JoesawhowWetzelusedthisability,butwhatitreallywasbaffledhim。Herealizedthatwordswerenotadequatetoexplainfullythisgreatart。Itspossessionrequiredamarvelouslykeenvision,aneyeperfectlyfamiliarwitheverycreature,tree,rock,shrubandthingbelongingintheforest;aneyesoquickinflightastodetectinstantlytheslightestchangeinnature,oranythingunnaturaltothatenvironment。Thehearingmustbedelicate,likethatofadeer,andthefineritis,thekeenerwillbethewoodsman。Lastly,thereisthefeelingthatpromptstheoldhuntertosay:\"Nogameto—day。\"Itissomethinginhimthatspeakswhen,asheseesanight—hawkcirclinglowneartheground,hesays:\"Astormto—morrow。\"ItiswhatmakesanIndianathomeinanywilderness。Thecloudsmayhidetheguidingstar;thenorthingmaybelost;theremaybenomossonthetrees,ordifferenceintheirbark;theridgesmaybeflatorlostaltogether,andtheremaybenowater—courses;yettheIndianbravealwaysgoesforhisteepee,straightasacrowflies。ItwasthisvoicewhichrightlybadeWetzel,whenhewasbaffledbyanIndian\'strailfadingamongtherocks,tocross,orcircle,oradvanceinthedirectiontakenbyhiswilyfoe。
Joehadpracticedtrailingdeerandotherhoofedgame,untilhewastrueasahound。Thenhebegantoperfecthimselfintheartoffollowingahumanbeingthroughtheforest。ExceptafewoldIndiantrails,whichtherainhadhalfobliterated,hehadnotrackstodiscoversaveWetzel\'s,andthesewereashardtofindastheairycourseofagrosbeak。Onsoftgroundormarshygrass,whichWetzelavoidedwherehecould,heleftafainttrail,butonahardsurface,forallthetracesheleft,hemightaswellnothavegoneoverthegroundatall。
Joe\'spersistencestoodhimingoodstead;hehungon,andthemorehefailed,theharderhetried。OftenhewouldslipoutofthecaveafterWetzelhadgone,andtrytofindwhichwayhehadtaken。Inbrief,theladbecameafinemarksman,agoodhunter,andaclose,perseveringstudentofthewilderness。
Helovedthewoods,andalltheycontained。Helearnedthehabitsofthewildcreatures。Eachdeer,eachsquirrel,eachgrousethathekilled,taughthimsomelesson。
Hewasalwaysupwiththelarktowatchthesunriseredandgrandovertheeasternhills,andchaseawaythewhitemistfromthevalleys。Evenifhewasnothunting,orroamingthewoods,ifitwasnecessaryforhimtolielowincampawaitingWetzel\'sreturn,hewasalwayscontent。Manyhoursheidledawaylyingonhisback,withthewestwindblowingsoftlyoverhim,hiseyeonthedistanthills,wherethecloudshadowssweptacrosswithslow,majesticmovement,likehugeshipsatsea。
IfWetzelandJoewerefardistantfromthecave,aswasoftenthecase,theymadecampintheopenwoods,anditwasherethatJoe\'scontentmentwasfullest。Twilightshadesstealingdownoverthecamp—fire;thecheeryglowofredembers;thecracklingofdrystocks;thesweetsmellofwoodsmoke,allhadfortheladasubtle,potentcharm。
Thehunterwouldbroilavenisonsteak,orapartridge,onthecoals。Thentheywouldlighttheirpipesandsmokewhiletwilightdeepened。Theoppressivestillnessoftheearlyeveninghouralwaysbroughttotheyoungermanasensationofawe。Atfirstheattributedthistothefactthathewasnewtothislife;however,asthedayspassedandtheemotionremained,nay,grewstronger,heconcludeditwasimpartedbythisclosecommunionwithnature。
Deepsolemn,tranquil,thegloaminghourbroughthimnoordinaryfullnessofjoyandclearnessofperception。
\"Doyoueverfeelthisstillness？\"heaskedWetzeloneevening,astheysatneartheirflickeringfire。
Thehunterpuffedhispipe,and,likeanIndian,seemedtoletthequestiontakedeeproot。
\"I\'vescalpedredskinseveryhourintheday,\'ceptin\'twilight,\"hereplied。
Joewonderednolongerwhetherthehunterwastoohardenedtofeelthisbeautifultranquillity。ThathourwhichwooedWetzelfromhisimplacablepursuitwasindeedabewitchingoneTherewasneveratime,whenJoelayaloneincampwaitingforWetzel,thathedidnothopethehunterwouldreturnwithinformationofIndians。Themannevertalkedaboutthesavages,andifhespokeatallitwastotellofsomeincidentofhisday\'stravel。Oneeveninghecamebackwithalargeblackfoxthathehadkilled。
\"Whatbeautiful,glossyfur！\"saidJoe。\"Ineversawablackfoxbefore。\"
\"I\'vebeenlayin\'ferthisfellarsometime,\"repliedWetzel,ashebeganhisfirsteveningtask,thatofcombinghishair。\"Jestbackhereinaclumpofcottonwoodsthere\'sahollerlogfullofleaves。Happenin\'toseeablacksnakesneakin\'round,Ithoughtmebbehewasuptosomethin\',soIinvestigated,an\'
foundanestfullofyoungrabbits。Ikilledthesnake,an\'arterthattookaninterestin\'em。EverytimeIpassedI\'dlookinatthebunnies,an\'eachtimeIseensignsthatsometarnalvarminthadbeenprowlin\'round。OnedayI
missedabunny,an\'nextdayanother;soonuntilonlyonewasleft,apeartwhiteandgraylittlescamp。Somethin\'wasstealin\'of\'em,an\'itmadememad。Soyistiddayan\'to—dayIwatched,an\'finallyIpluggedthisblackthief。Yes,he\'sgotaglossycoat;buthe\'sabadunferallhisfinelooks。
Theseblackfoxesarebigger,strongeran\'cunninerthanredones。Ineverylitteryou\'llfindadarkone,theblacksheepofthefamily。Becausehegrowssomuchfaster,an\'stealsallthefoodfromtheothers,themotherjesttakeshimbythenapeoftheneckan\'chuckshimoutintheworldtoshiftferhisself。An\'it\'sagoodthing。\"
ThenextdayWetzeltoldJoetheywouldgoacrosscountrytoseeknewgamefields。Accordinglythetwosetout,andtrampedindustriouslyuntilevening。
Theycameuponacountrynolessbeautifulthantheonetheyhadleft,thoughthepicturesquecliffsandruggedhillshadgivenwaytoarollingland,theluxurianceofwhichwasexplainedbytheabundantspringsandstreams。Forestsandfieldswerethicklyinterspersedwithbubblingsprings,narrowanddeepstreams,andhereandthereasmalllakewitharunningoutlet。
Wetzelhadsaidlittleconcerningthisregion,butthatlittlewasenoughtorouseallJoe\'seagerness,foritwastotheeffectthattheywerenowinacountrymuchtraversedbyIndians,especiallyrunnersandhuntingpartiestravellingfromnorthtosouth。Thehunterexplainedthatthroughthecenterofthistractranabuffaloroad;thatthebuffaloalwayspickedoutthestraightest,lowestanddryestpathfromonerangetoanother,andtheIndiansfollowedthesefirstpathfinders。
JoeandWetzelmadecamponthebankofastreamthatnight,andastheladwatchedthehunterbuildahiddencamp—fire,hepeeredfurtivelyaroundhalfexpectingtoseedarkformsscurryingthroughtheforest。Wetzelwasextremelycautious。Hestrippedpiecesofbarkfromfallentreesandbuiltalittlehutoverhisfirewood。Herubbedsomepowderonapieceofpunk,andthenwithflintandsteeldroppedtwoorthreesparksontheinflammablesubstance。Soonhehadablaze。Hearrangedthecoveringsothatnotarayoflightescaped。
Whentheflameshadsubsided,andthewoodhadburneddowntoaglowingbedofred,hethrewasidethebark,andbroiledthestripsofvenisontheyhadbroughtwiththem。
Theyrestedonabedofboughswhichtheyhadcutandarrangedalongsideahugelog。ForhoursJoelayawake,hecouldnotsleep。Helistenedtothebreezerustlingtheleaves,andshiveredatthethoughtofthesighingwindhehadonceheardmoanthroughtheforest。Presentlyheturnedover。TheslightnoiseinstantlyawakenedWetzelwholiftedhisdarkfacewhilehelistenedintently。Hespokeoneword:\"Sleep,\"andlaybackagainontheleaves。Joeforcedhimselftobequiet,relaxedallhismusclesandsoonslumbered。
OnthemorrowWetzelwentouttolookoverthehuntingprospects。Aboutnoonhereturned。Joewassurprisedtofindsomeslightchangeinthehunter。Hecouldnottellwhatitwas。
\"IseenInjunsign,\"saidWetzel。\"There\'snotellin\'howsoonwemayrunaginthesneaks。Wecan\'thunthere。Likeasnotthere\'sHuronsandDelawaresskulkin\'round。IthinkI\'dbettertakeyoubacktothevillage。\"
\"It\'sallonmyaccountyousaythat,\"saidJoe。
\"Sure,\"Wetzelreplied。
\"Ifyouwerealonewhatwouldyoudo？\"
\"IcalkilateI\'dhuntfersomered—skinnedgame。\"
Thesuprememomenthadcome。Joe\'sheartbeathard。Hecouldnotmissthisopportunity;hemuststaywiththehunter。HelookedcloselyatWetzel。
\"Iwon\'tgobacktothevillage,\"hesaid。
Thehunterstoodinhisfavoriteposition,leaningonhislongrifle,andmadenoresponse。
\"Iwon\'tgo,\"continuedJoe,earnestly。\"Letmestaywithyou。IfatanytimeIhamperyou,orcannotkeepthepace,thenleavemetoshiftformyself;butdon\'tmakemegountilIweaken。Letmestay。\"
FireandfearlessnessspokeinJoe\'severyword,andhisgrayeyescontractedwiththeirpeculiarsteelyflash。Plainitwasthat,whilehemightfailtokeeppacewithWetzel,hedidnotfearthisdangerouscountry,and,ifitmustbe,wouldfaceitalone。
Wetzelextendedhisbroadhandandgavehiscomrade\'saviselikesqueeze。Toallowtheladtoremainwithhimwasmorethanhewouldhavedoneforanyotherpersonintheworld。Farbettertokeeptheladunderhisprotectionwhileitwaspossible,forJoewastakingthatwar—trailwhichhadforeveryhunter,somewherealongitsbloodycourse,abullet,aknife,oratomahawk。
WetzelknewthatJoewasconsciousofthisinevitableconclusion,foritshowedinhiswhiteface,andintheresolveinhisbig,grayeyes。
Sothere,intheshadeofatoweringoak,theIndian—killeradmittedtheboyintohisfriendship,andintoalifewhichwouldnolongerbeplay,buteventful,stirring,hazardous。
\"Wal,lad,stay,\"hesaid,withthatraresmilewhichbrightenedhisdarkfacelikearayofstraysunshine。\"We\'llhangroundthesedigginsafewdays。
Firstoff,we\'lltakeinthelayoftheland。Yougodownstreamawaysan\'
scoutroundsome,whileIgoup,an\'thencircledown。Moveslow,now,an\'
don\'tmissnothin\'。\"
Joefollowedthestreamamileormore。Hekeptcloseintheshadeofwillows,andneverwalkedacrossanopengladewithoutfirstwaitingandwatching。Helistenedtoallsounds;butnonewereunfamiliar。Hecloselyexaminedthesandalongthestream,andthemossandleavesunderthetrees。WhenhehadbeenseparatedfromWetzelseveralhours,andconcludedhewouldslowlyreturntocamp,heranacrossawell—beatenpathwindingthroughtheforest。Thiswas,perhaps,oneofthebridle—trailsWetzelhadreferredto。Hebentovertheworngrasswithkeenscrutiny。
CRACK！
Theloudreportofaheavilychargedriflerangout。Joefeltthezipofabulletasitfannedhischeek。Withanagileleaphegainedtheshelterofatree,frombehindwhichhepeepedtoseewhohadshotathim。HewasjustintimetodetectthedarkformofanIndiandartbehindthefoliageanhundredyardsdownthepath。JoeexpectedtoseeotherIndians,andtohearmoreshots,buthewasmistaken。Evidentlythesavagewasalone,forthetreeJoehadtakenrefugebehindwasscarcelylargeenoughtoscreenhisbody,whichdisadvantagetheotherIndianswouldhavebeenquicktonote。
Joecloselywatchedtheplacewherehisassailanthaddisappeared,andpresentlysawadarkhand,thenanakedelbow,andfinallytheramrodofarifle。Thesavagewasreloading。Soonarifle—barrelprotrudedfrombehindthetree。Withhisheartbeatinglikeatrip—hammer,andtheskintighteningonhisface,Joescreenedhisbodyasbesthemight。Thetreewassmall,butitservedasapartialprotection。Rapidlyherevolvedinhismindplanstooutwittheenemy。TheIndianwasbehindalargeoakwithalowlimboverwhichhecouldfirewithoutexposinghisownpersontodanger。
\"Bang！\"TheIndian\'sriflebellowed;thebulletcrumbledthebarkclosetoJoe\'sface。Theladyelled,loudly,staggeredtohisknees,andthenfellintothepath,wherehelayquiet。
Theredskingaveanexultantshout。Seeingthatthefallenfigureremainedquitemotionlesshesteppedforward,drawinghisknifeashecame。Hewasayoungbrave,quickandeagerinhismovements,andcamenimblyupthepathtogainhiscovetedtrophy,thepaleface\'sscalp。
SuddenlyJoesatup,raisedhisriflequicklyasthought,andfiredpoint—blankattheIndian。
Buthemissed。
Theredskinstoppedaghastwhenhesawtheladthusseeminglycomebacktolife。Then,realizingthatJoe\'saimhadbeenfutile,heboundedforward,brandishinghisknife,andutteringinfuriatedyells。
Joerosetohisfeetwithrifleswunghighabovehishead。
Whenthesavagewaswithintwentyfeet,sonearthatbigdark,face,swollenwithfiercepassion,couldbeplainlydiscerned,apeculiarwhistlingnoisesoundedoverJoe\'sshoulder。Itwasaccompanied,ratherthanfollowed,byaclear,ringingrifleshot。
TheIndianstoppedasifhehadencounteredaheavyshockfromatreeorstonebarringhisway。Clutchingathisbreast,heutteredaweirdcry,andsankslowlyonthegrass。
Joeranforwardtobendovertheprostratefigure。TheIndian,aslender,handsomeyoungbrave,hadbeenshotthroughthebreast。Heheldhishandtightlyoverthewound,whilebrightredbloodtrickledbetweenhisfingers,floweddownhisside,andstainedthegrass。
ThebravelookedsteadilyupatJoe。Shotashewas,dyingasheknewhimselftobe,therewasnoyieldinginthedarkeye——onlyanunquenchablehatred。
Thentheeyesglazed;thefingersceasedtwitching。
JoewasbendingoveradeadIndian。
Itflashedintohismind,ofcourse,thatWetzelhadcomeupintimetosavehislife,buthedidnotdwellonthethought;heshrankfromthisviolentdeathofahumanbeing。Butitwasfromtheaspectofthedead,notfromremorseforthedeed。Hisheartbeatfast,hisfingerstrembled,yethefeltonlyastrangecoldnessinallhisbeing。Thesavagehadtriedtokillhim,perhaps,evennow,haditnotbeenforthehunter\'sunerringaim,wouldhavebeengloatingoverabloodyscalp。
Joefelt,ratherthanheard,theapproachofsomeone,andheturnedtoseeWetzelcomingdownthepath。
\"He\'saloneShawneerunner,\"saidthehunter,gazingdownatthedeadIndian。
\"Hewastryin\'towinhiseagleplumes。Iseenyoubothfromthehillside。\"
\"Youdid！\"exclaimedJoe。Thenhelaughed。\"Itwasluckyforme。Itriedthedodgeyoutaughtme,butinmyeagernessImissed。\"
\"Wal,youhadn\'tnocallferhurry。Youworkedthetrickclever,butyoumissedhimwhentherewasplentyoftime。Ihadtoshootoveryourshoulder,orI\'dhevpluggedhimsooner。\"
\"Wherewereyou？\"askedJoe。
\"Uptherebythatbitofsumach？\"andWetzelpointedtoanopenridgeonahillsidenotlessthanonehundredandfiftyyardsdistant。
Joewonderedwhichofthetwobullets,thedeath—seekingonefiredbythesavage,orthelife—savingmissilefromWetzel\'sfatalweapon,hadpassednearesttohim。
\"Come,\"saidthehunter,afterhehadscalpedtheIndian。
\"What\'stobedonewiththissavage？\"inquiredJoe,asWetzelstartedupthepath。
\"Lethimlay。\"
Theyreturnedtocampwithoutfurtherincident。Whilethehunterbusiedhimselfreinforcingtheirtemporaryshelter——forthecloudslookedthreatening——Joecutupsomebuffalomeat,andthenwentdowntothebrookforagourdofwater。HecamehurriedlybacktowhereWetzelwasworking,andspokeinavoicewhichhevainlyendeavorstoholdsteady:
\"Comequickly。Ihaveseensomethingwhichmaymeanagooddeal。\"
Heledthewaydowntothebrookside。
\"Look！\"Joesaid,pointingatthewater。
Herethesteamwasabouttwofeetdeep,perhapstwentywide,andhadjustanoticeablecurrent。Shortlybefore,ithadbeenasclearasabrightsummersky;itwasnowtingedwithyellowcloudsthatslowlyfloateddownstream,eachoneenlargingandbecomingfainterastheclearwaterpermeatedandstained。
Grainsofsandglidedalongwiththecurrent,littlepiecesofbarkfloatedonthesurface,andminnowsdartedtoandfronibblingatthesedriftingparticles。
\"Deerwouldn\'troilthewaterlikethat。Whatdoesitmean？\"askedJoe。
\"Injuns,an\'notferaway。\"
Wetzelreturnedtotheshelterandtoreitdown。Thenhebentthebranchofabeechtreelowovertheplace。Hepulleddownanotherbranchovertheremainsofthecamp—fire。Theseprecautionsmadethespotlessstriking。WetzelknewthatanIndianscoutneverglancescasually;hisrovingeyessurveytheforest,perhapsquickly,butthoroughly。Anunnaturalpositionofbushorlogalwaysleadstoanexamination。
Thisdone,thehuntergraspedJoe\'shandandledhimuptheknoll。Makinghiswaybehindawell—screenedtree,whichhadbeenuprooted,heselectedapositionwhere,hiddenthemselves,theycouldseethecreek。
HardlyhadWetzel,admonishedJoetolieperfectlystill,whenfromashortdistanceupthestreamcamethesoundofsplashingwater;butnothingcouldbeseenabovetheopenglade,asinthatdirectionwillowslinedthecreekindensethickets。Thenoisegrewmoreaudible。
SuddenlyJoefeltamuscularcontractionpassoverthepowerfulframelyingclosebesidehim。Itwasaconvulsivethrillsuchaspassesthroughatigerwhenheisabouttospringuponhisquarry。Sosubtleandstrongwasitsmeaning,soclearlydiditconveytotheladwhatwascoming,thathefeltithimself;savethatinhiscaseitwasacold,chillshudder。
Breathlesssuspensefollowed。ThenintotheopenspacealongthecreekglidedatallIndianwarrior。Hewasknee—deepinthewater,wherehewadedwithlow,cautioussteps。Hisgarish,befrilledcostumeseemedfamiliartoJoe。Hecarriedarifleatalowtrail,andpassedslowlyaheadwithevidentdistrust。
Theladbelievedherecognizedthathead,withitstangledblackhair,andwhenhesawtheswarthy,villainouscountenanceturnedfulltowardhim,heexclaimed:
\"Girty！by———\"
Wetzel\'spowerfularmforcedhimsohardagainstthelogthathecouldnotcompletetheexclamation;buthecouldstillsee。Girtyhadnotheardthatstifledcry,forhecontinuedhisslowwading,andpresentlyhistall,gaudilydecoratedformpassedoutofsight。
Anothersavageappearedintheopenspace,andthenanother。Closebetweenthemwalkedawhiteman,withhandsboundbehindhim。Theprisonerandguardsdisappeareddownstreamamongthewillows。
Thesplashingcontinued——grewevenlouderthanbefore。Awarriorcameintoview,thenanother,andanother。Theywalkedclosetogether。Twomorefollowed。Theywerewadingbythesideofaraftmadeofseverallogs,uponwhichweretwoprostratefiguresthatcloselyresembledhumanbeings。
JoewassointentuponthelitheformsoftheIndiansthathebarelygotaglimpseoftheirfloatingprize,whateveritmighthavebeen。Bringinguptherearwasanathleticwarrior,whosebroadshoulders,sinewyarms,andshaved,polishedheadJoerememberedwell。ItwastheShawneechief,Silvertip。
Whenhe,too,passedoutofsightinthecurveofwillows,Joefoundhimselftrembling。HeturnedeagerlytoWetzel;butinstantlyrecoiled。
Terrible,indeed,hadbeenthehunter\'stransformation。Allcalmnessoffacialexpressionwasgone;hewasnowstern,somber。Anintenseemotionwasvisibleinhiswhiteface;hiseyesseemedreducedtotwodarkshiningpoints,andtheyemittedsofierce,sopiercingaflash,sodeadlyalight,thatJoecouldnotbeartheirglitteringgaze。
\"Threewhitecaptives,twoof\'emwomen,\"utteredthehunter,asifweighinginhismindtheimportanceofthisfact。
\"Werethosewomenontheraft？\"questionedJoe,andasWetzelonlynodded,hecontinued,\"Awhitemanandtwowomen,sixwarriors,Silvertip,andthatrenegade,JimGirty！\"
WetzeldeignednottoanswerJoe\'spassionateoutburst,butmaintainedsilenceandhisrigidposture。Joeglancedoncemoreatthesternface。
\"Consideringwe\'dgoafterGirtyandhisredskinsiftheywerealone,we\'reprettylikelytogoquickernowthatthey\'vegotwhitewomenprisoners,eh？\"
andJoelaughedfiercelybetweenhisteeth。
Thelad\'sheartexpanded,whilealongeverynervetingledanexquisitethrillofexcitement。Hehadyearnedforwild,borderlife。Herehewasinit,withthehunterwhosenamealonewastothesavagesasymbolforallthatwasterrible。
Wetzelevidentlydecidedquicklyonwhatwastobedone,forinfewwordshedirectedJoetocutupsomuchofthebuffalomeatastheycouldstowintheirpockets。Then,biddingtheladtofollow,heturnedintothewoods,walkingrapidly,andstoppingnowandthenforabriefinstant。Soontheyemergedfromtheforestintomoreopencountry。Theyfacedawideplainskirtedontherightbyalong,windingstripofbrightgreenwillowswhichmarkedthecourseofthestream。OntheedgeofthisplainWetzelbrokeintoarun。Hekeptthispaceforadistanceofanhundredyards,thenstoppedtolistenintentlyasheglancedsharplyonallsides,afterwhichhewasoffagain。
HalfwayacrossthisplainJoe\'swindbegantofail,andhisbreathingbecamelabored;buthekeptclosetothehunter\'sheels。Oncehelookedbacktoseeagreatwideexpanseofwavinggrass。Theyhadcoveredperhapsfourmilesatarapidpace,andwerenearingtheothersideoftheplain。Theladfeltasifhisheadwasabouttoburst;asharppainseizeduponhisside;ablood—redfilmobscuredhissight。Hekeptdoggedlyon,andwhenutterlyexhaustedfelltotheground。
When,afewminuteslater,havingrecoveredhisbreath,hegotup,theyhadcrossedtheplainandwereinagroveofbeeches。Directlyinfrontofhimranaswiftstream,whichwasdividedattherockyheadofwhatappearedtobeawoodedisland。Therewasonlyaslightrippleandfallofthewater,and,afterasecondglance,itwasevidentthatthepointoflandwasnotanisland,butaportionofthemainlandwhichdividedthestream。Thebranchestookalmostoppositecourses。
JoewonderediftheyhadheadedofftheIndians。Certainlytheyhadrunfastenough。Hewaswetwithperspiration。HeglancedatWetzel,whowasstandingnear。Theman\'sbroadbreastroseandfellalittlefaster;thatwastheonlyevidenceofexertion。Theladhadapainfulfeelingthathecouldneverkeeppacewiththehunter,ifthisfive—milerunwasasampleofthespeedhewouldbeforcedtomaintain。
\"They\'vegotaheadofus,butwhichcrickdidtheytake？\"queriedWetzel,asthoughdebatingthequestionwithhimself。
\"Howdoyouknowthey\'vepassed？\"
\"Wecircled,\"answeredWetzel,asheshookhisheadandpointedintothebushes。Joesteppedoverandlookedintothethicket。Hefoundaquantityofdeadleaves,sticks,andlitterthrownaside,exposingtolightalong,hollowedplaceontheground。Itwaswhatwouldbeseenafterrollingoveralogthathadlainforalongtime。Littlefurrowsintheground,holes,mounds,andcuriouswindingpassagesshowedwheregrubsandcricketshadmadetheirhomes。Thefrightenedinsectswerenowrunningroundwildly。
\"Whatwashere？Alog？\"
\"Atwenty—footcanoewashidunderthetstuff。TheInjunshastakenoneofthesestreams。\"
\"Howcanwetellwhichone？\"
\"Mebbewecan\'t;butwe\'lltry。Grabupafewofthembugs,gobelowthetrockypoint,an\'crawlclosetothebanksoyoucanjestpeepover。Bekeerfulnottoshowthetipofyourhead,an\'don\'tknocknothin\'off\'enthebankintothewater。Watchfertrout。Lookeverywheres,an\'dropinabugnowandthen。I\'lldothesamefertheotherstream。Thenwe\'llcomebackherean\'
talkoverwhatthefishhastosayabouttheInjuns。\"
Joewalkeddownstreamafewpaces,and,droppingonhisknees,crawledcarefullytotheedgeofthebank。Heslightlypartedthegrasssohecouldpeepthrough,andfoundhimselfdirectlyoverapoolwithanarrowshoalrunningoutfromtheoppositebank。Thewaterwassoclearhecouldseethepebblybottominallparts,exceptadarkholenearabendintheshorecloseby。Hedidnotseealivingthinginthewater,notacrawfish,turtle,norevenafrog。Hepeeredroundclosely,thenflippedinoneofthebugshehadbroughtalong。Ashinyyellowfishflaredupfromthedepthsofthedeepholeanddisappearedwiththecricket;butitwasabassorapike,notatrout。
Wetzelhadsaidtherewereafewtroutlivingnearthecoolspringsofthesestreams。Theladtriedagaintocoaxonetothesurface。Thistimethemorefortunatecricketswamandhoppedacrossthestreamtosafety。
WhenJoe\'seyeswerethoroughlyaccustomedtotheclearwater,withitsdeceivinglightsandshades,hesawafishlyingsnugunderthesideofastone。Theladthoughtherecognizedthesnub—nose,thehooked,wolfishjaw,buthecouldnotgetsufficientofaviewtoclassifyhim。Hecrawledtoamoreadvantageouspositionfartherdownstream,andthenhepeeredagainthroughthewoods。Yes,sureenough,hehadespiedatrout。Hewellknewthosespottedsilversides,thatbroad,squaretail。Suchamonster！Inhisadmirationforthefellow,andhiswishforahookandlinetotryconclusionswithhim,Joemomentarilyforgothisobject。Remembering,hetossedoutabig,fatcricket,whichalightedonthewaterjustabovethefish。Thetroutnevermoved,norevenblinked。Theladtriedagain,withnobettersuccess。Thefishwouldnotrise。ThereuponJoereturnedtothepointwherehehadleftWetzeL
\"Icouldn\'tseenothin\'overthere,\"saidthehunter,whowaswaiting。\"Didyouseeany？\'
\"One,andabigfellow。\"
\"Didheseeyou？\"
\"No。\"
\"Didherisetoabug？\"
\"No,hedidn\'t;butthenmaybehewasn\'thungry\"answeredJoe,whocouldnotunderstandwhatWetzelwasdrivingat。
\"Tellmeexactlywhathedid。\"
\"That\'sjustthetrouble;hedidn\'tdoanything,\"repliedJoe,thoughtfully。
\"Hejustlaylow,stifflike,underastone。Heneverbattedaneye。Buthisside—finsquiveredlikeanaspenleaf。\"
\"Themside—finstellusthestory。Girty,an\'hisredskinshevtookthisbranch,\"saidWetzel,positively。\"TheotherleadstotheHurontowns。
Girty\'sgotaplaceneartheDelawarecampsomewheres。I\'vetriedtofinditagoodmanytimes。He\'stookmore\'nonewhitelassthere,an\'nobodyeverseenheragin。\"
\"Fiend！Tothinkofawhitewoman,maybeagirllikeNellWells,atthemercyofthosereddevils！\"
\"Youngfellar,don\'tgowrong。I\'llallowInjunsisbadenough;butIneverhearntellofoneabusin\'awhitewoman,asmayhapyoumean。Injunsmarrywhitewomensometimes;killan\'scalp\'emoften,butthat\'sall。It\'smenofourowncolor,renegadeslikethisGirty,asdoworse\'nmurder。\"
HerewastheamazingcircumstanceofLewisWetzel,theacknowledgedunsatiablefoeofallredmen,speakingagoodwordforhisenemies。Joewassoastonishedhedidnotattempttoanswer。
\"Here\'swheretheygotinthecanoe。Onemorelook,an\'thenwe\'reoff,\"saidWetzel。Hestrodeupanddownthesandybeach;examinedthewillows,andscrutinizedthesand。Suddenlyhebentoverandpickedupanobjectfromthewater。Hissharpeyeshadcaughttheglintofsomethingwhite,which,uponbeingexamined,provedtobeasmallivoryorbonebucklewithapiecebrokenout。HeshowedittoJoe。
\"Byheavens！Wetzel,that\'sabuckleoffNellWell\'sshoe。I\'veseenittoomanytimestomistakeit。\"
\"IwasafearedGirtyhedyourfriends,thesisters,an\'mebbeyourbrother,too。JackZanesaidtherenegadewashangin\'roundthevillage,an\'thatcouldn\'tbefernogood。\"
\"Comeon。Let\'skillthefiend！\"criedJoe,whitetothelips。
\"Icalkilatethey\'reaboutamiledownstream,makin\'campferthenight。I
knowtheplace。There\'safinespring,an,look！D\'yeseethemcrowsflyin\'
roundthetbigoakwiththebleachedtop？Hearthemcawin\'？Youmightthinktheywaschasin\'ahawk,orking—birdswerearter\'em,butthetfussthey\'remakin\'isbecausetheyseeInjuns。\"
\"Well？\"askedJoe,impatiently。
\"It\'llbemoonlightawhileartermidnight。Welllaylowan\'wait,an\'
then———\"
Thesharpclickofhisteeth,likethesnapofasteeltrap,completedthesentence。Joesaidnomore,butfollowedthehunterintothewoods。Stoppingnearafallentree,Wetzelrakedupabundleofleavesandspreadthemontheground。Thenhecutafewspreadingbranchesfromabeech,andleanedthemagainstalog。Biddingtheladcrawlinbeforehetookonelastlookaroundandthenmadehiswayundertheshelter。