingeyesandtremblinghandstouchedhisheart。Ratherthanalmostanythingelse,hedesiredtopleaseher,tostrengthenher;yethowcouldheshirkhisduty？

"Nellie,whatisityoufear？"heasked,holdingherhandstightly。

"Oh,Idon\'tknowwhat——everything。Uncleisgrowingweakereveryday。LookatMr。Young;heisonlyashadowofhisformerself,andthisanxietyiswearingMr。Heckewelderout。Heismoreconcernedthanhedaresadmit。Youneedn\'tshakeyourhead,forIknowit。ThenthoseIndianswhoarewaiting,waiting——forGodonlyknowswhat！Worsethanalltome,Isawthatrenegade,thatfearfulbeastwhomadewaywithpoordearKate！"

Nellburstintotears,andleanedsobbingonJim\'sshoulder。

"Nell,I\'vekeptmycourageonlybecauseofyou,"repliedJim,hisvoicetremblingslightly。

Shelookedupquickly。Somethinginthepalefacewhichwasbentoverhertoldthatnow,ifever,wasthetimeforawomantoforgetherself,andtocheer,toinspirethosearoundher。

"Iamasillybaby,andselfish！"shecried,freeingherselffromhishold。

"Alwaysthinkingofmyself。"Sheturnedawayandwipedthetearsfromhereyes。"Go,Jim,doyouduty;I\'llstandbyandhelpyouallawomancan。"

ThemissionarieswereconsultinginHeckewelder\'scabin。Zeisbergerhadreturnedthatmorning,andhisaggressive,dominatingspiritwasjustwhattheyneededinanhourlikethis。Heraisedthedowncastspiritsoftheministers。

"Holdtheservice？Ishouldsaywewill,"hedeclared,wavinghishands。

"Whathavewetobeafraidof？"

"Idonotknow,"answeredHeckewelder,shakinghisheaddoubtfully。"Idonotknowwhattofear。Girtyhimselftoldmeheboreusnoillwill;butIhardlybelievehim。Allthissilence,thisominouswaitingperplexes,bewildersme。"

"Gentlemen,ourdutyatleastisplain,"saidJim,impressively。"ThefaithoftheseChristianIndiansinusissoabsolutethattheyhavenofear。TheybelieveinGod,andinus。ThesethreateningsavageshavefailedsignallytoimpressourChristians。IfwedonotholdtheservicetheywillthinkwefearGirty,andthatmighthaveabadinfluence。"

"Iaminfavorofpostponingthepreachingforafewdays。ItellyouIamafraidofGirty\'sIndians,notformyself,butfortheseChristianswhomwelovesowell。Iamafraid。"Heckewelder\'sfaceboretestimonytohisanxiousdread。

"Youareourleader;wehavebuttoobey,"saidEdwards。"YetIthinkweoweittoourconvertstosticktoourworkuntilweareforcedbyviolencetodesist。"

"Ah！Whatformwillthatviolencetake？"criedHeckewelder,hisfacewhite。

"Youcannottellwhatthesesavagesmean。Ifear！Ifear！"

"Listen,Heckewelder,youmustrememberwehadthistogothroughoncebefore,"putinZeisbergerearnestly。"In\'78Girtycamedownonuslikeawolfonthefold。HehadnotsomanyIndiansathisbeckandcallasnow;butheharanguedfordays,tryingtoscareusandourhandfulofChristians。Hesethisdrunkenfiendstofrightenus,andhefailed。Westuckitoutandwon。He\'stryingthesamegame。Letusstandagainsthim,andholdourservicesasusual。WeshouldtrustinGod！"

"Nevergiveup！"criedJim。

"Gentlemen,youareright;youshameme,eventhoughIfeelthatIunderstandthesituationanditsdreadpossibilitiesbetterthananyoneofyou。Whateverbefallswe\'llsticktoourpost。Ithankyouforrevivingthespiritinmycowardlyheart。Wewillholdtheserviceto—dayasusualandtomakeitmoreimpressive,eachshalladdressthecongregationinturn。"

"And,ifneedbe,wewillgiveourlivesforourChristians,"saidYoung,raisinghispaleface。

Thedeepmellowpealsofthechurchbellawoketheslumberingechoes。

ScarcelyhaditsmelodydiedawayintheforestwhenalineofIndiansissuedfromthechurchandmarchedtowardthemaplegrove。Men,women,youths,maidensandchildren。

Glickhican,theoldDelawarechief,headedtheline。Hisstepwasfirm,hisheaderect,hisfacecalminitsnobleausterity。Hisfollowerslikewiseexpressedintheircountenancesthesteadfastnessoftheirbelief。Themaidens\'headswerebowed,butwithshyness,notfear。Thechildrenwerehappy,theirbrightfacesexpressiveofthejoythefeltintheanticipationoflisteningtotheirbelovedteachers。

Thisprocessionpassedbetweenrowsofpaintedsavages,standingimmovable,withfoldedarms,andsombereyes。

NosoonerhadtheChristiansreachedthemaplegrove,whenfromallovertheclearingappearedhostileIndians,whotookpositionsneartheknollwherethemissionariesstood。

Heckewelder\'sfaithfullittlebandawaitedhimontheplatform。TheconvertedIndiansseatedthemselvesasusualatthefootoftheknoll。Theothersavagescrowdedcloselyonbothsides。Theycarriedtheirweapons,andmaintainedthesamesilencethathadsosingularlymarkedtheirmoodofthelasttwenty—fourhours。Nohumanskillcouldhavedivinedtheirintention。

Thiscoldnessmightbeonlyhabitualreserve,anditmightbeanythingelse。

HeckewelderapproachedatthesametimethatSimonGirtyandhisbandofrenegadesappeared。WiththerenegadeswerePipeandHalfKing。Thesetwocameslowlyacrosstheclearing,passedthroughtheopeninginthecrowd,andstoppedclosetotheplatform。

Heckewelderwenthurriedlyuptohismissionaries。Heseemedbesidehimselfwithexcitement,andspokewithdifficulty。

"Donotpreachto—day。Ihavebeenwarnedagain,"hesaid,inalowvoice。

"Doyouforbidit？"inquiredEdwards。

"No,no。Ihavenotthatauthority,butIimploreit。Wait,waituntiltheIndiansareinabettermood。"

Edwardsleftthegroup,and,steppingupontheplatform,facedtheChristians。

AtthesamemomentHalfKingstalkedmajesticallyfrombeforehisparty。Hecarriednoweaponsaveablack,knottedwar—club。Asurgingforwardofthecrowdofsavagesbehindhimshowedtheintenseinterestwhichhisactionhadaroused。Hewalkedforwarduntilhestoodhalfwaybetweentheplatformandtheconverts。HeranhisevilglanceslowlyovertheChristians,andthenrestedituponEdwards。

"HalfKing\'sordersaretobeobeyed。Letthepalefacekeephismouthclosed,"

hecriedintheIndiantongue。Theimperiouscommandcameasathunderboltfromaclearsky。ThemissionariesbehindEdwardsstoodbewildered,awaitingtheoutcome。

ButEdwards,withoutamoment\'shesitation,calmlyliftedhishandandspoke。

"BelovedChristians,wemeetto—dayaswehavemetbefore,aswehopetomeetin———"

"Spang！"

ThewhistlingofabulletovertheheadsoftheChristiansaccompaniedtheloudreportofarifle。Allpresentlyplainlyheardtheleadenmissilestrike。

Edwardswheeled,clutchinghisside,breathedhard,andthenfellheavilywithoututteringacry。HehadbeenshotbyanIndianconcealedinthethicket。

Foramomentnoonemoved,norspoke。themissionarieswerestrickenwithhorror;theconvertsseemedturnedtostone,andthehostilethrongwaitedsilently,astheyhadforhours。

"He\'sshot！He\'sshot！Oh,Ifearedthis！"criedHeckewelder,runningforward。

Themissionariesfollowedhim。Edwardswaslyingonhisback,withabloodyhandpressedtohisside。

"Dave,Dave,howisitwithyou？"askedHeckewelder,inavoicelowwithfear。

"Notbad。It\'stoofarouttobebad,butitknockedmeover,"answeredEdwards,weakly。"Giveme——water。"

Theycarriedhimfromtheplatform,andlaidhimonthegrassunderatree。

YoungpressedEdwards\'hand;hemurmuredsomethingthatsoundedlikeaprayer,andthenwalkedstraightupontheplatform,asheraisedhisface,whichwassublimewithawhitelight。

"Paleface！Back！"roaredHalfKing,ashewavedhiswar—club。

"YouIndiandog！Besilent！"

Young\'sclearvoicerolledoutonthequietairsoimperiously,sopowerfulinitswonderfulscornandpassion,thatthehostilesavageswereovercomebyawe,andtheChristiansthrilledanewwithreverentiallove。

Youngspokeagaininavoicewhichhadlostitspassion,andwassingularlysweetinitsrichness。

"BelovedChristians,ifitisGod\'swillthatwemustdietoproveourfaith,thenaswehavetaughtyouhowtolive,sowecanshowyouhowtodie———"

"Spang！"

Againawhistlingsoundcamewiththebellowofanoverchargedrifle;againthesickeningthudofabulletstrikingflesh。

Youngfellbackwardsfromtheplatform。

ThemissionarieslaidhimbesideEdwards,andthenstoodinshudderingsilence。AsmileshoneonYoung\'spaleface;astreamofdarkbloodwelledfromhisbreast。Hislipsmoved;hewhispered:

"Iasknomore——God\'swill。"

Jimlookeddownonceathisbrothermissionaries;thenwithblanchedface,butresoluteandstern,hemarchedtowardtheplatform。

Heckewelderranafterhim,anddraggedhimback。

"No！no！no！MyGod！Wouldyoubekilled？Oh！Itriedtopreventthis！"criedHeckewelder,wringinghishands。

Onelong,fierce,exultantyellpealedthroughoutthegrove。Itcamefromthosesilentbreastsinwhichwaspentuphatred;itgreetedthisactionwhichproclaimedvictoryoverthemissionaries。

AlleyesturnedonHalfKing。WithmeasuredstridehepacedtoandfrobeforetheChristianIndians。

Neithercoweringnorshrinkingmarkedtheirmanner;toaman,toachild,theyrosewithproudmien,headserectandeyesflashing。Thismightychiefwithhisblood—thirstycrewcouldburntheVillageofPeace,couldannihilatetheChristians,buthecouldneverchangetheirhopeandtrustinGod。

"Blindedfools！"criedHalfKing。"TheHuroniswise;hetellsnolies。ManymoonsagohetoldtheChristianstheyweresittinghalfwaybetweentwoangrygods,whostoodwithmouthsopenwideandlookingferociouslyateachother。

Iftheydidnotmovebackoutoftheroadtheywouldbegroundtopowderbytheteethofoneortheother,orboth。HalfKingurgedthemtoleavethepeacefulvillage,toforgetthepalefaceGod;totaketheirhorses,andflocks,andreturntotheirhomes。TheChristiansscornedtheHuronKing\'scounsel。ThesunhassetfortheVillageofPeace。Thetimehascome。PipeandtheHuronarepowerful。TheywillnotlistentothepalefaceGod。TheywillburntheVillageofPeace。DeathtotheChristians！"

HalfKingthrewtheblackwar—clubwithapassionateenergyonthegrassbeforetheIndians。

Theyheardthisdecreeofdeathwithunflinchingfront。Eventhechildrenwerequiet。Notafacepaled,notaneyewaslowered。

HalfKingcasttheirdoomintheirteeth。TheChristianseyedhimwithunspokenscorn。

"MyGod！MyGod！ItisworsethanIthought！"moanedHeckewelder。"Utterruin！

Murder！Murder！"

Inthemomentarysilencewhichfollowedhisoutburst,atinycloudofblue—whitesmokecamefromthefernsoverhangingacliff。

Crack！

Allheardtheshotofarifle;allnoticedthedifferencebetweenitsclear,ringingintonationandtheloudreportsoftheothertwo。Alldistinctlyheardthezipofabulletasitwhistledovertheirheads。

All？No,notall。Onedidnothearthatspeedingbullet。Hewhowasthecentralfigureinthistragicscene,hewhohaddoomedtheChristiansmighthaveseenthattinypuffofsmokewhichheraldedhisowndoom,butbeforetheringingreportcouldreachhisearsasmallblueholeappeared,asifbymagic,overhislefteye,andpulse,andsense,andlifehadfledforever。

HalfKing,great,cruelchieftain,stoodstillforaninstantasifhehadbeenanimageofstone;hishaughtyheadlostitserectpoise,thefiercenessseemedtofadefromhisdarkface,hisproudplumewavedgracefullyasheswayedtoandfro,andthenfellbeforetheChristians,inertandlifeless。

Noonemoved;itwasasifnoonebreathed。Thesuperstitioussavagesawaitedfearfullyanotherrifleshot;anotherlightningstroke,anothervisitationfromthepaleface\'sGod。

ButJimGirty,withacunningbornofhisterriblefear,hadrecognizedtheringofthatrifle。HehadfeltthezipofabulletwhichcouldjustasreadilyhavefoundhisbrainasHalfKing\'s。HehadstoodthereasfairamarkasthecruelHuron,yettheAvengerhadnotchosenhim。Washereservedforadifferentfate？WasnotsuchadeathtoomercifulforthefrontierDeathshead？

Heyelledinhiscravenfear:

"LeventdelaMort！"

Thewellknown,dreadedappellationarousedthesavagesfromafearfulstuporintoafiercemanifestationofhatred。Atremendousyellrenttheair。

Instantlythescenechanged。

ChapterXXVI。

IntheconfusionthemissionariescarriedYoungandEdwardsintoMr。Wells\'

cabin。Nell\'scalm,whitefaceshowedthatshehadexpectedsomesuchcatastropheasthis,butsheofallwastheleastexcited。HeckewelderleftthematthecabinandhurriedawaytoconsultCaptainWilliamson。WhileZeisberger,whowasskilledinsurgery,attendedtothewoundedmen,Jimbarredtheheavydoor,shuttherude,swingingwindows,andmadethecabintemporarilyarefugefromprowlingsavages。

Outsidetheclamorincreased。Shrillyellsrenttheair,long,rollingwar—criessoundedaboveallthedin。Themeasuredstampofmoccasinedfeet,therushofIndianspastthecabin,thedullthudofhatchetsstruckhardintothetrees——allattestedtotheexcitementofthesavages,andtheimminenceofterribledanger。

InthefrontroomofMr。Wells\'cabinEdwardslayonabed,hisfaceturnedtothewall,andhissideexposed。Therewasabloodyholeinhiswhiteskin。

Zeisbergerwasprobingforthebullet。Hehadnoinstruments,savethoseofhisownmanufacture,andtheyweredarningneedleswithbentpoints,andalongknife—bladegroundthin。

"There,Ihaveit,"saidZeisberger。"Holdstill,Dave。There！"AsEdwardsmoanedZeisbergerdrewforththebloodybullet。"Jim,washanddressthiswound。Itisn\'tbad。Davewillbeallrightinacoupleofdays。NowI\'lllookatGeorge。"

Zeisbergerhurriedintotheotherroom。Younglaywithquietfaceandclosedeyes,breathingfaintly。Zeisbergeropenedthewoundedman\'sshirtandexposedthewound,whichwasontherightside,ratherhighup。Nell,whohadfollowedZeisbergerthatshemightbeofsomeassistanceifneeded,sawhimlookatthewoundandthenturnapalefaceawayforasecond。Thathurried,shudderingmovementofthesober,practicalmissionarywasmostsignificant。ThenhebentoverYoungandinsertedonoftheprobesintothewound。Hepushedthesteelaninch,two,three,fourinchesintoYoung\'sbreast,butthelatterneithermovednormoaned。Zeisbergershookhishead,andfinallyremovedtheinstrument。Heraisedthesufferer\'sshouldertofindthebedsaturatedwithblood。Thebulletwoundextendedcompletelythroughthemissionary\'sbody,andwasbleedingfromtheback。Zeisbergerfoldedstripsoflinseyclothintosmallpadsandboundthemtightlyoverbothaperturesofthewound。

"Howishe？"askedJim,whentheamateursurgeonreturnedtotheotherroom,andproceededtowashthebloodfromhishands。

Zeisbergershookhisheadgloomily。

"HowisGeorge？"whisperedEdwards,whohadheardJim\'squestion。

"Shotthroughtherightlung。Humanskillcannotaidhim！OnlyGodcansave。"

"Didn\'tIhearathirdshot？"whisperedDave,gazingroundwithsad,questioningeyes。"Heckewelder？"

"Issafe。HehasgonetoseeWilliamson。Youdidhearathirdshot。HalfKingfelldeadwithabulletoverhislefteye。HehadjustfoldedhisarmsinagrandposeafterhisdeathdecreetotheChristians。"

"AjudgmentofGod！"

"Itdoesseemso,butitcameintheformofleadendeathfromWetzel\'sunerringrifle。Doyouhearallthatyelling？HalfKing\'sdeathhassettheIndianswild。"

Therewasagentleknockatthedoor,andthentheword,"Open,"inHeckewelder\'svoice。

Jimunbarredthedoor。Heckeweldercameincarryingoverhisshoulderwhatapparentlywasasackofmeal。HewasaccompaniedbyyoungChristy。

Heckewelderputthebagdown,openedit,andliftedoutalittleIndianboy。

Thechildgazedroundwithfearfuleyes。

"SaveBenny！SaveBenny！"hecried,runningtoNell,andsheclaspedhimcloselyinherarms。

Heckewelder\'sfacewaslikemarbleasheaskedconcerningEdwards\'condition。

"I\'mnotbadlyoff,"saidthemissionarywithasmile。

"How\'sGeorge？"whisperedHeckewelder。

Nooneansweredhim。Zeisbergerraisedhishands。AllfollowedHeckewelderintotheotherroom,whereYounglayinthesamepositionaswhenfirstbroughtin。Heckewelderstoodgazingdownintothewanfacewithitsterriblysignificantsmile。

"Ibroughthimouthere。Ipersuadedhimtocome！"whisperedHeckewelder。

"Oh,AlmightyGod！"hecried。Hisvoicebroke,andhisprayerendedwiththemuteeloquenceofclaspedhandsanduplifted,appealingface。

"Comeout,"saidZeisberger,leadinghimintothelargerroom。Theothersfollowed,andJimclosedthedoor。

"What\'stobedone？"saidZeisberger,withhispracticalcommonsense。"WhatdidWilliamsonsay？Telluswhatyoulearned？"

"Wait——directly,"answeredHeckewelder,sittingdownandcoveringhisfacewithhishands。Therewasalongsilence。Atlengthheraisedhiswhitefaceandspokecalmly:

"Gentlemen,theVillageofPeaceisdoomed。IentreatedCaptainWilliamsontohelpus,butherefused。Saidhedarednotinterfere。IprayedthathewouldspeakatleastawordtoGirty,buthedeniedmyrequest。"

"Wherearetheconverts？"

"Imprisonedinthechurch,everyoneofthemexceptBenny。Mr。ChristyandI

hidthechildinthemealsackandwerethusabletogethimhere。Wemustsavehim。"

"Savehim？"askedNell,lookingfromHeckeweldertothetremblingIndianboy。

"Nellie,thesavageshavedrivenallourChristiansintothechurch,andshutthemupthere,untilGirtyandhismenshallgivethewordtocompletetheirfiendishdesign。Theconvertsaskedbutonefavor——anhourinwhichtopray。

Itwasgranted。Thesavagesintendtomurderthemall。"

"Oh！Horrible！Monstrous！"criedNell。"Howcantheybesoinhuman？"SheliftedBennyupinherarms。"They\'llnevergetyou,myboy。We\'llsaveyou——I\'llsaveyou！"Thechildmoanedandclungtoherneck。

"TheyarescouringtheclearingnowforChristians,andwillsearchallthecabins。I\'mpositive。"

"Willtheycomehere？"askedNell,turningherblazingeyesonHeckewelder。

"Undoubtedly。WemusttrytohideBenny。Letmethink;wherewouldbeagoodplace？We\'lltryadarkcorneroftheloft。"

"No,no,"criedNell。

"PutBennyinYoung\'sbed,"suggestedJim。

"No,no,"criedNell。

"Puthiminabucketandlethimdowninthewell,"whisperedEdwards,whohadlistenedintentlytotheconversation。

"That\'sacapitalplace,"saidHeckewelder。"Butmighthenotfalloutanddrown？"

"Tiehiminthebucket,"saidJim。

"No,no,no,"criedNell。

"ButNellie,wemustdecideuponahidingplace,andinahurry。"

"I\'llsaveBenny。"

"You？Willyoustayheretofacethosemen？JimGirtyandDeeringaresearchingthecabins。Couldyoubearittoseethem？Youcouldn\'t。"

"Oh！No,Ibelieveitwouldkillme！Thatman！thatbeast！willhecomehere？"

Nellgrewghastlypale,andlookedasifabouttofaint。SheshrunkinhorroratthethoughtofagainfacingGirty。"ForGod\'ssake,Heckewelder,don\'tlethimseeme！Don\'tlethimcomein！Don\'t！"

Evenastheimploringvoiceceasedaheavythumpsoundedonthedoor。

"Who\'sthere？"demandedHeckewelder。

Thump！Thump！

Theheavyblowsshookthecabin。Thepansrattledontheshelves。Noanswercamefromwithout。

"Quick！HideBenny！It\'sasmuchasourlivesareworthtohavehimfoundhere,"criedHeckewelderinafiercewhisper,ashedartedtowardthedoor。

"Allright,allright,inamoment,"hecalledout,fumblingoverthebar。