\"Thisain\'tcomfortable,\"growledZane,inalowwhisper。\"Themreddevilsareuptosomethin\'bad。They\'dbetternotmoveroundoverhere。\"
Thehunters,satisfiedthatthetwoisolatedsavagesmeantmischief,turnedtheirgazeoncemoretowardthemaplegrove。
\"Ah！Simonyouwhitetraitor！Seehim,Lew,comin\'withhispreciousgang,\"
saidJonathan。\"He\'sgotthewholethingfixed,youcanplainlyseethat。BillElliott,McKee;andwho\'sthatrenegadewithJimGirty？I\'llallowhemustbethefellarweheardwaswiththeChippewas。Toughlookin\'customer;agoodmateferJimGirty！Afinelotofborder—hawks！\"
\"Somethin\'comin\'off,\"whisperedWetzel,asZane\'slowgrowlgrewunintelligible。
Jonathanfelt,ratherthansaw,Wetzeltremble。
\"Themissionariesareconsultin\'。Ah！therecomesone！Which？Iguessit\'sEdwards。Bygum！who\'sthatInjunstalkin\'overfromthehostilebunch。Bigchief,whoeverheis。Blestifitain\'tHalfKing！\"
ThewatcherssawthechiefwavehisarmandspeakwithevidentarroganceofEdwards,who,however,advancedtotheplatformandraisehishandtoaddresstheChristians。
\"Crack！\"
Ashotrangoutfromthethicket。Clutchingwildlyathisbreast,themissionaryreeledback,staggered,andfell。
\"Oneofthoseskulkin\'redskinshaskilledEdwards,\"saidZane。\"But,no;he\'snotdead！He\'sgettin\'up。Mebbeheain\'thurtbad。Bygum！there\'sYoungcomin\'forward。Ofallthefools！\"
ItwasindeedtruethatYounghadfacedtheIndians。HalfKingaddressedhimashehadtheother;butYoungraisedhishandandbeganspeaking。
\"Crack！\"
Anothershotrangout。Youngthrewuphishandsandfellheavily。Themissionariesrushedtowardhim。Mr。Wellsranroundthegroup,wringinghishandsasifdistracted。
\"He\'shardhit,\"hissedZane,betweenhisteeth。\"Youcantellthatbythewayhefell。\"
Wetzeldidnotanswer。Helaysilentandmotionless,hislongbodyrigid,andhisfacelikemarble。
\"Therecomestheotheryoungfellar——Joe\'sbrother。He\'llgetplugged,too,\"
continuedZane,whisperingrathertohimselfthantohiscompanion。\"Oh,I
hopedthey\'dshowsomesense！It\'snobleforthemtodieforChristianity,butitwon\'tdonogood。Bygum！Heckewelderhaspulledhimback。Now,that\'sgoodjudgment！\"
HalfKingsteppedbeforetheChristiansandaddressedthem。Heheldinhishandablackwar—club,whichhewieldedashespoke。
Jonathan\'sattentionwasnowdirectedfromthemaplegrovetothehunterbesidehim。Hehadheardaslightmetallicclick,asWetzelcockedhisrifle。
Thenhesawtheblackbarrelslowlyrise。
\"Listen,Lew。Mebbeitain\'tgoodsense。We\'reafterGirty,youremember;andit\'salongshotfromhere——fullthreehundredyards。\"
\"You\'reright,Jack,you\'reright,\"answeredWetzel,breathinghard。
\"Let\'swait,andseewhatcomesoff。\"
\"Jack,Ican\'tdoit。It\'llmakeourjobharder;butIcan\'thelpit。IcanputabulletjustovertheHuron\'slefteye,an\'I\'mgoin\'todoit。\"
\"Youcan\'tdoit,Lew;youcan\'t！It\'stoofarforanygun。Wait！Wait！\"
whisperedJonathan,layinghishandonWetzel\'sshoulder。
\"Wait？Man,can\'tyouseewhattheunnamablevillainisdoin\'？\"
\"What？\"askedZane,turninghiseyesagaintotheglade。
TheconvertedIndianssatwithbowedheads。HalfKingraisedhiswar—club,andthrewitonthegroundinfrontofthem。
\"He\'sannouncin\'thedeathdecree！\"hissedWetzel。
\"Well！ifheain\'t！\"
JonathanlookedatWetzel\'sface。Thenherosetohisknees,ashadWetzel,andtightenedhisbelt。Heknewthatinanotherinstanttheywouldbespeedingawaythroughtheforest。
\"Lew,myrifle\'snogoodferthatdistance。Butmebbeyoursis。Yououghttoknow。It\'snotsense,becausethere\'sSimonGirty,andthere\'sJim,themenwe\'reafter。Ifyoucanhitone,youcananother。Butgoahead,Lew。Plugthatcowardlyredskin！\"
Wetzelkneltononeknee,andthrusttheblackrifleforwardthroughthefernleaves。Slowlythefatalbarrelrosetoalevel,andbecameasmotionlessastheimmovablestones。
JonathanfixedhiskeengazeonthehaughtycountenanceofHalfKingashestoodwithfoldedarmsandscornfulmieninfrontoftheChristianshehadjustcondemned。
Evenastheshort,stingingcrackofWetzel\'sriflebrokethesilence,JonathansawthefierceexpressionofHalfKing\'sdarkfacechangetooneofvacantwildness。Hisarmsneverrelaxedfromtheirfoldedposition。Hefell,asfallsamonarchoftheforesttrees,adeadweight。
ChapterXXV。
\"Pleasedonotpreachto—day,\"saidNell,raisinghereyesimploringlytoJim\'sface。
\"Nellie,Imustconducttheservicesasusual。Icannotshirkmyduty,norlettheserenegadesseeIfeartofacethem。\"
\"Ihavesuchaqueerfeeling。Iamafraid。Idon\'twanttobeleftalone。
Pleasedonotleaveme。\"
Jimstrodenervouslyupanddownthelengthoftheroom。Nell\'swornface,herbeseechingeyesandtremblinghandstouchedhisheart。Ratherthanalmostanythingelse,hedesiredtopleaseher,tostrengthenher;yethowcouldheshirkhisduty？
\"Nellie,whatisityoufear？\"heasked,holdingherhandstightly。
\"Oh,Idon\'tknowwhat——everything。Uncleisgrowingweakereveryday。LookatMr。Young;heisonlyashadowofhisformerself,andthisanxietyiswearingMr。Heckewelderout。Heismoreconcernedthanhedaresadmit。Youneedn\'tshakeyourhead,forIknowit。ThenthoseIndianswhoarewaiting,waiting——forGodonlyknowswhat！Worsethanalltome,Isawthatrenegade,thatfearfulbeastwhomadewaywithpoordearKate！\"
Nellburstintotears,andleanedsobbingonJim\'sshoulder。
\"Nell,I\'vekeptmycourageonlybecauseofyou,\"repliedJim,hisvoicetremblingslightly。
Shelookedupquickly。Somethinginthepalefacewhichwasbentoverhertoldthatnow,ifever,wasthetimeforawomantoforgetherself,andtocheer,toinspirethosearoundher。
\"Iamasillybaby,andselfish！\"shecried,freeingherselffromhishold。
\"Alwaysthinkingofmyself。\"Sheturnedawayandwipedthetearsfromhereyes。\"Go,Jim,doyouduty;I\'llstandbyandhelpyouallawomancan。\"
ThemissionarieswereconsultinginHeckewelder\'scabin。Zeisbergerhadreturnedthatmorning,andhisaggressive,dominatingspiritwasjustwhattheyneededinanhourlikethis。Heraisedthedowncastspiritsoftheministers。
\"Holdtheservice？Ishouldsaywewill,\"hedeclared,wavinghishands。
\"Whathavewetobeafraidof？\"
\"Idonotknow,\"answeredHeckewelder,shakinghisheaddoubtfully。\"Idonotknowwhattofear。Girtyhimselftoldmeheboreusnoillwill;butIhardlybelievehim。Allthissilence,thisominouswaitingperplexes,bewildersme。\"
\"Gentlemen,ourdutyatleastisplain,\"saidJim,impressively。\"ThefaithoftheseChristianIndiansinusissoabsolutethattheyhavenofear。TheybelieveinGod,andinus。ThesethreateningsavageshavefailedsignallytoimpressourChristians。IfwedonotholdtheservicetheywillthinkwefearGirty,andthatmighthaveabadinfluence。\"
\"Iaminfavorofpostponingthepreachingforafewdays。ItellyouIamafraidofGirty\'sIndians,notformyself,butfortheseChristianswhomwelovesowell。Iamafraid。\"Heckewelder\'sfaceboretestimonytohisanxiousdread。
\"Youareourleader;wehavebuttoobey,\"saidEdwards。\"YetIthinkweoweittoourconvertstosticktoourworkuntilweareforcedbyviolencetodesist。\"
\"Ah！Whatformwillthatviolencetake？\"criedHeckewelder,hisfacewhite。
\"Youcannottellwhatthesesavagesmean。Ifear！Ifear！\"
\"Listen,Heckewelder,youmustrememberwehadthistogothroughoncebefore,\"putinZeisbergerearnestly。\"In\'78Girtycamedownonuslikeawolfonthefold。HehadnotsomanyIndiansathisbeckandcallasnow;butheharanguedfordays,tryingtoscareusandourhandfulofChristians。Hesethisdrunkenfiendstofrightenus,andhefailed。Westuckitoutandwon。He\'stryingthesamegame。Letusstandagainsthim,andholdourservicesasusual。WeshouldtrustinGod！\"
\"Nevergiveup！\"criedJim。
\"Gentlemen,youareright;youshameme,eventhoughIfeelthatIunderstandthesituationanditsdreadpossibilitiesbetterthananyoneofyou。Whateverbefallswe\'llsticktoourpost。Ithankyouforrevivingthespiritinmycowardlyheart。Wewillholdtheserviceto—dayasusualandtomakeitmoreimpressive,eachshalladdressthecongregationinturn。\"
\"And,ifneedbe,wewillgiveourlivesforourChristians,\"saidYoung,raisinghispaleface。
Thedeepmellowpealsofthechurchbellawoketheslumberingechoes。
ScarcelyhaditsmelodydiedawayintheforestwhenalineofIndiansissuedfromthechurchandmarchedtowardthemaplegrove。Men,women,youths,maidensandchildren。
Glickhican,theoldDelawarechief,headedtheline。Hisstepwasfirm,hisheaderect,hisfacecalminitsnobleausterity。Hisfollowerslikewiseexpressedintheircountenancesthesteadfastnessoftheirbelief。Themaidens\'headswerebowed,butwithshyness,notfear。Thechildrenwerehappy,theirbrightfacesexpressiveofthejoythefeltintheanticipationoflisteningtotheirbelovedteachers。
Thisprocessionpassedbetweenrowsofpaintedsavages,standingimmovable,withfoldedarms,andsombereyes。
NosoonerhadtheChristiansreachedthemaplegrove,whenfromallovertheclearingappearedhostileIndians,whotookpositionsneartheknollwherethemissionariesstood。
Heckewelder\'sfaithfullittlebandawaitedhimontheplatform。TheconvertedIndiansseatedthemselvesasusualatthefootoftheknoll。Theothersavagescrowdedcloselyonbothsides。Theycarriedtheirweapons,andmaintainedthesamesilencethathadsosingularlymarkedtheirmoodofthelasttwenty—fourhours。Nohumanskillcouldhavedivinedtheirintention。
Thiscoldnessmightbeonlyhabitualreserve,anditmightbeanythingelse。
HeckewelderapproachedatthesametimethatSimonGirtyandhisbandofrenegadesappeared。WiththerenegadeswerePipeandHalfKing。Thesetwocameslowlyacrosstheclearing,passedthroughtheopeninginthecrowd,andstoppedclosetotheplatform。
Heckewelderwenthurriedlyuptohismissionaries。Heseemedbesidehimselfwithexcitement,andspokewithdifficulty。
\"Donotpreachto—day。Ihavebeenwarnedagain,\"hesaid,inalowvoice。
\"Doyouforbidit？\"inquiredEdwards。
\"No,no。Ihavenotthatauthority,butIimploreit。Wait,waituntiltheIndiansareinabettermood。\"
Edwardsleftthegroup,and,steppingupontheplatform,facedtheChristians。
AtthesamemomentHalfKingstalkedmajesticallyfrombeforehisparty。Hecarriednoweaponsaveablack,knottedwar—club。Asurgingforwardofthecrowdofsavagesbehindhimshowedtheintenseinterestwhichhisactionhadaroused。Hewalkedforwarduntilhestoodhalfwaybetweentheplatformandtheconverts。HeranhisevilglanceslowlyovertheChristians,andthenrestedituponEdwards。
\"HalfKing\'sordersaretobeobeyed。Letthepalefacekeephismouthclosed,\"
hecriedintheIndiantongue。Theimperiouscommandcameasathunderboltfromaclearsky。ThemissionariesbehindEdwardsstoodbewildered,awaitingtheoutcome。
ButEdwards,withoutamoment\'shesitation,calmlyliftedhishandandspoke。
\"BelovedChristians,wemeetto—dayaswehavemetbefore,aswehopetomeetin———\"
\"Spang！\"
ThewhistlingofabulletovertheheadsoftheChristiansaccompaniedtheloudreportofarifle。Allpresentlyplainlyheardtheleadenmissilestrike。
Edwardswheeled,clutchinghisside,breathedhard,andthenfellheavilywithoututteringacry。HehadbeenshotbyanIndianconcealedinthethicket。
Foramomentnoonemoved,norspoke。themissionarieswerestrickenwithhorror;theconvertsseemedturnedtostone,andthehostilethrongwaitedsilently,astheyhadforhours。
\"He\'sshot！He\'sshot！Oh,Ifearedthis！\"criedHeckewelder,runningforward。
Themissionariesfollowedhim。Edwardswaslyingonhisback,withabloodyhandpressedtohisside。
\"Dave,Dave,howisitwithyou？\"askedHeckewelder,inavoicelowwithfear。
\"Notbad。It\'stoofarouttobebad,butitknockedmeover,\"answeredEdwards,weakly。\"Giveme——water。\"
Theycarriedhimfromtheplatform,andlaidhimonthegrassunderatree。
YoungpressedEdwards\'hand;hemurmuredsomethingthatsoundedlikeaprayer,andthenwalkedstraightupontheplatform,asheraisedhisface,whichwassublimewithawhitelight。
\"Paleface！Back！\"roaredHalfKing,ashewavedhiswar—club。
\"YouIndiandog！Besilent！\"
Young\'sclearvoicerolledoutonthequietairsoimperiously,sopowerfulinitswonderfulscornandpassion,thatthehostilesavageswereovercomebyawe,andtheChristiansthrilledanewwithreverentiallove。
Youngspokeagaininavoicewhichhadlostitspassion,andwassingularlysweetinitsrichness。
\"BelovedChristians,ifitisGod\'swillthatwemustdietoproveourfaith,thenaswehavetaughtyouhowtolive,sowecanshowyouhowtodie———\"
\"Spang！\"
Againawhistlingsoundcamewiththebellowofanoverchargedrifle;againthesickeningthudofabulletstrikingflesh。
Youngfellbackwardsfromtheplatform。
ThemissionarieslaidhimbesideEdwards,andthenstoodinshudderingsilence。AsmileshoneonYoung\'spaleface;astreamofdarkbloodwelledfromhisbreast。Hislipsmoved;hewhispered:
\"Iasknomore——God\'swill。\"
Jimlookeddownonceathisbrothermissionaries;thenwithblanchedface,butresoluteandstern,hemarchedtowardtheplatform。
Heckewelderranafterhim,anddraggedhimback。
\"No！no！no！MyGod！Wouldyoubekilled？Oh！Itriedtopreventthis！\"criedHeckewelder,wringinghishands。
Onelong,fierce,exultantyellpealedthroughoutthegrove。Itcamefromthosesilentbreastsinwhichwaspentuphatred;itgreetedthisactionwhichproclaimedvictoryoverthemissionaries。
AlleyesturnedonHalfKing。WithmeasuredstridehepacedtoandfrobeforetheChristianIndians。
Neithercoweringnorshrinkingmarkedtheirmanner;toaman,toachild,theyrosewithproudmien,headserectandeyesflashing。Thismightychiefwithhisblood—thirstycrewcouldburntheVillageofPeace,couldannihilatetheChristians,buthecouldneverchangetheirhopeandtrustinGod。
\"Blindedfools！\"criedHalfKing。\"TheHuroniswise;hetellsnolies。ManymoonsagohetoldtheChristianstheyweresittinghalfwaybetweentwoangrygods,whostoodwithmouthsopenwideandlookingferociouslyateachother。
Iftheydidnotmovebackoutoftheroadtheywouldbegroundtopowderbytheteethofoneortheother,orboth。HalfKingurgedthemtoleavethepeacefulvillage,toforgetthepalefaceGod;totaketheirhorses,andflocks,andreturntotheirhomes。TheChristiansscornedtheHuronKing\'scounsel。ThesunhassetfortheVillageofPeace。Thetimehascome。PipeandtheHuronarepowerful。TheywillnotlistentothepalefaceGod。TheywillburntheVillageofPeace。DeathtotheChristians！\"
HalfKingthrewtheblackwar—clubwithapassionateenergyonthegrassbeforetheIndians。
Theyheardthisdecreeofdeathwithunflinchingfront。Eventhechildrenwerequiet。Notafacepaled,notaneyewaslowered。
HalfKingcasttheirdoomintheirteeth。TheChristianseyedhimwithunspokenscorn。
\"MyGod！MyGod！ItisworsethanIthought！\"moanedHeckewelder。\"Utterruin！
Murder！Murder！\"
Inthemomentarysilencewhichfollowedhisoutburst,atinycloudofblue—whitesmokecamefromthefernsoverhangingacliff。
Crack！
Allheardtheshotofarifle;allnoticedthedifferencebetweenitsclear,ringingintonationandtheloudreportsoftheothertwo。Alldistinctlyheardthezipofabulletasitwhistledovertheirheads。
All？No,notall。Onedidnothearthatspeedingbullet。Hewhowasthecentralfigureinthistragicscene,hewhohaddoomedtheChristiansmighthaveseenthattinypuffofsmokewhichheraldedhisowndoom,butbeforetheringingreportcouldreachhisearsasmallblueholeappeared,asifbymagic,overhislefteye,andpulse,andsense,andlifehadfledforever。
HalfKing,great,cruelchieftain,stoodstillforaninstantasifhehadbeenanimageofstone;hishaughtyheadlostitserectpoise,thefiercenessseemedtofadefromhisdarkface,hisproudplumewavedgracefullyasheswayedtoandfro,andthenfellbeforetheChristians,inertandlifeless。
Noonemoved;itwasasifnoonebreathed。Thesuperstitioussavagesawaitedfearfullyanotherrifleshot;anotherlightningstroke,anothervisitationfromthepaleface\'sGod。
ButJimGirty,withacunningbornofhisterriblefear,hadrecognizedtheringofthatrifle。HehadfeltthezipofabulletwhichcouldjustasreadilyhavefoundhisbrainasHalfKing\'s。HehadstoodthereasfairamarkasthecruelHuron,yettheAvengerhadnotchosenhim。Washereservedforadifferentfate？WasnotsuchadeathtoomercifulforthefrontierDeathshead？
Heyelledinhiscravenfear:
\"LeventdelaMort！\"
Thewellknown,dreadedappellationarousedthesavagesfromafearfulstuporintoafiercemanifestationofhatred。Atremendousyellrenttheair。
Instantlythescenechanged。
ChapterXXVI。
IntheconfusionthemissionariescarriedYoungandEdwardsintoMr。Wells\'
cabin。Nell\'scalm,whitefaceshowedthatshehadexpectedsomesuchcatastropheasthis,butsheofallwastheleastexcited。HeckewelderleftthematthecabinandhurriedawaytoconsultCaptainWilliamson。WhileZeisberger,whowasskilledinsurgery,attendedtothewoundedmen,Jimbarredtheheavydoor,shuttherude,swingingwindows,andmadethecabintemporarilyarefugefromprowlingsavages。
Outsidetheclamorincreased。Shrillyellsrenttheair,long,rollingwar—criessoundedaboveallthedin。Themeasuredstampofmoccasinedfeet,therushofIndianspastthecabin,thedullthudofhatchetsstruckhardintothetrees——allattestedtotheexcitementofthesavages,andtheimminenceofterribledanger。
InthefrontroomofMr。Wells\'cabinEdwardslayonabed,hisfaceturnedtothewall,andhissideexposed。Therewasabloodyholeinhiswhiteskin。
Zeisbergerwasprobingforthebullet。Hehadnoinstruments,savethoseofhisownmanufacture,andtheyweredarningneedleswithbentpoints,andalongknife—bladegroundthin。
\"There,Ihaveit,\"saidZeisberger。\"Holdstill,Dave。There！\"AsEdwardsmoanedZeisbergerdrewforththebloodybullet。\"Jim,washanddressthiswound。Itisn\'tbad。Davewillbeallrightinacoupleofdays。NowI\'lllookatGeorge。\"
Zeisbergerhurriedintotheotherroom。Younglaywithquietfaceandclosedeyes,breathingfaintly。Zeisbergeropenedthewoundedman\'sshirtandexposedthewound,whichwasontherightside,ratherhighup。Nell,whohadfollowedZeisbergerthatshemightbeofsomeassistanceifneeded,sawhimlookatthewoundandthenturnapalefaceawayforasecond。Thathurried,shudderingmovementofthesober,practicalmissionarywasmostsignificant。ThenhebentoverYoungandinsertedonoftheprobesintothewound。Hepushedthesteelaninch,two,three,fourinchesintoYoung\'sbreast,butthelatterneithermovednormoaned。Zeisbergershookhishead,andfinallyremovedtheinstrument。Heraisedthesufferer\'sshouldertofindthebedsaturatedwithblood。Thebulletwoundextendedcompletelythroughthemissionary\'sbody,andwasbleedingfromtheback。Zeisbergerfoldedstripsoflinseyclothintosmallpadsandboundthemtightlyoverbothaperturesofthewound。
\"Howishe？\"askedJim,whentheamateursurgeonreturnedtotheotherroom,andproceededtowashthebloodfromhishands。
Zeisbergershookhisheadgloomily。
\"HowisGeorge？\"whisperedEdwards,whohadheardJim\'squestion。
\"Shotthroughtherightlung。Humanskillcannotaidhim！OnlyGodcansave。\"
\"Didn\'tIhearathirdshot？\"whisperedDave,gazingroundwithsad,questioningeyes。\"Heckewelder？\"
\"Issafe。HehasgonetoseeWilliamson。Youdidhearathirdshot。HalfKingfelldeadwithabulletoverhislefteye。HehadjustfoldedhisarmsinagrandposeafterhisdeathdecreetotheChristians。\"
\"AjudgmentofGod！\"
\"Itdoesseemso,butitcameintheformofleadendeathfromWetzel\'sunerringrifle。Doyouhearallthatyelling？HalfKing\'sdeathhassettheIndianswild。\"
Therewasagentleknockatthedoor,andthentheword,\"Open,\"inHeckewelder\'svoice。
Jimunbarredthedoor。Heckeweldercameincarryingoverhisshoulderwhatapparentlywasasackofmeal。HewasaccompaniedbyyoungChristy。
Heckewelderputthebagdown,openedit,andliftedoutalittleIndianboy。
Thechildgazedroundwithfearfuleyes。
\"SaveBenny！SaveBenny！\"hecried,runningtoNell,andsheclaspedhimcloselyinherarms。
Heckewelder\'sfacewaslikemarbleasheaskedconcerningEdwards\'condition。
\"I\'mnotbadlyoff,\"saidthemissionarywithasmile。
\"How\'sGeorge？\"whisperedHeckewelder。
Nooneansweredhim。Zeisbergerraisedhishands。AllfollowedHeckewelderintotheotherroom,whereYounglayinthesamepositionaswhenfirstbroughtin。Heckewelderstoodgazingdownintothewanfacewithitsterriblysignificantsmile。
\"Ibroughthimouthere。Ipersuadedhimtocome！\"whisperedHeckewelder。
\"Oh,AlmightyGod！\"hecried。Hisvoicebroke,andhisprayerendedwiththemuteeloquenceofclaspedhandsanduplifted,appealingface。
\"Comeout,\"saidZeisberger,leadinghimintothelargerroom。Theothersfollowed,andJimclosedthedoor。
\"What\'stobedone？\"saidZeisberger,withhispracticalcommonsense。\"WhatdidWilliamsonsay？Telluswhatyoulearned？\"
\"Wait——directly,\"answeredHeckewelder,sittingdownandcoveringhisfacewithhishands。Therewasalongsilence。Atlengthheraisedhiswhitefaceandspokecalmly:
\"Gentlemen,theVillageofPeaceisdoomed。IentreatedCaptainWilliamsontohelpus,butherefused。Saidhedarednotinterfere。IprayedthathewouldspeakatleastawordtoGirty,buthedeniedmyrequest。\"
\"Wherearetheconverts？\"
\"Imprisonedinthechurch,everyoneofthemexceptBenny。Mr。ChristyandI
hidthechildinthemealsackandwerethusabletogethimhere。Wemustsavehim。\"
\"Savehim？\"askedNell,lookingfromHeckeweldertothetremblingIndianboy。
\"Nellie,thesavageshavedrivenallourChristiansintothechurch,andshutthemupthere,untilGirtyandhismenshallgivethewordtocompletetheirfiendishdesign。Theconvertsaskedbutonefavor——anhourinwhichtopray。
Itwasgranted。Thesavagesintendtomurderthemall。\"
\"Oh！Horrible！Monstrous！\"criedNell。\"Howcantheybesoinhuman？\"SheliftedBennyupinherarms。\"They\'llnevergetyou,myboy。We\'llsaveyou——I\'llsaveyou！\"Thechildmoanedandclungtoherneck。
\"TheyarescouringtheclearingnowforChristians,andwillsearchallthecabins。I\'mpositive。\"
\"Willtheycomehere？\"askedNell,turningherblazingeyesonHeckewelder。
\"Undoubtedly。WemusttrytohideBenny。Letmethink;wherewouldbeagoodplace？We\'lltryadarkcorneroftheloft。\"
\"No,no,\"criedNell。
\"PutBennyinYoung\'sbed,\"suggestedJim。
\"No,no,\"criedNell。
\"Puthiminabucketandlethimdowninthewell,\"whisperedEdwards,whohadlistenedintentlytotheconversation。
\"That\'sacapitalplace,\"saidHeckewelder。\"Butmighthenotfalloutanddrown？\"
\"Tiehiminthebucket,\"saidJim。
\"No,no,no,\"criedNell。
\"ButNellie,wemustdecideuponahidingplace,andinahurry。\"
\"I\'llsaveBenny。\"
\"You？Willyoustayheretofacethosemen？JimGirtyandDeeringaresearchingthecabins。Couldyoubearittoseethem？Youcouldn\'t。\"
\"Oh！No,Ibelieveitwouldkillme！Thatman！thatbeast！willhecomehere？\"
Nellgrewghastlypale,andlookedasifabouttofaint。SheshrunkinhorroratthethoughtofagainfacingGirty。\"ForGod\'ssake,Heckewelder,don\'tlethimseeme！Don\'tlethimcomein！Don\'t！\"
Evenastheimploringvoiceceasedaheavythumpsoundedonthedoor。
\"Who\'sthere？\"demandedHeckewelder。
Thump！Thump！
Theheavyblowsshookthecabin。Thepansrattledontheshelves。Noanswercamefromwithout。
\"Quick！HideBenny！It\'sasmuchasourlivesareworthtohavehimfoundhere,\"criedHeckewelderinafiercewhisper,ashedartedtowardthedoor。
\"Allright,allright,inamoment,\"hecalledout,fumblingoverthebar。