第15章
"Thisain"tcomfortable,"growledZane,inalowwhisper。"Themreddevilsareuptosomethin"bad。They"dbetternotmoveroundoverhere。"
Thehunters,satisfiedthatthetwoisolatedsavagesmeantmischief,turnedtheirgazeoncemoretowardthemaplegrove。
"Ah！Simonyouwhitetraitor！Seehim,Lew,comin"withhispreciousgang,"
saidJonathan。"He"sgotthewholethingfixed,youcanplainlyseethat。BillElliott,McKee;andwho"sthatrenegadewithJimGirty？I"llallowhemustbethefellarweheardwaswiththeChippewas。Toughlookin"customer;agoodmateferJimGirty！Afinelotofborder—hawks！"
"Somethin"comin"off,"whisperedWetzel,asZane"slowgrowlgrewunintelligible。
Jonathanfelt,ratherthansaw,Wetzeltremble。
"Themissionariesareconsultin"。Ah！therecomesone！Which？Iguessit"sEdwards。Bygum！who"sthatInjunstalkin"overfromthehostilebunch。Bigchief,whoeverheis。Blestifitain"tHalfKing！"
ThewatcherssawthechiefwavehisarmandspeakwithevidentarroganceofEdwards,who,however,advancedtotheplatformandraisehishandtoaddresstheChristians。
"Crack！"
Ashotrangoutfromthethicket。Clutchingwildlyathisbreast,themissionaryreeledback,staggered,andfell。
"Oneofthoseskulkin"redskinshaskilledEdwards,"saidZane。"But,no;he"snotdead！He"sgettin"up。Mebbeheain"thurtbad。Bygum！there"sYoungcomin"forward。Ofallthefools！"
ItwasindeedtruethatYounghadfacedtheIndians。HalfKingaddressedhimashehadtheother;butYoungraisedhishandandbeganspeaking。
"Crack！"
Anothershotrangout。Youngthrewuphishandsandfellheavily。Themissionariesrushedtowardhim。Mr。Wellsranroundthegroup,wringinghishandsasifdistracted。
"He"shardhit,"hissedZane,betweenhisteeth。"Youcantellthatbythewayhefell。"
Wetzeldidnotanswer。Helaysilentandmotionless,hislongbodyrigid,andhisfacelikemarble。
"Therecomestheotheryoungfellar——Joe"sbrother。He"llgetplugged,too,"
continuedZane,whisperingrathertohimselfthantohiscompanion。"Oh,I
hopedthey"dshowsomesense！It"snobleforthemtodieforChristianity,butitwon"tdonogood。Bygum！Heckewelderhaspulledhimback。Now,that"sgoodjudgment！"
HalfKingsteppedbeforetheChristiansandaddressedthem。Heheldinhishandablackwar—club,whichhewieldedashespoke。
Jonathan"sattentionwasnowdirectedfromthemaplegrovetothehunterbesidehim。Hehadheardaslightmetallicclick,asWetzelcockedhisrifle。
Thenhesawtheblackbarrelslowlyrise。
"Listen,Lew。Mebbeitain"tgoodsense。We"reafterGirty,youremember;andit"salongshotfromhere——fullthreehundredyards。"
"You"reright,Jack,you"reright,"answeredWetzel,breathinghard。
"Let"swait,andseewhatcomesoff。"
"Jack,Ican"tdoit。It"llmakeourjobharder;butIcan"thelpit。IcanputabulletjustovertheHuron"slefteye,an"I"mgoin"todoit。"
"Youcan"tdoit,Lew;youcan"t！It"stoofarforanygun。Wait！Wait！"
whisperedJonathan,layinghishandonWetzel"sshoulder。
"Wait？Man,can"tyouseewhattheunnamablevillainisdoin"？"
"What？"askedZane,turninghiseyesagaintotheglade。
TheconvertedIndianssatwithbowedheads。HalfKingraisedhiswar—club,andthrewitonthegroundinfrontofthem。
"He"sannouncin"thedeathdecree！"hissedWetzel。
"Well！ifheain"t！"
JonathanlookedatWetzel"sface。Thenherosetohisknees,ashadWetzel,andtightenedhisbelt。Heknewthatinanotherinstanttheywouldbespeedingawaythroughtheforest。
"Lew,myrifle"snogoodferthatdistance。Butmebbeyoursis。Yououghttoknow。It"snotsense,becausethere"sSimonGirty,andthere"sJim,themenwe"reafter。Ifyoucanhitone,youcananother。Butgoahead,Lew。Plugthatcowardlyredskin！"
Wetzelkneltononeknee,andthrusttheblackrifleforwardthroughthefernleaves。Slowlythefatalbarrelrosetoalevel,andbecameasmotionlessastheimmovablestones。
JonathanfixedhiskeengazeonthehaughtycountenanceofHalfKingashestoodwithfoldedarmsandscornfulmieninfrontoftheChristianshehadjustcondemned。
Evenastheshort,stingingcrackofWetzel"sriflebrokethesilence,JonathansawthefierceexpressionofHalfKing"sdarkfacechangetooneofvacantwildness。Hisarmsneverrelaxedfromtheirfoldedposition。Hefell,asfallsamonarchoftheforesttrees,adeadweight。
ChapterXXV。
"Pleasedonotpreachto—day,"saidNell,raisinghereyesimploringlytoJim"sface。
"Nellie,Imustconducttheservicesasusual。Icannotshirkmyduty,norlettheserenegadesseeIfeartofacethem。"
"Ihavesuchaqueerfeeling。Iamafraid。Idon"twanttobeleftalone。
Pleasedonotleaveme。"
Jimstrodenervouslyupanddownthelengthoftheroom。Nell"swornface,herbeseechingeyesandtremblinghandstouchedhisheart。Ratherthanalmostanythingelse,hedesiredtopleaseher,tostrengthenher;yethowcouldheshirkhisduty？
"Nellie,whatisityoufear？"heasked,holdingherhandstightly。
"Oh,Idon"tknowwhat——everything。Uncleisgrowingweakereveryday。LookatMr。Young;heisonlyashadowofhisformerself,andthisanxietyiswearingMr。Heckewelderout。Heismoreconcernedthanhedaresadmit。Youneedn"tshakeyourhead,forIknowit。ThenthoseIndianswhoarewaiting,waiting——forGodonlyknowswhat！Worsethanalltome,Isawthatrenegade,thatfearfulbeastwhomadewaywithpoordearKate！"
Nellburstintotears,andleanedsobbingonJim"sshoulder。
"Nell,I"vekeptmycourageonlybecauseofyou,"repliedJim,hisvoicetremblingslightly。
Shelookedupquickly。Somethinginthepalefacewhichwasbentoverhertoldthatnow,ifever,wasthetimeforawomantoforgetherself,andtocheer,toinspirethosearoundher。
"Iamasillybaby,andselfish！"shecried,freeingherselffromhishold。
"Alwaysthinkingofmyself。"Sheturnedawayandwipedthetearsfromhereyes。"Go,Jim,doyouduty;I"llstandbyandhelpyouallawomancan。"
ThemissionarieswereconsultinginHeckewelder"scabin。Zeisbergerhadreturnedthatmorning,andhisaggressive,dominatingspiritwasjustwhattheyneededinanhourlikethis。Heraisedthedowncastspiritsoftheministers。
"Holdtheservice？Ishouldsaywewill,"hedeclared,wavinghishands。
"Whathavewetobeafraidof？"
"Idonotknow,"answeredHeckewelder,shakinghisheaddoubtfully。"Idonotknowwhattofear。Girtyhimselftoldmeheboreusnoillwill;butIhardlybelievehim。Allthissilence,thisominouswaitingperplexes,bewildersme。"
"Gentlemen,ourdutyatleastisplain,"saidJim,impressively。"ThefaithoftheseChristianIndiansinusissoabsolutethattheyhavenofear。TheybelieveinGod,andinus。ThesethreateningsavageshavefailedsignallytoimpressourChristians。IfwedonotholdtheservicetheywillthinkwefearGirty,andthatmighthaveabadinfluence。"
"Iaminfavorofpostponingthepreachingforafewdays。ItellyouIamafraidofGirty"sIndians,notformyself,butfortheseChristianswhomwelovesowell。Iamafraid。"Heckewelder"sfaceboretestimonytohisanxiousdread。
"Youareourleader;wehavebuttoobey,"saidEdwards。"YetIthinkweoweittoourconvertstosticktoourworkuntilweareforcedbyviolencetodesist。"
"Ah！Whatformwillthatviolencetake？"criedHeckewelder,hisfacewhite。
"Youcannottellwhatthesesavagesmean。Ifear！Ifear！"
"Listen,Heckewelder,youmustrememberwehadthistogothroughoncebefore,"putinZeisbergerearnestly。"In"78Girtycamedownonuslikeawolfonthefold。HehadnotsomanyIndiansathisbeckandcallasnow;butheharanguedfordays,tryingtoscareusandourhandfulofChristians。Hesethisdrunkenfiendstofrightenus,andhefailed。Westuckitoutandwon。He"stryingthesamegame。Letusstandagainsthim,andholdourservicesasusual。WeshouldtrustinGod！"
"Nevergiveup！"criedJim。
"Gentlemen,youareright;youshameme,eventhoughIfeelthatIunderstandthesituationanditsdreadpossibilitiesbetterthananyoneofyou。Whateverbefallswe"llsticktoourpost。Ithankyouforrevivingthespiritinmycowardlyheart。Wewillholdtheserviceto—dayasusualandtomakeitmoreimpressive,eachshalladdressthecongregationinturn。"
"And,ifneedbe,wewillgiveourlivesforourChristians,"saidYoung,raisinghispaleface。
Thedeepmellowpealsofthechurchbellawoketheslumberingechoes。
ScarcelyhaditsmelodydiedawayintheforestwhenalineofIndiansissuedfromthechurchandmarchedtowardthemaplegrove。Men,women,youths,maidensandchildren。
Glickhican,theoldDelawarechief,headedtheline。Hisstepwasfirm,hisheaderect,hisfacecalminitsnobleausterity。Hisfollowerslikewiseexpressedintheircountenancesthesteadfastnessoftheirbelief。Themaidens"headswerebowed,butwithshyness,notfear。Thechildrenwerehappy,theirbrightfacesexpressiveofthejoythefeltintheanticipationoflisteningtotheirbelovedteachers。
Thisprocessionpassedbetweenrowsofpaintedsavages,standingimmovable,withfoldedarms,andsombereyes。
NosoonerhadtheChristiansreachedthemaplegrove,whenfromallovertheclearingappearedhostileIndians,whotookpositionsneartheknollwherethemissionariesstood。
Heckewelder"sfaithfullittlebandawaitedhimontheplatform。TheconvertedIndiansseatedthemselvesasusualatthefootoftheknoll。Theothersavagescrowdedcloselyonbothsides。Theycarriedtheirweapons,andmaintainedthesamesilencethathadsosingularlymarkedtheirmoodofthelasttwenty—fourhours。Nohumanskillcouldhavedivinedtheirintention。
Thiscoldnessmightbeonlyhabitualreserve,anditmightbeanythingelse。
HeckewelderapproachedatthesametimethatSimonGirtyandhisbandofrenegadesappeared。WiththerenegadeswerePipeandHalfKing。Thesetwocameslowlyacrosstheclearing,passedthroughtheopeninginthecrowd,andstoppedclosetotheplatform。
Heckewelderwenthurriedlyuptohismissionaries。Heseemedbesidehimselfwithexcitement,andspokewithdifficulty。
"Donotpreachto—day。Ihavebeenwarnedagain,"hesaid,inalowvoice。
"Doyouforbidit？"inquiredEdwards。
"No,no。Ihavenotthatauthority,butIimploreit。Wait,waituntiltheIndiansareinabettermood。"
Edwardsleftthegroup,and,steppingupontheplatform,facedtheChristians。
AtthesamemomentHalfKingstalkedmajesticallyfrombeforehisparty。Hecarriednoweaponsaveablack,knottedwar—club。Asurgingforwardofthecrowdofsavagesbehindhimshowedtheintenseinterestwhichhisactionhadaroused。Hewalkedforwarduntilhestoodhalfwaybetweentheplatformandtheconverts。HeranhisevilglanceslowlyovertheChristians,andthenrestedituponEdwards。
"HalfKing"sordersaretobeobeyed。Letthepalefacekeephismouthclosed,"
hecriedintheIndiantongue。Theimperiouscommandcameasathunderboltfromaclearsky。ThemissionariesbehindEdwardsstoodbewildered,awaitingtheoutcome。
ButEdwards,withoutamoment"shesitation,calmlyliftedhishandandspoke。
"BelovedChristians,wemeetto—dayaswehavemetbefore,aswehopetomeetin———"
"Spang！"
ThewhistlingofabulletovertheheadsoftheChristiansaccompaniedtheloudreportofarifle。Allpresentlyplainlyheardtheleadenmissilestrike。
Edwardswheeled,clutchinghisside,breathedhard,andthenfellheavilywithoututteringacry。HehadbeenshotbyanIndianconcealedinthethicket。
Foramomentnoonemoved,norspoke。themissionarieswerestrickenwithhorror;theconvertsseemedturnedtostone,andthehostilethrongwaitedsilently,astheyhadforhours。
"He"sshot！He"sshot！Oh,Ifearedthis！"criedHeckewelder,runningforward。
Themissionariesfollowedhim。Edwardswaslyingonhisback,withabloodyhandpressedtohisside。
"Dave,Dave,howisitwithyou？"askedHeckewelder,inavoicelowwithfear。
"Notbad。It"stoofarouttobebad,butitknockedmeover,"answeredEdwards,weakly。"Giveme——water。"
Theycarriedhimfromtheplatform,andlaidhimonthegrassunderatree。
YoungpressedEdwards"hand;hemurmuredsomethingthatsoundedlikeaprayer,andthenwalkedstraightupontheplatform,asheraisedhisface,whichwassublimewithawhitelight。
"Paleface！Back！"roaredHalfKing,ashewavedhiswar—club。
"YouIndiandog！Besilent！"
Young"sclearvoicerolledoutonthequietairsoimperiously,sopowerfulinitswonderfulscornandpassion,thatthehostilesavageswereovercomebyawe,andtheChristiansthrilledanewwithreverentiallove。
Youngspokeagaininavoicewhichhadlostitspassion,andwassingularlysweetinitsrichness。
"BelovedChristians,ifitisGod"swillthatwemustdietoproveourfaith,thenaswehavetaughtyouhowtolive,sowecanshowyouhowtodie———"
"Spang！"
Againawhistlingsoundcamewiththebellowofanoverchargedrifle;againthesickeningthudofabulletstrikingflesh。
Youngfellbackwardsfromtheplatform。
ThemissionarieslaidhimbesideEdwards,andthenstoodinshudderingsilence。AsmileshoneonYoung"spaleface;astreamofdarkbloodwelledfromhisbreast。Hislipsmoved;hewhispered:
"Iasknomore——God"swill。"
Jimlookeddownonceathisbrothermissionaries;thenwithblanchedface,butresoluteandstern,hemarchedtowardtheplatform。
Heckewelderranafterhim,anddraggedhimback。
"No！no！no！MyGod！Wouldyoubekilled？Oh！Itriedtopreventthis！"criedHeckewelder,wringinghishands。
Onelong,fierce,exultantyellpealedthroughoutthegrove。Itcamefromthosesilentbreastsinwhichwaspentuphatred;itgreetedthisactionwhichproclaimedvictoryoverthemissionaries。
AlleyesturnedonHalfKing。WithmeasuredstridehepacedtoandfrobeforetheChristianIndians。
Neithercoweringnorshrinkingmarkedtheirmanner;toaman,toachild,theyrosewithproudmien,headserectandeyesflashing。Thismightychiefwithhisblood—thirstycrewcouldburntheVillageofPeace,couldannihilatetheChristians,buthecouldneverchangetheirhopeandtrustinGod。
"Blindedfools！"criedHalfKing。"TheHuroniswise;hetellsnolies。ManymoonsagohetoldtheChristianstheyweresittinghalfwaybetweentwoangrygods,whostoodwithmouthsopenwideandlookingferociouslyateachother。
Iftheydidnotmovebackoutoftheroadtheywouldbegroundtopowderbytheteethofoneortheother,orboth。HalfKingurgedthemtoleavethepeacefulvillage,toforgetthepalefaceGod;totaketheirhorses,andflocks,andreturntotheirhomes。TheChristiansscornedtheHuronKing"scounsel。ThesunhassetfortheVillageofPeace。Thetimehascome。PipeandtheHuronarepowerful。TheywillnotlistentothepalefaceGod。TheywillburntheVillageofPeace。DeathtotheChristians！"
HalfKingthrewtheblackwar—clubwithapassionateenergyonthegrassbeforetheIndians。
Theyheardthisdecreeofdeathwithunflinchingfront。Eventhechildrenwerequiet。Notafacepaled,notaneyewaslowered。
HalfKingcasttheirdoomintheirteeth。TheChristianseyedhimwithunspokenscorn。
"MyGod！MyGod！ItisworsethanIthought！"moanedHeckewelder。"Utterruin！
Murder！Murder！"
Inthemomentarysilencewhichfollowedhisoutburst,atinycloudofblue—whitesmokecamefromthefernsoverhangingacliff。
Crack！
Allheardtheshotofarifle;allnoticedthedifferencebetweenitsclear,ringingintonationandtheloudreportsoftheothertwo。Alldistinctlyheardthezipofabulletasitwhistledovertheirheads。
All？No,notall。Onedidnothearthatspeedingbullet。Hewhowasthecentralfigureinthistragicscene,hewhohaddoomedtheChristiansmighthaveseenthattinypuffofsmokewhichheraldedhisowndoom,butbeforetheringingreportcouldreachhisearsasmallblueholeappeared,asifbymagic,overhislefteye,andpulse,andsense,andlifehadfledforever。
HalfKing,great,cruelchieftain,stoodstillforaninstantasifhehadbeenanimageofstone;hishaughtyheadlostitserectpoise,thefiercenessseemedtofadefromhisdarkface,hisproudplumewavedgracefullyasheswayedtoandfro,andthenfellbeforetheChristians,inertandlifeless。
Noonemoved;itwasasifnoonebreathed。Thesuperstitioussavagesawaitedfearfullyanotherrifleshot;anotherlightningstroke,anothervisitationfromthepaleface"sGod。
ButJimGirty,withacunningbornofhisterriblefear,hadrecognizedtheringofthatrifle。HehadfeltthezipofabulletwhichcouldjustasreadilyhavefoundhisbrainasHalfKing"s。HehadstoodthereasfairamarkasthecruelHuron,yettheAvengerhadnotchosenhim。Washereservedforadifferentfate？WasnotsuchadeathtoomercifulforthefrontierDeathshead？
Heyelledinhiscravenfear:
"LeventdelaMort！"
Thewellknown,dreadedappellationarousedthesavagesfromafearfulstuporintoafiercemanifestationofhatred。Atremendousyellrenttheair。
Instantlythescenechanged。
ChapterXXVI。
IntheconfusionthemissionariescarriedYoungandEdwardsintoMr。Wells"
cabin。Nell"scalm,whitefaceshowedthatshehadexpectedsomesuchcatastropheasthis,butsheofallwastheleastexcited。HeckewelderleftthematthecabinandhurriedawaytoconsultCaptainWilliamson。WhileZeisberger,whowasskilledinsurgery,attendedtothewoundedmen,Jimbarredtheheavydoor,shuttherude,swingingwindows,andmadethecabintemporarilyarefugefromprowlingsavages。
Outsidetheclamorincreased。Shrillyellsrenttheair,long,rollingwar—criessoundedaboveallthedin。Themeasuredstampofmoccasinedfeet,therushofIndianspastthecabin,thedullthudofhatchetsstruckhardintothetrees——allattestedtotheexcitementofthesavages,andtheimminenceofterribledanger。
InthefrontroomofMr。Wells"cabinEdwardslayonabed,hisfaceturnedtothewall,andhissideexposed。Therewasabloodyholeinhiswhiteskin。
Zeisbergerwasprobingforthebullet。Hehadnoinstruments,savethoseofhisownmanufacture,andtheyweredarningneedleswithbentpoints,andalongknife—bladegroundthin。
"There,Ihaveit,"saidZeisberger。"Holdstill,Dave。There！"AsEdwardsmoanedZeisbergerdrewforththebloodybullet。"Jim,washanddressthiswound。Itisn"tbad。Davewillbeallrightinacoupleofdays。NowI"lllookatGeorge。"
Zeisbergerhurriedintotheotherroom。Younglaywithquietfaceandclosedeyes,breathingfaintly。Zeisbergeropenedthewoundedman"sshirtandexposedthewound,whichwasontherightside,ratherhighup。Nell,whohadfollowedZeisbergerthatshemightbeofsomeassistanceifneeded,sawhimlookatthewoundandthenturnapalefaceawayforasecond。Thathurried,shudderingmovementofthesober,practicalmissionarywasmostsignificant。ThenhebentoverYoungandinsertedonoftheprobesintothewound。Hepushedthesteelaninch,two,three,fourinchesintoYoung"sbreast,butthelatterneithermovednormoaned。Zeisbergershookhishead,andfinallyremovedtheinstrument。Heraisedthesufferer"sshouldertofindthebedsaturatedwithblood。Thebulletwoundextendedcompletelythroughthemissionary"sbody,andwasbleedingfromtheback。Zeisbergerfoldedstripsoflinseyclothintosmallpadsandboundthemtightlyoverbothaperturesofthewound。
"Howishe？"askedJim,whentheamateursurgeonreturnedtotheotherroom,andproceededtowashthebloodfromhishands。
Zeisbergershookhisheadgloomily。
"HowisGeorge？"whisperedEdwards,whohadheardJim"squestion。
"Shotthroughtherightlung。Humanskillcannotaidhim！OnlyGodcansave。"
"Didn"tIhearathirdshot？"whisperedDave,gazingroundwithsad,questioningeyes。"Heckewelder？"
"Issafe。HehasgonetoseeWilliamson。Youdidhearathirdshot。HalfKingfelldeadwithabulletoverhislefteye。HehadjustfoldedhisarmsinagrandposeafterhisdeathdecreetotheChristians。"
"AjudgmentofGod！"
"Itdoesseemso,butitcameintheformofleadendeathfromWetzel"sunerringrifle。Doyouhearallthatyelling？HalfKing"sdeathhassettheIndianswild。"
Therewasagentleknockatthedoor,andthentheword,"Open,"inHeckewelder"svoice。
Jimunbarredthedoor。Heckeweldercameincarryingoverhisshoulderwhatapparentlywasasackofmeal。HewasaccompaniedbyyoungChristy。
Heckewelderputthebagdown,openedit,andliftedoutalittleIndianboy。
Thechildgazedroundwithfearfuleyes。
"SaveBenny！SaveBenny！"hecried,runningtoNell,andsheclaspedhimcloselyinherarms。
Heckewelder"sfacewaslikemarbleasheaskedconcerningEdwards"condition。
"I"mnotbadlyoff,"saidthemissionarywithasmile。
"How"sGeorge？"whisperedHeckewelder。
Nooneansweredhim。Zeisbergerraisedhishands。AllfollowedHeckewelderintotheotherroom,whereYounglayinthesamepositionaswhenfirstbroughtin。Heckewelderstoodgazingdownintothewanfacewithitsterriblysignificantsmile。
"Ibroughthimouthere。Ipersuadedhimtocome！"whisperedHeckewelder。
"Oh,AlmightyGod！"hecried。Hisvoicebroke,andhisprayerendedwiththemuteeloquenceofclaspedhandsanduplifted,appealingface。
"Comeout,"saidZeisberger,leadinghimintothelargerroom。Theothersfollowed,andJimclosedthedoor。
"What"stobedone？"saidZeisberger,withhispracticalcommonsense。"WhatdidWilliamsonsay？Telluswhatyoulearned？"
"Wait——directly,"answeredHeckewelder,sittingdownandcoveringhisfacewithhishands。Therewasalongsilence。Atlengthheraisedhiswhitefaceandspokecalmly:
"Gentlemen,theVillageofPeaceisdoomed。IentreatedCaptainWilliamsontohelpus,butherefused。Saidhedarednotinterfere。IprayedthathewouldspeakatleastawordtoGirty,buthedeniedmyrequest。"
"Wherearetheconverts？"
"Imprisonedinthechurch,everyoneofthemexceptBenny。Mr。ChristyandI
hidthechildinthemealsackandwerethusabletogethimhere。Wemustsavehim。"
"Savehim？"askedNell,lookingfromHeckeweldertothetremblingIndianboy。
"Nellie,thesavageshavedrivenallourChristiansintothechurch,andshutthemupthere,untilGirtyandhismenshallgivethewordtocompletetheirfiendishdesign。Theconvertsaskedbutonefavor——anhourinwhichtopray。
Itwasgranted。Thesavagesintendtomurderthemall。"
"Oh！Horrible！Monstrous！"criedNell。"Howcantheybesoinhuman？"SheliftedBennyupinherarms。"They"llnevergetyou,myboy。We"llsaveyou——I"llsaveyou！"Thechildmoanedandclungtoherneck。
"TheyarescouringtheclearingnowforChristians,andwillsearchallthecabins。I"mpositive。"
"Willtheycomehere？"askedNell,turningherblazingeyesonHeckewelder。
"Undoubtedly。WemusttrytohideBenny。Letmethink;wherewouldbeagoodplace？We"lltryadarkcorneroftheloft。"
"No,no,"criedNell。
"PutBennyinYoung"sbed,"suggestedJim。
"No,no,"criedNell。
"Puthiminabucketandlethimdowninthewell,"whisperedEdwards,whohadlistenedintentlytotheconversation。
"That"sacapitalplace,"saidHeckewelder。"Butmighthenotfalloutanddrown？"
"Tiehiminthebucket,"saidJim。
"No,no,no,"criedNell。
"ButNellie,wemustdecideuponahidingplace,andinahurry。"
"I"llsaveBenny。"
"You？Willyoustayheretofacethosemen？JimGirtyandDeeringaresearchingthecabins。Couldyoubearittoseethem？Youcouldn"t。"
"Oh！No,Ibelieveitwouldkillme！Thatman！thatbeast！willhecomehere？"
Nellgrewghastlypale,andlookedasifabouttofaint。SheshrunkinhorroratthethoughtofagainfacingGirty。"ForGod"ssake,Heckewelder,don"tlethimseeme！Don"tlethimcomein！Don"t！"
Evenastheimploringvoiceceasedaheavythumpsoundedonthedoor。
"Who"sthere？"demandedHeckewelder。
Thump！Thump！
Theheavyblowsshookthecabin。Thepansrattledontheshelves。Noanswercamefromwithout。
"Quick！HideBenny！It"sasmuchasourlivesareworthtohavehimfoundhere,"criedHeckewelderinafiercewhisper,ashedartedtowardthedoor。
"Allright,allright,inamoment,"hecalledout,fumblingoverthebar。