Joetooktwolongstrides,andwasonthedoor—step。HesawNellstrugglingviolentlyinthegraspofthehalf—drunkenteamster。
\"I\'lljes\'hev\'tokissthislassieferluck,\"hesaidinatoneofgoodhumor。
AtthesameinstantJoesawthreeloungerslaughing,andafourth,thegrizzledfrontiersman,startingforwardwithayell。
\"Letmego！\"criedNell。
Justwhentheteamsterhadpulledherclosetohim,andwasbendinghisred,moistfacetohers,twobrown,sinewyhandsgraspedhisneckwithanangryclutch。Deprivedthusofbreath,hismouthopened,histongueprotruded;hiseyesseemedstartingfromtheirsockets,andhisarmsbeattheair。Thenhewasliftedandflungwithacrashagainstthecabinwall。Falling,helayinaheaponthegrass,whilethebloodflowedfromacutonhistemple。
\"What\'sthis？\"criedaman,authoritatively。Hehadcomeswiftlyup,andarrivedatthescenewherestoodthegrizzledfrontiersman。
\"Itwaspurtyhandy,Wentz。Icouldn\'thev\'didbettermyself,andIwascomin\'forthatpurpose,\"saidthefrontiersman。\"Lefflerwastryin\'tokissthelass。He\'sbeendrunkfertwodays。Thatlittlegirl\'ssweetheartkinhandlehimselfsome,nowyoutakemywordonit。\"
\"I\'llagreeLeff\'sbadwhenhe\'sdrinkin\',\"answeredthefur—trader,andtoJoeheadded,\"He\'sliabletolookyouupwhenhecomesaround。\"
\"TellhimifIamherewhenhegetssober,I\'llkillhim,\"Joecriedinasharpvoice。Hisgazerestedoncemoreonthefallenteamster,andagainanoddcontractionofhiseyeswasnoticeable。Theglancewascutting,asifwiththeflashofcoldgraysteel。\"Nell,I\'msorryIwasn\'troundsooner,\"hesaid,apologetically,asifitwasowingtohisneglecttheaffairhadhappened。
AstheyenteredthecabinNellstoleaglanceathim。Thiswasthethirdtimehehadinjuredamanbecauseofher。Shehadonseveraloccasionsseenthatcold,steelyglareinhiseyes,andithadalwaysfrightenedher。Itwasgone,however,beforetheywereinsidethebuilding。Hesaidsomethingwhichshedidnotheardistinctly,andhiscalmvoiceallayedherexcitement。Shehadbeenangrywithhim;butnowsherealizedthatherresentmenthaddisappeared。Hehadspokensokindlyaftertheoutburst。Hadhenotshownthatheconsideredhimselfherprotectorandlover？Astrangeemotion,sweetandsubtleasthetasteofwine,thrilledher,whileasenseoffearbecauseofhisstrengthwasmingledwithherprideinit。Anyothergirlwouldhavebeenonlytoogladtohavesuchachampion;shewould,too,hereafter,forhewasamanofwhomtobeproud。
\"Lookhere,Nell,youhaven\'tspokentome,\"Joecriedsuddenly,seemingtounderstandthatshehadnotevenheardwhathesaid,soengrossedhadshebeenwithherreflections。\"Areyoumadwithmeyet？\"hecontinued。\"Why,Nell,I\'min——Iloveyou！\"
EvidentlyJoethoughtsuchfactasufficientreasonforanyactonhispart。
HistendertoneconqueredNell,andsheturnedtohimwithflushedcheeksandgladeyes。
\"Iwasn\'tangryatall,\"shewhispered,andthen,eludingthearmheextended,sheranintotheotherroom。
ChapterIII。
Joeloungedinthedoorwayofthecabin,thoughtfullycontemplatingtwoquietfiguresthatwerelyingintheshadeofamapletree。OneherecognizedastheIndianwithwhomJimhadspentanearnesthourthatmorning;theredsonofthewoodswaswrappedinslumber。Hehadplacedunderhisheadamany—huedhomespunshirtwhichtheyoungpreacherhadgivenhim;butwhileasleephisheadhadrolledoffthisimprovisedpillow,andthebrightgarmentlayfree,attractingtheeye。CertainlyithadledtothetrainofthoughtwhichhadfoundlodgmentinJoe\'sfertilebrain。
Theothersleeperwasashort,stoutmanwhomJoehadseenseveraltimesbefore。Thislastfellowdidnotappeartobewell—balancedinhismind,andwasthebuttofthesettlers\'jokes,whilethechildrencalledhim\"Loorey。\"
He,liketheIndian,wassleepingofftheeffectsofthepreviousnight\'sdissipation。
DuringafewmomentsJoeregardedtherecumbentfigureswithanexpressiononhisfacewhichtoldthathethoughtinthemweregreatpossibilitiesforsport。Withonequickglancearoundhedisappearedwithinthecabin,andwhenheshowedhimselfatthedoor,surveyingthevillagesquarewithmirthfuleyes,heheldinhishandasmallbasketofIndiandesign。Itwasmadeoftwistedgrass,andsimplycontainedseveralbitsofsoft,chalkystonesuchastheIndiansusedforpainting,whichcollectionJoehaddiscoveredamongthefur—trader\'swares。
Heglancedaroundoncemore,andsawthatallthoseinsightwerebusywiththeirwork。Hegavetheshortmanapush,andchuckledwhentherewasnoresponseotherthanalazygrunt。JoetooktheIndians\'gaudyshirt,and,liftingLoorey,slippeditaroundhim,shovedthelatter\'sarmsthroughthesleeves,andbuttoneditinfront。Hestreakedtheroundfacewithredandwhitepaint,andthen,dexterouslyextractingtheeagleplumefromtheIndian\'shead—dress,stuckitinLoorey\'sthickshockofhair。Itwasalldoneinamoment,afterwhichJoereplacedthebasket,andwentdowntotheriver。
SeveraltimesthatmorninghehadvisitedtherudewharfwhereJeffLynn,thegrizzledoldfrontiersman,busiedhimselfwithpreparationsfortheraft—journeydowntheOhio。Lynnhadbeenemployedtoguidethemissionary\'spartytoFortHenry,and,asthebrothershadacquaintedhimwiththeirintentionofaccompanyingthetravelers,hehadconstructedaraftforthemandtheirhorses。
Joelaughedwhenhesawthedozentwo—footlogsfastenedtogether,uponwhicharudeshackhadbeenerectedforshelter。Thisslightprotectionfromsunandstormwasallthebrotherswouldhaveontheirlongjourney。
Joenoted,however,thatthelargerrafthadbeenpreparedwithsomethoughtforthecomfortofthegirls。Thefloorofthelittlehutwasraisedsothatthewaveswhichbrokeoverthelogscouldnotreachit。Takingapeepintothestructure,JoewaspleasedtoseethatNellandKatewouldbecomfortable,evenduringastorm。Abuffalorobeandtworedblanketsgavetotheinterioracozy,warmlook。Heobservedthatsomeofthegirls\'luggagewasalreadyonboard。
\"When\'llwebeoff？\"heinquired。
\"Sun—up,\"answeredLynn,briefly。
\"I\'mgladofthat。Iliketobeonthegointheearlymorning,\"saidJoe,cheerfully。
\"MostfolksfromoverEastwaysain\'tinahurrytotackletheriver,\"repliedLynn,eyeingJoesharply。
\"It\'sabeautifulriver,andI\'dliketosailonitfromheretowhereitends,andthencomebacktogoagain,\"Joereplied,warmly。
\"Inahurrytobea—goin\'？I\'llallowyou\'llseesomeslimreddevils,withfeathersintheirhair,slippingamongthetreesalongthebank,andmebbeyou\'llhearthepingwhich\'smadewhenwhistlin\'leadhits。Perhapsyou\'llwanttobebackherebytermorrersundown。\"
\"NotI,\"saidJoe,withhisshort,coollaugh。
Theoldfrontiersmanslowlyfinishedhistaskofcoilinguparopeofwetcowhide,andthen,producingadirtypipe,hetookaliveemberfromthefireandplaceditonthebowl。Hesuckedslowlyatthepipe—stem,andsoonpuffedoutagreatcloudofsmoke。Sittingonalog,hedeliberatelysurveyedtherobustshouldersandlong,heavylimbsoftheyoungman,withakeenappreciationoftheirsymmetryandstrength。Agility,enduranceandcourageweremoretoabordermanthanallelse;anew—comeronthefrontierwasalways\"sized—up\"withreferencetothese\"points,\"andrespectedinproportiontothemeasureinwhichhepossessedthem。
OldJeffLynn,riverman,hunter,frontiersman,puffedslowlyathispipewhilehemusedthustohimself:\"MebbeI\'mwrongintakin\'alikin\'tothisyoungstersosudden。Mebbeit\'sbecauseI\'mfondofhissunny—hairedlass,an\'
ag\'inmebbeit\'sbecauseI\'mgettin\'oldan\'likesyoungfolksbetter\'nIonctdid。Anyway,I\'mkinderthinkin,ifthisyoungfellergitsworkedout,sayferabouttwentypoundsless,he\'lllickawholeraft—loadofwild—cats。\"
Joewalkedtoandfroonthelogs,ascertainedhowtheraftwasputtogether,andtookapullonthelong,clumsysteering—oar。AtlengthheseatedhimselfbesideLynn。Hewaseagertoaskquestions;toknowabouttherafts,theriver,theforest,theIndians——everythinginconnectionwiththiswildlife;
butalreadyhehadlearnedthatquestioningthesefrontiersmenisasuremeansofclosingtheirlips。
\"Everhandlethelongrifle？\"askedLynn,afterasilence。
\"Yes,\"answeredJoe,simply。
\"Evershootanythin\'？\"thefrontiersmanquestioned,whenhehadtakenfourorfivepuffsathispipe。
\"Squirrels。\"
\"Goodpractice,shootin\'squirrels,\"observedJeff,afteranothersilence,longenoughtoallowJoetotalkifhewassoinclined。\"Kinyehitone——say,ahundredyards？\"
\"Yes,butnoteverytimeinthehead,\"returnedJoe。Therewasanapologetictoneinhisanswer。
Anotherintervalfollowedinwhichneitherspoke。Jeffwasslowlypursuinghislineofthought。AfterJoe\'slastremarkhereturnedhispipetohispocketandbroughtoutatobacco—pouch。Hetoreoffalargeportionoftheweedandthrustitintohismouth。ThenheheldoutthelittlebuckskinsacktoJoe。
\"Hev\'achaw,\"hesaid。
Tooffertobaccotoanyonewasabsolutelyaborderman\'sguaranteeoffriendlinesstowardthatperson。
Jeffexpectoratedhalfadozentimes,eachtimecomingalittlenearerthestonehewasaimingat,somefiveyardsdistant。Possiblythiswastheborderman\'swayofoilinguphisconversationalmachinery。Atallevents,hecommencedtotalk。
\"Yerbrother\'sgoin\'topreachouthere,ain\'the？Preachin\'isallright,I\'llallow;butI\'mkinderdoubtfulaboutpreachin\'toredskins。Howsumever,I\'veknowedInjunswhoaregoodfellows,andthere\'snotellin\'。Whatareyegoin\'infer——farmin\'？\"
\"No,Iwouldn\'tmakeagoodfarmer。\"
\"Jestcumoutkinderwildlike,eh？\"rejoinedJeff,knowingly。
\"IwantedtocomeWestbecauseIwastiredoftamelife。Ilovetheforest;I
wanttofishandhunt;andIthinkI\'dliketo——toseeIndians。\"
\"Ikinderthoughtso,\"saidtheoldfrontiersman,noddinghisheadasthoughheperfectlyunderstoodJoe\'scase。\"Well,lad,whereyou\'regoin\'seein\'
Injunsain\'tamatterofchoice。Youhastosee\'em,andfight\'em,too。We\'vehadbadtimesforyearsouthereontheborder,andI\'mthinkin\'wussiscomin\'。DidyeeverhearthenameGirty？\"
\"Yes;he\'sarenegade。\"
\"He\'satraitor,andJimandGeorgeGirty,hisbrothers,arep\'isinrattlesnakeInjuns。SimonGirty\'sbadenough;butJim\'sthewust。He\'snowwusser\'nafull—bloodedDelaware。He\'sallthetimeonthelookouttocapturewhitewimentotaketohisInjunteepee。SimonGirtyandhispals,McKeeandElliott,desertedfromthattharfortrightaforeyereyes。They\'renowlivin\'
amongtheredskinsdownFortHenryway,raisin\'asmuchhellferthesettlersastheykin。\"
\"IsFortHenryneartheIndiantowns？\"askedJoe。
\"There\'sDelawares,ShawneesandHuronsallalongtheOhiobelowFortHenry。\"
\"WhereistheMoravianMissionlocated？\"
\"Why,lad,theVillageofPeace,astheInjunscallit,isrightinthemidstofthatInjuncountry。I\'spectit\'samatterofahundredmilesbelowandcross—countryalittlefromFortHenry。\"
\"Thefortmustbeanimportantpoint,isitnot？\"
\"Wal,Iguessso。It\'sthelastplaceontheriver,\"answeredLynn,withagrimsmile。\"There\'sonlyastockadethere,an\'ahandfulofmen。TheInjunshevswarmeddownonittimeandag\'in,buttheyhevneverburnedit。OnlysuchmenasColonelZane,hisbrotherJack,andWetzelcouldhevkeptthatfortstandin\'allthesebloodyyears。EbZane\'sgotbutafewmen,yethekinhandle\'emsome,an\'withsuchscoutsasJackZaneandWetzel,heallusknowswhat\'sgoin\'onamongtheInjuns。\"
\"I\'veheardofColonelZane。HewasanofficerunderLordDunmore。ThehuntersherespeakoftenofJackZaneandWetzel。Whatarethey？\"
\"JackZaneisahunteran\'guide。Iknowedhimwellafewyearsback。He\'saquiet,mildchap;butastreakofchain—lightnin\'whenhe\'sriled。WetzelisanInjun—killer。Somepeoplesayashowhe\'scrazyoverscalp—huntin\';butI
reckonthat\'snotso。I\'veseenhimafewtimes。Hedon\'thangroundthesettlement\'ceptwhentheInjunsareup,an\'nobodyseeshimmuch。Athomehesetsroundsilent—like,an\'thenmebbenextmornin\'he\'llbegone,an\'won\'tshowupferdaysorweeks。Butallthefrontierknowsofhisdeeds。Ferinstance,I\'vehearnofsettlersgettin\'upinthemornin\'an\'findin\'acoupleofdeadandscalpedInjunsrightinfrontoftheircabins。Nooneknowedwhokilled\'em,buteverybodysays\'Wetzel。\'He\'salluswarnin\'thesettlerswhentheyneedtofleetothefort,andsurehe\'srighteverytime,becausewhenthesemengobacktotheircabinstheyfindnothin\'butashes。
Therecouldn\'tbeanyfarmin\'doneouttherebutferWetzel。\"
\"Whatdoeshelooklike？\"questionedJoe,muchinterested。
\"Wetzelstandsstraightastheoakoverthar。He\'dhev\'togosidewaystogithisshouldersinthatdoor,buthe\'saslightoffootan\'fastasadeer。An\'
hiseyes——why,lad,yekinhardlylookinto\'em。IfyoueverseeWetzelyou\'llknowhimtoonct。\"
\"Iwanttoseehim,\"Joespokequickly,hiseyeslightingwithaneagerflash。
\"Hemustbeagreatfighter。\"
\"Ishe？LewWetzelistheheftiestof\'emall,an\'wehevsomeaskinfightouthere。Iwasdowntheriverafewyearsagoandjoinedapartytogooutan\'huntupsomeredskinsashadbeenreported。Wetzelwaswithus。WesoonstruckInjunsign,andthencomeontoalotofthepeskyvarmints。Wewasallfergoin\'home,becausewehadasmallforce。WhenwestartedtogowefindsWetzelsittin\'calm—likeonalog。Wesaid:\'Ain\'tyegoin\'home？\'andhereplied,\'Icumouttofindredskins,an\'nowaswe\'vefound\'em,I\'mnotgoin\'torunaway。\'An\'welefthimsettin\'thar。Oh,Wetzelisafighter！\"
\"IhopeIshallseehim,\"saidJoeoncemore,thewarmlight,whichmadehimlooksoboyish,stillglowinginhisface。
\"Mebbeye\'llgitto;andsureye\'llseeredskins,an\'nottameones,nuther。\"
Atthismomentthesoundofexcitedvoicesnearthecabinsbrokeinontheconversation。Joesawseveralpersonsruntowardthelargecabinanddisappearbehindit。HesmiledashethoughtperhapsthecommotionhadbeencausedbytheawakeningoftheIndianbrave。
Risingtohisfeet,Joewenttowardthecabin,andsoonsawthecauseoftheexcitement。Asmallcrowdofmenandwomen,alllaughingandtalking,surroundedtheIndianbraveandthelittlestoutfellow。Joeheardsomeonegroan,andthenadeep,gutturalvoice:
\"Paleface——bigsteal——ugh！Injunmad——heapmad——killpaleface。\"
Afterelbowinghiswayintothegroup,JoesawtheIndianholdingLooreywithonehand,whilehepokedhimontheribswiththeother。Thecaptive\'sfacewasthepictureofdismay;eventhestreaksofpaintdidnothidehislookoffearandbewilderment。Thepoorhalf—wittedfellowwassobadlyfrightenedthathecouldonlygroan。
\"Silvertipscalppaleface。Ugh！\"growledthesavage,givingLooreyanotherblowontheside。Thistimehebentoverinpain。Thebystandersweredividedinfeeling;themenlaughed,whilethewomenmurmuredsympathetically。
\"This\'snotabitfunny,\"mutteredJoe,ashepushedhiswaynearlytothemiddleofthecrowd。Thenhestretchedoutalongarmthat,bareandbrawny,lookedasthoughitmighthavebeenablacksmith\'s,andgraspedtheIndian\'ssinewywristwithaforcethatmadehimloosenhisholdonLooreyinstantly。
\"Istoletheshirt——fun——joke,\"saidJoe。\"Scalpmeifyouwanttoscalpanyone。\"
TheIndianlookedquicklyatthepowerfulformbeforehim。WithatwistheslippedhisarmfromJoe\'sgrasp。
\"Bigpalefaceheapfun——allsquawplay,\"hesaid,scornfully。Therewasamenaceinhissombereyesasheturnedabruptlyandleftthegroup。
\"I\'mafraidyou\'vemadeanenemy,\"saidJakeWentztoJoe。\"AnIndianneverforgetsaninsult,andthat\'showheregardedyourjoke。Silvertiphasbeenfriendlyherebecausehesellsushispelts。He\'saShawneechief。Therehegoesthroughthewillows！\"
BythistimeJimandMr。Wells,Mrs。Wentzandthegirlshadjoinedthegroup。
TheyallwatchedSilvertipgetintohiscanoeandpaddleaway。
\"Abadsign,\"saidWentz,andthen,turningtoJeffLynn,whojoinedthepartyatthatmoment,hebrieflyexplainedthecircumstances。
\"NeverdidlikeSilver。He\'sacraftyredskin,an\'nottobetrusted,\"repliedJeff。
\"Hehasturnedroundandislookingback,\"Nellsaidquickly。
\"Sohehas,\"observedthefur—trader。
TheIndianwasnowseveralhundredyardsdowntheswiftriver,andforaninstanthadceasedpaddling。Thesunshonebrightlyonhiseagleplumes。Heremainedmotionlessforamoment,andevenatsuchadistancethedark,changelessfacecouldbediscerned。Heliftedhishandandshookitmenacingly。
\"Ifyedon\'thearfromthatredskinaginJeffLynndon\'tknownothin\',\"calmsaidtheoldfrontiersman。
ChapterIV。
Astheraftsdriftedwiththecurrentthevoyagerssawthesettlersonthelanding—placediminishuntiltheyhadfadedfromindistinctfigurestomereblackspecksagainstthegreenbackground。Thencamethelastwaveofawhitescarf,faintlyinthedistance,andatlengththedarkoutlineofthefortwasallthatremainedtotheirregretfulgaze。Quicklythat,too,disappearedbehindthegreenhill,which,withitsboldfront,forcestherivertotakeawideturn。
TheOhio,windinginitscoursebetweenhigh,woodedbluffs,rolledonandonintothewilderness。
Beautifulaswastheever—changingscenery,ruggedgray—facedcliffsononesidecontrastingwithgreen—cladhillsontheother,therehoveredoverlandandwatersomethingmorestrikingthanbeauty。Aboveallhungastillatmosphereofcalmness——ofloneliness。
Andthispenetratingsolitudemarredsomewhatthepleasurewhichmighthavebeenfoundinthepicturesquescenery,andcausedthevoyagers,towhomthiscountrywasnew,totakelessinterestinthegaily—featheredbirdsandstealthyanimalsthatweretobeseenontheway。Bytheformsofwildlifealongthebanksoftheriver,thisstrangeintruderontheirpeacewasregardedwithattention。Thebirdsandbeastsevincedlittlefearofthefloatingrafts。Thesandhillcrane,stalkingalongtheshore,liftedhislongneckastheunfamiliarthingcamefloatingby,andthenstoodstillandsilentasastatueuntiltheraftsdisappearedfromview。Blue—heronsfeedingalongthebars,sawtheunusualspectacle,and,utteringsurprised\"booms,\"theyspreadwidewingsandlumberedawayalongtheshore。Thecrowscircledabovethevoyagers,cawinginnotunfriendlyexcitement。Smallerbirdsalightedontheraisedpoles,andseveral——arobin,acatbirdandalittlebrownwren——venturedwithhesitatingboldnesstopeckatthecrumbsthegirlsthrewtothem。Deerwadedknee—deepintheshallowwater,and,liftingtheirheads,instantlybecamemotionlessandabsorbed。Occasionallyabuffaloappearedonalevelstretchofbank,and,tossinghishugehead,seemedinclinedtoresentthecomingofthisstrangerintohisdomain。
Alldaytheraftsdriftedsteadilyandswiftlydowntheriver,presentingtothelittlepartyever—varyingpicturesofdenselywoodedhills,ofjutting,brokencliffswithscantevergreengrowth;oflongreachesofsandybarthatglistenedgoldeninthesunlight,andoveralltheflightandcallofwildfowl,theflittingofwoodlandsongsters,andnowandthenthewhistleandbellowofthehornedwatchersintheforest。
Theintenseblueofthevaultabovebegantopale,andlowdowninthewestafewfleecyclouds,gorgeouslygoldenforafleetinginstant,thencrimson—crownedforanother,shadedanddarkenedasthesettingsunsankbehindthehills。Presentlytheredraysdisappeared,apinkglowsuffusedtheheavens,andatlast,asgraytwilightstoledownoverthehill—tops,thecrescentmoonpeepedabovethewoodedfringeofthewesternbluffs。
\"Hardan\'fastsheis,\"sangoutJeffLynn,ashefastenedtheropetoatreeattheheadofasmallisland。\"Alloffnow,and\'we\'llhev\'supper。Thar\'safinespringunderyoncurlybirch,an\'Ifetchedalongalegofdeer—meat。
Hungry,little\'un？\"
Hehadworkedhardalldaysteeringtherafts,yetNellhadseenhimsmilingathermanytimesduringthejourney,andhehadfoundtimebeforetheearlystarttoarrangeforheracomfortableseat。Therewasnowasolicitudeinthefrontiersman\'svoicethattouchedher。
\"Iamfamished,\"shereplied,withherbrightsmile。\"IamafraidIcouldeatawholedeer。\"
Theyallclimbedthesandyslope,andfoundthemselvesonthesummitofanovalisland,withaprettygladeinthemiddlesurroundedbybirches。Bill,thesecondraftsman,astolid,silentman,atonceswunghisaxeuponalogofdriftwood。Mr。WellsandJimwalkedtoandfrounderthebirches,andKateandNellsatonthegrasswatchingwithgreatinteresttheoldhelmsmanashecameufromtheriver,hisbrownhandsandfaceshiningfromthescrubbinghehadgiventhem。Soonhehadafirecheerfullyblazing,andafterlayingoutthefewutensils,headdressedhimselftoJoe:
\"I\'lltellyerighthere,lad,goodvenisonkinbespoiledbybadcuttin\'andcookin\'。You\'reslicin\'ittoothick。See——thar！Nowsaltgood,an\'keepoutentheflame;ontheredcoalsisbest。\"
WithasharpenedstickJeffheldthethinslicesoverthefireforafewmoments。Thenhelaidthemasideonsomecleanwhite—oakchipsBill\'saxehadprovided。Thesimplemealofmeat,bread,andafterwardadrinkofthecoldspringwater,waskeenlyrelishedbythehungryvoyagers。Whenithadbeeneaten,Jeffthrewalogonthefireandremarked:
\"Seein\'ashowwewon\'tbeinredskinterritoryferawhileyit,wekinhevafire。I\'llallowye\'llallbechillyanddampfromriver—mistaforelong,sotoastyerselvesgood。\"
\"Howfarhavewecometo—day？\"inquiredMr。Wells,hismindalwaysintentonreachingthesceneofhischerishedundertaking。
\"\'Boutthirty—oddmile,Ireckon。Notmuchonatrip,thet\'ssartin,butwe\'llpickuptermorrer。We\'vesomequickerwater,an\'theraftshevtogoseparate。\"
\"Howquiet！\"exclaimedKate,suddenlybreakingthesilencethatfollowedthefrontiersman\'sanswer。
\"Beautiful！\"impetuouslysaidNell,lookingupatJoe。Aquickflashfromhisgrayeyesansweredher;hedidnotspeak;indeedhehadsaidlittletohersincethestart,buthisglanceshowedherhowgladhewasthatshefeltthesweetnessandcontentofthiswildland。
\"Iwasneverinawildernessbefore,\"brokeintheearnestvoiceoftheyoungminister。\"Ifeelanalmostoverpoweringsenseofloneliness。Iwanttogetneartoyouall;Ifeellost。Yetitisgrand,sublime！\"
\"Hereisthepromisedland——thefruitfullife——NatureasitwascreatedbyGod,\"repliedtheoldminister,impressively。
\"Tellusastory,\"saidNelltotheoldfrontiersman,asheoncemorejoinedthecircleroundthefire。
\"So,little\'un,yewantastory？\"queriedJeff,takingupalivecoalandplacingitinthebowlofhispipe。Hetookoffhiscoon—skincapandcarefullylaiditaside。Hisweather—beatenfacebeamedinanswertothegirl\'srequest。Hedrewalongandaudiblepullathisblackpipe,andsendforthslowlyacloudofwhitesmoke。Deliberatelypokingthefirewithastick,asifstirringintolifedeadembersofthepast,hesuckedagainathispipe,andemittedagreatpuffofsmokethatcompletelyenvelopedthegrizzledhead。Fromoutthatwhitecloudcamehisdrawlingvoice。
\"Ye\'veseenthetbigcurlybirchoverthat——thet\'unasbendskindofsorrowfullike。Wal,itusedtostandstraightan\'proud。I\'veknowedthettreealltheyearsI\'venavigatedthisriver,an\'itseemsnaturalliketomethetitnowdroopsdyin\',feritshadesthegraveofasyoung,an\'sweet,an\'
purtyalassasyerself,MissNell。RivermencalledthisislandGeorge\'sIsland,\'causeWashingtononctcampedhere;butoflateyearsthename\'sgotchanged,an\'themensaysuthin\'likethis:\'We\'lltryan\'makeMilly\'sbirchaforesundown,\'jestasBillandmehevdoneto—day。SomeyearsagoneIwascomin\'upfromFortHenry,an\'hadonboardmyslowoldscowalassnamedMilly——weneverlearnedherothername。Shecometomeatthefort,an\'tellsashowherfolkshedbeenkilledbyInjuns,an\'shewantedtogitbacktoPitttomeethersweetheart。Iwasag\'inhercomin\'allalong,an\'fustoffIsaid\'No。\"ButwhenIseentearsinherblueeyes,an\'sheputsherlittlehandonmine,Ijestwilted,an\'saystoJimBlair,\'Shegoes。\'Wal,jestasmighthev\'beenexpected——an\'factisIlookedferit——wewustackledbyredskins。
Somehow,JimGirtygotwindofushevin\'alassaboard,an\'heketchedupwithusjestbelowhere。It\'sabadplace,calledShawneeRock,an\'I\'llshowittoyetermorrer。Therenegade,withhisreddevils,attackedusthar,an\'wehadatimegittin\'away。Millywusshot。Shelivedferawhile,acoupleofdays,an\'allthetimewussopatient,an\'sweet,an\'bravewiththetrenegade\'sbulletinher——ferheshotherwhenheseenhecouldn\'tcaptureher——thettharwusn\'tablamemanofuswhowouldn\'thevdiedtograntherprayer,whichwusthatshecouldlivetoonctmoreseeherlover。\"
Therewasalongsilence,duringwhichtheoldfrontiersmansatgazingintothefirewithsadeyes。
\"Wecouldn\'tdonuthin\',an\'weburiedhertharunderthetbirch,whereshesmiledherlastsad,sweetsmile,an\'died。Eversincethentheriverhasbeeneatn\'awayatthisisland。It\'sonlyhalfasbigasitwusonct,an\'anotherfloodwilltakeawaythissand—bar,thesefewbirches——an\'Milly\'sgrave。\"
Theoldfrontiersman\'sstoryaffectedallhislisteners。Theelderministerbowedhisheadandprayedthatnosuchfatemightovertakehisnieces。Theyoungministerlookedagain,ashehadmanytimesthatday,atNell\'swinsomeface。Thegirlscastgraveglancesatthedroopingbirch,andtheirbrighttearsglistenedinthefire—glow。OncemoreJoe\'seyesglintedwiththatsteelyflash,andashegazedoutoverthewide,darkeningexpanseofwaterhisfacegrewcoldandrigid。
\"I\'llallowImighthevtoldamorecheerfulstory,an\'I\'lldosonexttime;
butIwantedyeall,particularthelasses,toknowsomethin\'ofthekindofcountryye\'regoin\'into。Thefrontierneedswomen;butjistyititdealshardwiththem。An\'JimGirty,withmoreofhiskind,ain\'tdeadyit。\"
\"Whydon\'tsomeonekillhim？\"wasJoe\'ssharpquestion。
\"Easiersaidthandone,lad。JimGirtyisawhitetraitor,buthe\'sacunnin\'
an\'fierceredskininhiswaysan\'life。Heknowsthewoodsasacrowdoes,an\'keepsoutersight\'ceptwhenhe\'sleastexpected。Thenag\'in,he\'sgotSimonGirty,hisbrother,an\'almostthewholeredskintribebehindhim。
Injunsstickclosetoawhitemanthathasturnedag\'insthisownpeople,an\'
JimGirtyhain\'teverbeenketched。Howsumever,Iheardlasttripthethe\'dbeentryin\'someofhistricksroundFortHenry,an\'thetWetzelisonhistrail。Wal,ifit\'ssothetLewWetzelisarterhim,Iwouldn\'tgiveapincho\'powderferthewhite—redskin\'schancesofalonglife。\"
Noonespoke,andJeff,afterknockingtheashesfromhispipe,wentdowntotheraft,returningshortlyafterwardwithhisblanket。Thishelaiddownandrolledhimselfinit。Presentlyfromunderhiscoon—skincapcamethewords:
\"Wal,I\'veturnedin,an\'Iadviseyealltodothesame。\"
AllsaveJoeandNellactedonJeff\'ssuggestion。Foralongtimetheyoungcouplesatclosetogetheronthebank,gazingatthemoonlightontheriver。
Thenightwasperfect。Acoolwindfannedthedyingembersofthefireandsoftlystirredtheleaves。Earlierintheeveningasinglefroghadvoicedhisprotestagainsttheloneliness;butnowhisdismalcroakwasnolongerheard。
Asnipe,belatedinhisfeeding,ranalongthesandyshoreutteringhistweet—tweet,andhislittlecry,breakinginsosoftlyonthesilence,seemedonlytomakemoredeeplyfeltthegreatvaststillnessofthenight。
Joe\'sarmwasaroundNell。Shehaddemurredatfirst,buthegavenoheedtoherslightresistance,andfinallyherheadrestedagainsthisshoulder。
Therewasnoneedofwords。
Joehadapleasurablesenseofhernearness,andtherewasadelightinthefragranceofherhairasitwavedagainsthischeek;butjustthenlovewasnotuppermostinhismind。Alldayhehadbeensilentundertheforceofanemotionwhichhecouldnotanalyze。Somepower,somefeelinginwhichthethoughtofNellhadnoshare,wasdrawinghimwithirresistiblestrength。Nellhadjustbeguntosurrendertohiminthesweetnessofherpassion;andyetevenwiththatknowledgeknockingreproachfullyathisheart,hecouldnothelpbeingabsorbedintheshimmeringwater,inthedarkreflectionofthetrees,thegloomandshadowoftheforest。
Presentlyhefeltherformrelaxinhisarms;thenhersoftregularbreathingtoldhimshehadfallenasleepandhelaughedlowtohimself。Howshewouldpoutonthemorrowwhenheteasedheraboutit！Then,realizingthatshewastiredwithherlongday\'sjourney,hereproachedhimselfforkeepingherfromtheneededrest,andinstantlydecidedtocarryhertotheraft。Yetsuchwasthenoveltyofthesituationthatheyieldedtoitscharm,anddidnotgoatonce。Themoonlightfoundbrightthreadsinherwavyhair;itshonecaressinglyonherquietface,andtriedtostealunderthedowncastlashes。
Joemadeamovementtorisewithher,whenshemutteredindistinctlyasifspeakingtosomeone。Herememberedthenshehadoncetoldhimthatshetalkedinhersleep,andhowgreatlyitannoyedher。Hemighthearsomethingmorewithwhichtoteaseher;sohelistened。