第8章

"GirtyIknew,ofcourse;butIwasnotsuretheotherwastheShawneewhocapturedyouandyourbrother,"repliedHeckewelder,drawingJimintoanotherroom。

"Whatdotheymeanbyloiteringaroundthevillage？InquiredJim,apprehensively。WheneverheheardGirty"snamementioned,oreventhoughtofhim,herememberedwithashuddertherenegade"sallusiontothebuzzards。Jimneversawoneofthesecarrionbirdssoaringoverheadbuthisthoughtsinstantlyrevertedtothefrontierruffianandhishorriblecraving。

"Idon"tknow,"answeredHeckewelder。"Girtyhasbeenhereseveraltimesoflate。IsawhimconferringwithPipeatGoshhocking。Ihopethere"snodeviltryafoot。PipeisarelentlessenemyofallChristians,andGirtyisafiend,ahyena。Ithink,perhaps,itwillbewellforyouandthegirlstostayindoorswhileGirtyandSilvertipareinthevillage。"

ThateveningtheentiremissionarypartyweregatheredinMr。Wells"room。

HeckeweldertoldstoriesofIndianlife;Nellsangseveralsongs,andKatetoldmanyamusingthingssaidanddonebythelittleIndianboysinherclassattheschool。Thustheeveningpassedpleasantlyforall。

"SonextWednesdayIamtoperformthegreatceremony,"remarkedHeckewelder,layinghishandkindlyonYoung"sknee。"We"llcelebratethefirstwhiteweddingintheVillageofPeace。"

Younglookedshylydownathisboots;Edwardscrossedonelegovertheother,andcoughedloudlytohidehisembarrassment。Katewore,asusual,herpensivesmile;Nell"seyestwinkled,andshewasabouttospeak,whenHeckewelder"squizzicalglanceinherdirectionmadeherlipsmute。

"IhopeI"llhaveanotherweddingonmyhandssoon,"hesaidplacidly。

Thisordinaryremarkhadanextraordinaryeffect。Nellturnedwithburningcheeksandlookedoutofthewindow。Jimfrownedfiercelyandbithislips。

Edwardsbegantolaugh,andevenMr。Wells"seriousfacelapsedintoasmile。

"ImeanI"vepickedoutanicelittleDelawaresquawforDave,"saidHeckewelder,seeinghisbadinagehadsomehowgoneamiss。

"Oh—h！"suddenlycriedNell,inshudderingtones。

Theyallgazedatherinamazement。Everyvestigeofcolorhadrecededfromherface,leavingitmarblelike。Hereveswerefixedinstartledhorror。

Suddenlysherelaxedhergrasponthewindowsillandfellbacklimpandsenseless。

Heckewelderrantothedoorlolookout,whiletheothersbentovertheunconsciousgirl,endeavoringtoreviveher。Presentlyaflutteringbreathandaquiveringofherdarklashesnotedareturnofsuspendedlife。Thenherbeautifuleyesopenedwidetogazewithwonderandfearintothegravefacesbentsoanxiouslyoverher。

"Nell,dearest,youaresafe。Whatwasit？Whatfrightenedyouso？"saidKate,tenderly。

"Oh,itwasfearful！"gaspedNell,sittingup。Sheclungtohersisterwithonehand,whiletheothergraspedJim"ssleeve。

"Iwaslookingoutintothedark,whensuddenlyIbeheldaface,aterribleface！"criedNell。Thosewhowatchedhermarveledattheshrinking,awfulfearinhereyes。"Itwasrightbythewindow。Icouldhavetouchedit。Suchagreedy,wolfishface,withalong,hookednose！Theeyes,oh！theeyes！I"llneverforgetthem。Theymademesick;theyparalyzedme。Itwasn"tanIndian"sface。Itbelongedtothatwhiteman,thatawfulwhiteman！Ineversawhimbefore;butIknewhim。"

"Girty！"saidHeckewelder,whohadcomeinwithhisquietstep。"Helookedinatthewindow。Calmyourself,Nellie。Therenegadehasgone。"

Theincidentworriedthemallatthetime,andmadeNellnervousforseveraldays;butasGirtyhaddisappeared,andnothingmorewasheardofhim,graduallytheyforgot。Kate"sweddingdaydawnedwithallthelittlepartywellandhappy。EarlyintheafternoonJimandNell,accompaniedbyKateandherlover,startedoutintothewoodsjustbeyondtheclearingforthepurposeofgatheringwildflowerstodecoratethecabin。

"Weareboththinkingof——him,"Jimsaid,afterheandNellhadwalkedsomelittlewayinsilence。

"Yes,"answeredNell,simply。

"Ihope——IprayJoecomesback,butifhedoesn"t——Nell——won"tyoucarealittleforme？"

Hereceivednoanswer。ButNellturnedherfaceaway。

"Webothlovedhim。Ifhe"sgoneforeverourveryloveforhimshouldbringustogether。Iknow——Iknowhewouldhavewishedthat。"

"Jim,don"tspeakoflovetomenow,"shewhispered。Thensheturnedtotheothers。Comequickly;herearegreatclustersofwildclematisandgoldenrod。

Howlovely！Letusgatheraquantity。"

Theyoungmenhadalmostburiedthegirlsunderhugemassesofthebeautifulflowers,whenthesofttreadofmoccasinedfeetcausedthemalltoturninsurprise。Sixsavagesstoodwaist—deepinthebushes,wheretheyhadlainconcealed。Fierce,paintedvisagesscowledfrombehindleveledrifles。

"Don"tyell！"criedahoarsevoiceinEnglish。Followingthevoicecameasnappingoftwigs,andthentwootherfigurescameintoview。TheywereGirtyandSilvertip。

"Don"tyell,erI"llleaveyoulayin"hereferthebuzzards,"saidtherenegade。HesteppedforwardandgraspedYoung,atthesametimespeakingintheIndianlanguageandpointingtoanearbytree。Strangetorelate,therenegadeapparentlywantednobloodshed。WhileoneofthesavagesbegantotieYoungtothetree,Girtyturnedhisgazeonthegirls。Hislittle,yelloweyesglinted;hestrokedhischinwithabonyhand,andhisdark,repulsivefacewaswreathedinaterrible,meaningsmile。

"I"vebeenlayin"feryou,"hecroaked,eyeingNell。"Ye"rethepurtiestlass,"ceptin"mebbeBetZane,Ieverseedontheborder。Igotcheatedoutenher,butI"vegotyou;arterIfeedyerInjunpreachertotherbuzzardsmebbeye"lllarntoloveme。"

Nellgazedoneinstantintothemonster"sface。Herterror—strickeneyeswerepiteoustobehold。Shetriedtospeak;buthervoicefailed。Then,likestrickenbird,shefellonthegrass。

ChapterXIV。

NotmanymilesfromtheVillageofPeaceroseanirregularchainofhills,thefirstfaintindicationsofthegrandAppalachianMountainsystem。Theseridgeswerethicklywoodedwithwhiteoak,poplarandhickory,amongwhichasentinelpinerearedhereandthereitsevergreenhead。Therewerecleftsinthehills,passeslinedbygray—stonedcliffs,belowwhichranclearbrooks,tumblingoverrocksinahurrytomeettheirmajesticfather,theOhio。

Oneofthesevalleys,sonarrowthatthesunseldombrightenedthemerrybrook,madeadeepcutintherocks。Theheadofthisvalleytapereduntilthewallsnearlymet;itseemedtoloseitselfintheshadeoffern—facedcliffs,shadowedastheywerebyfirtreesleaningoverthebrink,asthoughtosearchforsecretsoftheravine。Sodeepanddarkandcoolwasthissequesterednookthatherelatesummerhadnotdislodgedearlyspring。Everywherewasasoft,fresh,brightgreen。Theoldgraycliffswerefestoonedwithferns,lichensandmoss。Underagreat,shelvingrock,dampandstainedbythecopper—coloredwaterdrippingdownitsside,wasadewydellintowhichthesunshinehadneverpeeped。Heretheswiftbrooktarriedlovingly,makingawideturnunderthecliff,asthoughlothtoleavethisquietnook,andthenleapedoncemoretoenthusiasminitsmurmuringflight。

Lifeaboundedinthiswild,beautiful,almostinaccessiblespot。Littlebrownandyellowbirdsflittedamongthetrees;thrushesranalongtheleaf—strewnground;oriolessangtheirmelancholynotes;robinsandflickersdartedbeneaththespreadingbranches。Squirrelsscurriedovertheleaveslikelittlewhirlwinds,andleapeddaringlyfromtheswingingbranchesorbarkednoisilyfromwoodyperches。Rabbitshoppedinquisitivelyhereandtherewhilenibblingatthetendershootsofsassafrasandlaurel。

Alongthisflower—skirtedstreamatallyoungman,carryingariflecautiouslystepped,peeringintothebranchesoverhead。Agrayflashshotalongalimbofawhiteoak;thenthebushytailofasquirrelflittedintoawell—protectednotch,fromwhence,nodoubt,akeenlittleeyewatchedthehunter"severymovement。

Theriflewasraised;thenlowered。Thehunterwalkedaroundthetree。

Presentlyupinthetreetop,snugunderaknottylimb,hespiedalittleballofgrayfur。Graspingabranchofunderbush,heshookitvigorously。Thethrashingsoundworriedthegraysquirrel,forheslippedfromhisretreatandstuckhisnoseOverthelimb。CRACK！Withascratchingandtearingofbarkthesquirrelloosenedhisholdandthenfell;alightingwithathump。Asthehunterpickeduphisquarryastreakofsunshineglintingthroughthetreetopbrightenedhisface。

ThehunterwasJoe。

Hewassatisfiednow,forafterstowingthesquirrelinthepocketofhishuntingcoatheshoulderedhisrifleandwentbackuptheravine。Presentlyadullroarsoundedabovethebabbleofthebrook。Itgrewlouderashethreadedhiswaycarefullyoverthestones。Spotsofwhitefoamfleckedthebrook。

Passingunderthegray,stainedcliff,Joeturnedaroundarockycorner,andcametoanabruptendoftheravine。Awaterfallmarkedthespotwherethebrookentered。Thewaterwasbrownasittooktheleap,lightgreenwhenitthinnedout;andbelow,asitdashedonthestones,itbecameabeautiful,sheenywhite。

Uponaflatrock,sonearthecascadethatsprayflewoverhim,satanotherhunter。Theroaringfallsdrownedallothersounds,yetthemanrousedfromhisdreamycontemplationofthewaterfallwhenJoeroundedthecorner。

"Iheerdfourshots,"hesaid,asJoecameup。

"Yes;Igotasquirrelforeveryshot。"

Wetzelledthewayalonganarrowfoottrailwhichgraduallywoundtowardthetopoftheravine。Thispathemergedpresently,somedistanceabovethefalls,onthebrinkofabluff。Itranalongtheedgeoftheprecipiceafewyards,thentookacoursebackintodenselywoodedthickets。JustbeforesteppingoutontheopencliffWetzelpausedandpeeredkeenlyonallsides。Therewasnolivingthingtobeseen;thesilencewasthedeep,unbrokencalmofthewilderness。

Wetzelsteppedtothebluffandlookedover。Thestonywalloppositewasonlythirtyfeetaway,andsomewhatlower。FromWetzel"sactionitappearedasifheintendedtoleapthefissure。Intruth,manyabandofIndianspursuingthehunterintothisrockyfastnesshadcomeoutonthebluff,and,marvelingatwhattheythoughtWetzel"sprowess,believedhehadmadeawonderfulleap,thuseludingthem。Buthehadneverattemptedthatleap,first,becauseheknewitwaswell—nighimpossible,andsecondly,therehadneverbeenanynecessityforsuchrisk。

Anyoneleaningoverthiscliffwouldhaveobserved,perhapstenfeetbelow,anarrowledgeprojectingfromthefaceoftherock。Hewouldhaveimaginedifheweretodroponthatledgetherewouldbenowaytogetoffandhewouldbeinaworsepredicament。

Withoutamoment"shesitationWetzelswunghimselfovertheledge。Joefollowedsuit。Atoneendofthislowerledgegrewahardyshruboftheironwoodspecies,andaboveitascrubpineleanedhorizontallyoutovertheravine。Layinghisrifledown,Wetzelgraspedastrongrootandcautiouslyslidovertheside。Whenallofhisbodyhaddisappeared,withtheexceptionofhissinewyfingers,theyloosenedtheirholdontheroot,graspedtherifle,anddraggeditdownoutofsight。Quietly,withsimilarcaution,Joetookholdofthesameroot,lethimselfdown,andwhenatfulllengthswunghimselfinundertheledge。Hisfeetfoundapocketinthecliff。Lettinggooftheroot,hetookhisrifle,andinanothersecondwassafe。

OfallWetzel"sretreats——forhehadmany——heconsideredthisonethesafest。

Thecavernundertheledgehehaddiscoveredbyaccident。Oneday,beinghotlypursuedbyShawnees,hehadbeenheadedoffonthiscliff,andhadlethimselfdownontheledge,intendingtodropfromittothetopsofthetreesbelow。

Takingadvantageofeverylittleaid,hehungoverbymeansoftheshrub,andwasintheactofleapingwhenhesawthatthecliffshelvedundertheledge,whilewithinreachofhisfeetwastheentrancetoacavern。Hefoundthecavetobesmallwithanopeningatthebackintoasplitintherock。Evidentlytheplacehadbeenenteredfromtherearbybears,whousedtheholeforwintersleepingquarters。Bycrawlingonhishandsandknees,Wetzelfoundtherearopening。Thushehadestablishedahidingplacewhereitwasalmostimpossibletolocatehim。Heprovisionedhisretreat,whichhealwaysenteredbythecliffandleftbytherear。

AnevidenceofWetzel"sstrangenature,andofhisloveforthiswildhome,manifesteditselfwhenheboundJoetosecrecy。Itwasunlikely,eveniftheyoungmaneverdidgetsafelyoutofthewilderness,thatanystorieshemightrelatewouldrevealthehunter"sfavoriterendezvous。ButWetzelseriouslydemandedthissecrecy,asearnestlyasiftheforestwerefullofIndiansandwhitemen,allprowlinginsearchofhisburrow。

Joewasintheseventhheavenofdelight,andtooktothefreelifeasawildgoslingtakestothewater。Noplacehadeverappealedtohimasdidthisdark,silentholefaruponthesideofasteepcliff。HisinterestinWetzelsoonpassedintoagreatadmiration,andfromthatdeepenedtolove。

Thisafternoon,whentheyweresatisfiedthatallwaswellwithintheirrefuge,Joelaidasidehisrifle,and,whistlingsoftly,begantopreparesupper。Thebackpartofthecavepermittedhimtostanderect,andwaslargeenoughforcomparativecomfort。Therewasaneat,littlestonefireplace,andseveralcookingutensilsandgourds。FromtimetotimeWetzelhadbroughtthesethings。Apileofwoodandabundleofpineconeslayinonecorner。

Haunchesofdriedbeef,bearandbuffalomeathungfrompegs;abagofparchedcorn,anotherofdriedappleslayonarockyshelf。Nearbyhungapowder—hornfilledwithsaltandpepper。Inthecleftbackofthecavewasaspringofclear,coldwater。

Thewantsofwoodsmenarefewandsimple。JoeandWetzel,withappetiteswhettedbytheirstirringoutdoorlife,relishedthefrugalfareastheycouldneverhaveenjoyedafeast。Astheshadowsofeveningenteredthecave,theylightedtheirpipestopartakeofthehunter"ssweetestsolace,aquietsmoke。

Strangeasitmayappear,thislonely,sternIndian—hunterandthereckless,impulsiveboywereadmirablysuitedforcompanionship。WetzelhadtakenalikingtotheyoungmanwhenheledthebrotherstoFortHenry。Subsequenteventsstrengthenedhisliking,andnow,manydaysafter,Joehavingfollowedhimintotheforest,astrongattachmenthadbeeninsensiblyforgedbetweenthem。

WetzelunderstoodJoe"sburningdesiretoroamtheforests;buthehalfexpectedtheladwouldsoongrowtiredofthisrovinglife,butexactlytheoppositesymptomsweredisplayed。Thehunterhadintendedtotakehiscomradeonahuntingtrip,andtoreturnwithhim,afterthatwasover,toFortHenry。

TheyhadnowbeeninthewoodsforweeksandeverydayinsomewayhadJoeshowedhismettle。Wetzelfinallyadmittedhimintothesecretsofhismostcherishedhidingplace。Hedidnotwanttohurtthelad"sfeelingsbytakinghimbacktothesettlement;hecouldnotsendhimback。Sothedaysworeonswiftly;fullofheart—satisfyingincidentandlife,withmanandboygrowingcloserinanintimacythatwasaswarmasitwasunusual。

Tworeasonsmightaccountforthis:First,thereisnosanehumanbeingwhoisnotbetteroffforcompanionship。Anexilewouldfindsomethingofhappinessinonewhosharedhismisery。And,secondly,Joewasamostacceptablecomrade,evenforaslayerofIndians。WeddedasWetzelwastotheforesttrails,tohislonelylife,totheNemesis—pursuithehadfollowedforeighteenlongyears,hewasstillawhiteman,kindandgentleinhisquiethours,andbecauseofthis,thoughheknewitnot,stillcapableofaffection。

Hehadneverknownyouth;hismanhoodhadbeenonepitilesswarfareagainsthisswornfoes;butonceinallthoseyearshadhissore,coldheartwarmed;

andthatwastowardawomanwhowasnotforhim。Hislifehadheldonlyonepurpose——abloodyone。Yetthemanhadaheart,andhecouldnotpreventitfromrespondingtoanother。Inhissimpleignoranceherebelledagainstthisaffectionforanythingotherthanhisforesthomes。Manisweakagainsthate;

whatcanheavailagainstlove？ThedarkcavernsofWetzel"sgreatheartopened,admittingtotheirgloomydepthsthisstranger。Sonowanewlovewasborninthatcheerlessheart,whereforsolongalonelyinmate,theghostofoldlove,haddweltinchillseclusion。

ThefeelingofcomradeshipwhichWetzelhadforJoewassomethingaltogethernewinthehunter"slife。TruehehadhuntedwithJonathanZane,andaccompaniedexpeditionswherehewasforcedtosleepwithanotherscout;butacompanion,nottosayfriend,hehadneverknown。Joewasaboy,wilderthananeagle,yethewasaman。Hewashappyandenthusiastic,stillhisgoodspiritsneverjarredonthehunter;theywererestrained。Heneveraskedquestions,aswouldseemthecaseinanyeagerlad;hewaiteduntilhewasspokento。Hewasapt;heneverforgotanything;hehadtheeyeofabornwoodsman,andlastly,perhapswhatwentfarwithWetzel,hewasasstrongandsuppleasayounglynx,andabsolutelyfearless。

OnthiseveningWetzelandJoefollowedtheirusualcustom;theysmokedawhilebeforelyingdowntosleep。Tonightthehunterwasevenmoresilentthanusual,andthelad,tiredoutwithhisday"stramp,laydownonabedoffragrantboughs。

Wetzelsatthereinthegatheringgloomwhilehepulledslowlyonhispipe。

Theeveningwasveryquiet;thebirdshadceasedtheirtwittering;thewindhaddiedaway;itwastooearlyforthebayofawolf,thewailofapanther,orhootofanowl;therewassimplyperfectsilence。

Thelad"sdeep,evenbreathingcaughtWetzel"sear,andhefoundhimselfmeditating,ashehadoftenoflate,onthisnewsomethingthathadcreptintohislife。ForJoelovedhim;hecouldnotfailtoseethat。TheladhadpreferredtoroamwiththelonelyIndian—hunterthroughtheforests,toencountertheperilsandhardshipsofawildlife,ratherthanacceptthesmileoffortuneandoflove。WetzelknewthatColonelZanehadtakenalikingtotheboy,andhadofferedhimworkandahome;and,also,thehunterrememberedthewarmlighthehadseeninNell"shazeleyes。Musingthus,themanfeltstirinhisheartanemotionsolongabsentthatitwasunfamiliar。

TheAvengerforgot,foramomenthisbroodingplans。Hefeltstrangelysoftened。Whenhelaidhisheadontherudepillowitwaswithsomesenseofgladnessthat,althoughhehadalwaysdesiredalonelylife,andwantedtopassitinthefulfillmentofhisvow,hislonelinesswasnowsharedbyaladwholovedhim。

Joewasawakenedbythemerrychirpofachipmunkthateverymorningranalongtheseamysideoftheoppositewallofthegorge。Gettingup,hewenttothebackofthecave,wherehefoundWetzelcombingouthislonghair。Theladthrusthishandsintothecoldpool,andbathedhisface。Thewaterwasicycold,andsentaninvigoratingthrillthroughhim。ThenhelaughedashetookarudecombWetzelhandedtohim。

"MyscalpisnothingtomakeanIndianverycovetous,isit？"saidhe,eyeinginadmirationthemagnificentblackhairthatfelloverthehunter"sshoulders。

"It"llgrow,"answeredWetzel。

JoedidnotwonderatthecareWetzeltookofhishair,nordidhemisunderstandthehunter"ssimplepride。Wetzelwasverycarefulofhisrifle,hewasneatandcleanabouthisperson,hebrushedhisbuckskincostume,hepolishedhisknifeandtomahawk;buthishairreceivedmoreattentionthanallelse。Itrequiredmuchcare。Whencombedoutitreachedfullytohisknees。

Joehadseenhim,afterhereturnedfromalonghunt,workpatientlyforanhourwithhiswoodencomb,andnotstopuntileverylittleburrwasgone,ortanglesmoothedout。Thenhewouldcombitagaininthemorning——this,ofcourse,whentimepermitted——andtwistandtieitupsoastooffersmallresistancetohisslippingthroughtheunderbush。Joeknewthehunter"ssimplicitywassuch,thatifhecutoffhishairitwouldseemhefearedtheIndians——forthatstreamingblackhairtheIndianshadlongcovetedandsworntotake。Itwouldmakeanybraveafamouschief,andwasthethemeofmanyasavagewartale。

AfterbreakfastWetzelsaidtoJoe:

"Youstayhere,an"I"lllookroundsome;mebbeI"llcomebacksoon,andwe"llgooutan"killabuffalo。Injunssometimesfollerupabuffalotrail,an"I

wanttobesurenoneofthevarletsarechasin"thatherdwesawto—day。"

Wetzelleftthecavebytherear。Ittookhimfifteenminutestocrawltotheheadofthetortuous,stonypassage。Liftingthestonewhichcloseduptheaperture,helookedoutandlistened。Then,rising,hereplacedthestone,andpasseddownthewoodedhillside。

Itwasabeautifulmorning;thedewglistenedonthegreenleaves,thesunshonebrightandwarm,thebirdswarbledinthetrees。Thehunter"smoccasinspressedsogentlyonthemossandleavesthattheymadenomoresoundthanthesoftfootofapanther。Histrainedearwasalerttocatchanyunfamiliarnoise;hiskeeneyessoughtfirsttheremoteropengladesandglens,thenbenttheirgazeonthemossybluffbeneathhisfeet。Foxsquirrelsdashedfrombeforehimintobushyretreats;grousewhirredawayintothethickets;

startleddeerwhistled,andlopedoffwiththeirwhite—flagsupraised。Wetzelknewfromtheactionofthesedenizensofthewoodsthathewastheonlycreature,notnativetothesehaunts,whohaddisturbedthemthismorning。

Otherwisethedeerwouldnothavebeengrazing,butlyinglowinsomeclosethicket;foxsquirrelsseldomorneverweredisturbedbyahuntertwiceinoneday,forafterbeingfrightenedtheselittleanimals,wilderandshyerthangraysquirrels,remainedhiddenforhours,andgrousethathavebeenflushedalittlewhilebefore,alwaysgetupunusuallyquick,andflyveryfarbeforealighting。

Wetzelcircledbackoverthehill,tookalongsurveyfromarockyeminence,andthenreconnoiteredthelowlandforseveralmiles。Helocatedtheherdofbuffalo,andsatisfyinghimselftherewerenoIndiansnear——forthebisonweregrazingquietly——hereturnedtothecave。AsoftwhistleintothebackdooroftherockyhometoldJoethatthehunterwaswaiting。

"Coastclear？"whisperedthelad,thrustinghisheadoutoftheentrance。Hisgrayeyesgleamedbrightly,showinghiseagerspirit。

Thehunternodded,and,throwinghisrifleinthehollowofhisarm,proceededdownthehill。Joefollowedclosely,endeavoring,asWetzelhadtrainedhim,tomakeeachsteppreciselyinthehunter"sfootprints。Theladhadsoonlearnedtostepnimblyandsoftlyasacat。WhenhalfwaydownthebillWetzelpaused。

"Seeanythin"？"hewhispered。

Joeglancedonallsides。Manymistakeshadtaughthimtobecautious。Hehadlearnedfromexperiencethatforeverywoodlandcreaturehesaw,thereweretenwatchinghiseverymove。Justnowhecouldnotseeevenalittleredsquirrel。Everywhereweresturdyhickoryandoaktrees,thicketsandhazelnuts,slenderashsaplings,and,intheopenglades,patchesofsumach。

Rottingtreeslayontheground,whilefernsnoddedlong,slenderheadsoverthefallenmonarchs。Joecouldmakeoutnothingbutthecolorsofthewoods,thegrayofthetreetrunks,and,intheopeningsthroughtheforest—green,thedeadpurplehazeofforestsfartheron。Hesmiled,and,shakinghisheadatthehunter,byhisactionadmittedfailure。

"Tryagain。Deadahead,"whisperedWetzel。

Joebentadirectgazeontheclumpofsassafrasonehundredfeetahead。Hesearchedtheopenplaces,theshadows——eventhebranches。Thenheturnedhiseyesslowlytotheright。Whateverwasdiscernibletohumanvisionhestudiedintently。Suddenlyhiseyebecamefixedonasmallobjectprotrudingfrombehindabeechtree。Itwaspointed,andincolordarkerthanthegraybarkofthebeech。Ithadbeenaveryeasymattertopassoverthislittlething;butnowthattheladsawit,heknewtowhatitbelonged。

"That"sabuck"sear,"hereplied。

HardlyhadhefinishedspeakingwhenWetzelintentionallysnappedatwig。

Therewasacrashandcommotioninthethicket;branchesmovedandsmallsaplingswaved;thenoutintotheopengladeboundedalargebuckwithawhistleofalarm。Throwinghisrifletoalevel,Joewastryingtocovertheboundingdeer,whenthehunterstruckuphispiece。

"Lad,don"tkillferthesakeofkillin,"hesaid,quietly。"Wehaveplentyofvenison。We"llgoarterabuffalo。Ihevahankerin"feragoodrumpsteak。"

Halfanhourlater,thehuntersemergedfromtheforestintoawideplainofwavinggrass。Itwasakindofovalvalley,encircledbyhills,andhadbeenatonetime,perhaps,coveredwithwater。Joesawaherdoflargeanimalsbrowsing,likecattle,inameadow。Hisheartbeathigh,foruntilthatmomenttheonlybuffalohehadseenwerethefewwhichstoodontheriverbanksastheraftpasseddowntheOhio。Hewouldsurelygetashotatoneofthesehugefellows。

WetzelbadeJoedoexactlyashedid,whereuponhedroppedonhishandsandkneesandbegantocrawlthroughthelonggrass。Thiswaseasyforthehunter,butverybardfortheladtoaccomplish。Still,hemanagedtokeephiscomradeinsight,whichwasamatterforcongratulation,becausethemancrawledasfastashewalked。Atlength,afterwhattoJoeseemedaverylongtime,thehunterpaused。

"Arewenearenough？"whisperedJoe,breathlessly。

"Nope。We"rejustcirclin"on"em。Thewind"snotright,an"I"mafeeredthey"llgetourscent。"

Wetzelrosecarefullyandpeepedoverthetopofthegrass;then,droppingonallfours,heresumedtheadvance。

Hepausedagain,presentlyandwaitedforJoetocomeup。

"Seehere,youngfellar,remember,neverhurryunlessthebiznesscallsferspeed,an"thenactlikelightnin"。"

Thusadmonishingtheeagerlad,Wetzelcontinuedtocrawl。Itwaseasyforhim。Joewonderedhowthosewideshouldersgotbetweentheweedsandgrasseswithoutbreaking,or,atleast,shakingthem。Butsoitwas。

"Flatnow,"whisperedWetzel,puttinghisbroadhandonJoe"sbackandpressinghimdown。"Now"syertimefergoodpractice。Trailyerrifleoveryerback——ifyercarefulitwon"tslideoff——an"reachoutfarwithonearman"

digyerfingersindeep。Thenpullyerselfforrard。"

Wetzelslippedthroughthegrasslikeahugebuckskinsnake。Hislong,lithebodywormeditswayamongthereeds。ButforJoe,evenwiththeadvantageofhavingthehunter"strailtofollow,itwasdifficultwork。Thedryreedsbrokeunderhim,andthestalksofsaw—gassshook。Heworkedpersistentlyatit,learningallthewhile,andimprovingwitheveryrod。Hewassurprisedtohearaswish,followedbyadullblowontheground。Raisinghishead,helookedforward。Hesawthehunterwipehistomahawkonthegrass。

"Snake,"whisperedWetzel。

Joesawahugeblacksnakesquirminginthegrass。Itsheadhadbeensevered。

Hecaughtglimpsesofothersnakesglidingaway,andglossyroundmolesdartingintotheirholes。Agrayrabbitstartedoffwithaleap。

"We"renearenough,"whisperedWetzel,stoppingbehindabush。Heroseandsurveyedtheplain;thenmotionedJoetolook。

Joeraisedhimselfonhisknees。Ashisgazereachedthelevelofthegrassyplainhisheartleaped。Notfiftyyardsawaywasagreat,shaggy,blackbuffalo。Hewasthekingoftheherd;butillatease,forhepawedthegrassandshookhishugebead。Nearhimwereseveralcowsandahalf—growncalf。

Beyondwasthemainherd,extendingasfarasJoecouldsee——agreatseaofblackhumps！Theladbreathedhardashetookinthegrandsight。

"Pickoutthelittlefellar——thereddish—brownone——an"plughimbehindtheshoulder。Shootclosenow,ferifwemiss,mebbeIcan"thitone,becauseI"mnotusedtoshootin"atsichsmallmarks。"

Wetzel"sraresmilelighteduphisdarkface。Probablyhecouldhaveshotaflyoffthehornofthebull,ifoneofthebigfliesorbees,plainlyvisibleastheyswirledaroundthehugehead,hadalightedthere。

Joeslowlyraisedhisrifle。Hehadcoveredthecalf,andwasabouttopullthetrigger,when,withasagacityfarbeyondhisexperienceashunter,hewhisperedtoWetzel:

"IfIfiretheymayruntowardus。"

"Nope;they"llrunaway,"answeredWetzel,thinkingtheladwasaskeenasanIndian。

Joequicklycoveredthecalfagain,andpulledthetrigger。Bellowingloudthebigbulldashedoff。Theherdswungaroundtowardthewest,andsoonweregallopingoffwithalumberingroar。Theshaggyhumpsbobbedupanddownlikehot,angrywavesonastorm—blackenedsea。

Upongoingforward,WetzelandJoefoundthecalflyingdeadinthegrass。

"Youmighthevdidbetter"nthat,"remarkedthehunter,ashesawwherethebullethadstruck。"Youwentalittletooferback,butmebbethetwas"causethecalfsteppedasyoushot。"

ChapterXV。

Sothedayspassedswiftly,dreamily,eachonebringingJoeakeenerdelight。

Inasinglemonthhewasasgoodawoodsmanasmanypioneerswhohadpassedyearsontheborder,forhehadtheadvantageofateacherwhosewoodcraftwasincomparable。Besides,hewasnaturallyquickinlearning,andwithallhisinterestcentereduponforestlore,itwasnowonderheassimilatedmuchofWetzel"sknowledge。Hewaseverwillingtoundertakeanythingwherebyhemightlearn。Oftenwhentheyweremilesawayinthedenseforest,farfromtheircave,heaskedWetzeltolethimtrytoleadthewaybacktocamp。Andheneverfailedonce,thoughmanytimeshegotoffastraightcourse,therebymissingtheeasytravelling。

Joedidwonderfullywell,buthelacked,asnearlyallwhitemendo,thesubtler,intuitiveforest—instinct,whichmakestheIndianasmuchathomeinthewoodsasinhisteepee。Wetzelhadthisdevelopedtoahighdegree。Itwasborninhim。Yearsoftraining,yearsofpassionate,unrelentingsearchforIndians,hadgivenhimaknowledgeofthewildsthatwasincomprehensibletowhitemen,andappallingtohisredfoes。