Chapter 16

    "I hear thee babbling to the vale
    Of sunshine and of flowers,
    But unto me thou bring'st a tale
    Of visionary hours."
    Wordsworth.

One discovery mentioned at the close of the preceding chapter
was of great moment in the eyes of Deerslayer and his friend. In
the first place, there was the danger, almost the certainty, that
Hutter and Hurry would make a fresh attempt on this camp, should
they awake and ascertain its position. Then there was the increased
risk of landing to bring off Hist; and there were the general
uncertainty and additional hazards that must follow from the
circumstance that their enemies had begun to change their positions.
As the Delaware was aware that the hour was near when he ought to
repair to the rendezvous, he no longer thought of trophies torn
from his foes, and one of the first things arranged between him and
his associate was to permit the two others to sleep on, lest they
should disturb the execution of their plans by substituting some
of their own. The ark moved slowly, and it would have taken fully
a quarter of an hour to reach the point, at the rate at which
they were going, thus affording time for a little forethought.
The Indians, in the wish to conceal their fire from those who
were thought to be still in the castle, had placed it so near the
southern side of the point as to render it extremely difficult to
shut it in by the bushes, though Deerslayer varied the direction
of the scow both to the right and to the left, in the hope of being
able to effect that object.

"There's one advantage, Judith, in finding that fire so near the
water," he said, while executing these little manoeuvres, "since it
shows the Mingos believe we are in the hut, and our coming on 'em
from this quarter will be an unlooked for event. But it's lucky
Harry March and your father are asleep, else we should have 'em
prowling after scalps ag'in. Ha! there - the bushes are beginning
to shut in the fire - and now it can't be seen at all!"

Deerslayer waited a little to make certain that he had at last
gained the desired position, when he gave the signal agreed on,
and Chingachgook let go the grapnel and lowered the sail.

The situation in which the ark now lay had its advantages and its
disadvantages. The fire had been hid by sheering towards the shore,
and the latter was nearer, perhaps, than was desirable. Still,
the water was known to be very deep further off in the lake, and
anchoring in deep water, under the circumstances in which the party
was placed, was to be avoided, if possible. It was also believed
no raft could be within miles; and though the trees in the darkness
appeared almost to overhang the scow, it would not be easy to get
off to her without using a boat. The intense darkness that prevailed
so close in with the forest, too, served as an effectual screen,
and so long as care was had not to make a noise, there was little
or no danger of being detected. All these things Deerslayer pointed
out to Judith, instructing her as to the course she was to follow
in the event of an alarm; for it was thought to the last degree
inexpedient to arouse the sleepers, unless it might be in the
greatest emergency.

"And now, Judith, as we understand one another, it is time the
Sarpent and I had taken to the canoe," the hunter concluded. "The
star has not risen yet, it's true, but it soon must, though none
of us are likely to be any the wiser for it tonight, on account
of the clouds. Howsever, Hist has a ready mind, and she's one of
them that doesn't always need to have a thing afore her, to see it.
I'll warrant you she'll not be either two minutes or two feet out
of the way, unless them jealous vagabonds, the Mingos, have taken
the alarm, and put her as a stool-pigeon to catch us, or have hid
her away, in order to prepare her mind for a Huron instead of a
Mohican husband."

"Deerslayer," interrupted the girl, earnestly; "this is a most
dangerous service; why do you go on it, at all?"

"Anan! - Why you know, gal, we go to bring off Hist, the Sarpent's
betrothed - the maid he means to marry, as soon as we get back to
the tribe."

"That is all right for the Indian - but you do not mean to marry
Hist - you are not betrothed, and why should two risk their lives
and liberties, to do that which one can just as well perform?"

"Ah - now I understand you, Judith - yes, now I begin to take the
idee. You think as Hist is the Sarpent's betrothed, as they call
it, and not mine, it's altogether his affair; and as one man can
paddle a canoe he ought to be left to go after his gal alone! But
you forget this is our ar'n'd here on the lake, and it would not
tell well to forget an ar'n'd just as the pinch came. Then, if
love does count for so much with some people, particularly with
young women, fri'ndship counts for something, too, with other
some. I dares to say, the Delaware can paddle a canoe by himself,
and can bring off Hist by himself, and perhaps he would like that
quite as well, as to have me with him; but he couldn't sarcumvent
sarcumventions, or stir up an ambushment, or fight with the savages,
and get his sweetheart at the same time, as well by himself as if
he had a fri'nd with him to depend on, even if that fri'nd is no
better than myself. No - no - Judith, you wouldn't desert one that
counted on you, at such a moment, and you can't, in reason, expect
me to do it."

"I fear - I believe you are right, Deerslayer, and yet I wish you
were not to go! Promise me one thing, at least, and that is, not
to trust yourself among the savages, or to do anything more than
to save the girl. That will be enough for once, and with that you
ought to be satisfied."

"Lord bless you! gal; one would think it was Hetty that's talking,
and not the quick-witted and wonderful Judith Hutter! But fright
makes the wise silly, and the strong weak. Yes, I've seen proofs
of that, time and ag'in! Well, it's kind and softhearted in you,
Judith, to feel this consarn for a fellow creatur', and I shall
always say that you are kind and of true feelings, let them that
envy your good looks tell as many idle stories of you as they may."

"Deerslayer!" hastily said the girl, interrupting him, though nearly
choked by her own emotions; "do you believe all you hear about a
poor, motherless girl? Is the foul tongue of Hurry Harry to blast
my life?"

"Not it, Judith - not it. I've told Hurry it wasn't manful to
backbite them he couldn't win by fair means; and that even an Indian
is always tender, touching a young woman's good name."

"If I had a brother, he wouldn't dare to do it!" exclaimed Judith,
with eyes flashing fire. "But, finding me without any protector but
an old man, whose ears are getting to be as dull as his feelings,
he has his way as he pleases!"

"Not exactly that, Judith; no, not exactly that, neither! No
man, brother or stranger, would stand by and see as fair a gal as
yourself hunted down, without saying a word in her behalf. Hurry's
in 'arnest in wanting to make you his wife, and the little he does
let out ag'in you, comes more from jealousy, like, than from any
thing else. Smile on him when he awakes, and squeeze his hand
only half as hard as you squeezed mine a bit ago, and my life on
it, the poor fellow will forget every thing but your comeliness.
Hot words don't always come from the heart, but oftener from the
stomach than anywhere else. Try him, Judith, when he awakes, and
see the virtue of a smile."

Deerslayer laughed, in his own manner, as he concluded, and then he
intimated to the patient-looking, but really impatient Chingachgook,
his readiness to proceed. As the young man entered the canoe, the
girl stood immovable as stone, lost in the musings that the language
and manner of the other were likely to produce. The simplicity
of the hunter had completely put her at fault; for, in her narrow
sphere, Judith was an expert manager of the other sex; though in
the present instance she was far more actuated by impulses, in all
she had said and done, than by calculation. We shall not deny that
some of Judith's reflections were bitter, though the sequel of the
tale must be referred to, in order to explain how merited, or how
keen were her sufferings.

Chingachgook and his pale-face friend set forth on their hazardous
and delicate enterprise, with a coolness and method that would have
done credit to men who were on their twentieth, instead of being
on their first, war-path. As suited his relation to the pretty
fugitive, in whose service they were engaged, the Indian took his
place in the head of the canoe; while Deerslayer guided its movements
in the stern. By this arrangement, the former would be the first
to land, and of course, the first to meet his mistress. The latter
had taken his post without comment, but in secret influenced by the
reflection that one who had so much at stake as the Indian, might
not possibly guide the canoe with the same steadiness and intelligence,
as another who had more command of his feelings. From the instant
they left the side of the ark, the movements of the two adventurers
were like the manoeuvres of highly-drilled soldiers, who, for the
first time were called on to meet the enemy in the field. As yet,
Chingachgook had never fired a shot in anger, and the debut of
his companion in warfare is known to the reader. It is true, the
Indian had been hanging about his enemy's camp for a few hours, on
his first arrival, and he had even once entered it, as related in
the last chapter, but no consequences had followed either experiment.
Now, it was certain that an important result was to be effected,
or a mortifying failure was to ensue. The rescue, or the continued
captivity of Hist, depended on the enterprise. In a word, it was
virtually the maiden expedition of these two ambitious young forest
soldiers; and while one of them set forth impelled by sentiments
that usually carry men so far, both had all their feelings of pride
and manhood enlisted in their success.

Instead of steering in a direct line to the point, then distant
from the ark less than a quarter of a mile, Deerslayer laid the
head of his canoe diagonally towards the centre of the lake, with
a view to obtain a position from which he might approach the shore,
having his enemies in his front only. The spot where Hetty had
landed, and where Hist had promised to meet them, moreover, was on
the upper side of the projection rather than on the lower; and to
reach it would have required the two adventurers to double nearly
the whole point, close in with the shore, had not this preliminary
step been taken. So well was the necessity for this measure
understood, that Chingachgook quietly paddled on, although it was
adopted without consulting him, and apparently was taking him in
a direction nearly opposite to that one might think he most wished
to go. A few minutes sufficed, however, to carry the canoe the
necessary distance, when both the young men ceased paddling as it
were by instinctive consent, and the boat became stationary. The
darkness increased rather than diminished, but it was still
possible, from the place where the adventurers lay, to distinguish
the outlines of the mountains. In vain did the Delaware turn
his head eastward, to catch a glimpse of the promised star; for,
notwithstanding the clouds broke a little near the horizon in
that quarter of the heavens, the curtain continued so far drawn as
effectually to conceal all behind it. In front, as was known by
the formation of land above and behind it, lay the point, at the
distance of about a thousand feet. No signs of the castle could
be seen, nor could any movement in that quarter of the lake reach
the ear. The latter circumstance might have been equally owing to
the distance, which was several miles, or to the fact that nothing
was in motion. As for the ark, though scarcely farther from the
canoe than the point, it lay so completely buried in the shadows
of the shore, that it would not have been visible even had there
been many degrees more of light than actually existed.

The adventurers now held a conference in low voices, consulting
together as to the probable time. Deerslayer thought it wanted
yet some minutes to the rising of the star, while the impatience
of the chief caused him to fancy the night further advanced, and
to believe that his betrothed was already waiting his appearance on
the shore. As might have been expected, the opinion of the latter
prevailed, and his friend disposed himself to steer for the place
of rendezvous. The utmost skill and precaution now became necessary in
the management of the canoe. The paddles were lifted and returned
to the water in a noiseless manner; and when within a hundred
yards of the beach, Chingachgook took in his, altogether laying
his hand on his rifle in its stead. As they got still more within
the belt of darkness that girded the woods, it was seen that they
were steering too far north, and the course was altered accordingly.
The canoe now seemed to move by instinct, so cautious and deliberate
were all its motions. Still it continued to advance, until its
bows grated on the gravel of the beach, at the precise spot where
Hetty had landed, and whence her voice had issued, the previous
night, as the ark was passing. There was, as usual, a narrow
strand, but bushes fringed the woods, and in most places overhung
the water.

Chingachgook stepped upon the beach, and cautiously examined it for
some distance on each side of the canoe. In order to do this, he
was often obliged to wade to his knees in the lake, but no Hist
rewarded his search. When he returned, he found his friend also on
the shore. They next conferred in whispers, the Indian apprehending
that they must have mistaken the place of rendezvous. But Deerslayer
thought it was probable they had mistaken the hour. While he was
yet speaking, he grasped the arm of the Delaware, caused him to
turn his head in the direction of the lake, and pointed towards the
summits of the eastern mountains. The clouds had broken a little,
apparently behind rather than above the hills, and the evening
star was glittering among the branches of a pine. This was every
way a flattering omen, and the young men leaned on their rifles,
listening intently for the sound of approaching footsteps. Voices
they often heard, and mingled with them were the suppressed cries
of children, and the low but sweet laugh of Indian women. As the
native Americans are habitually cautious, and seldom break out in
loud conversation, the adventurers knew by these facts that they
must be very near the encampment. It was easy to perceive that
there was a fire within the woods, by the manner in which some of
the upper branches of the trees were illuminated, but it was not
possible, where they stood, to ascertain exactly how near it was to
themselves. Once or twice, it seemed as if stragglers from around
the fire were approaching the place of rendezvous; but these
sounds were either altogether illusion, or those who had drawn near
returned again without coming to the shore. A quarter of an hour
was passed in this state of intense expectation and anxiety, when
Deerslayer proposed that they should circle the point in the canoe;
and by getting a position close in, where the camp could be seen,
reconnoitre the Indians, and thus enable themselves to form some
plausible conjectures for the non-appearance of Hist. The Delaware,
however, resolutely refused to quit the spot, reasonably enough
offering as a reason the disappointment of the girl, should she
arrive in his absence. Deerslayer felt for his friend's concern,
and offered to make the circuit of the point by himself, leaving
the latter concealed in the bushes to await the occurrence of any
fortunate event that might favour his views. With this understanding,
then, the parties separated.

As soon as Deerslayer was at his post again, in the stern of the
canoe, he left the shore with the same precautions, and in the
same noiseless manner, as he had approached it. On this occasion
he did not go far from the land, the bushes affording a sufficient
cover, by keeping as close in as possible. Indeed, it would not
have been easy to devise any means more favourable to reconnoitering
round an Indian camp, than those afforded by the actual state
of things. The formation of the point permitted the place to be
circled on three of its sides, and the progress of the boat was
so noiseless as to remove any apprehensions from an alarm through
sound. The most practised and guarded foot might stir a bunch of
leaves, or snap a dried stick in the dark, but a bark canoe could
be made to float over the surface of smooth water, almost with the
instinctive readiness, and certainly with the noiseless movements
of an aquatic bird.

Deerslayer had got nearly in a line between the camp and the ark
before he caught a glimpse of the fire. This came upon him suddenly,
and a little unexpectedly, at first causing an alarm, lest he had
incautiously ventured within the circle of light it cast. But
perceiving at a second glance that he was certainly safe from
detection, so long as the Indians kept near the centre of the
illumination, he brought the canoe to a state of rest in the most
favourable position he could find, and commenced his observations.

We have written much, but in vain, concerning this extraordinary
being, if the reader requires now to be told, that, untutored as
he was in the learning of the world, and simple as he ever showed
himself to be in all matters touching the subtleties of conventional
taste, he was a man of strong, native, poetical feeling. He loved
the woods for their freshness, their sublime solitudes, their
vastness, and the impress that they everywhere bore of the divine
hand of their creator. He seldom moved through them, without
pausing to dwell on some peculiar beauty that gave him pleasure,
though seldom attempting to investigate the causes; and never did
a day pass without his communing in spirit, and this, too, without
the aid of forms or language, with the infinite source of all he
saw, felt, and beheld. Thus constituted, in a moral sense, and of
a steadiness that no danger could appall, or any crisis disturb,
it is not surprising that the hunter felt a pleasure at looking
on the scene he now beheld, that momentarily caused him to forget
the object of his visit. This will more fully appear when we
describe it.

The canoe lay in front of a natural vista, not only through the
bushes that lined the shore, but of the trees also, that afforded
a clear view of the camp. It was by means of this same opening
that the light had been first seen from the ark. In consequence
of their recent change of ground, the Indians had not yet retired
to their huts, but had been delayed by their preparations, which
included lodging as well as food. A large fire had been made,
as much to answer the purpose of torches as for the use of their
simple cookery; and at this precise moment it was blazing high and
bright, having recently received a large supply of dried brush.
the effect was to illuminate the arches of the forest, and to
render the whole area occupied by the camp as light as if hundreds
of tapers were burning. Most of the toil had ceased, and even the
hungriest child had satisfied its appetite. In a word, the time
was that moment of relaxation and general indolence which is apt to
succeed a hearty meal, and when the labours of the day have ended.
The hunters and the fishermen had been totally successful; and
food, that one great requisite of savage life, being abundant,
every other care appeared to have subsided in the sense of enjoyment
dependent on this all-important fact.

Deerslayer saw at a glance that many of the warriors were absent.
His acquaintance Rivenoak, however, was present, being seated in
the foreground of a picture that Salvator Rosa would have delighted
to draw, his swarthy features illuminated as much by pleasure as
by the torchlike flame, while he showed another of the tribe one of
the elephants that had caused so much sensation among his people.
A boy was looking over his shoulder, in dull curiosity, completing
the group. More in the background eight or ten warriors lay half
recumbent on the ground, or sat with their backs reclining against
trees, so many types of indolent repose. Their arms were near
them all, sometimes leaning against the same trees as themselves,
or were lying across their bodies in careless preparation. But
the group that most attracted the attention of Deerslayer was that
composed of the women and children. A1l the females appeared to
be collected together, and, almost as a matter of course, their
young were near them. The former laughed and chatted in their
rebuked and quiet manner, though one who knew the habits of the
people might have detected that everything was not going on in its
usual train. Most of the young women seemed to be light-hearted
enough; but one old hag was seated apart with a watchful soured
aspect, which the hunter at once knew betokened that some duty of
an unpleasant character had been assigned her by the chiefs. What
that duty was, he had no means of knowing; but he felt satisfied it
must be in some measure connected with her own sex, the aged among
the women generally being chosen for such offices and no other.

As a matter of course, Deerslayer looked eagerly and anxiously
for the form of Hist. She was nowhere visible though the light
penetrated to considerable distances in all directions around the
fire. Once or twice he started, as he thought he recognized her
laugh; but his ears were deceived by the soft melody that is so
common to the Indian female voice. At length the old woman spoke
loud and angrily, and then he caught a glimpse of one or two dark
figures in the background of trees, which turned as if obedient
to the rebuke, and walked more within the circle of the light. A
young warrior's form first came fairly into view; then followed
two youthful females, one of whom proved to be the Delaware girl.
Deerslayer now comprehended it all. Hist was watched, possibly
by her young companion, certainly by the old woman. The youth was
probably some suitor of either her or her companion; but even his
discretion was distrusted under the influence of his admiration.
The known vicinity of those who might be supposed to be her friends,
and the arrival of a strange red man on the lake had induced
more than the usual care, and the girl had not been able to slip
away from those who watched her in order to keep her appointment.
Deerslayer traced her uneasiness by her attempting once or twice
to look up through the branches of the trees, as if endeavouring
to get glimpses of the star she had herself named as the sign for
meeting. All was vain, however, and after strolling about the camp
a little longer, in affected indifference, the two girls quitted
their male escort, and took seats among their own sex. As soon
as this was done, the old sentinel changed her place to one more
agreeable to herself, a certain proof that she had hitherto been
exclusively on watch.

Deerslayer now felt greatly at a loss how to proceed. He well
knew that Chingachgook could never be persuaded to return to the
ark without making some desperate effort for the recovery of his
mistress, and his own generous feelings well disposed him to aid in
such an undertaking. He thought he saw the signs of an intention
among the females to retire for the night; and should he remain,
and the fire continue to give out its light, he might discover the
particular hut or arbour under which Hist reposed; a circumstance
that would be of infinite use in their future proceedings. Should he
remain, however, much longer where he was, there was great danger
that the impatience of his friend would drive him into some act
of imprudence. At each instant, indeed, he expected to see the
swarthy form of the Delaware appearing in the background, like the
tiger prowling around the fold. Taking all things into consideration,
therefore, he came to the conclusion it would be better to rejoin
his friend, and endeavour to temper his impetuosity by some of his
own coolness and discretion. It required but a minute or two to
put this plan in execution, the canoe returning to the strand some
ten or fifteen minutes after it had left it.

Contrary to his expectations, perhaps, Deerslayer found the Indian
at his post, from which he had not stirred, fearful that his betrothed
might arrive during his absence. A conference followed, in which
Chingachgook was made acquainted with the state of things in the
camp. When Hist named the point as the place of meeting, it was
with the expectation of making her escape from the old position,
and of repairing to a spot that she expected to find without any
occupants; but the sudden change of localities had disconcerted
all her plans. A much greater degree of vigilance than had been
previously required was now necessary; and the circumstance that
an aged woman was on watch also denoted some special grounds of
alarm. All these considerations, and many more that will readily
suggest themselves to the reader, were briefly discussed before
the young men came to any decision. The occasion, however, being
one that required acts instead of words, the course to be pursued
was soon chosen.

Disposing of the canoe in such a manner that Hist must see it,
should she come to the place of meeting previously to their return,
the young men looked to their arms and prepared to enter the wood.
The whole projection into the lake contained about two acres of
land; and the part that formed the point, and on which the camp was
placed, did not compose a surface of more than half that size. It
was principally covered with oaks, which, as is usual in the American
forests, grew to a great height without throwing out a branch, and
then arched in a dense and rich foliage. Beneath, except the fringe
of thick bushes along the shore, there was very little underbrush;
though, in consequence of their shape, the trees were closer
together than is common in regions where the axe has been freely
used, resembling tall, straight, rustic columns, upholding the
usual canopy of leaves. The surface of the land was tolerably even,
but it had a small rise near its centre, which divided it into a
northern and southern half. On the latter, the Hurons had built
their fire, profiting by the formation to conceal it from their
enemies, who, it will be remembered, were supposed to be in the
castle, which bore northerly. A brook also came brawling down the
sides of the adjacent hills, and found its way into the lake on the
southern side of the point. It had cut for itself a deep passage
through some of the higher portions of the ground, and, in later
days, when this spot has become subjected to the uses of civilization,
by its windings and shaded banks, it has become no mean accessory
in contributing to the beauty of the place. This brook lay west
of the encampment, and its waters found their way into the great
reservoir of that region on the same side, and quite near to
the spot chosen for the fire. All these peculiarities, so far as
circumstances allowed, had been noted by Deerslayer, and explained
to his friend.

The reader will understand that the little rise in the ground,
that lay behind the Indian encampment, greatly favoured the secret
advance of the two adventurers. It prevented the light of the fire
diffusing itself on the ground directly in the rear, although the
land fell away towards the water, so as to leave what might be
termed the left, or eastern flank of the position unprotected by
this covering. We have said unprotected, though that is not properly
the word, since the knoll behind the huts and the fire offered a
cover for those who were now stealthily approaching, rather than
any protection to the Indians. Deerslayer did not break through
the fringe of bushes immediately abreast of the canoe, which might
have brought him too suddenly within the influence of the light,
since the hillock did not extend to the water; but he followed the
beach northerly until he had got nearly on the opposite side of
the tongue of land, which brought him under the shelter of the low
acclivity, and consequently more in the shadow.

As soon as the friends emerged from the bushes, they stopped to
reconnoitre. The fire was still blazing behind the little ridge,
casting its light upward into the tops of the trees, producing an
effect that was more pleasing than advantageous. Still the glare
had its uses; for, while the background was in obscurity, the
foreground was in strong light; exposing the savages and concealing
their foes. Profiting by the latter circumstance, the young men
advanced cautiously towards the ridge, Deerslayer in front, for he
insisted on this arrangement, lest the Delaware should be led by
his feelings into some indiscretion. It required but a moment to
reach the foot of the little ascent, and then commenced the most
critical part of the enterprise. Moving with exceeding caution,
and trailing his rifle, both to keep its barrel out of view, and
in readiness for service, the hunter put foot before foot, until
he had got sufficiently high to overlook the summit, his own head
being alone brought into the light. Chingachgook was at his side
and both paused to take another close examination of the camp. In
order, however, to protect themselves against any straggler in the
rear, they placed their bodies against the trunk of an oak, standing
on the side next the fire.

The view that Deerslayer now obtained of the camp was exactly the
reverse of that he had perceived from the water. The dim figures
which he had formerly discovered must have been on the summit of the
ridge, a few feet in advance of the spot where he was now posted.
The fire was still blazing brightly, and around it were seated on
logs thirteen warriors, which accounted for all whom he had seen
from the canoe. They were conversing, with much earnestness among
themselves, the image of the elephant passing from hand to hand.
The first burst of savage wonder had abated, and the question now
under discussion was the probable existence, the history and the
habits of so extraordinary an animal. We have not leisure to record
the opinions of these rude men on a subject so consonant to their
lives and experience; but little is hazarded in saying that they
were quite as plausible, and far more ingenious, than half the
conjectures that precede the demonstrations of science. However
much they may have been at fault as to their conclusions and
inferences, it is certain that they discussed the questions with a
zealous and most undivided attention. For the time being all else
was forgotten, and our adventurers could not have approached at a
more fortunate instant.

The females were collected near each other, much as Deerslayer
had last seen them, nearly in a line between the place where he
now stood and the fire. The distance from the oak against which
the young men leaned and the warriors was about thirty yards; the
women may have been half that number of yards nigher. The latter,
indeed, were so near as to make the utmost circumspection, as to
motion and noise, indispensable. Although they conversed in their
low, soft voices it was possible, in the profound stillness of the
woods, even to catch passages of the discourse; and the light-hearted
laugh that escaped the girls might occasionally have reached the
canoe. Deerslayer felt the tremolo that passed through the frame
of his friend when the latter first caught the sweet sounds that
issued from the plump, pretty lips of Hist. He even laid a hand
on the shoulder of the Indian, as a sort of admonition to command
himself. As the conversation grew more earnest, each leaned forward
to listen.

"The Hurons have more curious beasts than that," said one of the
girls, contemptuously, for, like the men, they conversed of the
elephant and his qualities. "The Delawares will think this creature
wonderful, but tomorrow no Huron tongue will talk of it. Our young
men will find him if the animals dare to come near our wigwams!"

This was, in fact, addressed to Wah-ta-Wah, though she who spoke
uttered her words with an assumed diffidence and humility that
prevented her looking at the other.

"The Delawares are so far from letting such creatures come into
their country," returned Hist, "that no one has even seen their
images there! Their young men would frighten away the images as
well as the beasts."

"The Delaware young men! - the nation is women - even the deer
walk when they hear their hunters coming! Who has ever heard the
name of a young Delaware warrior?"

This was said in good-humour, and with a laugh; but it was also
said bitingly. That Hist so felt it, was apparent by the spirit
betrayed in her answer.

"Who has ever heard the name of a young Delaware?" she repeated
earnestly. "Tamenund, himself, though now as old as the pines on
the hill, or as the eagles in the air, was once young; his name
was heard from the great salt lake to the sweet waters of the west.
What is the family of Uncas? Where is another as great, though the
pale-faces have ploughed up its grates, and trodden on its bones?
Do the eagles fly as high, is the deer as swift or the panther as
brave? Is there no young warrior of that race? Let the Huron maidens
open their eyes wider, and they may see one called Chingachgook,
who is as stately as a young ash, and as tough as the hickory."

As the girl used her figurative language and told her companions
to "open their eyes, and they would see" the Delaware, Deerslayer
thrust his fingers into the sides of his friend, and indulged in a
fit of his hearty, benevolent laughter. The other smiled; but the
language of the speaker was too flattering, and the tones of her
voice too sweet for him to be led away by any accidental coincidence,
however ludicrous. The speech of Hist produced a retort, and the
dispute, though conducted in good-humour, and without any of the
coarse violence of tone and gesture that often impairs the charms
of the sex in what is called civilized life, grew warm and slightly
clamorous. In the midst of this scene, the Delaware caused his
friend to stoop, so as completely to conceal himself, and then he
made a noise so closely resembling the little chirrup of the smallest
species of the American squirrel, that Deerslayer himself, though
he had heard the imitation a hundred times, actually thought it
came from one of the little animals skipping about over his head.
The sound is so familiar in the woods, that none of the Hurons paid
it the least attention. Hist, however, instantly ceased talking,
and sat motionless. Still she had sufficient self-command to
abstain from turning her head. She had heard the signal by which
her lover so often called her from the wigwam to the stolen interview,
and it came over her senses and her heart, as the serenade affects
the maiden in the land of song.

From that moment, Chingachgook felt certain that his presence was
known. This was effecting much, and he could now hope for a bolder
line of conduct on the part of his mistress than she might dare to
adopt under an uncertainty of his situation. It left no doubt of
her endeavouring to aid him in his effort to release her. Deerslayer
arose as soon as the signal was given, and though he had never
held that sweet communion which is known only to lovers, he was
not slow to detect the great change that had come over the manner
of the girl. She still affected to dispute, though it was no longer
with spirit and ingenuity, but what she said was uttered more as
a lure to draw her antagonists on to an easy conquest, than with
any hopes of succeeding herself. Once or twice, it is true, her
native readiness suggested a retort, or an argument that raised a
laugh, and gave her a momentary advantage; but these little sallies,
the offspring of mother-wit, served the better to conceal her real
feelings, and to give to the triumph of the other party a more
natural air than it might have possessed without them. At length
the disputants became wearied, and they rose in a body as if about
to separate. It was now that Hist, for the first time, ventured
to turn her face in the direction whence the signal had come. In
doing this, her movements were natural, but guarded, and she stretched
her arm and yawned, as if overcome with a desire to sleep. The
chirrup was again heard, and the girl felt satisfied as to the
position of her lover, though the strong light in which she herself
was placed, and the comparative darkness in which the adventurers
stood, prevented her from seeing their heads, the only portions
of their forms that appeared above the ridge at all. The tree
against which they were posted had a dark shadow cast upon it by
the intervention of an enormous pine that grew between it and the
fire, a circumstance which alone would have rendered objects within
its cloud invisible at any distance. This Deerslayer well knew,
and it was one of the reasons why he had selected this particular
tree.

The moment was near when it became necessary for Hist to act. She
was to sleep in a small hut, or bower, that had been built near where
she stood, and her companion was the aged hag already mentioned.
Once within the hut, with this sleepless old woman stretched across
the entrance, as was her nightly practice, the hope of escape was
nearly destroyed, and she might at any moment be summoned to her
bed. Luckily, at this instant one of the warriors called to the
old woman by name, and bade her bring him water to drink. There
was a delicious spring on the northern side of the point, and the
hag took a gourd from a branch and, summoning Hist to her side,
she moved towards the summit of the ridge, intending to descend
and cross the point to the natural fountain. All this was seen
and understood by the adventurers, and they fell back into the
obscurity, concealing their persons by trees, until the two females
had passed them. In walking, Hist was held tightly by the hand.
As she moved by the tree that hid Chingachgook and his friend the
former felt for his tomahawk, with the intention to bury it in the
brain of the woman. But the other saw the hazard of such a measure,
since a single scream might bring all the warriors upon them, and
he was averse to the act on considerations of humanity. His hand,
therefore, prevented the blow. Still as the two moved past, the
chirrup was repeated, and the Huron woman stopped and faced the
tree whence the sounds seemed to proceed, standing, at the moment,
within six feet of her enemies. She expressed her surprise that a
squirrel should be in motion at so late an hour, and said it boded
evil. Hist answered that she had heard the same squirrel three
times within the last twenty minutes, and that she supposed it was
waiting to obtain some of the crumbs left from the late supper.
This explanation appeared satisfactory, and they moved towards the
spring, the men following stealthily and closely. The gourd was
filled, and the old woman was hurrying back, her hand still grasping
the wrist of the girl, when she was suddenly seized so violently by
the throat as to cause her to release her captive, and to prevent
her making any other sound than a sort of gurgling, suffocating
noise. The Serpent passed his arm round the waist of his mistress
and dashed through the bushes with her, on the north side of the
point. Here he immediately turned along the beach and ran towards
the canoe. A more direct course could have been taken, but it
might have led to a discovery of the place of embarking.

Deerslayer kept playing on the throat of the old woman like the
keys of an organ, occasionally allowing her to breathe, and then
compressing his fingers again nearly to strangling. The brief
intervals for breath, however, were well improved, and the hag
succeeded in letting out a screech or two that served to alarm the
camp. The tramp of the warriors, as they sprang from the fire,
was plainly audible, and at the next moment three or four of them
appeared on the top of the ridge, drawn against the background of
light, resembling the dim shadows of the phantasmagoria. It was
now quite time for the hunter to retreat. Tripping up the heels
of his captive, and giving her throat a parting squeeze, quite as
much in resentment at her indomitable efforts to sound the alarm
as from any policy, he left her on her back, and moved towards the
bushes, his rifle at a poise, and his head over his shoulders, like
a lion at bay.