第2章
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。