第5章

"Supposeyoudid——whatthen？"askedJim,severely。

"Why——nothing——seehere,mayn"tIadmireaprettygirlifIwant？"

"No,youmaynot。Joe,willnothingevercureyou？IshouldthinkthethoughtofMissWells———"

"Lookhere,Jim;shedon"tcare——atleast,it"sverylittleshecares。AndI"m——I"mnotworthyofher。"

"Turnaroundhereandfaceme,"saidtheyoungministersharply。

Joeturnedandlookedinhisbrother"seyes。

"Haveyoutrifledwithher,asyouhavewithsomanyothers？Tellme。Iknowyoudon"tlie。"

"No。"

"Thenwhatdoyoumean？"

"Nothingmuch,Jim,exceptI"mreallynotworthyofher。I"mnogood,youknow,andsheoughttogetafellowlike——likeyou。"

"Absurd！Yououghttobeashamedofyourself。"

"Nevermindme。Seehere;don"tyouadmireher？"

"Why——why,yes,"stammeredJim,flushingadark,guiltyredatthedirectquestion。"Whocouldhelpadmiringher？"

"That"swhatIthought。AndIknowsheadmiresyouforqualitieswhichIlack。

Nell"slikeatendervinejustbeginningtocreeparoundandclingtosomethingstrong。Shecaresforme;butherloveislikethevine。Itmayhurtheralittletotearthatloveaway,butitwon"tkillher;andintheenditwillbebestforher。Youneedagoodwife。WhatcouldIdowithawoman？Goinandwinher,Jim。"

"Joe,you"resacrificingyourselfagainforme,"criedJim,whitetothelips。

"It"swrongtoyourselfandwrongtoher。Itellyou———"

"Enough！"Joe"svoicecutincoldandsharp。"Usuallyyouinfluenceme;butsometimesyoucan"t;Isaythis:Nellwilldriftintoyourarmsassurelyastheleaffalls。Itwillnothurther——willbebestforher。Remember,sheisyoursforthewinning。"

"Youdonotsaywhetherthatwillhurtyou,"whisperedJim。

"Come——we"llfindColonelZane,"saidJoe,openingthedoor。

Theywentoutinthehallwaywhichopenedintotheyardaswellasthelargerroomthroughwhichthecolonelhadfirstconductedthem。AsJim,whowasinadvance,passedintothisapartmentatrimfigureenteredfromtheyard。ItwasNell,andsherandirectlyagainsthim。Herfacewasflushed,hereyeswerebeamingwithgladness,andsheseemedtheincarnationofgirlishjoy。

"Oh,Joe,"wasallshewhispered。Butthehappinessandwelcomeinthatwhispercouldneverhavebeenbetterexpressedinlongerspeech。Thenslightly,eversoslightly,shetiltedhersweetfaceuptohis。

Itallhappenedwiththequicknessofthought。InasingleinstantJimsawtheradiantface,theoutstretchedhands,andheardthegladwhisper。HeknewthatshehadaagainmistakenhimforJoe;butforhislifehecouldnotdrawbackhishead。Hehadkissedher,andevenashislipsthrilledwithhertremulouscaressheflushedwiththeshameofhisdeceit。

"You"remistakenagain——I"mJim,"hewhispered。

Foramomenttheystoodstaringintoeachother"seyes,slowlyawakeningtowhathadreallyhappened,slowlyconsciousofasweet,alluringpower。ThenColonelZane"scheeryvoicerangintheirears。

"Ah,here"sNellieandyourbrother！Now,lads,tellmewhichiswhich？"

"That"sJim,andI"mJoe,"answeredthelatter。Heappearednottonoticehisbrother,andhisgreetingtoNellwasnaturalandhearty。Forthemomentshedrewtheattentionoftheothersfromthem。

Joefoundhimselflisteningtothecongratulationsofanumberofpeople。

AmongthemanynamesherememberedwerethoseofMrs。Zane,SilasZane,andMajorMcColloch。Thenhefoundhimselfgazingatthemostbeautifulgirlhehadeverseeninhislife。

"Myonlysister,Mrs。AlfredClarke——onceBettyZane,andtheheroineofFortHenry,"saidColonelZaneproudly,withhisarmaroundtheslender,dark—eyedgirl。

"IwouldbravetheIndiansandthewildernessagainforthispleasure,"

repliedJoegallantly,ashebowedlowoverthelittlehandshecordiallyextended。

"Bess,isdinnerready？"inquiredColonelZaneofhiscomelywife。Shenoddedherhead,andthecolonelledthewayintotheadjoiningroom。"Iknowyouboysmustbehungryasbears。"

DuringthemealColonelZanequestionedhisguestsabouttheirjourney,andastothetreatmenttheyhadreceivedatthehandsoftheIndians。Hesmiledattheyoungminister"searnestnessinregardtotheconversionoftheredmen,andhelaughedoutrightwhenJoesaid"heguessedhecametothefrontierbecauseitwastooslowathome。"

"Iamsureyourdesireforexcitementwillsoonbesatisfied,ifindeeditbenotsoalready,"remarkedthecolonel。"Butastotherealizationofyourbrother"shopesIamnotsosanguine。UndoubtedlytheMoravianmissionarieshaveaccomplishedwonderswiththeIndians。NotlongagoIvisitedtheVillageofPeace——theIndiannameforthemission——andwasstruckbythefriendlinessandindustrywhichprevailedthere。Trulyitwasavillageofpeace。Yetitisalmosttoearlytobecertainofpermanentsuccessofthiswork。TheIndian"snatureisonehardtounderstand。Heisnaturallyrovingandrestless,which,however,maybeowingtohishabitofmovingfromplacetoplaceinsearchofgoodhuntinggrounds。Ibelieve——thoughImustconfessIhaven"tseenanypioneerswhosharemybelief——thatthesavagehasabeautifulsidetohischaracter。Iknowofmanynobledeedsdonebythem,andIbelieve,iftheyarehonestlydealtwith,theywillreturngoodforgood。Therearebadones,ofcourse;buttheFrenchtraders,andmenliketheGirtys,havecausedmostofthislongwar。JonathanandWetzeltellmetheShawneesandChippewashavetakenthewarpathagain。ThenthefactthattheGirtysarewiththeDelawaresisreasonforalarm。Wehavebeencomparativelyquiethereoflate。Didyouboyslearntowhattribeyourcaptorsbelong？DidWetzelsay？"

"Hedidnot;hespokelittle,butIwillsayhewasexceedinglyactive,"

answeredJoe,withasmile。

"TohaveseenWetzelfightIndiansissomethingyouarenotlikelytoforget,"

saidColonelZanegrimly。"Now,tellme,howdidthoseIndiansweartheirscalp—lock？"

"Theirheadswereshavedclosely,withtheexceptionofalittleplaceontop。

Theremaininghairwastwistedintoatuft,tiedtightly,andintothishadbeenthrustacoupleofpaintedpins。WhenWetzelscalpedtheIndiansthepinsfellout。Ipickedoneup,andfoundittobebone。"

"Youwillmakeawoodsman,that"scertain,"repliedColonelZane。"TheIndianswereShawneeonthewarpath。Well,wewillnotborrowtrouble,forwhenitcomesintheshapeofredskinsitusuallycomesquickly。Mr。Wellsseemedanxioustoresumethejourneydowntheriver;butIshalltrytopersuadehimtoremainwithusawhile。Indeed,IamsorryIcannotkeepyouallhereatFortHenry,andmoreespeciallythegirls。Ontheborderweneedyoungpeople,and,whileIdonotwanttofrightenthewomen,IfeartherewillbemorethanIndiansfightingforthem。"

"Ihopenot;butwehavecomepreparedforanything,"saidKate,withaquietsmile。"Ourhomewaswithuncle,andwhenheannouncedhisintentionofgoingwestwedecidedourdutywastogowithhim。"

"Youwereright,andIhopeyouwillfindahappyhome,"rejoinedColonelZane。"IflifeamongtheIndian,provestobetoohad,weshallwelcomeyouhere。Betty,showthegirlsyourpetsandIndiantrinkets。IamgoingtotaketheboystoSilas"cabintoseeMr。Wells,andthenshowthemoverthefort。"

AstheywentoutJoesawtheIndianguidestandinginexactlythesamepositionaswhentheyenteredthebuilding。

"Can"tthatIndianmove？"heaskedcuriously。

"Hecancoveronehundredmilesinaday,whenhewantsto,"repliedColonelZane。"Heisrestingnow。AnIndianwilloftenstandorsitinonepositionformanyhours。"

"He"safine—lookingchap,"remarkedJoe,andthentohimself:"butIdon"tlikehim。IguessI"mprejudiced。"

"You"lllearntolikeTome,aswecallhim。"

"ColonelZane,Iwantalightformypipe。Ihaven"thadasmokesincethedaywewerecaptured。Thatblamedredskintookmytobacco。It"sluckyIhadsomeinmyotherpack。I"dliketomeethimagain;alsoSilvertipandthatbruteGirty。"

"Mylad,don"tmakesuchwishes,"saidColonelZane,earnestly。"Youwereindeedfortunatetoescape,andIcanwellunderstandyourfeelings。ThereisnothingIshouldlikebetterthantoseeGirtyoverthesightsofmyrifle;

butIneverhuntafterdanger,andtolookforGirtyistocourtdeath。"

"ButWetzel———"

"Ah,mylad,IknowWetzelgoesaloneinthewoods;butthen,heisdifferentfromothermen。BeforeyouleaveIwilltellyouallabouthim。"。

ColonelZanewentaroundthecomerofthecabinandreturnedwithalivecoalonachipofwood,whichJoeplacedinthebowlofhispipe,andbecauseofthestrongbreezesteppedclosetothecabinwall。Beingakeenobserver,henoticedmanysmall,roundholesinthelogs。Theyweresoneartogetherthatthetimbershadanodd,speckledappearance,andtherewashardlyaplacewherehecouldhaveputhisthumbwithoutcoveringahole。Atfirsthethoughttheyweremadebyawormorbirdpeculiartothatregion;butfinallylieconcludedthattheywerebullet—holes。Hethrusthisknifebladeintoone,andoutrolledaleadenball。

"I"dliketohavebeenherewhentheseweremade,"hesaid。

"Well,atthetimeIwishedIwasbackonthePotomac,"repliedColonelZane。

Theyfoundtheoldmissionaryonthedoorstepoftheadjacentcabin。HeappeareddiscouragedwhenColonelZaneinterrogatedhim,andsaidthathewasimpatientbecauseofthedelay。

"Mr。Wells,isitnotpossiblethatyouunderratethedangerofyourenterprise？"

"IfearnaughtbuttheLord,"answeredtheoldman。

"Doyounotfearforthosewithyou？"wentonthecolonelearnestly。"Iamheartandsoulwithyouinyourwork,butwanttoimpressuponyonthatthetimeisnotpropitious。Itisalongjourneytothevillage,andthewayisbesetwithdangersofwhichyouhavenoidea。Willyounotremainherewithmeforafewweeks,or,atleast,untilmyscoutsreport？"

"Ithankyou;butgoIwill。"

"Thenletmeentreatyoutoremainhereafewdays,sothatImaysendmybrotherJonathanandWetzelwithyou。IfanycanguideyousafelytotheVillageofPeaceitwillbethey。"

AtthismomentJoesawtwomenapproachingfromthefort,andrecognizedoneofthemasWetzel。HedoubtednotthattheotherwasLordDunmore"sfamousguideandhunter,JonathanZane。Infeaturesheresembledthecolonel,andwasastallasWetzel,althoughnotsomuscularorwideofchest。

JoefeltthesamethrillhehadexperiencedwhilewatchingthefrontiersmenatFortPitt。WetzelandJonathanspokeawordtoColonelZaneandthensteppedaside。Thehuntersstoodlitheanderect,withtheeasy,gracefulpoiseofIndians。

"We"lltaketwocanoes,dayafterto—morrow,"saidJonathan,decisively,toColonelZane。"HaveyouarifleforWetzel？TheDelawaresgothis。"

ColonelZaneponderedoverthequestion;rifleswerenotscarceatthefort,butaweaponthatWetzelwouldusewashardtofind。

"Thehuntermayhavemyrifle,"saidtheoldmissionary。"IhavenouseforaweaponwithwhichtodestroyGod"screatures。Mybrotherwasafrontiersman;

heleftthisrifletome。Irememberhearinghimsayoncethatifamanknewexactlytheweightofleadandpowderneeded,itwouldshootabsolutelytrue。"

Hewentintothecabin,andpresentlycameoutwithalongobjectwrappedinlinseycloths。Unwindingthecoverings,hebroughttoviewarifle,theproportionsofwhichcausedJonathan"seyestoglisten,andbroughtanexclamationfromColonelZane。Wetzelbalancedtheguninhishands。Itwasfullysixfeetlong;thebarrelwaslarge,andthedarksteelfinelypolished;

thestockwasblackwalnut,ornamentedwithsilvertrimmings。UsingJonathan"spowder—flaskandbullet—pouch,Wetzelproceededtoloadtheweapon。Hepouredoutaquantityofpowderintothepalmofhishand,performingtheactionquicklyanddexterously,butwassoslowwhilemeasuringitthatJoewonderedifhewerecountingthegrains。NextheselectedabulletoutofadozenwhichJonathanheldtowardhim。Heexamineditcarefullyandtrieditinthemuzzleoftherifle。Evidentlyitdidnotpleasehim,forhetookanother。Finallyhescrapedabulletwithhisknife,andplacingitinthecenterofasmalllinseyrag,deftlyforceditdown。Headjustedtheflint,droppedafewgrainsofpowderinthepan,andthenlookedaroundforamarkatwhichtoshoot。

JoeobservedthatthehuntersandColonelZanewereasseriousregardingtheworkasifatthatmomentsomeimportantissuedependedupontheaccuracyoftherifle。

"There,Lew;there"sagoodshot。It"sprettyfar,evenforyou,whenyoudon"tknowthegun,"saidColonelZane,pointingtowardtheriver。

Joesawtheendofalog,aboutthesizeofaman"shead,stickingoutofthewater,perhapsanhundredandfiftyyardsdistant。Hethoughttohititwouldbeafineshot;butwasamazedwhenheheardColonelZanesaytoseveralmenwhohadjoinedthegroupthatWetzelintendedtoshootataturtleonthelog。

BystraininghiseyesJoesucceededindistinguishingasmalllump,whichheconcludedwastheturtle。

Wetzeltookastepforward;thelong,blackriflewasraisedwithastatelysweep。Theinstantitreachedalevelathreadofflameburstforth,followedbyapeculiarlyclear,ringingreport。

"Didhehit？"askedColonelZane,eagerlyasaboy。

"Iallowhedid,"answeredJonathan。

"I"llgoandsee,"saidJoe。Herandownthebank,alongthebeach,andsteppedonthelog。Hesawaturtleaboutthesizeofanordinarysaucer。

Pickingitup,hesawabullet—holeintheshellnearthemiddle。Thebullethadgonethroughtheturtle,anditwasquitedead。Joecarriedittothewaitinggroup。

"Iallowedso,"declaredJonathan。

Wetzelexaminedtheturtle,andturningtotheoldmissionary,said:

"Yourbrotherspokethetruth,an"Ithankyoufertherifle。"

ChapterVIII。

"SoyouwanttoknowallaboutWetzel？"inquiredColonelZaneofJoe,when,havingleftJimandMr。Wells,theyreturnedtothecabin。

"Iamimmenselyinterestedinhim,"repliedJoe。

"Well,Idon"tthinkthere"sanythingsingularinthat。IknowWetzelbetter,perhaps,thananymanliving;buthaveseldomtalkedabouthim。Hedoesn"tlikeit。HeisbybirthaVirginian;Ishouldsay,fortyyearsold。Wewereboystogether,andandIamalittlebeyondthatage。Hewaslikeanyofthelads,exceptthatheexcelledusallinstrengthandagility。WhenhewasnearlyeighteenyearsoldabandifIndians——Delawares,Ithink——crossedtheborderonamaraudingexpeditionfarintoVirginia。TheyburnedtheoldWetzelhomesteadandmurderedthefather,mother,twosisters,andababybrother。

TheterribleshocknearlykilledLewis,whoforatimewasveryill。Whenherecoveredhewentinsearchofhisbrothers,MartinandJohnWetzel,whowerehunting,andbroughtthembacktotheirdesolatedhome。Overtheashesofthehomeandthegravesofthelovedonesthebrotherssworesleeplessandeternalvengeance。TheelderbrothershavebeendevotedallthesetwentyyearsandmoretothekillingofIndians;butLewishasbeenthegreatfoeoftheredman。Youhavealreadyseenanexampleofhisdeeds,andwillhearofmore。

Hisnameisahouseholdwordontheborder。Scoresoftimeshehassaved,actuallysaved,thisfortandsettlement。HisknowledgeofsavagewayssurpassesbyfarBoone"s,MajorMcColloch"s,Jonathan"s,oranyofthehunters"。"

"ThenhuntingIndiansishissoleoccupation？"

"Helivesforthatpurposealone。Heisveryseldominthesettlement。

Sometimeshestayshereafewdays,especiallyifheisneeded;butusuallyheroamstheforests。"

"WhatdidJeffLynnmeanwhenhesaidthatsomepeoplethinkWetzeliscrazy？"

"Therearemanywhothinkthemanmad;butIdonot。WhenthepassionforIndianhuntingcomesuponhimheisfierce,almostfrenzied,yetperfectlysane。Whilehereheisquiet,seldomspeaksexceptwhenspokento,andistaciturnwithstrangers。Heoftencomestomycabinandsitsbesidethefireforhours。Ithinkhefindspleasureintheconversationandlaughteroffriends。Heisfondofthechildren,andwoulddoanythingformysisterBetty。"

"Hislifemustbelonelyandsad,"remarkedJoe。

"Thelifeofanybordermanisthat;butWetzel"sisparticularlyso。"

"WhatishecalledbytheIndians？"

"TheycallhimAtelang,or,inEnglish,Deathwind。"

"ByGeorge！That"swhatSilvertipsaidinFrench——"LeVentdelaMort。""

"Yes;youhaveitright。AFrenchfurtradergaveWetzelthatnameyearsago,andithasclungtohim。TheIndianssaytheDeathwindblowsthroughtheforestwheneverWetzelstalksontheirtrail。"

"ColonelZane,don"tyouthinkmesuperstitious,"whisperedJoe,leaningtowardthecolonel,"butIheardthatwindblowthroughtheforest。"

"What！"ejaculatedColonelZane。HesawthatJoewasinearnest,fortheremembranceofthemoanhadmorethanoncepaledhischeekandcausedbeadsofperspirationtocollectonhisbrow。

Joerelatedthecircumstancesofthatnight,andattheendofhisnarrativeColonelZanesatsilentandthoughtful。

"Youdon"treallythinkitwasWetzelwhomoaned？"heasked,atlength。

"No,Idon"t,"repliedJoequickly;"but,ColonelZane,IheardthatmoanasplainlyasIcanhearyourvoice。Iheardittwice。Now,whatwasit？"

"Jonathansaidthesamethingtomeonce。HehadbeenouthuntingwithWetzel;

theyseparated,andduringthenightJonathanheardthewind。ThenextdayheranacrossadeadIndian。HebelievesWetzelmakesthenoise,andsodothehunters;butIthinkitissimplythemoanofthenightwindthroughthetrees。Ihavehearditattimes,whenmyverybloodseeminglyrancold。"

"Itriedtothinkitwasthewindsoughingthroughthepines,butamafraidI

didn"tsucceedverywell。Anyhow,IknewWetzelinstantly,justasJeffLynnsaidIwould。HekilledthoseIndiansinaninstant,andhemusthaveanironarm。"

"Wetzelexcelsinstrengthandspeedanyman,redorwhite,onthefrontier。

HecanrunawayfromJonathan,whoisasswiftasanIndian。He"sstrongerthananyoftheothermen。IrememberonedayoldHughBennet"swagonwheelsstuckinabogdownbythecreek。Hughtried,asseveralothersdid,tomovethewheels;buttheycouldn"tbemadetobudge。AlongcameWetzel,pushedawaythemen,andliftedthewagonunaided。Itwouldtakehourstotellyouabouthim。Inbrief,amongalltheborderscoutsandhuntersWetzelstandsalone。NowondertheIndiansfearhim。Heisasswiftasaneagle,strongasmountain—ash,keenasafox,andabsolutelytirelessandimplacable。"

"Howlonghaveyoubeenhere,ColonelZane？"

"Morethantwelveyears,andithasbeenonelongfight。"

"I"mafraidI"mtoolateforthefun,"saidJoe,withhisquietlaugh。

"Notbyabouttwelvemoreyears,"answeredColonelZane,studyingtheexpressiononJoe"sface。"WhenIcameouthereyearsagoIhadthesameadventurousspiritwhichIseeinyou。Ithasbeenconsiderablyquelled,however。Ihaveseenmanyadaringyoungfellowgettheborderfever,andwithithisdeath。Letmeadviseyoutolearnthewaysofthehunters;towatchsomeoneskilledinwoodcraft。PerhapsWetzelhimselfwilltakeyouinhand。I

don"tmindsayingthathespokeofyoutomeinatoneIneverheardLewusebefore。"

"Hedid？"questionedJoe,eagerly,flushingwithpleasure。"Doyouthinkhe"dtakemeout？DareIaskhim？"

"Don"tbeimpatient。PerhapsIcanarrangeit。ComeoverherenowtoMetzar"splace。Iwanttomakeyouacquaintedwithhim。Theseboyshaveallbeencuttingtimber;they"vejustcomeinfordinner。Beeasyandquietwiththem;

thenyou"llgeton。"

ColonelZaneintroducedJoetofivesturdyboysandlefthimintheircompany。

Joesatdownonalogoutsideacabinandleisurelysurveyedtheyoungmen。

Theyalllookedaboutthesame:strongwithoutbeingheavy,light—hairedandbronze—faced。IntheirturntheycarefullyjudgedJoe。AnewcomerfromtheEastwasalwaysregardedwithsomedoubt。IftheyexpectedtohearJoetalkmuchtheyweremistaken。Heappearedgood—natured,butnottoofriendly。

"Fineweatherwe"rehavin","saidDickMetzar。

"Fine,"agreedJoe,laconically。

"Likefrontierlife？"

"Sure。"

Asilenceensuedafterthisbreakingoftheice。Theboyswereawaitingtheirturnatalittlewoodenbenchuponwhichstoodabucketofwaterandabasin。

"HearyegotketchedbysomeShawnees？"remarkedanotheryouth,asherolleduphisshirt—sleeves。TheyalllookedatJoenow。Itwasnotimprobablytheirestimateofhimwouldbegreatlyinfluencedbythewayheansweredthisquestion。

"Yes;wascaptiveforthreedays。"

"Didyeknockanyredskinsover？"ThisquestionwasartfullyputtodrawJoeout。Aboveallthings,thebordermendetestedboastfulness;triedonJoetherusefailedsignally。

"Iwasscaredspeechlessmostofthetime,"answeredJoe,withhispleasantsmile。

"Bygosh,Idon"tblameye！"burstoutWillMetzar。"Ihedthatexperienceonct,an"onct"senough。"

TheboyslaughedandlookedinamorefriendlymanneratJoe。Thoughhesaidhehadbeenfrightened,hiscoolandcarelessmannerbeliedhiswords。InJoe"slowvoiceandclear,grayeyetherewassomethingpotentandmagnetic,whichsubtlyinfluencethosewithwhomhecameincontact。

WhilehisnewfriendswereatdinnerJoestrolledovertowhereColonelZanesatonthedoorstepofhishome。

"Howdidyougetonwiththeboys？"inquiredthecolonel。

"Allright,Ihope。Say,ColonelZane,I"dliketotalktoyourIndianguide。"

ColonelZanespokeafewwordsintheIndianlanguagetotheguide,wholefthispostandcameovertothem。Thecolonelthenhadashortconversationwithhim,attheconclusionofwhichhepointedtowardJoe。

"Howdo——shake,"saidTome,extendinghishand。

Joesmiled,andreturnedthefriendlyhand—pressure。

"Shawnee——ketch"um？"askedtheIndian,inhisfairlyintelligibleEnglish。

Joenoddedhishead,whileColonelZanespokeoncemoreinShawnee,explainingthecauseofSilvertip"semnity。

"Shawnee——chief——one——bad——Injun,"repliedTome,seriously。

"Silvertip——mad——thunder—mad。Ketch"umpaleface——scalp"umsure。"

Aftergivingthiswarningthechiefreturnedtohisformerpositionnearthecornerofthecabin。

"HecantalkinEnglishfairlywell,muchbetterthantheShawneebravewhotalkedwithmetheotherday,"observedJoe。

"SomeoftheIndiansspeakthelanguagealmostfluently,"saidColonelZane。

"YoucouldhardlyhavedistinguishedLogan"sspeechfromawhiteman"s。

Corn—planterusesgoodEnglish,asalsodoesmybrother"swife,aWyandotgirl。"

"DidyourbrothermarryanIndian？"andJoeplainlyshowedhissurprise。

"Indeedhedid,andamostbeautifulgirlsheis。I"lltellyouIsaac"sstorysometime。HewasacaptiveamongtheWyandotsfortenyears。Thechief"sdaughter,Myeerah,lovedhim,kepthimfrombeingtortured,andfinallysavedhimfromthestake。"

"Well,thatfloorsme,"saidJoe;"yetIdon"tseewhyitshould。I"mjustsurprised。Whereisyourbrothernow？"

"Heliveswiththetribe。HeandMyeerahareworkinghardforpeace。WearenowonmorefriendlytermswiththegreatWyandots,orHurons,aswecallthem,thaneverbefore。"

"Whoisthisbigmancomingfromthethefort？"askedJoe,suddenlyobservingastalwartfrontiersmanapproaching。

"MajorSamMcColloch。Youhavemethim。He"sthemanwhojumpedhishorsefromyonderbluff。"

"Jonathanandhehavethesamelook,thesameswing,"observedJoe,asheranhiseyeoverthemajor。Hisfadedbuckskincostume,beaded,fringed,andlaced,wassimilartothatofthecolonel"sbrother。Powder—flaskandbullet—pouchweremadefromcow—hornsandslungaroundhisneckondeerhidestrings。Thehuntingcoatwasunlaced,exposing,underthelong,fringedborders,atunicofthesamewell—tanned,butfinerandsofter,material。Ashewalked,theflapsofhiscoatfellback,showingabeltcontainingtwoknives,sheathedinheavybuckskin,andabrighttomahawk。Hecarriedalongrifleinthehollowofhisarm。

"Thesehuntershavethesamekindofbuckskinsuits,"continuedJoe;"still,itdoesn"tseemtometheclothesmaketheresemblancetoeachother。Thewaythesemenstand,walkandactiswhatstrikesmeparticularly,asinthecaseofWetzel。"

"Iknowwhatyoumean。Theflashingeye,theerectpoiseofexpectation,andthespringystep——those,mylad,comefromalifespentinthewoods。Well,it"sagrandwaytolive。"

"Colonel,myhorseislaidup,"saidMajorMcColloch,comingtothesteps。HebowedpleasantlytoJoe。

"SoyouaregoingtoShortCreek？Youcanhaveoneofmyhorses;butfirstcomeinsideandwe"lltalkoveryouexpedition。"

TheafternoonpasseduneventfullyforJoe。HisbrotherandMr。Wellswereabsorbedinplansfortheirfuturework,andNellandKatewereresting;

thereforehewasforcedtofindsuchamusementoroccupationaswaspossibleinornearthestockade。

ChapterIX。

Joewenttobedthatnightwithapromisetohimselftoriseearlynextmorning,forhehadbeeninvitedtotakepartina"raising,"whichtermmeantthatanewcabinwastobeerected,andsuchtaskwaseveraneventinthelivesofthesettlers。

ThefollowingmorningJoeroseearly,dressinghimselfinacompletebuckskinsuit,forwhichhehadexchangedhisgoodgarmentsofcloth。Neverbeforehadhefeltsocomfortable。Hewantedtohop,skipandjump。Thesoft,undressedbuckskinwasaswarmandsmoothassilk—plush;theweightsolight,themoccasinssowell—fittingandspringy,thathehadtoputhimselfunderconsiderablerestrainttokeepfromcaperingaboutlikeafrolicsomecolt。

Thepossessionofthisbuckskinoutfit,andtherifleandaccoutermentswhichwentwiththebargain,markedthelaststageinJoe"ssurrendertotheborderfever。Thesilent,shadedglens,themysteryofthewoods,thebreathofthiswild,freelifeclaimedhimfromthismomententirelyandforever。

Hemettheothers,however,withasereneface,showingnotraceoftheemotionwhichwelledupstronglyfromhisheart。Nellglancedshylyathim;