第9章

JoesawhowWetzelusedthisability,butwhatitreallywasbaffledhim。Herealizedthatwordswerenotadequatetoexplainfullythisgreatart。Itspossessionrequiredamarvelouslykeenvision,aneyeperfectlyfamiliarwitheverycreature,tree,rock,shrubandthingbelongingintheforest;aneyesoquickinflightastodetectinstantlytheslightestchangeinnature,oranythingunnaturaltothatenvironment。Thehearingmustbedelicate,likethatofadeer,andthefineritis,thekeenerwillbethewoodsman。Lastly,thereisthefeelingthatpromptstheoldhuntertosay:"Nogameto—day。"Itissomethinginhimthatspeakswhen,asheseesanight—hawkcirclinglowneartheground,hesays:"Astormto—morrow。"ItiswhatmakesanIndianathomeinanywilderness。Thecloudsmayhidetheguidingstar;thenorthingmaybelost;theremaybenomossonthetrees,ordifferenceintheirbark;theridgesmaybeflatorlostaltogether,andtheremaybenowater—courses;yettheIndianbravealwaysgoesforhisteepee,straightasacrowflies。ItwasthisvoicewhichrightlybadeWetzel,whenhewasbaffledbyanIndian"strailfadingamongtherocks,tocross,orcircle,oradvanceinthedirectiontakenbyhiswilyfoe。

Joehadpracticedtrailingdeerandotherhoofedgame,untilhewastrueasahound。Thenhebegantoperfecthimselfintheartoffollowingahumanbeingthroughtheforest。ExceptafewoldIndiantrails,whichtherainhadhalfobliterated,hehadnotrackstodiscoversaveWetzel"s,andthesewereashardtofindastheairycourseofagrosbeak。Onsoftgroundormarshygrass,whichWetzelavoidedwherehecould,heleftafainttrail,butonahardsurface,forallthetracesheleft,hemightaswellnothavegoneoverthegroundatall。

Joe"spersistencestoodhimingoodstead;hehungon,andthemorehefailed,theharderhetried。OftenhewouldslipoutofthecaveafterWetzelhadgone,andtrytofindwhichwayhehadtaken。Inbrief,theladbecameafinemarksman,agoodhunter,andaclose,perseveringstudentofthewilderness。

Helovedthewoods,andalltheycontained。Helearnedthehabitsofthewildcreatures。Eachdeer,eachsquirrel,eachgrousethathekilled,taughthimsomelesson。

Hewasalwaysupwiththelarktowatchthesunriseredandgrandovertheeasternhills,andchaseawaythewhitemistfromthevalleys。Evenifhewasnothunting,orroamingthewoods,ifitwasnecessaryforhimtolielowincampawaitingWetzel"sreturn,hewasalwayscontent。Manyhoursheidledawaylyingonhisback,withthewestwindblowingsoftlyoverhim,hiseyeonthedistanthills,wherethecloudshadowssweptacrosswithslow,majesticmovement,likehugeshipsatsea。

IfWetzelandJoewerefardistantfromthecave,aswasoftenthecase,theymadecampintheopenwoods,anditwasherethatJoe"scontentmentwasfullest。Twilightshadesstealingdownoverthecamp—fire;thecheeryglowofredembers;thecracklingofdrystocks;thesweetsmellofwoodsmoke,allhadfortheladasubtle,potentcharm。

Thehunterwouldbroilavenisonsteak,orapartridge,onthecoals。Thentheywouldlighttheirpipesandsmokewhiletwilightdeepened。Theoppressivestillnessoftheearlyeveninghouralwaysbroughttotheyoungermanasensationofawe。Atfirstheattributedthistothefactthathewasnewtothislife;however,asthedayspassedandtheemotionremained,nay,grewstronger,heconcludeditwasimpartedbythisclosecommunionwithnature。

Deepsolemn,tranquil,thegloaminghourbroughthimnoordinaryfullnessofjoyandclearnessofperception。

"Doyoueverfeelthisstillness？"heaskedWetzeloneevening,astheysatneartheirflickeringfire。

Thehunterpuffedhispipe,and,likeanIndian,seemedtoletthequestiontakedeeproot。

"I"vescalpedredskinseveryhourintheday,"ceptin"twilight,"hereplied。

Joewonderednolongerwhetherthehunterwastoohardenedtofeelthisbeautifultranquillity。ThathourwhichwooedWetzelfromhisimplacablepursuitwasindeedabewitchingoneTherewasneveratime,whenJoelayaloneincampwaitingforWetzel,thathedidnothopethehunterwouldreturnwithinformationofIndians。Themannevertalkedaboutthesavages,andifhespokeatallitwastotellofsomeincidentofhisday"stravel。Oneeveninghecamebackwithalargeblackfoxthathehadkilled。

"Whatbeautiful,glossyfur！"saidJoe。"Ineversawablackfoxbefore。"

"I"vebeenlayin"ferthisfellarsometime,"repliedWetzel,ashebeganhisfirsteveningtask,thatofcombinghishair。"Jestbackhereinaclumpofcottonwoodsthere"sahollerlogfullofleaves。Happenin"toseeablacksnakesneakin"round,Ithoughtmebbehewasuptosomethin",soIinvestigated,an"

foundanestfullofyoungrabbits。Ikilledthesnake,an"arterthattookaninterestin"em。EverytimeIpassedI"dlookinatthebunnies,an"eachtimeIseensignsthatsometarnalvarminthadbeenprowlin"round。OnedayI

missedabunny,an"nextdayanother;soonuntilonlyonewasleft,apeartwhiteandgraylittlescamp。Somethin"wasstealin"of"em,an"itmadememad。Soyistiddayan"to—dayIwatched,an"finallyIpluggedthisblackthief。Yes,he"sgotaglossycoat;buthe"sabadunferallhisfinelooks。

Theseblackfoxesarebigger,strongeran"cunninerthanredones。Ineverylitteryou"llfindadarkone,theblacksheepofthefamily。Becausehegrowssomuchfaster,an"stealsallthefoodfromtheothers,themotherjesttakeshimbythenapeoftheneckan"chuckshimoutintheworldtoshiftferhisself。An"it"sagoodthing。"

ThenextdayWetzeltoldJoetheywouldgoacrosscountrytoseeknewgamefields。Accordinglythetwosetout,andtrampedindustriouslyuntilevening。

Theycameuponacountrynolessbeautifulthantheonetheyhadleft,thoughthepicturesquecliffsandruggedhillshadgivenwaytoarollingland,theluxurianceofwhichwasexplainedbytheabundantspringsandstreams。Forestsandfieldswerethicklyinterspersedwithbubblingsprings,narrowanddeepstreams,andhereandthereasmalllakewitharunningoutlet。

Wetzelhadsaidlittleconcerningthisregion,butthatlittlewasenoughtorouseallJoe"seagerness,foritwastotheeffectthattheywerenowinacountrymuchtraversedbyIndians,especiallyrunnersandhuntingpartiestravellingfromnorthtosouth。Thehunterexplainedthatthroughthecenterofthistractranabuffaloroad;thatthebuffaloalwayspickedoutthestraightest,lowestanddryestpathfromonerangetoanother,andtheIndiansfollowedthesefirstpathfinders。

JoeandWetzelmadecamponthebankofastreamthatnight,andastheladwatchedthehunterbuildahiddencamp—fire,hepeeredfurtivelyaroundhalfexpectingtoseedarkformsscurryingthroughtheforest。Wetzelwasextremelycautious。Hestrippedpiecesofbarkfromfallentreesandbuiltalittlehutoverhisfirewood。Herubbedsomepowderonapieceofpunk,andthenwithflintandsteeldroppedtwoorthreesparksontheinflammablesubstance。Soonhehadablaze。Hearrangedthecoveringsothatnotarayoflightescaped。

Whentheflameshadsubsided,andthewoodhadburneddowntoaglowingbedofred,hethrewasidethebark,andbroiledthestripsofvenisontheyhadbroughtwiththem。

Theyrestedonabedofboughswhichtheyhadcutandarrangedalongsideahugelog。ForhoursJoelayawake,hecouldnotsleep。Helistenedtothebreezerustlingtheleaves,andshiveredatthethoughtofthesighingwindhehadonceheardmoanthroughtheforest。Presentlyheturnedover。TheslightnoiseinstantlyawakenedWetzelwholiftedhisdarkfacewhilehelistenedintently。Hespokeoneword:"Sleep,"andlaybackagainontheleaves。Joeforcedhimselftobequiet,relaxedallhismusclesandsoonslumbered。

OnthemorrowWetzelwentouttolookoverthehuntingprospects。Aboutnoonhereturned。Joewassurprisedtofindsomeslightchangeinthehunter。Hecouldnottellwhatitwas。

"IseenInjunsign,"saidWetzel。"There"snotellin"howsoonwemayrunaginthesneaks。Wecan"thunthere。Likeasnotthere"sHuronsandDelawaresskulkin"round。IthinkI"dbettertakeyoubacktothevillage。"

"It"sallonmyaccountyousaythat,"saidJoe。

"Sure,"Wetzelreplied。

"Ifyouwerealonewhatwouldyoudo？"

"IcalkilateI"dhuntfersomered—skinnedgame。"

Thesuprememomenthadcome。Joe"sheartbeathard。Hecouldnotmissthisopportunity;hemuststaywiththehunter。HelookedcloselyatWetzel。

"Iwon"tgobacktothevillage,"hesaid。

Thehunterstoodinhisfavoriteposition,leaningonhislongrifle,andmadenoresponse。

"Iwon"tgo,"continuedJoe,earnestly。"Letmestaywithyou。IfatanytimeIhamperyou,orcannotkeepthepace,thenleavemetoshiftformyself;butdon"tmakemegountilIweaken。Letmestay。"

FireandfearlessnessspokeinJoe"severyword,andhisgrayeyescontractedwiththeirpeculiarsteelyflash。Plainitwasthat,whilehemightfailtokeeppacewithWetzel,hedidnotfearthisdangerouscountry,and,ifitmustbe,wouldfaceitalone。

Wetzelextendedhisbroadhandandgavehiscomrade"saviselikesqueeze。Toallowtheladtoremainwithhimwasmorethanhewouldhavedoneforanyotherpersonintheworld。Farbettertokeeptheladunderhisprotectionwhileitwaspossible,forJoewastakingthatwar—trailwhichhadforeveryhunter,somewherealongitsbloodycourse,abullet,aknife,oratomahawk。

WetzelknewthatJoewasconsciousofthisinevitableconclusion,foritshowedinhiswhiteface,andintheresolveinhisbig,grayeyes。

Sothere,intheshadeofatoweringoak,theIndian—killeradmittedtheboyintohisfriendship,andintoalifewhichwouldnolongerbeplay,buteventful,stirring,hazardous。

"Wal,lad,stay,"hesaid,withthatraresmilewhichbrightenedhisdarkfacelikearayofstraysunshine。"We"llhangroundthesedigginsafewdays。

Firstoff,we"lltakeinthelayoftheland。Yougodownstreamawaysan"

scoutroundsome,whileIgoup,an"thencircledown。Moveslow,now,an"

don"tmissnothin"。"

Joefollowedthestreamamileormore。Hekeptcloseintheshadeofwillows,andneverwalkedacrossanopengladewithoutfirstwaitingandwatching。Helistenedtoallsounds;butnonewereunfamiliar。Hecloselyexaminedthesandalongthestream,andthemossandleavesunderthetrees。WhenhehadbeenseparatedfromWetzelseveralhours,andconcludedhewouldslowlyreturntocamp,heranacrossawell—beatenpathwindingthroughtheforest。Thiswas,perhaps,oneofthebridle—trailsWetzelhadreferredto。Hebentovertheworngrasswithkeenscrutiny。

CRACK！

Theloudreportofaheavilychargedriflerangout。Joefeltthezipofabulletasitfannedhischeek。Withanagileleaphegainedtheshelterofatree,frombehindwhichhepeepedtoseewhohadshotathim。HewasjustintimetodetectthedarkformofanIndiandartbehindthefoliageanhundredyardsdownthepath。JoeexpectedtoseeotherIndians,andtohearmoreshots,buthewasmistaken。Evidentlythesavagewasalone,forthetreeJoehadtakenrefugebehindwasscarcelylargeenoughtoscreenhisbody,whichdisadvantagetheotherIndianswouldhavebeenquicktonote。

Joecloselywatchedtheplacewherehisassailanthaddisappeared,andpresentlysawadarkhand,thenanakedelbow,andfinallytheramrodofarifle。Thesavagewasreloading。Soonarifle—barrelprotrudedfrombehindthetree。Withhisheartbeatinglikeatrip—hammer,andtheskintighteningonhisface,Joescreenedhisbodyasbesthemight。Thetreewassmall,butitservedasapartialprotection。Rapidlyherevolvedinhismindplanstooutwittheenemy。TheIndianwasbehindalargeoakwithalowlimboverwhichhecouldfirewithoutexposinghisownpersontodanger。

"Bang！"TheIndian"sriflebellowed;thebulletcrumbledthebarkclosetoJoe"sface。Theladyelled,loudly,staggeredtohisknees,andthenfellintothepath,wherehelayquiet。

Theredskingaveanexultantshout。Seeingthatthefallenfigureremainedquitemotionlesshesteppedforward,drawinghisknifeashecame。Hewasayoungbrave,quickandeagerinhismovements,andcamenimblyupthepathtogainhiscovetedtrophy,thepaleface"sscalp。

SuddenlyJoesatup,raisedhisriflequicklyasthought,andfiredpoint—blankattheIndian。

Buthemissed。

Theredskinstoppedaghastwhenhesawtheladthusseeminglycomebacktolife。Then,realizingthatJoe"saimhadbeenfutile,heboundedforward,brandishinghisknife,andutteringinfuriatedyells。

Joerosetohisfeetwithrifleswunghighabovehishead。

Whenthesavagewaswithintwentyfeet,sonearthatbigdark,face,swollenwithfiercepassion,couldbeplainlydiscerned,apeculiarwhistlingnoisesoundedoverJoe"sshoulder。Itwasaccompanied,ratherthanfollowed,byaclear,ringingrifleshot。

TheIndianstoppedasifhehadencounteredaheavyshockfromatreeorstonebarringhisway。Clutchingathisbreast,heutteredaweirdcry,andsankslowlyonthegrass。

Joeranforwardtobendovertheprostratefigure。TheIndian,aslender,handsomeyoungbrave,hadbeenshotthroughthebreast。Heheldhishandtightlyoverthewound,whilebrightredbloodtrickledbetweenhisfingers,floweddownhisside,andstainedthegrass。

ThebravelookedsteadilyupatJoe。Shotashewas,dyingasheknewhimselftobe,therewasnoyieldinginthedarkeye——onlyanunquenchablehatred。

Thentheeyesglazed;thefingersceasedtwitching。

JoewasbendingoveradeadIndian。

Itflashedintohismind,ofcourse,thatWetzelhadcomeupintimetosavehislife,buthedidnotdwellonthethought;heshrankfromthisviolentdeathofahumanbeing。Butitwasfromtheaspectofthedead,notfromremorseforthedeed。Hisheartbeatfast,hisfingerstrembled,yethefeltonlyastrangecoldnessinallhisbeing。Thesavagehadtriedtokillhim,perhaps,evennow,haditnotbeenforthehunter"sunerringaim,wouldhavebeengloatingoverabloodyscalp。

Joefelt,ratherthanheard,theapproachofsomeone,andheturnedtoseeWetzelcomingdownthepath。

"He"saloneShawneerunner,"saidthehunter,gazingdownatthedeadIndian。

"Hewastryin"towinhiseagleplumes。Iseenyoubothfromthehillside。"

"Youdid！"exclaimedJoe。Thenhelaughed。"Itwasluckyforme。Itriedthedodgeyoutaughtme,butinmyeagernessImissed。"

"Wal,youhadn"tnocallferhurry。Youworkedthetrickclever,butyoumissedhimwhentherewasplentyoftime。Ihadtoshootoveryourshoulder,orI"dhevpluggedhimsooner。"

"Wherewereyou？"askedJoe。

"Uptherebythatbitofsumach？"andWetzelpointedtoanopenridgeonahillsidenotlessthanonehundredandfiftyyardsdistant。

Joewonderedwhichofthetwobullets,thedeath—seekingonefiredbythesavage,orthelife—savingmissilefromWetzel"sfatalweapon,hadpassednearesttohim。

"Come,"saidthehunter,afterhehadscalpedtheIndian。

"What"stobedonewiththissavage？"inquiredJoe,asWetzelstartedupthepath。

"Lethimlay。"

Theyreturnedtocampwithoutfurtherincident。Whilethehunterbusiedhimselfreinforcingtheirtemporaryshelter——forthecloudslookedthreatening——Joecutupsomebuffalomeat,andthenwentdowntothebrookforagourdofwater。HecamehurriedlybacktowhereWetzelwasworking,andspokeinavoicewhichhevainlyendeavorstoholdsteady:

"Comequickly。Ihaveseensomethingwhichmaymeanagooddeal。"

Heledthewaydowntothebrookside。

"Look！"Joesaid,pointingatthewater。

Herethesteamwasabouttwofeetdeep,perhapstwentywide,andhadjustanoticeablecurrent。Shortlybefore,ithadbeenasclearasabrightsummersky;itwasnowtingedwithyellowcloudsthatslowlyfloateddownstream,eachoneenlargingandbecomingfainterastheclearwaterpermeatedandstained。

Grainsofsandglidedalongwiththecurrent,littlepiecesofbarkfloatedonthesurface,andminnowsdartedtoandfronibblingatthesedriftingparticles。

"Deerwouldn"troilthewaterlikethat。Whatdoesitmean？"askedJoe。

"Injuns,an"notferaway。"

Wetzelreturnedtotheshelterandtoreitdown。Thenhebentthebranchofabeechtreelowovertheplace。Hepulleddownanotherbranchovertheremainsofthecamp—fire。Theseprecautionsmadethespotlessstriking。WetzelknewthatanIndianscoutneverglancescasually;hisrovingeyessurveytheforest,perhapsquickly,butthoroughly。Anunnaturalpositionofbushorlogalwaysleadstoanexamination。

Thisdone,thehuntergraspedJoe"shandandledhimuptheknoll。Makinghiswaybehindawell—screenedtree,whichhadbeenuprooted,heselectedapositionwhere,hiddenthemselves,theycouldseethecreek。

HardlyhadWetzel,admonishedJoetolieperfectlystill,whenfromashortdistanceupthestreamcamethesoundofsplashingwater;butnothingcouldbeseenabovetheopenglade,asinthatdirectionwillowslinedthecreekindensethickets。Thenoisegrewmoreaudible。

SuddenlyJoefeltamuscularcontractionpassoverthepowerfulframelyingclosebesidehim。Itwasaconvulsivethrillsuchaspassesthroughatigerwhenheisabouttospringuponhisquarry。Sosubtleandstrongwasitsmeaning,soclearlydiditconveytotheladwhatwascoming,thathefeltithimself;savethatinhiscaseitwasacold,chillshudder。

Breathlesssuspensefollowed。ThenintotheopenspacealongthecreekglidedatallIndianwarrior。Hewasknee—deepinthewater,wherehewadedwithlow,cautioussteps。Hisgarish,befrilledcostumeseemedfamiliartoJoe。Hecarriedarifleatalowtrail,andpassedslowlyaheadwithevidentdistrust。

Theladbelievedherecognizedthathead,withitstangledblackhair,andwhenhesawtheswarthy,villainouscountenanceturnedfulltowardhim,heexclaimed:

"Girty！by———"

Wetzel"spowerfularmforcedhimsohardagainstthelogthathecouldnotcompletetheexclamation;buthecouldstillsee。Girtyhadnotheardthatstifledcry,forhecontinuedhisslowwading,andpresentlyhistall,gaudilydecoratedformpassedoutofsight。

Anothersavageappearedintheopenspace,andthenanother。Closebetweenthemwalkedawhiteman,withhandsboundbehindhim。Theprisonerandguardsdisappeareddownstreamamongthewillows。

Thesplashingcontinued——grewevenlouderthanbefore。Awarriorcameintoview,thenanother,andanother。Theywalkedclosetogether。Twomorefollowed。Theywerewadingbythesideofaraftmadeofseverallogs,uponwhichweretwoprostratefiguresthatcloselyresembledhumanbeings。

JoewassointentuponthelitheformsoftheIndiansthathebarelygotaglimpseoftheirfloatingprize,whateveritmighthavebeen。Bringinguptherearwasanathleticwarrior,whosebroadshoulders,sinewyarms,andshaved,polishedheadJoerememberedwell。ItwastheShawneechief,Silvertip。

Whenhe,too,passedoutofsightinthecurveofwillows,Joefoundhimselftrembling。HeturnedeagerlytoWetzel;butinstantlyrecoiled。

Terrible,indeed,hadbeenthehunter"stransformation。Allcalmnessoffacialexpressionwasgone;hewasnowstern,somber。Anintenseemotionwasvisibleinhiswhiteface;hiseyesseemedreducedtotwodarkshiningpoints,andtheyemittedsofierce,sopiercingaflash,sodeadlyalight,thatJoecouldnotbeartheirglitteringgaze。

"Threewhitecaptives,twoof"emwomen,"utteredthehunter,asifweighinginhismindtheimportanceofthisfact。

"Werethosewomenontheraft？"questionedJoe,andasWetzelonlynodded,hecontinued,"Awhitemanandtwowomen,sixwarriors,Silvertip,andthatrenegade,JimGirty！"

WetzeldeignednottoanswerJoe"spassionateoutburst,butmaintainedsilenceandhisrigidposture。Joeglancedoncemoreatthesternface。

"Consideringwe"dgoafterGirtyandhisredskinsiftheywerealone,we"reprettylikelytogoquickernowthatthey"vegotwhitewomenprisoners,eh？"

andJoelaughedfiercelybetweenhisteeth。

Thelad"sheartexpanded,whilealongeverynervetingledanexquisitethrillofexcitement。Hehadyearnedforwild,borderlife。Herehewasinit,withthehunterwhosenamealonewastothesavagesasymbolforallthatwasterrible。

Wetzelevidentlydecidedquicklyonwhatwastobedone,forinfewwordshedirectedJoetocutupsomuchofthebuffalomeatastheycouldstowintheirpockets。Then,biddingtheladtofollow,heturnedintothewoods,walkingrapidly,andstoppingnowandthenforabriefinstant。Soontheyemergedfromtheforestintomoreopencountry。Theyfacedawideplainskirtedontherightbyalong,windingstripofbrightgreenwillowswhichmarkedthecourseofthestream。OntheedgeofthisplainWetzelbrokeintoarun。Hekeptthispaceforadistanceofanhundredyards,thenstoppedtolistenintentlyasheglancedsharplyonallsides,afterwhichhewasoffagain。

HalfwayacrossthisplainJoe"swindbegantofail,andhisbreathingbecamelabored;buthekeptclosetothehunter"sheels。Oncehelookedbacktoseeagreatwideexpanseofwavinggrass。Theyhadcoveredperhapsfourmilesatarapidpace,andwerenearingtheothersideoftheplain。Theladfeltasifhisheadwasabouttoburst;asharppainseizeduponhisside;ablood—redfilmobscuredhissight。Hekeptdoggedlyon,andwhenutterlyexhaustedfelltotheground。

When,afewminuteslater,havingrecoveredhisbreath,hegotup,theyhadcrossedtheplainandwereinagroveofbeeches。Directlyinfrontofhimranaswiftstream,whichwasdividedattherockyheadofwhatappearedtobeawoodedisland。Therewasonlyaslightrippleandfallofthewater,and,afterasecondglance,itwasevidentthatthepointoflandwasnotanisland,butaportionofthemainlandwhichdividedthestream。Thebranchestookalmostoppositecourses。

JoewonderediftheyhadheadedofftheIndians。Certainlytheyhadrunfastenough。Hewaswetwithperspiration。HeglancedatWetzel,whowasstandingnear。Theman"sbroadbreastroseandfellalittlefaster;thatwastheonlyevidenceofexertion。Theladhadapainfulfeelingthathecouldneverkeeppacewiththehunter,ifthisfive—milerunwasasampleofthespeedhewouldbeforcedtomaintain。

"They"vegotaheadofus,butwhichcrickdidtheytake？"queriedWetzel,asthoughdebatingthequestionwithhimself。

"Howdoyouknowthey"vepassed？"

"Wecircled,"answeredWetzel,asheshookhisheadandpointedintothebushes。Joesteppedoverandlookedintothethicket。Hefoundaquantityofdeadleaves,sticks,andlitterthrownaside,exposingtolightalong,hollowedplaceontheground。Itwaswhatwouldbeseenafterrollingoveralogthathadlainforalongtime。Littlefurrowsintheground,holes,mounds,andcuriouswindingpassagesshowedwheregrubsandcricketshadmadetheirhomes。Thefrightenedinsectswerenowrunningroundwildly。

"Whatwashere？Alog？"

"Atwenty—footcanoewashidunderthetstuff。TheInjunshastakenoneofthesestreams。"

"Howcanwetellwhichone？"

"Mebbewecan"t;butwe"lltry。Grabupafewofthembugs,gobelowthetrockypoint,an"crawlclosetothebanksoyoucanjestpeepover。Bekeerfulnottoshowthetipofyourhead,an"don"tknocknothin"off"enthebankintothewater。Watchfertrout。Lookeverywheres,an"dropinabugnowandthen。I"lldothesamefertheotherstream。Thenwe"llcomebackherean"

talkoverwhatthefishhastosayabouttheInjuns。"

Joewalkeddownstreamafewpaces,and,droppingonhisknees,crawledcarefullytotheedgeofthebank。Heslightlypartedthegrasssohecouldpeepthrough,andfoundhimselfdirectlyoverapoolwithanarrowshoalrunningoutfromtheoppositebank。Thewaterwassoclearhecouldseethepebblybottominallparts,exceptadarkholenearabendintheshorecloseby。Hedidnotseealivingthinginthewater,notacrawfish,turtle,norevenafrog。Hepeeredroundclosely,thenflippedinoneofthebugshehadbroughtalong。Ashinyyellowfishflaredupfromthedepthsofthedeepholeanddisappearedwiththecricket;butitwasabassorapike,notatrout。

Wetzelhadsaidtherewereafewtroutlivingnearthecoolspringsofthesestreams。Theladtriedagaintocoaxonetothesurface。Thistimethemorefortunatecricketswamandhoppedacrossthestreamtosafety。

WhenJoe"seyeswerethoroughlyaccustomedtotheclearwater,withitsdeceivinglightsandshades,hesawafishlyingsnugunderthesideofastone。Theladthoughtherecognizedthesnub—nose,thehooked,wolfishjaw,buthecouldnotgetsufficientofaviewtoclassifyhim。Hecrawledtoamoreadvantageouspositionfartherdownstream,andthenhepeeredagainthroughthewoods。Yes,sureenough,hehadespiedatrout。Hewellknewthosespottedsilversides,thatbroad,squaretail。Suchamonster！Inhisadmirationforthefellow,andhiswishforahookandlinetotryconclusionswithhim,Joemomentarilyforgothisobject。Remembering,hetossedoutabig,fatcricket,whichalightedonthewaterjustabovethefish。Thetroutnevermoved,norevenblinked。Theladtriedagain,withnobettersuccess。Thefishwouldnotrise。ThereuponJoereturnedtothepointwherehehadleftWetzeL

"Icouldn"tseenothin"overthere,"saidthehunter,whowaswaiting。"Didyouseeany？"

"One,andabigfellow。"

"Didheseeyou？"

"No。"

"Didherisetoabug？"

"No,hedidn"t;butthenmaybehewasn"thungry"answeredJoe,whocouldnotunderstandwhatWetzelwasdrivingat。

"Tellmeexactlywhathedid。"

"That"sjustthetrouble;hedidn"tdoanything,"repliedJoe,thoughtfully。

"Hejustlaylow,stifflike,underastone。Heneverbattedaneye。Buthisside—finsquiveredlikeanaspenleaf。"

"Themside—finstellusthestory。Girty,an"hisredskinshevtookthisbranch,"saidWetzel,positively。"TheotherleadstotheHurontowns。

Girty"sgotaplaceneartheDelawarecampsomewheres。I"vetriedtofinditagoodmanytimes。He"stookmore"nonewhitelassthere,an"nobodyeverseenheragin。"

"Fiend！Tothinkofawhitewoman,maybeagirllikeNellWells,atthemercyofthosereddevils！"

"Youngfellar,don"tgowrong。I"llallowInjunsisbadenough;butIneverhearntellofoneabusin"awhitewoman,asmayhapyoumean。Injunsmarrywhitewomensometimes;killan"scalp"emoften,butthat"sall。It"smenofourowncolor,renegadeslikethisGirty,asdoworse"nmurder。"

HerewastheamazingcircumstanceofLewisWetzel,theacknowledgedunsatiablefoeofallredmen,speakingagoodwordforhisenemies。Joewassoastonishedhedidnotattempttoanswer。

"Here"swheretheygotinthecanoe。Onemorelook,an"thenwe"reoff,"saidWetzel。Hestrodeupanddownthesandybeach;examinedthewillows,andscrutinizedthesand。Suddenlyhebentoverandpickedupanobjectfromthewater。Hissharpeyeshadcaughttheglintofsomethingwhite,which,uponbeingexamined,provedtobeasmallivoryorbonebucklewithapiecebrokenout。HeshowedittoJoe。

"Byheavens！Wetzel,that"sabuckleoffNellWell"sshoe。I"veseenittoomanytimestomistakeit。"

"IwasafearedGirtyhedyourfriends,thesisters,an"mebbeyourbrother,too。JackZanesaidtherenegadewashangin"roundthevillage,an"thatcouldn"tbefernogood。"

"Comeon。Let"skillthefiend！"criedJoe,whitetothelips。

"Icalkilatethey"reaboutamiledownstream,makin"campferthenight。I

knowtheplace。There"safinespring,an,look！D"yeseethemcrowsflyin"

roundthetbigoakwiththebleachedtop？Hearthemcawin"？Youmightthinktheywaschasin"ahawk,orking—birdswerearter"em,butthetfussthey"remakin"isbecausetheyseeInjuns。"

"Well？"askedJoe,impatiently。

"It"llbemoonlightawhileartermidnight。Welllaylowan"wait,an"

then———"

Thesharpclickofhisteeth,likethesnapofasteeltrap,completedthesentence。Joesaidnomore,butfollowedthehunterintothewoods。Stoppingnearafallentree,Wetzelrakedupabundleofleavesandspreadthemontheground。Thenhecutafewspreadingbranchesfromabeech,andleanedthemagainstalog。Biddingtheladcrawlinbeforehetookonelastlookaroundandthenmadehiswayundertheshelter。