第17章

"Keep——the——Bible,"saidMr。Wells,"remember——its——word。"HishandcloselyclaspedNell\'s,andthensuddenlyloosened。Hispallidfacewaslightedbyameaning,tendersmilewhichslowlyfaded——faded,andwasgone。Thevenerableheadfellback。Theoldmissionarywasdead。

Nellkissedthepale,coldbrow,andthenrose,halfdazedandshuddering。

Jimwasvainlytryingtoclosethedeadman\'seyes。Shecouldnolongerlook。

OnrisingshefoundherselfneartheIndianchief。Hetookherfingersinhisgreathand,andheldthemwithastrong,warmpressure。Strangelythrilled,shelookedupatWingenund。Hissombereyes,fixedpiercinglyontheforest,andhisdarksternface,were,asalways,inscrutable。Nocompassionshonethere;noemotionunbefittingachieftainwouldeverfindexpressioninthatcoldface,butNellfeltacertaintendernessinthisIndian,aresponseinhisgreatheart。Feltitsosurely,sopowerfullythatsheleanedherheadagainsthim。Sheknewhewasherfriend。

"Come,"saidthechiefoncemore。HegentlyputNellasidebeforeJimarosefromhissadtask。

"Wecannotleavehimunburied,"expostulatedJim。

Wingenunddraggedasidealargestonewhichformedonewallofthecavern。

Thenhegraspedalogwhichwashalfcoveredbydirt,and,exertinghisgreatstrength,pulleditfromitsplace。Therewasacrash,arumble,thejarofaheavyweightstrikingtheearth,thentherattlingofgravel,and,beforeNellandJimrealizedwhathadhappened,thegreatrockformingtheroofofthecavernslippeddownthebankfollowedbyasmallavalanche。thecavernwascompletelycovered。Mr。Wellswasburied。Amossystonemarkedtheoldmissionary\'sgrave。

NellandJimwerelostinwonderandawe。

"Ugh！"criedthechief,lookingtowardtheopeningintheglade。

FearfullyNellandJimturned,tobeappalledbyfournaked,paintedsavagesstandingwithleveledrifles。BehindthemstoodDeeringandJimGirty。

"Oh,God！Wearelost！Lost！Lost！"exclaimedJim,unabletocommandhimself。

Hopediedinhisheart。

NocryissuedfromNell\'swhitelips。Shewasdazedbythisfinalblow。Havingenduredsomuch,thislastmisfortune,apparentlytheruinofherlife,broughtnoaddedsuffering,onlyastrange,numbfeeling。

"Ah—huh！Thoughtyou\'dgivemetheslip,eh？"croakedGirty,stridingforward,andashelookedatWingenundhislittle,yelloweyesflaredlikeflint。"DoesawolfbefriendGirty\'scaptives？Chiefyouhevledmeahardchase。"

Wingenunddeignednoreply。Hestoodashedidsooften,stillandsilent,withfoldedarms,andalookthatwashaughty,unresponsive。

TheIndianscameforwardintotheglade,andoneofthemquicklyboundJim\'shandsbehindhisback。Thesavagesworeawild,brutishlook。Afeverishferocity,verynearakintoinsanity,possessedthem。Theywerenotquietamoment,butranhereandthere,fornoapparentreason,except,possibly,tokeepinactionwiththeragingfireintheirhearts。ThecleanlinesswhichcharacterizedthenormalIndianwasabsentinthem;theirscantbuckskindresswasbedraggledandstained。Theywerestilldrunkwithrumandthelustforblood。Murdergleamedfromtheglanceoftheireyes。

"Jake,comeoverhere,"saidGirtytohisrenegadefriend。"Ain\'tsheaprize？"

GirtyandDeeringstoodbeforethepoor,strickengirl,andgloatedoverherfairbeauty。Shestoodaswhenfirsttransfixedbythehorrorfromwhichshehadbeenfleeing。Herpalefacewaslowered,herhandsclenchedtightlyinthefoldsofherskirt。

Neverbeforehadtwosuchcoarse,cruelfiendsasDeeringandGirtyencumberedtheearth。Evenontheborder,wherethebestmenwerebad,theyweretheworst。Deeringwasyetdrunk,butGirtyhadrecoveredsomewhatfromtheeffectsoftherumhehadabsorbed。Theformerrolledhisbigeyesandnoddedhisshaggyhead。Hewaspassingjudgment,fromhispointofview,onthefinepointsofthegirl。

"Shecer\'aintlyis,"hedeclaredwithagrin。"She\'salittlebeauty。BeatsanyIeverseen！"

JimGirtystrokedhissharpchinwithdirtyfingers。Hisyelloweyes,hisburntsaffronskin,hishookednose,histhinlips——allhisevilfaceseemedtoshinewithaneviltriumph。tolookathimwaspainful。Tohavehimgazeatherwasenoughtodriveanywomanmad。

Darkstainsspottedthebrightfrillsofhisgaudydress,hisbuckskincoatandleggins,anddottedhiswhiteeagleplumes。Darkstains,horriblysuggestive,coveredhimfromheadtofoot。Bloodstains！TheinnocentbloodofChristianscrimsonedhisrenegade\'sbody,andeverydarkredblotchcriedmurder。

"Girl,IburnedtheVillageofPeacetogityou,"growledGirty。"Comehere！"

Witharudegraspthattoreopenherdress,exposingherbeautifulwhiteshoulderandbosom,theruffianpulledhertowardhim。Hisfacewastransfixedwithafiercejoy,abrutalpassion。

Deeringlookedonwithadrunkengrin,whilehisrenegadefriendhuggedthealmostdyinggirl。TheIndianspacedthegladewithshortstrideslikeleashedtigers。Theyoungmissionarylayonthemosswithclosedeyes。HecouldnotendurethesightofNellinGirty\'sarms。

NoonenoticedWingenund。Hestoodbackalittle,halfscreenedbydroopingbranches。Onceagainthechief\'sdarkeyesgleamed,hisheadturnedatrifleaside,and,standinginthestatuesquepositionhabitualwithhimwhenresting,helistened,asonewhohearsmysterioussounds。Suddenlyhiskeenglancewasrivetedonthefernsabovethelowcliff。Hehadseentheirgracefulheadsquivering。Thentwoblindingsheetsofflameburstfromtheferns。

Spang！Spang！

Thetworiflereportsthunderedthroughtheglade。TwoIndiansstaggeredandfellintheirtracks——deadwithoutacry。

Ahugeyellowbody,spreadoutlikeapantherinhisspring,descendedwithacrashuponDeeringandGirty。Thegirlfellawayfromtherenegadeashewentdownwithashrillscreech,draggingDeeringwithhim。Instantlybeganaterrific,whirling,wrestlingstruggle。

Afewfeetfartherdownthecliffanotheryellowbodycamecrashingdowntoalightwithathud,tobounderect,torushforwardswiftasaleapingdeer。

ThetworemainingIndianshadonlytimetodrawtheirweaponsbeforethislithe,threateningformwhirleduponthem。Shrillcries,hoarseyells,theclashofsteelanddullblowsmingledtogether。Onesavagewentdown,twistedover,writhedandlaystill。Theotherstaggered,wardedoflightninglikeblowsuntilonepassedunderhisguard,andcrasheddullyonhishead。Thenhereeled,roseagain,butonlytohavehisskullclovenbyabloodytomahawk。

Thevictordartedtowardthewhirlingmass。

"Lew,shakehimloose！Lethimgo！"yelledJonathanZane,swinginghisbloodyweapon。

HighaboveZane\'scry,Deering\'sshoutsandcurses,Girty\'sshrieksoffearandfury,abovethenoiseofwrestlingbodiesanddullblows,roseadeepboomingroar。

ItwasWetzel\'sawfulcryofvengeance。

"Shakehimloose,"yelledJonathan。

Baffled,heranwildlyaroundthewrestlers。Timeandtimeagainhisgorytomahawkwasraisedonlytobelowered。Hefoundnoopportunitytostrike。

Girty\'sghastlycountenancegleamedathimfromthewhirloflegs,andarmsandbodies。ThenWetzel\'sdarkface,lightedbymercilesseyes,tookitsplace,andthatgavewaytoDeering\'sbroadfeatures。Themenbeingcladalikeinbuckskin,andtheirmotionssorapid,preventedZanefromlendingahelpinghand。

SuddenlyDeeringwaspropelledfromthemassasifbyacatapult。Hisbodystraightenedasitcamedownwithaheavythud。Zanepounceduponitwithcatlikequickness。Oncemoreheswungaloftthebloodyhatchet;thenoncemoreheloweredit,fortherewasnoneedtostrike。Therenegade\'ssidewastornopenfromshouldertohip。Adelugeofbloodpouredoutuponthemoss。Deeringchoked,abloodyfrothformedonhislips。Hisfingersclutchedatnothing。

Hiseyesrolledviolentlyandthenwerefixedinanawfulstare。

Thegirllyingsoquietinthewoodsneartheoldhutwasavenged！

JonathanturnedagaintoWetzelandGirty,notwithanyintentiontoaidthehunter,butsimplytowitnesstheendofthestruggle。

WithoutthehelpofthepowerfulDeering,howpitifullyweakwastheDeathsheadofthefrontierinthehandsoftheAvenger！

JimGirty\'stomahawkwasthrowninonedirectionandhisknifeinanother。Hestruggledvainlyintheirongripthatheldhim。

Wetzelrosetohisfeetclutchingtherenegade。Withhisleftarm,whichhadbeenbaredinthefight,heheldGirtybythefrontofhisbuckskinshirt,anddraggedhimtothattreewhichstoodaloneintheglade。Hepushedhimagainstit,andheldhimthere。

Thewhitedogleapedandsnarledaroundtheprisoner。

Girty\'shandspulledandtoreatthepowerfularmwhichforcedhimhardagainstthebeech。Itwasabrownarm,andhugewithitsbulging,knotted,rigidmuscles。Amightyarm,strongasthejusticewhichruledit。

"Girty,thyraceisrun！"Wetzel\'svoicecutthesilencelikeasteelwhip。

Theterrible,ruthlesssmile,theglitteringeyesofdoomseemedliterallytopetrifytherenegade。

Thehunter\'srightarmroseslowly。Theknifeinhishandquiveredasifwitheagerness。Thelongblade,drippingwithDeering\'sblood,pointedtowardthehilltop。

"Lookthar！See\'em！Thar\'syerfriends！"criedWetzel。

Onthedeadbranchesoftreesstandingfarabovethehilltop,weremanygreat,darkbirds。Theysatmotionlessasifwaiting。

"Buzzards！Buzzards！"hissedWetzel。

Girty\'sghastlyfacebecameanawfulthingtolookupon。Nolivingcountenanceeverbeforeexpressedsuchfear,suchhorror,suchagony。Hefoamedatthemouth,hestruggled,hewrithed。Withaterriblefascinationhewatchedthatquivering,drippingblade,nowpoisedhigh。

Wetzel\'sarmswungwiththespeedofashootingstar。HedrovethebladeintoGirty\'sgroin,throughfleshandbone,hardandfastintothetree。Henailedtherenegadetothebeech,theretoawaithislingeringdoom。

"Ah—h！Ah—h！Ah—h！"shriekedGirty,incriesofagony。Hefumbledandpulledatthehaftoftheknife,butcouldnotloosenit。Hebeathisbreast,hetorehishair。Hisscreamswereechoedfromthehilltopasifinmockery。

Thewhitedogstoodnear,hishairbristling,histeethsnapping。

Thedarkbirdssatonthedeadbranchesabovethehilltop,asifwaitingfortheirfeast。

ChapterXXVIII。

Zaneturnedandcuttheyoungmissionary\'sbonds。JimrantowhereNellwaslyingontheground,andtenderlyraisedherhead,callingtoherthattheyweresaved。Zanebathedthegirl\'spaleface。Presentlyshesighedandopenedhereyes。

ThenZanelookedfromthestatuelikeformofWingenundtothemotionlessfigureofWetzel。Thechiefstooderectwithhiseyesonthedistanthills。

Wetzelremainedwithfoldedarms,hiscoldeyesfixeduponthewrithing,moaningrenegade。

"Lew,lookhere,"saidZane,unhesitatingly,andpointedtowardthechief。

Wetzelquiveredasifsharplystung;thecoldglitterinhieeyeschangedtoluridfire。Withupraisedtomahawkheboundedacrossthebrook。

"Lew,waitaminute！"yelledZane。

"Wetzel！wait,wait！"criedJim,graspingthehunter\'sarm;butthelatterflunghimoff,asthewindtossesastraw。

"Wetzel,wait,forGod\'ssake,wait！"screamedNell。ShehadrisenatZane\'scall,andnowsawthedeadlyresolveinthehunter\'seyes。Fearlesslysheflungherselfinfrontofhim;bravelysheriskedherlifebeforehismadrush;franticallyshethrewherarmsaroundhimandclungtohishandsdesperately。

Wetzelhalted;frenziedashewasatthesightofhisfoe,hecouldnothurtawoman。

"Girl,letgo！"hepanted,andhisbroadbreastheaved。

"No,no,no！Listen,Wetzel,youmustnotkillthechief。Heisafriend。"

"Heismygreatfoe！"

"Listen,oh！pleaselisten！"pleadedNell。"HewarnedmetofleefromGirty;

heofferedtoguideustoFortHenry。Hehassavedmylife。Formysake,Wetzel,donotkillhim！Don\'tletmebethecauseofhismurder！Wetzel,Wetzel,loweryourarm,dropyourhatchet。Forpity\'ssakedonotspillmoreblood。WingenundisaChristian！"

Wetzelsteppedbackbreathingheavily。Hiswhitefaceresembledchiseledmarble。Withthoselittlehandsathisbreasthehesitatedinfrontofthechiefhehadhuntedforsomanylongyears。

"WouldyoukillaChristian？"pleadedNell,hervoicesweetandearnest。

"Ireckonnot,butthisInjunain\'tone,"repliedWetzelslowly。

"Putawayyourhatchet。Letmehaveit。Listen,andIwilltellyou,afterthankingyouforthisrescue。Doyouknowofmymarriage？Come,pleaselisten！

Forgetforamomentyourenmity。Oh！youmustbemerciful！Bravemenarealwaysmerciful！"

"Injun,areyouaChristian？"hissedWetzel。

"Oh！Iknowheis！Iknowheis！"criedNell,stillstandingbetweenWetzelandthechief。

Wingenundspokenoword。Hedidnotmove。Hisfalconeyesgazedtranquillyathiswhitefoe。Christianorpagan,hewouldnotspeakonewordtosavehislife。

"Oh！tellhimyouareaChristian,"criedNell,runningtothechief。

"Yellow—hair,theDelawareistruetohisrace。"

AshespokegentlytoNellanobledignityshoneuponhisdarkface。

"Injun,mybackbearsthescarsofyourbraves\'whips,"hissedWetzel,oncemoreadvancing。

"Deathwind,yourscarsaredeep,buttheDelaware\'saredeeper,"camethecalmreply。"Wingenund\'sheartbearstwoscars。Hissonliesunderthemossandferns;Deathwindkilledhim;Deathwindaloneknowshisgrave。Wingenund\'sdaughter,thedelightofhiswaningyears,freedtheDelaware\'sgreatfoe,andbetrayedherfather。CantheChristianGodtellWingenundofhischild？"

Wetzelshooklikeatreeinastorm。JusticecriedoutintheIndian\'sdeepvoice。Wetzelfoughtformasteryofhimself。

"Delaware,yourdaughterlaysthere,withherlover,"saidWetzelfirmly,andpointedintothespring。

"Ugh！"exclaimedtheIndian,bendingoverthedarkpool。Helookedlongintoitsmurkydepths。Thenhethrusthisarmdownintothebrownwater。

"Deathwindtellsnolie,"saidthechief,calmly,andpointedtowardGirty。

Therenegadehadceasedstruggling,hisheadwasboweduponhisbreast。"ThewhiteserpenthasstungtheDelaware。"

"Whatdoesitmean？"criedJim。

"YourbrotherJoeandWhisperingWindslieinthespring,"answeredJonathanZane。"Girtymurderedthem,andWetzelburiedthetwothere。"

"Oh,isittrue？"criedNell。

"True,lass,"whisperedJim,brokenly,holdingouthisarmstoher。Indeed,heneededherstrengthasmuchassheneededhis。Thegirlgaveoneshudderingglanceatthespring,andthenhidherfaceonherhusband\'sshoulder。

"Delaware,weareswornfoes,"criedWetzel。

"Wingenundasksnomercy。"

"AreyouaChristian？"

"Wingenundistruetohisrace。"

"Delaware,begone！Taketheseweaponsan\'go。Whenyourshadowfallsshortestontheground,Deathwindstartsonyourtrail。"

"Deathwindisthegreatwhitechief;heisthegreatIndianfoe;heisassureasthepantherinhisleap;asswiftasthewildgooseinhisnorthernflight。

Wingenundneverfeltfear。"Thechieftain\'ssonorousreplyrolledthroughthequietglade。"IfDeathwindthirstsforWingenund\'sblood,lethimspillitnow,forwhentheDelawaregoesintotheforesthistrailwillfade。"

"Begone！"roaredWetzel。Thefeverforbloodwasoncemorerisingwithinhim。

ThechiefpickedupsomeweaponsofthedeadIndians,andwithhaughtystridestalkedfromtheglade。

"Oh,Wetzel,thankyou,Iknew———"Nell\'svoicebrokeasshefacedthehunter。

Sherecoiledfromthischangedman。

"Come,we\'llgo,"saidJonathanZane。"I\'llguideyoutoFortHenry。"Heliftedthepack,andledNellandJimoutoftheglade。

Theylookedbackoncetopictureforeverintheirmindsthelovelyspotwithitsghastlyquietbodies,thedark,hauntingspring,therenegadenailedtothetree,andthetallfigureofWetzelashewatchedhisshadowontheground。

WhenWetzelalsohadgone,onlytwolivingcreaturesremainedintheglade——thedoomedrenegade,andthewhitedog。Thegauntbeastwatchedthemanwithhungry,madeyes。

Alongmoanwailedthroughtheforest。Itswelledmournfullyontheair,anddiedaway。Thedoomedmanheardit。Heraisedhisghastlyface;hisdulledsensesseemedtorevive。HegazedatthestiffeningbodiesoftheIndians,atthegorycorpseofDeering,atthesavageeyesofthedog。

Suddenlylifeseemedtosurgestrongwithinhim。

"Hell\'sfire！I\'mnotdoneferyet,"hegasped。"Thisdamnedknifecan\'tkillme;I\'llpullitout。"

Heworkedattheheavyknifehilt。Awfulcursespassedhislips,butthebladedidnotmove。Retributionhadspokenhisdoom。

Suddenlyhesawadarkshadowmovingalongthesunlitground。Itsweptpasthim。Helookeduptoseeagreatbirdwithwidewingssailingfarabove。Hesawanotherstillhigher,andthenathird。Helookedatthehilltop。Thequiet,blackbirdshadtakenwing。Theywerefloatingslowly,majesticallyupward。Hewatchedtheirgracefulflight。Howeasilytheyswoopedinwidecircles。herememberedthattheyhadfascinatedhimwhenaboy,long,longago,whenhehadahome。Wherewasthathome？Hehadoneonce。Ah！thelong,cruelyearshaverolledback。Ayouthblottedoutbyevilreturned。Hesawalittlecottage,hesawtheoldVirginiahomestead,hesawhisbrothersandhismother。

"Ah—h！"Acruelagonytorehisheart。Heleanedhardagainsttheknife。Withthepainthepresentreturned,butthepastremained。Allhisyouth,allhismanhoodflashedbeforehim。Thelong,bloody,mercilessyearsfacedhim,andhiscrimescrusheduponhimwithawfulmight。

Suddenlyarushingsoundstartledhim。Hesawagreatbirdswoopdownandgrazethetreetops。Anotherfollowed,andanother,andthenaflockofthem。

Hesawtheirgray,spottedbreastsandhookedbeaks。

"Buzzards,"hemuttered,darklyeyeingthedeadsavages。Thecarrionbirdswereswoopingtotheirfeast。

"ByGod！He\'snailedmefastforbuzzards！"hescreamedinsudden,awfulfrenzy。"Nailedfast！Ah—h！Ah—h！Ah—h！Eatenalivebybuzzards！Ah—h！Ah—h！

Ah—h！"

Heshriekeduntilhisvoicefailed,andthenhegasped。

Againthebuzzardsswoopedoverhead,thistimebrushingtheleaves。One,agreatgrizzledbird,settleduponalimbofthegiantoak,andstretcheditslongneck。Anotheralightedbesidehim。Otherssailedroundandroundthedeadtreetop。

Theleaderarchedhiswings,andwithadiveswoopedintotheglade。HealightednearDeering\'sdeadbody。Hewasadark,uncannybird,withlong,scraggy,bareneck,awreathofwhite,grizzledfeathers,acruel,hookedbeak,andcoldeyes。

Thecarrionbirdlookedaroundtheglade,andputagreatclawonthedeadman\'sbreast。

"Ah—h！Ah—h！"shriekedGirty。Hisagonizedyellofterrorandhorrorechoedmockinglyfromthewoodedbluff。

Thehugebuzzardflappedhiswingsandflewaway,butsoonreturnedtohisgruesomefeast。Hisfollowers,madeboldbytheirleader,floateddownintotheglade。Theirblackfeathersshoneinthesun。Theyhoppedoverthemoss;

theystretchedtheirgrizzlednecks,andturnedtheirheadssideways。

Girtywassweatingblood。Ittrickledfromhisghastlyface。Allthesufferingandhorrorhehadcausedinallhislongcareerwasasnothingtothatwhichthenrendedhim。He,therenegade,thewhiteIndian,theDeathsheadofthefrontier,pantedandprayedforamercifulbreath。Hewasexquisitelyalive。

Hewashuman。

Presentlythehugebuzzard,theleader,raisedhishoaryhead。Hesawthemannailedtothetree。Thebirdbenthisheadwiselytooneside,andthenlightlyliftedhimselfintotheair。Hesailedroundtheglade,overthefightingbuzzards,overthespring,andoverthedoomedrenegade。Heflewoutoftheglade,andinagain。HeswoopedclosetoGirty。Hisbroadwingsscarcelymovedashesailedalong。

Girtytriedtostrikethebuzzardashesailedcloseby,buthisarmfelluseless。Hetriedtoscream,buthisvoicefailed。

Slowlythebuzzardkingsailedbyandreturned。Everytimeheswoopedalittlenearer,andbenthislong,scraggyneck。

Suddenlyheswoopeddown,lightandswiftasahawk;hiswidewingsfannedtheair;hepoisedunderthetree,andthenfastenedsharptalonsinthedoomedman\'sbreast。

ChapterXXIX。

ThefleetinghumaninstinctofWetzelhadgivenwaytothehabitofyears。

Hismercilessquestformanydayshadbeentokillthefrontierfiend。Nowthatithadbeenaccomplished,heturnedhisvengeanceintoitsaccustomedchannel,andoncemorebecametheruthlessIndian—slayer。

Afierce,tinglingjoysurgedthroughhimashestrucktheDelaware\'strail。

Wingenundhadmadelittleornoefforttoconcealhistracks;hehadgonenorthwest,straightasacrowflies,towardtheIndianencampment。Hehadastartofsixtyminutes,anditwouldrequiresixhoursofrapidtravelingtogaintheDelawaretown。

"Reckonhe\'llmakeferhome,"mutteredWetzel,followingthetrailwithallpossiblespeed。

Thehunter\'smethodoftrailinganIndianwassingular。Intuitionplayedasgreatapartassight。Heseemedalwaystodivinehisvictim\'sintention。Onceonthetrailhewasashardtoshakeoffasabloodhound。Yethedidnot,byanymeans,alwayssticktotheIndian\'sfootsteps。WithWetzelthedirectionwasofthegreatestimportance。

ForhalfamilehecloselyfollowedtheDelaware\'splainlymarkedtrail。Thenhestoppedtotakeaquicksurveyoftheforestbeforehim。Heabruptlyleftthetrail,and,breakingintoarun,wentthroughthewoodsasfleetlyandnoiselesslyasadeer,runningforaquarterofamile,whenhestoppedtolisten。Allseemedwell,forheloweredhishead,andwalkedslowlyalong,examiningthemossandleaves。Presentlyhecameuponalittleopenspacewherethesoilwasasandyloam。Hebentover,thenrosequickly。HehadcomeupontheIndian\'strail。Cautiouslyhemovedforward,stoppingeverymomenttolisten。InalltheclosepursuitsofhismatureryearshehadneverbeenavictimofthatmostcunningofIndiantricks,anambush。Hereliedsolelyonhiseartolearniffoeswerecloseby。Thewildcreaturesoftheforestwerehisinformants。Assoonasheheardanychangeintheirtwittering,hummingorplaying——whicheverwaytheymanifestedtheirjoyorfearoflife——hebecameashardtosee,asdifficulttohearasacreepingsnake。

TheDelaware\'strailledtoarockyridgeandtheredisappeared。Wetzelmadenoefforttofindthechief\'sfootprintsontheflintyground,buthaltedamomentandstudiedtheridge,thelayofthelandaround,aravineononeside,andadarkimpenetrableforestontheother。HewascalculatinghischancesoffindingtheDelaware\'strailfarontheotherside。Indianwoodcraft,subtle,wonderfulasitmaybe,islimitedtoeachIndian\'sability。Savages,aswellasothermen,werebornunequal。Onemightleaveafainttrailthroughtheforest,whileanothercouldbereadilytraced,andathird,morecunningandskillfulthanhisfellows,haveflownundertheshadytrees,forallthetrailheleft。Butredmenfollowedthesamemethodsofwoodcraftfromtradition,asWetzelhadlearnedafterlongyearsofstudyandexperience。

Andnow,satisfiedthathehaddivinedtheDelaware\'sintention,heslippeddownthebankoftheravine,andoncemorebrokeintoarun。Heleapedlightly,sure—footedasagoat,fromstonetostone,overfallenlogs,andthebrawlingbrook。Ateveryturnoftheravine,ateveryopenplace,hestoppedtolisten。

Arrivingontheothersideoftheridge,helefttheravineandpassedalongtheedgeoftherisingground。Helistenedtothebirds,andsearchedthegrassandleaves。Hefoundnottheslightestindicationofatrailwherehehadexpectedtofindone。Heretracedhisstepspatiently,carefully,scrutinizingeveryinchoftheground。Butitwasallinvain。Wingenundhadbeguntoshowhissavagecunning。Inhiswarriordaysforlongyearsnochiefcouldrivalhim。Hisboasthadalwaysbeenthat,whenWingenundsoughttoeludehispursuers,histrailfadedamongthemossandtheferns。

Wetzel,calm,patient,resourceful,deliberatedamoment。TheDelawarehadnotcrossedthisrockyridge。Hehadbeencunningenoughtomakehispursuerthinksuchwashisintention。Thehunterhurriedtotheeasternendoftheridgefornootherreasonthanapparentlythatcoursewastheonethesavagehadtheleastreasontotake。Headvancedhurriedlybecauseeverymomentwasprecious。

Notacrushedbladeofgrass,abrushedleaf,anoverturnedpebblenorasnappedtwigdidhefind。HesawthathewasgettingneartothesideoftheridgewheretheDelaware\'strailhadabruptlyended。Ah！whatwasthere？A

twistedbitoffern,withthedropsofdewbrushedoff。Bendingbesidethefern,Wetzelexaminedthegrass;itwasnotcrushed。Asmallplantwithtriangularleavesofdarkgreen,layunderthefern。Breakingoffoneoftheseleaves,heexposeditslowersidetothelight。Thefine,silveryhairoffuzzthatgrewupontheleafhadbeencrushed。WetzelknowthatanIndiancouldtreadsosoftlyasnottobreakthespringygrassblades,buttheundersideofoneoftheseleaves,ifamanstepsonit,alwaysbetrayshispassagethroughthewoods。Tokeeneyesthisleafshowedthatithadbeenbruisedbyasoftmoccasin。Wetzelhadlocatedthetrail,butwasstillignorantofitsdirection。Slowlyhetracedtheshakenfernsandbruisedleavesdownoverthesideoftheridge,andatlast,nearastone,hefoundamoccasin—printinthemoss。Itpointedeast。TheDelawarewastravelinginexactlytheoppositedirectiontothatwhichheshouldbegoing。Hewas,moreover,exercisingwonderfulsagacityinhidinghistrail。This,however,didnottroubleWetzel,forifittookhimalongtimetofindthetrail,certainlytheDelawarehadexpendedasmuch,ormore,inchoosinghardground,logsorrocksonwhichtotread。

Wetzelsoonrealizedthathisowncunningwasmatched。Hetrustednomoretohisintuitiveknowledge,butstuckclosetothetrail,asahungrywolfholdstothescentofhisquarry。

TheDelawaretrailledoverlogs,stonesandhard—bakedground,upstonyravinesandovercliffs。Thewilychiefusedallofhisoldskill;hewalkedbackwardovermossandsandwherehisfootprintsshowedplainly;heleapedwidefissuresinstonyravines,andthenjumpedbackagain;helethimselfdownoverledgesbybranches;hecrossedcreeksandgorgesbyswinginghimselfintotreesandclimbingfromonetoanother;hewadedbrookswherehefoundhardbottom,andavoidedswampy,softground。

WithdoggedpersistenceandtenacityofpurposeWetzelstucktothisgraduallyfadingtrail。Everyadditionalrodhewasforcedtogomoreslowly,andtakemoretimeinordertofindanysignofhisenemy\'spassagethroughtheforests。Onethingstruckhimforcibly。Wingenundwasgraduallycirclingtothesouthwest,acoursethattookhimfartherandfartherfromtheDelawareencampment。