"And that timid fawn starts not with fear,
When I steal to her secret bower;
And that young May violet to me is dear,
And I visit the silent streamlet near,
To look on the lovely flower."Bryant, "An Indian Story," ii.11-15
The ark, as the floating habitation of the Hutters was generally
called, was a very simple contrivance. A large flat, or scow,
composed the buoyant part of the vessel; and in its centre, occupying
the whole of its breadth, and about two thirds of its length, stood
a low fabric, resembling the castle in construction, though made
of materials so light as barely to be bullet-proof. As the sides
of the scow were a little higher than usual, and the interior of
the cabin had no more elevation than was necessary for comfort,
this unusual addition had neither a very clumsy nor a very obtrusive
appearance. It was, in short, little more than a modern canal-boat,
though more rudely constructed, of greater breadth than common, and
bearing about it the signs of the wilderness, in its bark-covered
posts and roof. The scow, however, had been put together with some
skill, being comparatively light, for its strength, and sufficiently
manageable. The cabin was divided into two apartments, one of which
served for a parlor, and the sleeping-room of the father, and the
other was appropriated to the uses of the daughters. A very simple
arrangement sufficed for the kitchen, which was in one end of the
scow, and removed from the cabin, standing in the open air; the
ark being altogether a summer habitation.
The "and-bush," as Hurry in his ignorance of English termed it, is
quite as easily explained. In many parts of the lake and river,
where the banks were steep and high, the smaller trees and larger
bushes, as has been already mentioned, fairly overhung the stream,
their branches not unfrequently dipping into the water. In some
instances they grew out in nearly horizontal lines, for thirty or
forty feet. The water being uniformly deepest near the shores,
where the banks were highest and the nearest to a perpendicular,
Hutter had found no difficulty in letting the ark drop under one
of these covers, where it had been anchored with a view to conceal
its position; security requiring some such precautions, in his
view of the case. Once beneath the trees and bushes, a few stones
fastened to the ends of the branches had caused them to bend
sufficiently to dip into the river; and a few severed bushes,
properly disposed, did the rest. The reader has seen that this
cover was so complete as to deceive two men accustomed to the woods,
and who were actually in search of those it concealed; a circumstance
that will be easily understood by those who are familiar with
the matted and wild luxuriance of a virgin American forest, more
especially in a rich soil. The discovery of the ark produced very
different effects on our two adventurers.
As soon as the canoe could be got round to the proper opening, Hurry
leaped on board, and in a minute was closely engaged in a gay, and
a sort of recriminating discourse with Judith, apparently forgetful
of the existence of all the rest of the world. Not so with Deerslayer.
He entered the ark with a slow, cautious step, examining every
arrangement of the cover with curious and scrutinizing eyes. It
is true, he cast one admiring glance at Judith, which was extorted
by her brilliant and singular beauty; but even this could detain
him but a single instant from the indulgence of his interest in
Hutter's contrivances. Step by step did he look into the construction
of the singular abode, investigate its fastenings and strength,
ascertain its means of defence, and make every inquiry that would
be likely to occur to one whose thoughts dwelt principally on such
expedients. Nor was the cover neglected. Of this he examined the
whole minutely, his commendation escaping him more than once in
audible comments. Frontier usages admitting of this familiarity,
he passed through the rooms, as he had previously done at the 'Castle', and
opening a door issued into the end of the scow opposite to that
where he had left Hurry and Judith. Here he found the other sister,
employed at some coarse needle-work, seated beneath the leafy canopy
of the cover.
As Deerslayer's examination was by this time ended, he dropped the
butt of his rifle, and, leaning on the barrel with both hands, he
turned towards the girl with an interest the singular beauty of
her sister had not awakened. He had gathered from Hurry's remarks
that Hetty was considered to have less intellect than ordinarily
falls to the share of human beings, and his education among Indians
had taught him to treat those who were thus afflicted by Providence
with more than common tenderness. Nor was there any thing in Hetty
Hutter's appearance, as so often happens, to weaken the interest
her situation excited. An idiot she could not properly be termed,
her mind being just enough enfeebled to lose most of those traits
that are connected with the more artful qualities, and to retain
its ingenuousness and love of truth. It had often been remarked of
this girl, by the few who had seen her, and who possessed sufficient
knowledge to discriminate, that her perception of the right seemed
almost intuitive, while her aversion to the wrong formed so distinctive
a feature of her mind, as to surround her with an atmosphere of
pure morality; peculiarities that are not infrequent with persons
who are termed feeble-minded; as if God had forbidden the evil spirits
to invade a precinct so defenceless, with the benign purpose of
extending a direct protection to those who had been left without the
usual aids of humanity. Her person, too, was agreeable, having a
strong resemblance to that of her sister's, of which it was a subdued
and humble copy. If it had none of the brilliancy of Judith's, the
calm, quiet, almost holy expression of her meek countenance seldom
failed to win on the observer, and few noted it long that did not
begin to feel a deep and lasting interest in the girl. She had no
colour, in common, nor was her simple mind apt to present images
that caused her cheek to brighten, though she retained a modesty
so innate that it almost raised her to the unsuspecting purity of
a being superior to human infirmities. Guileless, innocent, and
without distrust, equally by nature and from her mode of life,
providence had, nevertheless shielded her from harm, by a halo of
moral light, as it is said 'to temper the wind to the shorn lamb.'
"You are Hetty Hutter," said Deerslayer, in the way one puts a
question unconsciously to himself, assuming a kindness of tone and
manner that were singularly adapted to win the confidence of her
he addressed. "Hurry Harry has told me of you, and I know you must
be the child?"
"Yes, I'm Hetty Hutter" returned the girl in a low, sweet voice,
which nature, aided by some education, had preserved from vulgarity
of tone and utterance-"I'm Hetty; Judith Hutter's sister; and Thomas
Hutter's youngest daughter."
"I know your history, then, for Hurry Harry talks considerable,
and he is free of speech when he can find other people's consarns
to dwell on. You pass most of your life on the lake, Hetty."
"Certainly. Mother is dead; father is gone a-trapping, and Judith
and I stay at home. What's your name?"
"That's a question more easily asked than it is answered, young
woman, seeing that I'm so young, and yet have borne more names than
some of the greatest chiefs in all America."
"But you've got a name- you don't throw away one name, before you
come honestly by another?"
"I hope not, gal- I hope not. My names have come nat'rally, and I
suppose the one I bear now will be of no great lasting, since the
Delawares seldom settle on a man's ra'al title, until such time as
he has an opportunity of showing his true natur', in the council,
or on the warpath; which has never behappened me; seeing firstly,
because I'm not born a red-skin and have no right to sit in their
councillings, and am much too humble to be called on for opinions
from the great of my own colour; and, secondly, because this is
the first war that has befallen in my time, and no inimy has yet
inroaded far enough into the colony, to be reached by an arm even
longer than mine."
"Tell me your names," added Hetty, looking up at him artlessly,
"and, maybe, I'll tell you your character."
"There is some truth in that, I'll not deny, though it often fails.
Men are deceived in other men's characters, and frequently give
'em names they by no means desarve. You can see the truth of this
in the Mingo names, which, in their own tongue, signify the same
things as the Delaware names,- at least, so they tell me, for I know
little of that tribe, unless it be by report,- and no one can say
they are as honest or as upright a nation. I put no great dependence,
therefore, on names."
"Tell me all your names," repeated the girl, earnestly, for her
mind was too simple to separate things from professions, and she
did attach importance to a name; "I want to know what to think of
you."
"Well, sartain; I've no objection, and you shall hear them all.
In the first place, then, I'm Christian, and white-born, like
yourself, and my parents had a name that came down from father to
son, as is a part of their gifts. My father was called Bumppo; and
I was named after him, of course, the given name being Nathaniel,
or Natty, as most people saw fit to tarm it."
"Yes, yes - Natty - and Hetty" interrupted the girl quickly, and
looking up from her work again, with a smile: "you are Natty, and
I'm Hetty-though you are Bumppo, and I'm Hutter. Bumppo isn't
as pretty as Hutter, is it?"
"Why, that's as people fancy. Bumppo has no lofty sound, I admit;
and yet men have bumped through the world with it. I did not go
by this name, howsoever, very long; for the Delawares soon found
out, or thought they found out, that I was not given to lying, and
they called me, firstly, 'Straight-tongue.'"
"That's a good name," interrupted Hetty, earnestly, and in a
positive manner; "don't tell me there's no virtue in names!"
"I do not say that, for perhaps I desarved to be so called, lies
being no favorites with me, as they are with some. After a while
they found out I was quick of foot, and then they called me 'The
Pigeon'; which, you know, has a swift wing, and flies in a straight
line."
"That was a pretty name!" exclaimed Hetty; "pigeons are pretty
birds!"
"Most things that God created are pretty in their way, my good gal,
though they get to be deformed by mankind, so as to change their
natur's, as well as their appearance. From carrying messages, and
striking blind trails, I got at last to following the hunters, when
it was thought I was quicker and surer at finding the game than
most lads, and then they called me the 'Lap-ear'; as, they said,
I partook of the sagacity of the hound."
"That's not so pretty," answered Hetty; "I hope you didn't keep
that name long."
"Not after I was rich enough to buy a rifle," returned the other,
betraying a little pride through his usually quiet and subdued
manner; "then it was seen I could keep a wigwam in ven'son; and
in time I got the name of 'Deerslayer,' which is that I now bear;
homely as some will think it, who set more value on the scalp of
a fellow-mortal than on the horns of a buck"
"Well, Deerslayer, I'm not one of them," answered Hetty, simply;
"Judith likes soldiers, and flary coats, and fine feathers; but
they're all naught to me. She says the officers are great, and gay,
and of soft speech; but they make me shudder, for their business
is to kill their fellow-creatures. I like your calling better;
and your last name is a very good one-- better than Natty Bumppo."
"This is nat'ral in one of your turn of mind, Hetty, and much as I
should have expected. They tell me your sister is handsome--oncommon,
for a mortal; and beauty is apt to seek admiration."
"Did you never see Judith?" demanded the girl, with quick earnestness;
"if you never have, go at once and look at her. Even Hurry Harry
isn't more pleasant to look at though she is a woman, and he is
a man."
Deerslayer regarded the girl for a moment with concern. Her
pale-face had flushed a little, and her eye, usually so mild and
serene, brightened as she spoke, in the way to betray the inward
impulses.
"Ay, Hurry Harry," he muttered to himself, as he walked through
the cabin towards the other end of the boat; "this comes of good
looks, if a light tongue has had no consarn in it. It's easy to
see which way that poor creatur's feelin's are leanin', whatever
may be the case with your Jude's."
But an interruption was put to the gallantry of Hurry, the coquetry
of his intros, the thoughts of Deerslayer, and the gentle feelings
of Hetty, by the sudden appearance of the canoe of the ark's owner,
in the narrow opening among the bushes that served as a sort of
moat to his position. It would seem that Hutter, or Floating Tom,
as he was familiarly called by all the hunters who knew his habits,
recognized the canoe of Hurry, for he expressed no surprise at
finding him in the scow. On the contrary, his reception was such
as to denote not only gratification, but a pleasure, mingled with
a little disappointment at his not having made his appearance some
days sooner.
"I looked for you last week," he said, in a half-grumbling,
half-welcoming manner; "and was disappointed uncommonly that you
didn't arrive. There came a runner through, to warn all the trappers
and hunters that the colony and the Canadas were again in trouble;
and I felt lonesome, up in these mountains, with three scalps to
see to, and only one pair of hands to protect them."
"That's reasonable," returned March; "and 't was feeling like a
parent. No doubt, if I had two such darters as Judith and Hetty,
my exper'ence would tell the same story, though in gin'ral I am
just as well satisfied with having the nearest neighbor fifty miles
off, as when he is within call."
"Notwithstanding, you didn't choose to come into the wilderness
alone, now you knew that the Canada savages are likely to be
stirring," returned Hutter, giving a sort of distrustful, and at
the same time inquiring glance at Deerslayer.
"Why should I? They say a bad companion, on a journey, helps to
shorten the path; and this young man I account to be a reasonably
good one. This is Deerslayer, old Tom, a noted hunter among the
Delawares, and Christian-born, and Christian-edicated, too, like
you and me. The lad is not parfect, perhaps, but there's worse
men in the country that he came from, and it's likely he'll find
some that's no better, in this part of the world. Should we have
occasion to defend our traps, and the territory, he'll be useful
in feeding us all; for he's a reg'lar dealer in ven'son."
"Young man, you are welcome," growled Tom, thrusting a hard, bony
hand towards the youth, as a pledge of his sincerity; "in such
times, a white face is a friend's, and I count on you as a support.
Children sometimes make a stout heart feeble, and these two daughters
of mine give me more concern than all my traps, and skins, and
rights in the country."
"That's nat'ral!" cried Hurry. "Yes, Deerslayer, you and I don't
know it yet by experience; but, on the whole, I consider that as
nat'ral. If we had darters, it's more than probable we should
have some such feelin's; and I honor the man that owns 'em. As
for Judith, old man, I enlist, at once, as her soldier, and here
is Deerslayer to help you to take care of Hetty."
"Many thanks to you, Master March," returned the beauty, in a full,
rich voice, and with an accuracy of intonation and utterance that
she shared in common with her sister, and which showed that she
had been better taught than her father's life and appearance would
give reason to expect. "Many thanks to you; but Judith Hutter
has the spirit and the experience that will make her depend more
on herself than on good-looking rovers like you. Should there be
need to face the savages, do you land with my father, instead of
burrowing in the huts, under the show of defending us females and-"
"Girl-- girl," interrupted the father, "quiet that glib tongue
of thine, and hear the truth. There are savages on the lake shore
already, and no man can say how near to us they may be at this very
moment, or when we may hear more from them!"
"If this be true, Master Hutter," said Hurry, whose change of
countenance denoted how serious he deemed the information, though
it did not denote any unmanly alarm, "if this be true, your ark is
in a most misfortunate position, for, though the cover did deceive
Deerslayer and myself, it would hardly be overlooked by a full-blooded
Injin, who was out seriously in s'arch of scalps!"
"I think as you do, Hurry, and wish, with all my heart, we lay
anywhere else, at this moment, than in this narrow, crooked stream,
which has many advantages to hide in, but which is almost fatal to
them that are discovered. The savages are near us, moreover, and
the difficulty is, to get out of the river without being shot down
like deer standing at a lick!"
"Are you sartain, Master Hutter, that the red-skins you dread are
ra'al Canadas?" asked Deerslayer, in a modest but earnest manner.
"Have you seen any, and can you describe their paint?"
"I have fallen in with the signs of their being in the neighborhood,
but have seen none of 'em. I was down stream a mile or so, looking
to my traps, when I struck a fresh trail, crossing the corner of a
swamp, and moving northward. The man had not passed an hour; and
I know'd it for an Indian footstep, by the size of the foot, and
the intoe, even before I found a worn moccasin, which its owner
had dropped as useless. For that matter, I found the spot where
he halted to make a new one, which was only a few yards from the
place where he had dropped the old one."
"That doesn't look much like a red-skin on the war path!" returned
the other, shaking his head. "An exper'enced warrior, at least,
would have burned, or buried, or sunk in the river such signs of
his passage; and your trail is, quite likely, a peaceable trail.
But the moccasin may greatly relieve my mind, if you bethought you
of bringing it off. I've come here to meet a young chief myself;
and his course would be much in the direction you've mentioned.
The trail may have been his'n."
"Hurry Harry, you're well acquainted with this young man, I hope,
who has meetings with savages in a part of the country where he
has never been before?" demanded Hutter, in a tone and in a manner
that sufficiently indicated the motive of the question; these rude
beings seldom hesitating, on the score of delicacy, to betray their
feelings. "Treachery is an Indian virtue; and the whites, that
live much in their tribes, soon catch their ways and practices."
"True- true as the Gospel, old Tom; but not personable to Deerslayer,
who's a young man of truth, if he has no other ricommend. I'll
answer for his honesty, whatever I may do for his valor in battle."
"I should like to know his errand in this strange quarter of the
country."
"That is soon told, Master Hutter," said the young man, with the
composure of one who kept a clean conscience. "I think, moreover,
you've a right to ask it. The father of two such darters,
who occupies a lake, after your fashion, has just the same right
to inquire into a stranger's business in his neighborhood, as the
colony would have to demand the reason why the Frenchers put more
rijiments than common along the lines. No, no, I'll not deny your
right to know why a stranger comes into your habitation or country,
in times as serious as these."
"If such is your way of thinking, friend, let me hear your story
without more words."
"'T is soon told, as I said afore; and shall be honestly told. I'm
a young man, and, as yet, have never been on a war-path; but
no sooner did the news come among the Delawares, that wampum and
a hatchet were about to be sent in to the tribe, than they wished
me to go out among the people of my own color, and get the exact
state of things for 'em. This I did, and, after delivering my
talk to the chiefs, on my return, I met an officer of the crown on
the Schoharie, who had messages to send to some of the fri'ndly
tribes that live farther west. This was thought a good occasion
for Chingachgook, a young chief who has never struck a foe, and
myself; to go on our first war path in company, and an app'intment
was made for us, by an old Delaware, to meet at the rock near the
foot of this lake. I'll not deny that Chingachgook has another
object in view, but it has no consarn with any here, and is his
secret and not mine; therefore I'll say no more about it."
"'Tis something about a young woman," interrupted Judith hastily,
then laughing at her own impetuosity, and even having the grace
to colour a little, at the manner in which she had betrayed her
readiness to impute such a motive. "If 'tis neither war, nor a
hunt, it must be love."
"Ay, it comes easy for the young and handsome, who hear so much
of them feelin's, to suppose that they lie at the bottom of most
proceedin's; but, on that head, I say nothin'. Chingachgook is to
meet me at the rock, an hour afore sunset tomorrow evening, after
which we shall go our way together, molesting none but the king's
inimies, who are lawfully our own. Knowing Hurry of old, who
once trapped in our hunting grounds, and falling in with him on the
Schoharie, just as he was on the p'int of starting for his summer
ha'nts, we agreed to journey in company; not so much from fear of
the Mingos, as from good fellowship, and, as he says, to shorten
a long road."
"And you think the trail I saw may have been that of your friend,
ahead of his time?" said Hutter.
"That's my idee, which may be wrong, but which may be right. If I
saw the moccasin, howsever, I could tell, in a minute, whether it
is made in the Delaware fashion, or not."
"Here it is, then," said the quick-witted Judith, who had already
gone to the canoe in quest of it. "Tell us what it says; friend
or enemy. You look honest, and I believe all you say, whatever
father may think."
"That's the way with you, Jude; forever finding out friends, where
I distrust foes," grumbled Tom: "but, speak out, young man, and
tell us what you think of the moccasin."
"That's not Delaware made," returned Deerslayer, examining the worn
and rejected covering for the foot with a cautious eye. "I'm too
young on a war-path to be positive, but I should say that moccasin
has a northern look, and comes from beyond the Great Lakes."
"If such is the case, we ought not to lie here a minute longer
than is necessary," said Hutter, glancing through the leaves of
his cover, as if he already distrusted the presence of an enemy on
the opposite shore of the narrow and sinuous stream. "It wants but
an hour or so of night, and to move in the dark will be impossible,
without making a noise that would betray us. Did you hear the echo
of a piece in the mountains, half-an-hour since?"
"Yes, old man, and heard the piece itself," answered Hurry, who now
felt the indiscretion of which he had been guilty, "for the last
was fired from my own shoulder."
"I feared it came from the French Indians; still it may put them
on the look-out, and be a means of discovering us. You did wrong
to fire in war-time, unless there was good occasion.
"So I begin to think myself, Uncle Tom; and yet, if a man can't
trust himself to let off his rifle in a wilderness that is a thousand
miles square, lest some inimy should hear it, where's the use in
carrying one?"
Hutter now held a long consultation with his two guests, in which
the parties came to a true understanding of their situation. He
explained the difficulty that would exist in attempting to get
the ark out of so swift and narrow a stream, in the dark, without
making a noise that could not fail to attract Indian ears. Any
strollers in their vicinity would keep near the river or the lake;
but the former had swampy shores in many places, and was both so
crooked and so fringed with bushes, that it was quite possible to
move by daylight without incurring much danger of being seen. More
was to be apprehended, perhaps, from the ear than from the eye,
especially as long as they were in the short, straitened, and
canopied reaches of the stream.
"I never drop down into this cover, which is handy to my traps,
and safer than the lake from curious eyes, without providing the
means of getting out ag'in," continued this singular being; "and
that is easier done by a pull than a push. My anchor is now lying
above the suction, in the open lake; and here is a line, you see,
to haul us up to it. Without some such help, a single pair of
bands would make heavy work in forcing a scow like this up stream.
I have a sort of a crab, too, that lightens the pull, on occasion.
Jude can use the oar astern as well as myself; and when we fear no
enemy, to get out of the river gives us but little trouble."
"What should we gain, Master Hutter, by changing the position?"
asked Deerslayer, with a good deal of earnestness; "this is a safe
cover, and a stout defence might be made from the inside of this
cabin. I've never fou't unless in the way of tradition; but it
seems to me we might beat off twenty Mingos, with palisades like
them afore us."
"Ay, ay; you 've never fought except in traditions, that's plain
enough, young man! Did you ever see as broad a sheet of water as
this above us, before you came in upon it with Hurry?"
"I can't say that I ever did," Deerslayer answered, modestly. "Youth
is the time to l'arn; and I'm far from wishing to raise my voice
in counsel, afore it is justified by exper'ence."
"Well, then, I'll teach you the disadvantage of fighting in this
position, and the advantage of taking to the open lake. Here,
you may see, the savages will know where to aim every shot; and it
would be too much to hope that some would not find their way through
the crevices of the logs. Now, on the other hand, we should have
nothing but a forest to aim at. Then we are not safe from fire,
here, the bark of this roof being little better than so much
kindling-wood. The castle, too, might be entered and ransacked in
my absence, and all my possessions overrun and destroyed. Once in
the lake, we can be attacked only in boats or on rafts- shall have
a fair chance with the enemy-and can protect the castle with the
ark. Do you understand this reasoning, youngster?"
"It sounds well- yes, it has a rational sound; and I'll not gainsay
it."
"Well, old Tom," cried Hurry, "If we are to move, the sooner we
make a beginning, the sooner we shall know whether we are to have
our scalps for night-caps, or not."
As this proposition was self-evident, no one denied its justice.
The three men, after a short preliminary explanation, now set
about their preparations to move the ark in earnest. The slight
fastenings were quickly loosened; and, by hauling on the line, the
heavy craft slowly emerged from the cover. It was no sooner free
from the incumbrance of the branches, than it swung into the stream,
sheering quite close to the western shore, by the force of the
current. Not a soul on board heard the rustling of the branches,
as the cabin came against the bushes and trees of the western bank,
without a feeling of uneasiness; for no one knew at what moment, or
in what place, a secret and murderous enemy might unmask himself.
Perhaps the gloomy light that still struggled through the impending
canopy of leaves, or found its way through the narrow, ribbon-like
opening, which seemed to mark, in the air above, the course of
the river that flowed beneath, aided in augmenting the appearance
of the danger; for it was little more than sufficient to render
objects visible, without giving up all their outlines at a glance.
Although the sun had not absolutely set, it had withdrawn its direct
rays from the valley; and the hues of evening were beginning to
gather around objects that stood uncovered, rendering those within
the shadows of the woods still more sombre and gloomy.
No interruption followed the movement, however, and, as the men
continued to haul on the line, the ark passed steadily ahead, the
great breadth of the scow preventing its sinking into the water,
and from offering much resistance to the progress of the swift
element beneath its bottom. Hutter, too, had adopted a precaution
suggested by experience, which might have done credit to a seaman,
and which completely prevented any of the annoyances and obstacles
which otherwise would have attended the short turns of the river.
As the ark descended, heavy stones, attached to the line, were
dropped in the centre of the stream, forming local anchors, each
of which was kept from dragging by the assistance of those above
it, until the uppermost of all was reached, which got its "backing"
from the anchor, or grapnel, that lay well out in the lake. In
consequence of this expedient, the ark floated clear of the
incumbrances of the shore, against which it would otherwise have
been unavoidably hauled at every turn, producing embarrassments
that Hutter, single-handed, would have found it very difficult to
overcome. Favored by this foresight, and stimulated by the apprehension
of discovery, Floating Tom and his two athletic companions hauled
the ark ahead with quite as much rapidity as comported with the
strength of the line. At every turn in the stream, a stone was
raised from the bottom, when the direction of the scow changed to
one that pointed towards the stone that lay above. In this manner,
with the channel buoyed out for him, as a sailor might term it,
did Hutter move forward, occasionally urging his friends, in a low
and guarded voice, to increase their exertions, and then, as occasions
offered, warning them against efforts that might, at particular
moments, endanger all by too much zeal. In spite of their long
familiarity with the woods, the gloomy character of the shaded river
added to the uneasiness that each felt; and when the ark reached
the first bend in the Susquehannah, and the eye caught a glimpse
of the broader expanse of the lake, all felt a relief, that perhaps
none would have been willing to confess. Here the last stone
was raised from the bottom, and the line led directly towards the
grapnel, which, as Hutter had explained, was dropped above the
suction of the current.
"Thank God!" ejaculated Hurry, "there is daylight, and we shall
soon have a chance of seeing our inimies, if we are to feel 'em."
"That is more than you or any man can say," growled Hutter.
"There is no spot so likely to harbor a party as the shore around
the outlet, and the moment we clear these trees and get into
open water, will be the most trying time, since it will leave the
enemy a cover, while it puts us out of one. Judith, girl, do you
and Hetty leave the oar to take care of itself; and go within the
cabin; and be mindful not to show your faces at a window; for they
who will look at them won't stop to praise their beauty. And now,
Hurry, we 'll step into this outer room ourselves, and haul through
the door, where we shall all be safe, from a surprise, at least.
Friend Deerslayer, as the current is lighter, and the line has all
the strain on it that is prudent, do you keep moving from window
to window, taking care not to let your head be seen, if you set
any value on life. No one knows when or where we shall hear from
our neighbors."
Deerslayer complied, with a sensation that had nothing in common
with fear, but which had all the interest of a perfectly novel and
a most exciting situation. For the first time in his life he was
in the vicinity of enemies, or had good reason to think so; and
that, too, under all the thrilling circumstances of Indian surprises
and Indian artifices. As he took his stand at the window, the ark
was just passing through the narrowest part of the stream, a point
where the water first entered what was properly termed the river,
and where the trees fairly interlocked overhead, causing the
current to rush into an arch of verdure; a feature as appropriate
and peculiar to the country, perhaps, as that of Switzerland, where
the rivers come rushing literally from chambers of ice.
The ark was in the act of passing the last curve of this leafy
entrance, as Deerslayer, having examined all that could be seen of
the eastern bank of the river, crossed the room to look from the
opposite window, at the western. His arrival at this aperture was
most opportune, for he had no sooner placed his eye at a crack,
than a sight met his gaze that might well have alarmed a sentinel
so young and inexperienced. A sapling overhung the water, in nearly
half a circle, having first grown towards the light, and then been
pressed down into this form by the weight of the snows; a circumstance
of common occurrence in the American woods. On this no less than
six Indians had already appeared, others standing ready to follow
them, as they left room; each evidently bent on running out on the
trunk, and dropping on the roof of the ark as it passed beneath. This
would have been an exploit of no great difficulty, the inclination
of the tree admitting of an easy passage, the adjoining branches
offering ample support for the hands, and the fall being too trifling
to be apprehended. When Deerslayer first saw this party, it was
just unmasking itself, by ascending the part of the tree nearest to
the earth, or that which was much the most difficult to overcome;
and his knowledge of Indian habits told him at once that they were
all in their war-paint, and belonged to a hostile tribe.
"Pull, Hurry," he cried; "pull for your life, and as you love
Judith Hutter! Pull, man, pull!"
This call was made to one that the young man knew had the strength
of a giant. It was so earnest and solemn, that both Hutter and
March felt it was not idly given, and they applied all their force
to the line simultaneously, and at a most critical moment. The scow
redoubled its motion, and seemed to glide from under the tree as
if conscious of the danger that was impending overhead. Perceiving
that they were discovered, the Indians uttered the fearful war-whoop,
and running forward on the tree, leaped desperately towards their
fancied prize. There were six on the tree, and each made the
effort. All but their leader fell into the river more or less
distant from the ark, as they came, sooner or later, to the leaping
place. The chief, who had taken the dangerous post in advance,
having an earlier opportunity than the others, struck the scow just
within the stern. The fall proving so much greater than he had
anticipated, he was slightly stunned, and for a moment he remained
half bent and unconscious of his situation. At this instant Judith
rushed from the cabin, her beauty heightened by the excitement that
produced the bold act, which flushed her cheek to crimson, and,
throwing all her strength into the effort, she pushed the intruder
over the edge of the scow, headlong into the river. This decided
feat was no sooner accomplished than the woman resumed her sway;
Judith looked over the stern to ascertain what had become of the
man, and the expression of her eyes softened to concern, next, her
cheek crimsoned between shame and surprise at her own temerity,
and then she laughed in her own merry and sweet manner. All this
occupied less than a minute, when the arm of Deerslayer was thrown
around her waist, and she was dragged swiftly within the protection
of the cabin. This retreat was not effected too soon. Scarcely
were the two in safety, when the forest was filled with yells, and
bullets began to patter against the logs.
The ark being in swift motion all this while, it was beyond the
danger of pursuit by the time these little events had occurred;
and the savages, as soon as the first burst of their anger had
subsided, ceased firing, with the consciousness that they were
expending their ammunition in vain. When the scow came up over
her grapnel, Hutter tripped the latter in a way not to impede the
motion; and being now beyond the influence of the current, the vessel
continued to drift ahead, until fairly in the open lake, though
still near enough to the land to render exposure to a rifle-bullet
dangerous. Hutter and March got out two small sweeps and, covered
by the cabin, they soon urged the ark far enough from the shore to
leave no inducement to their enemies to make any further attempt
to injure them.