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+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Phantom of the River, by Edward S. Ellis
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Phantom of the River
+
+Author: Edward S. Ellis
+
+Release Date: October 13, 2007 [EBook #23026]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PHANTOM OF THE RIVER ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Bethanne M. Simms, Mary Meehan and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+<h3><i><span class="smcap">Boone and Kenton Series, No.</span> 2</i></h3>
+
+<h1>THE PHANTOM OF THE RIVER</h1>
+
+<h3>A SEQUEL TO "SHOD WITH SILENCE"</h3>
+
+<h2>BY EDWARD S. ELLIS</h2>
+
+<h4>AUTHOR OF "THE LOG CABIN SERIES," "DEERFOOT SERIES," "WYOMING SERIES,"
+ETC.</h4>
+
+<h4>PHILADELPHIA<br />
+HENRY T. COATES &amp; CO.<br />
+<span class="smcap">COPYRIGHT</span>, 1896,</h4>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<div class="figcenter">
+<a name="i001" id="i001"></a>
+<img src="images/i001.jpg" alt=""/>
+</div>
+
+<h3><span class="smcap">Boone and Kenton.</span></h3>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>CONTENTS.</h2>
+
+<!-- Autogenerated TOC. Modify or delete as required. -->
+<p>
+<a href="#CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I. <span class="smcap">Longing for Night</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II. <span class="smcap">The Cawing of a Crow</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III. <span class="smcap">The Halt in the Woods</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV. <span class="smcap">On the Edge of the Clearing</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V. <span class="smcap">Daring and Delicate Work</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI. <span class="smcap">The Right of Eminent Domain</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII. <span class="smcap">A Question of Ownership</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII. <span class="smcap">By the Way</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX. <span class="smcap">The "Accident"</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X. <span class="smcap">At Rattlesnake Gulch</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI. <span class="smcap">Watching and Waiting</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII. <span class="smcap">Carrying the War into Africa</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII. <span class="smcap">Unkind Fate</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV. <span class="smcap">The Intruder</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV. <span class="smcap">A Dark Prospect</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI. <span class="smcap">Simon Kenton in a Panic</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII. <span class="smcap">A Run of Good Fortune</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII. <span class="smcap">"It's an Ill Wind that Blows Nobody any Good"</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">CHAPTER XIX. <span class="smcap">A Fellow-Passenger</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XX">CHAPTER XX. <span class="smcap">War's Strategy</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XXI">CHAPTER XXI. <span class="smcap">The Phantom of the River</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XXII">CHAPTER XXII. <span class="smcap">Putting Out from Shore</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XXIII">CHAPTER XXIII. <span class="smcap">The Shawanoe Camp</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XXIV">CHAPTER XXIV. <span class="smcap">The Forlorn Hope</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XXV">CHAPTER XXV. <span class="smcap">Face to Face</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XXVI">CHAPTER XXVI. <span class="smcap">In the Lion's Den</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XXVII">CHAPTER XXVII. <span class="smcap">The Last Recourse</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XXVIII">CHAPTER XXVIII. <span class="smcap">The Return</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XXIX">CHAPTER XXIX. <span class="smcap">Squaring Accounts</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XXX">CHAPTER XXX. <span class="smcap">Conclusion</span></a><br />
+</p>
+<!-- End Autogenerated TOC. -->
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</h2>
+
+<p><a href="#i001"><span class="smcap">Boone and Kenton.</span></a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#i124"><span class="smcap">Jethro in Trouble.</span></a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#i208"><span class="smcap">The Phantom boat.</span></a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#i352"><span class="smcap">The Missionary's Triumph.</span></a></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>PHANTOM OF THE RIVER.</h2>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I.</h2>
+
+<h3>LONGING FOR NIGHT.</h3>
+
+
+<p>"I think there's trouble ahead, Dan'l."</p>
+
+<p>"There isn't any doubt of it, Simon."</p>
+
+<p>The first remark was made by the famous pioneer ranger, Simon Kenton,
+and the second fell from the lips of the more famous Daniel Boone.</p>
+
+<p>It was at the close of a warm day in August, more than a century ago,
+that these veterans of the woods came together for the purpose of
+consultation. They had threaded their way along parallel lines,
+separated by hardly a furlong, for a mile from their starting-point,
+when the above interchange of views took place.</p>
+
+<p>Boone had kept close to the Ohio while stealthily moving eastward, while
+Kenton took the same course, gliding more deeply among the shadows of
+the Kentucky forest until, disturbed by the evidence of danger, he
+trended to the left and met Boone near the river.</p>
+
+<p>The two sat down on a fallen tree, side by side, and, while talking in
+low tones, did not for a moment forget their surroundings. They had
+lived too long in the perilous wilderness to forget that there was never
+a moment when a pioneer was absolutely safe from the fierce or stealthy
+red man.</p>
+
+<p>"Dan'l," said Kenton, in that low, musical voice which was one of his
+most marked characteristics, "this 'ere bus'ness has took the qu'arest
+shape of anything that you or me have been mixed up in."</p>
+
+<p>"I haven't been mixed up in it, Simon," corrected Boone, turning his
+somewhat narrow, but clean-shaven face upon the other, and smiling
+gently in a way that brought the wrinkles around a pair of eyes as blue
+as those of Kenton himself.</p>
+
+<p>"Not yet, but you're powerful sartin to be afore them folks reach the
+block-house."</p>
+
+<p>Boone nodded his head to signify that he agreed with his friend.</p>
+
+<p>"You wasn't at the block-house, Dan'l, when the flatboat stopped there?"</p>
+
+<p>"No."</p>
+
+<p>"Neither was I; I was tramping through the woods on my way to make a
+call on Mr. Ashbridge."</p>
+
+<p>"That's the man who put up the cabin a mile back down the river?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; you see Norman Ashbridge or his son George&mdash;and the same is a
+powerful likely younker&mdash;come down the Ohio last spring in their
+flatboat, and stopped at the clearing a mile below us, where they put up
+a tidy cabin. A few weeks ago the father started east to bring down his
+family in another flatboat. George, the younker, got tired of waiting
+and set out to meet 'em; him and me come together in the woods, and had
+a scrimmage with the varmints afore we got on the boat with 'em. Things
+were purty warm on the way down the river, for The Panther made matters
+warm for us."</p>
+
+<p>"The Panther!" repeated Boone, turning toward his friend; "I was afraid
+he was mixed up in this."</p>
+
+<p>"I should say he was&mdash;ruther," replied Kenton, with a grin over the
+surprise of his older companion. "That chap sneaked onto the boat last
+night, believing he had a chance to clean us all out. Of course, I
+knowed what was up, but The Panther made a powerful big mistake. He got
+mixed up with that darkey you seed&mdash;his name is Jethro Juggens&mdash;and you
+may shoot me if the darkey didn't throw him down and hold him fast till
+we made him prisoner."</p>
+
+<p>Boone had heard something of this extraordinary exploit, but he looked
+questioningly at Kenton, as though he could hardly credit the fact.</p>
+
+<p>"It's all as true as Gospel. We kept Wa-on-mon, which the same is The
+Panther, till late that night, when Mr. Ashbridge and Altman and me went
+over in a canoe to the other flatboat, which the Shawanoes had cleaned
+out, to even up accounts with 'em. Sime Girty was with 'em, but they
+left afore we got to the craft, and we sot it afire and come back."</p>
+
+<p>"I seed the light last night, but didn't know what it was."</p>
+
+<p>"While we was gone, Mr. Altman's darter, Agnes (she ain't much more than
+a child), felt so sorry for The Panther, thinking, too, that I meant to
+shove him under, that she cut the cords that bound him&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"What a fool of a gal!"</p>
+
+<p>"Dan'l," sternly interrupted Kenton, laying his hand on the arm of his
+friend, "you mustn't speak that way of Tom Altman's child. There ain't a
+finer, smarter, purtier, sweeter gal in all Ohio or Kaintuck than little
+Agnes Altman. She made a powerful big mistake, but she done it in the
+kindness of her heart, and, Dan'l, you and me knows there ain't many
+such mistakes made. But that little gal showed her pluck when she
+follered up Wa-on-mon, snatched the knife from his hand when he warn't
+looking, and warned young Ashbridge in time to save him. Wal, The
+Panther made a rush to jump overboard, but he happened to step onto that
+darkey again, so he was nabbed."</p>
+
+<p>"But what's become of The Panther?" asked Boone, hoping to hear that the
+career of this terrible scourge of the border was ended.</p>
+
+<p>Kenton rested his long, formidable flintlock rifle on the log at his
+side, clasped his thin iron fingers over one knee, the foot of which was
+raised from the ground, and looked thoughtfully among the trees in
+front. His coonskin cap was shoved back from his forehead, and a frown
+settled on it, and his thin lips were compressed for a few moments
+before he spoke.</p>
+
+<p>"Dan'l, things haven't turned out altogether to suit me. As you know,
+the flatboat kept on down the river till it reached the clearing this
+morning. Afore we went ashore, I diskivered that Girty and several
+varmints was in the cabin. They knowed we was going there, and they
+meant to wait until we got inside, when they'd clean us all out. While
+we was man[oe]uvring round like, so as to trade places with 'em, a
+powerful qu'ar thing happened."</p>
+
+<p>"There's a good many queer things happening in this part of the world,
+Simon," curtly remarked Boone.</p>
+
+<p>"Two of them Shawanoes was shot&mdash;one killed or the other hit hard&mdash;and
+in both cases it was done by that darkey, Jethro Juggens. He's a big,
+strong, simple chap, that hates work worse nor pizen, but he knows how
+to shoot that gun of his in a way that'll open your eyes."</p>
+
+<p>"But what about The Panther?" asked Boone, feeling more interest in him
+than in Jethro Juggens. Kenton's brow clouded again as he made answer:</p>
+
+<p>"Consarn The Panther! I forgot about him. It was agreed that him and me
+would meet, all by ourselves, in the woods near the clearing, and settle
+that account between us. If I come back all right, Girty and the
+varmints was to leave the cabin. I come back and they left."</p>
+
+<p>"And you evened up matters with The Panther?" exclaimed Boone, with a
+glow of satisfaction, in strong contrast to the scornful disgust on the
+rugged countenance of his friend.</p>
+
+<p>"No; I went to the spot, but The Panther didn't show himself."</p>
+
+<p>The readers of "Shod with Silence" will recall the circumstances. Simon
+Kenton hurried to the appointed place of meeting, eager for the
+encounter with Wa-on-mon, the famous war chief of the Shawanoes, but the
+crafty miscreant had vanished, and nothing was seen of him.</p>
+
+<p>"I never thought Wa-on-mon was a coward," bitterly repeated Kenton.</p>
+
+<p>"And, Simon," said Boone, impressively, "don't make the mistake of
+thinking so now; the reason why he didn't meet you wasn't that he was
+afraid of you."</p>
+
+<p>"What was it?"</p>
+
+<p>"You know as well as me."</p>
+
+<p>And so he did. The savage leader of the Shawanoes merely deferred his
+furious meeting with the ranger in order to strike a more fearful blow
+against the pioneers.</p>
+
+<p>The moment Wa-on-mon plunged into the woods near the clearing, with the
+avowed purpose of meeting Kenton, he was off like a deer in search of a
+large war party that he knew was somewhere in the neighborhood. With
+them he meant to return and "wipe out" every man, woman and child of the
+settlers.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, the Altmans and Ashbridges, assisted by their companions,
+removed all their goods from the flatboat against the bank and placed
+them in the cabin, prepared some time before for the occupancy of the
+Ashbridges. This was hardly done when Daniel Boone appeared at the
+clearing with disquieting news. He advised them, however, to stay, since
+their means of defence was good, but hardly was the decision reached
+when a runner came in with the news that an uprising among the
+surrounding tribes had already begun, and it would not do for the
+pioneers to remain another day. Nothing could save the lonely cabins and
+exposed dwellings except immediate flight to the nearest settlement or
+block-house.</p>
+
+<p>Ten miles from the clearing, and standing on the northern bank of the
+Ohio, was the block-house in charge of Captain Bushwick. The Altmans and
+Ashbridges made the sad mistake of not fastening the flatboat to the
+bank and taking up their quarters at this frontier post until the full
+truth was learned about the dangers confronting them.</p>
+
+<p>The first intention of Boone and his party was to escort the settlers
+back to the block-house. They had a brush with a company of Shawanoes,
+and defeated them. It was not the main body, however, under the
+leadership of The Panther. That remained to be heard from, and its
+whereabouts was unknown.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Altman, his wife, and daughter Agnes, and his negro servant, Jethro
+Juggens, Mr. Ashbridge and his wife, daughter Mabel, and their son
+George set out for the block-house on the Ohio side of the river.</p>
+
+<p>Their plan was to keep along the Kentucky bank until opposite the post,
+when the means would be readily found for crossing. The two families
+were in charge of the rangers that Boone had brought with him for the
+purpose of acting as their escort. They were forced to leave behind them
+all their earthly possessions in the solitary cabin, with not the
+remotest prospect of ever seeing them or it again.</p>
+
+<p>Although the day was well along when the start was made, yet the
+situation was so critical, because of the part The Panther was certain
+to play in the coming events, that Boone and Kenton took the advance,
+proceeding by parallel but separated lines, and on the guard against any
+stealthy approach from the Indians.</p>
+
+<p>It was the hope that by preventing or, rather, averting any attack until
+nightfall, the prospects of the pioneers would be vastly improved.
+Though the forest possessed no available trail that could be used even
+in the daytime, the rangers, and especially Kenton and Boone, were so
+familiar with it, that they could guide their friends with unerring
+accuracy when the darkness was so profound that it was almost worthy of
+the old remark that a person could not see his hand before his face.</p>
+
+<p>Accordingly, all yearned or prayed for the coming of darkness.</p>
+
+<p>"Hark," whispered Kenton, turning to Boone, and raising his hand as a
+gesture for silence.</p>
+
+<p>No need of that, for the elder had caught the sound&mdash;a faint and
+apparently distant cawing of a crow from some lofty tree-top.</p>
+
+<p>Both had heard the same cry more than once that afternoon, and instead
+of its being the call of a crow, they knew it came from the throat of an
+Indian warrior, and therefore a relentless enemy.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II.</h2>
+
+<h3>THE CAWING OF A CROW.</h3>
+
+
+<p>Three separate times previous to this that faint cawing signal had been
+heard, as it seemed, from the distant tree-tops. The most sensitive ear
+could not say of a certainty it was not made by one of those
+black-coated birds calling to its mate or the flock from which it had
+strayed. Neither Boone nor Kenton distinguished any difference between
+the tone and what they had heard times without number, and yet neither
+held a doubt that it was emitted by a dusky spy stealing through the
+woods, and that it bore a momentous message to others of his kith and
+kin.</p>
+
+<p>The keen sense of hearing enabled the rangers to locate the signal at
+less than a quarter of a mile in front and quite close to the Ohio. From
+the first time it was heard, no more than half an hour before, it held
+the same relative distance from the river, but advanced at a pace so
+nearly equal to that of Boone and Kenton that it was impossible to
+decide whether it was further off or nearer than before.</p>
+
+<p>There was no reply to the call, and it was uttered only three times in
+each instance. The oppressive stillness that held reign throughout the
+forest on that sultry summer afternoon enabled the two men to hear the
+cawing with unmistakable distinctness.</p>
+
+<p>In short, our friends interpreted it as a notice from the dusky scout to
+his comrades that he was following the progress of the pioneers, which
+was therefore fully understood by the war party that was seeking to
+encompass their destruction.</p>
+
+<p>When the signal sounded for the fourth time, the rangers seated on the
+fallen tree looked in each other's faces without speaking. Then Kenton
+asked, in his guarded undertone:</p>
+
+<p>"What do you make of it, Dan'l?"</p>
+
+<p>"There's only one thing to make of it; them Shawanoes are keeping track
+of every movement of the folks behind us, and we can't hinder' em."</p>
+
+<p>"How many of the varmints are playing the spy?"</p>
+
+<p>"There may be one, and there may be a dozen."</p>
+
+<p>This answer, of necessity, was guess-work, for there was no possible
+means of determining the number, since the hostiles in front so
+regulated their progress that not a glimpse had been caught of the
+almost invisible trail left by them.</p>
+
+<p>And yet the matter was not wholly conjecture, after all.</p>
+
+<p>"Dan'l," said Kenton, with a significant smile, "there's more than one
+of 'em, and you and me know it."</p>
+
+<p>The older smiled in turn and nodded his head.</p>
+
+<p>"You're right; there's two, and may be more&mdash;but we know there's two."</p>
+
+<p>Nothing could show more strikingly the marvelous woodcraft of these
+remarkable men than their agreement in this declaration, which was
+founded upon this fact.</p>
+
+<p>There was a shade of difference between the tone of the last signal and
+those that preceded it. You and I would have shaken our heads and
+smiled, had we been asked to distinguish it, but to those two past
+masters in woodcraft it was as absolute as between the notes of a flute
+and the throbbing of a drum.</p>
+
+<p>It was as if, after a Shawanoe had cawed three times, he permitted a
+companion to try his hand, or rather his throat, at it, and he who made
+the attempt acquitted himself right well.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Simon," remarked the elder, "as I make it, it's this way&mdash;they
+mean to ambush the party at Rattlesnake Gulch."</p>
+
+<p>"You're right! that's it," remarked Kenton, with an approving nod of his
+head, "and if we don't sarcumvent 'em the varmints will have every
+scalp, including ours."</p>
+
+<p>"Rattlesnake Gulch" was a name given to a deep depression on the
+Kentucky side of the river, and within one hundred yards of the stream.
+It was less than a half a mile in advance of where the two rangers were
+seated on the fallen tree, as the summer day was drawing to a close.</p>
+
+<p>A trail made by buffaloes, deer, and other wild animals led through the
+middle of this densely-wooded section. No doubt this path had been in
+existence at least one hundred years. Beyond the gulch it trended to the
+right and deeper into the woods, terminating at a noted salt lick,
+always a favorite resort of quadrupeds whether wild or domestic.</p>
+
+<p>The forest was so deep and matted with undergrowth, both to the right
+and left of this depression, that nothing but the most pressing
+necessity could prevent a person from using the trail when journeying to
+the eastward or westward through that section. Evidently, the Shawanoes
+counted upon the settlers following the path, and such they would
+assuredly do unless prevented by the advance scouts.</p>
+
+<p>"Captain Bushwick was out on a little scout himself last summer,"
+remarked Kenton, who, despite their alarming surroundings, seemed to be
+in somewhat of a reminiscent mood, "when, on his way back, he started
+through that holler. The fust thing he did was to step into a rattler,
+which burried his fangs in his leggins, just missing his skin. Afore the
+sarpent could strike again, the captain made a sweep with his gun bar'l
+that knocked off his head. He was a whopper, and the captain pulled out
+his knife to cut off his rattles to bring to the block-house, when he
+catched the whir of another rattler just behind him, and if he hadn't
+jumped powerful lively he would have catched it that time sartin.
+Howsumever, the sarpint couldn't reach him, and the captain shot the
+mate, and brought the music box of each home with him."</p>
+
+<p>"It was Captain Bushwick who gave the name Rattlesnake Gulch to the
+place, I 'spose," was the inquiring remark of Boone.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, he seemed to think that name was not only purty, but desarving,
+though I've been through the holler a good many times and never seed a
+sarpent."</p>
+
+<p>"I have."</p>
+
+<p>"When was that?"</p>
+
+<p>"Less than two weeks ago, I was just entering from the other side when I
+caught sight of a buck that was on his way to the lick. He would have
+seed me if he hadn't seed just then something else in the path in front
+of him that interested him more. It was a rattler as big as them of the
+captain's. The buck was a fool, for instead of backing out, as you know
+animals are quick to do at sight of a rattler, he began to snuff and
+cavort about the snake, and finally brought his front hoofs down on it.
+Of course, he cut the serpent all to ribbons, but afore he done it the
+buck was stung once or twice, and inside of half an hour he jined the
+rattler he had sent on afore. Rattlers are as bad as Injins!" muttered
+Boone, with an expression of disgust.</p>
+
+<p>"They may be in some partic'lars, but in some they ain't, Dan'l; f'r
+instance, they don't caw like a crow, and don't try to ambuscade folks,
+and they give you warning afore they strike, which is more than the
+two-legged varmints do."</p>
+
+<p>"Talk about the rattler giving warning afore he strikes," repeated
+Boone, who had a poor opinion of the genus crotalus, "he'd be a much
+more decent sarpint if he didn't strike at all. The black snake doesn't
+sting you, and yet he'll kill the rattler every time. Howsumever," added
+the elder ranger, "what's snakes got to do with the bus'ness afore us?"</p>
+
+<p>"That's what I was thinking. Now, Dan'l, we've got to make the varmints
+think we're going to try to pass through Rattlesnake Gulch to-night, so
+they'll all gather there to welcome us."</p>
+
+<p>"And then what will our folks do?"</p>
+
+<p>"Take some other route."</p>
+
+<p>"But which one? The woods are so thick on the right and left that they,
+especially the women, can't go ten feet without making a noise that'll
+be sartin to be heard by the varmints."</p>
+
+<p>"There are several things they can do," replied Kenton, thoughtfully,
+proving that, like his companion, he had speculated much on the matter.
+"In the first place, they must move so slow that they won't reach the
+neighborhood of the gulch till after dark, and yet if they move too slow
+the Shawanoes will be suspicious. I wish night was near at hand."</p>
+
+<p>"What good does wishing do?"</p>
+
+<p>"None, and never did; but when night does come we can turn about&mdash;that
+is, some of the boys can, with the women&mdash;and cross the river further
+down stream, strike the trail on the other side of the Ohio, and go
+straight to the block-house."</p>
+
+<p>Boone shook his head. The scheme did not impress him favorably.</p>
+
+<p>"How are you going to get them women and two children across the river?
+It isn't likely that any one of 'em knows how to swim a stroke."</p>
+
+<p>"What trouble would it be to tote 'em over?"</p>
+
+<p>Boone again shook his head; he was not pleased with the suggestion.</p>
+
+<p>"I didn't mean to do anything of the kind, but," added Kenton, more
+seriously, "there's a canoe of mine hid under the bushes just this side
+of the gulch, purvided the varmints haven't tumbled over it."</p>
+
+<p>"More'n likely they've took it away or smashed it, but if I ain't
+mistook, there's a craft alongside the flatboat that you left at the
+clearing."</p>
+
+<p>"You are right."</p>
+
+<p>"Why not go back for that?"</p>
+
+<p>"It ain't a bad idee," remarked Kenton, thoughtfully. "If I can manage
+to fetch the boat up the river without any of the varmints 'specting it,
+it'll be just the thing."</p>
+
+<p>"It won't carry all the women and children and rest of the folks at
+once."</p>
+
+<p>"Then we can make two v'yages or more, if it's necessary."</p>
+
+<p>"It's risky bus'ness, but it's the best thing that can be done. If you
+are lucky 'nough to find tother boat where you left it, seems to me
+things will look up."</p>
+
+<p>Kenton glanced around among the tree-tops, as if searching for
+something. So he was, though not for any special object.</p>
+
+<p>"'Cording to the way things look it'll be a good two hours afore it'll
+be dark 'nough to set to work to sarcumvent the varmints. Them two hours
+are long 'nough for the folks to make the trip to Rattlesnake Gulch
+twice over. Some plan has got to be fixed up not to git thar till after
+two hours is gone, and yet not to have the Shawanoes 'spect that we
+'spect anything. Can you tell me how the thing is to be done, Dan'l?"</p>
+
+<p>"There ought to be a good many ways," replied the elder, after a brief
+pause; "some accident might happen, such, f'r 'nstance, as getting bit
+by a rattler."</p>
+
+<p>Kenton saw the twinkle in the eyes of his friend, who spoke with the
+utmost gravity. "Remember," said the younger, "I never seed any rattler
+near the gulch; you have; you're the one, therefore, to see some of 'em
+agin. You're the one to let a big rattler sting you. After he's made
+sartin he's done his work well, why I'll happen 'long and smash the
+rattler, and then look after you&mdash;helloa!"</p>
+
+<p>Both instinctively grasped their rifles, for they heard the rustling of
+leaves, which showed that some one was approaching. Had the noise been
+less pronounced the two rangers would have darted behind the nearest
+sheltering trees; but the noise was too distinct for either Boone or
+Kenton to suspect that an enemy was at hand. They knew it was a
+friend&mdash;at least one from whom they had nothing to fear.</p>
+
+<p>So it proved; for while they were peering toward the point whence the
+figure was known to be approaching, Jethro Juggens, the burly colored
+servant lad of Mr. Altman, slouched into sight, with his rifle slung
+over his shoulder. Not until he had advanced a dozen steps further did
+he see two hunters seated on the fallen tree. Then he stopped suddenly,
+with a startled expression, and brought his heavy rifle to the front.</p>
+
+<p>"None of that!" called Kenton, uncertain what the fellow might do.</p>
+
+<p>"Hello, Mr. Kenton, dat's yo'self, am it?" called Jethro, with a grin;
+"I tinked you was de Panther. I was jes' gwine to plug yo'; lucky yo'
+spoke when yo' done did, or I'd wiped out bofe ob yo' afore anybody
+could hold me; but," added Jethro, in an awed undertone, "I's got bery
+important news for yo', Mr. Kenton and Mr. Boom."</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III.</h2>
+
+<h3>THE HALT IN THE WOODS.</h3>
+
+
+<p>The appearance of Jethro Juggens surprised Boone and Kenton as they sat
+on the fallen tree, for they were looking for nothing of the kind. When
+he announced that he was the bearer of important tidings, he naturally
+became an object of increased interest, for the fate of the little party
+of pioneers was the problem that the two great rangers were trying to
+solve.</p>
+
+<p>"You bring important news," repeated Kenton, who, as the reader already
+knows, was quite partial to the negro, for, with all his stupidity, he
+had given proof of astonishing skill in marksmanship. "What is your
+news?"</p>
+
+<p>"I's very well," replied Jethro, taking his seat beside the men on the
+log, removing his cap, and fanning his shining countenance.</p>
+
+<p>"That being so," continued Kenton, "what's the news you brought?"</p>
+
+<p>"Haben't I jes' told yo'? I's bery well, 'cepting dat I's hungry, dough
+I can't make none ob de folks blebe it. Howsumeber, I guess dey blebes
+it, but dey don't keer."</p>
+
+<p>"Haven't you any other news for us?" asked Boone, looking sternly at
+Jethro, who did not note, or, noting perhaps, did not care for his
+displeasure.</p>
+
+<p>"Nuffin else in 'tickler, 'cept dat de folks am also well."</p>
+
+<p>"That is some kind of news, though only what we expected. Nothing has
+happened to any of 'em?" inquired Kenton.</p>
+
+<p>"Nuffin dat I reckomembers."</p>
+
+<p>"Where are they?"</p>
+
+<p>"Don't you know?" asked Jethro, in turn, looking around in surprise that
+he should put the question, when he had parted with his friends only
+comparatively a short time before. "Whar do you 'spose dey am, Mr.
+Kenton?"</p>
+
+<p>"I know where they ought to be," said the ranger, gravely; "they ought
+to be about a half a mile or so down the river, picking their way
+through the woods to this tree where we're setting; but I didn't know
+but what something had happened."</p>
+
+<p>"Didn't I just tole you dat nuffin didn't happen?"</p>
+
+<p>"Are the folks coming up the river towards us?"</p>
+
+<p>"Dey were settin' still on some rocks on the ground when I left."</p>
+
+<p>"What's that for?"</p>
+
+<p>"I 'spose dey're tired; want to rest."</p>
+
+<p>Kenton looked significantly at Boone. Jethro's theory would not answer.
+There was no member of the little party of pioneers, not even Agnes
+Altman, nor Mabel Ashbridge, only ten years of age, who would become so
+wearied by twice as long a tramp as to feel the need of rest.</p>
+
+<p>"Did you come yourself, or were you sent ahead to see us?"</p>
+
+<p>"I come myself, dat is, nobody fotched me on his back; but Mr. Hastings
+subgested dat I come, by saying if I didn't he would kick me."</p>
+
+<p>Weber Hastings was the sturdy member of the escort party who, in the
+absence of Boone, had charge of them.</p>
+
+<p>Jethro Juggens began to display more sense in his words than he had yet
+shown. He became more serious in his manner.</p>
+
+<p>"De way ob it was dis: One ob de men from de block-house had been
+scoutin' frough de woods, and he come back and tole Mr. Hastings what he
+seed&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"What was it?" interrupted Kenton.</p>
+
+<p>"Being as he didn't tole me, yo'll hab to obscoose me from answerin' dat
+question, but I was invited to go on ahead and to tell yo' folks dat Mr.
+Hastings wanted one ob yo' or bofe ob yo' to come back again, as he had
+somethin' he wanted to see yo' about."</p>
+
+<p>Neither Boone nor Kenton made any comment on the singular course of
+Hastings in selecting Jethro Juggens to bear such a message, when, among
+all the male members of the company probably there was not one that was
+less qualified.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know what it means," said Boone, rising from the tree, "but it
+means something. You had better go back with this simpleton at once."</p>
+
+<p>"And you?"</p>
+
+<p>"I'll push ahead and larn what I kin. It won't make any difference
+whether I'm with you or not, if there's a fight coming, but I'll do my
+best to jine you. I'm likely to run onto something ahead that we oughter
+know."</p>
+
+<p>"Do you expect to use any signallin' for me?" asked Kenton, who had also
+risen to his feet.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't see that there'll be any need, but if there is you'll understand
+it. You and me are too used to each other, Simon, to make any slip
+up&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>Kenton raised his hand and smiled. While the words were in the mouth of
+Boone, the soft, faint cawing of the crow was heard for the fifth time.</p>
+
+<p>At the same moment two interesting facts were impressed upon the
+rangers.</p>
+
+<p>The call did not sound half so far away as in any one of the former
+instances, and it came from a throat which essayed it for the first time
+in the hearing of Boone and Kenton.</p>
+
+<p>"Now we know there's three of 'em," remarked the latter.</p>
+
+<p>"They're wondering why me and the rest of 'em aren't pushing faster
+through the woods. But off with you, Simon; we're losing time."</p>
+
+<p>Without another word these two great pioneers separated, the elder
+moving silently among the trees to the eastward, that is, up the Ohio
+and toward Rattlesnake Gulch, now a place of the first importance to all
+concerned. He did not look around to note what was done by the other.</p>
+
+<p>But Kenton had taken only a few steps when he stopped and looked back.</p>
+
+<p>Jethro Juggens was standing by the fallen tree with his gun on his
+shoulder and glancing inquiringly from the disappearing figure of Boone
+to that of Kenton, only a few yards away.</p>
+
+<p>"What's the matter?" asked the latter. "What are you waiting for?"</p>
+
+<p>"Which ob yo' folks wants me, Mr. Kenton?"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't think either one of us will die of a broken heart if we lose
+you; but come along with me."</p>
+
+<p>"Sure Mr. Boone won't feel bad if I don't go wid him?"</p>
+
+<p>"Come along, keep close to me and don't make any noise, for the woods is
+full of the varmints."</p>
+
+<p>Enough has been told for the reader to understand the situation. The
+Altman and Ashbridge families were threading their way through the
+Kentucky wilderness, from the clearing where a cabin had been erected
+some weeks before, to the block-house ten miles distant and on the
+opposite side of the river. They were escorted by a number of rangers
+and scouts from the block-house, under the charge of Daniel Boone, and
+sent thither by Captain Bushwick, who discovered the imminent peril of
+the families after they had declined the invitation to tarry at the
+block-house, and had passed beyond and down the Ohio in the flatboat.</p>
+
+<p>Kenton was not mistaken in his theory about the return journey of
+himself and companion. Not the slightest sign of danger appeared, and in
+a comparatively short time they came upon their friends, who, from their
+appearance, might well have been taken for a picnic party on an outing
+of their own.</p>
+
+<p>What more inviting opening could the crouching Shawanoes ask than was
+here presented to them? From their lurking places among the surrounding
+trees they could pour in a frightfully destructive volley that would
+stretch many of the helpless party lifeless on the ground.</p>
+
+<p>And why did they not do so? Because they knew the cost to them. Those
+hunters and rangers were used to the Indian method of fighting. If the
+redskins could approach nigh enough to fire before detection, there
+would be enough white men left to make many of them bite the dust ere
+they could get beyond reach of the deadly rifles.</p>
+
+<p>No; in the estimation of the Shawanoes there was a plan open to them
+that was a thousandfold more preferable.</p>
+
+<p>Rattlesnake Gulch was the beau ideal place for an ambuscade, for it not
+only offered a certain chance for the destruction of the entire party of
+whites, but afforded a perfect protection against any unpleasant
+consequences to the ambuscaders.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV.</h2>
+
+<h3>ON THE EDGE OF THE CLEARING.</h3>
+
+
+<p>The arrival of Kenton naturally caused a stir on the part of all the
+members of the party that halted on their way through the Kentucky
+wilderness to the block-house, somewhat less than ten miles distant and
+on the other side of the Ohio River.</p>
+
+<p>Not only Hastings and his brother rangers, but the Ashbridges and
+Altmans gathered around the pioneer to hear what he had to say and the
+directions as to their own proceedings.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Ashbridge and his friend Altman were roused by the murmur of voices
+and the subdued excitement, and joined the group that surrounded the
+tall, athletic figure&mdash;all excepting little Mabel Ashbridge, who was
+just getting her tiny dam in shape, and deemed that of more importance
+than listening to the conversation of the elders.</p>
+
+<p>The words of Weber Hastings proved that he was as quick as Boone and
+Kenton to comprehend the peculiar peril which confronted the party.</p>
+
+<p>"It isn't far to the block-house," he replied to the question of Kenton,
+"and we can do it in two or three hours, if the redskins would give us
+the chance."</p>
+
+<p>"What caused you to make this stop, Weber?"</p>
+
+<p>"Rattlesnake Gulch," was the response.</p>
+
+<p>"What's the matter with that?"</p>
+
+<p>"There's where the Shawanoes mean to ambush us."</p>
+
+<p>"You're right," replied Kenton, nodding his head and compressing his
+lips. "That's just what the varmints have fixed things to do, and if
+they can do it they'll wipe out every one of this party. Boone and me
+made up our minds that that was their trick. He's gone ahead to watch
+'em, and I've come back to help you folks."</p>
+
+<p>"From what Mr. Hastings said," remarked the elder Ashbridge, who, like
+his friend Altman, was thoroughly roused, "the woods are so matted and
+choked with dense undergrowth on both sides of the gulch that it is
+impossible for us to pick our way through it at night without being
+heard by the Indians."</p>
+
+<p>"He's right," was the emphatic comment of Kenton, "the thing can't be
+done."</p>
+
+<p>"That being admitted," said Altman, "why would it not be wise to cross
+the river at this point, or make the rest of the journey through the
+Ohio woods? We who know how to swim can take over those who cannot, or
+better, perhaps, construct a raft upon which to float to the other
+side."</p>
+
+<p>"That would be the idee exactly, if it could be hid from the varmints,
+but they're watching us, and have been doing so ever since we've left
+the clearing. They know everything you do. Afore you could get half-way
+cross the river with the raft they would open on you from the woods on
+both sides, and pick off each woman and gal and them as was pushing the
+raft."</p>
+
+<p>"I do not doubt what you say," observed Altman, with a shudder at the
+graphic picture drawn by the scout, "but it seems strange to me," he
+added, with a glance around, as if he expected to catch sight of some of
+their terrible enemies, "that they have not already opened upon us,
+while we are here in camp, as may be said. What better chance could they
+ask?"</p>
+
+<p>"They could pick off a number of you, but Weber here and the rest of the
+boys would make them dance to lively music if they tried it. That's what
+holds 'em back, for these chaps," remarked Kenton, looking proudly
+around upon his companions, "have fout the varmints afore to-day."</p>
+
+<p>"Then we are doing the only thing possible, by remaining here until it
+becomes so late in the day that we shall not reach Rattlesnake Gulch
+until after dark, and then, instead of attempting to go through it, we
+will cross the river, I presume, though I am not aware of the decision
+that has been reached by Mr. Hastings."</p>
+
+<p>"What will they suspect, then, if we stop here?" asked George Ashbridge.</p>
+
+<p>"Now you've hit the trouble. When they find you don't arrive at some
+p'int where they've been looking for you, they'll know you're stopped.
+Some of their spies will sneak back through the woods to l'arn what it
+means&mdash;more'n likely they've already done so," added Kenton, with
+another glance around him, "and then when they see you setting or
+standing or lolling around, without any partic'lar reason for your doing
+so, they'll understand the real cause powerful quick. As soon as they
+diskiver you don't mean to try the Rattlesnake Gulch route, they'll fix
+things to open onto you, and send as many as they can under."</p>
+
+<p>"Then the problem, as I understand it," said the older Ashbridge, "is to
+act so as to convince the Indians that we intend to follow the path
+through the gulch where they mean to ambuscade us, and to keep up this
+impression until nightfall."</p>
+
+<p>"You've hit it precisely, Mr. Ashbridge."</p>
+
+<p>"But how is that to be done? I know of no one beside you to answer the
+question."</p>
+
+<p>"Boone and me have been thinking powerful hard over the matter, and the
+best thing to be done, as I see it, is this: You know we left a canoe
+down by the clearing alongside the boat. I'll go back there and get it,
+that is, if it is still there. I'll try to keep so close in under the
+bank that the varmints won't know what I'm driving at. I'll manage to
+reach a p'int just this side of Rattlesnake Gulch early in the evening,
+and will wait for you. Then I'll hurry the women folks 'cross to the
+other side and make the rest of the journey to the block-house on the
+Ohio bank."</p>
+
+<p>"You will have to make two trips with the canoe."</p>
+
+<p>"Onless I can find another one that was hid under the bushes on this
+side not fur from the gulch. If that's there, I'll take one party over,
+and Boone, or some one else, tother."</p>
+
+<p>"And the rest of us will have it out with the redskins," remarked Weber
+Hastings, with flashing eyes.</p>
+
+<p>"You must start on agin," said Kenton, addressing Hastings, as the
+leader of the party in the absence of himself and Boone; "don't hurry,
+for as it is you've got too much time now on your hands. If you find
+you're getting too near Rattlesnake Gulch afore sun-down, you must have
+some sort of accident that'll give you an excuse for stopping for a
+time. That'll keep the varmints from 'specting anything."</p>
+
+<p>"We ought to be able to arrange some accident," remarked George
+Ashbridge, with a smile, slyly pressing the hand of Agnes, standing
+beside him. "I'll fall over a log if necessary and break a leg."</p>
+
+<p>"A better plan will be for Jethro to get shot accidentally like."</p>
+
+<p>"Gorrynation, dat won't work!" exclaimed the negro, who did not let a
+word escape him; "de bestest way to fix dat will be to stuff me so full
+of victuals dat I won't be able to walk alone, and de rest ob yo' will
+hab to carry me slow like."</p>
+
+<p>"Wal, time is passing; it won't do to stay here any longer; I leave you
+in charge of Weber; he can do as well as me or Boone."</p>
+
+<p>The scout turned to move away, when Jethro Juggens laid his hand on his
+arm.</p>
+
+<p>"See yar, Mr. Kenton, I's worried 'bout yo'," said the colored youth,
+with an anxious expression on his countenance.</p>
+
+<p>"What's the cause of that?" asked the ranger, who, as already stated,
+held a kindly feeling toward the good-natured fellow.</p>
+
+<p>"I's feard sumfin' will happen to yo'&mdash;feels it in my bones; I tink yo'
+oughter hab some one to look after yo' while yo's gone."</p>
+
+<p>"Would you like to do it?"</p>
+
+<p>"I tinks a good deal ob yo', Mr. Kenton, and I's willin' to take keer ob
+yo', and see dat yo' gets back all right."</p>
+
+<p>Yielding to that waggish disposition which was a marked characteristic
+of Simon Kenton, sometimes under the most trying circumstances, the
+ranger said:</p>
+
+<p>"Come on, younker, you shall take care of me."</p>
+
+<p>And to the astonishment of the party, the two walked off side by side,
+and disappeared among the trees to the westward.</p>
+
+<p>"We'll make this bargain," remarked Kenton, a few minutes after they
+were beyond sight of their friends: "You'll take care of me, and I'll do
+my best to take care of you."</p>
+
+<p>"Dat hits me 'bout right."</p>
+
+<p>"You'll do just what I tell you to do, and won't speak or move without
+my first telling you to do so."</p>
+
+<p>"Dat's it; and yo' won't speak or move without fust askin' me; I'll be
+easy with yo', Mr. Kenton."</p>
+
+<p>"But," gravely remarked the scout, "if each of us should happen to
+forbid t'other to stir or speak, we'd have to stand still forever. I'll
+act as boss at first, and then when I'm ready I'll give you your turn."</p>
+
+<p>"Dat don't strike me ozactly right, but, as I jist obsarved, I'll be
+easy wid yo', Mr. Kenton, and let yo' start in," replied Jethro,
+somewhat puzzled at the off-hand manner in which the ranger took hold of
+the reins.</p>
+
+<p>But the ranger never laid aside his caution and vigilance. He kept
+Jethro Juggens at his heels, forbidding him to speak a word, but to
+watch and listen to the utmost. The sun was in the horizon when, without
+any special incident, they arrived at the clearing, which all had left
+earlier in the day.</p>
+
+<p>The first view brought a disappointment to Kenton. Nothing in the
+appearance of the settlers' cabin intimated that it had suffered any
+disturbance since the departure of the pioneers, and the unladen
+flatboat rested against the bank, just where it lay when the ranger cast
+a backward glance at it some hours before. The canoe, however, which was
+the magnet that drew him thither, was missing.</p>
+
+<p>It was in as plain sight as the larger craft upon the departure of the
+party, but the keen vision was unable to discover the first outline of
+the bow or stern. Since it could not have removed itself, it followed
+that its disappearance was due to human agency.</p>
+
+<p>"The varmints seem to be everywhere to-day," muttered the impatient
+ranger; "they've been there since we left, and more'n likely some of 'em
+are there now; but I've come after that canoe, and I'm going to have it,
+or my name isn't Sime Kenton."</p>
+
+<p>"Shall I go wid yo' to see yo' don't get hurt?" inquired Jethro Juggens.</p>
+
+<p>"No; stay where you be, and keep out of sight, and don't speak, nor
+stir, nor breathe, till I come back," replied the ranger, making ready
+to set out on one of the most perilous adventures of his eventful
+career.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V.</h2>
+
+<h3>DARING AND DELICATE WORK.</h3>
+
+
+<p>It will be borne in mind that Kenton had approached the clearing from
+the east, or up the river, so that it was necessary to cross the open
+space to reach the spot where the silent flatboat rested against the
+bank, and near which he expected to find the canoe, so necessary in the
+plan he had formed for saving the settlers and their families.</p>
+
+<p>To start across this clear space was too risky a proceeding for so
+guarded a woodsman as he. If any of his enemies were on the other side,
+where he meant to look for the smaller boat, the ranger was certain to
+be detected. His plan, therefore, was to pass around the clearing by
+entering the woods and moving to the rear. This he set out to do upon
+parting from Jethro Juggens.</p>
+
+<p>He had not yet passed from sight among the trees when his steps were
+arrested by a vigorous "St! st!"</p>
+
+<p>Well aware of the point whence it came, he turned impatiently around,
+took a couple of steps toward his dusky companion, and demanded in an
+undertone:</p>
+
+<p>"What do you want?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yo' tole me not to speak or move or breve; if I don't speak or move,
+can't you let up on de breving bus'ness? I'm afraid it's gwine to bodder
+me to shet off breving."</p>
+
+<p>"All right, so you don't forget to stay right where you are till I come
+back."</p>
+
+<p>Kenton resumed his advance, keeping out of sight in the woods, until he
+had skirted three sides of the clearing and approached the river again,
+opposite the point where he had first halted with his companion, and
+failed to see the canoe.</p>
+
+<p>As yet it was an absolute mystery as to what had become of the lesser
+boat. A half-dozen causes might account for its disappearance. It might
+have been set adrift by one of the Shawanoes, or captured and paddled
+across the river, or destroyed, or&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>At that moment the figure of a sinewy Shawanoe shot up to view, as if
+from a jumping-box. He was near the canoe, but between it and Kenton,
+and so close, indeed, that but for the fact that his face was turned
+toward the river, he must have discovered the white man.</p>
+
+<p>Kenton's heart gave a quick throb, for something in the shoulders, the
+back of the head and contour of the body suggested that the Indian was
+his old enemy, Wa-on-mon, The Panther.</p>
+
+<p>"If it's the varmint himself," thought Kenton, "him and me can just as
+well have it now, even if there are others of his people not fur off."</p>
+
+<p>Either the Indian did not see that on the river for which he was
+searching, or the view was satisfactory, for he now turned and looked
+toward the cabin. This brought his face into full view, and the glimpse
+which the white man caught from a peep around the edge of the bark
+showed the warrior to be a stranger.</p>
+
+<p>Kenton's position enabled him to see the log cabin as clearly as did the
+Shawanoe, but it was impossible to detect anything to justify his
+interest in the building. The situation had become so peculiar that all
+the sagacity of the ranger was insufficient for him to decide upon the
+best course to pursue.</p>
+
+<p>Five, ten, fifteen minutes passed, during which the warrior, sitting on
+the ground, with his back against the tree, remained as motionless as
+did The Panther, when a prisoner the night before on the flatboat.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm blessed if I don't believe he's asleep," mused Kenton.</p>
+
+<p>Nothing is easier than for a person to pretend unconsciousness, but in
+this case the white man could think of no reason for the red man doing
+that.</p>
+
+<p>"Shod with silence," as Simon Kenton or his brothers were when threading
+their way among the forest shadows, he stepped from behind the tree and
+began moving toward the long, graceful canoe, whose nose rested against
+the bank.</p>
+
+<p>His course took him near the Shawanoe, and he paused while yet several
+paces to the rear. The hostile was at his mercy. He could drive the life
+from his body with lightning-like suddenness.</p>
+
+<p>"That isn't the way for a Christian to fight," concluded Kenton, making
+such an abrupt change in his course that the distance between the two
+was increased.</p>
+
+<p>The pose of the Indian was the natural one of a sleeper. His back being
+against the trunk of a tree, his knees were drawn up, with his arms
+resting upon them. His long rifle reclined against the same support as
+his body, his knife and tomahawk were in place in the girdle around the
+waist of his half-naked person, his head was sunk, with the chin resting
+on his chest, and his coarse, black hair dangling in front or behind his
+shoulders.</p>
+
+<p>As he sat thus, his face was turned partly away from the canoe. Kenton's
+course took him past the sleeper, whose eyes, as he noted, were closed.
+All doubt of his being unconscious were removed, since no reason was
+conceivable for any pretence on his part.</p>
+
+<p>Fortune held the promise of a rare and remarkable triumph. It has been
+said that the canoe rested so lightly against the banks that only a very
+slight force was required to release and let it float down stream.</p>
+
+<p>If, therefore, the Shawanoe should awake and note its absence, he would
+conclude that it was due to the action of the current, a conclusion that
+could not be formulated in the event of his rifle keeping it company.
+Following the suggestion of such a theory, the Shawanoe, in seeking to
+recover the boat, would look down instead of up stream for it.</p>
+
+<p>With these reasons, therefore, swaying him, Kenton put past him all
+inclination to trifle with a sleeping sentinel, and with only a
+momentary pause stepped forward until he laid his hand on the arching
+prow of the canoe, which was the same as the stern.</p>
+
+<p>The long two-bladed paddle lay in the bottom, just as he himself had
+laid it after rowing ashore with The Panther. Everything was ready, but
+the hardest test of all now confronted the scout, who had performed his
+part thus far with a consummate skill that could not be surpassed.</p>
+
+<p>Keeping his gaze upon his enemy, he dipped one end of the paddle in the
+water, and, with the same noiselessness as before, sent the boat up the
+stream and across the clear space at the foot of the clearing.</p>
+
+<p>Something like assurance came to him when he drove it beneath the
+overhanging limbs and stepped ashore for Jethro Juggens. Knowing the
+precise spot where he had left him, he hurried thither without losing a
+second. But the fellow was gone.</p>
+
+<p>"Sarved me right for bringing him along!" muttered the angry Kenton,
+"but what can have become of the younker?"</p>
+
+<p>Well, indeed, might he ask the question.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI.</h2>
+
+<h3>THE RIGHT OF EMINENT DOMAIN.</h3>
+
+
+<p>It always seemed to Jethro Juggens that Kenton took a great deal more
+pains or used a greater degree of caution than was necessary when he
+undertook a task in which Indians were concerned. The density of the
+African's intellect did not blind him to the need of using caution or
+care in dealing with the treacherous people, but the excessive timidity
+of so active or powerful a man as the pioneer struck the dusky youth
+unfavorably.</p>
+
+<p>"He tinks dat dat canoe am ober yender, somewhar near dat flatboat,"
+mused Jethro, several minutes after the departure of the scout; "I has a
+little ob dat 'pinion myself. It wouldn't take more dan five minutes to
+run across to de oder side. Dat's what he oughter do, but instead ob dat
+he goes clear round de clearing frough de woods&mdash;de most obfoolishest
+ting dat he could do. He runs de risk ob steppin' on a rattlesnake and
+gettin' stung, or ob catchin' a limb under his chin and liftin' him
+offen his feet and droppin' him on his back wid a violence dat will
+shake all de teeth out ob his head."</p>
+
+<p>The reader has learned the success of the plan adopted by Kenton.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't feel perzactly right ober dis bus'ness," muttered Jethro, some
+minutes later. "I come along to help look after Mr. Kenton, and when de
+danger comes I let him slip away without me.</p>
+
+<p>"He played de boss fust ober me, which am all right, 'cause dat am de
+way to fix dem tings, but it's 'bout time my turn come."</p>
+
+<p>An expression of displeasure passed over the ebon countenance.</p>
+
+<p>"He told me I musn't speak nor move nor breve. Dar ain't no sense in
+dat. Den he gib me percumission to breve. 'Sposen he hadn't done so,
+what would hab come of me? I couldn't hold my bref for free, four hours
+while he war gone. As for movin' and talkin', I hab already done dat, so
+dar ain't no use ob tinting any more 'bout it."</p>
+
+<p>It was really a relief to reflect that he had violated all the commands
+laid upon him, for the fact ended the mental struggle which might have
+continued indefinitely. Inasmuch, therefore, as the bars were down, the
+disobedience grew or expanded.</p>
+
+<p>Kenton, before parting with the servant, made sure he was in a place
+where there was little danger of discovery. The undergrowth was so dense
+that no one was likely to pass through it except in case of necessity,
+for work would be saved by making a much longer tour around. It was
+quite near the river, on the margin of the clearing, though far enough
+from the latter to prevent the fellow being seen if he used only
+ordinary prudence.</p>
+
+<p>In open violation of his orders, Jethro made his way to the open space,
+putting forth no special precaution in doing so, and peered around.
+There was nothing in the appearance of the flatboat to interest him, nor
+could he note any change in the looks of the cabin.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't feel dat dis matter am gwine right," he mused, returning to his
+former position; "I'se gettin' worried 'bout Mr. Kenton; it war
+understood dat I war to go 'long to help took care ob him, and dar's no
+knowing what trouble he'll get into."</p>
+
+<p>Enough had passed between the two before their separation for Jethro to
+understand quite clearly the scheme he had in mind. He knew the ranger
+meant to take the longest way round to the other side of the clearing,
+throwing away, in the estimation of the African, a great deal of time
+and effort.</p>
+
+<p>Fortunately, Jethro did not yield to his impulse to solve the matter by
+striding across the open space and making a hunt himself for the cause
+that was destined to play a most important part in the fortunes of the
+pioneers. Thus, a calamity, far-reaching in its consequences, was
+averted.</p>
+
+<p>But a few minutes more of reflection induced the youth to do something
+hardly less dangerous or ill-advised.</p>
+
+<p>He decided to follow after Kenton, taking the same course and making for
+the same destination.</p>
+
+<p>"It'll s'prise him," thought Jethro, with a grin, "when I sort of
+whistle, and he looks round and sees me standin' dar smilin' at him.
+I'll doot!"</p>
+
+<p>The youth was not sufficiently skilled in woodcraft to follow the ranger
+by means of his trail. Indeed, there was no need of his doing so, since
+the course was well known to him.</p>
+
+<p>It was not without some misgiving that Jethro started upon his venture,
+for, despite his sophistries, he knew he was quite likely to incur the
+displeasure of Kenton, who had shown more than once a partiality toward
+him. If any disaster followed, the youth knew he would be blamed. It was
+his task, therefore, so to conduct himself that only the best results
+should flow from his violation of orders.</p>
+
+<p>Jethro kept well back among the trees while circling around the
+clearing. The increased light on his right was all the guide he needed,
+even had he not gained a slight acquaintance with the section by his
+stirring experience earlier in the day.</p>
+
+<p>Now and then he approached near enough to the cleared space to see the
+cabin, and thus took hardly a step without fully knowing where he was.
+At a point in a line with the cabin and the flatboat beyond, he came to
+a halt and glanced at his immediate surroundings.</p>
+
+<p>"Dis is 'bout de spot whar I stood when I plugged dat Injun, and," added
+Jethro, with a chuckle, "whar I scooped de shirt dat dat Girty hung out
+to dry. Dey tried to make b'leve aftwards dat it war a flag ob trooce,
+meanin' dat dey wanted us all to stop shootin' while we had a talk wid
+each oder; dey fooled Kenton and de rest ob de folks, but dey didn't
+fool dis chile."</p>
+
+<p>He found a fascination in studying the rear of the cabin, which George
+Ashbridge and his father had builded with so much care and labor.</p>
+
+<p>"Lucky for me dat I wasn't wid' em," reflected Jethro, "for if I had
+been dey would hab sat 'round while I done all de work. Mighty strange
+dat eberybody tinks I'm good fur nuffin but work, but dey done forgot
+dat I knows how to shoot a gun as well as oder folks."</p>
+
+<p>He stood for a minute or two in deep thought. He was revolving an
+important scheme in his mind.</p>
+
+<p>"From de style dat Mr. Kenton moved wid when he luff me, it'll take him
+'bout two days to git 'round to where he's gwine to find dat canoe,
+consequinchly dar ain't no use ob my being in such a hurry dat I'll
+broke my neck. I'll take a look inside dat house to make sure dat
+matters am all right."</p>
+
+<p>And without the first hesitation he proceeded to carry out his
+extraordinary purpose.</p>
+
+<p>He first approached the rear of the cabin, where, it will be remembered,
+were two windows on the lower floor and two on the upper. Each of these
+was too narrow to permit any man to force his body through. It was from
+one of the lower ones that Simon Girty had displayed the flag of truce,
+only to have it whipped off the ramrod and appropriated by the watchful
+Jethro, who, after wearing the garment for a time, laid it aside in
+order to escape the merriment his appearance caused for the others.</p>
+
+<p>The dusky youth peeped through the opening at the interior, where the
+furniture and goods were tumbled about in great confusion. The view was
+unsatisfactory, and he passed around to the front, with the intention of
+entering by means of the door.</p>
+
+<p>There are unnumbered incidents continually occurring, as they have
+occurred in the past, in which luck seems to play a most prominent part.
+We doubt whether any other explanation can be made of the extraordinary
+series of events in which Jethro Juggens now became involved, and which
+were destined to have a momentous bearing upon the fortunes of his
+friends, beyond even the calculations of the sagacious Boone and Kenton.</p>
+
+<p>It is probable that had the colored youth presented himself in front of
+the door a half-hour sooner, he not only would have been instantly
+detected by some of the Shawanoes, but would have been slain. It is
+certain that had he delayed his movements for a less time than that
+named these consequences would have followed, for the reader has learned
+that before the warrior guarding the canoe fell asleep he showed a good
+deal of interest in the cabin in the clearing.</p>
+
+<p>But Jethro's action was so timed (without any credit due to himself)
+that he escaped both perils, as well as that of being seen by Kenton,
+who, it will be remembered, gave considerable attention to the same
+quarter. It is hard to imagine what his feelings would have been, had
+the scout turned his gaze towards the building at the moment the colored
+youth came around the corner and walked to the front door.</p>
+
+<p>"Dat's right," muttered Jethro, when he noted the latch-string hanging
+out; "dat makes it discumnecessary for me to kick in de door."</p>
+
+<p>The leathern thong was smartly twitched, the door shoved gently inward,
+and, with a slightly quickened throbbing of the heart, Jethro Juggens
+stepped across the threshold.</p>
+
+<p>Boxes of varying sizes were broken apart, or scattered here or there
+about the lower floor. Near the broad, spacious fireplace were a number
+of pots, kettles, a crane, and irons, or other simple utensils, such as
+were used by our forefathers. The whole floor was so cluttered up that
+care was necessary in moving about the circumscribed space.</p>
+
+<p>The sloping ladder leading to the upper floor was in place, but little,
+if anything, had been carried thither. The time, of course, was too
+brief to permit it.</p>
+
+<p>Jethro peeped through the windows in turn, but discovered nothing to
+cause alarm. Then, it may be said, he did his first sensible act of the
+day; he pulled in the latch-string to prevent an enemy stealing upon him
+unawares.</p>
+
+<p>A chuckle escaped the youngster when his eye rested upon a box
+containing what was left of the bread that had furnished the pioneers
+with their last meal. Leaning his rifle against the wall, he clutched a
+goodly-sized loaf of the dark, wholesome staff of life, and buried his
+big, perfect teeth in it, crunching crust and lighter portion as though
+they were the most tender and delicious fruits.</p>
+
+<p>Stretching out upon the hard floor, which served him as well as a bed of
+eider-down, he sank into a deep, peaceful slumber, with no thought of
+the consequences that were certain to flow from this unprecedented
+action upon his part.</p>
+
+<p>By this time the long summer day was drawing to a close. When darkness
+finally settled over forest and river, Jethro Juggens was still
+sleeping.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII.</h2>
+
+<h3>A QUESTION OF OWNERSHIP.</h3>
+
+
+<p>Simon Kenton proceeded on the principle of the greatest good to the
+greatest number.</p>
+
+<p>When, with consummate delicacy and skill, he withdrew the canoe from
+under the very nose of the sleeping Shawanoe, and noiselessly impelled
+it across the open space under the screening undergrowth on the other
+side, he did not dare to call to Jethro Juggens to join him, through
+fear that the slight noise would rouse the Indian only a few yards off,
+sitting with his back against a tree and his head bowed on his chest.</p>
+
+<p>Instead, he stepped ashore and picked his way to where he had left him,
+only to find, as has been shown, that the colored youth, in the face of
+positive instructions, had gone elsewhere.</p>
+
+<p>"Sarves me right for bringing him with me," repeated the disgusted
+pioneer. "I might have knowed he'd do something of the kind."</p>
+
+<p>In his impatience, he turned to leave the spot without further tarrying,
+but his partiality for the youth, whose skill in handling the rifle was
+so remarkable, caused him to linger a few moments and emit a couple of
+guarded signals.</p>
+
+<p>Inasmuch as Jethro Juggens just then was inside the cabin making his
+evening meal, it is unnecessary to say that Kenton's effort was without
+success.</p>
+
+<p>"If he did hear me he wouldn't know what it meant, and if he did know
+what it meant he'd yell back his answer loud enough to be heard at the
+block-house&mdash;so I'll let him look out for himself."</p>
+
+<p>Before resuming his place in the canoe the ranger stole to a point near
+the edge of the clearing, where, by cautiously parting the undergrowth
+and peering out, he could look across to the flatboat and catch the
+outlines of the sleeping Shawanoe.</p>
+
+<p>The pioneer was just in time to witness an entertaining scene.</p>
+
+<p>The providential slumber of the warrior was what in ordinary parlance
+may be described as a "cat nap," inasmuch as it came to an end, of its
+own accord, a moment after Kenton took his last peep at him.</p>
+
+<p>The Shawanoe raised his chin, and then in the most natural manner in the
+world, rubbed his eyes by gouging his forefingers into them, just as all
+boys and girls do when their senses are coming back to them. Next, he
+reached out his hand and brought his rifle in front, doing so while in
+the act of rising on his feet. Then he started, became rigid, and stared
+at the river as though doubting his own vision.</p>
+
+<p>The canoe, which was there only a short time before, was gone.</p>
+
+<p>After all, it would seem he should have felt no great astonishment, for,
+resting so lightly against the bank, it was not to be wondered at that
+it worked loose and floated off.</p>
+
+<p>The painted face was turned inquiringly in the direction of Kenton, as
+though a glimmering of the truth had entered the brain of the red man,
+but clearly that was impossible, and he moved along the bank, speedily
+disappearing, in his search for the missing craft.</p>
+
+<p>"He knows about how long he has slept," mused the smiling Kenton, "and
+he knows the boat can't have drifted far. When he goes fur 'nough to
+find it, and don't find it, he'll come back there again; he'll examine
+the ground, and will diskiver my footprints; he won't know whether the
+moccasins belong to a white man or one of the varmints, but he will get
+an idee of why the thing didn't float down instead of up stream. Wal,"
+muttered the ranger, "it'll take sharper eyes than his to trail a canoe
+through the water, and I don't think he'll git this ere craft ag'in in a
+hurry."</p>
+
+<p>While those thoughts were in the mind of Kenton, he had re-entered the
+boat again and taken up the broad ashen paddle.</p>
+
+<p>The reader will understand the difficult task that was before him. From
+the clearing to Rattlesnake Gulch was all if not more than two miles. It
+was his work to reach the latter point by the time that night was fully
+come.</p>
+
+<p>Ordinarily this would have been so easy that it could not be considered
+in the nature of work, but above all things it must be accomplished
+without the knowledge of the Shawanoes, who, it may be said, were on
+every hand. A sight of the ranger stealing his way up stream, and the
+halt of the pioneers before reaching the place fixed upon for the
+ambuscade, could not fail to apprise the Indians that their intended
+victims had no intention of walking into the trap set for them.</p>
+
+<p>Since the war party would never knowingly permit the settlers to escape
+them, an attack was certain to follow; and though the veteran rangers,
+under the leadership of Boone and Kenton, were confident of beating them
+off, yet more or less casualties were certain to follow an attack. Some
+of the helpless ones would suffer; probably several would be killed or
+carried off, which meant the same thing.</p>
+
+<p>To avert these woful afflictions was the cause of the extraordinary
+precautions on the part of Boone and Kenton, especially the latter.</p>
+
+<p>Enough has been said to show that the problem Simon Kenton had set out
+to solve was anything but a simple one.</p>
+
+<p>The arms which swayed the paddle, however, were sturdy and muscular, and
+could keep to the task for hours without sensible fatigue. Kenton did
+not mind a simple obstruction of that nature, and, indeed, would have
+been glad because of the curtain thus offered if it had continued all
+the way.</p>
+
+<p>Once more and again was the frail craft impelled beneath the limbs, its
+progress ceasing almost at the moment the paddle was withdrawn from the
+water.</p>
+
+<p>During these brief intervals of subsidence, the ranger listened intently
+for such sounds as could tell him of the whereabouts of his enemies. He
+knew, as may be said, that they were everywhere, and he was liable to
+collide with them at the most unexpected moments. The pioneers or their
+escort were subjected to the most eagle-eyed vigilance.</p>
+
+<p>For a furlong the advance continued in this laborious fashion. Then
+Kenton made a longer pause than usual, for he had reached a point where
+it was necessary to drive the canoe across a space fully one hundred
+feet in width, and where there was nothing that could serve to the
+slightest extent as a screen.</p>
+
+<p>The ranger debated with himself as to the best course to pursue.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't b'leve there's any varmint on the watch there," was the
+conclusion of Kenton; "the Shawanoes know where the women folks and the
+boys are, and that's the place that they're watching&mdash;so here goes."</p>
+
+<p>Again the ashen paddle was dipped in the clear current, but at the very
+moment of imparting the powerful impulse to it, the ranger checked
+himself with the suddenness of lightning.</p>
+
+<p>From a point apparently directly across the river came the same signal
+that had disturbed him and Boone earlier in the afternoon. The faint
+cawing of a crow, as if calling from the upper branches of a tree to his
+mate, floated across the Ohio to the startled ears of the listening
+Kenton.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I'm blessed!" he muttered, "if crows ain't thicker in Kaintuck
+than I ever knowed 'em afore at this season of the year."</p>
+
+<p>This signal, which the man did not doubt for a moment came from the
+throat of one of the Shawanoe spies, settled the question which he had
+been debating with himself.</p>
+
+<p>Forcing the nose of the canoe against the bank, he stepped ashore.
+Before drawing it entirely forth, however, he decided to walk the short
+distance through the woods, so as to select the most favorable course to
+follow.</p>
+
+<p>He had not far to go, but the simple act was marked by all the
+thoroughness with which he did everything relating to his life
+profession.</p>
+
+<p>While the wood, because of the abundance of undergrowth, was not what he
+desired, yet he was confident of working his way through it and back to
+the water again without injuring the canoe. He set out to do so,
+returning to the starting-point at the end of fifteen or twenty minutes.</p>
+
+<p>And there a surprise awaited him. The boat was gone!</p>
+
+<p>If he had withdrawn it with incredible deftness from under the closed
+eyes of the Shawanoe, that same individual (for it must be he) had
+displayed hardly less cleverness in snatching it from his grasp.</p>
+
+<p>Kenton lost no time in speculating over the matter, but hurried swiftly
+and noiselessly along the bank in quest of the daring thief. He came
+upon him, only a few rods distant, making his way with great care and
+skill along the bank, as though he had no fear of any dispute over the
+ownership of the craft, as, indeed, he did not; for, catching sight of
+the white man at the same instant the latter saw him, he leaped ashore,
+and, knife in hand, attacked him with the impetuous fury of a jungle
+tiger.</p>
+
+<p>Ten minutes later, when Simon Kenton resumed possession of the canoe, he
+muttered, with grim significance:</p>
+
+<p>"Sometimes a varmint makes a mistake; that air varmint made one, but
+he'll never make another, 'cause when the chance comes he won't be
+there!"</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII.</h2>
+
+<h3>BY THE WAY.</h3>
+
+
+<p>Meanwhile, the families of the settlers and their escorts were not idle.</p>
+
+<p>Turned back, when on the threshold as it were of success, they bore
+their hard lot with the fortitude and uncomplaining courage which was
+one of the most marked characteristics of the pioneers of the West.</p>
+
+<p>They had entered the "promised land," as may be said, for all of the
+Ashbridges and Altmans had passed through the door of the cabin in the
+clearing; they had deposited their household goods and worldly
+possessions in the structure erected with so much care and labor; then,
+being warned of the imminent peril of staying, had set out for the
+block-house, ten miles distant, there to remain until it was safe for
+them to venture once more into the wilderness.</p>
+
+<p>Daniel Boone was in advance of the company, scouting in the neighborhood
+of Rattlesnake Gulch, for it was indispensable that he should keep watch
+of the main war party of Shawanoes there, and learn, as far as possible,
+their intentions towards the whites.</p>
+
+<p>Kenton had turned back to the clearing in quest of the canoe with which
+he hoped to carry the families across the Ohio during the favoring
+darkness of the night without discovery by the dusky enemies. We left
+him pushing his way up stream, after his deadly encounter with the
+Shawanoe who had withdrawn the craft from where it was left by the
+ranger during his temporary absence.</p>
+
+<p>It may be said, that every man and woman, threading their way through
+the wilderness to the block-house, understood the scheme which it was
+hoped could be carried through to completion, and each, of course, was
+eager to lend his aid to its success.</p>
+
+<p>Within ten minutes, therefore, of the departure of Kenton and Jethro
+Juggens, those whom they left behind took up the journey eastward&mdash;that
+is, toward dreaded Rattlesnake Gulch, which intervened between them and
+the post under the command of Captain Bushwick.</p>
+
+<p>The line of march was simple. Weber Hastings acted as guide, or rather
+avant-courier, since all knew the route that was to be followed. He kept
+a hundred yards, or so, in advance of the company, which timed their
+gait to his, so that the intervening space was neither increased nor
+diminished.</p>
+
+<p>A second scout kept pace with his chief, but so far removed to the
+right, and deeper in the forest, that only rarely did they catch sight
+of each other. There were no guards on the left or at the rear, the two
+named being considered sufficient to give timely notice of the approach
+of danger.</p>
+
+<p>There was no attempt at anything like military order on the part of the
+others. The pioneer scouts were impatient of discipline, preferring to
+"fight fire with fire"&mdash;that is, to combat the Indian by methods
+peculiar to the Indians themselves.</p>
+
+<p>Accordingly, the rest of the rangers straggled along, inclosing, so far
+as possible, the members of the families whom they hoped to deliver from
+their great peril. Mr. Ashbridge and his wife sauntered in front of
+their old friends, with little Mabel most of the time between them and
+holding a hand of each. Her disposition, however, to dart aside and
+pluck every brilliant flower that flashed among the green vegetation
+could not be restrained at all times, and was the cause of much anxiety
+on the part of her parents.</p>
+
+<p>Next in order walked Mr. Altman and his wife, while of Agnes, the
+daughter, and George, it may be said they brought up the rear.</p>
+
+<p>"I wonder," said Agnes, in her low, sweet voice, "whether, when we reach
+the block-house, we shall be safe, or whether we shall have to keep on
+going east until we arrive at our old home in Virginia before we can
+feel beyond the power of these dreadful red men."</p>
+
+<p>"Why do you express that doubt, when it has been a good many years since
+the people in our old homes have suffered from the Indians?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not so long ago that I cannot remember it."</p>
+
+<p>"But don't forget that you are seventeen years old&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Several months more, please to remember, sir."</p>
+
+<p>"And you can remember, I suppose, a dozen years; that is a good while.
+But it is not so bad as all that. Kenton explained matters yesterday
+when I was talking with him. There is what is called a flurry among the
+Indians, and as long as it lasts we must keep under the wing of some
+block-house or in some settlement."</p>
+
+<p>"But how long is it to last?"</p>
+
+<p>"There is only One who can answer that question. It may be in a few
+weeks, or months, or possibly a year or two. You know that such
+expeditions as Crawford's and St. Clair's make matters worse than
+before."</p>
+
+<p>"Why?"</p>
+
+<p>"Colonel Crawford, as you remember, was not only defeated, but he was
+made prisoner and burned to death at the stake. Then President
+Washington sent General St. Clair, and the combined tribes smote him hip
+and thigh. All this makes the Indians bolder and more open in their
+hostility, until I have no doubt that hundreds of them believe they are
+strong enough to drive every white man out of Ohio and Kentucky."</p>
+
+<p>"Why doesn't General Washington send some one who knows how to fight the
+Indians, and with men enough to whip them?"</p>
+
+<p>"St. Clair had enough men to whip the enemy, but the general didn't know
+how to handle them when he got into the Indian country. You have learned
+of the dreadful mistake that Braddock and his regulars made more than
+thirty years ago, during the French and Indian war, when all of the
+British soldiers would have been killed if it had not been for
+Washington and his Virginians."</p>
+
+<p>"I should think General Washington himself would take command of a
+force. I know he would end all this trouble," added Agnes, with a glow
+of pride in the illustrious Father of his Country.</p>
+
+<p>"I have no doubt he would if he wasn't President; but he has to stay in
+Philadelphia and make the other officers do their duty. But if he can't
+come himself, he knows enough now to send the right men. The next battle
+will see the Indians so badly whipped that they will stay so for many,
+many years to come."</p>
+
+<p>"And then?"</p>
+
+<p>"Hundreds and thousands of people will come from the East and settle in
+the West. The land will be cleared off and planted; cities and towns
+will spring up, and that clearing of ours, with the other acres we shall
+add, will make you and I wealthy, Agnes."</p>
+
+<p>"It may make you wealthy, George; but how can it help me?"</p>
+
+<p>He gave the dainty hand a warmer pressure than before and lowered his
+voice, so that only the shell-like ear, so close to his own, could catch
+his words.</p>
+
+<p>"If it benefits me it must benefit you; for, God willing, long before
+that time we shall be one. Am I wrong in that hope, dearest?"</p>
+
+<p>"George," said Agnes, when they had walked a little further in silence,
+"there is one prospect which causes me some discomfort."</p>
+
+<p>"And what is that?"</p>
+
+<p>"Of all our people being cooped up in the block-house for weeks, and
+perhaps months, until the trouble with the Indians is over. We stopped
+there the other day when we were coming down the river. It is a large,
+roomy structure, but there is nothing beside the single building. A good
+many men make their homes there at different times, and though they are
+all as kind as they can be, it will be anything but pleasant when your
+folks and ours are added to them."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't wonder that you feel thus. The same thought has occurred to me
+and Kenton, and I guess every one else. Some other arrangement will have
+to be made. Captain Bushwick will have several strong cabins put up, if
+it looks as though you will have to stay more than a few days, or he may
+do better than that."</p>
+
+<p>"How?"</p>
+
+<p>"Send us all to Boonesboro. That's where the great Daniel Boone, that's
+helping us just now, makes his home. It was named for him. It is a
+regular stockade, with a number of cabins inside, and abundant room for
+twenty families or more."</p>
+
+<p>"How far off is it?"</p>
+
+<p>"I am not sure, but less than fifty miles."</p>
+
+<p>"Why not go there at once, without stopping at the block-house?"</p>
+
+<p>"The trouble is that, if it would be safe to make the journey there now,
+it would be just as safe to stay in our own house at the clearing. The
+route leads through one of the most dangerous regions in Kentucky."</p>
+
+<p>"If that is the case, how can we reach it from the block-house?"</p>
+
+<p>"It will have to be done by awaiting some favorable chance; that chance,
+as you know, isn't now, but it may come in a short time. Kenton or
+Boone, or some of their men, will be quick to learn it."</p>
+
+<p>Agnes was about to reply, when one of the rangers, who had wandered
+somewhat ahead or to one side, emitted a cry that must have penetrated a
+goodly part of a mile. His terrified friends stopped short, grasped
+their rifles more tightly, and stared wonderingly at the man, who was
+acting like a crazy person.</p>
+
+<p>He had flung his gun aside, and caught up a heavy stick, with which he
+was threshing something on the ground.</p>
+
+<p>It required hardly a second glance from those who ran toward him to
+recognize the writhing object as an immense rattlesnake. The man seemed
+to be in a frenzy, and continued belaboring the reptile even after all
+saw it was as dead as dead could be.</p>
+
+<p>"What's the use, Jim?" called Hastings, who had hastened to return upon
+hearing his wild shout; "he's gone under; did he bite you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," replied the other, in a husky voice staggering backward and
+sinking to the ground; "he bit me twice before I seed him; I'm done
+for."</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX"></a>CHAPTER IX.</h2>
+
+<h3>THE "ACCIDENT."</h3>
+
+
+<p>It would seem that the pioneers had more than enough to occupy their
+minds on this eventful journey through the woods, without coming in
+contact with such a frightful thing as a rattlesnake, but here was one
+of the hardy members of the escort apparently stricken unto death by the
+huge reptile that he had just slain.</p>
+
+<p>By the time the poor fellow had collapsed and fallen to the earth,
+almost the entire party were gathered around him. That section of the
+Union, even in those early days, was not wholly lacking in whiskey.
+There may not have been a great deal of it manufactured in the
+territory, but those who made their homes in that favored land did not
+often suffer for lack of it.</p>
+
+<p>Flasks there were in plenty, but it was noticeable that not one of the
+rangers who had come from the fort made haste to bring forth a supply
+and place it at the lips of their collapsed companion.</p>
+
+<p>It was Mr. Altman who was quick to kneel beside the man and apply the
+vessel to his mouth, as he raised him to a sitting position.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't you remember, George," said Agnes, "that Mr. Kenton said we must
+meet with some accident that would prevent our reaching Rattlesnake
+Gulch until night was fully come?"</p>
+
+<p>"I do."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, that's the accident we have met."</p>
+
+<p>A light flashed upon young Ashbridge. The amused expression on the faces
+of the escort was explained. James Deane had not been harmed by the
+rattlesnake which he had pounded to death. As is said, all this was done
+for effect.</p>
+
+<p>The most real thing about the business was that Jim was procuring a
+prodigious supply of excellent whiskey without any expense to himself,
+and without any cause existing for such an over-dose.</p>
+
+<p>Seeing the actual danger that threatened their friend, Hastings touched
+the shoulder of Mr. Altman, who looked up inquiringly at him.</p>
+
+<p>"I wouldn't give him any more."</p>
+
+<p>"It will be safer to fill him up with it, so as to counteract the
+poison."</p>
+
+<p>"Yesh&mdash;fill him up," added Jim, thickly, reaching out his hand vaguely
+for the bottle; "fill him up&mdash;coun'act&mdash;hic&mdash;p'son&mdash;fill him up so he
+runs over."</p>
+
+<p>"I think, Tom, he's running over now," suggested Mr. Ashbridge, who
+understood matters.</p>
+
+<p>The words and the expressions on the countenances of the others caused
+the truth to flash upon the good Samaritan. He rose to his feet with a
+disgusted look. Then he shook his glass flask, and held it up between
+him and the sunlight.</p>
+
+<p>"If I had suspected, he shouldn't have had a drop; he has drank enough
+to make three men drunk."</p>
+
+<p>"And he's as drunk as three men can get," replied Ashbridge.</p>
+
+<p>"Fetch on your rattler&mdash;hic," stuttered Jim, who was about to add some
+more remarks when he gave it up and toppled over on the ground,
+deferring all such observations to a more convenient season.</p>
+
+<p>It assumed an almost grotesque phase, and sounds incredible when it is
+stated that this pretended rattlesnake bite was solely for the purpose
+of deceiving the members of the Shawanoe war party that were swarming
+through the woods, yet not only was such the fact, but the scheme,
+singular as it was, met the approval of Daniel Boone and Simon Kenton,
+whose judgment in such matters all will admit should be accepted as
+final.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, Hastings was anxiously consulting with Ashbridge, Altman, and
+his own men.</p>
+
+<p>The situation was grave to the last degree, and the crisis could not be
+far off.</p>
+
+<p>"We don't need to wait here more'n half an hour," said he, "and may be
+not that long; then, when we start, night'll be fully here afore we
+reach the gulch."</p>
+
+<p>"And the Indians have been deceived as to our purpose?" was the
+inquiring remark of Mr. Ashbridge.</p>
+
+<p>"There's no sartinty of that, but it looks that way."</p>
+
+<p>"But the most alarming feature of this business, as it seems to me,"
+continued the pioneer, "is this: the time must soon come when these
+Shawanoes will learn we do not mean to pass through that valley of
+death."</p>
+
+<p>Hastings nodded his head. He had thought of all this, as well as of the
+complications that were likely to follow.</p>
+
+<p>"How long after we make our pause will they suspect the truth?"</p>
+
+<p>"Inside of ten minutes; but," added the ranger, "they may think we've
+decided to wait till morning afore we pass through."</p>
+
+<p>"Is that probable?" asked young Ashbridge.</p>
+
+<p>"No; there isn't one chance in a thousand that they'll think anything of
+the kind, and yet there is that one chance."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Ashbridge again took up the exchange of views with the leader of the
+scouts, the others listening with the closest attention and interest.</p>
+
+<p>"Suppose the Shawanoes believe we have merely postponed our passage
+through the gulch until morning, and that we are certain to attempt it
+then&mdash;what will they do?"</p>
+
+<p>"Wait where they are till daylight, or for a week, if they were sure the
+thing would be tried; but," was the significant remark of Hastings,
+"don't build any hopes on any such idea as that."</p>
+
+<p>"I am sure it would be foolish to do so, but we are getting down to
+bed-rock facts now. The Indians must soon learn that we have no
+intention of walking into their trap. What they will then do is not
+clear to you."</p>
+
+<p>"No; but I don't think they'll make an attack till the night is purty
+well nigh gone. They always spend a good deal of time in figgering and
+man[oe]uverin' round. It's that time between the beginning of darkness
+and sun-up that's got to be used by us for the benefit of your folks, or
+it will not be used at all."</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Kenton seems to have taken wise steps, as he always does under such
+circumstances, for the safety of our families. He counts upon securing
+that canoe which was left with the flatboat, and has hope of finding
+another near the gulch. Suppose he fails in both instances&mdash;what then?"</p>
+
+<p>"Only Kenton himself can answer that question; I believe he's as likely
+to fail as to win, but he'll soon be on hand; he won't keep us waiting
+long. Boone will be purty sure to jine us, and atween' em they'll do the
+right thing."</p>
+
+<p>"There can be no doubt of that, but, if you will pardon me, Mr.
+Hastings, it seems to me that there is something for us to do. My
+solicitude for the dear ones around us, who cannot help themselves, must
+excuse my presumption."</p>
+
+<p>"It's no presumption, sir; we are all glad to hear what you have to
+say."</p>
+
+<p>"Accidents are liable to occur at any time, even though some of them are
+bogus," qualified Ashbridge, with a glance at the unconscious figure of
+Jim Deane a few rods away. "Boone and Kenton have placed themselves in
+great peril. One of them may be killed; it is impossible that both will
+fall. We are fortunate in having such good friends as you to stand by
+us, but the wisest man is he who provides, as far as he can, for every
+contingency. Suppose we see nothing of Boone or Kenton again?"</p>
+
+<p>"I can't think such a thing as both of 'em going under at the same time
+can happen. One of 'em is sartin to turn up purty soon."</p>
+
+<p>"But Kenton may fail to bring the canoe, upon which so much depends.
+Now, to come down to the point, when we halt near the gulch will our
+position be such that we can make a good defence against an attack?"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know," was the frank reply of the ranger; "we've only one man
+with us who knows all about Rattlesnake Gulch, and the ins and outs of
+the place."</p>
+
+<p>"Who is that man?"</p>
+
+<p>For reply, Hastings pointed to Jim Deane, sunk in a helpless stupor.</p>
+
+<p>"Humph!" remarked the pioneer, "he is of no more account than a dead
+man, and won't be for some hours to come."</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X"></a>CHAPTER X.</h2>
+
+<h3>AT RATTLESNAKE GULCH.</h3>
+
+
+<p>By this time night was closing over forest and river. The sun had set,
+and a strong west wind blew steadily up stream. Masses of clouds were
+drifting across the sky, and when the moon should appear its light would
+be treacherous and uncertain.</p>
+
+<p>"We must wait no longer," said Hastings, "for we shall run the risk of
+an attack where we are, and that would be almost as bad as an ambush."</p>
+
+<p>"True," remarked Altman, with a shudder, as he glanced around them, "we
+are without any protection at all in this open ground. We must hit upon
+a better place than this in which to make our halt."</p>
+
+<p>The leader nodded toward two of his men, who advanced to where the
+sleeping Jim lay on the ground, as helpless and inanimate as a log. Each
+taking him by a shoulder lifted him to his feet. Then they let go, and
+he dropped like a bundle of rags.</p>
+
+<p>He was yanked up again, shaken, slapped, and vigorously told to stand
+up.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm all right," mumbled Jim, "fetch on (hic) your rattler; let 'em
+bite&mdash;who cares? Whiskey'll cure him&mdash;fetch on your whiskey."</p>
+
+<p>After some more heroic treatment, the man was finally roused to that
+degree that he was able to wobble forward, partly supported by his two
+friends, one of whom took charge of his gun.</p>
+
+<p>"If I had known nothing was the matter with him," said the disgusted Mr.
+Altman, "he wouldn't have gotten a drop from me. The only man who can
+give us the information we need might just as well be dead."</p>
+
+<p>The company advanced much in the same fashion as earlier in the day,
+except that still greater precaution was observed. The females were kept
+near the centre and the husbands close to them, so that there was a rude
+resemblance to a hollow square.</p>
+
+<p>Hastings took the lead, as he always did in the absence of Kenton and
+Boone, and had not gone far when he became aware that he was following a
+well-marked path. A companion on his right and another on his left had
+noted something of the kind some minutes before. The three paths, not to
+mention others, converged and became one a little further on.</p>
+
+<p>These, as had been intimated, were the trails made by wild animals on
+their way to the salt lick lying some distance on the other side of
+Rattlesnake Gulch. The pioneers were now quite close to that ill-omened
+spot, and the burden of the expedition rested wholly upon the shoulders
+of Weber Hastings, who maintained a position never less than fifty feet
+in advance of his nearest companion.</p>
+
+<p>Hastings caught a faint, momentary rustling directly in front of him. He
+instantly stopped and listened. It sounded the next moment further to
+the right. He knew it made by one of the Shawanoes, who, with all their
+skill, could not advance in perfect silence amid such gloom any more
+than could the white man.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly he detected a different sound. It was as if something was
+gliding over the leaves, and was accompanied by a delicate whirring
+noise, which Hastings recognized on the instant, for many a time and oft
+he had heard it before.</p>
+
+<p>Those of our readers who have caught the warning of the rattlesnake can
+make no mistake when they hear it a second time.</p>
+
+<p>Another of those baleful reptiles was gliding across the path of the
+pioneers, as if to apprise them of the appropriateness of the name of
+the gulch, which was now near at hand.</p>
+
+<p>The greatest annoying hindrance in this stealthy groping among the trees
+was the condition of Jim Deane, who had taken a prodigious over-dose of
+the universal remedy for the rattlesnake's venom. When in his sober
+senses, he was one of the bravest and most skilful scouts in the west,
+and was held in special high esteem by Capt. Bushwick, for whom he had
+performed arduous and perilous service.</p>
+
+<p>But, naturally enough, he was now another person, the opposite of
+himself. In order to leave their escort free to attend to their delicate
+task, George Ashbridge and his father took charge of Jim, and, in
+assuming the contract, they found it was all they could do to "deliver
+the goods."</p>
+
+<p>Deane rallied after several stumbles, and managed to walk with less help
+from the father and son, though he swayed from side to side and leaned
+heavily upon both. He continued muttering and talking, partly to himself
+and partly to those who were aiding him in locomotion.</p>
+
+<p>"Going to the gulch&mdash;all right," he mumbled, when they were quite near
+their destination, "want to go into the fort; that's the place for you
+folks."</p>
+
+<p>The scout stopped as suddenly as if he had run against the trunk of a
+tree. Despite his broken utterance, a vague sense of his situation was
+gradually forcing itself upon him.</p>
+
+<p>He realized, in a dim but increasingly distinct way, the necessity of
+throwing off the spell which muddled his brain. As he repeated and
+renewed the effort, he gained more strength.</p>
+
+<p>Holding himself somewhat unsteadily, he looked around in the gloom at
+his elder escort, and demanded:</p>
+
+<p>"Where going?"</p>
+
+<p>"We are trying to reach the block-house, but it's a long way off. We are
+now close to Rattlesnake Gulch."</p>
+
+<p>"That's all right," repeated Deane, wobbling forward again; "going to
+the fort&mdash;our fort."</p>
+
+<p>Jim Deane stopped abruptly as before, and blinked and started in the
+vain effort to penetrate the gloom in which all were enveloped. His
+companions noted that he was now able to maintain the erect position
+without any help from them.</p>
+
+<p>"Can't you get a candle?" he asked, his brain still muddled, "too dark
+to see; get candle, and I'll show you the fort."</p>
+
+<p>The company was now so near Rattlesnake Gulch that Weber Hastings, the
+guide, decided it would not do to approach any closer. They must await
+the coming of Kenton before doing anything further.</p>
+
+<p>Gradually, or with less difficulty than would be suspected, the ranger
+brought all his men together, or they gathered around the families whom
+they had set out to escort to the block-house. Although they could
+hardly see each other's forms in the darkness, a few minutes sufficed to
+prove none were missing. All were there, but, ah! for how long should
+this be said of them? "We are so near Rattlesnake Gulch," explained
+Hastings, "that if we go a hundred yards further, we'll walk straight
+into the ambush the varmints have set for us."</p>
+
+<p>"What is to be done?" asked Mr. Altman, in a guarded undertone.</p>
+
+<p>"We'll move a little further down the slope to the edge of the river,
+and wait for Kenton or Boone; one of them will be here purty soon."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Ashbridge now made known what Jim Deane had declared in his broken
+way. Before he could be questioned, the fellow, who was still nearer
+sobriety, said:</p>
+
+<p>"Boys, you think I don't know what I'm saying; I'm not as sober as I
+oughter be, but I give it to you straight; you've made a big mistake,
+and I'll prove it to you."</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI"></a>CHAPTER XI.</h2>
+
+<h3>WATCHING AND WAITING.</h3>
+
+
+<p>Deane had rapidly regained control of his senses during the past few
+minutes. The open air, the continued action of his body and the growing
+consciousness of the imminent peril of the company, combined to give him
+mastery over the insidious enemy that he had taken into his mouth to
+steal away his brains.</p>
+
+<p>By this time, too, his friends were convinced that he was not talking at
+random, and that when he spoke of the "fort" near at hand he had ground
+for his words.</p>
+
+<p>"Wal, Jim," remarked Hastings, in a low voice, as the party gathered
+closely around the fellow in the gloom; "I guess you understand matters
+better than you did a few minutes ago. Take the lead and we'll follow,
+but don't forget that a feller's eyes ain't of much use to him just
+now."</p>
+
+<p>"I, I think I've got my bearings; the river off here to the left is how
+fur away?"</p>
+
+<p>"Something like a hundred yards&mdash;a little more I reckon."</p>
+
+<p>"That's what I thought, and Rattlesnake Gulch is right ahead. Wal, in a
+straight line down the slope toward the river is a lot of limbs, brush
+and stones that we got together some months ago, when the varmints
+cornered us, or wiped us nearly all out. If we're going to make a halt,
+that's the place for us."</p>
+
+<p>"Go ahead, then, for it won't be long afore the varmints will notice we
+have stopped."</p>
+
+<p>The ranger&mdash;he paddled no longer&mdash;took charge of matters with the
+assurance of one who feels himself master of the situation. As they
+advanced, the ground inclined downward to the river. The wood was quite
+open, but considerable undergrowth appeared, through which it was
+impossible even for the rangers to make their way in the darkness
+without some rustling, which was almost certain to betray their
+movements to the Indians.</p>
+
+<p>Fortunately, however, they had not far to go to their destination.
+Hastings, who was but a pace or two behind Deane, became conscious at
+the end of a few minutes that he had stopped.</p>
+
+<p>"Here we are," whispered the guide; "pass the word back for 'em to look
+out they don't stumble, for things are rough round here."</p>
+
+<p>Not only did the leader of the company notify his own men, who were
+instant to understand the situation, but they assisted the Ashbridges
+and Altmans into the exceedingly rude fortification. The utmost care was
+used, but, in spite of all, there were several stumbles, and more than
+one hasty exclamation at the accident.</p>
+
+<p>When matters became clear to all, as they soon did, it was learned that
+they were now upon the spot where Hastings and his companions made their
+last stand when attacked by The Panther and his Shawanoes, some months
+before. Foreseeing the desperate struggle at hand, the scouts had seized
+the brief time at their command to throw up some intrenchments.</p>
+
+<p>An ash that had been splintered by lightning gave much help, and laid
+the foundation, as may be said, of the fortification. The trunk had been
+wrenched off a dozen feet above ground, leaving the stump, with its
+hundreds of needle-like points, projecting upward. The fragments of
+several large limbs were of help, and a prostrate tree, some yards away,
+was of incalculable benefit, even though the trunk was less than a foot
+in diameter.</p>
+
+<p>Then there were a few boulders and large stones scattered around.
+Ordinarily, a dozen men would hesitate to try to move them, but, with
+the energy of desperation, these had been tumbled into place, and served
+their part well.</p>
+
+<p>The conclusion of all this haste and effort to throw up a protection
+around themselves was, that a very primitive and broken fortification
+extended in an irregular circle from the splintered tree, right and
+left, until it enclosed a space thirty feet across at its largest
+diameter. It was not a complete circle, however, but formed
+three-fourths of one. The side toward the river was left open, so as to
+preserve the means of retreat if the worst came.</p>
+
+<p>The worst did come, as has been intimated, and through this opening the
+few defenders that were left, after the resistless assault of The
+Panther and his warriors, dashed in the supreme effort to save their
+lives. Such is an imperfect description of the "fort" into which the
+pioneers were conducted, when the time arrived for them to essay no
+further concealment of their intention to leave Rattlesnake Gulch wholly
+to itself.</p>
+
+<p>Fifteen or twenty minutes were used by the fugitives, as they may be
+considered, in "locating" themselves. In other words, they improved the
+time in learning, so far as possible, their immediate surroundings, and
+the best means of defence against the Shawanoes, that were certain to
+leave them but a short time to themselves.</p>
+
+<p>Above all things, it was necessary that Hastings and his men should know
+this, and, with the help of Deane, the knowledge was soon acquired.
+Finally, Hastings stationed his men in their proper positions, and then
+conducted the others to a spot near the splintered ash. He made sure
+that all were near him, and that each heard every word he spoke, though
+he guarded the utterances with a care that would have shut them from a
+listening Shawanoe a rod away.</p>
+
+<p>"You understand, my friends, that this place is only a makeshift; we're
+powerful lucky that Jim got sober in time to find it for us. This is the
+safest spot, and here the women and children will stay till we leave."</p>
+
+<p>"And when is that likely to be?" asked Mr. Altman.</p>
+
+<p>"I can't say till Kenton gets back; he'll be here afore long."</p>
+
+<p>"Suppose anything happens to him and Boone?" suggested Mr. Ashbridge.</p>
+
+<p>"Something like that has been said afore; Boone and Kenton are always
+having something happen to them, but that both of 'em should slip up and
+not show themselves agin&mdash;why, that sort of thing can't be."</p>
+
+<p>"It might take place," remarked young Ashbridge, whose faith in the two
+great pioneers equaled that of Hastings, "but it is so unlikely that it
+isn't worth considering it. As I understand it, we have to wait here
+until Kenton comes back."</p>
+
+<p>"You've hit it, younker, to a dot. You folks can see that a chap's eyes
+ain't of much account, so you must all make the best use of your ears."</p>
+
+<p>"I can see a little," said Agnes Altman, "and I shall believe that our
+eyes are almost as likely as our ears to help us."</p>
+
+<p>"You've got a wise head on your shoulders," said the ranger, admiringly.
+"About all that you folks need to remember is, that the varmints are all
+around us, and where there's one of 'em, he's sure to try some trick.
+Look out for him."</p>
+
+<p>"Surely, Mr. Hastings, you don't mean that Mr. Altman and my son shall
+all stay in this spot, merely to keep company with our families, when
+every man is needed to guard the approaches to this enclosure."</p>
+
+<p>"Wal, I'll own that was my idea, but we can turn you to use if you say
+so."</p>
+
+<p>"We do say so, most decidedly," Mr. Altman was quick to remark.</p>
+
+<p>"Come with me."</p>
+
+<p>Thereupon, the leader of the rangers gave Mr. Altman, Ashbridge, and the
+son their several stations. Each had his rifle, and was simply to do his
+utmost to guard against the insidious approach of the Shawanoes, who, if
+they had not already located them, were certain to do so very soon.</p>
+
+<p>The instructions of Hastings to his men was, that the moment they
+discovered an Indian they should wait only long enough to make sure of
+no mistake, and then shoot to kill.</p>
+
+<p>"Every varmint counts at a time like this," he said, significantly, "and
+if any one is lucky enough to drop The Panther, it'll be worth a dozen
+warriors."</p>
+
+<p>When all the male members were placed, they were crouching behind
+boulders, limbs, and ridges of dirt in the irregular three-quarter
+circle, and separated from each other by a space varying from two yards
+to a distance twice as great.</p>
+
+<p>Whether intentional or otherwise, Hastings stationed George Ashbridge
+immediately on the left of Agnes Altman, while her mother, Mrs.
+Ashbridge, and Mabel were near at hand. The lovers were so close,
+indeed, that there was little risk in their exchanging a whispered word
+or two at intervals. When either raised his or her head, the other could
+catch the faint outlines of the loved one.</p>
+
+<p>While the temporary refuge was a most fortunate thing for the distressed
+fugitives, it had several features which caused uneasiness to Hastings
+and his experienced rangers. Although the moon soon appeared in the sky,
+its light was treacherous and uncertain, because of the skurrying
+clouds. Sometimes an object would be visible for a number of rods on the
+river, and then it took a pair of keen eyes to identify a canoe at half
+that distance.</p>
+
+<p>More serious, however, than all was the west wind. This blew steadily,
+and with considerable force, directly upon the river. It sighed among
+the trees, and so stirred the branches that the rustling was continuous.
+Thus it afforded a diversion that was wholly in favor of the Indians,
+for, without taking any special precaution, they could approach as near
+as they chose to the fortification, with little, if any, fear of
+detection.</p>
+
+<p>That they would be quick to turn this to account was certain.</p>
+
+<p>Hastings had not forgotten to impress his friends with the fact that
+they were awaiting the coming of Simon Kenton, and incidentally of
+Daniel Boone. Each, when he did appear, would do so with the
+noiselessness of The Panther himself, and too great care could not he
+taken to guard against mistaking them for enemies.</p>
+
+<p>There really was little, if any, danger of this, since all understood
+the situation, and would run no risk of harming their friends.
+Furthermore, Kenton and Boone were sure to give timely notice of their
+coming by means of signals which every one of the rangers would
+understand.</p>
+
+<p>The sleep of most of the men had been broken and scant during the past
+twenty-four hours, but the situation was so strained that there was no
+danger of any one falling asleep until the peril passed. If any one
+thing was certain, it was that the watch within that rough circle would
+be unremitting and vigilant while it lasted.</p>
+
+<p>Mabel Ashbridge laid her head on the lap of her mother, who like Mrs.
+Altman, sat with her back against the splintered ash, and with little
+appreciation of the fearful shadow that rested upon all, soon sank into
+unconsciousness. The mothers were so nervous and unstrung that though
+they occasionally shut their eyes, the slumber was fitful and brief.</p>
+
+<p>But among all the party there was none more alert than Agnes Altman. She
+had not yet quite forgiven herself for her weakness in showing mercy to
+the imprisoned Panther the night before, when he came within a hair of
+slaying her beloved George Ashbridge, and, without hinting her intention
+to any one, she determined that, with the help of heaven, she would do
+something to erase that criminal imprudence, as she viewed it, on her
+part.</p>
+
+<p>It may have been this resolution, supplemented by her own consummate
+faculties of sight and vision, or, more properly, it was both, that
+brought to her a knowledge of peril before it was suspected by any one
+of the rangers, or even by George Ashbridge, who, as may be said, was at
+her elbow.</p>
+
+<p>Agnes was seated on the leaves, the same as her mother, and with her
+back resting against a boulder, which rose a few inches above her head.
+In this posture she closed her eyes. They could be of no use to her, and
+by shutting them she was able to concentrate her faculties into the
+single one of listening; upon that alone she now placed her dependence.</p>
+
+<p>And seated thus, and listening with absorbing intensity, she speedily
+became aware of a startling fact; some one was directly on the other
+side of the boulder, and separated by no more than three feet from her.</p>
+
+<p>That that some one was a Shawanoe Indian was as certain as that her name
+was Agnes Altman.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII"></a>CHAPTER XII.</h2>
+
+<h3>CARRYING THE WAR INTO AFRICA.</h3>
+
+
+<p>Jethro Juggens, the brawny servant of Mr. Altman, the dusky youth with
+the strength of a Hercules, the intellect of a child, or a skill in the
+use of the rifle hardly second to that of Kenton and Boone, has a
+singular but momentous part to play in the incidents that follow. The
+reader must, therefore, bear with us when now and then we turn aside
+from the graver and more tragical sweep of incidents to follow the
+doings and the fortunes and misfortunes of the one who rendered such
+signal service to his friends, already related in "Shod with Silence."</p>
+
+<p>Simon Kenton denounced himself times without number for bringing Jethro
+with him when he set out to recover the canoe that had been left at the
+clearing; and yet that act, ill-advised as it seemed, changed the whole
+course of events that followed quick and fast, and became the foundation
+of one of the most remarkable legends connected with the romantic Ohio
+and the stirring events that marked the history of the settlement of
+Ohio and Kentucky.</p>
+
+<p>With no thought of the mischief he was likely to cause, Jethro Juggens,
+as the reader has learned, circled part way round the cabin in the
+clearing, passed through the door, drew in the latch-string, devoured
+nearly all of the bread that was left behind, and then lay down and went
+to sleep.</p>
+
+<p>He had managed to gain so much slumber during the past twenty-four hours
+that he was in need of nothing of the kind. As a consequence, he
+remained unconscious less than an hour, when he opened his eyes, as
+fully awake as he ever was in all his life.</p>
+
+<p>The room was in darkness, and he was so confused that for a brief spell
+he was at a loss to know where he was. Rising to a sitting position, he
+rubbed his eyes and stared around in the gloom.</p>
+
+<p>"Am dis de flatboat, and am I in de cellar ob it?" he asked himself.</p>
+
+<p>But a moment's reflection recalled what had taken place.</p>
+
+<p>"Gracious! I wonder if anyting hab happened to Mr. Kenton?" he
+exclaimed, starting to his feet and stumbling headlong over one of the
+boxes, unnoticed in the gloom.</p>
+
+<p>"Dar's no tellin' what trouble he may get into widout me watchin' and
+tookin' keer ob him. I's afraid I'm too late to help him."</p>
+
+<p>He would have opened the door and hurried out, but at that moment his
+keen nostrils caught the appetizing odor of the loaves of bread, amid
+which he had created havoc a short time before.</p>
+
+<p>"I hab an obspression dat I done eat some ob dat afore I took a nap, but
+I ain't certain; don't want to make any mistake, and I feels sorter
+hungry."</p>
+
+<p>There was enough food left to furnish him another good meal, and he did
+not stop using his peerless teeth and massive jaws until he had secured
+it.</p>
+
+<p>His rifle was leaning against the wall near the door, where he had left
+it. He took it in hand, with the intention of opening the door and
+passing out, when the first real thrill of alarm stirred him. He heard
+some one attempting to open the door.</p>
+
+<p>He knew it was an enemy, for Kenton, the only friend he had in the
+neighborhood, would never come there to look for him.</p>
+
+<p>The latch-string being drawn in, it was impossible for the door to be
+opened, except by great labor from the outside. Nevertheless, some one
+was pushing at it repeatedly, and with such vigor that there could be no
+mistake about it.</p>
+
+<p>"Who dar?" demanded Jethro, in his deepest voice, holding his rifle
+ready to use it in case the Indian effected an entrance.</p>
+
+<p>There was no answer, but the efforts on the outside ceased for a minute,
+to be resumed more guardedly than at first.</p>
+
+<p>"Go way from der, I toles yo' or yo'll get into trouble," called the
+youth, in a louder voice, meant to be as threatening as he could make
+it.</p>
+
+<p>Again the pushing ceased, and all became still.</p>
+
+<p>Jethro heard the wind blowing strongly around the cabin and among the
+trees beyond. Standing in the open clearing, as did the cabin, no shadow
+was cast upon it. The narrow windows, therefore, were clearly outlined
+against the dim moonlight. The youth glanced furtively at them,
+comprehending more fully than at any time before the sad mistake he had
+made in disobeying the orders of Kenton. But for that he would not have
+been in his present plight.</p>
+
+<p>But it was too late for regrets to avail him. All he could do was to
+fight it out as best he knew how to the end.</p>
+
+<p>Stepping nearer the door, he bent his head and listened. The pressure
+against the structure had ceased, but he caught the murmur of voices
+when a few broken sentences were uttered. Their meaning, of course, was
+beyond his reach.</p>
+
+<p>"Why don't dey be gemmen?" he asked himself, "or talk in American, so
+dat anoder gemmen can understand 'em? I don't know what dey's talkin'
+'bout, and it sounds as if dey don't know demselves."</p>
+
+<p>He could understand, however, that no immediate cause for fear existed.</p>
+
+<p>A dozen brawny Shawanoes could not force the door, and the windows, as
+has been explained, were too narrow for any one to push his body
+through.</p>
+
+<p>But, all the same, some mischief was afoot at one of the rear
+window's&mdash;the one into which Jethro Juggens had fired that very day with
+fatal effect. The disturbance was transferred from the door to the
+window.</p>
+
+<p>The youth was standing in the middle of the lower apartment, gun in
+hand, watching and listening. The moon was so placed in the heavens that
+this particular opening was seen more clearly than any of the others,
+and peering intently at it, Jethro became conscious of some dark object
+that was slowly obtruding into his field of vision.</p>
+
+<p>"What de mischief am dat?" he muttered. "Looks like a hobblegoblin, but
+I knows it am an Injin."</p>
+
+<p>Dimly seen in the partial illumination, the resemblance to the head of a
+warrior was so close that all doubt was removed from the mind of Jethro
+Juggens.</p>
+
+<p>"Dat's what I's waiting for," was his thought, as he brought his piece
+to a level, took the best aim he could in the darkness, and let fly.</p>
+
+<p>The report within the close room was so thunderous that his ears
+tingled, but confident of the accuracy of his shot, he looked through
+the smoke at the moonlit opening.</p>
+
+<p>"I didn't hear no yell, but I reckoned dat blowed de top ob his head off
+afore he could let out de war-whoop dat Mr. Kenton says an Injin always
+gibs when he cotches his last sickness&mdash;gracious hebbins! how's dat?"</p>
+
+<p>Could he believe his eyes? The head at which he had fired only a few
+feet away had not vanished. There it was, the owner apparently staring
+in upon him, with the same interest he had shown from the first.</p>
+
+<p>"Dat beats all creation! I knowed I hit him, 'cause I couldn't miss him
+if I tried. He must had a head as hard as mine&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>If Jethro Juggens was astounded by what had just occurred, he was almost
+lifted off his feet by what followed before he finished the expression
+of the thought that was in his mind. Through the narrow window at which
+he was gazing the muzzle of a gun was thrust and the weapon discharged,
+the ball passing so close that he felt it nip his ear.</p>
+
+<p>With a howl of dismay the youth leaped a foot in the air and to one
+side. No one could have had a narrower escape than he, and he knew it.</p>
+
+<p>"Tings are gettin' mixed most obstrageously," he muttered, stepping
+nearer to one side of the room and proceeding to reload his gun as best
+he could in the darkness.</p>
+
+<p>Much as Jethro had blundered, and obtuse as he was in many things, he
+understood what had taken place. That which he supposed to be the head
+of an Indian was some object presented by the crouching warrior with the
+purpose of drawing his fire, and it succeeded in doing so. The flash of
+the negro's rifle revealed where he stood, and the Shawanoe, who was
+watching for that clew, lost no time in firing, missing by a
+hair's-breadth a fatal result. Thus it came about that not the least
+execution was done on either side.</p>
+
+<p>Jethro waited some minutes in order to discover the next movement of his
+enemies. Nothing presenting itself, he had resort to the dangerous
+expedient of trying to peer through the different windows. Being
+enveloped in impenetrable gloom, he could not have been seen by the
+Indians had they been on the watch, though possibly they might have
+heard him. As it was, no shot was fired at him, nor was he able to
+detect anything that could give him the least information of what his
+enemies were doing, or what they intended to do. They may have been
+quite near, but he could not get the first glimpse of them.</p>
+
+<p>"Dis yeah am gettin' ser'us," mused Jethro, leaning against the side of
+the house in order to think more clearly. "I's afeard dat somethin' may
+happen to Mr. Kenton, and if it does and he can't get back, nor me
+neither, what's goin' to become of de folks? I 'spose dey am most
+worried to def now."</p>
+
+<hr style="width: 45%;" />
+<div class="figcenter">
+<a name="i124" id="i124"></a>
+<img src="images/i124.jpg" alt=""/>
+</div>
+
+<h3><span class="smcap">Jethro in trouble.</span></h3>
+<hr style="width: 45%;" />
+
+<p>Since it looked as if it would be impossible for him to leave the cabin
+for an indefinite time, the anxiety of the dusky youth to do so
+increased with every passing minute, until he formed the resolution to
+make the attempt, no matter what the consequences might prove to
+himself.</p>
+
+<p>A dispassionate view of the situation would have pronounced Jethro as
+useful to the pioneers in one place as in another. Possibly, it might
+have been decided that it was better that he should remain away so long
+as the peril remained imminent, despite the fact that he had already
+done them most effective service.</p>
+
+<p>Jethro could not so far forget the first law of human nature as not to
+debate and hesitate for a considerable while before taking the decisive
+step.</p>
+
+<p>"I might leave de door open," he reflected, "so dat if any ob de heathen
+are hangin' round de outside waitin' for a chance to shet me off, I kin
+dodge back and slam de door in dar faces. Ef I don't see 'em till I git
+too fur to run back, I kin dive into de woods or hide."</p>
+
+<p>All this sounded well enough in theory, but the young man could not lose
+sight of one thing: in point of fleetness he could not compare with any
+of the Shawanoes. They could run him down, as may be said, in a
+twinkling.</p>
+
+<p>It was impossible for one so inexperienced as he to form a reasonable
+guess of the intentions of the red men. It was curious, to say the
+least, that one or two of them should linger in the vicinity of the
+cabin after the departure of the pioneers for the block-house. Even
+Simon Kenton could not have guessed their purpose.</p>
+
+<p>"Dey couldn't hab seed me go in," thought Jethro, "for, if dey did, dey
+would hab hollered to me and asked me who I was lookin' fur; I'd gib 'em
+some sass, and den dar would hab been a row and some ha'r pullin'."</p>
+
+<p>The youth leaned against the side of the apartment a brief while longer
+in intense cogitation, and then sighed.</p>
+
+<p>"I ain't used to tinkin' so hard as dis; it exhorsts me."</p>
+
+<p>To remedy which he groped his way to the huge bread box, a few paces
+away. There was enough, left to furnish a person of ordinary appetite
+with a good meal, but, when he ceased, nothing was left.</p>
+
+<p>"Umph! dat rewives me; I feel stronger now&mdash;I'll do a little more hard
+tinkin'&mdash;graciousnation, I's got it!" he exclaimed, leaping from the
+floor in exultation; "why didn't I tink ob it afore? I'll hold one ob
+dese boxes ober me, so dey can't see nuffin' ob me, and den walk out ob
+de house and straight 'cross de clearin' to de woods. When I got dar,
+I'll flung de box off en run! Dat's de plan, suah I's born!"</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII"></a>CHAPTER XIII.</h2>
+
+<h3>UNKIND FATE.</h3>
+
+
+<p>After setting out on his return to his friends with the canoe which he
+had recovered so cleverly from the drowsy Shawanoe, Simon Kenton gave
+little thought to Jethro Juggens. The youth had become separated from
+the scout through his own disregard of orders, and, as has already been
+said, the former regarded his highest duty to be to the pioneers, who, a
+mile or so away, were anxiously looking for his return.</p>
+
+<p>It was during the first part of his voyage with the canoe that Kenton
+had his hurricane encounter with the warrior who withdrew it from the
+point along the bank where he left the craft for a few minutes only.</p>
+
+<p>The scout was surprised and somewhat alarmed for his friends over one or
+two facts which thus came to light. The Indian who paid so dearly for
+this little trick he attempted upon the white man was not the one that
+sat on the bank near the clearing while the boat was withdrawn from
+before him. This proved that more than one Shawanoe was down the river
+between the pioneers and the cabin in the clearing. The cawing from the
+Ohio side showed that the lynx-eyed watchers were there, with the
+unwelcome certainty that the Shawanoes were far more numerous than
+either Boone or Kenton had supposed.</p>
+
+<p>"Wa-on-mon has been doing some good work," reflected Kenton, "since he
+sneaked out of sight, instead of meeting me for our last scrimmage.
+Dan'l is right when he says the reason The Panther done that warn't
+'cause he was afeared of me, but' cause he seed a chance of hittin' a
+powerfuller blow than in sending nobody but Sime Kenton under. That's
+what he's up to, with a mighty big chance of doing what he set out to
+do."</p>
+
+<p>The signal from the Ohio bank, and the encounter with the redskin, drove
+all hesitation from the ranger's mind regarding the canoe. He drew it
+from the water and upon the dry land, his paddle and rifle lying inside,
+and then, with no little labor, dragged it among the trees to the other
+side of the open space, where it was launched again, uninjured by its
+rough experience.</p>
+
+<p>"I hope there ain't many such places," he muttered, as he took the
+paddle in hand; "'cause if there is, this old boat will suffer."</p>
+
+<p>But night was closing in, and, with the coming of darkness, the need of
+such extreme caution would pass. The wind too, was now blowing so
+strongly up the river that it was not necessary to use the extreme
+caution against making any noise while pushing his way along the bank.</p>
+
+<p>To Kenton's disgust, he had gone a little more than a hundred yards
+further when he struck another of the very places he had in mind. It was
+twice as broad as the one he had flanked a few minutes before, and did
+not offer the slightest concealment.</p>
+
+<p>He checked the canoe, with the nose on the edge of the opening, and took
+several minutes to look over the ground and decide upon the best course
+to follow.</p>
+
+<p>To most persons it must seem like an excess of caution for Kenton to
+hesitate to propel his boat across this open space when it confronted
+him. That there was any dusky foe crouching in the woods, with his eyes
+fixed upon that "clearing" in the water and watching for the appearance
+of Kenton, was a piece of fine-spun theorizing that entered the realms
+of the absurd. It was preposterous to suppose anything of the kind.
+Simon Kenton was too much of a veteran in woodcraft to make such
+preposterous mistakes.</p>
+
+<p>But the unwelcome truth which stared him in the face was that he had
+been followed from the clearing, and the signal from the other side of
+the river, resembling the call of a crow, he believed referred to him.
+It looked as if there was an understanding between the Shawanoe scouts
+on the Ohio and those on the Kentucky side of the river.</p>
+
+<p>As the matter stood, however, Kenton decided not to drag the canoe among
+the trees again. In the gathering darkness he was liable to injure it
+beyond repair, and in a brief while the gloom itself would afford him
+the screen he needed.</p>
+
+<p>The wind stirred the water into wrinkles and wavelets along the shore,
+which rippled against the canoe and the end of the paddle when held
+motionless. Further out in the river the disturbance was so marked that
+it would have caused some annoyance even to a strong swimmer.</p>
+
+<p>Kenton's conclusion was to stay where he was for a brief while&mdash;that is,
+until the gloom increased sufficiently to allow him to paddle across the
+open space without the misgiving that now held his muscular arm
+motionless.</p>
+
+<p>Sitting thus, with all his senses alert, he caught the distinct outlines
+of some large object on the surface of the river. It was moving with
+moderate swiftness from the Ohio bank in a diagonal direction to the
+Kentucky shore, making for a point but a short distance above where the
+ranger was waiting for a slight increase of darkness.</p>
+
+<p>A second glance identified the object as an Indian canoe containing
+several occupants. But for the noise made by the wind and water he would
+have heard the dipping of the paddles, for there was no attempt in the
+way of secrecy of movement.</p>
+
+<p>"That looks as though they didn't 'spect none of us was in these parts,"
+mused Kenton, with considerable relief. "If the varmints thought Sime
+Kenton was loafin' anywhere near they'd be a powerful sight more
+keerful."</p>
+
+<p>Since the new party were following a course which would ultimately take
+them up stream and nearer to the party of fugitives, the ranger decided
+to learn, if possible, something more of their intentions.</p>
+
+<p>A moment's thought convinced him that there was more risk in following
+the Shawanoes in his canoe than on foot. He suspected the party intended
+to land. He could move with more freedom and effect among the trees,
+with liberty to return to his boat whenever he chose.</p>
+
+<p>Accordingly, with hardly a moment's hesitation, he stepped out of the
+canoe again and drew the prow so far up the bank that there was no
+danger of its being swept away by the disturbed current. Then, with the
+noiseless celerity for which he was noted, he moved along the shore in
+the direction of the camp, where soon after his friends gathered and
+anxiously awaited his coming.</p>
+
+<p>A disappointment came to the ranger. His supposition was that the
+Shawanoes in the canoe would run in close to shore or paddle up the
+stream at so moderate a speed that it would be easy for him to overtake
+them, but for some reason or other she shot forward with a swiftness
+fully double what he expected. Kenton's error, as will be seen, was in
+not sticking to his canoe, in which it would have cost him little effort
+to follow the other at a safe distance, ready to dart in under the
+protection of the overhanging limbs at the first danger of detection.</p>
+
+<p>"They won't land till they get to Rattlesnake Gulch, or above it," was
+his new conclusion, "and I'm throwing away time by dodging among the
+trees."</p>
+
+<p>Men of the stamp of the ranger follow their decisions by instant action.
+Turning about, he strode rapidly through the woods to the point where he
+had left his canoe but a short time before.</p>
+
+<p>To his consternation it was gone.</p>
+
+<p>Hardly crediting his senses, he made hasty search, with the speedy
+confirmation of the astounding fact.</p>
+
+<p>He was too skilled in woodcraft to make any mistake as to the precise
+spot, just on the edge as it was of the open space which he hesitated to
+cross.</p>
+
+<p>Whereas, the boat was there less than a quarter of an hour before, it
+was now nowhere in sight.</p>
+
+<p>Inasmuch as he had taken pains to draw it far enough up the bank to
+prevent it being swept free by the current, only one conclusion was
+possible; a single Shawanoe or more had taken it away.</p>
+
+<p>It may be doubted whether Simon Kenton in all his life was more
+chagrined, for he had been surprised and outwitted with a cleverness
+that was the keenest possible blow to his pride.</p>
+
+<p>When he disposed of the single warrior that attempted precisely the same
+trick upon him, the pioneer accepted that as an end of the matter. He
+did not deem it possible that a second danger of that nature could
+threaten him.</p>
+
+<p>What added special poignancy to his humiliation was the belief, formed
+without any tangible grounds, that the Indian who had outwitted him was
+the Shawanoe from before whom the canoe had been withdrawn while he was
+indulging in his afternoon siesta. This impression which fastened itself
+upon him, constituted the "most unkindest cut of all."</p>
+
+<p>But, angered, exasperated, and mortified as he was, Simon Kenton was not
+the man to waste the minutes in idle lamentation. Since the first part
+of the former attempt to outwit him had succeeded, he felt there was no
+reason why the second part should triumph. He therefore started down the
+stream as rapidly as he could force his way in the darkness.</p>
+
+<p>There was no duplication, however, of the second part of the programme.
+Whoever the dusky thief was that had withdrawn the canoe from the
+possession of the unsuspicious ranger, he was too wise to commit the
+fatal mistake of his predecessor. Instead of loitering close in shore,
+he had taken to the clear water, or propelled the boat with a deft
+swiftness that placed him beyond all danger from the irate white man.</p>
+
+<p>So it was that the time quickly came when Kenton paused in his blind
+pursuit, convinced that the craft was irrecoverably gone.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll be hanged if that varmint ain't a sharp one!" he muttered, with a
+feeling akin to admiration at the performance. "It ain't the first time
+Sim Kenton has been outwitted by his people, but it's the first time he
+had it played on him in that style."</p>
+
+<p>It was a serious blow to the scheme which the pioneer had formed for the
+deliverance of his friends; for, as will be seen, it destroyed all
+chance of transporting the women and children to the Ohio shore in the
+canoe that had accompanied the flatboat a part of the way down the
+river.</p>
+
+<p>The roughness of the water under the high, steady wind might well cause
+the men to hesitate over the other plan that had been spoken of&mdash;that of
+swimming the stream and bearing the women and children with them. The
+project of constructing a raft upon which to float them over was open to
+the fatal objection that the watchful Shawanoes were absolutely certain
+to discover it, and discovery could mean but one thing&mdash;not only those
+on the raft, but the men who might be swimming in the water, would be so
+utterly at the mercy of their enemies in their canoes that it would be
+but play to pick off every man, woman, and child.</p>
+
+<p>Only one shadowy hope remained&mdash;the second canoe, which he hoped to find
+at the point where he had hidden it some weeks before, close to
+Rattlesnake Gulch. If that had remained undetected by the Indians, it
+could take the place of the one he had just lost.</p>
+
+<p>Pushing out in the gloom, Kenton, with one at least of the rangers to
+bear him company, need have little personal fear, even if discovered by
+the Shawanoes; for they could drive the boat as fast over the water as
+could the most skilful of pursuers, and the gloom or woods of the Ohio
+shore once reached, all danger to them would vanish. But dare lie hope
+that such an opportunity would be presented to him? It would seem, that
+with their dusky enemies everywhere, some of them were certain to
+stumble upon the boat, though if they did so, it would be accident
+rather than design.</p>
+
+<p>There was only one way, however, of settling the matter; that was to
+learn whether the boat was where it had been left or where he hoped to
+find it.</p>
+
+<p>Kenton pushed along the shore with a haste which at times approached
+recklessness; but, as he drew near Rattlesnake Gulch, he called into
+play his usual caution, even with the wind and darkness in his favor.</p>
+
+<p>With more anxiety than often troubled him, he groped his way to the spot
+where he had carefully hidden his canoe. His search, if quick, was
+thorough, and, alas! it told him the woeful truth that the second boat
+was as effectually beyond all possible reach as was the first one.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV"></a>CHAPTER XIV.</h2>
+
+<h3>THE INTRUDER.</h3>
+
+
+<p>It has been said that Agnes Altman, seated behind the boulder on the
+edge of the rude fortification near the river, was among the most alert
+of the pioneers that had taken refuge there until Simon Kenton could
+open the way for their escape across the Ohio.</p>
+
+<p>To this fact may be ascribed the startling discovery she made that an
+Indian warrior was crouching on the other side of the boulder, no more
+than three feet from where she was listening with intensest attention,
+and in this discovery she preceded all other members of the company.</p>
+
+<p>The Shawanoe, indeed, was so close that it may be said the slight noise
+he made shut out the rustling of the wind and the rippling of the
+current against the bank, the overhanging branches and around the
+twisted roots along shore.</p>
+
+<p>She heard his body move along the surface of the rock, and, pressing her
+ear against it, caught the slight disturbance more distinctly. A solid
+substance, as every one knows, is a better conductor of sound than air,
+and the medium was of more help to her than she dreamed it could be.</p>
+
+<p>What particular thing her mortal enemy was doing she could not surmise,
+nor did it specially concern her to know at that moment; there could be
+no doubt that he was in a state of pernicious activity.</p>
+
+<p>The question which the maiden asked herself was, whether she should not
+acquaint George Ashbridge with what she had learned. He was almost at
+her elbow, as has been explained, and, brief as was the time, several
+whispered conferences had taken place.</p>
+
+<p>But, if she should speak or move, the Indian on the other side of the
+boulder would take the alarm and make off. This, it would seem, was the
+very thing which a young woman in her situation ought to desire above
+all others, but Agnes thought the miscreant should not be allowed to
+escape in that manner, at least not before he and his people had been
+taught a well-needed lesson.</p>
+
+<p>She concluded to remain quiescent and await developments.</p>
+
+<p>The next thing decided upon may have been characteristic of her age and
+sex, but, all the same, it was a piece of recklessness almost the equal
+of the weakness shown when she placed the knife in the hand of The
+Panther. She decided to peep over the top of the rock and learn what the
+Shawanoe was doing.</p>
+
+<p>Sufficient moonlight found its way among the branches to permit one to
+see indistinctly for a few feet. She was confident that she could give
+their enemy one quick glance and then drop back before he could do her
+harm.</p>
+
+<p>Her heart beat a little faster than it was wont when, with the silence
+of a phantom, she began slowly raising her head, with her eyes fixed on
+the top of the rock, which she touched with her hands. Before she
+reached the elevation in mind, she discovered the Indian was doing the
+same thing, and, fortunately for her, was two or three seconds advanced
+with the action.</p>
+
+<p>The crown of the warrior, with the projecting eagle feathers, were as if
+they were a part of the darkness itself, so vaguely were they outlined
+in the gloom, though their identity was as clear to the girl as if the
+noon-day sun was shining upon the painted features.</p>
+
+<p>The head rose just high enough for the glittering eyes to peer over the
+horizon of the rock in the endeavor to learn something of the situation
+within the interior of the "fort."</p>
+
+<p>Agnes was transfixed for a moment. She feared that if she sank lower, or
+changed her position, the Indian would detect it and use his knife or
+tomahawk, and the same unspeakable dread prevented her crying out to
+warn George Ashbridge or any of the others of their peril.</p>
+
+<p>She had no weapon of her own at command, and very probably it would have
+made no difference if she had, for she was but an infant before this
+terrible embodiment of strength, treachery and hate. But she felt she
+must do something to teach the miscreant the risk he ran by his daring
+act.</p>
+
+<p>Groping silently with her right hand among and under the leaves, she
+managed to clutch some gravel and dirt, which, with a quick flirt, she
+intended to fling in the face of the Indian. It would probably cause him
+some inconvenience and considerable surprise, though the weapon was too
+insignificant for him to make any use of it.</p>
+
+<p>The result of the novel demonstration can only be guessed, since the
+opportunity to try it passed at the moment Agnes was ready to make the
+test. When in the act of drawing back her hand, the head of the Shawanoe
+vanished as noiselessly as it had obtruded on the scene.</p>
+
+<p>It seems incredible that the savage could have gained any knowledge of
+the interior of the fortification or of the location of the defenders.
+The gloom was too deep to permit the use of any vision except that of
+the owl or cat. He had probably withdrawn to repeat his attempt at some
+other point.</p>
+
+<p>Again, the marvelous delicacy of hearing told the girl that her enemy
+was in motion, not directly in front of the boulder, but on the left, in
+the direction of George Ashbridge. She peered intently at that point,
+wondering how much longer she ought to remain motionless and mute, and
+on the point of calling, in a suppressed voice, to her lover, when
+something whisked by her elbow, too quickly or too dimly seen for her to
+comprehend at once what it meant.</p>
+
+<p>Then it flashed upon her.</p>
+
+<p>"George!" she called, in an undertone, so full of dread and terror that
+he was at her side in an instant.</p>
+
+<p>"What's the matter? What has happened?"</p>
+
+<p>"There's an Indian within the inclosure!"</p>
+
+<p>"Impossible! You are mistaken!"</p>
+
+<p>"I saw him this minute."</p>
+
+<p>"Where? Tell me how it was!" he whispered, seizing her hand, and quick
+to catch her excitement.</p>
+
+<p>"I saw the top of his head peeping over this very rock in front of me. I
+was about to call to you, when he dropped down again. The next moment he
+passed over the spot where you are. He did it so quickly and silently
+that I heard nothing, and caught only the most shadowy glimpses of him."</p>
+
+<p>"Can it be possible? I cannot dispute you, and yet&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>A tall figure, walking erect, assumed form in the gloom, and was upon
+the startled lovers before they were aware of it.</p>
+
+<p>Young Ashbridge was in the act of bringing his rifle to a level, when
+Weber Hastings spoke.</p>
+
+<p>"Not too fast, younkers. I'm afeared I didn't do the best thing in the
+world, when I placed you two so near each other."</p>
+
+<p>"No matter where you placed her," replied the youth, "you did a good
+thing for the rest. She has sharper eyes than any of us, for she has
+seen what nobody else saw."</p>
+
+<p>"What's that? What's that?"</p>
+
+<p>"Within the last three minutes," said Agnes, "one of the Shawanoes
+passed by this boulder behind which I have been sitting, and is now
+somewhere within the inclosure. Oh, I wonder if he means any harm to
+your folks, George, or mine!"</p>
+
+<p>And spurred by her new terror she hurried across the brief intervening
+space to where her mother and Miss Altman were sitting trembling, and
+occasionally whispering in the darkness.</p>
+
+<p>Thank heaven! no harm had befallen them, and since there was no call for
+her to return to George Ashbridge and Weber Hastings, she remained with
+those that were so near and dear to her.</p>
+
+<p>"Them varmints are gettin' pow'rful sassy," was the comment of Hastings,
+who, now that the truth was known, seemed to lose all the excitement he
+had first shown. "You don't think the gal was mistook?"</p>
+
+<p>"I am sure she was not."</p>
+
+<p>"So am I; stay right here where you be, while I look around for that
+varmint; keep a lookout yourself, for he may try to sneak out this way."</p>
+
+<p>"All I want is a chance at him."</p>
+
+<p>"That's right&mdash;helloa!"</p>
+
+<p>It so happened that Jim Deane, fully recovered from the effects of the
+rattlesnake antidote he had taken earlier in the evening, was on guard
+at a point almost opposite where Agnes Altman had made her alarming
+discovery. Instead of being sheltered by boulders and rocks, he had lain
+down behind some branches and logs, which he himself had helped place in
+position weeks before, when he and his companions were caught in their
+desperate straits.</p>
+
+<p>Stretched at full length upon his face, with one hand grasping the
+barrel of his rifle in front and hearing nothing, he felt something
+softly touch his foot. The ranger did not speak or move a limb, but with
+rare cleverness, suspected the astonishing truth; one of the Shawanoe
+had entered the fort and was making a tour of inspection. The miscreant
+would offer harm to no one until he had gathered the knowledge he
+sought. Then he doubtless meant to deal some swift, terrible blows with
+his knife, and make off before anything could be done in the way of
+punishment.</p>
+
+<p>The ranger turned his head and peered over his shoulder behind him.
+Lying flat on the ground, while the one that had touched him was on his
+feet, the advantage was with the white man. The almost impalpable
+outlines of a crouching figure that had paused upon touching his foot
+was revealed, and all doubt vanished from the mind of Deane.</p>
+
+<p>His posture, as will be perceived, was an awkward one compared with that
+of the Shawanoe. It was necessary for the white man to change it before
+he could assume the offensive, and during the making of that change was
+the time for the hostile to get in his effective work.</p>
+
+<p>The possibility of his doing so caused no hesitation on the part of Jim
+Deane. He flirted himself upon his back, snapped his feet beneath his
+body, and came to a standing position in a twinkling. In the act of
+doing so, he cocked his rifle.</p>
+
+<p>The click of the hammer warned the intruder of his danger. His situation
+was not one in which to make a fight, and he turned to flee. The white
+man heard him, and dashed through the gloom to gain sufficient sight to
+warrant a shot. The fugitive must have been as familiar with the ground
+as was his pursuer, for he showed no hesitation as to his course, nor
+did he give any evidence of blundering.</p>
+
+<p>He was so near the side of the inclosure that he had to run but a few
+steps when he made a leap which lifted him several feet above the
+obstruction, and it was this temporary elevation which gave the ranger
+the chance he was seeking. At the moment the figure was at the highest
+point of the arch, with his feet gathered beneath him, the ranger
+brought his gun to his shoulder and let fly.</p>
+
+<p>A flash, a resounding report, a rasping shriek that resounded through
+the woods, and the Shawanoe sprawled forward on his face, with his hands
+clutching the leaves and dirt, and then all was still.</p>
+
+<p>"That 'ere varmint ought to have knowed that 'cause a man happens to git
+bit by a rattler and takes an over-dose of antidote, it ain't no reason
+for stubbin' your toe agin him, and thinkin' he's forgot how to shoot
+off a gun."</p>
+
+<p>"You managed that purty well, Jim," quietly remarked Weber Hastings,
+appearing that moment at his elbow. "Glad to see you don't forget to
+reload as quick as you kin."</p>
+
+<p>"I larned that long ago; wonder if there are any more of the varmints
+'bout."</p>
+
+<p>"If there is, they'll be a little more keerful, but there's no saying
+what'll be the next thing&mdash;sh!"</p>
+
+<p>Through the arches of the forest stole the soft, tremulous notes of a
+night bird&mdash;so faintly heard that even the trained ears of the ranger
+could do no more than guess the distance.</p>
+
+<p>"That's Kenton," he remarked, in a guarded voice; "I'm powerful glad of
+it, for now something will be done."</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV"></a>CHAPTER XV.</h2>
+
+<h3>A DARK PROSPECT.</h3>
+
+
+<p>Weber Hastings waited only a few seconds after hearing the soft,
+tremulous bird call that stole among the leafy arches, when he replied
+with an imitation so exact that it might well have been mistaken for an
+echo of the first.</p>
+
+<p>Nothing more was done, for that was sufficient. Groping around among the
+"hornets' nests," as Kenton declared it to be, eluding the Shawanoes,
+who seemed to be everywhere, the pioneer found it impossible to locate
+his friends, until, as a last resort, he had recourse to the signal,
+which he knew would be recognized by Hastings, provided it could be
+projected to him.</p>
+
+<p>Ten minutes later, the pioneer appeared within the enclosure as silently
+as if he had risen from the very earth. He sat down on the ground to
+consult with Hastings after his arrival had been made known to the rest.
+He would have willingly talked to them all, had it been feasible, but
+the exciting incidents a brief time before proved that not a man could
+be spared from his station. There was no certainty as to the schemes of
+the Shawanoes, and nothing less than the utmost vigilance could save the
+fugitives.</p>
+
+<p>"What do you think of things?" inquired Hastings, the moment they were
+alone.</p>
+
+<p>"They look bad&mdash;powerful bad; fact is, I don't see how they could look
+much worse."</p>
+
+<p>"How did you make out?"</p>
+
+<p>"Didn't make out at all," growled the ranger, not yet recovered from his
+keen disappointment; "I went back to the clearin', and yanked out that
+canoe from right under the nose of one of them varmints; when I had
+fetched it purty near here, I left it a few minutes to reckynoiter, and
+when I went back I'll be hanged if the same varmint hadn't yanked it
+back agin."</p>
+
+<p>He made no reference to the first affair, which resulted in a fatal
+failure to the Indian attempting it. That didn't count in the light of
+the success which followed it.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course, you hadn't any chance of getting it back again, or you'd
+done it?"</p>
+
+<p>"You're correct; it was growing dark, and, though I hunted powerful
+lively for the varmint, I didn't get the first show for drawin' a bead
+on him."</p>
+
+<p>"You said somethin' about another canoe of your'n that you hed among the
+bushes some time ago, near where we are now."</p>
+
+<p>"I found the spot, but didn't find no canoe; the varmints had been ahead
+of me; I shouldn't wonder, now, if the boat which I seed comin' over
+from the Ohio side was the identical craft that I was looking for."</p>
+
+<p>Kenton indulged in a forceful exclamation, for the occasion was one of
+the rare ones in which his chagrin and self disgust became intolerable.
+Nevertheless, he was very much of a philosopher, and soon talked with
+all his self-possession, betraying a hopeful vein in his composition
+which did much to sustain him in the great trials to which he was
+subjected in later years.</p>
+
+<p>"I counted on two boats," he added, "and did git one; now, I haven't got
+any. But it don't do any good to kick."</p>
+
+<p>"No," assented his companion; "we must make the best of it."</p>
+
+<p>"Though there doesn't seem to be any 'best' about the bus'ness. Haven't
+heard anything of Boone since I left you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not a word."</p>
+
+<p>"A good deal depends on what he says. He went more among the varmints
+than I did, though I found 'em plenty 'nough&mdash;confound 'em! But Boone is
+wiser than me. I don't think the varmints hate him quite as bad, and
+that gives him a better show for learning what they're up to."</p>
+
+<p>"The Ingins must have one or two canoes," suggested Hastings, hinting at
+a scheme that had assumed form in his mind.</p>
+
+<p>"I know what you mean, Web. There ain't no one that would try it
+quicker'n me, if I had the least chance."</p>
+
+<p>"You stole a boat from one of 'em not long ago."</p>
+
+<p>"But the varmint was asleep, and there was only that one. Here there's
+twenty of 'em at least&mdash;most likely more&mdash;and every varmint of' em is as
+wide awake as if he had been asleep seventeen years and a half. No,"
+grimly added the veteran, "there ain't nothin' that would suit the
+varmints better than to have Sime Kenton try to steal one of their
+canoes from' em. The style in which they would lift his hair would be
+beautiful. They'd be powerful glad to give me a chance if they believed
+I'd try it."</p>
+
+<p>"Wal," remarked Hastings, with a sigh, "it looks to me as if it's going
+to be the same game over again that Jim Deane and the boys had played on
+'em some months ago, 'cepting there won't be half the chance there was
+then."</p>
+
+<p>"Why not?"</p>
+
+<p>"Wal, with them there war'nt nobody beside themselves and all knowed how
+to fight, and they did fight, too&mdash;there's no mistake. But we've got two
+women, a likely gal and a little girl, and of course there isn't one of
+us that'll knock under or run as long as they're above ground."</p>
+
+<p>"Of course not; them's the sentiments of every one of us."</p>
+
+<p>"When daylight comes the varmints will be on all sides of us. They can
+keep behind the trees and pick off one of us whenever he shows his
+head."</p>
+
+<p>"They can do a great deal better than that," suggested Kenton.</p>
+
+<p>"How?"</p>
+
+<p>"Starve us out; we have eat nothin' since leaving the clearin', though
+that time is so short it don't count, but there isn't a mouthful of food
+in this party, and no way of getting it."</p>
+
+<p>"It does look bad," remarked Hastings, feeling deeply the views
+expressed by his companion.</p>
+
+<p>"I wish Boone would come, so him and me could agree on something to try,
+whether it will win or not."</p>
+
+<p>Simon Kenton was not the man to sit down and fold his hands in despair,
+no matter how desperate the situation, but he had expressed the wish
+that was strong within him, that he might have the counsel of the man
+who was twenty years his senior, and who had turned his steps westward
+before Kenton knew that Kentucky and Ohio existed.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm glad of one thing," added the pioneer, after a moment's pause, "and
+that is, that this arrangement of yours is open on the side toward the
+river."</p>
+
+<p>"Jim said that was done so as to give him and the boys a chance for the
+last plunge. If they hadn't done that them three chaps never would have
+seen the sun rise again."</p>
+
+<p>"It may come to the same thing when there's only two or three of us
+left. Helloa! who's this?"</p>
+
+<p>It was Mr. Altman, who, knowing where the two were in consultation,
+ventured to approach them, doing so with an apology.</p>
+
+<p>"I have no wish to intrude," he added, "but I am disturbed over one
+matter, Kenton, about which I would like to ask a question or two."</p>
+
+<p>"What's that?" inquired the scout.</p>
+
+<p>"When you left us this afternoon you took my servant Jethro with you,
+but I have seen nothing of him since you came back."</p>
+
+<p>"I'll be hanged if I hadn't forgot all about that younker!"</p>
+
+<p>"Did you bring him back with you?"</p>
+
+<p>"No; and I'm doubtful if you see him ag'in&mdash;leastways not very soon."</p>
+
+<p>He then told all he knew about the fellow, his master listening, as may
+well be supposed, with the deepest interest. Keenly as he regretted the
+misfortune that had befallen the stupid fellow, he saw that no possible
+blame could be placed upon any one beside the youth himself.</p>
+
+<p>"If he happens to fall into the hands of the Shawanoes, it will go hard
+with him," remarked Mr. Altman, with a shudder.</p>
+
+<p>"So it will, so it will," repeated Kenton; "the varmints never fancy
+them of his color, and they've good reason to hate him."</p>
+
+<p>"I heard that he did a powerful lot to help you folks," remarked
+Hastings.</p>
+
+<p>"I should say he did; whenever one of the varmints was hit, you could
+make up your mind that it was the darky that done it. He had the
+confoundest luck, and at the same time can shoot a gun as well as Boone,
+or you or me. But worse than all that, he was the means of catching The
+Panther himself, and nearly pounded the life out of him."</p>
+
+<p>"Wouldn't the chief like to lay hands on him?" said Altman.</p>
+
+<p>"Much as he hates me and the rest of us, I think he would give any two
+for the sake of that darky. If he once gets hold of him it won't be any
+shootin' bus'ness, but Col. Crawford over agin."</p>
+
+<p>The thought was a depressing one, but all were powerless to help the
+fellow, and the consciousness of the fearful danger which hung over all
+was a hundredfold sadder. The Ashbridges and Altmans saw the nearest and
+dearest ones on earth in the most imminent peril of their lives, and, so
+far as human agency was concerned, none were able to extend a helping
+hand.</p>
+
+<p>"I've a feeling," remarked Hastings, after Thomas Altman had withdrawn
+to his station, "that whatever is done to help these folks has got to be
+done this very night."</p>
+
+<p>"There ain't no speck of doubt about it&mdash;helloa, who's this?"</p>
+
+<p>A second form approached them through the gloom. Dimly seen though it
+was, something in the gait or manner told Kenton who it was.</p>
+
+<p>"Is that you, Dan'l?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," replied the veteran, quietly sitting down near them as though he
+had been absent but a few minutes. "I had a hard time to find you, and
+was on the p'int several times of 'calling.'"</p>
+
+<p>"Why didn't you do it? I did."</p>
+
+<p>"There are too many Injins in the woods. I heerd 'em 'calling' to each
+other more than once, and it was all I could do to keep from bumpin'
+aginst 'em. If I had signaled, some of 'em would have answered, and
+things might have got mixed. I 'spected where you was, and therefore
+knowed the right spot to look."</p>
+
+<p>"As I didn't, I 'called,' and come through all right. Wal, Dan'l, as you
+say, the varmints are powerful plenty in these parts. Since you and me
+hadn't any trouble gettin' into this fort, as Jim Deane calls it, it
+follers that if the varmints should try it they would find it jest as
+easy."</p>
+
+<p>"So they won't," remarked Hastings; "but one of 'em found it rather
+risky gettin' out agin."</p>
+
+<p>"I heerd a gun go off a while ago," said Boone, as though the matter had
+little interest to him.</p>
+
+<p>Hastings related the occurrence which resulted in the death of the dusky
+intruder, and Kenton gave an account of what he had done, or, rather,
+attempted to do, for he was more unsparing in condemning his failures
+than his worst enemies would have been.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Dan'l," remarked his younger friend, "the past ain't of any
+'count; it's the present, the now, that we've got to take care of. What
+do you think the varmints mean to do?"</p>
+
+<p>"Wait where they are till mornin', and then begin shooting."</p>
+
+<p>"And if they can't pick us all off, keep us here till we're starved
+out?"</p>
+
+<p>"There ain't any doubt of that."</p>
+
+<p>"I agree with you, Daniel; therefore, whatever we do for the folks has
+got to be done afore sun-up."</p>
+
+<p>"That's as true as Gospel."</p>
+
+<p>"How many of the varmints are there?"</p>
+
+<p>"There seemed to be about twenty, more or less, this afternoon, but
+toward night some others come from 'cross the river, I reckon, as there
+must be all of thirty."</p>
+
+<p>"Who has charge of 'em, Daniel?"</p>
+
+<p>"That painted imp they call Wa-on-mon, or The Panther."</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI"></a>CHAPTER XVI.</h2>
+
+<h3>SIMON KENTON IN A PANIC.</h3>
+
+
+<p>It was no surprise to Simon Kenton to learn that his old enemy, The
+Panther, was at the head of the formidable war party that were plotting
+with so much success against the pioneers. He had suspected the truth
+before he learned it from Boone.</p>
+
+<p>The fact removed the last vestige of suspicion any one might have held
+as to the motive of the chieftain in failing to accept the challenge of
+Kenton to mortal combat. Wa-on-mon had made haste to hunt up the war
+party of Shawanoes that he must have known were in the vicinity, well
+aware that with them at his beck and call he could strike a thousandfold
+more effective blow than by the simple overthrow of Kenton, accompanied
+by the disablement of himself.</p>
+
+<p>The ferocious leader was perilously near success, and it looked as if
+nothing could extricate the fugitives from destruction.</p>
+
+<p>The reader need not be reminded that it was the presence and care of the
+four females that was a mortal handicap to the brave men who had set out
+to conduct them to the block-house up the river. Had they been already
+there, the pioneers and rangers would have given the Shawanoes a hot
+fight, and driven them off with the loss of more than one of their
+bravest leaders.</p>
+
+<p>From what has been already made known, it will be seen that it was not a
+hard thing for a friend or enemy to enter the rough inclosure which had
+been dignified with the name of fort. The discovery of the Shawanoe's
+presence was in the nature of an accident; but for Agnes Altman he might
+have wandered almost at will among the men on guard, and, having learned
+all he had set out to learn, stole away without detection.</p>
+
+<p>Kenton and Boone reversed the method when they appeared on the scene.
+They had but to make themselves known (an easy matter, since they were
+expected) to receive a welcome. At the same time they avoided detection
+by the Indians, who were hovering on all sides.</p>
+
+<p>It has been shown that, in a certain sense, one part of the
+fortification was open, since nothing in the nature of a defence
+interposed between it and the river. The presumption was, that in this
+direction one would have a fair chance of stealing away undiscovered.</p>
+
+<p>The fact, however, that such an opening presented itself was proof that
+it was under close surveillance. Possibly, in the gloom, some of the
+most skilful of the rangers, by swimming under water a long way, might
+elude the vigilance of the Shawanoes, but the attempt would be fatal to
+any one of the females, and to more than one of the men.</p>
+
+<p>Kenton, Boone and Hastings held what might be considered a council of
+war, since the fate to all concerned depended upon the result of the
+conference.</p>
+
+<p>"There seems but the one chance," remarked Boone, after each had
+expressed his views, "and that's a powerful slim one."</p>
+
+<p>"So must every chance be," commented Kenton.</p>
+
+<p>"From what we've learned to-night any one of us three can sneak out of
+this place and off in the woods. If that's so, what's to hinder two or
+three doing it, by treading on each other's heels?"</p>
+
+<p>"Nothin'," was the prompt response of Hastings.</p>
+
+<p>"'Spose, then, that I try it to the right and Simon to the left; 'spose
+that each of us takes two persons with him and that they are females?"</p>
+
+<p>"And if you should get through the lines with 'em?" asked Hastings.</p>
+
+<p>"That's all we want; once clear of the varmints, and with the better
+part of the night afore us, the road to the block-house will be so clear
+that sun-up will find us all there."</p>
+
+<p>Kenton did not like this plan, and said so.</p>
+
+<p>"It won't work," he asserted, with quiet emphasis. "You and me, Dan'l,
+might get through the lines, 'cause we've both done it this very night,
+but we couldn't take a woman or gal with us."</p>
+
+<p>Boone held unlimited faith in the woodcraft of his friend, and meant to
+leave the decision of the question with him. Kenton condemned the scheme
+from the first; therefore it was abandoned.</p>
+
+<p>"I've nothing more to offer," said the elder pioneer, disappointed by
+the emphatic veto of the other; "there seems but one thing left for
+us&mdash;to stay here and fight it out with the varmints to-morrow. We can
+drop some of 'em, and mebbe The Panther will be among 'em, but there
+won't be one of us left to rej'ice over his going under."</p>
+
+<p>Kenton held his peace for several minutes. His companions knew he was
+thinking intently and that something, desperate though it might be,
+would come from it. Neither Boone nor Hastings could offer the first
+suggestion; they could only wait for their athletic companion to counsel
+or to act.</p>
+
+<p>Without a word, Kenton rose to his feet.</p>
+
+<p>The others did the same, even though their erect position offered a
+tempting target to any prowling enemies who might succeed in entering
+the inclosure.</p>
+
+<p>"Dan'l, take my gun," said the younger ranger, impressively; "if I never
+come back, keep it in remembrance of the many times you and Sime Kenton
+have been on the trail together."</p>
+
+<p>"I'll do it, Simon," replied Boone, accepting the weapon.</p>
+
+<p>"But," interposed Hastings, with a nervousness he could not conceal,
+"can't me and Boone be of help to you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not the least; I must go it alone this time."</p>
+
+<p>"But let us know what you're going to try to do."</p>
+
+<p>"When you and me were talking awhile ago, Hastings, you remember I said
+there warn't no chance of stealing any canoe in these parts belonging to
+the varmints; you remember that?"</p>
+
+<p>"Of course."</p>
+
+<p>"All the same I'm going after the canoe I seed crossing the Ohio just as
+it was getting dark. I don't b'leve I'll get it, or if I do that I can
+make any use of it."</p>
+
+<p>Boone was impelled to interpose, for understanding the hopeless
+character of the attempt, it distressed him unspeakably to have his
+brave friend sacrifice himself. The elder, however, held his peace. He
+knew that Kenton had weighed all the chances, and the time for protest
+had passed.</p>
+
+<p>"Stay right where you are," said the younger, moving as coolly and
+deliberately as though making ready to retire for the night. "It ain't
+likely the varmints will try to disturb you afore morning, but you know
+better than to trust 'em. If I ain't back afore daylight you'll never
+see me ag'in, and God help you all."</p>
+
+<p>He wrung the hand of each in turn, and facing toward the river and
+assuming a crouching posture, vanished as silently as a shadow in the
+gloom, not another word falling from the lips of the two whom he had
+left behind, until considerable time had elapsed.</p>
+
+<p>Having stripped for the fray, as may be said, by leaving his cumbersome
+rifle behind, Kenton approached the edge of the river with the utmost
+circumspection. Suspecting, as he did, that the Shawanoes had left this
+point open for the very purpose of inviting such an attempt as he had in
+view, he was too wise to neglect every precaution to keep it secret. If
+by any remote possibility he should succeed in his daring purpose, it
+could only be by keeping his enemies in ignorance of his movements, at
+least up to the point of decisive action on his part.</p>
+
+<p>He therefore availed himself of every screen that could be used to hide
+his body, and advanced for several rods, more after the fashion of a
+serpent gliding over the ground than of a man stealing forward on his
+hands and knees. More than a quarter of an hour was consumed in passing
+this slight distance. Patience is a cardinal virtue with men of his
+profession, a moment's undue haste often undoing the work of hours. When
+at last he was able to reach out his hand and dip it in the cool waters,
+he was quite certain that none of the Shawanoes suspected what he had
+accomplished.</p>
+
+<p>At this crisis several conditions united to help the intrepid scout. The
+wind still blowing strongly up the river rustled the vegetation, and
+whipped the surface of the river into wavelets that veiled other sounds,
+and helped to conceal any disturbance of the water. A glance at the sky
+showed the moon hidden by clouds, but the keen survey of Kenton told him
+that they would soon float past the face of the orb, leaving it to shine
+with greater strength than before. There was not a moment, therefore, to
+spare.</p>
+
+<p>He was still flat on the ground, not daring to raise his head more than
+a few inches. With the same indescribable movement he glided from the
+land into the water, sinking quietly and heavily below the surface as
+though he were an iron statue.</p>
+
+<p>Close to the shore the depth was shallow, but he secured enough freedom
+of movement to work his way quickly into deep water, where he was at
+home. Swimming with prodigious power and skill, wholly beneath the
+surface, he turned on his back and allowed his nose to rise just high
+enough to give him one deep inhalation, when he sank again.</p>
+
+<p>With the water crinkled and disturbed by the strong wind, the
+keenest-eyed Indian, peering out from the undergrowth along shore, would
+have discovered nothing upon which to hinge the faintest suspicion.</p>
+
+<p>After another long swim, without the power to breathe, Kenton allowed
+his head to come up and opened his eyes.</p>
+
+<p>As he anticipated, the moon was just emerging from the mass of drifting
+clouds, and the increasing light, spreading over forest and river,
+considerably extended his area of vision. Confident that his departure
+was unknown to any of the lurking Shawanoe scouts, he scrutinized his
+surroundings with more confidence than he would have felt had it been
+otherwise.</p>
+
+<p>He could trace the dark outline of the shore he had just left, or rather
+the mass of trees and branches were clearly stamped against the
+background of sky. Above and below rippled the river in the dim
+moonlight, while a wall of indistinct blackness masked the Ohio shore.</p>
+
+<p>Somewhere along the bank, which he had left but a brief while before,
+nestled the canoe he had set out to find and bring to a point where it
+could be used to help deliver the pioneers from their perilous
+environment, and, without giving another thought to the impossibility of
+success, he grimly resolved to do his utmost, no matter if certain death
+was to be the result.</p>
+
+<p>Prudence required him to wait until the moon was obscured. Masses of
+vapor were continually passing in front of it, and he had to wait only a
+few minutes when the gloom permitted the attempt.</p>
+
+<p>With the same cool promptness he swam toward shore, until the distance
+he had in mind was passed. Then carefully measuring the space, he sank
+below the surface again. The precaution seemed unnecessary, but such
+trifles sometimes decide the question of life and death. Not the
+slightest misgiving remained, when he noiselessly raised his head
+beneath the overhanging branches, that his departure and return were
+suspected by a single Shawanoe.</p>
+
+<p>And yet he was only on the threshold of his enterprise. The real work
+now confronted him.</p>
+
+<p>Having come in to shore at a point considerably above where he had left
+it, Kenton hoped the canoe for which he was searching was below him. He
+therefore decided to continue his hunt in that direction.</p>
+
+<p>With the advantage gained, he required but a short time to do this, the
+result being a mistake on his part. He saw nothing of the craft.</p>
+
+<p>He was about to turn again when he looked out upon the river, where the
+moon was shining with unobscured light.</p>
+
+<p>He gave a start, and peered through the parted bushes a second time,
+and, as he did so, he received the greatest shock of his life. Never
+before or after that eventful night did he go through so astounding an
+experience.</p>
+
+<p>So terrified indeed was the brave ranger by what he saw, that, forgetful
+of the Shawanoes, the imperiled fugitives, and everything except his own
+panic, he dashed through the intervening space, and, bursting into the
+inclosure where he had left his friends, called in a husky undertone:</p>
+
+<p>"Boys, we're lost! we're lost! There's a ghost coming up the river!"</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII"></a>CHAPTER XVII.</h2>
+
+<h3>A RUN OF GOOD FORTUNE.</h3>
+
+
+<p>We have now reached a point in our narrative where it once more becomes
+necessary to follow the fortunes of Jethro Juggens, whom we were obliged
+to leave in anything but a pleasant situation.</p>
+
+<p>After a rather stirring experience in the cabin of Mr. Ashbridge,
+whither he had gone in total disregard of the instructions of Simon
+Kenton, he awoke to the fact that it would not do for him to tarry
+longer so far from his friends and exposed to so much personal danger.
+He must leave without further delay.</p>
+
+<p>The proof received of the presence of one or more Shawanoes on the
+outside was too alarming for him to feel any of his old-time assurance
+in venturing across the clearing to the shelter of the surrounding
+forest. It will be remembered that he suddenly formed the decision to
+incase himself in armor, so to speak, by using one of the several boxes
+that had been brought down the river on the flatboat.</p>
+
+<p>Filled with the scheme, he made ready for the extraordinary experiment.
+His plan was to invert one of the boxes over his head, and thus
+protected, stride across the open space to the woods; but second thought
+and considerable experimenting revealed difficulties which speedily
+became mountainous in their nature.</p>
+
+<p>"Dat will be all right," he muttered, after he had emptied the box which
+had contained the food and some other articles; "but it's gwine to be a
+mighty bother to take dis ting and my gun too. Den as long as I keep it
+ober my head I won't be able to see where I'm gwine; I may keep walkin'
+round in a circle for two, free days, and fotch up ag'in de doah ob dis
+house ebery time. I'll hab to make a peep-hole in front."</p>
+
+<p>To do this required work, but the pine wood was soft and his knife was
+sharp. Vigorous use of the implement soon opened a hole two or three
+inches in diameter, through which he could obtain a good view of his
+immediate surroundings.</p>
+
+<p>"Dat will work," he muttered, with some satisfaction, as he felt of the
+opening, and found he could pass his hand through it; "it's a little
+bigger dan I meant to make it, but if I see one ob de heathen p'intin'
+his gun toward me I can slip my head to one side. I'll try it."</p>
+
+<p>He lifted the receptacle over his head and shoulders, and found it
+fitted to a nicety. It could not have answered better had it been
+constructed for the express purpose of serving him as a shield.</p>
+
+<p>He cautiously peeped through the windows, and discovering nothing to
+cause misgiving, drew back the door sufficiently to allow him to pass
+through with his turtle-like protection. Then he stepped forth upon the
+partially moonlit clearing, and, with considerable labor, inched along
+until perhaps a dozen feet distant from the building. His next act was
+to turn abruptly about and hasten back through the open door with such
+precipitation that he stumbled headlong into the room.</p>
+
+<p>"Gorrynation! I's a big fool!" was his exclamation, and which, it is
+safe to say, none of his acquaintances would have disputed.</p>
+
+<p>To his dismay he made several disquieting discoveries. In the first
+place, when he attempted to look through the peep-hole it was not there.
+Inadvertently he had put on the box in a reversed position, so that the
+opening was behind him. He attempted to shift the box about, but it
+would not work well. At the same moment he became aware that he had
+forgotten to bring his gun with him, and, worst of all, a sudden
+conviction flashed upon him that the soft pine in which he was enveloped
+was not strong enough to stop the course of a bullet. Therefore the wood
+was no protection at all.</p>
+
+<p>These causes combined to throw the dusky youth into a panic, which sent
+him and the box crashing through the door before his novel experiment
+was subjected to a real test.</p>
+
+<p>"It won't work," was his decision; "I hab to show my feet, 'cause dey's
+de biggest part ob me, and if de heathens shoot dem off dey'll hab me
+dead suah."</p>
+
+<p>The only comfort he derived from the partial experiment was that nothing
+was seen or heard of the red men. It seemed to him that they would have
+made some demonstration had they observed him, and he was strongly
+tempted to make a dash for the wood, without encumbering himself with
+anything more than his gun.</p>
+
+<p>Sufficient uncertainty, however, remained to hold him in check for a
+time, when, like an inspiration, a new suggestion forced itself into his
+brain.</p>
+
+<p>Among the goods left behind in the cabin by the pioneers in their flight
+toward the block-house was considerable bedding, mostly in the shape of
+sheets, quilts and blankets. Why not swathe himself in these instead of
+using the awkward and cumbersome box?</p>
+
+<p>The more he thought of the plan, the more he was pleased. He could wrap
+the tough linen sheets about his figure until the thickness would be
+doubly as effective as the wood. He could gather them round his head so
+that they would project above and protect it, and let them descend so
+low that his feet would be well armored and still leave opportunity to
+use them. He could readily carry his gun and leave a space in front of
+his eyes through which to make observations.</p>
+
+<p>What was to prevent the complete success of the plan?</p>
+
+<p>"Nuffin," he muttered, answering his own question. "I'll put so many ob
+dem sheets 'round me dat dey can bang away all night widout hurtin'
+nobody. Den, I've been told dat Injins am mighty skeery, and dey may
+take me for a hobblegoblin or ghost."</p>
+
+<p>Absurd as the scheme of Jethro Juggens may seem, it was not wholly
+lacking in merit. At any rate, he took but a brief while to turn it over
+in his mind, when he set to work to put it to a practical test.</p>
+
+<p>The toughness of the sheets made them preferable to the softer and more
+yielding blankets, and the youth decided to use them exclusively. Each,
+of course, had been put together by deft hands and spinning-wheel, and
+was of firm, strong texture. Jethro was so familiar with where these
+were stowed, through his work of loading and unloading, that he found no
+trouble when compelled to labor in total darkness.</p>
+
+<p>One by one the sheets were drawn forth, until six of them were tumbled
+upon the floor at his feet. He opened wide the door, that the faint
+moonlight should give help in arraying himself in his novel costume.
+Then, making sure that the rifle was not forgotten this time, he wrapped
+himself round and round, again and again, until he resembled an enormous
+pillow stood on one end.</p>
+
+<p>He made sure that the folds projected above his hat, and would shut out
+all bullets that might hurtle against the unique helmet. At the same
+time the covering descended so low about his ankles that it trailed upon
+the ground, and portended disaster in case of haste upon his part.</p>
+
+<p>Now that the essay was to be pushed to a conclusion, Jethro was wise in
+taking every possible precaution.</p>
+
+<p>Peering through the door, he scanned the clearing to the river, as it
+was revealed by the moon, which just then was obstructed by passing
+clouds. Then he looked searchingly to the eastward, where, so far as he
+could tell, nothing threatened, and the same result followed a survey of
+the clearing in the opposite direction. Lastly, he peered through the
+rear window where had been displayed the flag of truce which he
+dextrously appropriated to his personal use.</p>
+
+<p>This was the course he was inclined to take, and because of that he
+subjected it to the closest possible study.</p>
+
+<p>Was it imagination, or did he really see the figures of one or two
+Indians standing motionless on the edge of the wood, as if waiting for
+him to come forth and place himself within their reach? Jethro stood
+intently watching them for some minutes, until in the obscured moonlight
+they vanished from sight.</p>
+
+<p>"Guess dar ain't nobody dar," was his conclusion, as his spirits revived
+again; "anyway, I won't try to rout 'em out if dar is."</p>
+
+<p>The uncertainty caused him to change his intention and decide to advance
+toward the wood near where Kenton had withdrawn the canoe from under the
+nose of the sleeping Shawanoe. A vague feeling of security hung around
+the flatboat. The youth was accustomed to that, having spent so much
+time on it, and if he were driven to it as a refuge, was confident of
+making a good defence with the aid of his rifle.</p>
+
+<p>With that peculiar sensitiveness to little things which a man often
+displays in moments of danger, Jethro paused after reaching the outside,
+and, making sure that the latch-string was drawn inward, carefully
+closed the door behind him. Thus it was securely locked, and he
+reflected with a start that he had now burned his bridge behind him. If
+any enemies at that moment should charge upon him, he could not make use
+of the cabin, even though he stood near enough to it to reach it with
+his outstretched hand.</p>
+
+<p>So far as he saw, no danger confronted him, and he resolutely struck off
+in the direction he had in mind, instantly discovering that the pains he
+had taken to protect his feet and ankles seriously interfered with his
+locomotion. He could take only very short steps, and naturally became
+impatient with his slow progress.</p>
+
+<p>The figure that he cut was certainly grotesque to the last degree. His
+ample proportions were made much more ample by the many thicknesses of
+spotless linen in which they were arrayed. The folds, extended above his
+head, naturally added to his height, so that he suggested a ghostly
+giant mincing across the clearing to the river.</p>
+
+<p>The strangely good fortune which had accompanied the dusky youth did not
+desert him now when entering upon the most remarkable experience of his
+career. We have shown how he entered the cabin unchallenged, when, had
+he made the attempt a little earlier or later, assuredly he could not
+have escaped the bullet of one of the two Indians in the vicinity.</p>
+
+<p>From what was afterward learned, the theory of Kenton and Boone was
+probably reasonably correct, though it did not fully explain all that
+took place.</p>
+
+<p>When Kenton returned to the clearing toward the close of that day, there
+were two Shawanoes lurking in the vicinity. It may have been that The
+Panther, arranging the ambuscade further away at Rattlesnake Gulch, held
+a suspicion that the pioneers might turn back on their own trail and
+make a stand in the cabin, and he instructed these two warriors to
+remain and signal the fact to him, probably by some peculiar discharge
+of their rifles.</p>
+
+<p>While one of them was moving through the woods, the other remained near
+the canoe and fell into a doze. It was at this juncture that Jethro
+Juggens entered the cabin unobserved. Soon after, the second Indian
+returned to the neighborhood of the other, who had awakened, and noted
+with amazement the loss of the boat.</p>
+
+<p>One of these warriors set out to recover it, with what result has
+already been made known. The other remained in the vicinity of the
+clearing to watch things until his return. Discovering the presence of
+one of the party in the building, but, without any means of knowing his
+identity, he set out to dislodge him.</p>
+
+<p>The voices which Jethro insisted he heard outside the door could very
+well have been the voice of a single warrior, such subterfuges being
+among the most common with the American race. After the man[oe]uvring
+back and forth between this Shawanoe and the youth, the former must have
+grown uneasy over the prolonged absence of his companion who had set out
+to recover the canoe. Abandoning the cabin with one or more occupants,
+he hurried along the river bank. This enterprise was more successful
+than the other, for he recovered the boat without the slightest injury
+to himself.</p>
+
+<p>Thus it came about that when Jethro Juggens emerged from the cabin,
+bandaged and swathed from above the crown of his head to the soles of
+his feet, the extraordinary precaution was useless, and he might have
+walked forth with the assurance of one who was master of the situation.</p>
+
+<p>But had he done so that which we have now to make known could never have
+taken place.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII"></a>CHAPTER XVIII.</h2>
+
+<h3>"IT'S AN ILL WIND THAT BLOWS NOBODY ANY GOOD."</h3>
+
+
+<p>Although Jethro Juggens was not in the slightest danger of molestation
+by the Shawanoes from the moment he emerged from the cabin and started
+across the clearing, he was not to escape all danger and a great scare.</p>
+
+<p>He chafed at the binding of the linen armor about his ankles. He was
+impatient to walk faster, and could not do so in that situation. His
+strength was great, but a Hercules could not have overcome the obstacle
+without loosening it. Glancing to the right and left and on all sides,
+and seeing nothing threatening, he decided to end the intolerable
+annoyance in the only way possible. He therefore stopped short and
+stooped over to loosen the bandages.</p>
+
+<p>But lo! it was impossible. His body was so confined that he could only
+make a slight inclination. The hands, which were partly covered, would
+not reach further than a point just above his knees.</p>
+
+<p>"I' clar to gracious!" exclaimed the alarmed Jethro, straightening up
+like a jack-knife, "I's committed sooicide. I'll nebber be able to get
+my feet free. I'll hab to lib dis way de rest ob my life, and dat won't
+be berry long."</p>
+
+<p>But the first shock over, the truth gradually dawned upon him that
+inasmuch as he had wound himself up, he must possess the ability to
+unwind himself. All he had to do was to begin at the upper instead of
+the lower part of his body.</p>
+
+<p>"Qu'ar I didn't tink ob dat," he said, with a chuckle at his own fright.</p>
+
+<p>It was the work of but a few minutes to unwrap his body and limbs, when
+he kicked his feet free, and "Richard was himself again." By that time,
+however, he had entirely freed himself from the sheets, which he flung
+over his left arm, while he held his heavy gun in his right.</p>
+
+<p>"What's de use ob smotherin' myself to def," he muttered. "Dar ain't no
+Injuns 'round, and dar won't be&mdash;gracious hebben."</p>
+
+<p>From the edge of the wood, barely fifty feet away, a dark object issued
+and advanced straight upon him.</p>
+
+<p>"Dat's de Panther! I knows him by his face; he wants to git eben wid me
+'cause I wouldn't 'low him to stick his foot in my mouf."</p>
+
+<p>Forgetful of the effective weapon he had in his hand, Jethro made a dash
+for the flatboat, his nearest refuge, and forgetful, too, of the
+voluminous folds over his arm, he tangled the lower ends about his feet
+and sprawled headlong to the ground. This completed the panic, and
+letting go of his rifle, he rolled over on his back and made desperate
+efforts to gather the mass of linen over his face and body, so as to
+protect him against bullet and knife and tomahawk, somewhat as a child
+covers its head at night to escape imaginary terrors.</p>
+
+<p>There was so much of the stuff that the armoring of his head and limbs
+was quite effective, but his feet were left wholly unprotected. The only
+recourse left was to kick, which he proceeded to do with a vigor that
+would have sent any man flying had he come within reach of the whirring
+pedals.</p>
+
+<p>When this had continued until Jethro was tired, he concluded that the
+demonstration had frightened off his enemy. Dropping his feet on the
+ground, he drew the covering of his face sufficiently to one side to
+permit him to peep forth. Seeing nothing, he ventured to raise his head
+a little higher and to look around.</p>
+
+<p>The dark object that had thrown him into the panic was just disappearing
+from sight in the direction of the wood whence it came. There was enough
+moonlight at that moment for him to identify it.</p>
+
+<p>"By gracious! it am a bar! I done forgot dat I had my loaded gun and
+could hab drapped him easy. If any ob de folks had come 'long while I
+lay on my back kickin' at de sky, dey would hab tought I had a bone in
+my froat and didn't know what to do wid it."</p>
+
+<p>In all probability the bear, when he first appeared, intended to make an
+investigation, but the sight of a figure, smothered in sheets and with
+his feet thrumming in the air like a couple of drum sticks, must have
+frightened bruin into leaving the strange animal alone.</p>
+
+<p>Jethro was disposed to make chase after the animal and bring him to
+account, but reflection showed the unwisdom of allowing any diversion to
+interfere with the plain dictates of duty.</p>
+
+<p>"Dar's no tellin' what trouble Mr. Kenton may hab tumbled into widout
+habin' me dar to pull him out. De rest ob de folks don't know how to
+shoot Injuns half as well as me."</p>
+
+<p>It was evident the youth felt quite proud of his exploits, and who can
+blame him? He surely had warrant for his pride. He had decided to pay a
+visit to the flatboat even though time was so urgent. It lay close
+against the bank, just as it had been left earlier in the day, after the
+cargo was removed. Abandoning it before a chance was given to break it
+up, and with the vague hope that they might be permitted to turn it to
+account some time in the future, the pioneers offered it no harm, nor
+was it injured by the Indians who, later, came upon the scene.</p>
+
+<p>Jethro stepped over the heavy gunwale and looked about him with peculiar
+interest, for, as is well known, that craft was the scene of many
+stirring incidents during the preceding twenty-four hours.</p>
+
+<p>There was the long sweeping oar, balanced on a pivot at either end, with
+the handle reaching almost to the middle of the boat. That portion
+considered the stern (although in no respect did it differ from the bow)
+had the covered space, used as sleeping quarters for the females. At the
+other end was where the cooking was done.</p>
+
+<p>In the bottom lay the two long poles to be used in controlling the boat
+when necessary, and, groping about, Jethro noticed the pieces of rope
+that had served to bind The Panther, and which no one had deemed
+valuable enough to be removed. Other pieces of board and a few fragments
+of articles were scattered around, but none was of any account. Jethro
+flung down his big armful of linen at the bow, and, sitting upon them,
+gave himself over to characteristic meditation.</p>
+
+<p>There is no intellect so dull through which some bright thought does not
+now and then flash. It may come and go too quickly to be turned to
+account, but, all the same, it is that mystic throb which proves that
+all human souls are beating in unison with the divinity that created
+them.</p>
+
+<p>Sitting thus at the prow of the flatboat, meditating upon the strange
+occurrences through which he had passed since leaving his old home in
+Virginia, a scheme gradually assumed definite form in the brain of
+Jethro Juggens, whose brilliancy and originality startled even himself.</p>
+
+<p>And yet, when it comes to be analyzed, there was really nothing
+startling and brilliant in it. The wonder would have been, if any
+person, with a modicum of sense, could have held his place under similar
+circumstances and not thought of that which gradually worked its way
+into his consciousness.</p>
+
+<p>There were the poles used in handling the flatboat; there were bits of
+rope scattered about the bottom of the craft. He was sitting upon almost
+half a score of tough, thin sheets of linen; he was the possessor of a
+sharp knife and was dextrous in its use; and the wind was blowing almost
+a gale from the west, and therefore directly up stream; why not sail the
+flatboat up the Ohio?</p>
+
+<p>This was the question which at first held the youth breathless with the
+very grandeur and magnitude of the scheme; but, as fully considered, it
+became simple and more practical.</p>
+
+<p>Jethro was far from suspecting the real use to which his scheme could be
+possibly put. He knew and suspected nothing of the desperate straits in
+which his friends were placed at that very hour. He had an altogether
+different project in view.</p>
+
+<p>"Dey're pickin' dar way frough de woods, whar it's dark, and habing all
+sorts ob trouble. Dey can't see tings, and dat makes it wusser; de one
+dat's walkin' at de head will be sartin to hab a limb cotch him under
+his chin and raise him off his feet; den he'll feel like sw'aring, but
+will be afeared to do so, 'cause de heathen might oberhear him and stop
+him, and make him explanify de meanin' of his discumvations.</p>
+
+<p>"De tramp wouldn't be much if de sun war shinin' so dat dey could walk
+long widout steppin' on snakes. When dey see me come sailin' up de
+ribber, why, dey will be so pleased dat Mr. Altman won't&mdash;dat is, he
+won't obsist on my workin' so hard, and Mrs. Altman won't frow out so
+many digustin' hints 'bout de bigness ob my appertite."</p>
+
+<p>Having labored up to his decision, Jethro Juggens threw away no time in
+carrying it out. It really seemed as if everything had been directed for
+the last hour or two to prepare this very course to him. The failure of
+the wooden box to serve him as an armor, and the resort to the sheets of
+linen, the turning of his steps toward the flatboat, and, above all,
+that strong, steadily-blowing west wind&mdash;many persons would have seen
+something more than a mere coincidence in these things, and who shall
+say that this view would not have been right?</p>
+
+<p>The task that presented itself to Jethro Juggens, though a hard one, was
+by no means impossible. His keen-edged knife soon fashioned excavations
+in the soft planking at the sides, through which he passed some of the
+pieces of rope and fastened one of the poles in an upright position, or
+nearly so, for he was wise enough to place it so that it leaned backward
+like the masts of ordinary sailing vessels. He secured this as strongly
+as he could, and then did the same with the second pole on the other
+side, and directly opposite the first.</p>
+
+<p>He had now two strong uprights or masts. He examined and tested them
+until certain that nothing more could be done to add to their firmness.
+Then he set to work to knot or tie a number of the sheets together at
+the corners, until a sail was fashioned of the right dimensions, and
+this, in turn, was secured to the masts.</p>
+
+<p>He went about the business with that deliberation and care which marks
+the skilled workman. Almost any one, placed as he was, would have been
+hasty, nervous and unfitted to do a good job. It would have been
+neglected at some point, and, consequently, disaster would have come at
+the beginning of the enterprise. Jethro wrought as though such a thing
+as danger was not within a hundred miles, and that, too, when he had
+recently passed through some terrifying incidents.</p>
+
+<p>When the work was completed, he had a sail containing something like
+fifty square feet, the sheets secured together with no little skill, and
+the masts so strongly set that they could be relied upon, unless some
+unusual cause interfered with them. The only probable contingency to
+cause misgiving was the wind.</p>
+
+<p>That would not always blow from the west, and it might cease within an
+hour, or even less time.</p>
+
+<p>"It may get contrary," reflected Jethro, "and turn de oder way; if dat
+am de case, dis old boat will go kitin' down de Ohio till we strike de
+Massissip&mdash;and den&mdash;I done forgot what dat riber runs into, but if I
+discomember incorrectly, it am de Red Sea; don't want to go dar, so I'll
+jump ober board, if I can't stop de boat, and take to de woods.</p>
+
+<p>"Mebbe de gale will twist 'round and come from de souf; under dem
+sarcummentions de boat'll bang in 'mong de trees and smash tings. If Mr.
+Kenton had managed to got 'long when I ain't wid him, and Mr. Boone
+don't fall down and hurt hisself, why dem two might got de Injins
+togeder and hold dem on de Kentucky shore, while I run ober' em wid de
+flatboat.</p>
+
+<p>"Dat would gib' em such a good squshin' dat dey wouldn't bother us for a
+good while. It happens, howsumeber, just now dat de wind am blowin'
+right, and we kin sail up de Ohio as fur as we want, dat is," qualified
+Jethro, "if we don't want to go furder dan de wind will took us&mdash;but why
+don't the old ting start?"</p>
+
+<p>The sail was spread, and the strong gale was impinging dead against it,
+and yet, strange to say, the flatboat remained as motionless as if sunk
+at the bottom of the river.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIX" id="CHAPTER_XIX"></a>CHAPTER XIX.</h2>
+
+<h3>A FELLOW-PASSENGER.</h3>
+
+
+<p>Jethro Juggens was alarmed on the very threshold of his strange
+enterprise by the threatened danger of failure. When everything was
+ready to start, the flatboat refused to stir so much as an inch.</p>
+
+<p>In the hope of helping matters, he swung the bow oar a number of times,
+so as to turn the head out in the stream. It moved a foot or two, and
+then became stationary, gradually working back to its former position.
+Then he tried the same thing with the stern oar, accomplishing about as
+much as if he had attempted to overturn a rock.</p>
+
+<p>"Dat beats de dickens!" muttered the puzzled youth, stopping to rest
+himself. "Qu'ar de wind am jes' strong enough to hold de boat stock
+still. I guess I'll onwestigate."</p>
+
+<p>And, doing so, the mystery was speedily solved. He had forgotten to
+hoist the anchor, which lay imbedded on the bottom, on the outside of
+the boat near the stern.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll neber tell nobody dat," he said, ashamed of the blunder. Lifting
+the heavy weight over his gunwale, he dropped it in the bottom of the
+boat, which immediately began gliding slowly up stream. With the aid of
+the long paddles, he easily worked the craft so far out in the stream
+that there was no danger of running into any of the overhanging limbs
+and vegetation.</p>
+
+<p>Jethro did not make the mistake of paddling the flatboat into the middle
+of the current, which was so much stronger there as to impede, if not to
+check, its progress altogether. And, as before stated, there could be no
+saying how much longer this favorable wind would continue.</p>
+
+<p>The dusky youth overflowed with complacency when he sat down at the prow
+and noticed the satisfactory trend of events.</p>
+
+<p>He was within a dozen yards or so of the wooded bank, sometimes
+approaching still closer, in accordance with the configuration of the
+land. His desire to keep advancing, while the chance was his, led him to
+venture further in, in order to take advantage of the sluggish current.
+Once or twice he felt a projecting root graze the bottom, and again the
+craft came almost to a standstill from partially grounding in a shallow
+portion. Its momentum, however, carried it over into deeper water, when
+its speed instantly increased.</p>
+
+<p>Seeing nothing for him to do, Jethro seated himself at the bow, with his
+rifle resting in the boat near him, and his feet hanging over the water.</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Kenton and Boone and Altman and Ashbridge and all de rest ob de
+folks couldn't hab tought ob dis if dey had put their minds altogeder
+onto it. It was Jethro Juggens dat trotted out de idee. Some folks tinks
+he ain't much more dan a fool, and mebbe he ain't, but he knows a ting
+or two, and when dey cotch sight&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>At that instant the flatboat struck a shallow portion with such
+suddenness that it instantly stopped, and the youth, unprepared for the
+shock, sprawled overboard with a loud splash.</p>
+
+<p>Nothing more serious than a shock and wetting resulted, and when he
+clambered to his feet the water did not reach to his knees. Grasping the
+prow with his huge hand, and applying his prodigious strength, he easily
+forced the front of the boat into deeper water and swung himself over
+the gunwale.</p>
+
+<p>"Dat sort of bus'ness am inconwenieut, and it musn't happen agin."</p>
+
+<p>Several sweeps of the two oars, he grasped one in either hand, worked
+the craft sufficiently far from land to prevent any repetition of his
+mishap. Then, caring naught for his moistened clothing, he sat down at
+the prow again.</p>
+
+<p>The boat was moving steadily up stream, with more speed, indeed, than it
+had ever shown descending it. So long as the strong wind blew from the
+west this progress would continue. The moon, veiled at intervals by the
+drifting masses of clouds, sometimes revealed the trees on his right
+sweeping backward and occasionally, when the light was wholly
+unobstructed, he could catch the dim shadowy outlines of the Ohio shore.
+Not only was the water rippled by the bow of the boat as it forced its
+way forward, but it was broken into tiny chopping seas by the action of
+the gale.</p>
+
+<p>The roving eyes detected no sign of life in any direction. The gloom was
+not pierced even by the starlike twinkle of some Indian campfire or
+signal light, but the dull boom of a rifle report, rolling over the
+river from the direction of Rattlesnake Gulch, proved that life, fierce,
+alert and vigilant, still throbbed with terrifying intensity.</p>
+
+<p>It so came about that the second Shawanoe, he who succeeded in
+recapturing the canoe from Simon Kenton, was returning in the direction
+of the clearing. The sagacious warrior knew the ranger would be quick to
+discover the theft of his property, and would make search for it. Only
+by the utmost care and skill could he escape an encounter with the
+terrible scout, whom he held in unspeakable dread.</p>
+
+<p>It was natural, therefore, that he should give his closest attention to
+the shore he was skirting, confident that that was the only direction
+whence danger could come. So, while the canoe skimmed the water, he held
+his gaze on the bank, and watched and listened with the acuteness of
+long training.</p>
+
+<p>"Who dar?"</p>
+
+<p>The question was asked in a sepulchral voice, and would have startled
+the bravest man. The head of the Indian whirled about like a flash, and
+he saw that which, it is safe to say, no member of his race had ever
+seen&mdash;an Ohio flatboat gliding up stream, with a broad spread of white
+sail, and moving with a noiselessness of death itself.</p>
+
+<p>More than that, it was almost upon him. Only by dextrous work could he
+save himself from being run down. Less than a dozen feet separated them.</p>
+
+<hr style="width: 45%;" />
+
+<div class="figcenter">
+<a name="i208" id="i208"></a>
+<img src="images/i208.jpg" alt=""/>
+</div>
+
+<h3><span class="smcap">The Phantom boat.</span></h3>
+
+<hr style="width: 45%;" />
+
+<p>Glancing at the frightful object, the Shawanoe observed the figure of a
+sturdy, broad-shouldered man, standing near the bow with his rifle in
+his grasp. The sight was more than he could stand. With a frantic sweep
+of his paddle he drove the canoe like a swallow against the bank, leaped
+out and dashed into the woods.</p>
+
+<p>"Dat chap acts as dough he am scared," remarked Jethro, in doubt whether
+or not to fire; "de next time, I 'spose, I oughter shoot fust and den
+make my obspectful inquiries afterward."</p>
+
+<p>The incident was hardly over when to the surprise and disappointment of
+the youth the progress of the boat began to slacken, soon ceased, and
+then it slowly floated down stream. The wind had died out more suddenly
+than it had risen. He quickly dropped the anchor overboard.</p>
+
+<p>"Wonder how fur I've come," he thought, peering at the bank and unable
+to locate himself; "reckon I must hab come fifteen or twenty miles&mdash;but
+dat can't be either, for de folks at de block-house would hab seen me if
+I didn't see dem&mdash;hulloa! dat chap must tink he knows me; it ain't him
+after all."</p>
+
+<p>The canoe which had shot under the bank so suddenly, now emerged again
+and paddled straight towards the flatboat, only a short distance away.
+The action so startled the dusky youth that he would have acted upon his
+own suggestion of firing before asking any questions, had he not
+perceived that the occupant was a white man.</p>
+
+<p>"Dat can't be Mr. Kenton or Boone," mused Jethro, closely studying the
+stranger. "No, it am somebody dat hasn't de honor ob my obquaintance.
+Him and me ain't neber met afore."</p>
+
+<p>As the individual came closer and was more plainly shown in the dim
+moonlight, he was seen to be a sturdy man in middle life, dressed much
+the same as Mr. Ashbridge and Altman&mdash;that is, with more regard for the
+fashions of the age than was shown by men like Boone and Kenton.</p>
+
+<p>"Good evening," he called, nodding his head in salutation; "may I come
+aboard?"</p>
+
+<p>"Who am yo'? Am yo' name Girty?" asked Jethro, in doubt whether to
+permit the man to join him, now that his canoe was near enough to permit
+him to do so. His appearance was pleasing, and his voice had a hearty
+ring about it, but the African, since he was master of the situation,
+felt he could not be too careful of his company.</p>
+
+<p>The stranger laughed at the question asked him, and replied:</p>
+
+<p>"Bless me, that's the first time I was ever taken for Mr. Girty. You
+seem to be alone on the boat."</p>
+
+<p>Jethro suspected this to be a trick meant to make him unmask his
+weakness. He was not to be caught that way.</p>
+
+<p>"No, sah! dar's whar yo's mistooken, sah. Dan'l Kenton and Simon Boone,
+and 'leven oder gemman am in dis boat wid me, and if yo'&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Tut, tut," interrupted the stranger, with another laugh, so genial in
+its character that it disarmed the youth.</p>
+
+<p>"'Scoose me; I meant to say dat dem folks would like to be wid me."</p>
+
+<p>"My son, you and I are the best of friends; you surely have no misgiving
+regarding me; my name is Finley."</p>
+
+<p>And, with this remark, he stepped over the gunwale and cordially shook
+the hand of Jethro, who was won by his looks and manner. He helped
+fasten the canoe at the side of the flatboat, and invited the visitor to
+seat himself upon the remaining sheets at the stern, an invitation that
+was so agreeably accepted that Jethro was certain he had never met so
+delightful a gentleman.</p>
+
+<p>There may be some among my readers who have recognized the name of the
+man who paddled out in the canoe as among the most honored in the early
+history of the West. He was James B. Finley, the famous missionary,
+whose career is one of the brightest pages among the many stained by
+cruelty, vice and crime. For years he carried his life in his hands,
+traversing the vast stretches of wilderness with rifle over his
+shoulder, living on the game brought down by his own marksmanship, or
+what he could obtain in the lodges of the red men or the cabins of the
+pioneers. He slept in the woods, freezing by the lonely campfire, or
+sweltering in the smothering heat of the summer sun.</p>
+
+<p>And wherever this devoted man went, he carried the message of his
+Master. He labored unceasingly in His vineyard, illustrating precept by
+his own example, and winning many to the right way, not only among the
+rough bordermen, but from among the fierce warriors themselves.</p>
+
+<p>Without turning aside in this place to refer more fully to Rev. Mr.
+Finley, the interesting fact should be recalled that it was under his
+exhortation that Simon Kenton, years subsequent to the events we are now
+recording, professed conversion, and became a deeply devout man.</p>
+
+<p>The missionary showed his tact by making no reference to the tremendous
+falsehood he had just brought home to Jethro Juggens.</p>
+
+<p>Laying his hand in a fatherly way upon the shoulder of the youth, he
+remarked:</p>
+
+<p>"You will believe me, my son, when I tell you I am surprised."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I offen s'prise folks."</p>
+
+<p>"What is your name, please?"</p>
+
+<p>Jethro answered all his questions truthfully and respectfully, so that
+in a few minutes the gentleman gained a fair understanding of the
+incidents in which the colored youth had been involved during the past
+few days, and which placed him in his present extraordinary situation.</p>
+
+<p>"I have seen a great many flatboats pass down the river," remarked Mr.
+Finley, at the close of the interesting narrative, "but this is the
+first time I ever saw any go up stream."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I tinked I'se begun de fashine."</p>
+
+<p>"But why is it you are at rest?"</p>
+
+<p>"'Cause de anchor am drapped overboard."</p>
+
+<p>"But don't you notice that the wind is blowing again, and the boat will
+move readily."</p>
+
+<p>Jethro had not observed the fact until his friend reminded him of it.
+Then he made haste to hoist the anchor, and once more the flatboat
+resumed its singular voyage up the Ohio.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XX" id="CHAPTER_XX"></a>CHAPTER XX.</h2>
+
+<h3>WAR'S STRATEGY.</h3>
+
+
+<p>Even after considerable more conversation than has been recorded, Jethro
+Juggens and the missionary had much to learn of each other.</p>
+
+<p>The youth was especially puzzled to understand how it was that almost
+immediately following the flight of the Shawanoe in the extremity of
+panic, the good man should have paddled out to the flatboat in the canoe
+that had been so hurriedly deserted.</p>
+
+<p>"That was a curious circumstance," said Mr. Finley, musingly; "sit down
+beside me and I will tell you about it."</p>
+
+<p>"I's bery glad to do so," replied Jethro, placing himself at a
+respectful distance from the good man, "if you don't tink I had better
+keep a lookout dat we don't run by the block-house afore we knows it."</p>
+
+<p>"My dear boy, we are still a long way from that. Have no fear. From what
+you have told me I see you understand that sad times are coming between
+the white people and the Indians of this region."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, sah."</p>
+
+<p>"I and many of my friends have been expecting it for weeks and months
+past, and have done all we could to prevent the dreadful state of things
+that is now at hand."</p>
+
+<p>"How was it you tried to prevent it?" asked Jethro, feeling that he
+ought to say something when the missionary paused; "was yo' idee to get
+all de Injuns togeder, tie' em fast to de trees, and den let the trees
+fall down on 'em and mash 'em?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, we had a better plan than that," gravely replied the missionary,
+making sure the youth did not see the flitting smile; "I went among the
+different tribes and talked with the chiefs and leaders, and strove in
+every way possible to show them not only the wickedness of going upon
+the war-path, but that in the end they themselves must be the chief
+sufferers."</p>
+
+<p>Jethro Juggens turned his head and stared at the speaker in amazement.</p>
+
+<p>"And did yo' go right 'mong de heathen all alone by yo'self?"</p>
+
+<p>"That's the only way in which I could have gone. They would not have
+allowed me to have any companions, for that would have shown I
+distrusted them."</p>
+
+<p>"Wal, didn't yo' obstrust them?" inquired the youth, to whom the whole
+business was a mystery.</p>
+
+<p>"I cannot deny that I felt I was in danger of violence at times, but
+when I took up the work of my Master I expected that, and therefore was
+not disappointed. If it was the will of Heaven that I should yield my
+life at any time, I was always ready. You know, my son, that that is the
+true way to live."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, sah."</p>
+
+<p>"So it never caused me any discomfort. The only uneasiness a person
+should feel is whether he is ready for the call when it comes. Well, to
+return to what you asked me about, it soon became clear to me that the
+worst sort of trouble was at hand. The Indians have defeated the
+expeditions sent against them, until many believe our government is not
+strong enough to conquer them. They need a crushing defeat, just such as
+I am sure the next battle will be, before we can secure a lasting peace
+for the frontier. I was engaged in this business when I approached the
+Ohio this evening. At the moment of reaching the river I caught sight of
+this boat and the ingenious arrangement you have made. I saw the
+terrified Indian whom you hailed dash to shore and flee in mortal fright
+into the woods.</p>
+
+<p>"There was not enough light for me to recognize him," continued the
+missionary, speaking as though every person, American and Caucasian, in
+that vast region was an acquaintance. "I called to him, but he paid no
+heed, and inasmuch as he had left his canoe behind him and I wished to
+cross the river, I thought I might as well call upon you."</p>
+
+<p>"What yo' want to cross de riber fur?" asked Jethro, without reflecting
+that his question approached impertinence.</p>
+
+<p>"Just now, I am looking for a chief known as Wa-on-mon, or, as his own
+people call him, The Panther."</p>
+
+<p>"Do yo' know dat debbil?" demanded the amazed youth, springing to his
+feet and looking down in the face of the surprised missionary, who
+replied:</p>
+
+<p>"I have known him a good many years, have slept in his lodge, have
+fondled his two children, have hunted with him, and placed my life in
+his hands times without number."</p>
+
+<p>Jethro could hardly express his astonishment at this information. Aside
+from what he had seen of the fierce chieftain, he could not forget the
+character given him by Simon Kenton. In his way, he related the proposed
+duel to the death between the ranger and the leader of the Shawanoes.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Finley listened with the deepest interest, for he felt a strong
+attachment to both of the parties, and he cherished the hope that the
+fearful personal encounters between them would give way, sooner or
+later, to a more charitable, if not to a gentler feeling.</p>
+
+<p>"De reason de fout didn't take place," explained Jethro, "was 'cause de
+Panther got scared and runned away."</p>
+
+<p>The reply was, in effect, that which was made by Daniel Boone when
+discussing the question with Kenton.</p>
+
+<p>"You are mistaken in supposing Wa-on-mon was frightened; he is afraid of
+no man."</p>
+
+<p>"What den made him get skeered at Mr. Kenton?"</p>
+
+<p>"He did not. The Panther's heart is full of bitterness toward the white
+people. He saw, by hurrying off, a chance to do greater harm to those
+whom he regards as intruders upon the hunting grounds of his people;
+that is why the two did not meet."</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Kenton says de Panther hab shot women and children, and done de
+wust tings dat you can tink of."</p>
+
+<p>"Simon Kenton is a truthful man."</p>
+
+<p>"And I know he hab tried to do a worser ting dan dat."</p>
+
+<p>"Impossible! What can it be?"</p>
+
+<p>"He tried to step into my mouf when I war asleep."</p>
+
+<p>The brave old pioneer preachers were as full of humor as they were of
+tenderness or pathos. Mr. Finley threw back his head and shook with
+laughter, though it was noticeable that it was as silent as that of
+Leatherstocking when that inimitable hero was amused with anything that
+took place in the woods.</p>
+
+<p>The missionary made the youth give him the particulars of the incident,
+and despite the tragic atmosphere by which it was surrounded, he
+appreciated its grotesque features. Before he had grasped the whole
+occurrence he shuddered at the tempest of fury that he knew had been
+awakened to life in the breast of the terrible chieftain of the
+Shawanoes.</p>
+
+<p>"To think of his being flung to the ground by this young man, of his
+being struck by him, and then bound and held for hours in captivity&mdash;ah,
+me! I pray that this colored youth may never fall into the power of
+Wa-on-mon. Much I fear that yesterday's events have so deepened the
+hatred of the chieftain, that the truth can make little impression upon
+his heart."</p>
+
+<p>By questioning and comment, Mr. Finley gradually gained an accurate idea
+of the perilous situation of the pioneers who were on their way to the
+block-house to escape the storm that was already bursting from the sky.
+The information, however, that he filtered through the brain of Jethro
+Juggens could not fail to be mystifying in more than one respect.</p>
+
+<p>Thus he knew that the pioneers had started up the Kentucky side of the
+river for Capt. Bushwick's block-house, and, before going far, had come
+to a halt, while Kenton returned to the clearing in quest of the canoe
+that had been left there beside the flatboat. His natural object, it
+would seem, in taking this course, was to secure the smaller craft for
+use in transporting the women and children to the other side of the
+Ohio. Why he should have taken Jethro Juggens as a companion could not
+be conjectured.</p>
+
+<p>Another self-evident fact caused the missionary less misgiving than
+would be supposed. Kenton had captured the canoe, for he and it were
+gone when the youth boarded the flatboat. Furthermore, the craft in
+which the visitor paddled out to the flatboat was the very one, as
+identified by Jethro, which, in some way, had been recaptured from the
+ranger. The presence of the warrior in the boat seemed to point with
+absolute certainty to the conclusion that the Shawanoe had slain the
+great pioneer before wresting the property from him.</p>
+
+<p>But Mr. Finley did not accept that theory, and was willing to await an
+explanation in the near future.</p>
+
+<p>An inexpressibly greater and more distressing problem lay beyond that,
+as to the ultimate fate of the two families turned back, as may be said,
+on the threshold of success. The action of Kenton and Boone told their
+anxiety to place them on the same side of the Ohio with the block-house,
+and it indicated with equal certainty the appearance of some frightful
+danger in their front.</p>
+
+<p>That danger must be The Panther and his war party. Thus, it will be
+perceived, that by a course of rapid reasoning the missionary was
+approaching a correct idea of the situation.</p>
+
+<p>He knew nothing of Rattlesnake Gulch, for the pioneer circuit preachers
+of the west had to traverse too many vast areas of wilderness to become
+minutely familiar with every portion; but the checking of the fugitives,
+or the turning back of their real leader, could mean but one thing; they
+had discovered the presence of The Panther and his Shawanoes in their
+path.</p>
+
+<p>All and considerably more than the foregoing being conceded, the
+missionary could not but regard the turning over to him of the
+invaluable canoe, to say nothing of the flatboat itself, as
+providential. There was now abundant means to carry the imperiled ones
+to the other shore.</p>
+
+<p>But missionary Finley was too familiar with the people of the West, and
+too well versed in woodcraft, to feel over-confidence, or to believe
+that it was plain sailing into the haven of absolute safety. If The
+Panther had cut off the flight of the fugitives to the block-house, he
+was not the one to permit them to flank the danger by means of the
+canoe.</p>
+
+<p>The first step necessary, as it seemed to the good man, was to open
+communication in some way with Simon Kenton.</p>
+
+<p>"Have you any idea where he is?" he asked of Jethro.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes&mdash;I feels purty suah, and it makes me feel bad."</p>
+
+<p>"Where can he be?"</p>
+
+<p>"He fell out dat canoe and got drownded; I feels bad 'cause I neber
+oughter left Mr. Kenton alone. He took me 'long to hab care ob him, and
+I outer feel dat I am to blame for his drownin'."</p>
+
+<p>"Have no alarm about that. Kenton is too good a swimmer to lose his life
+in that way."</p>
+
+<p>"But he mout get de cramps."</p>
+
+<p>"He might, but he didn't. He probably awaited your return as long as it
+was safe, and then continued up the river to join his friends. In some
+way he lost the canoe to the Shawanoe, who abandoned it to me."</p>
+
+<p>"I should tink dat he would come back to look for de boat."</p>
+
+<p>"The same thought has occurred to me, I hope he has done so, for then we
+shall be pretty sure to see him. But, after all, if he set out for that
+purpose, he has probably given it up and returned, or he would have
+shown himself before."</p>
+
+<p>All this time the flatboat, with its broad spread of sail, was gliding
+steadily up the Ohio, keeping as close as was prudent to the Kentucky
+shore.</p>
+
+<p>An odd thought had gradually assumed form in the mind of the missionary.
+He had noted the headlong panic into which the single Shawanoe was
+thrown by the sudden sight of the fantastic craft, and he asked himself
+whether, such being the case, The Panther and his warriors could not be
+temporarily frightened, and advantage taken of it.</p>
+
+<p>"At any rate it is worth trying," was his conclusion.</p>
+
+<p>But in arriving at this belief, it did not occur to the good man that
+the seeming apparition might produce the same effect upon the white men
+as upon the Shawanoes.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXI" id="CHAPTER_XXI"></a>CHAPTER XXI.</h2>
+
+<h3>THE PHANTOM OF THE RIVER.</h3>
+
+
+<p>The reader has long since penetrated the cause of the panic into which
+Simon Kenton was thrown&mdash;a panic as wild, as unreasonable and
+uncontrollable as that of the single Shawanoe, some time before, when he
+plunged into the forest and fled as if from the pursuit of the evil one
+himself.</p>
+
+<p>There were no more superstitious men living than the daring pioneers and
+scouts of the West. Never hesitating to meet death, and courageously
+facing peril before which most people would have cowered, they demanded
+that that death and that peril should present themselves in tangible
+form. In other words, they shrank at receiving no blows, provided the
+opportunity was given them of striking effective blows in return.</p>
+
+<p>In trailing an enemy, when the "crossing of the ways" was reached, that
+is, where it was impossible to decide from evidence the right path to
+take, the question was often decided by a flirt of a hunting-knife;
+whichever course the implement indicated when it fell, was accepted as
+the finger of Providence, and was followed with as much unflinching
+vigor as though the possibility of an error did not exist. In many other
+respects was this belief in signs and the awe of the supernatural shown.</p>
+
+<p>The brief, terrified glance of Kenton revealed to him an Ohio flatboat
+moving up the river against the current&mdash;something which in all his
+varied experience he had never seen. The same glance showed a yawning
+white spread across the craft, as if it were the upturned wing of some
+monster swimming on its side in the water.</p>
+
+<p>Without pausing to reflect that this appearance was the key to the whole
+mystery, the brave man gave way to terror, and, throwing discretion to
+the winds, dashed into the enclosure among his friends with the
+exclamation:</p>
+
+<p>"Boys, we're lost! We're lost! There's a ghost coming up the river!"</p>
+
+<p>His words and manner threw the others into consternation. While it is
+certain that some would have shown more coolness, yet nothing is more
+contagious than fear, and the panic of one considered the
+clearest-headed and most daring of the rangers caused the rest for a
+brief while to bid good-by to their senses.</p>
+
+<p>Forgetful of the Shawanoes near at hand, and thinking of nothing but the
+new and dreadful peril, the men and women made haste to gather about the
+tall figure that advanced almost to the middle of the inclosure before
+checking himself.</p>
+
+<p>"What is it, Kenton? For heaven's sake, tell us!"</p>
+
+<p>"Where is it? What does it look like?"</p>
+
+<p>"Keep your head, Simon," counselled Boone, in the babel of exclamations,
+"and tell us what it is the ghost of."</p>
+
+<p>"You remember t'other flatboat," said Kenton, partially recovering his
+self-mastery, "the one the MacDougalls was on, and they was all killed?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, of course, of course," replied several.</p>
+
+<p>"Wal, the ghost of that flatboat is coming up the river; it's right off
+shore; it'll be among us in a few minutes; we had better take to the
+woods."</p>
+
+<p>And, incredible as it may seem, the intrepid scout would have led the
+absurd stampede, had not his elder and cooler friend laid his hand on
+his arm.</p>
+
+<p>"Simon, you ain't yourself; don't forget the varmints are all around
+us."</p>
+
+<p>"Dan'l," returned Kenton, sharply, "did you ever see a ghost?"</p>
+
+<p>"I have not."</p>
+
+<p>"Wal, if you want to see one, walk down to the edge of the river and
+there it is! As for me, I want to git away afore it comes any closer;
+but I forgot 'bout the varmints; I'll wait till you folks have a look at
+it, and then we'll all run."</p>
+
+<p>Evidently, the ranger was rallying from his panic.</p>
+
+<p>Among the group that gathered around him were several who were quick to
+recover from their own fright, and to see that the true course was to
+investigate the cause of the latter's state of mind.</p>
+
+<p>"Wait here till I take a look for myself," said George Ashbridge,
+touching the elbow of his father; "there's something in this that I
+don't understand; I will be gone but a few minutes; it's the strangest
+condition of affairs I ever knew."</p>
+
+<p>He whisked off in the obscurity and quickly reached the river side.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, Missionary Finley gave proof of his sagacity. Having decided
+to use the flatboat and its sail as a possible weapon, he had risen to
+his feet, and with hands grasping the bow oar was figuring as to how he
+could discover the proper point at which to work the boat to land.</p>
+
+<p>He had made up his mind to emit a signal which would be recognized
+either by Boone or Kenton, if it reached their ears, when across the
+brief, intervening space he heard the threshing and the terrified
+exclamations of his old friend.</p>
+
+<p>"Here we are, Jethro! This is the place! Now, work with a will!"</p>
+
+<p>Both bent their strong arms to the task, and the water was churned at
+each end of the craft by the broad blades that swept deep and powerful
+like the arms of a propeller. The bulky boat responded and began
+approaching the bank, no more than a couple of rods distant.</p>
+
+<p>In this hurly-burly of affright and excitement, the missionary
+compressed his lips to keep back the tugging smile. He had caught the
+first words uttered by Kenton, identified his voice, and understood the
+cause of his alarm.</p>
+
+<p>"If it please Heaven to deliver us all from peril," was the thought of
+Finley, "I shall not forget this affair, and I will make sure that Simon
+is not allowed to forget it."</p>
+
+<p>It was only a minute or two later that George Ashbridge hurried to the
+margin of the water. The sweep of the long oars and the sight of the
+flatboat itself, with the spread of sail above it, all so near that they
+were recognized at the first glance, told the whole amazing story to the
+young man, though, as yet, he could not comprehend how it had all come
+about.</p>
+
+<p>One of the figures toiling at the sweeps was Jethro Juggens; he could
+form no suspicion as to the identity of the other.</p>
+
+<p>"Is that you, Jethro?" called Ashbridge, in a guarded undertone.</p>
+
+<p>"It am," was the proud response; "keep out ob de way, Marse George, or
+dis boat will run ober you. We's comin' like thunder."</p>
+
+<p>"There! that will do," said the missionary, as the boat struck sideways,
+almost abreast of where the youth was standing; "we couldn't have made a
+better landing. Good evening, my friend; I am sure we are welcome."</p>
+
+<p>With these cheery words the man, with his rifle in his left hand,
+stepped across the gunwale upon the hard earth and extended his right to
+young Ashbridge.</p>
+
+<p>"My name is Finley&mdash;James B. Finley; I am a missionary for Ohio and
+Kentucky, and joined your young friend hero to see whether I can be of
+any help to you and those with you."</p>
+
+<p>"And an angel could not be more welcome," was the fervent response of
+the youth, returning the warm pressure of the good man.</p>
+
+<p>"There seems to be trouble here," said he, with grave concern.</p>
+
+<p>"We are in sore straits, indeed; we have been resting for a good while,
+afraid to go on, for there is an ambuscade of the Indians just beyond,
+into which they are waiting for us to enter."</p>
+
+<p>"I presume the Shawanoes are in charge of The Panther."</p>
+
+<p>"So Daniel Boone tells us."</p>
+
+<p>"I feared as much; I'm glad that Boone is with you."</p>
+
+<p>"And so is Kenton."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; I recognized his voice; he seems to be a little disturbed by the
+appearance of our craft."</p>
+
+<p>"I never knew it was possible for a man like him to become so
+frightened. He seems to have lost his wits."</p>
+
+<p>"They will soon return to him; he's a noble fellow."</p>
+
+<p>"Jes' let me know what you want done," remarked Jethro Juggens, who had
+placed the anchor so as to hold the flatboat motionless; "don't forget
+dat I fixed up dis yer contrivance."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, all the credit belongs to him. He will explain when there is time;
+we have not a minute to spare now; it looks as if the appearance of the
+boat has given the red men, as well as the others, a scare."</p>
+
+<p>"No doubt of that, and Kenton's performance has had a good deal to do
+with it, for he upset our people completely."</p>
+
+<p>"We must take instant advantage of this diversion, which is
+providential; let us go to your friends at once."</p>
+
+<p>The missionary set off with young Ashbridge at his side and Jethro
+Juggens immediately behind them. A few brief, hurried steps took them to
+the group, whose members were beginning to regain a part at least of
+their senses.</p>
+
+<p>It was no occasion for Mr. Finley to indulge in any pleasantry at the
+expense of his old friend, Simon Kenton, however appropriate it might be
+at another time. His words were grave, quick and prompt, as were
+becoming. He hurriedly shook hands with Boone, Kenton and the rangers,
+to all of whom he was well known and by them held in high esteem. He
+greeted the others warmly in turn, using his tongue while doing so.</p>
+
+<p>"The appearance of the flatboat is so strange that it gave you all a
+good scare, and no wonder that it did so. It has produced the same
+effect upon The Panther's party, else they would not have allowed us to
+land or permitted this passing back and forth; but like you they will
+soon recover from it; one must use this opportunity, so providentially
+placed in our way."</p>
+
+<p>"That's the right kind of talk," remarked Kenton, who was already
+humiliated at the part he had played a short time before.</p>
+
+<p>"From what Jethro told me, you have little, if any, luggage with you."</p>
+
+<p>"Only what we can carry in our hands," replied Mr. Altman.</p>
+
+<p>"So far as I can judge, you are all gathered in this spot&mdash;a thing you
+would not be permitted to do but for the fright of the Indians. Follow
+me then; I will lead the way."</p>
+
+<p>Less time than would be supposed was occupied in this broken
+conversation. As stated, the words of the missionary were quickly
+uttered, and he showed his promptness by wheeling about and moving down
+the gentle incline toward the river. It seemed strange for him to take
+the lead of a party of rangers, among whom were Daniel Boone and Simon
+Kenton, but his leadership was only for the moment, and could have been
+assumed by Jethro Juggens himself, for it signified an advance only to
+the flatboat itself.</p>
+
+<p>Boone, with several quick strides, placed himself beside the preacher.</p>
+
+<p>"Have a care," he continued. "I don't understand what makes the varmints
+so quiet."</p>
+
+<p>"Because they are scared, as all of you were by the flatboat and its
+sail."</p>
+
+<p>"The only one of us skeered was Simon," corrected the great pioneer,
+"and then he skeered us by the way he carried on."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, any one of you would have been just as much frightened as he, and
+I suspect the rumpus he created had something to do with the panic of
+the Shawanoes; but you are right; it will not last long, and it may be
+over already."</p>
+
+<p>The habit of caution to which all the rangers were trained asserted
+itself. Grasping their rifles firmly, they involuntarily assumed a
+crouching pose and stepped lightly forward, as if afraid the slightest
+footfall would betray them. They glanced to the right and left, and more
+than once fancied they discerned shadowy forms stealing here and there
+in the gloom.</p>
+
+<p>It was natural, perhaps, that a different and somewhat peculiar feeling
+should influence the two families of settlers. They felt as if they
+would ignore the existence of enemies in their immediate neighborhood;
+they would forget that any danger of that nature ever threatened them at
+all, and devote their utmost energies to hurrying forward to the
+flatboat. They held their gaze in that direction, and tried to pierce
+the gloom and see nothing but the single object upon which their hope
+was fixed.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Ashbridge and his wife clasped a hand of Mabel between them. Mr.
+Altman and his wife clung to each other, while George Ashbridge had
+fallen slightly to the rear with Agnes, while the rangers seemed to
+straggle irregularly forward, as they had done when pushing through the
+woods, but, in truth, they were advancing in accordance with a
+well-defined idea of the best course to follow at this time.</p>
+
+<p>Finley, Kenton and Boone held their places at the head, and the
+fugitives speedily reached the river side, where the unpleasant fact
+became apparent that the wind, which had been blowing so long and
+steadily, had dropped to a degree that it could no longer be of any help
+to them.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXII" id="CHAPTER_XXII"></a>CHAPTER XXII.</h2>
+
+<h3>PUTTING OUT FROM SHORE.</h3>
+
+
+<p>Not a moment was to be lost. Everything depended upon boarding the
+flatboat and pushing off at once from shore. The party was so large that
+the craft was sure to be crowded, but its buoyancy was sufficient to
+carry still more.</p>
+
+<p>To most of the party hurrying on board, the silence and inactivity of
+the Shawanoes were incomprehensible. That they had been partially dazed
+was fair to believe, but it could not continue long. The presence of the
+boat, with its sail still spread, against the bank, must tell the story
+to the fierce red men, who ought to be as quick to recover from it as
+were the pioneers.</p>
+
+<p>It mattered not that the wind had failed. The one point was to get the
+flatboat away from land, and out into the stream. That done, a long step
+would be taken toward safety. The ambuscade would be flanked and
+avoided.</p>
+
+<p>"You can't hurry too much," said the missionary, beginning to show
+nervousness now that the critical moment was at hand. He helped the
+women on board, and did what he could to prevent the confusion caused at
+this juncture by the crowding. He expected that a volley would come
+every moment from the gloom along the shore, and therefore held his
+station where his body would be most likely to shield the helpless ones.</p>
+
+<p>Amid the confusion there was something approaching order, and it can be
+said that no time was thrown away. Within a minute of reaching the
+flatboat it seemed that every one of the pioneers was on board.</p>
+
+<p>"Lay down," whispered Boone, addressing the settlers especially; "the
+varmints are sartin to fire afore you can get out on the river&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Dar goes dat canue," called Jethro Juggens, who managed to be the first
+on board.</p>
+
+<p>The little boat had been swung around and fastened to the farther side
+of the more bulky craft, so as to allow the latter to approach nearer
+the land. The youth was doing what he could to aid his friends (really
+doing nothing), when he observed the canoe several feet away with the
+intervening space steadily increasing.</p>
+
+<p>"Jump over after it," commanded Kenton, who himself would have done what
+he ordered but for the need of his presence on the flatboat.</p>
+
+<p>"Drop dat boat!" shouted Jethro, addressing (with a view of impressing
+those around him) an imaginary foe. At the same moment, leaving his gun
+behind him, he leaped overboard and swam powerfully toward the little
+craft. The clothing of the youth had not yet dried from the wetting
+received by his bath earlier in the evening, and at this sultry season
+of the year a plunge in the river was pleasant than otherwise.</p>
+
+<p>Jethro ought to have noticed that while the canoe was drifting with the
+current it was also approaching the middle of the Ohio. That could
+hardly take place without the interference of some one.</p>
+
+<p>But the powerful youth noted not the significant fact, and swam with
+lusty stroke straight for the little boat that had changed hands so
+frequently during the last few hours, and been the cause of more than
+one furious wrangle. Only a second or two was necessary to reach it, and
+he laid his hand on the gunwale.</p>
+
+<p>At that instant a Shawanoe warrior rose from the interior of the canoe,
+and lifted his hand in which was clasped a knife, with the purpose of
+burying it with vicious energy in the breast of the astonished youth.</p>
+
+<p>"Whew! gorrynation! I didn't know yo' war dar!" gasped Jethro, dropping
+like a loon beneath the surface just in time to escape the ferocious
+thrust.</p>
+
+<p>The Shawanoe leaned so far out, with upraised weapon, to strike the
+African when he came up, that the canoe careened almost upon its side.
+He was in this attitude of expectancy when, from the flatboat, came the
+sharp crack of a rifle, and the savage plunged over, head first, with a
+smothered shriek, and sank from sight.</p>
+
+<p>"I expected something of the kind," muttered Simon Kenton, who, amid the
+tumult around him, proceeded to reload his rifle with as much coolness
+as if he were in the depth of the forest and had just brought down a
+deer or bear.</p>
+
+<p>From the undergrowth immediately above where the boat was pushing from
+land, a second warrior, whose zeal outran his discretion, emitted a
+ringing whoop, and dashed straight at the crowding fugitives. He was
+nearer Mrs. Altman than any of the others, and meant to bury his
+uplifted tomahawk in her brain, but when almost within reach he made a
+frenzied leap from the ground, and, with outspread arms and legs,
+tumbled forward on his face.</p>
+
+<p>It was never clearly established who was quick enough to check the
+murderous miscreant in this fashion, for fighting had fairly begun and
+considerable shooting was going on; but the moon at that moment was
+unobscured, and Mr. Altman insisted that he saw Missionary Finley raise
+his rifle like a flash and discharge it in the direction of the warrior
+just at the instant before the husband could intervene in defence of his
+wife.</p>
+
+<p>When the good man was afterward taxed with the exploit, so creditable to
+his coolness and courage, he showed a reluctance to discuss it. Pressed
+further, he would not admit the charge, and yet refrained from denial.
+It will be conceded, therefore, that the presumption is reasonable that
+Missionary Finley was the instrument of saving Mrs. Altman's life when
+it was in the gravest possible peril. Meanwhile Jethro Juggens found
+himself with interesting surroundings. Availing himself of his great
+skill in the water, he dived so deeply that his feet touched bottom and
+he came up a dozen rods away from the canoe and between it and the Ohio
+shore. The passing of the Shawanoe took place while the youth was
+beneath the surface, so that he was unaware of the true situation when
+he arose and stared at the boat.</p>
+
+<p>"Gorrynation, if de t'ing ain't upsot!" was his exclamation when he had
+approached somewhat nearer and saw the boat turned bottom upward.</p>
+
+<p>The spasmodic lunge of the Shawanoe had overturned the craft, which
+resembled a huge tortoise, drifting with the current.</p>
+
+<p>"He's walking on de bottom ob de ribber, wid dat boat ober his head, to
+keep from gettin' moonstruck. Dat can't be neither," added Jethro,
+"onless he am seventeen foot tall, and I don't tink he am dat high."</p>
+
+<p>The gently moving arms of the swimmer came in contact with something.
+Closing his hands about it, he found it to be the oar flung out of the
+canoe by the overturning.</p>
+
+<p>"Dat'll come handy," thought Jethro. "When he sticks out his head to get
+a bref ob air, I'll whack him wid de paddle till he s'renders."</p>
+
+<p>After manoeuvring about the canoe for some minutes, a suspicion of the
+truth dawned upon the youth. Even when under the water he was able to
+hear the deadened reports of the rifles above, and he believed that one
+of the shots must have reached the occupant of the boat, whose frenzied
+leap capsized it.</p>
+
+<p>Gathering courage after a few minutes, he grasped the canoe and managed
+to swing it back into proper position, but it contained so much water as
+to forbid its use until it was emptied. This could be done only by
+taking it ashore. Jethro therefore tossed the paddle inside, and
+grasping the gunwale with one hand, swam with the other toward Ohio. It
+may be added that he reached it without further event, and there for a
+time we will leave him to himself.</p>
+
+<p>"Lie down!" thundered the missionary, seeing that his first order was
+only partially obeyed. "My good woman, I beg your pardon, but it must be
+done."</p>
+
+<p>His words were addressed to Mrs. Ashbridge, who, in her anxiety for her
+husband and son, was exposing herself in the most reckless manner. As he
+spoke, he seized her in his arms as though she were but an infant, and
+placed her not too gently flat in the bottom of the boat.</p>
+
+<p>"There! spend these minutes in prayer&mdash;no; that will never do," he
+added, grasping the shoulder of Agnes Altman, who, at that moment,
+attempted to rise; "keep down&mdash;all that is between you and death is that
+plank."</p>
+
+<p>"But&mdash;but," pleaded the distressed girl, "tell father and George to be
+careful, won't you, please?"</p>
+
+<p>"We are in the hands of God, my child, and have only to do our duty.
+Help us by causing no anxiety about yourselves."</p>
+
+<p>The great necessity, as has been explained, was to work the flatboat
+away from land. The most direct means of doing this was by pushing with
+the poles that had been taken on board for that use; but they were
+fastened in place as supports for the sail that had brought the craft to
+this place. The sweeps would accomplish this work, but only slowly and
+by frightful exposure on the part of those swaying them.</p>
+
+<p>Nevertheless, Jim Deane seized the bow sweep at the moment another
+ranger grasped the rear one, and both wrought with right good will.</p>
+
+<p>Dark forms appeared in greater number along shore and near the craft
+itself. The gloom was lit up by flashes of guns, and the air was rent by
+the shouts of the combatants, for the white men could make as much noise
+as their enemies in the swirl and frenzy of personal encounter and
+deadly conflict.</p>
+
+<p>Boone, Kenton, the missionary and most of the men had leaped into the
+flatboat and crouched low, where all seemed huddled together in
+inextricable confusion. The two were toiling at the sweeps, and the
+craft worked away from the shore with maddening tardiness. To some of
+the terrified inmates it did not seem to move at all.</p>
+
+<p>"A little harder, Jim," called the missionary "shall I lend a hand?"</p>
+
+<p>"No," replied Deane; "I'll fetch it, I don't need you&mdash;yes I do, too."</p>
+
+<p>As he spoke, he let go of the sweep and sagged heavily downward.</p>
+
+<p>"Are you hit?" asked the good man, raising the head upon his knee.</p>
+
+<p>"I got my last sickness that time, parson&mdash;it's all up&mdash;good-by!"</p>
+
+<p>The missionary would have said more, would have prayed with the fellow,
+despite the terrifying peril around him, had there been time to do so,
+but Jim Deane was dead.</p>
+
+<p>"God rest his soul!" murmured the good man, gently laying down the head,
+and drawing the body as closely as he could to the gunwale, where it
+would be out of the way.</p>
+
+<p>As from the first, the missionary exposed himself with the utmost
+recklessness, and, where the bullets were hurtling all about him, the
+wonder was that he had not already been struck; but the life of Rev. J.
+B. Finley was one of sacrifice, peril, suffering and hardship, in which
+his last thought was for himself. He was ready for the call of the dark
+angel, whether he came at midnight, morning, or high noon, and the angel
+did not come until after the lapse of many years, when the scenes such
+as we are describing had long passed away.</p>
+
+<p>A strange and for a time wholly unaccountable occurrence took place near
+the stem of the flatboat, only a moment before Jim Deane was mortally
+smitten.</p>
+
+<p>Simon Kenton had just withdrawn his attention from Jethro Juggens and
+his canoe, and was looking toward the bank at his elbow, when he uttered
+an exclamation, the meaning of which no one caught, or, if he did,
+failed to notice it in the tumult and hullabaloo. At the same moment the
+ranger gathered his muscles into one mighty effort, and made a leap
+toward shore.</p>
+
+<p>Superb as was his skill in this direction, the distance was too great to
+be covered, and he stuck in the water, but so near land that he sank
+only to his waist. He struggled furiously forward, seemingly in the very
+midst of the Shawanoes, and was immediately lost to sight.</p>
+
+<p>There was no time to inquire the meaning of this extraordinary action,
+and no one suspected it, but it became apparent within a brief space of
+time.</p>
+
+<p>It was at this juncture that several noticed the wind had risen again.
+It was blowing not so strongly as before, but with sufficient power to
+start the flatboat slowly up stream. Boone called to all to keep down,
+while he, crouching close to the stern, held the oar so that it helped
+steer the craft into mid-stream.</p>
+
+<p>The missionary did the same with the forward sweep, and, impelled by the
+wind, the craft slowly forged away from the Kentucky and toward the Ohio
+shore.</p>
+
+<p>All hearts were beating high with hope and thankfulness when a piercing
+cry came from Mrs. Ashbridge.</p>
+
+<p>"Where is Mabel? What has become of Mabel? Oh, where is she?"</p>
+
+<p>Dismay reigned during the minute or two of frenzied search of the
+interior of the craft. The space was so small that the hunt was quickly
+over, with the dreadful truth established that little ten-year old Mabel
+Ashbridge was not on the flatboat.</p>
+
+<p>Missionary Finley announced the fact when he said:</p>
+
+<p>"She has fallen into the hands of the Shawanoes; that was the cause of
+Simon Kenton leaping ashore."</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIII" id="CHAPTER_XXIII"></a>CHAPTER XXIII.</h2>
+
+<h3>THE SHAWANOE CAMP.</h3>
+
+
+<p>How it all happened was never clearly established, but it is not to be
+supposed that in the tumult, the swirl, the confusion, the firing,
+shouting and dashing to and fro, that the coolest-headed Shawanoe or
+most self-possessed ranger could any more than keep a general idea of
+the hurricane rush of events. Special incidents were noted by different
+persons, as the circumstances favored them, while others saw and knew
+nothing of what took place under their very eyes.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. and Mrs. Ashbridge hurried down the wooded slope in the gloom, each
+holding a hand of Mabel between them. At the side of the flatboat, where
+there were crowding in increased excitement, the parents released the
+child, and the father turned to help in the defence against the Indians,
+who immediately attacked them. Mabel entered the boat near the bow, and
+had crouched there several minutes, in obedience to the order of the
+missionary, to avoid the bullets that were whistling about, when the
+idea seized her that there were much better quarters at the stern, where
+the pushing was less.</p>
+
+<p>The best way, as it struck her, to reach the spot, was by bounding
+ashore and darting the few paces thither. She made the attempt, and was
+in the act of leaping back when her arm was gripped by a warrior, who
+hurried her from the spot.</p>
+
+<p>Although bewildered and partly dazed by the rush of events, the child
+resisted and screamed for help, but she was powerless in the hands of
+the sinewy savage, who forced her from the edge of the river.</p>
+
+<p>It must be remembered, that in addition to the confusion it was night,
+and the partial moon in the sky was obscured at intervals by passing
+clouds. Beside, among the shadows of the wood the gloom was so deepened
+that the wonder is, not that none of Mabel's friends saw her capture but
+that Simon Kenton observed it.</p>
+
+<p>He did so a minute later, and knew at once that the little one, if saved
+at all, must be saved instantly. He cleared most of the intervening
+space with his tremendous bound, and made for the Shawanoe like a
+cyclone. He had noted the point where the warrior had passed from view,
+as well as the general direction taken by him; consequently a quick dash
+in the right course ought to overtake him.</p>
+
+<p>Such was the dash made by the ranger, at the imminent risk of colliding
+with tree-trunks, limbs, and boulders, and with the result that within
+twenty feet of the river he ran plump against the Indian who had the
+terrified child in charge, and with no suspicion of his furious pursuer.</p>
+
+<p>The attack of the Bengal tiger upon the hunter that is throttling its
+whining cubs, is no fiercer, more resistless and lightning-like, than
+was the assault of Simon Kenton upon the buck that was making off with
+the little daughter of Norman Ashbridge.</p>
+
+<p>It mattered not that the gloom was well-nigh impenetrable, and the eye
+could not direct or follow the blow. The ranger knew he had his man in
+his grasp, and within a few seconds the affair was over.</p>
+
+<p>Had there been only the slightest illumination of the wood at this point
+to aid the eye, the rescue of Mabel would have been effected, but she
+knew not the meaning of the terrific struggle, and the instant her
+captor loosened his grip upon her arm, so as to defend himself, she
+hurried off in the gloom in the hope of joining her friends on the
+flatboat.</p>
+
+<p>"I say, gal, where be you?" called Kenton, grasping with one hand, and
+expecting every moment to touch her form.</p>
+
+<p>But the little one heard him not, or if she did, had no suspicion of his
+identity, and a few moments only convinced the ranger that the child
+once within his grasp was gone again, he knew not where.</p>
+
+<p>He held a strong hope, however, that she had started on her return for
+the boat from which she had been taken in such hot haste by her
+abductor. If so, the attempt on her part offered a chance of saving her
+if the ranger moved promptly; for, by hastening to the same point he was
+sure to meet her, even though amid enemies; but, if he delayed, she must
+inevitably fall into the hands of the Shawanoes again.</p>
+
+<p>It was apparent to Kenton that none of those on the boat were aware of
+the loss of the child, and if it became known to her friends they could
+give her no help. The ranger was fortunate, indeed, that in the flurry
+he was not assaulted in turn by some of the hostiles.</p>
+
+<p>He picked his way as best he could to the river's margin, carefully
+keeping himself back in the gloom while he made his observation. The
+moon was still unobstructed, and showed him the flatboat fifty feet away
+and increasing the space every minute.</p>
+
+<p>Thus it came about, that as the craft was laboriously worked into
+mid-stream and towards the Ohio shore, two of the whites were left
+behind amid the merciless members of The Panther's band.</p>
+
+<p>The situation was of little moment to Simon Kenton, for more than once
+he had been in a situation of much greater peril. He felt abundantly
+able to take care of himself, his great concern being for the little one
+to whom fate had been so cruel.</p>
+
+<p>Inasmuch as there was not one chance in a thousand of accomplishing
+anything by groping in the gloom among the trees, he adopted the single
+course that promised success, and that was only to a slight degree
+indeed.</p>
+
+<p>The flatboat was now so far out in the river that the firing had ceased
+on both sides. Kenton did not know to what extent his friends had
+suffered, but he was certain that in addition to the warrior whom he had
+picked off in time to save Jethro Juggens, several others must have gone
+down in the fusilade.</p>
+
+<p>When The Panther brought his band together to effect the ambuscade at
+Rattlesnake Gulch, he must have established some sort of camp or
+headquarters beyond that point, where it could not be noted by the
+fugitives until on the other side of the dangerous section. Hoping, with
+a shudder of misgiving, that the little child would be taken to this
+camp instead of being tomahawked, he began searching for it.</p>
+
+<p>The task was less difficult than would be supposed. A veteran like
+Kenton had no trouble in avoiding the warriors moving about. As he
+expected, he passed but a short distance beyond the gulch, when he
+caught the twinkle of the campfire just beyond the hollow in which the
+Shawanoes had arranged to blot out the whole company of settlers and
+pioneers.</p>
+
+<p>Carefully threading his way through the undergrowth and among the trees,
+he reached a point from which he gained an unobstructed view of the camp
+without any risk of discovery on his part. The scene in many respects
+resembled that which he had looked upon times without number.</p>
+
+<p>There was the fire of sticks and branches that had been burning several
+hours, for it contained many glowing embers, in the middle of an open
+space. A circle of diminishing light was thrown out several rods in all
+directions. Upon a fallen tree, on the other side of the blaze, sat
+three warriors, painted and decked in the hideous manner adopted by the
+people when upon the war-path. Armed with rifles, tomahawks and knives,
+they were talking excitedly, and one had just had his wounded arm
+bandaged, proving that he failed to go through the battle unscathed.</p>
+
+<p>Two other Shawanoes were standing at the right of the fire, also talking
+with great animation. Further back, where the light was less, were
+others, most of them seated on the ground. Kenton's scrutiny satisfied
+him that more than one of these had been "hit hard," and their
+companions were looking after them as best they could.</p>
+
+<p>Nothing was seen of those that had fallen, though the American Indian is
+not the one to forget his stricken comrade, and the warriors that had
+started on their journey to the happy hunting grounds were certain to
+receive due attention. As nearly as the spy could judge there were from
+twelve to fifteen Shawanoes in camp. Since Boone had reported the party
+as about double that number, several of them&mdash;not counting those that
+had fallen&mdash;were still absent.</p>
+
+<p>The ranger was profoundly interested in two of these absentees. One was
+little Mabel Ashbridge, and the other The Panther, leader of the
+Shawanoes. The closest scrutiny failed to reveal either of them, and
+though he had no real cause for doing so, he could not help connecting
+their absence with each other.</p>
+
+<p>His suspicion proved right, for only a few minutes passed when two
+figures strode from the gloom into the firelight. One was Wa-on-mon,
+whose hand gripped the arm of the young captive. He walked at a moderate
+pace to the fallen tree, where he motioned to Mabel to take her seat.
+She obeyed with the same promptness she would have shown had the command
+come from her father or mother.</p>
+
+<p>The Panther remained standing, and the three who had been seated on the
+log also rose and advanced, several others drawing near and taking part
+in the conversation.</p>
+
+<p>"Ah!" muttered Kenton, between his set teeth, with his flashing eyes
+fixed upon The Panther, "if I could only have come 'cross you and the
+little gal!"</p>
+
+<p>Seated with the firelight falling upon her face, the ranger was able to
+see it quite plainly. She had lost the cute little homemade cap in the
+flurry, and her luxuriant hair hung loosely about her shoulder. She was
+neatly clad in homespun, though the dress, the stockings, and the shoes
+were of coarse texture.</p>
+
+<p>The countenance wore the scared expression which showed that the child
+suspected her dreadful peril. The marks of weeping were noticed, but the
+ferocious Wa-on-mon had probably terrified her to that extent that she
+was forced to deny herself the relief of tears. Resting on the fallen
+tree, with her dimpled hands clasped, she hardly removed her eyes from
+the chieftain and his immediate companions. She appeared to feel they
+were about to decide her fate.</p>
+
+<p>From his concealment, not far off, Kenton allowed nothing in his field
+of vision to escape him. He could not catch a word uttered by the
+Shawanoes, but he did not believe the chief was discussing with his
+warriors the question of what should be done with the little captive,
+for the reason that it was not his habit to debate such matters with his
+followers. His rule was so absolute that he made his own decisions,
+leaving to others to obey or take the consequences.</p>
+
+<p>It was more probable that The Panther was seeking the views of his
+followers on what was the best step to prevent the fugitives from
+reaching the block-house, now that they had escaped the ambuscade that
+had been set for them.</p>
+
+<p>While the ranger held his position he did a deal of thinking. The
+problem that wholly interested him was, as to what could be done to save
+the child, for that she was doomed by her captors, sooner or later, to
+death, he considered as certain as he did his own existence. It simply
+remained to be decided when she should be sacrificed.</p>
+
+<p>Kenton was too much of a veteran to attempt anything rash. Had Mabel
+been an adult, on the alert for something of the kind, possibly he might
+have warned her of his presence without revealing himself to the
+captors, but it would have been fatal folly to try to effect an
+understanding with her.</p>
+
+<p>He asked himself whether he could steal up behind the log, and then, by
+a sudden dash, seize and make off with her. There were a few minutes
+when he was much inclined to make the venture, but the more he reflected
+the more hopeless did the chances of success appear.</p>
+
+<p>He could not run fast in the darkness among the trees, and burdened with
+the care of Mabel, The Panther and half a dozen warriors would be upon
+him by the time he was fairly started, with the absolute result that
+child and would-be rescuer would not live ten minutes.</p>
+
+<p>"There's one thing powerful sartin'," muttered Kenton, keeping his eye
+upon the party, "if they decide that the gal shall be sent under while
+she's setting there on that log, the first move to harm a hair of her
+head means death to him as tries it."</p>
+
+<p>So it would have been. The silent, sinewy figure, standing as rigid and
+motionless as the tree-trunk which sheltered him, let nothing escape
+him. Had The Panther, or any of his warriors, turned toward Mabel
+Ashbridge with hostile intent, he would have fallen forward with a
+bullet through heart or brain before he could have raised his hand to do
+evil.</p>
+
+<p>The night wore along, with more hostiles returning at intervals, and
+still the discussion continued between the chieftain and his warriors.
+It was a puzzle to Kenton why the talk should continue so long, for to
+him there was nothing in the situation to cause much variance of
+opinion.</p>
+
+<p>The ranger was still watching and wondering, when from the gloom of the
+wood another party strode into view, and walked up to the group gathered
+about The Panther, and, as he did so, it would be hard to decide whether
+they or Simon Kenton were filled with the greater amazement over the
+unexpected occurrence.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIV" id="CHAPTER_XXIV"></a>CHAPTER XXIV.</h2>
+
+<h3>THE FORLORN HOPE.</h3>
+
+
+<p>It is useless to dwell upon the grief and consternation of the occupants
+of the flatboat when the discovery was made that little Mabel Ashbridge
+was missing.</p>
+
+<p>The parents and brother, after the first shock, bore the affliction with
+rare courage. By common impulse, they looked to the two persons best
+fitted of all to give counsel and hope, Missionary Finley and Daniel
+Boone.</p>
+
+<p>Young George Ashbridge was the first to speak after the fearful lull
+that followed the cry of the stricken mother. Touching the arm of Boone,
+he asked:</p>
+
+<p>"Can we not work the flatboat back to shore, charge upon the Shawanoes,
+and recover her before they have time to rally?"</p>
+
+<p>"It might do," replied the pioneer, feelingly, "if we had daylight to
+help us, but not while the night lasts. I had a son shot down by the
+varmints just as I was entering Kentucky, and they ran off with a
+daughter of mine, whom I took back from them, but the sarcumstances was
+different from this."</p>
+
+<p>"But we must do something; we cannot go to the block-house and leave the
+dear little one behind. I would give my life to save her."</p>
+
+<p>"So would we all, so would we all," repeated Boone, touched by the
+memory of his own sorrows, "but we must not shut our eyes from seeing
+things as they are."</p>
+
+<p>The youth groaned in anguish and said no more. The hardest thing of all
+was to remain idle while the cherished sister was in her dreadful peril.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll let myself overboard," said the veteran, "swim back, and do what I
+can to help Simon."</p>
+
+<p>"You can give him no help," gently interposed the missionary; "in truth,
+Kenton will do better without than with you."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm of that way of thinking myself," said Boone, "though if Simon was
+expecting me it would be different."</p>
+
+<p>"But he won't expect you; he saw what none else of us saw&mdash;the capture
+of the little one, and will do all that mortal man can do."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't remember whether I told him the camp of The Panther and his
+party is just on t'other side of Rattlesnake Gulch or not."</p>
+
+<p>"Probably you did tell him, but it matters little if you did not; he
+will speedily learn the truth. They are likely to take the child there,
+and she will not arrive in camp much sooner than Kenton will reach the
+vicinity."</p>
+
+<p>The parents were quick to notice that Boone and the missionary spoke as
+if there were little, if any, doubt in their minds that this course
+would be followed.</p>
+
+<p>"Suppose," said Mr. Ashbridge, in a tremulous voice, "she is not spared
+to be taken into camp?"</p>
+
+<p>"We are all in the hands of our Heavenly Father," reverently replied the
+good man, "He doeth all things well, and we must accept His will with
+resignation. If the little one has not been spared, then it is already
+too late for us to give her aid; if she has escaped death, then I
+believe she is in the camp of the Shawanoes."</p>
+
+<p>"And we can steal up and charge upon them," said the brother, to whom
+the inaction was becoming intolerable.</p>
+
+<p>"Such a proceeding would insure her instant death," said Mr. Finley.</p>
+
+<p>"And why? Boone can guide us to the direct spot, so there will be no
+mistake about that, and a quick rally and charge will decide it."</p>
+
+<p>"You forget, George," responded the missionary, in his fatherly way,
+"that though The Panther has established his camp on the other side of
+the gulch, all his warriors are not there; some of them are watching us,
+as best they can, from the shore; by the time we turned about, and long
+before we could reach land, it would be known to The Panther, or the
+ambuscade he formed hours ago would be made as effective as though you
+had all pressed on without halt."</p>
+
+<p>"Boone said a few minutes ago that if we had daylight instead of
+darkness to help us, there would be hope."</p>
+
+<p>"And he is wise, as he always is, for we should have put back at once;
+and doing so, immediately on the heels of our flight, the Shawanoes
+would not have been given time to prepare a surprise for us; it is too
+late now, and the circumstances prevent any attempt of that nature."</p>
+
+<p>"Then we can do nothing at all&mdash;nothing except to wait until Kenton
+makes his report," remarked the father, despairingly.</p>
+
+<p>Instead of replying, the missionary turned to Boone, at his elbow, and
+whispered something. The pioneer answered in the same guarded manner,
+and the conversation, inaudible to others, continued for some minutes.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile two of the rangers kept toiling at the sweeps, so gently that
+it did not interfere with what was said and done by the others, and the
+craft slowly approached the Ohio shore.</p>
+
+<p>Starting up, the missionary looked around and inquired:</p>
+
+<p>"What has become of the canoe Jethro and I brought with us?"</p>
+
+<p>"It floated free during the fight," replied one of the rangers, "and he
+swam after it. I reckon he has reached the other side of the river, and
+is waiting somewhere along the bank."</p>
+
+<p>A general turning of heads and peering in different directions followed,
+but nothing was seen of the missing youth. Several wondered why the
+reverend gentleman should have made the inquiry, when the more momentous
+subject was upon all minds, but he offered no explanation.</p>
+
+<p>The wind that had brought the flatboat to this point on the river, and
+then died out, did not resume its force and direction. It blew gently,
+but veered around from the north, so that its tendency was to drive the
+craft back to the Kentucky shore. It required hard work at the sweeps to
+overcome the momentum, but as the Ohio side was approached the forest
+shut off and so lessened the power of the wind that the boat was forced
+in close to the bank and brought to a standstill, where all could leap
+ashore without difficulty.</p>
+
+<p>And now had the missing child been with them all would have been as
+hopeful as could have been desired. Some seven or eight miles away, and
+on the same side of the river, stood the strong, rugged block-house,
+where the small garrison, under charge of the veteran Captain Bushwick,
+could laugh to scorn the assault of a force ten times as numerous as
+that under the leadership of The Panther.</p>
+
+<p>A distinctly marked trail wound along the northern branch of the Ohio,
+so that it could be readily followed by the fugitives, even without the
+escort of the rangers that had been sent out to their assistance.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Finley gently suggested that the two families should push on to the
+block-house, leaving the others to do what they could for the help of
+the child. Mr. Ashbridge, as quietly but firmly, made answer that
+neither he, his son nor his wife would move a step until the fate of his
+child was determined beyond all doubt. Mr. Altman, his wife and daughter
+Agnes felt the same way, and the good man did not urge his proposal.</p>
+
+<p>"I would probably feel and act the same if I were similarly placed," he
+said, with a touch of sympathy which impressed every one. "You have the
+sorrowful consolation of knowing that the suspense won't last long&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Ship ahoy, dar! Show yo' colors!" came in a sepulchral voice from the
+shadows along shore. All recognized the tones, and before any reply
+could be made Jethro Juggens paddled up against the prow in his canoe.</p>
+
+<p>"Wasn't suah dat war yo' or de heathen," he added, stepping over the
+gunwale and joining his friends, who were all pleased to learn it had
+gone so well with him.</p>
+
+<p>Called upon to explain, he promptly did so in characteristic style:</p>
+
+<p>"While dat little flurry dat didn't 'mount to nuffin' was gwine on 'long
+shore, I seed one ob de heathen tryin' to run off wid de canoe. I wasn't
+gwine to stand nuffin like dat, and I was b'iling mad. So I flopped
+overboard and swam after de boat; de Injin seed me comin' and tried to
+dodge, but I cotched him by de heels and whanged his head agin de canoe;
+den I got in and paddled ashore and waited for yo' folks, and hyar I is,
+and mighty glad to see yo' all."</p>
+
+<p>No one deemed it worth while to contradict this wild yarn, and Jethro
+naturally supposed it was believed.</p>
+
+<p>"Friends," said Mr. Finley, amid the hush that fell upon all, "Mr. Boone
+and I, after talking over the matter, have made a change of plan. I
+shall cross the river to the other side and see what I can do, with the
+help of Heaven, for the little child."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Ashbridge was impelled to question the wisdom of this step, for it
+was hardly to be supposed that a man of peace, whose profession was the
+opposite of those around him, was the best person to attempt the
+perilous task; but, brief as was the acquaintance of all with the
+missionary, he had won their confidence.</p>
+
+<p>Besides, the scheme, whatever it was, had the guarantee of Boone himself
+as to its wisdom, and was therefore beyond cavil.</p>
+
+<p>"God go with you!" was the fervent exclamation of the father, as he took
+the hand of the good man. "Would that I could help."</p>
+
+<p>"Gladly would I take you if I saw any possible aid you could afford, but
+the only aid, friends, that any of you can give me is your prayers."</p>
+
+<p>"You will have them unceasingly," said Mrs. Ashbridge, clinging to the
+hand of the missionary, as if he was her only earthly comforter.</p>
+
+<p>"I dare not tell you to hope for the best," he said, unwilling to awaken
+an expectation that was likely to be followed by bitter disappointment,
+"but I can only add that whatever may come, try to say 'God's will be
+done.' I shall count upon all of you remaining here until definite news
+reaches you."</p>
+
+<p>"Have no fear of our going before that," replied Mr. Altman; "we are
+distressed as deeply as our friends, and can hardly bear the suspense."</p>
+
+<p>As the missionary was stepping over the flatboat into the canoe, George
+Ashbridge caught his arm, and plead in a low, earnest voice:</p>
+
+<p>"I am sure I can be of some help; please take me. I can't stand it to
+remain behind to wait and wait&mdash;not knowing what the tidings will be."</p>
+
+<p>"My dear boy," replied Mr. Finley, laying his hand upon his shoulder,
+"if any one was to go with me it should be you, for none can be more
+capable, but be assured that your company would be a hindrance, as you
+would admit if you knew my plan."</p>
+
+<p>The sorrowing brother still held his arm, but could not speak. The
+missionary gently removed his grasp, and, entering the canoe, paddled
+directly out upon the river. The figure of the boat and occupant quickly
+passed from view, and those who remained behind, though they listened
+intently, could not catch the faintest sound to betray his progress or
+change of direction.</p>
+
+<p>Now that the party left in the flatboat had some leisure on their hands,
+they devoted it to looking after their own wounds, and in taking a
+precaution, which was only ordinary prudence, against surprise. Two of
+the rangers entered the wood, one passing a short distance up and the
+other down stream. Their duty was to guard against surprise from the
+Shawanoes.</p>
+
+<p>It was not to be expected that The Panther and his party, after being
+once repulsed, would accept that as final. They knew the fugitives were
+provided with a strong escort, and were on their way to the block-house.
+Even though they could not be wholly cut off, great damage might be
+inflicted, and more of the intending settlers placed beyond the power of
+invading the hunting grounds of the red men. That they would make the
+attempt was to be set down as one of the certainties of the immediate
+future.</p>
+
+<p>One of the rangers had been killed during the attack and three others
+severely wounded; but when, with the assistance of the women, their
+hurts had been bandaged or attended to, they made light of them,
+insisting that they were as ready for effective service as before.
+Indeed, it was one of the wounded men that threaded his way up the river
+bank to help guard against surprise from their enemies.</p>
+
+<p>Another change of direction was noted in the wind. Beginning by blowing
+directly up stream, it had continued to veer until its course was almost
+directly opposite, so that, had the flatboat ventured out in the current
+with its sail still spread, its progress down stream would have been
+more rapid than ever before.</p>
+
+<p>"Marse George," said Jethro, "whar does dis riber flow?"</p>
+
+<p>Wondering at the meaning of the question, the youth replied, after a
+moment's hesitation:</p>
+
+<p>"It flows into the Mississippi."</p>
+
+<p>"And what becomes ob dat?"</p>
+
+<p>"It empties into the Gulf of Mexico, which joins the Atlantic Ocean."</p>
+
+<p>"And dat runs along de oder side ob Wirginny, I hab heard."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, such is the fact."</p>
+
+<p>"I've an idee; let's put out in de middle ob dis riber, and go scootin'
+down de Massipp to de Gulf ob Mexico, and den up de ocean to Wirginny;
+dar we'll carry de flatboat ober land till we strike de Ohio ag'in, and
+den come down to de block-house from de oder side. It'll be a
+round-about way, but we'll got dar, suah."</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXV" id="CHAPTER_XXV"></a>CHAPTER XXV.</h2>
+
+<h3>FACE TO FACE.</h3>
+
+
+<p>Two white men had set out to do whatever lay in their power to rescue
+little Mabel Ashbridge from the hands of the Shawanoes, and their policy
+was diametrically opposed to each other.</p>
+
+<p>Simon Kenton, it may be said, had but one law&mdash;that of fighting fire
+with fire. Against cunning, woodcraft and daring he would array
+precisely the same weapons. In short, he knew of no other method, and
+would have laughed to scorn any different line of procedure, with the
+single exception of its attempt by the one man who now resorted to it.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Finley, the missionary, knowing the futility of the course laid down
+by Kenton, Boone and those of his calling, determined to go directly
+into the camp of The Panther, and try to induce the fiery chieftain to
+surrender the little girl to her friends.</p>
+
+<p>What task could be more hopeless?</p>
+
+<p>The unquenchable hatred of Wa-on-mon toward all who belonged to the
+Caucasian race has been learned long ago by the reader. He belonged to
+the most untamable of his people, and had proven a continual
+stumbling-block in the path of the missionary. He shut his ears
+resolutely against the pleadings of the good man, and forbade him to
+speak to him of the God who taught gentleness, charity, love and the
+forgiveness of enemies.</p>
+
+<p>And yet, as Finley told Jethro Juggens, he had hunted with The Panther,
+slept in his lodge and trusted his life in his hands many times, and
+under ordinary circumstances would not hesitate to do so again.</p>
+
+<p>But those were periods when comparative peace reigned on the frontier,
+and the missionary, like many others of his sacred calling, found little
+trouble in passing back and forth among the Shawanoes, Wyandots,
+Pottawatomies, Delawares and other tribes. Indeed, many converts were
+gained, as was shown in the case of the Moravian Indians.</p>
+
+<p>When hostilities broke out, however, and the fierce red men daubed their
+faces with paint and rushed upon the war-path, the missionaries were
+wise enough to leave them alone and keep out of the way until the
+tempest had passed.</p>
+
+<p>War was coming again, of that there could be no doubt, and on its
+threshold, at its very opening, Wa-on-mon, the tiger-like chief, known
+even among his own people as The Panther, had been subjected to an
+indignity at the hands of the pale-faces, such as in his life had never
+been put upon him before. He had been flung down, struck repeatedly,
+bound and kept a prisoner for many hours.</p>
+
+<p>Then escaping by the usual weapon of the red man&mdash;treachery&mdash;he had laid
+a cunning ambuscade for the destruction of the large party of pioneers
+and rangers. The scheme had miscarried, and several of the foremost of
+the Shawanoe warriors had fallen before their deadly fire.</p>
+
+<p>The only panacea for this terrific chagrin was the capture of the single
+small child attached to the families of the settlers. She, the tender
+little flower, had been plucked by the merciless chieftain, and none
+knew better than he what sweet revenge could be secured through her upon
+the older ones.</p>
+
+<p>Yes; she was in his power, and it was beyond the ability of any one to
+take her from him.</p>
+
+<p>And lo! at this moment, the man who preached humility and love and
+gentleness and forgiveness of enemies was on the way to the camp of The
+Panther to ask him to return the captive to her friends.</p>
+
+<p>Missionary Finley did not need to be reminded of all this, and it must
+be confessed that he would not have ventured upon the attempt, so utter
+did he consider its hopelessness, but for an extraordinary suggestion
+that Daniel Boone whispered in his ear.</p>
+
+<p>This suggestion foreshadowed a complication, as among the possibilities,
+from which a diversion might be created in favor of little Mabel
+Ashbridge; but the possibility was so remote that the missionary did not
+deem it right to awaken false hopes in the hearts of the parents and
+brother by making known the scheme that had taken shape in the most
+veteran of all pioneers.</p>
+
+<p>Aside from all this was the fearful risk run personally by Finley, in
+thus venturing into the hostile camp while, as may be said, the echoes
+of the rifle shots were still lingering among the trees. The chances
+were that, from The Panther down, there was not one who would not shoot
+the missionary the instant he could draw bead on him.</p>
+
+<p>But this was a feature of the business that gave Finley the least
+concern. It must not be supposed, however, that he was a reckless man,
+who acted on the principle that Providence would take care of him
+without the putting forth of any effort on his part. He was a practical
+believer in the doctrine that God helps them that help themselves.</p>
+
+<p>When he paddled from the side of the flatboat, therefore, in the cause,
+he put forth as much care and skill as Kenton or Boone himself would
+have done.</p>
+
+<p>Glancing over his shoulder, he noted the moment when the dim outline of
+the wooded shore loomed to view. Then, the swinging of his arms ceased
+for a few seconds while he peered off in the gloom and listened. Nothing
+was seen or heard to cause misgiving, or to show that any one had
+detected his approach.</p>
+
+<p>"From what Kenton told me, the Shawanoes have a larger canoe hidden
+somewhere along the bank. It has not yet appeared among these sad
+troubles, but it must have a part to play, and I fear it will be used to
+carry the warriors to the other side that they may hurry my friends on
+their way to the block-house."</p>
+
+<p>He did not cross the river in a direct line, but headed so far up stream
+that his canoe became diagonal. His intention was to strike the shore
+above Rattlesnake Gulch, thus keeping clear, as he hoped, of the canoe
+with the warriors who might be making ready to embark on it. At the same
+time, he was assured that he would thus shorten the path to the
+campfire, where he expected to find The Panther.</p>
+
+<p>Still watching and listening, the missionary edged his way up stream,
+until he had gone as far as he wished, bearing off so that only the
+keenest eye of suspicion would have noticed his presence from the shore.
+Then, turning the prow straight toward land, he sent it skimming, like a
+swallow, over the surface by means of a half-dozen powerful strokes,
+ducking his head as it glided among the overhanging limbs, and its nose
+slid up the bank. He was out of the little craft in a twinkling, and
+drawing it still further so as to hold it secure, he set out, rifle in
+hand, to meet Wa-on-mon, chief of the Shawanoes.</p>
+
+<p>It need not be repeated that the missionary comprehended the danger into
+which he was running, but, aside from the personal intrepidity that
+distinguished him through life, he was controlled and impelled by the
+highest of all motives that can direct the conduct of men&mdash;the desire to
+please God.</p>
+
+<p>Careful meditation over what had taken place convinced him that it was
+his duty to enter the camp of the hostiles; and, with that conviction,
+ended everything in the nature of hesitation.</p>
+
+<p>Having landed, it remained for him to find The Panther. There might be
+some persons, in the place of the reverend gentleman, who would have
+conceived it the proper thing to enter the hostile camp without carrying
+anything in the nature of a weapon; it may be said, indeed, that his
+errand was in the nature of a flag of truce, in which that course was
+demanded.</p>
+
+<p>But Mr. Finley understood too well the nature of the people with whom he
+was dealing to attempt anything of that nature. Such sentimentality
+would be wasted. Besides he conceived it to be quite likely that he
+might be called upon to defend himself, in which event the gun would
+come in "mighty handy."</p>
+
+<p>Engaged on the business described, the messenger did not add to his
+peril by trying to steal noiselessly up to camp, though the act might
+have been possible.</p>
+
+<p>"I must advance openly," was his thought, "when near the camp, and it is
+better I should do so from the first."</p>
+
+<p>It was hard work picking his course through the dense and tangled
+undergrowth, but, quite confident of the right direction to take, he
+pushed on until the gleam of a light apprised him that no mistake had
+been made.</p>
+
+<p>And then, when within sight of The Panther and his ferocious party, and
+half suspecting he was already under the eye of some dusky sentinel, the
+missionary came to a halt, and, kneeling in the solemn depths of the
+woods, spent several minutes in prayer.</p>
+
+<p>The sound of a rustling near him did not hasten the end of his
+devotions. When he had asked his Heavenly Father for all that was in his
+mind, he rose to his feet and resumed his advance upon the camp.</p>
+
+<p>He knew he was followed, and that every step was watched, and it was
+then that his own manner of procedure saved him. The Shawanoe must have
+reasoned that no scout or person with hostile purpose would act thus
+recklessly, and, though the dusky sentinel followed and watched his
+course until the messenger came within the circle of firelight, yet no
+harm was offered him.</p>
+
+<p>Probably, by that time the Indian recognized the visitor as the white
+man with such strange views, and so different in his words and conduct
+from most of those of his race. If so, he must have wondered at the
+temerity of the individual in entering the camp of The Panther at so
+critical a time.</p>
+
+<p>While yet some rods distant the missionary recognized the chieftain,
+standing among his group of warriors, in excited conversation. The back
+of Wa-on-mon was toward him, so that he did not observe the white man;
+but he was quick to note the looks in the faces of the others, and the
+general turning of eyes in one direction. The chief also wheeled, and,
+to his astonishment, saw the man of God approaching him.</p>
+
+<p>There was no mistaking the expression that overspread the painted
+countenance of The Panther. He was angered at this intrusion of a white
+man into his council of war, as it may be called. A muttered exclamation
+escaped him, which those near interpreted as an utterance of impatience
+that the visitor had been permitted to come even thus far. He must have
+been identified long before, and, in accordance with Indian custom,
+should have been shot or cut down ere he could disturb the chieftain and
+his cabinet.</p>
+
+<p>But here he was, showing no more hesitation than had marked his course
+from the moment he left the side of the flatboat.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Finley, clad in his partly civilized costume, and with his gun
+grasped in his left hand, walked forward, neither timidly nor with an
+assumption of confidence it was impossible for him to feel. He was not
+only too well aware of the situation himself, but knew the Shawanoes
+could not be deceived by any such pretence on his part.</p>
+
+<p>Wa-on-mon had leaned his rifle against the fallen tree upon which the
+three warriors were sitting when he first came up, so that he stood with
+arms folded and in an attitude of natural and unconscious grace,
+glancing from one painted countenance to another, as he asked a question
+or listened to whatever they chose to say to him.</p>
+
+<p>It was evident that these were the most trusted of his warriors, for
+while the consultation was going on, no one ventured near. They may be
+considered as making up the chieftain's cabinet, and when they were in
+session all other business had to wait.</p>
+
+<p>The missionary was quick to note the expression on the face of the
+terrible Wa-on-mon. He had seen a look there not so long before which
+told more plainly than words that he was welcome, but that time had
+passed.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Finley advanced with the same dignified step to the chief, and,
+making a half-military salute, said in Shawanoe:</p>
+
+<p>"I greet my brother Wa-on-mon, in whose lodge I have slept in safety
+when there was no other place to lay my head."</p>
+
+<p>As he spoke he extended his hand, but The Panther, with his serpent eyes
+fixed upon the face of his visitor, made no motion to unfold his arms.
+He continued to scowl, and his lips remained mute.</p>
+
+<p>This was embarrassing to a certain extent, though the missionary knew
+the cause. He continued, in the same gentle persuasive voice.</p>
+
+<p>"Why does Wa-on-mon frown when he looks upon his pale-faced brother&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"He is not my brother," interrupted The Panther, with a scowl and look
+of indescribable fierceness. "He is a dog, and he shall die!"</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXVI" id="CHAPTER_XXVI"></a>CHAPTER XXVI.</h2>
+
+<h3>IN THE LION'S DEN.</h3>
+
+
+<p>The Panther was in the ugliest mood conceivable. Missionary Finley was
+well aware of this before approaching and addressing him. Consequently,
+when the chieftain called him a dog and declared he should die, the good
+man was neither silenced nor overthrown, though it would be untrue to
+say he was not alarmed for his own safety, but he had counted the cost
+before making the venture.</p>
+
+<p>"Wa-on-mon did not always look upon the missionary as a dog," he said,
+with gentle dignity; "he once called him brother."</p>
+
+<p>"It was because he spoke with a single tongue and was the friend of the
+red man," The Panther made haste to say, with no abatement in the
+ferocity of expression or manner.</p>
+
+<p>"The missionary always speaks with a single tongue, and he will be the
+friend of the red man as long as he lives."</p>
+
+<p>If possible, the wrath of voice and action became more venomous on the
+part of The Panther. He unfolded his arms, so as to give facility of
+gesture, and with one step forward placed himself so near the white man
+that the two could have embraced each other with little change of
+position. Then he bent his hideous countenance until the gleaming eyes,
+the dangling hair, the white teeth and the painted features were almost
+against the mild, beneficent face, which did not shrink or show the
+slightest change of looks.</p>
+
+<p>One of the warriors then threw additional wood on the fire, and the
+blaze of light lit up the scene as if at noon-day. The Shawanoes
+instinctively drew back, so as to leave the principal figures not only
+in prominent view, but apart from the others. No one presumed to take
+any part in the disputation, but in the stillness and general hush the
+words of both were audible to every warrior present.</p>
+
+<p>Little Mabel Ashbridge was perplexed and uncertain what she ought to say
+or do, if indeed, she could say or do anything. She did not recognize
+the white man who suddenly appeared and addressed the dreadful Indian in
+a tongue she could not understand, for it will be remembered that,
+although the missionary had joined the company of fugitives some time
+before, she saw his countenance for the first time when it reflected the
+glow of the firelight.</p>
+
+<p>Had Finley given her one encouraging word, or even look, she would have
+rushed to his arms and begged him to take her to her parents and
+brother. This would have been a dangerous diversion, and, dreading it,
+the missionary carefully acted as though he had no knowledge of her
+presence, but she was in his field of vision, and while talking with the
+savage chieftain he knew the child, mute and wondering, was seated on
+the log and intently watching both.</p>
+
+<p>As The Panther stepped forward in the manner described, and thrust his
+baleful countenance into that of the white man, he said, with atrocious
+fierceness:</p>
+
+<p>"The missionary lies; he has the forked tongue of the serpent, and like
+all the pale-faces, he is the enemy of the red man."</p>
+
+<p>"But Wa-on-mon once said he was the friend of the missionary; why does
+he say now that he is an enemy?"</p>
+
+<p>"Did he not fight against the Shawanoes this night? Did he not help the
+pale face dogs to flee across the river in the boat?"</p>
+
+<p>These questions were expected by Finley, and his tact, delicacy and
+skill were tested to the utmost in meeting them. Following the practice
+of The Panther, he continued referring to himself in the third person.</p>
+
+<p>"The missionary gives his days and nights to help those that are in need
+of help, and he does not ask whether their color is white or black or
+red. He was on his way to visit the red men that Wa-on-mon once said
+were the brothers of the missionary, when he came upon some of his own
+people who were in sore distress. He did what he could to help them, and
+then left to speak to Wa-on-mon."</p>
+
+<p>"And why does he wish to speak to Wa-on-mon?"</p>
+
+<p>It was a subtle question. The cunning Indian suspected the errand of the
+good man, but its avowal at this juncture would have been fatal; it must
+be parried.</p>
+
+<p>"When the missionary last entered the lodge of Wa-on-mon, he did not ask
+him why he wished to speak to him, but gave him welcome. Wa-on-mon now
+speaks in another way."</p>
+
+<p>"Because the missionary does not seek Wa-on-mon for himself, but for
+another; the missionary's heart is not red, but is white."</p>
+
+<p>"It is red and white, for it loves the white man and the red man. The
+heart of Wa-on-mon is red, and he therefore loves his people. Should not
+the missionary feel thus toward those whom the Great Spirit is pleased
+to make white?"</p>
+
+<p>"The Indian is the child of the Great Spirit; the pale-face is the child
+of the evil spirit; these are the hunting grounds of the red man, and
+the pale-face has no right here."</p>
+
+<p>It was the same old plea which Finley had heard from the first day he
+held converse with a member of the American race, and which he knew
+would be dinned into his ears to the very end, but he never listened to
+it with impatience.</p>
+
+<p>"The hunting grounds are broad and long, the streams are deep and full
+of fish, the woods abound with game, there is room for the red men and
+pale-faces to live beside each other."</p>
+
+<p>"But they can never live beside each other!" exclaimed The Panther, with
+a deadlier flash of the eye; "the pale-faces are dogs; they steal the
+hunting grounds from the Indians; they rob and cheat them; they shoot
+our warriors and then call us brothers!"</p>
+
+<p>No words can picture the scorn which the chieftain threw into these
+expressions. He flung his head back with an upward graceful swing of the
+arms, which added immense force to his declaration. It was an
+unconscious but a fine dramatic effect.</p>
+
+<p>The chief difficulty in a "pow-wow" of this nature was that the balance
+of argument was invariably on the side of the Indian. The white men had
+invaded the hunting grounds of the aborigines. The French and Indian war
+was a prodigious struggle between the two rival nations of Europe as to
+which should own those hunting grounds; neither thought or cared for the
+rights of the red man; they had never done so.</p>
+
+<p>The history of the settlement of this country, as has been said, is
+simply a history of violence, wrong, fraud, rapine, injustice,
+persecution, and crime on the part of the Caucasian against the
+American, relieved now and then, at remote periods, by such wise and
+beneficent acts as the Quaker treaty under the old tree at Shackamaxon,
+and stained with the hue of hell by such crimes as the massacre of the
+Moravian Indians, the capture of the Seminole chieftain Osceola under a
+flag of truce, the slaughter in later days of Colonel Chivington, and
+innumerable other instances of barbarity never surpassed by the most
+ferocious savages of the dark continent.</p>
+
+<p>"Many of the pale-faces are evil," said the missionary. "The words of
+Wa-on-mon are true of a great number, I am sorry to say, but they are
+not true of all."</p>
+
+<p>"They are true of all. They are true of the missionary."</p>
+
+<p>The firelight showed a deeper flush that sprang to the face of the good
+man, who was not, and never could be, fully freed of much of the old
+Adam that lingered in his nature. His impulse was strong to smite the
+chieftain to the earth for his deadly insult, but Finley always held
+such promptings well in hand, and the duskier hue on each health-tinted
+cheek was the only evidence that his feelings had been stirred. His
+voice was as low and softly modulated as a woman's. He folded both arms
+over the muzzle of his rifle, whose stock rested on the leaves at his
+feet, and remained calmly confronting the savage chieftain, who more
+than once seemed ready to snatch out his knife and drive it into the
+heart of the man of God.</p>
+
+<p>"The eyes of Wa-on-mon are not in the sunlight; the smoke is in them;
+when the sun drives away the smoke he will see the missionary as he saw
+him when they hunted the deer and buffalo and bear together, and when
+they helped the Wyandot, Kush-la-ka, to his wigwam."</p>
+
+<p>This allusion was to an incident only a few months old. Kush-la-ka was
+almost mortally wounded in a death struggle with an immense bear, and
+would have perished had not The Panther and Finley looked after him and
+helped him to his own home.</p>
+
+<p>The good man hoped the recall of the occurrence would stir a responsive
+chord in the heart of the chieftain, and open the way for uttering the
+prayer which he had not yet dared to hint; but the failure was absolute;
+the mood of The Panther was too sullen, too revengeful, too deeply
+stirred by the memory of recent wrongs for it to be amenable (as it
+occasionally had been) to gentle influences. He persisted in regarding
+the missionary as a presumptuous and execrated enemy.</p>
+
+<p>"Wa-on-mon is on the war-path," he fairly hissed; "he is the enemy of
+all the pale faces."</p>
+
+<p>"Wa-on-mon is a great chieftain; the heart of the missionary is grieved.
+Wa-on-mon speaks as he feels, and the missionary will dispute him no
+more."</p>
+
+<p>This abrupt collapse, as it may be termed, of the visitor was unexpected
+by the Shawanoe. It was a masterful stroke, and produced an immediate
+effect, though so slight in its nature that a man less observant than
+Finley would have failed to perceive it.</p>
+
+<p>"Why does the missionary come to the camp of Wa-on-mon when more than
+one of the Shawanoes have fallen by the rifles of the pale-faces?"</p>
+
+<p>"And the rifles of the Shawanoes have done grievous harm among the
+pale-faces?"</p>
+
+<p>"The heart of Wa-on-mon rejoices to learn that!" exclaimed the
+chieftain; "how many of them have fallen?"</p>
+
+<p>"There is mourning among my people; one of them fell dead at my side,
+and others are grievously hurt."</p>
+
+<p>"There shall be more mourning, for not one of them shall be spared to
+reach the block-house! They shall all be cut off."</p>
+
+<p>"The will of the Great Spirit shall be done."</p>
+
+<p>"And why does the missionary come to the camp of Wa-on-mon? He has been
+asked the question before."</p>
+
+<p>"And has answered," Finley was quick to say, hesitating to avow the
+whole truth, even though it was evident it was known from the first to
+the chieftain.</p>
+
+<p>"Cannot the missionary speak with a single tongue? Does he come to seek
+Wa-on-mon alone?"</p>
+
+<p>"No," was the prompt response.</p>
+
+<p>"Who comes he to see?"</p>
+
+<p>"The little captive in the hands of Wa-on-mon."</p>
+
+<p>"She is there," said the chief, pointing to the fallen tree upon which
+little Mabel sat; "he can see her; he may speak to her."</p>
+
+<p>"The missionary thanks Wa-on-mon&mdash;may he call him his brother?"</p>
+
+<p>"No," was the sharp response, "the missionary and Wa-on-mon were once
+brothers, but they are so no longer."</p>
+
+<p>"The missionary thanks Wa-on-mon, but he is not, as yet, ready to talk
+to the suffering little one."</p>
+
+<p>"Little time remains to do so; she dies at sunrise."</p>
+
+<p>"That is several hours distant; in the meanwhile, the missionary would
+speak to Wa-on-mon of the child."</p>
+
+<p>"What does he wish to say?"</p>
+
+<p>"He has a prayer to make."</p>
+
+<p>"What is the prayer?" asked the chief, well aware what it was.</p>
+
+<p>"Wa-on-mon has two little ones, a warrior and a sweet girl. The
+missionary has played and talked with them and held them on his knee;
+does Wa-on-mon believe that the missionary would not risk his life to
+save them from harm?"</p>
+
+<p>Finley paused, but there was no response. The way had been opened at
+last, and it was too late now to turn back. He must press forward to the
+final solution, no matter what that should prove to be, but all the
+signs were ominous of the worst.</p>
+
+<p>The question was anything but pleasing to the chieftain. He was silent a
+minute, and replied by means of a pointed question himself:</p>
+
+<p>"Is the child on the tree the child of the missionary?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, but she is the daughter of a friend; she is not a warrior who fires
+a gun at the Shawanoes of Wa-on-mon; she has harmed none of them."</p>
+
+<p>"But her parents did; to harm her will hurt them more than will a bullet
+fired from the gun of the chieftain; therefore, Wa-on-mon will kill
+her."</p>
+
+<p>"Let Wa-on-mon listen to the good spirit that whispers in his ears; let
+him show the same kindness to the prisoner that the missionary will show
+to the pappoose of the great chieftain; that the father of the captive
+would show to the children of Wa-on-mon if the Great Spirit gave them to
+him."</p>
+
+<p>"The missionary speaks with a double tongue; he lies; he is a dog, and
+he must say such words no more!" broke in The Panther, with a voice, a
+manner, and a glare that showed his patience was exhausted. "The
+missionary deserves the death of a dog, but he may go back to his
+people; he cannot take the child with him; she shall die when the sun
+rises."</p>
+
+<p>"If the missionary cannot take the child of his friend with him then he
+will not go back to him."</p>
+
+<p>"If he stays till the sun shows itself above the woods then he shall
+die."</p>
+
+<p>Finley saw it would not do to hesitate longer. The moment had come for
+him to fall back on the last and only recourse left, and much as he
+regretted the act (for it was at variance with his principles), he now
+made it promptly and with a skill, a cunning and a delicacy that could
+not be excelled.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXVII" id="CHAPTER_XXVII"></a>CHAPTER XXVII.</h2>
+
+<h3>THE LAST RECOURSE.</h3>
+
+
+<p>The night was well along when Missionary Finley determined to appeal to
+his last recourse for saving the life of little Mabel Ashbridge.</p>
+
+<p>In unnumbered ways the Shawanoes showed that stoicism and indifference
+which they take pains to display when in the presence of strangers,
+though not always among themselves. A number lolled on the ground, some
+were standing, and two had sat down on the fallen tree. Another took
+upon himself the duty of keeping the fire vigorously burning. From time
+to time he walked off among the trees, and came back with sticks and
+brush in his arms, which were flung on the flames. Although the air was
+colder than on the preceding night, the additional warmth was not
+needed; it was simply the light that was required.</p>
+
+<p>The action of all these Shawanoes was as if their chieftain and his
+white visitor were one hundred miles distant. None approached, addressed
+or seemed to hear a word that passed, though in the stillness many of
+their words, especially those uttered by the chieftain, were audible to
+the farthest point of the camp.</p>
+
+<p>The observant eye of Finley told him a significant fact. Allowing for
+those that had fallen in the attack upon the flatboat, fully half a
+dozen of the warriors were absent. They were watching the movements of
+the whites who had crossed the river, and would soon report to The
+Panther.</p>
+
+<p>The absence of these warriors, we say, was suggestive, but caused the
+missionary no concern. With the pioneers were Daniel Boone and his
+rangers, while Simon Kenton was somewhere between the hostile forces.
+After the late escape of the party from The Panther and his men, no
+great fear was to be entertained of them.</p>
+
+<p>Mabel Ashbridge, wondering, distressed and sorrowful, sat on the fallen
+tree, now and then looking around the camp and following the movements
+of the painted men as they passed to and fro, some of them occasionally
+glancing toward her with a scowl and gleam of the black eyes, which
+terrified her, but most of the time her gaze rested upon the chieftain
+and white man talking near her.</p>
+
+<p>How odd their words sounded! She could hear everything said, and yet it
+was in another language, and seemed as if they were mumbling over
+gibberish, like a couple of children for their own amusement, except
+that the chief most of the time acted as though he was angry at the
+white man, who looked so pleasant and kind that she was sure he must
+have a little girl at home.</p>
+
+<p>But strange, novel and exciting as all this seemed, it soon became
+monotonous to her. Unable to learn of its meaning, she became drowsy,
+and, leaning over and laying her head on the log beside her, she closed
+her eyes in slumber.</p>
+
+<p>Thus matters stood when the missionary said:</p>
+
+<p>"The white and red children of the Great Spirit, I fear, will always
+fight each other. The missionary has tried to make them live in peace,
+but he can do nothing. The Shawanoes have made captive a little girl
+over whose head only the moons of a pappoose have passed. A few hours
+ago the pale-faces made captive the great chieftain Wa-on-mon, but the
+white hunter let him go free."</p>
+
+<p>The Panther was about to interrupt angrily, when the missionary
+continued, with the same calm evenness of voice:</p>
+
+<p>"The white hunter did not set Wa-on-mon free because he loved him, but
+rather because he hated him. He wished to meet him in combat; but when
+he went to the place where Wa-on-mon promised to meet him, the chieftain
+was not there. The great Wa-on-mon was not afraid of the white man;
+therefore, he must have made a mistake and gone elsewhere."</p>
+
+<p>"Wa-on-mon made haste to meet his warriors, that he might lead them
+against the pale-faces and slay them all."</p>
+
+<p>"He lost more braves than did the pale-faces, but the white hunter must
+not think the mighty Wa-on-mon is afraid of him."</p>
+
+<p>The remark was as near an untruth as the conscience of the good man
+would permit him to go. No one, not even Simon Kenton, suspected The
+Panther was afraid to meet any white man that lived in a personal
+encounter. But the statement hit the chieftain in the most sensitive
+spot.</p>
+
+<p>"Does the white hunter think Wa-on-mon is afraid to meet him in the
+depths of the wood, where no eye but that of the Great Spirit shall see
+them?"</p>
+
+<p>"How can he help thinking so when Wa-on-mon agrees to meet him, and the
+white hunter goes to the spot, and waits for Wa-on-mon, who does not
+come?"</p>
+
+<p>"But Wa-on-mon has told the missionary the reason," said The Panther,
+with a threatening movement and flash of his eyes.</p>
+
+<p>"Wa-on-mon has not told the white hunter," returned the unruffled
+Finley.</p>
+
+<p>"The missionary can tell him."</p>
+
+<p>"And he will do so, but what shall he tell the white hunter when he asks
+whether Wa-on-mon will meet him again and prove he is not afraid?"</p>
+
+<p>"Tell the white hunter that Wa-on-mon will meet him!" exclaimed The
+Panther, with a concentrated fury of voice and manner surpassing that
+which he had yet shown. He placed his hand threateningly upon his knife,
+as though in his wrath he would bury it in the body of the good man as a
+means of relief for the cyclone of hate that was aroused by his words.</p>
+
+<p>It was the precise point for which Missionary Finley had been playing.
+The preliminary conversation had been aimed to bring The Panther to see
+that the only way he could save himself from the charge of cowardice was
+by meeting Kenton in mortal combat. Such an issue, in which one of the
+contestants must fall, was extremely distasteful to the man of peace.
+There could be only one combination of circumstances that would justify,
+in his judgment, that supreme test; that combination now existed.</p>
+
+<p>With the skill of a trained diplomat, with his perfect knowledge of the
+Indian character, Finley kept matters moving.</p>
+
+<p>"It will delight the heart of the white hunter to meet Wa-on-mon, as
+they were to meet only yesterday, and I know it will make glad the heart
+of Wa-on-mon to meet the white hunter in the woods, where no one can see
+them. Shall I tell the white hunter that these are the words of
+Wa-on-mon?"</p>
+
+<p>"They are Wa-on-mon's words; he will meet the white hunter."</p>
+
+<p>This was all well enough, and the negotiation was progressing
+satisfactorily; but the most delicate work yet remained to be done.</p>
+
+<p>The arrangements for the encounter were yet to be completed, and, above
+all, the stake must be fixed, or, no matter what the issue, everything
+would come to naught.</p>
+
+<p>"The white hunter and my brother, the great and mighty Wa-on-mon, cannot
+meet in the darkness of the wood, for when they meet they must see each
+others' faces."</p>
+
+<p>It was the first time the missionary had ventured to speak of the
+chieftain as his brother since he was angrily forbidden to do so. He
+made no objection in the present instance, though possibly it was due to
+his mental excitement that he did not notice it.</p>
+
+<p>"They shall meet when the sun rises over the tree-tops; Wa-on-mon will
+be there and await the white hunter, if he does not run away."</p>
+
+<p>"The white hunter will not run away," quietly remarked the missionary,
+refraining from making the stinging retort that rose to his lips; "but
+my brother, the mighty Wa-on-mon, is wise, let him say how he and the
+white hunter shall meet, and the missionary will see that it is done."</p>
+
+<p>Before the chieftain could formulate a scheme, the shrewd Finley was
+ready with that which he had formed while crossing the river in the
+canoe.</p>
+
+<p>"Let Wa-on-mon go to the rock that lies yonder," he said, pointing up
+the stream, "it is but a small way beyond this camp; the rock is only
+the size of a canoe, and it is hardly above the surface of the water;
+does my brother know it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Wa-on-mon knows where his brother, the missionary, means," replied the
+chieftain, thrilling the good man by the term used.</p>
+
+<p>"Will he be there when the sun appears above the tree-tops?"</p>
+
+<p>"Wa-on-mon will be there, armed only with his knife."</p>
+
+<p>"It shall be the same with the white hunter."</p>
+
+<p>But the sagacious Panther saw the difficulties that still confronted
+them. His "brother" had clinched the confidence the chieftain held in
+him by his selection of the battle-ground for the Kentucky side of the
+Ohio, not far from the Shawanoe camp. This reduced, as far as possible,
+the chances of treachery by the white men, and conceded a most important
+point to those with whom treachery has always been a cardinal virtue.</p>
+
+<p>"The missionary will see that the white hunter is by the rocks when it
+begins to grow light in the east."</p>
+
+<p>"Then what will the missionary do?"</p>
+
+<p>"He will come back to the camp of Wa-on-mon and await his return."</p>
+
+<p>Had he expressed his wishes he would have added the words, "hoping he
+will never come back again," but he was too wise to say anything of that
+nature.</p>
+
+<p>"Wa-on-mon will not keep him waiting long," was the confident
+declaration of the Shawanoe.</p>
+
+<p>"And when he returns?"</p>
+
+<p>"Then my brother, the missionary, shall go free."</p>
+
+<p>"And the little one asleep there?"</p>
+
+<p>"She dies."</p>
+
+<p>"Wa-on-mon will not return until the white hunter has fallen before his
+knife."</p>
+
+<p>"No; but that will not be long."</p>
+
+<p>"Suppose Wa-on-mon does not come back?" remarked Finley, in a
+matter-of-fact, off-hand manner, but it was the crucial point of the
+whole matter.</p>
+
+<p>"He will come back," was the response of the chieftain.</p>
+
+<p>"Does he think the white hunter will spare him? No," added the
+missionary, answering his own question. "But suppose my brother, the
+mighty Wa-on-mon, does not come back?"</p>
+
+<p>"Then my brother, the missionary, shall go back to his people."</p>
+
+<p>"But that is the promise my brother gave before; will he not say that if
+Wa-on-mon does not come back, the missionary shall return to his people
+and take the little captive with him?"</p>
+
+<p>"Wa-on-mon gives his brother that pledge; he has spoken."</p>
+
+<p>It was settled! The scheme that had been in the mind of the good man
+from the moment he paddled away from the flatboat was fully assented to
+by The Panther. If the latter overcame Simon Kenton in the hand-to-hand
+encounter, he would return to camp and put innocent Mabel Ashbridge to
+death.</p>
+
+<p>If, on the other hand, the ranger overcame The Panther, or the latter
+was seen no more among his warriors, then the missionary was at liberty
+to take the tiny hand within his own, and make his way back to her
+friends without let or hindrance from the Shawanoes.</p>
+
+<p>In other words, the life of the child was the stake at issue.</p>
+
+<p>"Let my brother make known his wishes to his braves," said the
+missionary, losing no time in following up the advantage he had gained.</p>
+
+<p>As if aware for the first time of the presence of his people around him,
+The Panther now beckoned to several to approach. They did so with a
+prompt readiness which suggested a camp of highly-disciplined soldiers.
+The chief explained what had been agreed upon, and made his orders so
+explicit that there could be no misconception on the part of any one.
+Finley watched closely while he listened, and saw that in this matter at
+least all was above board. The chieftain's self-confidence was so
+ingrained and deeply set that he could not doubt his own triumph.</p>
+
+<p>But he astounded Rev. Mr. Finley by an unprecedented proof of faith in
+his honor.</p>
+
+<p>The combat was to take place as near sunrise as could be arranged. As it
+was impossible to say beforehand precisely when The Panther would be due
+in camp, it was his order that the decision of the question should be
+left wholly with the missionary.</p>
+
+<p>When he should declare to the leading Shawanoes that the time that had
+elapsed was so great that it was certain Wa-on-mon had been overthrown
+and would not come back to his warriors, then the missionary was free to
+take the little captive by the hand and walk away, and no one should say
+them nay.</p>
+
+<p>It was an unprecedented compliment in respect to the integrity and honor
+of the good man; but, oh, what a temptation, when it promised to settle
+the question of life and death for the precious child!</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXVIII" id="CHAPTER_XXVIII"></a>CHAPTER XXVIII.</h2>
+
+<h3>THE RETURN.</h3>
+
+
+<p>The interview between Missionary Finley and the Shawanoe chieftain had
+been prolonged; it was of the first importance. Many things that this
+narrative does not require should be recorded passed between them, and
+the hour was far advanced when the decision was reached; it was agreed
+that the life of the little captive, Mabel Ashbridge, should be
+determined by the result of the duel to the death between Simon Kenton
+and Wa-on-mon, known as The Panther.</p>
+
+<p>Aware as was the missionary of the departure of the ranger at the moment
+the flatboat was pushing from the Kentucky shore, he knew his course of
+action as well as if he had watched his every movement.</p>
+
+<p>"Throughout the whole interview he had scarcely removed his eyes from
+Wa-on-mon and me," was the conclusion of Finley, and he was right.</p>
+
+<p>"I will now go in search of the white hunter," he said, slightly
+modifying his manner of speaking; "I shall soon find him, and he will be
+at the rock."</p>
+
+<p>"And when the sun rises he will find Wa-on-mon awaiting him there," said
+the chieftain.</p>
+
+<p>Waving his hand in a half-military fashion, as a salute not only to the
+chief but to the leading Shawanoes, Finley turned about and walked away
+in the forest.</p>
+
+<p>He felt an almost irresistible yearning to go over to Mabel Ashbridge
+and utter a few comforting words in her ear; but her own welfare
+prevented anything of that nature. Besides, she had laid her weary head
+down upon the bark and was sleeping as soundly as if resting on her
+mother's bosom.</p>
+
+<p>After leaving the Shawanoe camp, the missionary directed his steps
+toward the Ohio, where he had left his canoe. There was no call for
+secrecy in his movements, and he tramped through the bushes and
+undergrowth as a countryman would have done had he held no suspicion of
+danger. If he excelled in any direction, it was in making more of a
+racket than such a countryman.</p>
+
+<p>As he anticipated, he had not gone far when a familiar signal arrested
+him. He instantly paused, and the next moment Simon Kenton was at his
+side.</p>
+
+<p>"I seed you and The Panther talkin'," remarked the ranger, "and it
+struck me powerful hard that the varmint was saying something that must
+be of interest to me."</p>
+
+<p>"I was confident you were lurking among the trees not far off, and since
+Wa-on-mon sometimes spoke pretty loud, I fancied you would catch the
+drift of our conversation."</p>
+
+<p>"I couldn't catch 'nough to do that, but I am interested in it."</p>
+
+<p>"No one can be more so; I left the camp to hunt for you; do you know of
+that rock which lies just above the gulch, on this side of the river? It
+is a small flat rock, rising only a few inches above the water."</p>
+
+<p>"I know the spot as well as I do the one where the block-house stands."</p>
+
+<p>"Wa-on-mon has pledged himself to be there when the sun rises, and I
+have given him my pledge that you will not be behind him."</p>
+
+<p>"I'll be there!" said Kenton in a low voice, and with a deliberation
+that made his earnestness the more impressive. "It's the chance I've
+been huntin' for years."</p>
+
+<p>"The agreement is that each of you is to be armed only with his knife.
+No one is to be present&mdash;not even myself. If Wa-on-mon wins by slaying
+you, then Mr. Ashbridge's little child must die."</p>
+
+<p>"And if I win?"</p>
+
+<p>"I am to take her back to her parents unharmed."</p>
+
+<p>"You've said 'nough, parson; I'll be there."</p>
+
+<p>The missionary did not know whether to accept it as a good or bad omen
+that Kenton, contrary to The Panther, and contrary to his own habit,
+made no boast of what he would do upon meeting the chieftain.</p>
+
+<p>"No danger of his flunking, I hope, parson?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not the slightest; but, Simon, may I say one word?"</p>
+
+<p>"You may say a thousand."</p>
+
+<p>"I have arranged for two persons to meet in deadly combat. There is
+something dreadfully shocking in the idea, and in some respects it is
+most distressing to me&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"It ain't to me," interrupted Kenton, with a chuckle; "all I'm afeered
+of is that the varmint may find some excuse not to meet me."</p>
+
+<p>"I have assured you that there is no cause for any such fear. What it
+has been in my mind to say is that when you do meet, remember that a
+truly brave man is merciful."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't understand you, parson."</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps it is better that I shall not attempt to explain, but, if
+possible, remember my words."</p>
+
+<p>"I think that to make sartin there's no slip on my part, I'll go to the
+rock now."</p>
+
+<p>"I'll go with you."</p>
+
+<p>It was a brief walk to the place fixed upon for the meeting, and both
+were so familiar with the ground, or rather the shore of the river (for
+it has been explained that the missionary knew little about Rattlesnake
+Gulch itself), that it required only a few minutes for them to proceed
+directly to the place.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll leave you here and return to Wa-on-mon," said Finley; "God be with
+you, and, if you can, remember what I said just now."</p>
+
+<p>Kenton returned his salutation, and without further words they
+separated.</p>
+
+<p>On his return to the Shawanoe camp the good man used extreme caution for
+a time, as though fearful of being detected by some of the warriors whom
+he was seeking. When certain at last that no human eye saw him, he knelt
+in the midst of the solemn wood, and poured out his soul in prayer to
+the only One who could aid him in his dire perplexity. He spent a long
+time alone and in communion with his Maker, and then, much strengthened
+in spirit, he pressed forward with the same openness as before, until
+once more he stood in the Shawanoe camp.</p>
+
+<p>Little change had taken place during his absence. Instead of most of the
+warriors walking about all were seated&mdash;some sleeping, but the majority
+awake and talking with each other.</p>
+
+<p>Little Mabel was still unconscious, but instead of reclining on the log
+she lay on the leaves close to the fallen tree, one chubby arm doubled
+under her cheek, her slumber as sweet and restful as if in her
+trundle-bed at home.</p>
+
+<p>Since it was not reasonable to think the little one had made this change
+of position herself, it must have been done by one of the Shawanoes. An
+odd suspicion came to the missionary that it had been done by The
+Panther, but he deemed it unwise to inquire, so the truth was never
+known.</p>
+
+<p>But nothing escaped the eye of Finley. He noticed the chieftain sitting
+apart talking with four warriors, and two of them were not in the camp
+when the missionary left it. They had come in while he was away. Most
+likely they were scouts that had been watching the movements of the
+pioneers on the other side of the river. It was fortunate if it was so,
+for they must have brought news that the fugitives had ceased any effort
+to reach the block-house, and were quietly waiting until the missionary
+or Kenton, or both, had returned with their tidings.</p>
+
+<p>Finley endeavored to approach near enough to the group to catch
+something that was said, but the chief and his warriors were too cunning
+to permit this. Not wishing to interrupt, he seated himself on the
+fallen tree to wait until Wa-on-mon was ready to talk to him.</p>
+
+<p>The chief did not keep him waiting. Leaving the warriors, he came over
+and sat down beside him, the moccasins of the savage so close to the
+curly head that a motion of a few inches would have touched it with his
+toe.</p>
+
+<p>The Panther did not glance at the little sleeper, and it would be
+unwarrantable to suppose that any feeling akin to pity glowed within
+that sinister breast, which burned and seethed with a quenchless hatred
+of the people that were trying to drive the red men from their hunting
+grounds. Nevertheless, Missionary Finley clung to the belief that it was
+Wa-on-mon that had lifted the child from her hard seat on the log and
+deposited her so gently upon the leaves that her slumber was not
+disturbed.</p>
+
+<p>"Has my brother seen the white hunter?" asked Wa-on-mon, speaking in a
+much lower tone than was used in the former interview.</p>
+
+<p>"He parted with him a short time ago."</p>
+
+<p>"Is his heart glad that Wa-on-mon will meet him?"</p>
+
+<p>"His heart flows with joy," replied Finley, with deep depression that
+such should be the truth, over the prospect of so shocking an event.</p>
+
+<p>"He will not run away?"</p>
+
+<p>"Did he do so yesterday?" was the stinging question of the missionary,
+which struck the Shawanoe hard; "he is so afraid he will not be at the
+rock in time that he has gone there to await the coming of Wa-on-mon; he
+is there now; Wa-on-mon will find him when he goes thither."</p>
+
+<p>"Wa-on-mon will be there when the sun rises from its bed; he will not
+keep the white hunter waiting."</p>
+
+<p>"And the pale-faces that have crossed to the other side of the river
+will tarry there till the missionary returns to them."</p>
+
+<p>"My brother speaks with a single tongue," remarked The Panther, thereby
+uttering another strong tribute to the integrity of his visitor.</p>
+
+<p>"Does he not always speak with a single tongue?" asked Finley, feeling
+warranted in pushing the chieftain, now that the all-important question
+had been settled.</p>
+
+<p>"He does," was the prompt response of the fiery sachem, who thereby
+plumply contradicted what he had said a short time before.</p>
+
+<p>This, in a certain sense, might have been gratifying to the missionary,
+had not his knowledge of Indian nature told him unerringly the cause of
+the exultant mood of The Panther. Simply, he was gratified at the
+prospect of meeting the white man in mortal combat, for he held not a
+shadow of doubt that the career of Kenton was already as good as ended.
+An hour or so, and the famous ranger would vex the red men no more.</p>
+
+<p>It has been made plain to the reader that the vicious miscreant was
+anything but a coward. The events that had since occurred fully
+justified his failure to meet Kenton upon the former acceptance of his
+challenge.</p>
+
+<p>"The man's confidence in himself is unbounded; he does not think it
+possible he can fail to overcome Simon. It will be a fearful struggle
+when they do meet, and I shudder at the thought. Can it be that Simon
+underestimates the prowess of Wa-on-mon? I hope not, and yet, I fear&mdash;I
+fear."</p>
+
+<p>Within the following hour a dim, growing light began showing in the
+eastern part of the heavens. Day was breaking.</p>
+
+<p>"Wa-on-mon goes to meet the white hunter," said the chieftain, much as a
+groom might have announced his going forth to greet his bride.</p>
+
+<p>He made no farewell to the other warriors. He had explained everything
+to them and nothing was to be added. His words were addressed to the
+missionary, who was so oppressed by the situation that he could make no
+response, excepting a silent nod of his head.</p>
+
+<p>"Wa-on-mon will soon return," added the exultant Shawanoe, as if
+determined that his visitor should speak.</p>
+
+<p>"How soon?" the latter forced himself to ask.</p>
+
+<p>"When the sun appears there," said The Panther, indicating a point, by
+extending his arm, which the orb would reach within an hour after
+rising. "Wa-on-mon will come back, bringing the scalp of the white
+hunter with him. If he is still absent when the sun is there, the
+missionary may take the hand of the captive and go back to his people.
+The Shawanoe warriors will not stand in his way."</p>
+
+<p>It would be vain to attempt to depict the anguish of the dreadful
+minutes that followed. Missionary Finley underwent a struggle that was
+the keenest agony he had ever known. Most of the warriors dropped off in
+slumber. Included with these were those who had been wounded, and who
+seemed to have the faculty of overcoming their sufferings to a
+remarkable degree.</p>
+
+<p>Three remained awake to attend the fire and guard the camp. Little Mabel
+Ashbridge slept on in blissful ignorance of the awful fate impending
+over her childish head. Only the good man himself suffered a torture
+beyond the power of words to describe.</p>
+
+<p>He glanced upward through the leaves continually. At the very moment the
+sun reached the point indicated by Wa-on-mon, the undergrowth parted and
+the chieftain himself strode forward. And as he did so the missionary
+saw on his countenance an expression that he had never noted before.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIX" id="CHAPTER_XXIX"></a>CHAPTER XXIX.</h2>
+
+<h3>SQUARING ACCOUNTS.</h3>
+
+
+<p>When Simon Kenton was left alone by the missionary, who had been the
+means of bringing about this hostile meeting, he knew that a full hour
+must pass before his mortal enemy, The Panther, would reach the spot.
+The ranger was in need of sleep, and he did a thing which, while the
+most sensible act he could perform under the circumstances, was
+certainly extraordinary; he sat down on the ground, with his back
+against a tree, closed his eyes in slumber, and did not open them again
+until the hour had passed. He possessed that ability, which almost any
+one can acquire, of awaking at any time previously fixed upon.</p>
+
+<p>Day was breaking, its light steadily spreading and diffusing itself
+through the surrounding forest and filling the summer sky with an
+increasing glow. Kenton deliberately arose, drank from the neighboring
+river, bathing his hands and face in it, and then sauntered to the spot
+where he expected to meet the dusky miscreant who was equally eager to
+cross weapons with him. Leaning his rifle against a tree, the ranger
+took a position and attitude in which nothing could approach or pass
+without being noted by him.</p>
+
+<p>"The parson is the best man in the world," he mused; "there ain't
+another white man that dare go visitin' 'mong the varmints like him, for
+they trust him just as his own kith and kin do.</p>
+
+<p>"When I seed him walk out of the wood, right by them other varmints and
+straight up to The Panther, I was sartin it was all over with him, and
+he was in for his last sickness sure. The Panther had just had things
+slip up on him in a way that must have made him mad enough to bite off
+his own head, but the parson fixed it, and The Panther and me are bound
+to meet this time.</p>
+
+<p>"There must be something in that thing which he preaches," continued the
+ranger, musingly, "which ain't like other things. What he says hits one
+so powerful hard that it makes me feel quar. It makes him love the
+varmints, the black people and the white all alike; it makes him leave
+his home and spend days or weeks in the wood, just as Boone done afore
+he brought his family to Kentucky.</p>
+
+<p>"What did the missionary mean by tellin' me a brave man is merciful? I
+wonder whether he had any talk with The Panther? It would be just like
+him to do so, but it was time throwed away. Howsumever, his words to me
+stick in my ears, and keep going back and forth as nothin' that was ever
+said to me afore has done.</p>
+
+<p>"The Panther is full of grit; when he comes I'll make him b'leve I think
+he was scared and run off. That'll make him so mad, he'll fight harder
+than ever, which is what I want.</p>
+
+<p>"But he'll fight like a wounded catamount, He is sure he'll wipe me out
+and send me under this time, and that he can go on shootin' settlers in
+the back, tomahawking women and children without stoppin' to bother with
+me. Somehow or other I don't feel as sartin in this matter as afore, but
+I wouldn't let this chance of closing accounts with The Panther pass by
+for the whole of Kentucky&mdash;sh! there he comes!"</p>
+
+<p>A rustle, such as a quail might have made in walking over the leaves,
+caused the ranger to turn his head like a flash. The undergrowth parted,
+and Wa-on-mon, chief of the Shawanoes, stepped into full view hardly ten
+feet distant, with his glittering eyes fixed upon the face of the
+ranger.</p>
+
+<p>The coarse black hair dangled about the shoulders, with a couple of
+strands hanging loosely over the chest. Three stained eagle feathers
+projected backward from the crown, where the hair was stained with
+several hues of paint. The hard, sinister features displayed the same
+fantastic daubs that marked them when The Panther was a prisoner on the
+flatboat, the white cross showing on the forehead, with streakings of
+red and black on the cheeks and chin. The coppery chest was bare to the
+waist, where reposed the single weapon of the chieftain&mdash;his formidable
+hunting knife, which had committed many a dark deed when wielded in the
+vicious grip of the dusky miscreant.</p>
+
+<p>Below the breech-clout the iron limbs were encased in leggings and the
+small feet were covered with moccasins, now faded and worn by hard
+usage. The Panther paused, with his left foot in advance, his right hand
+grasping the hilt of his knife at his waist, and his shoulders and head
+thrust forward, the attitude of the body being that of an athlete with
+his muscles concentrated for a leap across a chasm that yawns in front
+of him.</p>
+
+<p>The pose of Kenton was dissimilar, and yet showed some points of
+resemblance. In accordance with the custom of his people, he carried his
+knife, in a small scabbard, by a string over his left breast. He grasped
+the handle, ready to whip it out on the first need. He did not mean that
+his antagonist should "get the drop" on him.</p>
+
+<p>Kenton stood with his feet well together, but separated enough to give
+his attitude grace and strength. His coonskin cap, fringed hunting
+shirt, leggings and shoes were such as were commonly worn by people of
+his calling. He was taller, more sinewy and equally active with the
+Shawanoe, upon whom his blue eyes were fixed with burning intensity and
+a glow that was the "light of battle" itself.</p>
+
+<p>The Panther had brought no weapon except his knife with him. The rifle
+of the ranger rested against a tree several paces away, and as near the
+Indian as the white man. It was a strange position for two mortal
+enemies, thoroughly distrusting each other, but in neither case did it
+imply a lessening of that distrust; it simply attested the faith of the
+two in a third person&mdash;Missionary Finley. He had arranged this meeting,
+and both believed in him.</p>
+
+<p>A scornful smile lit up the thin, smooth, handsome face of Kenton, who,
+with his fingers still clasping the haft of the weapon at his breast,
+said in the Shawanoe tongue:</p>
+
+<p>"The Panther meets his enemy at last, but does he bring no warriors with
+him to hide among the trees and rush forward when he begs for mercy from
+the white man?"</p>
+
+<p>This question was meant for the cutting taunt it proved to be, for it
+was a strange fashion on the frontier, when two enemies came face to
+face in deadly encounter, for each to try to goad the other to the point
+of what may be termed nervousness before the critical assault took
+place.</p>
+
+<p>"The Panther needs no one to help him bring the dog of a white man to
+his knees," replied Wa-on-mon, holding his passion well in hand.</p>
+
+<p>"Then why, Shawanoe, did you run away when a short time since you
+promised to meet me by the splintered tree near the clearing?"</p>
+
+<p>"The dog of a white man speaks as a fool! He knows that Wa-on-mon
+hastened to find his brave warriors, that the pale-faces should not be
+allowed to make their way to the fort. He found them, and they shall
+never get there."</p>
+
+<p>"The Shawanoes have tried to stop them, but could not; they tried last
+night, and more than one of the dogs were brought low. The gun that
+leans against the tree there did its part, as it shall continue to do.
+The Shawanoes fled as children, and I leaped ashore and chased them, but
+they ran too fast for me to catch them."</p>
+
+<p>This was drawing it with a long bow, but as we have intimated, it was in
+accordance with the fashion of the times. The chieftain restrained his
+temper better than would have been expected, for the reason that he
+understood the motive of his enemy; it was the contest preliminary to
+the decisive one.</p>
+
+<p>"Why did not the white dogs all come ashore and chase the Shawanoes?" he
+asked, with little appearance of passion in voice or manner.</p>
+
+<p>"One of them did&mdash;a little child&mdash;you, dog of a Shawanoe, made captive
+the child and strode back among your warriors, proud and boastful
+because it was the first prisoner you ever took. Oh, brave Shawanoe! Oh,
+mighty chieftain!"</p>
+
+<p>While uttering these taunts, Kenton did not permit the slightest "sign"
+to escape him. He saw he was fast goading his foe to the resistless
+point, the object he had in view. There was an almost insensible
+tightening of the muscles of the fingers closing around the handle of
+the knife, the faintest possible quiver passed through the thighs, or
+showed in a single twitch of the toes of the left foot, which inched
+forward. The Panther gave a quick inhalation, and while the words
+recorded were in the mouth of Kenton, he hissed:</p>
+
+<p>"Die, dog of a pale-face!"</p>
+
+<p>At the same time he bounded forward, as does the animal whose name he
+bore when leaping upon his prostrate foe. The intervening space was
+cleared at the single leap, and the knife, whipped from the girdle at
+the instant of starting, made a fierce sweep through the air, almost too
+quick for the eye to follow, and shot like the head of a rattlesnake at
+the breast of the ranger.</p>
+
+<p>Nevertheless, it clove through vacancy, for Kenton recoiled a single
+step, the hundredth part of a second before the weapon flashed in front
+of his face, and struck with equal power and swiftness at the crouching
+demon while yet in mid-air; but nothing could have surpassed the
+dexterity of The Panther, who, by a flirt of the head, dodged the blow,
+and dropping like a cat upon his feet, not only endeavored to strike the
+white man in the back, but came within a hair of succeeding. It need
+hardly be said that had he done so, the conflict would have been over on
+the instant.</p>
+
+<p>But Kenton saved himself, and faced about to receive the assault from
+the opposite direction.</p>
+
+<p>Instead of following up the slight and yet possibly fatal advantage thus
+obtained, The Panther became more guarded in his attack. The opening
+bout made both more cautious; their respect for each other's prowess was
+increased.</p>
+
+<p>Neither uttered a syllable; the taunts had ended; there was no call to
+goad each other to fury, for the highest point of passion was already
+attained. To spend breath in the utterance of words was to place
+themselves in the position of the gymnast who breaks into laughter&mdash;it
+would be a fatal weakening of strength.</p>
+
+<p>The Panther, crouching low, clutching knife, with head thrust forward,
+and gleaming eye fixed on his victim, began slowly circling around him,
+on the watch for an opening that would permit him to bound forward and
+strike his foe to the earth.</p>
+
+<p>Standing thus in the centre of a circle, Kenton had but to turn slowly
+so as to keep his face turned toward his assailant. It was the easiest
+thing in the world to present indefinitely an unassailable front, and
+yet The Panther had barely completed his first circuit when the opening
+which he sought offered itself, and he seized it with lightning-like
+quickness.</p>
+
+<p>But it was presented purposely; Kenton incited the attack, and when the
+Shawanoe demon shot through the air toward him, he steadied himself for
+a second, and struck again with all the might and skill at command.</p>
+
+<p>That which the ranger had not counted upon, or which was not likely to
+happen once in a thousand times, intervened to save The Panther for the
+single instant. He and Kenton struck precisely the same blow, and their
+forearms glanced against each other. The stroke of the white man was the
+more powerful, and impinging against the less muscular arm of the
+Shawanoe with paralyzing force, sent his knife spinning twenty feet away
+among the undergrowth. Before the agile Shawanoe could recover himself
+the left hand of Kenton griped his throat, he was borne furiously
+backward, hurled to the ground as though he were an infant, the knee of
+the ranger was at his breast, and the knife was held ready to complete
+the fearful work.</p>
+
+<p>"Dog of a Shawanoe!" hissed the infuriated hunter, "you are conquered at
+last! Now beg for mercy!"</p>
+
+<p>Had the positions of the two been reversed, the prostrate foe could not
+have been more defiant when he hissed back, with flashing eye:</p>
+
+<p>"Dog of a pale-face, that is afraid to strike!"</p>
+
+<p>The words were meant as a taunt to the ranger to do his worst.</p>
+
+<p>Down deep in the heart of every being, no matter how degraded, how
+sinful, how wicked, how merciless, is a spark of goodness which, when
+fanned by the angel's breath, glows or spreads until it burns out all
+the dross that years of wrong-doing have implanted there. Why it was and
+how it came about, Simon Kenton to his dying day never fully understood,
+but he always insisted that at that moment he heard the voice of
+Missionary Finley, with unmistakable distinctness, in his ear:</p>
+
+<p>"Show him mercy, and mercy shall be shown to you when you need it!"</p>
+
+<p>Impelled by a power which he dared not resist, the ranger rose from the
+chest of The Panther, and said in tones that sounded like those of
+another person:</p>
+
+<p>"Shawanoe, take your life; I give it to you!"</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXX" id="CHAPTER_XXX"></a>CHAPTER XXX.</h2>
+
+<h3>CONCLUSION.</h3>
+
+
+<p>The heart of Missionary Finley stood still when he saw The Panther
+stride from the wood into the open space where the campfire was burning.
+He knew that the terrible chieftain and Simon Kenton had met in mortal
+combat, and what could the return of the Shawanoe mean but that the
+prince of pioneers and rangers had been overthrown and slain by his
+implacable enemy?</p>
+
+<p>With a self-possession which surprised even himself, the good man looked
+straight into the face of the Indian as he approached, and, noting its
+strange expression, said:</p>
+
+<p>"Wa-on-mon has met the white hunter and conquered him."</p>
+
+<p>Three paces away The Panther abruptly halted and stood for several
+seconds, looking silently at the missionary. Then he said, in a low,
+deliberate voice:</p>
+
+<p>"Wa-on-mon has met the white hunter&mdash;the white hunter has conquered
+Wa-on-mon."</p>
+
+<p>Missionary Finley was quick to catch the point of a situation; but, for
+a moment, he was dumfounded. Then a suspicion of the truth flashed upon
+him.</p>
+
+<p>The good man was too sagacious to question The Panther. A strange,
+hitherto impossible condition of affairs existed. It was dangerous to
+meddle with them.</p>
+
+<p>Suppressing all evidence of emotion, Finley asked:</p>
+
+<p>"What are the wishes of my brother, the mighty Wa-on-mon?"</p>
+
+<p>"She opens her eyes; she has awakened!"</p>
+
+<p>He pointed to the little captive, who just then looked around, with a
+bewildered air, sat up and rubbed her eyes.</p>
+
+<p>"Where is papa? where is mamma?" she asked, looking from one to the
+other, and at a loss to comprehend her situation and her surroundings.</p>
+
+<p>"Take the captive," said The Panther. "No harm shall come to her and my
+brother until after they meet their friends."</p>
+
+<p>It was fair notice that the remarkable truce ended at the moment of the
+arrival of the missionary and the child among their people.</p>
+
+<p>Again Finley displayed his tact by asking no questions of Wa-on-mon. Nor
+did he essay to thank him for his unexpected clemency. He did not so
+much as speak to or look at him.</p>
+
+<p>"Come, my child," he said tenderly, extending his hand to Mabel, "I am
+going to take you to papa and mamma."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I am so glad!" exclaimed the happy one, slipping her hand into the
+palm of the missionary.</p>
+
+<p>The warriors standing around and seeing all this must have had their
+share, too, of strange emotions, for the experience was without a
+parallel with them.</p>
+
+<p>Had the chieftain been any one except The Panther, something in the
+nature of a revolt would have been probable; but no one dared gainsay
+that fearful leader, who, like Philip, chief of the Wampanoags, had
+mortally smitten the warrior that dared to suggest an opposite policy to
+that already determined by the sachem.</p>
+
+<hr style="width: 45%;" />
+
+<div class="figcenter">
+<a name="i352" id="i352"></a>
+<img src="images/i352.jpg" alt=""/>
+</div>
+
+<h3><span class="smcap">The Missionary's Triumph.</span></h3>
+
+<hr style="width: 45%;" />
+
+
+<p>There were looks, but nothing more, as the man, holding the hand of the
+child, walked out of the camp, without any appearance of haste or
+fright, and disappeared among the trees.</p>
+
+<p>With a heart swelling with gratitude to God for the wonderful outcome of
+the strange complication, the good man picked his way through the
+forest, still holding the trusting hand within his own, and comforting
+her by promises that she should soon see her father and mother and
+brother, who were awaiting her coming on the other side of the river.
+Like every other member of the company, she was a-hungered, but there
+could be no guarantee that she, like them, would not have to remain so
+for hours to come.</p>
+
+<p>When the missionary reached the river side, to recross in his canoe, he
+found Kenton awaiting him, paddle in hand. The two men smiled
+significantly as their eyes met. They silently grasped hands, and then
+adjusting themselves in the boat, with Mabel between them, pushed for
+the other shore.</p>
+
+<p>And as the graceful craft skimmed the smooth surface of the Ohio on that
+beautiful summer morning, a hundred years ago, the ranger told his story
+of his encounter with Wa-on-mon, chief of the Shawanoes.</p>
+
+<p>"It took the varmint some time to know what I meant, when I said he
+could go; he wouldn't take the life I offered him at first, but said it
+belonged to me, and not to him. That bein' so," added Kenton, with a
+grin, "I told him as how I could do as I chose with it, as I throwed it
+from me."</p>
+
+<p>"It was a surprise to him, indeed," remarked Finley.</p>
+
+<p>"Wal, I should say powerful somewhat. When he made up his mind at last
+that bein' as I wasn't going to send him under, he might as well take
+what I give him, he done it."</p>
+
+<p>"Did he say anything?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not a word; I thought maybe he'd pick up his knife ag'in, but he done
+nothin' of the kind; he didn't even look to where it had fallen when I
+knocked it out of his hand, but walked off in the woods, and that was
+the last of him. Parson," said the scout, with a grave expression,
+looking him calmly in the face, "I want to ask you a question."</p>
+
+<p>"Why, Simon, my good man, you may ask me anything you choose."</p>
+
+<p>"Where was you when The Panther and me was having our little argyment?"</p>
+
+<p>"I went directly back to the Shawanoe camp and stayed there till he
+returned with word that I might depart with Mabel."</p>
+
+<p>"Sure you wasn't nowhere near us?"</p>
+
+<p>"No nearer than what I have just told you."</p>
+
+<p>The ranger paddled a moment in silence.</p>
+
+<p>"Bein' as you say so, that settles it."</p>
+
+<p>The missionary, who was watching his friend closely, now said:</p>
+
+<p>"Since I have answered your question, Simon, it is right that I should
+know why you ask it."</p>
+
+<p>"Wal, it's this: Just as I had The Panther down, and was 'bout to finish
+the bus'ness, I heard you speak."</p>
+
+<p>"Heard me speak? And what did I say?"</p>
+
+<p>"'Show him mercy, and mercy shall be shown unto you when you need it;'
+so what could I do but let him up?"</p>
+
+<p>The good man understood the incident better than did Kenton himself.</p>
+
+<p>"But," he said, gently, "I have just explained that I was too far from
+you for me to make myself heard."</p>
+
+<p>"Whose voice was it, then?"</p>
+
+<p>"The voice of Conscience, Simon, or the whisperings of God. It may have
+sounded louder to you just then than usual, but it was not the first
+time it has sounded in your ear, reproving you when you have done wrong,
+and commending you when you have done right. Listen and heed what it
+tells you, Simon, and no matter what comes, all shall be well with you."</p>
+
+<p>The missionary saw that his words had made a strong impression, and he
+was wise in saying no more.</p>
+
+<p>The ranger headed the course for a point that would land them
+considerably below where the friends in the flatboat were awaiting their
+coming. Finley, after noting the fact, remarked:</p>
+
+<p>"You are doing it on purpose, Simon."</p>
+
+<p>"Of course; some of the varmints are watchin'."</p>
+
+<p>The object, as the reader will perceive, was to make the Shawanoes
+believe the fugitives had shifted their position further down stream.
+Since Boone was with the latter party, the stratagem, slight of itself
+and possibly ineffectual, was readily understood by them.</p>
+
+<p>When the canoe shot in under the bank on the Ohio side, it was an eighth
+of a mile below where the flatboat had been hidden with the utmost care
+on the same bank of the river; but there could be no question that the
+fugitives had peered out with equal eagerness of vision, and parents,
+brother and friends were aware of the amazing, blessed truth that in
+that canoe, seated between the missionary and ranger, was Mabel
+Ashbridge, she that was lost and was found, was dead but was alive
+again.</p>
+
+<p>Finley and Kenton made no mistake as to the situation. The "truce" was
+now ended. The Panther was the bitter, relentless enemy that he was
+before, eager only for the life of every man, woman and child connected
+with the company of fugitives. If little Mabel fell into his hands
+again, she would be sacrificed without a throb of pity. He would do his
+utmost to prevent the company reaching the block-house. If its members
+counted upon his forbearance, it would be a fatal mistake.</p>
+
+<p>And should he and Kenton again face each other in single-handed combat,
+it would be with the same unrelenting ferocity as before. The episode
+that had just taken place would be as though it had never been. How
+strange that such an encounter did take place sooner than either white
+or red combatant dreamed!</p>
+
+<p>When the canoe glided from sight under the screening of the Ohio shore,
+Kenton, Finley and the little girl sprang out and made all haste to
+where the main party by the flatboat were awaiting their coming. The
+sagacious Boone had already formed an inkling of the truth, and,
+allowing only a minute or two for the reunion and exchange of
+salutations, he insisted that the flight to the block-house should be
+resumed and pressed with the utmost vigor until the post was reached.
+The large boat could serve them no longer, and was abandoned where it
+lay. The masts had been taken down so as to allow it to pass under the
+overhanging vegetation, and, consequently, had it been permitted to make
+its appearance on the river, there would have been nothing in its looks
+to suggest the facetious name, "Phantom of the River," first applied to
+it by Missionary Finley.</p>
+
+<p>It is not required that the particulars of the seven or eight miles'
+journey through the wilderness should be given. The Panther made such
+persistent attempts to destroy the pioneers that more than once they
+were in the gravest peril; but they had an advantage not possessed
+before, in that it was impossible to arrange any ambuscade, for the
+advanced guard of rangers were too perfect in their knowledge of
+woodcraft to lead the whites into any situation that shut off escape.
+The Shawanoes knew enough of Kenton, Boone and their rangers to hold
+them in respect, and not presume upon their committing any irretrievable
+error.</p>
+
+<p>Jim Deane, the only white man that had fallen, was given decent burial
+in the shadowy forest while the party were awaiting the arrival of
+Kenton and his companions. The missionary paused long enough to offer up
+a prayer over the grave, and then, as we have said, the journey was
+pressed to the utmost.</p>
+
+<p>And so, at last, the block-house was safely reached, and, for the time,
+all danger to our friends was over.</p>
+
+
+
+<p>THE END.</p>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's The Phantom of the River, by Edward S. Ellis
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Phantom of the River, by Edward S. Ellis
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Phantom of the River
+
+Author: Edward S. Ellis
+
+Release Date: October 13, 2007 [EBook #23026]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PHANTOM OF THE RIVER ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Bethanne M. Simms, Mary Meehan and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                    _BOONE AND KENTON SERIES, NO. 2_
+
+                        THE PHANTOM OF THE RIVER
+
+                     A SEQUEL TO "SHOD WITH SILENCE"
+
+                           BY EDWARD S. ELLIS
+
+AUTHOR OF "THE LOG CABIN SERIES," "DEERFOOT SERIES," "WYOMING SERIES,"
+ETC.
+
+PHILADELPHIA
+HENRY T. COATES & CO.
+COPYRIGHT, 1896,
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: BOONE AND KENTON.]
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+I. LONGING FOR NIGHT
+
+II. THE CAWING OF A CROW
+
+III. THE HALT IN THE WOODS
+
+IV. ON THE EDGE OF THE CLEARING
+
+V. DARING AND DELICATE WORK
+
+VI. THE RIGHT OF EMINENT DOMAIN
+
+VII. A QUESTION OF OWNERSHIP
+
+VIII. BY THE WAY
+
+IX. THE "ACCIDENT"
+
+X. AT RATTLESNAKE GULCH
+
+XI. WATCHING AND WAITING
+
+XII. CARRYING THE WAR INTO AFRICA
+
+XIII. UNKIND FATE
+
+XIV. THE INTRUDER
+
+XV. A DARK PROSPECT
+
+XVI. SIMON KENTON IN A PANIC
+
+XVII. A RUN OF GOOD FORTUNE
+
+XVIII. "IT'S AN ILL WIND THAT BLOWS NOBODY ANY GOOD"
+
+XIX. A FELLOW-PASSENGER
+
+XX. WAR'S STRATEGY
+
+XXI. THE PHANTOM OF THE RIVER
+
+XXII. PUTTING OUT FROM SHORE
+
+XXIII. THE SHAWANOE CAMP
+
+XXIV. THE FORLORN HOPE
+
+XXV. FACE TO FACE
+
+XXVI. IN THE LION'S DEN
+
+XXVII. THE LAST RECOURSE
+
+XXVIII. THE RETURN
+
+XXIX. SQUARING ACCOUNTS
+
+XXX. CONCLUSION
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+BOONE AND KENTON.
+
+JETHRO IN TROUBLE.
+
+THE PHANTOM BOAT.
+
+THE MISSIONARY'S TRIUMPH.
+
+
+
+
+PHANTOM OF THE RIVER.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+LONGING FOR NIGHT.
+
+
+"I think there's trouble ahead, Dan'l."
+
+"There isn't any doubt of it, Simon."
+
+The first remark was made by the famous pioneer ranger, Simon Kenton,
+and the second fell from the lips of the more famous Daniel Boone.
+
+It was at the close of a warm day in August, more than a century ago,
+that these veterans of the woods came together for the purpose of
+consultation. They had threaded their way along parallel lines,
+separated by hardly a furlong, for a mile from their starting-point,
+when the above interchange of views took place.
+
+Boone had kept close to the Ohio while stealthily moving eastward, while
+Kenton took the same course, gliding more deeply among the shadows of
+the Kentucky forest until, disturbed by the evidence of danger, he
+trended to the left and met Boone near the river.
+
+The two sat down on a fallen tree, side by side, and, while talking in
+low tones, did not for a moment forget their surroundings. They had
+lived too long in the perilous wilderness to forget that there was never
+a moment when a pioneer was absolutely safe from the fierce or stealthy
+red man.
+
+"Dan'l," said Kenton, in that low, musical voice which was one of his
+most marked characteristics, "this 'ere bus'ness has took the qu'arest
+shape of anything that you or me have been mixed up in."
+
+"I haven't been mixed up in it, Simon," corrected Boone, turning his
+somewhat narrow, but clean-shaven face upon the other, and smiling
+gently in a way that brought the wrinkles around a pair of eyes as blue
+as those of Kenton himself.
+
+"Not yet, but you're powerful sartin to be afore them folks reach the
+block-house."
+
+Boone nodded his head to signify that he agreed with his friend.
+
+"You wasn't at the block-house, Dan'l, when the flatboat stopped there?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Neither was I; I was tramping through the woods on my way to make a
+call on Mr. Ashbridge."
+
+"That's the man who put up the cabin a mile back down the river?"
+
+"Yes; you see Norman Ashbridge or his son George--and the same is a
+powerful likely younker--come down the Ohio last spring in their
+flatboat, and stopped at the clearing a mile below us, where they put up
+a tidy cabin. A few weeks ago the father started east to bring down his
+family in another flatboat. George, the younker, got tired of waiting
+and set out to meet 'em; him and me come together in the woods, and had
+a scrimmage with the varmints afore we got on the boat with 'em. Things
+were purty warm on the way down the river, for The Panther made matters
+warm for us."
+
+"The Panther!" repeated Boone, turning toward his friend; "I was afraid
+he was mixed up in this."
+
+"I should say he was--ruther," replied Kenton, with a grin over the
+surprise of his older companion. "That chap sneaked onto the boat last
+night, believing he had a chance to clean us all out. Of course, I
+knowed what was up, but The Panther made a powerful big mistake. He got
+mixed up with that darkey you seed--his name is Jethro Juggens--and you
+may shoot me if the darkey didn't throw him down and hold him fast till
+we made him prisoner."
+
+Boone had heard something of this extraordinary exploit, but he looked
+questioningly at Kenton, as though he could hardly credit the fact.
+
+"It's all as true as Gospel. We kept Wa-on-mon, which the same is The
+Panther, till late that night, when Mr. Ashbridge and Altman and me went
+over in a canoe to the other flatboat, which the Shawanoes had cleaned
+out, to even up accounts with 'em. Sime Girty was with 'em, but they
+left afore we got to the craft, and we sot it afire and come back."
+
+"I seed the light last night, but didn't know what it was."
+
+"While we was gone, Mr. Altman's darter, Agnes (she ain't much more than
+a child), felt so sorry for The Panther, thinking, too, that I meant to
+shove him under, that she cut the cords that bound him--"
+
+"What a fool of a gal!"
+
+"Dan'l," sternly interrupted Kenton, laying his hand on the arm of his
+friend, "you mustn't speak that way of Tom Altman's child. There ain't a
+finer, smarter, purtier, sweeter gal in all Ohio or Kaintuck than little
+Agnes Altman. She made a powerful big mistake, but she done it in the
+kindness of her heart, and, Dan'l, you and me knows there ain't many
+such mistakes made. But that little gal showed her pluck when she
+follered up Wa-on-mon, snatched the knife from his hand when he warn't
+looking, and warned young Ashbridge in time to save him. Wal, The
+Panther made a rush to jump overboard, but he happened to step onto that
+darkey again, so he was nabbed."
+
+"But what's become of The Panther?" asked Boone, hoping to hear that the
+career of this terrible scourge of the border was ended.
+
+Kenton rested his long, formidable flintlock rifle on the log at his
+side, clasped his thin iron fingers over one knee, the foot of which was
+raised from the ground, and looked thoughtfully among the trees in
+front. His coonskin cap was shoved back from his forehead, and a frown
+settled on it, and his thin lips were compressed for a few moments
+before he spoke.
+
+"Dan'l, things haven't turned out altogether to suit me. As you know,
+the flatboat kept on down the river till it reached the clearing this
+morning. Afore we went ashore, I diskivered that Girty and several
+varmints was in the cabin. They knowed we was going there, and they
+meant to wait until we got inside, when they'd clean us all out. While
+we was man[oe]uvring round like, so as to trade places with 'em, a
+powerful qu'ar thing happened."
+
+"There's a good many queer things happening in this part of the world,
+Simon," curtly remarked Boone.
+
+"Two of them Shawanoes was shot--one killed or the other hit hard--and
+in both cases it was done by that darkey, Jethro Juggens. He's a big,
+strong, simple chap, that hates work worse nor pizen, but he knows how
+to shoot that gun of his in a way that'll open your eyes."
+
+"But what about The Panther?" asked Boone, feeling more interest in him
+than in Jethro Juggens. Kenton's brow clouded again as he made answer:
+
+"Consarn The Panther! I forgot about him. It was agreed that him and me
+would meet, all by ourselves, in the woods near the clearing, and settle
+that account between us. If I come back all right, Girty and the
+varmints was to leave the cabin. I come back and they left."
+
+"And you evened up matters with The Panther?" exclaimed Boone, with a
+glow of satisfaction, in strong contrast to the scornful disgust on the
+rugged countenance of his friend.
+
+"No; I went to the spot, but The Panther didn't show himself."
+
+The readers of "Shod with Silence" will recall the circumstances. Simon
+Kenton hurried to the appointed place of meeting, eager for the
+encounter with Wa-on-mon, the famous war chief of the Shawanoes, but the
+crafty miscreant had vanished, and nothing was seen of him.
+
+"I never thought Wa-on-mon was a coward," bitterly repeated Kenton.
+
+"And, Simon," said Boone, impressively, "don't make the mistake of
+thinking so now; the reason why he didn't meet you wasn't that he was
+afraid of you."
+
+"What was it?"
+
+"You know as well as me."
+
+And so he did. The savage leader of the Shawanoes merely deferred his
+furious meeting with the ranger in order to strike a more fearful blow
+against the pioneers.
+
+The moment Wa-on-mon plunged into the woods near the clearing, with the
+avowed purpose of meeting Kenton, he was off like a deer in search of a
+large war party that he knew was somewhere in the neighborhood. With
+them he meant to return and "wipe out" every man, woman and child of the
+settlers.
+
+Meanwhile, the Altmans and Ashbridges, assisted by their companions,
+removed all their goods from the flatboat against the bank and placed
+them in the cabin, prepared some time before for the occupancy of the
+Ashbridges. This was hardly done when Daniel Boone appeared at the
+clearing with disquieting news. He advised them, however, to stay, since
+their means of defence was good, but hardly was the decision reached
+when a runner came in with the news that an uprising among the
+surrounding tribes had already begun, and it would not do for the
+pioneers to remain another day. Nothing could save the lonely cabins and
+exposed dwellings except immediate flight to the nearest settlement or
+block-house.
+
+Ten miles from the clearing, and standing on the northern bank of the
+Ohio, was the block-house in charge of Captain Bushwick. The Altmans and
+Ashbridges made the sad mistake of not fastening the flatboat to the
+bank and taking up their quarters at this frontier post until the full
+truth was learned about the dangers confronting them.
+
+The first intention of Boone and his party was to escort the settlers
+back to the block-house. They had a brush with a company of Shawanoes,
+and defeated them. It was not the main body, however, under the
+leadership of The Panther. That remained to be heard from, and its
+whereabouts was unknown.
+
+Mr. Altman, his wife, and daughter Agnes, and his negro servant, Jethro
+Juggens, Mr. Ashbridge and his wife, daughter Mabel, and their son
+George set out for the block-house on the Ohio side of the river.
+
+Their plan was to keep along the Kentucky bank until opposite the post,
+when the means would be readily found for crossing. The two families
+were in charge of the rangers that Boone had brought with him for the
+purpose of acting as their escort. They were forced to leave behind them
+all their earthly possessions in the solitary cabin, with not the
+remotest prospect of ever seeing them or it again.
+
+Although the day was well along when the start was made, yet the
+situation was so critical, because of the part The Panther was certain
+to play in the coming events, that Boone and Kenton took the advance,
+proceeding by parallel but separated lines, and on the guard against any
+stealthy approach from the Indians.
+
+It was the hope that by preventing or, rather, averting any attack until
+nightfall, the prospects of the pioneers would be vastly improved.
+Though the forest possessed no available trail that could be used even
+in the daytime, the rangers, and especially Kenton and Boone, were so
+familiar with it, that they could guide their friends with unerring
+accuracy when the darkness was so profound that it was almost worthy of
+the old remark that a person could not see his hand before his face.
+
+Accordingly, all yearned or prayed for the coming of darkness.
+
+"Hark," whispered Kenton, turning to Boone, and raising his hand as a
+gesture for silence.
+
+No need of that, for the elder had caught the sound--a faint and
+apparently distant cawing of a crow from some lofty tree-top.
+
+Both had heard the same cry more than once that afternoon, and instead
+of its being the call of a crow, they knew it came from the throat of an
+Indian warrior, and therefore a relentless enemy.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+THE CAWING OF A CROW.
+
+
+Three separate times previous to this that faint cawing signal had been
+heard, as it seemed, from the distant tree-tops. The most sensitive ear
+could not say of a certainty it was not made by one of those
+black-coated birds calling to its mate or the flock from which it had
+strayed. Neither Boone nor Kenton distinguished any difference between
+the tone and what they had heard times without number, and yet neither
+held a doubt that it was emitted by a dusky spy stealing through the
+woods, and that it bore a momentous message to others of his kith and
+kin.
+
+The keen sense of hearing enabled the rangers to locate the signal at
+less than a quarter of a mile in front and quite close to the Ohio. From
+the first time it was heard, no more than half an hour before, it held
+the same relative distance from the river, but advanced at a pace so
+nearly equal to that of Boone and Kenton that it was impossible to
+decide whether it was further off or nearer than before.
+
+There was no reply to the call, and it was uttered only three times in
+each instance. The oppressive stillness that held reign throughout the
+forest on that sultry summer afternoon enabled the two men to hear the
+cawing with unmistakable distinctness.
+
+In short, our friends interpreted it as a notice from the dusky scout to
+his comrades that he was following the progress of the pioneers, which
+was therefore fully understood by the war party that was seeking to
+encompass their destruction.
+
+When the signal sounded for the fourth time, the rangers seated on the
+fallen tree looked in each other's faces without speaking. Then Kenton
+asked, in his guarded undertone:
+
+"What do you make of it, Dan'l?"
+
+"There's only one thing to make of it; them Shawanoes are keeping track
+of every movement of the folks behind us, and we can't hinder' em."
+
+"How many of the varmints are playing the spy?"
+
+"There may be one, and there may be a dozen."
+
+This answer, of necessity, was guess-work, for there was no possible
+means of determining the number, since the hostiles in front so
+regulated their progress that not a glimpse had been caught of the
+almost invisible trail left by them.
+
+And yet the matter was not wholly conjecture, after all.
+
+"Dan'l," said Kenton, with a significant smile, "there's more than one
+of 'em, and you and me know it."
+
+The older smiled in turn and nodded his head.
+
+"You're right; there's two, and may be more--but we know there's two."
+
+Nothing could show more strikingly the marvelous woodcraft of these
+remarkable men than their agreement in this declaration, which was
+founded upon this fact.
+
+There was a shade of difference between the tone of the last signal and
+those that preceded it. You and I would have shaken our heads and
+smiled, had we been asked to distinguish it, but to those two past
+masters in woodcraft it was as absolute as between the notes of a flute
+and the throbbing of a drum.
+
+It was as if, after a Shawanoe had cawed three times, he permitted a
+companion to try his hand, or rather his throat, at it, and he who made
+the attempt acquitted himself right well.
+
+"Now, Simon," remarked the elder, "as I make it, it's this way--they
+mean to ambush the party at Rattlesnake Gulch."
+
+"You're right! that's it," remarked Kenton, with an approving nod of his
+head, "and if we don't sarcumvent 'em the varmints will have every
+scalp, including ours."
+
+"Rattlesnake Gulch" was a name given to a deep depression on the
+Kentucky side of the river, and within one hundred yards of the stream.
+It was less than a half a mile in advance of where the two rangers were
+seated on the fallen tree, as the summer day was drawing to a close.
+
+A trail made by buffaloes, deer, and other wild animals led through the
+middle of this densely-wooded section. No doubt this path had been in
+existence at least one hundred years. Beyond the gulch it trended to the
+right and deeper into the woods, terminating at a noted salt lick,
+always a favorite resort of quadrupeds whether wild or domestic.
+
+The forest was so deep and matted with undergrowth, both to the right
+and left of this depression, that nothing but the most pressing
+necessity could prevent a person from using the trail when journeying to
+the eastward or westward through that section. Evidently, the Shawanoes
+counted upon the settlers following the path, and such they would
+assuredly do unless prevented by the advance scouts.
+
+"Captain Bushwick was out on a little scout himself last summer,"
+remarked Kenton, who, despite their alarming surroundings, seemed to be
+in somewhat of a reminiscent mood, "when, on his way back, he started
+through that holler. The fust thing he did was to step into a rattler,
+which burried his fangs in his leggins, just missing his skin. Afore the
+sarpent could strike again, the captain made a sweep with his gun bar'l
+that knocked off his head. He was a whopper, and the captain pulled out
+his knife to cut off his rattles to bring to the block-house, when he
+catched the whir of another rattler just behind him, and if he hadn't
+jumped powerful lively he would have catched it that time sartin.
+Howsumever, the sarpint couldn't reach him, and the captain shot the
+mate, and brought the music box of each home with him."
+
+"It was Captain Bushwick who gave the name Rattlesnake Gulch to the
+place, I 'spose," was the inquiring remark of Boone.
+
+"Yes, he seemed to think that name was not only purty, but desarving,
+though I've been through the holler a good many times and never seed a
+sarpent."
+
+"I have."
+
+"When was that?"
+
+"Less than two weeks ago, I was just entering from the other side when I
+caught sight of a buck that was on his way to the lick. He would have
+seed me if he hadn't seed just then something else in the path in front
+of him that interested him more. It was a rattler as big as them of the
+captain's. The buck was a fool, for instead of backing out, as you know
+animals are quick to do at sight of a rattler, he began to snuff and
+cavort about the snake, and finally brought his front hoofs down on it.
+Of course, he cut the serpent all to ribbons, but afore he done it the
+buck was stung once or twice, and inside of half an hour he jined the
+rattler he had sent on afore. Rattlers are as bad as Injins!" muttered
+Boone, with an expression of disgust.
+
+"They may be in some partic'lars, but in some they ain't, Dan'l; f'r
+instance, they don't caw like a crow, and don't try to ambuscade folks,
+and they give you warning afore they strike, which is more than the
+two-legged varmints do."
+
+"Talk about the rattler giving warning afore he strikes," repeated
+Boone, who had a poor opinion of the genus crotalus, "he'd be a much
+more decent sarpint if he didn't strike at all. The black snake doesn't
+sting you, and yet he'll kill the rattler every time. Howsumever," added
+the elder ranger, "what's snakes got to do with the bus'ness afore us?"
+
+"That's what I was thinking. Now, Dan'l, we've got to make the varmints
+think we're going to try to pass through Rattlesnake Gulch to-night, so
+they'll all gather there to welcome us."
+
+"And then what will our folks do?"
+
+"Take some other route."
+
+"But which one? The woods are so thick on the right and left that they,
+especially the women, can't go ten feet without making a noise that'll
+be sartin to be heard by the varmints."
+
+"There are several things they can do," replied Kenton, thoughtfully,
+proving that, like his companion, he had speculated much on the matter.
+"In the first place, they must move so slow that they won't reach the
+neighborhood of the gulch till after dark, and yet if they move too slow
+the Shawanoes will be suspicious. I wish night was near at hand."
+
+"What good does wishing do?"
+
+"None, and never did; but when night does come we can turn about--that
+is, some of the boys can, with the women--and cross the river further
+down stream, strike the trail on the other side of the Ohio, and go
+straight to the block-house."
+
+Boone shook his head. The scheme did not impress him favorably.
+
+"How are you going to get them women and two children across the river?
+It isn't likely that any one of 'em knows how to swim a stroke."
+
+"What trouble would it be to tote 'em over?"
+
+Boone again shook his head; he was not pleased with the suggestion.
+
+"I didn't mean to do anything of the kind, but," added Kenton, more
+seriously, "there's a canoe of mine hid under the bushes just this side
+of the gulch, purvided the varmints haven't tumbled over it."
+
+"More'n likely they've took it away or smashed it, but if I ain't
+mistook, there's a craft alongside the flatboat that you left at the
+clearing."
+
+"You are right."
+
+"Why not go back for that?"
+
+"It ain't a bad idee," remarked Kenton, thoughtfully. "If I can manage
+to fetch the boat up the river without any of the varmints 'specting it,
+it'll be just the thing."
+
+"It won't carry all the women and children and rest of the folks at
+once."
+
+"Then we can make two v'yages or more, if it's necessary."
+
+"It's risky bus'ness, but it's the best thing that can be done. If you
+are lucky 'nough to find tother boat where you left it, seems to me
+things will look up."
+
+Kenton glanced around among the tree-tops, as if searching for
+something. So he was, though not for any special object.
+
+"'Cording to the way things look it'll be a good two hours afore it'll
+be dark 'nough to set to work to sarcumvent the varmints. Them two hours
+are long 'nough for the folks to make the trip to Rattlesnake Gulch
+twice over. Some plan has got to be fixed up not to git thar till after
+two hours is gone, and yet not to have the Shawanoes 'spect that we
+'spect anything. Can you tell me how the thing is to be done, Dan'l?"
+
+"There ought to be a good many ways," replied the elder, after a brief
+pause; "some accident might happen, such, f'r 'nstance, as getting bit
+by a rattler."
+
+Kenton saw the twinkle in the eyes of his friend, who spoke with the
+utmost gravity. "Remember," said the younger, "I never seed any rattler
+near the gulch; you have; you're the one, therefore, to see some of 'em
+agin. You're the one to let a big rattler sting you. After he's made
+sartin he's done his work well, why I'll happen 'long and smash the
+rattler, and then look after you--helloa!"
+
+Both instinctively grasped their rifles, for they heard the rustling of
+leaves, which showed that some one was approaching. Had the noise been
+less pronounced the two rangers would have darted behind the nearest
+sheltering trees; but the noise was too distinct for either Boone or
+Kenton to suspect that an enemy was at hand. They knew it was a
+friend--at least one from whom they had nothing to fear.
+
+So it proved; for while they were peering toward the point whence the
+figure was known to be approaching, Jethro Juggens, the burly colored
+servant lad of Mr. Altman, slouched into sight, with his rifle slung
+over his shoulder. Not until he had advanced a dozen steps further did
+he see two hunters seated on the fallen tree. Then he stopped suddenly,
+with a startled expression, and brought his heavy rifle to the front.
+
+"None of that!" called Kenton, uncertain what the fellow might do.
+
+"Hello, Mr. Kenton, dat's yo'self, am it?" called Jethro, with a grin;
+"I tinked you was de Panther. I was jes' gwine to plug yo'; lucky yo'
+spoke when yo' done did, or I'd wiped out bofe ob yo' afore anybody
+could hold me; but," added Jethro, in an awed undertone, "I's got bery
+important news for yo', Mr. Kenton and Mr. Boom."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+THE HALT IN THE WOODS.
+
+
+The appearance of Jethro Juggens surprised Boone and Kenton as they sat
+on the fallen tree, for they were looking for nothing of the kind. When
+he announced that he was the bearer of important tidings, he naturally
+became an object of increased interest, for the fate of the little party
+of pioneers was the problem that the two great rangers were trying to
+solve.
+
+"You bring important news," repeated Kenton, who, as the reader already
+knows, was quite partial to the negro, for, with all his stupidity, he
+had given proof of astonishing skill in marksmanship. "What is your
+news?"
+
+"I's very well," replied Jethro, taking his seat beside the men on the
+log, removing his cap, and fanning his shining countenance.
+
+"That being so," continued Kenton, "what's the news you brought?"
+
+"Haben't I jes' told yo'? I's bery well, 'cepting dat I's hungry, dough
+I can't make none ob de folks blebe it. Howsumeber, I guess dey blebes
+it, but dey don't keer."
+
+"Haven't you any other news for us?" asked Boone, looking sternly at
+Jethro, who did not note, or, noting perhaps, did not care for his
+displeasure.
+
+"Nuffin else in 'tickler, 'cept dat de folks am also well."
+
+"That is some kind of news, though only what we expected. Nothing has
+happened to any of 'em?" inquired Kenton.
+
+"Nuffin dat I reckomembers."
+
+"Where are they?"
+
+"Don't you know?" asked Jethro, in turn, looking around in surprise that
+he should put the question, when he had parted with his friends only
+comparatively a short time before. "Whar do you 'spose dey am, Mr.
+Kenton?"
+
+"I know where they ought to be," said the ranger, gravely; "they ought
+to be about a half a mile or so down the river, picking their way
+through the woods to this tree where we're setting; but I didn't know
+but what something had happened."
+
+"Didn't I just tole you dat nuffin didn't happen?"
+
+"Are the folks coming up the river towards us?"
+
+"Dey were settin' still on some rocks on the ground when I left."
+
+"What's that for?"
+
+"I 'spose dey're tired; want to rest."
+
+Kenton looked significantly at Boone. Jethro's theory would not answer.
+There was no member of the little party of pioneers, not even Agnes
+Altman, nor Mabel Ashbridge, only ten years of age, who would become so
+wearied by twice as long a tramp as to feel the need of rest.
+
+"Did you come yourself, or were you sent ahead to see us?"
+
+"I come myself, dat is, nobody fotched me on his back; but Mr. Hastings
+subgested dat I come, by saying if I didn't he would kick me."
+
+Weber Hastings was the sturdy member of the escort party who, in the
+absence of Boone, had charge of them.
+
+Jethro Juggens began to display more sense in his words than he had yet
+shown. He became more serious in his manner.
+
+"De way ob it was dis: One ob de men from de block-house had been
+scoutin' frough de woods, and he come back and tole Mr. Hastings what he
+seed----"
+
+"What was it?" interrupted Kenton.
+
+"Being as he didn't tole me, yo'll hab to obscoose me from answerin' dat
+question, but I was invited to go on ahead and to tell yo' folks dat Mr.
+Hastings wanted one ob yo' or bofe ob yo' to come back again, as he had
+somethin' he wanted to see yo' about."
+
+Neither Boone nor Kenton made any comment on the singular course of
+Hastings in selecting Jethro Juggens to bear such a message, when, among
+all the male members of the company probably there was not one that was
+less qualified.
+
+"I don't know what it means," said Boone, rising from the tree, "but it
+means something. You had better go back with this simpleton at once."
+
+"And you?"
+
+"I'll push ahead and larn what I kin. It won't make any difference
+whether I'm with you or not, if there's a fight coming, but I'll do my
+best to jine you. I'm likely to run onto something ahead that we oughter
+know."
+
+"Do you expect to use any signallin' for me?" asked Kenton, who had also
+risen to his feet.
+
+"Don't see that there'll be any need, but if there is you'll understand
+it. You and me are too used to each other, Simon, to make any slip
+up----"
+
+Kenton raised his hand and smiled. While the words were in the mouth of
+Boone, the soft, faint cawing of the crow was heard for the fifth time.
+
+At the same moment two interesting facts were impressed upon the
+rangers.
+
+The call did not sound half so far away as in any one of the former
+instances, and it came from a throat which essayed it for the first time
+in the hearing of Boone and Kenton.
+
+"Now we know there's three of 'em," remarked the latter.
+
+"They're wondering why me and the rest of 'em aren't pushing faster
+through the woods. But off with you, Simon; we're losing time."
+
+Without another word these two great pioneers separated, the elder
+moving silently among the trees to the eastward, that is, up the Ohio
+and toward Rattlesnake Gulch, now a place of the first importance to all
+concerned. He did not look around to note what was done by the other.
+
+But Kenton had taken only a few steps when he stopped and looked back.
+
+Jethro Juggens was standing by the fallen tree with his gun on his
+shoulder and glancing inquiringly from the disappearing figure of Boone
+to that of Kenton, only a few yards away.
+
+"What's the matter?" asked the latter. "What are you waiting for?"
+
+"Which ob yo' folks wants me, Mr. Kenton?"
+
+"I don't think either one of us will die of a broken heart if we lose
+you; but come along with me."
+
+"Sure Mr. Boone won't feel bad if I don't go wid him?"
+
+"Come along, keep close to me and don't make any noise, for the woods is
+full of the varmints."
+
+Enough has been told for the reader to understand the situation. The
+Altman and Ashbridge families were threading their way through the
+Kentucky wilderness, from the clearing where a cabin had been erected
+some weeks before, to the block-house ten miles distant and on the
+opposite side of the river. They were escorted by a number of rangers
+and scouts from the block-house, under the charge of Daniel Boone, and
+sent thither by Captain Bushwick, who discovered the imminent peril of
+the families after they had declined the invitation to tarry at the
+block-house, and had passed beyond and down the Ohio in the flatboat.
+
+Kenton was not mistaken in his theory about the return journey of
+himself and companion. Not the slightest sign of danger appeared, and in
+a comparatively short time they came upon their friends, who, from their
+appearance, might well have been taken for a picnic party on an outing
+of their own.
+
+What more inviting opening could the crouching Shawanoes ask than was
+here presented to them? From their lurking places among the surrounding
+trees they could pour in a frightfully destructive volley that would
+stretch many of the helpless party lifeless on the ground.
+
+And why did they not do so? Because they knew the cost to them. Those
+hunters and rangers were used to the Indian method of fighting. If the
+redskins could approach nigh enough to fire before detection, there
+would be enough white men left to make many of them bite the dust ere
+they could get beyond reach of the deadly rifles.
+
+No; in the estimation of the Shawanoes there was a plan open to them
+that was a thousandfold more preferable.
+
+Rattlesnake Gulch was the beau ideal place for an ambuscade, for it not
+only offered a certain chance for the destruction of the entire party of
+whites, but afforded a perfect protection against any unpleasant
+consequences to the ambuscaders.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+ON THE EDGE OF THE CLEARING.
+
+
+The arrival of Kenton naturally caused a stir on the part of all the
+members of the party that halted on their way through the Kentucky
+wilderness to the block-house, somewhat less than ten miles distant and
+on the other side of the Ohio River.
+
+Not only Hastings and his brother rangers, but the Ashbridges and
+Altmans gathered around the pioneer to hear what he had to say and the
+directions as to their own proceedings.
+
+Mr. Ashbridge and his friend Altman were roused by the murmur of voices
+and the subdued excitement, and joined the group that surrounded the
+tall, athletic figure--all excepting little Mabel Ashbridge, who was
+just getting her tiny dam in shape, and deemed that of more importance
+than listening to the conversation of the elders.
+
+The words of Weber Hastings proved that he was as quick as Boone and
+Kenton to comprehend the peculiar peril which confronted the party.
+
+"It isn't far to the block-house," he replied to the question of Kenton,
+"and we can do it in two or three hours, if the redskins would give us
+the chance."
+
+"What caused you to make this stop, Weber?"
+
+"Rattlesnake Gulch," was the response.
+
+"What's the matter with that?"
+
+"There's where the Shawanoes mean to ambush us."
+
+"You're right," replied Kenton, nodding his head and compressing his
+lips. "That's just what the varmints have fixed things to do, and if
+they can do it they'll wipe out every one of this party. Boone and me
+made up our minds that that was their trick. He's gone ahead to watch
+'em, and I've come back to help you folks."
+
+"From what Mr. Hastings said," remarked the elder Ashbridge, who, like
+his friend Altman, was thoroughly roused, "the woods are so matted and
+choked with dense undergrowth on both sides of the gulch that it is
+impossible for us to pick our way through it at night without being
+heard by the Indians."
+
+"He's right," was the emphatic comment of Kenton, "the thing can't be
+done."
+
+"That being admitted," said Altman, "why would it not be wise to cross
+the river at this point, or make the rest of the journey through the
+Ohio woods? We who know how to swim can take over those who cannot, or
+better, perhaps, construct a raft upon which to float to the other
+side."
+
+"That would be the idee exactly, if it could be hid from the varmints,
+but they're watching us, and have been doing so ever since we've left
+the clearing. They know everything you do. Afore you could get half-way
+cross the river with the raft they would open on you from the woods on
+both sides, and pick off each woman and gal and them as was pushing the
+raft."
+
+"I do not doubt what you say," observed Altman, with a shudder at the
+graphic picture drawn by the scout, "but it seems strange to me," he
+added, with a glance around, as if he expected to catch sight of some of
+their terrible enemies, "that they have not already opened upon us,
+while we are here in camp, as may be said. What better chance could they
+ask?"
+
+"They could pick off a number of you, but Weber here and the rest of the
+boys would make them dance to lively music if they tried it. That's what
+holds 'em back, for these chaps," remarked Kenton, looking proudly
+around upon his companions, "have fout the varmints afore to-day."
+
+"Then we are doing the only thing possible, by remaining here until it
+becomes so late in the day that we shall not reach Rattlesnake Gulch
+until after dark, and then, instead of attempting to go through it, we
+will cross the river, I presume, though I am not aware of the decision
+that has been reached by Mr. Hastings."
+
+"What will they suspect, then, if we stop here?" asked George Ashbridge.
+
+"Now you've hit the trouble. When they find you don't arrive at some
+p'int where they've been looking for you, they'll know you're stopped.
+Some of their spies will sneak back through the woods to l'arn what it
+means--more'n likely they've already done so," added Kenton, with
+another glance around him, "and then when they see you setting or
+standing or lolling around, without any partic'lar reason for your doing
+so, they'll understand the real cause powerful quick. As soon as they
+diskiver you don't mean to try the Rattlesnake Gulch route, they'll fix
+things to open onto you, and send as many as they can under."
+
+"Then the problem, as I understand it," said the older Ashbridge, "is to
+act so as to convince the Indians that we intend to follow the path
+through the gulch where they mean to ambuscade us, and to keep up this
+impression until nightfall."
+
+"You've hit it precisely, Mr. Ashbridge."
+
+"But how is that to be done? I know of no one beside you to answer the
+question."
+
+"Boone and me have been thinking powerful hard over the matter, and the
+best thing to be done, as I see it, is this: You know we left a canoe
+down by the clearing alongside the boat. I'll go back there and get it,
+that is, if it is still there. I'll try to keep so close in under the
+bank that the varmints won't know what I'm driving at. I'll manage to
+reach a p'int just this side of Rattlesnake Gulch early in the evening,
+and will wait for you. Then I'll hurry the women folks 'cross to the
+other side and make the rest of the journey to the block-house on the
+Ohio bank."
+
+"You will have to make two trips with the canoe."
+
+"Onless I can find another one that was hid under the bushes on this
+side not fur from the gulch. If that's there, I'll take one party over,
+and Boone, or some one else, tother."
+
+"And the rest of us will have it out with the redskins," remarked Weber
+Hastings, with flashing eyes.
+
+"You must start on agin," said Kenton, addressing Hastings, as the
+leader of the party in the absence of himself and Boone; "don't hurry,
+for as it is you've got too much time now on your hands. If you find
+you're getting too near Rattlesnake Gulch afore sun-down, you must have
+some sort of accident that'll give you an excuse for stopping for a
+time. That'll keep the varmints from 'specting anything."
+
+"We ought to be able to arrange some accident," remarked George
+Ashbridge, with a smile, slyly pressing the hand of Agnes, standing
+beside him. "I'll fall over a log if necessary and break a leg."
+
+"A better plan will be for Jethro to get shot accidentally like."
+
+"Gorrynation, dat won't work!" exclaimed the negro, who did not let a
+word escape him; "de bestest way to fix dat will be to stuff me so full
+of victuals dat I won't be able to walk alone, and de rest ob yo' will
+hab to carry me slow like."
+
+"Wal, time is passing; it won't do to stay here any longer; I leave you
+in charge of Weber; he can do as well as me or Boone."
+
+The scout turned to move away, when Jethro Juggens laid his hand on his
+arm.
+
+"See yar, Mr. Kenton, I's worried 'bout yo'," said the colored youth,
+with an anxious expression on his countenance.
+
+"What's the cause of that?" asked the ranger, who, as already stated,
+held a kindly feeling toward the good-natured fellow.
+
+"I's feard sumfin' will happen to yo'--feels it in my bones; I tink yo'
+oughter hab some one to look after yo' while yo's gone."
+
+"Would you like to do it?"
+
+"I tinks a good deal ob yo', Mr. Kenton, and I's willin' to take keer ob
+yo', and see dat yo' gets back all right."
+
+Yielding to that waggish disposition which was a marked characteristic
+of Simon Kenton, sometimes under the most trying circumstances, the
+ranger said:
+
+"Come on, younker, you shall take care of me."
+
+And to the astonishment of the party, the two walked off side by side,
+and disappeared among the trees to the westward.
+
+"We'll make this bargain," remarked Kenton, a few minutes after they
+were beyond sight of their friends: "You'll take care of me, and I'll do
+my best to take care of you."
+
+"Dat hits me 'bout right."
+
+"You'll do just what I tell you to do, and won't speak or move without
+my first telling you to do so."
+
+"Dat's it; and yo' won't speak or move without fust askin' me; I'll be
+easy with yo', Mr. Kenton."
+
+"But," gravely remarked the scout, "if each of us should happen to
+forbid t'other to stir or speak, we'd have to stand still forever. I'll
+act as boss at first, and then when I'm ready I'll give you your turn."
+
+"Dat don't strike me ozactly right, but, as I jist obsarved, I'll be
+easy wid yo', Mr. Kenton, and let yo' start in," replied Jethro,
+somewhat puzzled at the off-hand manner in which the ranger took hold of
+the reins.
+
+But the ranger never laid aside his caution and vigilance. He kept
+Jethro Juggens at his heels, forbidding him to speak a word, but to
+watch and listen to the utmost. The sun was in the horizon when, without
+any special incident, they arrived at the clearing, which all had left
+earlier in the day.
+
+The first view brought a disappointment to Kenton. Nothing in the
+appearance of the settlers' cabin intimated that it had suffered any
+disturbance since the departure of the pioneers, and the unladen
+flatboat rested against the bank, just where it lay when the ranger cast
+a backward glance at it some hours before. The canoe, however, which was
+the magnet that drew him thither, was missing.
+
+It was in as plain sight as the larger craft upon the departure of the
+party, but the keen vision was unable to discover the first outline of
+the bow or stern. Since it could not have removed itself, it followed
+that its disappearance was due to human agency.
+
+"The varmints seem to be everywhere to-day," muttered the impatient
+ranger; "they've been there since we left, and more'n likely some of 'em
+are there now; but I've come after that canoe, and I'm going to have it,
+or my name isn't Sime Kenton."
+
+"Shall I go wid yo' to see yo' don't get hurt?" inquired Jethro Juggens.
+
+"No; stay where you be, and keep out of sight, and don't speak, nor
+stir, nor breathe, till I come back," replied the ranger, making ready
+to set out on one of the most perilous adventures of his eventful
+career.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+DARING AND DELICATE WORK.
+
+
+It will be borne in mind that Kenton had approached the clearing from
+the east, or up the river, so that it was necessary to cross the open
+space to reach the spot where the silent flatboat rested against the
+bank, and near which he expected to find the canoe, so necessary in the
+plan he had formed for saving the settlers and their families.
+
+To start across this clear space was too risky a proceeding for so
+guarded a woodsman as he. If any of his enemies were on the other side,
+where he meant to look for the smaller boat, the ranger was certain to
+be detected. His plan, therefore, was to pass around the clearing by
+entering the woods and moving to the rear. This he set out to do upon
+parting from Jethro Juggens.
+
+He had not yet passed from sight among the trees when his steps were
+arrested by a vigorous "St! st!"
+
+Well aware of the point whence it came, he turned impatiently around,
+took a couple of steps toward his dusky companion, and demanded in an
+undertone:
+
+"What do you want?"
+
+"Yo' tole me not to speak or move or breve; if I don't speak or move,
+can't you let up on de breving bus'ness? I'm afraid it's gwine to bodder
+me to shet off breving."
+
+"All right, so you don't forget to stay right where you are till I come
+back."
+
+Kenton resumed his advance, keeping out of sight in the woods, until he
+had skirted three sides of the clearing and approached the river again,
+opposite the point where he had first halted with his companion, and
+failed to see the canoe.
+
+As yet it was an absolute mystery as to what had become of the lesser
+boat. A half-dozen causes might account for its disappearance. It might
+have been set adrift by one of the Shawanoes, or captured and paddled
+across the river, or destroyed, or--
+
+At that moment the figure of a sinewy Shawanoe shot up to view, as if
+from a jumping-box. He was near the canoe, but between it and Kenton,
+and so close, indeed, that but for the fact that his face was turned
+toward the river, he must have discovered the white man.
+
+Kenton's heart gave a quick throb, for something in the shoulders, the
+back of the head and contour of the body suggested that the Indian was
+his old enemy, Wa-on-mon, The Panther.
+
+"If it's the varmint himself," thought Kenton, "him and me can just as
+well have it now, even if there are others of his people not fur off."
+
+Either the Indian did not see that on the river for which he was
+searching, or the view was satisfactory, for he now turned and looked
+toward the cabin. This brought his face into full view, and the glimpse
+which the white man caught from a peep around the edge of the bark
+showed the warrior to be a stranger.
+
+Kenton's position enabled him to see the log cabin as clearly as did the
+Shawanoe, but it was impossible to detect anything to justify his
+interest in the building. The situation had become so peculiar that all
+the sagacity of the ranger was insufficient for him to decide upon the
+best course to pursue.
+
+Five, ten, fifteen minutes passed, during which the warrior, sitting on
+the ground, with his back against the tree, remained as motionless as
+did The Panther, when a prisoner the night before on the flatboat.
+
+"I'm blessed if I don't believe he's asleep," mused Kenton.
+
+Nothing is easier than for a person to pretend unconsciousness, but in
+this case the white man could think of no reason for the red man doing
+that.
+
+"Shod with silence," as Simon Kenton or his brothers were when threading
+their way among the forest shadows, he stepped from behind the tree and
+began moving toward the long, graceful canoe, whose nose rested against
+the bank.
+
+His course took him near the Shawanoe, and he paused while yet several
+paces to the rear. The hostile was at his mercy. He could drive the life
+from his body with lightning-like suddenness.
+
+"That isn't the way for a Christian to fight," concluded Kenton, making
+such an abrupt change in his course that the distance between the two
+was increased.
+
+The pose of the Indian was the natural one of a sleeper. His back being
+against the trunk of a tree, his knees were drawn up, with his arms
+resting upon them. His long rifle reclined against the same support as
+his body, his knife and tomahawk were in place in the girdle around the
+waist of his half-naked person, his head was sunk, with the chin resting
+on his chest, and his coarse, black hair dangling in front or behind his
+shoulders.
+
+As he sat thus, his face was turned partly away from the canoe. Kenton's
+course took him past the sleeper, whose eyes, as he noted, were closed.
+All doubt of his being unconscious were removed, since no reason was
+conceivable for any pretence on his part.
+
+Fortune held the promise of a rare and remarkable triumph. It has been
+said that the canoe rested so lightly against the banks that only a very
+slight force was required to release and let it float down stream.
+
+If, therefore, the Shawanoe should awake and note its absence, he would
+conclude that it was due to the action of the current, a conclusion that
+could not be formulated in the event of his rifle keeping it company.
+Following the suggestion of such a theory, the Shawanoe, in seeking to
+recover the boat, would look down instead of up stream for it.
+
+With these reasons, therefore, swaying him, Kenton put past him all
+inclination to trifle with a sleeping sentinel, and with only a
+momentary pause stepped forward until he laid his hand on the arching
+prow of the canoe, which was the same as the stern.
+
+The long two-bladed paddle lay in the bottom, just as he himself had
+laid it after rowing ashore with The Panther. Everything was ready, but
+the hardest test of all now confronted the scout, who had performed his
+part thus far with a consummate skill that could not be surpassed.
+
+Keeping his gaze upon his enemy, he dipped one end of the paddle in the
+water, and, with the same noiselessness as before, sent the boat up the
+stream and across the clear space at the foot of the clearing.
+
+Something like assurance came to him when he drove it beneath the
+overhanging limbs and stepped ashore for Jethro Juggens. Knowing the
+precise spot where he had left him, he hurried thither without losing a
+second. But the fellow was gone.
+
+"Sarved me right for bringing him along!" muttered the angry Kenton,
+"but what can have become of the younker?"
+
+Well, indeed, might he ask the question.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+THE RIGHT OF EMINENT DOMAIN.
+
+
+It always seemed to Jethro Juggens that Kenton took a great deal more
+pains or used a greater degree of caution than was necessary when he
+undertook a task in which Indians were concerned. The density of the
+African's intellect did not blind him to the need of using caution or
+care in dealing with the treacherous people, but the excessive timidity
+of so active or powerful a man as the pioneer struck the dusky youth
+unfavorably.
+
+"He tinks dat dat canoe am ober yender, somewhar near dat flatboat,"
+mused Jethro, several minutes after the departure of the scout; "I has a
+little ob dat 'pinion myself. It wouldn't take more dan five minutes to
+run across to de oder side. Dat's what he oughter do, but instead ob dat
+he goes clear round de clearing frough de woods--de most obfoolishest
+ting dat he could do. He runs de risk ob steppin' on a rattlesnake and
+gettin' stung, or ob catchin' a limb under his chin and liftin' him
+offen his feet and droppin' him on his back wid a violence dat will
+shake all de teeth out ob his head."
+
+The reader has learned the success of the plan adopted by Kenton.
+
+"I don't feel perzactly right ober dis bus'ness," muttered Jethro, some
+minutes later. "I come along to help look after Mr. Kenton, and when de
+danger comes I let him slip away without me.
+
+"He played de boss fust ober me, which am all right, 'cause dat am de
+way to fix dem tings, but it's 'bout time my turn come."
+
+An expression of displeasure passed over the ebon countenance.
+
+"He told me I musn't speak nor move nor breve. Dar ain't no sense in
+dat. Den he gib me percumission to breve. 'Sposen he hadn't done so,
+what would hab come of me? I couldn't hold my bref for free, four hours
+while he war gone. As for movin' and talkin', I hab already done dat, so
+dar ain't no use ob tinting any more 'bout it."
+
+It was really a relief to reflect that he had violated all the commands
+laid upon him, for the fact ended the mental struggle which might have
+continued indefinitely. Inasmuch, therefore, as the bars were down, the
+disobedience grew or expanded.
+
+Kenton, before parting with the servant, made sure he was in a place
+where there was little danger of discovery. The undergrowth was so dense
+that no one was likely to pass through it except in case of necessity,
+for work would be saved by making a much longer tour around. It was
+quite near the river, on the margin of the clearing, though far enough
+from the latter to prevent the fellow being seen if he used only
+ordinary prudence.
+
+In open violation of his orders, Jethro made his way to the open space,
+putting forth no special precaution in doing so, and peered around.
+There was nothing in the appearance of the flatboat to interest him, nor
+could he note any change in the looks of the cabin.
+
+"I don't feel dat dis matter am gwine right," he mused, returning to his
+former position; "I'se gettin' worried 'bout Mr. Kenton; it war
+understood dat I war to go 'long to help took care ob him, and dar's no
+knowing what trouble he'll get into."
+
+Enough had passed between the two before their separation for Jethro to
+understand quite clearly the scheme he had in mind. He knew the ranger
+meant to take the longest way round to the other side of the clearing,
+throwing away, in the estimation of the African, a great deal of time
+and effort.
+
+Fortunately, Jethro did not yield to his impulse to solve the matter by
+striding across the open space and making a hunt himself for the cause
+that was destined to play a most important part in the fortunes of the
+pioneers. Thus, a calamity, far-reaching in its consequences, was
+averted.
+
+But a few minutes more of reflection induced the youth to do something
+hardly less dangerous or ill-advised.
+
+He decided to follow after Kenton, taking the same course and making for
+the same destination.
+
+"It'll s'prise him," thought Jethro, with a grin, "when I sort of
+whistle, and he looks round and sees me standin' dar smilin' at him.
+I'll doot!"
+
+The youth was not sufficiently skilled in woodcraft to follow the ranger
+by means of his trail. Indeed, there was no need of his doing so, since
+the course was well known to him.
+
+It was not without some misgiving that Jethro started upon his venture,
+for, despite his sophistries, he knew he was quite likely to incur the
+displeasure of Kenton, who had shown more than once a partiality toward
+him. If any disaster followed, the youth knew he would be blamed. It was
+his task, therefore, so to conduct himself that only the best results
+should flow from his violation of orders.
+
+Jethro kept well back among the trees while circling around the
+clearing. The increased light on his right was all the guide he needed,
+even had he not gained a slight acquaintance with the section by his
+stirring experience earlier in the day.
+
+Now and then he approached near enough to the cleared space to see the
+cabin, and thus took hardly a step without fully knowing where he was.
+At a point in a line with the cabin and the flatboat beyond, he came to
+a halt and glanced at his immediate surroundings.
+
+"Dis is 'bout de spot whar I stood when I plugged dat Injun, and," added
+Jethro, with a chuckle, "whar I scooped de shirt dat dat Girty hung out
+to dry. Dey tried to make b'leve aftwards dat it war a flag ob trooce,
+meanin' dat dey wanted us all to stop shootin' while we had a talk wid
+each oder; dey fooled Kenton and de rest ob de folks, but dey didn't
+fool dis chile."
+
+He found a fascination in studying the rear of the cabin, which George
+Ashbridge and his father had builded with so much care and labor.
+
+"Lucky for me dat I wasn't wid' em," reflected Jethro, "for if I had
+been dey would hab sat 'round while I done all de work. Mighty strange
+dat eberybody tinks I'm good fur nuffin but work, but dey done forgot
+dat I knows how to shoot a gun as well as oder folks."
+
+He stood for a minute or two in deep thought. He was revolving an
+important scheme in his mind.
+
+"From de style dat Mr. Kenton moved wid when he luff me, it'll take him
+'bout two days to git 'round to where he's gwine to find dat canoe,
+consequinchly dar ain't no use ob my being in such a hurry dat I'll
+broke my neck. I'll take a look inside dat house to make sure dat
+matters am all right."
+
+And without the first hesitation he proceeded to carry out his
+extraordinary purpose.
+
+He first approached the rear of the cabin, where, it will be remembered,
+were two windows on the lower floor and two on the upper. Each of these
+was too narrow to permit any man to force his body through. It was from
+one of the lower ones that Simon Girty had displayed the flag of truce,
+only to have it whipped off the ramrod and appropriated by the watchful
+Jethro, who, after wearing the garment for a time, laid it aside in
+order to escape the merriment his appearance caused for the others.
+
+The dusky youth peeped through the opening at the interior, where the
+furniture and goods were tumbled about in great confusion. The view was
+unsatisfactory, and he passed around to the front, with the intention of
+entering by means of the door.
+
+There are unnumbered incidents continually occurring, as they have
+occurred in the past, in which luck seems to play a most prominent part.
+We doubt whether any other explanation can be made of the extraordinary
+series of events in which Jethro Juggens now became involved, and which
+were destined to have a momentous bearing upon the fortunes of his
+friends, beyond even the calculations of the sagacious Boone and Kenton.
+
+It is probable that had the colored youth presented himself in front of
+the door a half-hour sooner, he not only would have been instantly
+detected by some of the Shawanoes, but would have been slain. It is
+certain that had he delayed his movements for a less time than that
+named these consequences would have followed, for the reader has learned
+that before the warrior guarding the canoe fell asleep he showed a good
+deal of interest in the cabin in the clearing.
+
+But Jethro's action was so timed (without any credit due to himself)
+that he escaped both perils, as well as that of being seen by Kenton,
+who, it will be remembered, gave considerable attention to the same
+quarter. It is hard to imagine what his feelings would have been, had
+the scout turned his gaze towards the building at the moment the colored
+youth came around the corner and walked to the front door.
+
+"Dat's right," muttered Jethro, when he noted the latch-string hanging
+out; "dat makes it discumnecessary for me to kick in de door."
+
+The leathern thong was smartly twitched, the door shoved gently inward,
+and, with a slightly quickened throbbing of the heart, Jethro Juggens
+stepped across the threshold.
+
+Boxes of varying sizes were broken apart, or scattered here or there
+about the lower floor. Near the broad, spacious fireplace were a number
+of pots, kettles, a crane, and irons, or other simple utensils, such as
+were used by our forefathers. The whole floor was so cluttered up that
+care was necessary in moving about the circumscribed space.
+
+The sloping ladder leading to the upper floor was in place, but little,
+if anything, had been carried thither. The time, of course, was too
+brief to permit it.
+
+Jethro peeped through the windows in turn, but discovered nothing to
+cause alarm. Then, it may be said, he did his first sensible act of the
+day; he pulled in the latch-string to prevent an enemy stealing upon him
+unawares.
+
+A chuckle escaped the youngster when his eye rested upon a box
+containing what was left of the bread that had furnished the pioneers
+with their last meal. Leaning his rifle against the wall, he clutched a
+goodly-sized loaf of the dark, wholesome staff of life, and buried his
+big, perfect teeth in it, crunching crust and lighter portion as though
+they were the most tender and delicious fruits.
+
+Stretching out upon the hard floor, which served him as well as a bed of
+eider-down, he sank into a deep, peaceful slumber, with no thought of
+the consequences that were certain to flow from this unprecedented
+action upon his part.
+
+By this time the long summer day was drawing to a close. When darkness
+finally settled over forest and river, Jethro Juggens was still
+sleeping.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+A QUESTION OF OWNERSHIP.
+
+
+Simon Kenton proceeded on the principle of the greatest good to the
+greatest number.
+
+When, with consummate delicacy and skill, he withdrew the canoe from
+under the very nose of the sleeping Shawanoe, and noiselessly impelled
+it across the open space under the screening undergrowth on the other
+side, he did not dare to call to Jethro Juggens to join him, through
+fear that the slight noise would rouse the Indian only a few yards off,
+sitting with his back against a tree and his head bowed on his chest.
+
+Instead, he stepped ashore and picked his way to where he had left him,
+only to find, as has been shown, that the colored youth, in the face of
+positive instructions, had gone elsewhere.
+
+"Sarves me right for bringing him with me," repeated the disgusted
+pioneer. "I might have knowed he'd do something of the kind."
+
+In his impatience, he turned to leave the spot without further tarrying,
+but his partiality for the youth, whose skill in handling the rifle was
+so remarkable, caused him to linger a few moments and emit a couple of
+guarded signals.
+
+Inasmuch as Jethro Juggens just then was inside the cabin making his
+evening meal, it is unnecessary to say that Kenton's effort was without
+success.
+
+"If he did hear me he wouldn't know what it meant, and if he did know
+what it meant he'd yell back his answer loud enough to be heard at the
+block-house--so I'll let him look out for himself."
+
+Before resuming his place in the canoe the ranger stole to a point near
+the edge of the clearing, where, by cautiously parting the undergrowth
+and peering out, he could look across to the flatboat and catch the
+outlines of the sleeping Shawanoe.
+
+The pioneer was just in time to witness an entertaining scene.
+
+The providential slumber of the warrior was what in ordinary parlance
+may be described as a "cat nap," inasmuch as it came to an end, of its
+own accord, a moment after Kenton took his last peep at him.
+
+The Shawanoe raised his chin, and then in the most natural manner in the
+world, rubbed his eyes by gouging his forefingers into them, just as all
+boys and girls do when their senses are coming back to them. Next, he
+reached out his hand and brought his rifle in front, doing so while in
+the act of rising on his feet. Then he started, became rigid, and stared
+at the river as though doubting his own vision.
+
+The canoe, which was there only a short time before, was gone.
+
+After all, it would seem he should have felt no great astonishment, for,
+resting so lightly against the bank, it was not to be wondered at that
+it worked loose and floated off.
+
+The painted face was turned inquiringly in the direction of Kenton, as
+though a glimmering of the truth had entered the brain of the red man,
+but clearly that was impossible, and he moved along the bank, speedily
+disappearing, in his search for the missing craft.
+
+"He knows about how long he has slept," mused the smiling Kenton, "and
+he knows the boat can't have drifted far. When he goes fur 'nough to
+find it, and don't find it, he'll come back there again; he'll examine
+the ground, and will diskiver my footprints; he won't know whether the
+moccasins belong to a white man or one of the varmints, but he will get
+an idee of why the thing didn't float down instead of up stream. Wal,"
+muttered the ranger, "it'll take sharper eyes than his to trail a canoe
+through the water, and I don't think he'll git this ere craft ag'in in a
+hurry."
+
+While those thoughts were in the mind of Kenton, he had re-entered the
+boat again and taken up the broad ashen paddle.
+
+The reader will understand the difficult task that was before him. From
+the clearing to Rattlesnake Gulch was all if not more than two miles. It
+was his work to reach the latter point by the time that night was fully
+come.
+
+Ordinarily this would have been so easy that it could not be considered
+in the nature of work, but above all things it must be accomplished
+without the knowledge of the Shawanoes, who, it may be said, were on
+every hand. A sight of the ranger stealing his way up stream, and the
+halt of the pioneers before reaching the place fixed upon for the
+ambuscade, could not fail to apprise the Indians that their intended
+victims had no intention of walking into the trap set for them.
+
+Since the war party would never knowingly permit the settlers to escape
+them, an attack was certain to follow; and though the veteran rangers,
+under the leadership of Boone and Kenton, were confident of beating them
+off, yet more or less casualties were certain to follow an attack. Some
+of the helpless ones would suffer; probably several would be killed or
+carried off, which meant the same thing.
+
+To avert these woful afflictions was the cause of the extraordinary
+precautions on the part of Boone and Kenton, especially the latter.
+
+Enough has been said to show that the problem Simon Kenton had set out
+to solve was anything but a simple one.
+
+The arms which swayed the paddle, however, were sturdy and muscular, and
+could keep to the task for hours without sensible fatigue. Kenton did
+not mind a simple obstruction of that nature, and, indeed, would have
+been glad because of the curtain thus offered if it had continued all
+the way.
+
+Once more and again was the frail craft impelled beneath the limbs, its
+progress ceasing almost at the moment the paddle was withdrawn from the
+water.
+
+During these brief intervals of subsidence, the ranger listened intently
+for such sounds as could tell him of the whereabouts of his enemies. He
+knew, as may be said, that they were everywhere, and he was liable to
+collide with them at the most unexpected moments. The pioneers or their
+escort were subjected to the most eagle-eyed vigilance.
+
+For a furlong the advance continued in this laborious fashion. Then
+Kenton made a longer pause than usual, for he had reached a point where
+it was necessary to drive the canoe across a space fully one hundred
+feet in width, and where there was nothing that could serve to the
+slightest extent as a screen.
+
+The ranger debated with himself as to the best course to pursue.
+
+"I don't b'leve there's any varmint on the watch there," was the
+conclusion of Kenton; "the Shawanoes know where the women folks and the
+boys are, and that's the place that they're watching--so here goes."
+
+Again the ashen paddle was dipped in the clear current, but at the very
+moment of imparting the powerful impulse to it, the ranger checked
+himself with the suddenness of lightning.
+
+From a point apparently directly across the river came the same signal
+that had disturbed him and Boone earlier in the afternoon. The faint
+cawing of a crow, as if calling from the upper branches of a tree to his
+mate, floated across the Ohio to the startled ears of the listening
+Kenton.
+
+"Well, I'm blessed!" he muttered, "if crows ain't thicker in Kaintuck
+than I ever knowed 'em afore at this season of the year."
+
+This signal, which the man did not doubt for a moment came from the
+throat of one of the Shawanoe spies, settled the question which he had
+been debating with himself.
+
+Forcing the nose of the canoe against the bank, he stepped ashore.
+Before drawing it entirely forth, however, he decided to walk the short
+distance through the woods, so as to select the most favorable course to
+follow.
+
+He had not far to go, but the simple act was marked by all the
+thoroughness with which he did everything relating to his life
+profession.
+
+While the wood, because of the abundance of undergrowth, was not what he
+desired, yet he was confident of working his way through it and back to
+the water again without injuring the canoe. He set out to do so,
+returning to the starting-point at the end of fifteen or twenty minutes.
+
+And there a surprise awaited him. The boat was gone!
+
+If he had withdrawn it with incredible deftness from under the closed
+eyes of the Shawanoe, that same individual (for it must be he) had
+displayed hardly less cleverness in snatching it from his grasp.
+
+Kenton lost no time in speculating over the matter, but hurried swiftly
+and noiselessly along the bank in quest of the daring thief. He came
+upon him, only a few rods distant, making his way with great care and
+skill along the bank, as though he had no fear of any dispute over the
+ownership of the craft, as, indeed, he did not; for, catching sight of
+the white man at the same instant the latter saw him, he leaped ashore,
+and, knife in hand, attacked him with the impetuous fury of a jungle
+tiger.
+
+Ten minutes later, when Simon Kenton resumed possession of the canoe, he
+muttered, with grim significance:
+
+"Sometimes a varmint makes a mistake; that air varmint made one, but
+he'll never make another, 'cause when the chance comes he won't be
+there!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+BY THE WAY.
+
+
+Meanwhile, the families of the settlers and their escorts were not idle.
+
+Turned back, when on the threshold as it were of success, they bore
+their hard lot with the fortitude and uncomplaining courage which was
+one of the most marked characteristics of the pioneers of the West.
+
+They had entered the "promised land," as may be said, for all of the
+Ashbridges and Altmans had passed through the door of the cabin in the
+clearing; they had deposited their household goods and worldly
+possessions in the structure erected with so much care and labor; then,
+being warned of the imminent peril of staying, had set out for the
+block-house, ten miles distant, there to remain until it was safe for
+them to venture once more into the wilderness.
+
+Daniel Boone was in advance of the company, scouting in the neighborhood
+of Rattlesnake Gulch, for it was indispensable that he should keep watch
+of the main war party of Shawanoes there, and learn, as far as possible,
+their intentions towards the whites.
+
+Kenton had turned back to the clearing in quest of the canoe with which
+he hoped to carry the families across the Ohio during the favoring
+darkness of the night without discovery by the dusky enemies. We left
+him pushing his way up stream, after his deadly encounter with the
+Shawanoe who had withdrawn the craft from where it was left by the
+ranger during his temporary absence.
+
+It may be said, that every man and woman, threading their way through
+the wilderness to the block-house, understood the scheme which it was
+hoped could be carried through to completion, and each, of course, was
+eager to lend his aid to its success.
+
+Within ten minutes, therefore, of the departure of Kenton and Jethro
+Juggens, those whom they left behind took up the journey eastward--that
+is, toward dreaded Rattlesnake Gulch, which intervened between them and
+the post under the command of Captain Bushwick.
+
+The line of march was simple. Weber Hastings acted as guide, or rather
+avant-courier, since all knew the route that was to be followed. He kept
+a hundred yards, or so, in advance of the company, which timed their
+gait to his, so that the intervening space was neither increased nor
+diminished.
+
+A second scout kept pace with his chief, but so far removed to the
+right, and deeper in the forest, that only rarely did they catch sight
+of each other. There were no guards on the left or at the rear, the two
+named being considered sufficient to give timely notice of the approach
+of danger.
+
+There was no attempt at anything like military order on the part of the
+others. The pioneer scouts were impatient of discipline, preferring to
+"fight fire with fire"--that is, to combat the Indian by methods
+peculiar to the Indians themselves.
+
+Accordingly, the rest of the rangers straggled along, inclosing, so far
+as possible, the members of the families whom they hoped to deliver from
+their great peril. Mr. Ashbridge and his wife sauntered in front of
+their old friends, with little Mabel most of the time between them and
+holding a hand of each. Her disposition, however, to dart aside and
+pluck every brilliant flower that flashed among the green vegetation
+could not be restrained at all times, and was the cause of much anxiety
+on the part of her parents.
+
+Next in order walked Mr. Altman and his wife, while of Agnes, the
+daughter, and George, it may be said they brought up the rear.
+
+"I wonder," said Agnes, in her low, sweet voice, "whether, when we reach
+the block-house, we shall be safe, or whether we shall have to keep on
+going east until we arrive at our old home in Virginia before we can
+feel beyond the power of these dreadful red men."
+
+"Why do you express that doubt, when it has been a good many years since
+the people in our old homes have suffered from the Indians?"
+
+"Not so long ago that I cannot remember it."
+
+"But don't forget that you are seventeen years old--"
+
+"Several months more, please to remember, sir."
+
+"And you can remember, I suppose, a dozen years; that is a good while.
+But it is not so bad as all that. Kenton explained matters yesterday
+when I was talking with him. There is what is called a flurry among the
+Indians, and as long as it lasts we must keep under the wing of some
+block-house or in some settlement."
+
+"But how long is it to last?"
+
+"There is only One who can answer that question. It may be in a few
+weeks, or months, or possibly a year or two. You know that such
+expeditions as Crawford's and St. Clair's make matters worse than
+before."
+
+"Why?"
+
+"Colonel Crawford, as you remember, was not only defeated, but he was
+made prisoner and burned to death at the stake. Then President
+Washington sent General St. Clair, and the combined tribes smote him hip
+and thigh. All this makes the Indians bolder and more open in their
+hostility, until I have no doubt that hundreds of them believe they are
+strong enough to drive every white man out of Ohio and Kentucky."
+
+"Why doesn't General Washington send some one who knows how to fight the
+Indians, and with men enough to whip them?"
+
+"St. Clair had enough men to whip the enemy, but the general didn't know
+how to handle them when he got into the Indian country. You have learned
+of the dreadful mistake that Braddock and his regulars made more than
+thirty years ago, during the French and Indian war, when all of the
+British soldiers would have been killed if it had not been for
+Washington and his Virginians."
+
+"I should think General Washington himself would take command of a
+force. I know he would end all this trouble," added Agnes, with a glow
+of pride in the illustrious Father of his Country.
+
+"I have no doubt he would if he wasn't President; but he has to stay in
+Philadelphia and make the other officers do their duty. But if he can't
+come himself, he knows enough now to send the right men. The next battle
+will see the Indians so badly whipped that they will stay so for many,
+many years to come."
+
+"And then?"
+
+"Hundreds and thousands of people will come from the East and settle in
+the West. The land will be cleared off and planted; cities and towns
+will spring up, and that clearing of ours, with the other acres we shall
+add, will make you and I wealthy, Agnes."
+
+"It may make you wealthy, George; but how can it help me?"
+
+He gave the dainty hand a warmer pressure than before and lowered his
+voice, so that only the shell-like ear, so close to his own, could catch
+his words.
+
+"If it benefits me it must benefit you; for, God willing, long before
+that time we shall be one. Am I wrong in that hope, dearest?"
+
+"George," said Agnes, when they had walked a little further in silence,
+"there is one prospect which causes me some discomfort."
+
+"And what is that?"
+
+"Of all our people being cooped up in the block-house for weeks, and
+perhaps months, until the trouble with the Indians is over. We stopped
+there the other day when we were coming down the river. It is a large,
+roomy structure, but there is nothing beside the single building. A good
+many men make their homes there at different times, and though they are
+all as kind as they can be, it will be anything but pleasant when your
+folks and ours are added to them."
+
+"I don't wonder that you feel thus. The same thought has occurred to me
+and Kenton, and I guess every one else. Some other arrangement will have
+to be made. Captain Bushwick will have several strong cabins put up, if
+it looks as though you will have to stay more than a few days, or he may
+do better than that."
+
+"How?"
+
+"Send us all to Boonesboro. That's where the great Daniel Boone, that's
+helping us just now, makes his home. It was named for him. It is a
+regular stockade, with a number of cabins inside, and abundant room for
+twenty families or more."
+
+"How far off is it?"
+
+"I am not sure, but less than fifty miles."
+
+"Why not go there at once, without stopping at the block-house?"
+
+"The trouble is that, if it would be safe to make the journey there now,
+it would be just as safe to stay in our own house at the clearing. The
+route leads through one of the most dangerous regions in Kentucky."
+
+"If that is the case, how can we reach it from the block-house?"
+
+"It will have to be done by awaiting some favorable chance; that chance,
+as you know, isn't now, but it may come in a short time. Kenton or
+Boone, or some of their men, will be quick to learn it."
+
+Agnes was about to reply, when one of the rangers, who had wandered
+somewhat ahead or to one side, emitted a cry that must have penetrated a
+goodly part of a mile. His terrified friends stopped short, grasped
+their rifles more tightly, and stared wonderingly at the man, who was
+acting like a crazy person.
+
+He had flung his gun aside, and caught up a heavy stick, with which he
+was threshing something on the ground.
+
+It required hardly a second glance from those who ran toward him to
+recognize the writhing object as an immense rattlesnake. The man seemed
+to be in a frenzy, and continued belaboring the reptile even after all
+saw it was as dead as dead could be.
+
+"What's the use, Jim?" called Hastings, who had hastened to return upon
+hearing his wild shout; "he's gone under; did he bite you?"
+
+"Yes," replied the other, in a husky voice staggering backward and
+sinking to the ground; "he bit me twice before I seed him; I'm done
+for."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+THE "ACCIDENT."
+
+
+It would seem that the pioneers had more than enough to occupy their
+minds on this eventful journey through the woods, without coming in
+contact with such a frightful thing as a rattlesnake, but here was one
+of the hardy members of the escort apparently stricken unto death by the
+huge reptile that he had just slain.
+
+By the time the poor fellow had collapsed and fallen to the earth,
+almost the entire party were gathered around him. That section of the
+Union, even in those early days, was not wholly lacking in whiskey.
+There may not have been a great deal of it manufactured in the
+territory, but those who made their homes in that favored land did not
+often suffer for lack of it.
+
+Flasks there were in plenty, but it was noticeable that not one of the
+rangers who had come from the fort made haste to bring forth a supply
+and place it at the lips of their collapsed companion.
+
+It was Mr. Altman who was quick to kneel beside the man and apply the
+vessel to his mouth, as he raised him to a sitting position.
+
+"Don't you remember, George," said Agnes, "that Mr. Kenton said we must
+meet with some accident that would prevent our reaching Rattlesnake
+Gulch until night was fully come?"
+
+"I do."
+
+"Well, that's the accident we have met."
+
+A light flashed upon young Ashbridge. The amused expression on the faces
+of the escort was explained. James Deane had not been harmed by the
+rattlesnake which he had pounded to death. As is said, all this was done
+for effect.
+
+The most real thing about the business was that Jim was procuring a
+prodigious supply of excellent whiskey without any expense to himself,
+and without any cause existing for such an over-dose.
+
+Seeing the actual danger that threatened their friend, Hastings touched
+the shoulder of Mr. Altman, who looked up inquiringly at him.
+
+"I wouldn't give him any more."
+
+"It will be safer to fill him up with it, so as to counteract the
+poison."
+
+"Yesh--fill him up," added Jim, thickly, reaching out his hand vaguely
+for the bottle; "fill him up--coun'act--hic--p'son--fill him up so he
+runs over."
+
+"I think, Tom, he's running over now," suggested Mr. Ashbridge, who
+understood matters.
+
+The words and the expressions on the countenances of the others caused
+the truth to flash upon the good Samaritan. He rose to his feet with a
+disgusted look. Then he shook his glass flask, and held it up between
+him and the sunlight.
+
+"If I had suspected, he shouldn't have had a drop; he has drank enough
+to make three men drunk."
+
+"And he's as drunk as three men can get," replied Ashbridge.
+
+"Fetch on your rattler--hic," stuttered Jim, who was about to add some
+more remarks when he gave it up and toppled over on the ground,
+deferring all such observations to a more convenient season.
+
+It assumed an almost grotesque phase, and sounds incredible when it is
+stated that this pretended rattlesnake bite was solely for the purpose
+of deceiving the members of the Shawanoe war party that were swarming
+through the woods, yet not only was such the fact, but the scheme,
+singular as it was, met the approval of Daniel Boone and Simon Kenton,
+whose judgment in such matters all will admit should be accepted as
+final.
+
+Meanwhile, Hastings was anxiously consulting with Ashbridge, Altman, and
+his own men.
+
+The situation was grave to the last degree, and the crisis could not be
+far off.
+
+"We don't need to wait here more'n half an hour," said he, "and may be
+not that long; then, when we start, night'll be fully here afore we
+reach the gulch."
+
+"And the Indians have been deceived as to our purpose?" was the
+inquiring remark of Mr. Ashbridge.
+
+"There's no sartinty of that, but it looks that way."
+
+"But the most alarming feature of this business, as it seems to me,"
+continued the pioneer, "is this: the time must soon come when these
+Shawanoes will learn we do not mean to pass through that valley of
+death."
+
+Hastings nodded his head. He had thought of all this, as well as of the
+complications that were likely to follow.
+
+"How long after we make our pause will they suspect the truth?"
+
+"Inside of ten minutes; but," added the ranger, "they may think we've
+decided to wait till morning afore we pass through."
+
+"Is that probable?" asked young Ashbridge.
+
+"No; there isn't one chance in a thousand that they'll think anything of
+the kind, and yet there is that one chance."
+
+Mr. Ashbridge again took up the exchange of views with the leader of the
+scouts, the others listening with the closest attention and interest.
+
+"Suppose the Shawanoes believe we have merely postponed our passage
+through the gulch until morning, and that we are certain to attempt it
+then--what will they do?"
+
+"Wait where they are till daylight, or for a week, if they were sure the
+thing would be tried; but," was the significant remark of Hastings,
+"don't build any hopes on any such idea as that."
+
+"I am sure it would be foolish to do so, but we are getting down to
+bed-rock facts now. The Indians must soon learn that we have no
+intention of walking into their trap. What they will then do is not
+clear to you."
+
+"No; but I don't think they'll make an attack till the night is purty
+well nigh gone. They always spend a good deal of time in figgering and
+man[oe]uverin' round. It's that time between the beginning of darkness
+and sun-up that's got to be used by us for the benefit of your folks, or
+it will not be used at all."
+
+"Mr. Kenton seems to have taken wise steps, as he always does under such
+circumstances, for the safety of our families. He counts upon securing
+that canoe which was left with the flatboat, and has hope of finding
+another near the gulch. Suppose he fails in both instances--what then?"
+
+"Only Kenton himself can answer that question; I believe he's as likely
+to fail as to win, but he'll soon be on hand; he won't keep us waiting
+long. Boone will be purty sure to jine us, and atween' em they'll do the
+right thing."
+
+"There can be no doubt of that, but, if you will pardon me, Mr.
+Hastings, it seems to me that there is something for us to do. My
+solicitude for the dear ones around us, who cannot help themselves, must
+excuse my presumption."
+
+"It's no presumption, sir; we are all glad to hear what you have to
+say."
+
+"Accidents are liable to occur at any time, even though some of them are
+bogus," qualified Ashbridge, with a glance at the unconscious figure of
+Jim Deane a few rods away. "Boone and Kenton have placed themselves in
+great peril. One of them may be killed; it is impossible that both will
+fall. We are fortunate in having such good friends as you to stand by
+us, but the wisest man is he who provides, as far as he can, for every
+contingency. Suppose we see nothing of Boone or Kenton again?"
+
+"I can't think such a thing as both of 'em going under at the same time
+can happen. One of 'em is sartin to turn up purty soon."
+
+"But Kenton may fail to bring the canoe, upon which so much depends.
+Now, to come down to the point, when we halt near the gulch will our
+position be such that we can make a good defence against an attack?"
+
+"I don't know," was the frank reply of the ranger; "we've only one man
+with us who knows all about Rattlesnake Gulch, and the ins and outs of
+the place."
+
+"Who is that man?"
+
+For reply, Hastings pointed to Jim Deane, sunk in a helpless stupor.
+
+"Humph!" remarked the pioneer, "he is of no more account than a dead
+man, and won't be for some hours to come."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+AT RATTLESNAKE GULCH.
+
+
+By this time night was closing over forest and river. The sun had set,
+and a strong west wind blew steadily up stream. Masses of clouds were
+drifting across the sky, and when the moon should appear its light would
+be treacherous and uncertain.
+
+"We must wait no longer," said Hastings, "for we shall run the risk of
+an attack where we are, and that would be almost as bad as an ambush."
+
+"True," remarked Altman, with a shudder, as he glanced around them, "we
+are without any protection at all in this open ground. We must hit upon
+a better place than this in which to make our halt."
+
+The leader nodded toward two of his men, who advanced to where the
+sleeping Jim lay on the ground, as helpless and inanimate as a log. Each
+taking him by a shoulder lifted him to his feet. Then they let go, and
+he dropped like a bundle of rags.
+
+He was yanked up again, shaken, slapped, and vigorously told to stand
+up.
+
+"I'm all right," mumbled Jim, "fetch on (hic) your rattler; let 'em
+bite--who cares? Whiskey'll cure him--fetch on your whiskey."
+
+After some more heroic treatment, the man was finally roused to that
+degree that he was able to wobble forward, partly supported by his two
+friends, one of whom took charge of his gun.
+
+"If I had known nothing was the matter with him," said the disgusted Mr.
+Altman, "he wouldn't have gotten a drop from me. The only man who can
+give us the information we need might just as well be dead."
+
+The company advanced much in the same fashion as earlier in the day,
+except that still greater precaution was observed. The females were kept
+near the centre and the husbands close to them, so that there was a rude
+resemblance to a hollow square.
+
+Hastings took the lead, as he always did in the absence of Kenton and
+Boone, and had not gone far when he became aware that he was following a
+well-marked path. A companion on his right and another on his left had
+noted something of the kind some minutes before. The three paths, not to
+mention others, converged and became one a little further on.
+
+These, as had been intimated, were the trails made by wild animals on
+their way to the salt lick lying some distance on the other side of
+Rattlesnake Gulch. The pioneers were now quite close to that ill-omened
+spot, and the burden of the expedition rested wholly upon the shoulders
+of Weber Hastings, who maintained a position never less than fifty feet
+in advance of his nearest companion.
+
+Hastings caught a faint, momentary rustling directly in front of him. He
+instantly stopped and listened. It sounded the next moment further to
+the right. He knew it made by one of the Shawanoes, who, with all their
+skill, could not advance in perfect silence amid such gloom any more
+than could the white man.
+
+Suddenly he detected a different sound. It was as if something was
+gliding over the leaves, and was accompanied by a delicate whirring
+noise, which Hastings recognized on the instant, for many a time and oft
+he had heard it before.
+
+Those of our readers who have caught the warning of the rattlesnake can
+make no mistake when they hear it a second time.
+
+Another of those baleful reptiles was gliding across the path of the
+pioneers, as if to apprise them of the appropriateness of the name of
+the gulch, which was now near at hand.
+
+The greatest annoying hindrance in this stealthy groping among the trees
+was the condition of Jim Deane, who had taken a prodigious over-dose of
+the universal remedy for the rattlesnake's venom. When in his sober
+senses, he was one of the bravest and most skilful scouts in the west,
+and was held in special high esteem by Capt. Bushwick, for whom he had
+performed arduous and perilous service.
+
+But, naturally enough, he was now another person, the opposite of
+himself. In order to leave their escort free to attend to their delicate
+task, George Ashbridge and his father took charge of Jim, and, in
+assuming the contract, they found it was all they could do to "deliver
+the goods."
+
+Deane rallied after several stumbles, and managed to walk with less help
+from the father and son, though he swayed from side to side and leaned
+heavily upon both. He continued muttering and talking, partly to himself
+and partly to those who were aiding him in locomotion.
+
+"Going to the gulch--all right," he mumbled, when they were quite near
+their destination, "want to go into the fort; that's the place for you
+folks."
+
+The scout stopped as suddenly as if he had run against the trunk of a
+tree. Despite his broken utterance, a vague sense of his situation was
+gradually forcing itself upon him.
+
+He realized, in a dim but increasingly distinct way, the necessity of
+throwing off the spell which muddled his brain. As he repeated and
+renewed the effort, he gained more strength.
+
+Holding himself somewhat unsteadily, he looked around in the gloom at
+his elder escort, and demanded:
+
+"Where going?"
+
+"We are trying to reach the block-house, but it's a long way off. We are
+now close to Rattlesnake Gulch."
+
+"That's all right," repeated Deane, wobbling forward again; "going to
+the fort--our fort."
+
+Jim Deane stopped abruptly as before, and blinked and started in the
+vain effort to penetrate the gloom in which all were enveloped. His
+companions noted that he was now able to maintain the erect position
+without any help from them.
+
+"Can't you get a candle?" he asked, his brain still muddled, "too dark
+to see; get candle, and I'll show you the fort."
+
+The company was now so near Rattlesnake Gulch that Weber Hastings, the
+guide, decided it would not do to approach any closer. They must await
+the coming of Kenton before doing anything further.
+
+Gradually, or with less difficulty than would be suspected, the ranger
+brought all his men together, or they gathered around the families whom
+they had set out to escort to the block-house. Although they could
+hardly see each other's forms in the darkness, a few minutes sufficed to
+prove none were missing. All were there, but, ah! for how long should
+this be said of them? "We are so near Rattlesnake Gulch," explained
+Hastings, "that if we go a hundred yards further, we'll walk straight
+into the ambush the varmints have set for us."
+
+"What is to be done?" asked Mr. Altman, in a guarded undertone.
+
+"We'll move a little further down the slope to the edge of the river,
+and wait for Kenton or Boone; one of them will be here purty soon."
+
+Mr. Ashbridge now made known what Jim Deane had declared in his broken
+way. Before he could be questioned, the fellow, who was still nearer
+sobriety, said:
+
+"Boys, you think I don't know what I'm saying; I'm not as sober as I
+oughter be, but I give it to you straight; you've made a big mistake,
+and I'll prove it to you."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+WATCHING AND WAITING.
+
+
+Deane had rapidly regained control of his senses during the past few
+minutes. The open air, the continued action of his body and the growing
+consciousness of the imminent peril of the company, combined to give him
+mastery over the insidious enemy that he had taken into his mouth to
+steal away his brains.
+
+By this time, too, his friends were convinced that he was not talking at
+random, and that when he spoke of the "fort" near at hand he had ground
+for his words.
+
+"Wal, Jim," remarked Hastings, in a low voice, as the party gathered
+closely around the fellow in the gloom; "I guess you understand matters
+better than you did a few minutes ago. Take the lead and we'll follow,
+but don't forget that a feller's eyes ain't of much use to him just
+now."
+
+"I, I think I've got my bearings; the river off here to the left is how
+fur away?"
+
+"Something like a hundred yards--a little more I reckon."
+
+"That's what I thought, and Rattlesnake Gulch is right ahead. Wal, in a
+straight line down the slope toward the river is a lot of limbs, brush
+and stones that we got together some months ago, when the varmints
+cornered us, or wiped us nearly all out. If we're going to make a halt,
+that's the place for us."
+
+"Go ahead, then, for it won't be long afore the varmints will notice we
+have stopped."
+
+The ranger--he paddled no longer--took charge of matters with the
+assurance of one who feels himself master of the situation. As they
+advanced, the ground inclined downward to the river. The wood was quite
+open, but considerable undergrowth appeared, through which it was
+impossible even for the rangers to make their way in the darkness
+without some rustling, which was almost certain to betray their
+movements to the Indians.
+
+Fortunately, however, they had not far to go to their destination.
+Hastings, who was but a pace or two behind Deane, became conscious at
+the end of a few minutes that he had stopped.
+
+"Here we are," whispered the guide; "pass the word back for 'em to look
+out they don't stumble, for things are rough round here."
+
+Not only did the leader of the company notify his own men, who were
+instant to understand the situation, but they assisted the Ashbridges
+and Altmans into the exceedingly rude fortification. The utmost care was
+used, but, in spite of all, there were several stumbles, and more than
+one hasty exclamation at the accident.
+
+When matters became clear to all, as they soon did, it was learned that
+they were now upon the spot where Hastings and his companions made their
+last stand when attacked by The Panther and his Shawanoes, some months
+before. Foreseeing the desperate struggle at hand, the scouts had seized
+the brief time at their command to throw up some intrenchments.
+
+An ash that had been splintered by lightning gave much help, and laid
+the foundation, as may be said, of the fortification. The trunk had been
+wrenched off a dozen feet above ground, leaving the stump, with its
+hundreds of needle-like points, projecting upward. The fragments of
+several large limbs were of help, and a prostrate tree, some yards away,
+was of incalculable benefit, even though the trunk was less than a foot
+in diameter.
+
+Then there were a few boulders and large stones scattered around.
+Ordinarily, a dozen men would hesitate to try to move them, but, with
+the energy of desperation, these had been tumbled into place, and served
+their part well.
+
+The conclusion of all this haste and effort to throw up a protection
+around themselves was, that a very primitive and broken fortification
+extended in an irregular circle from the splintered tree, right and
+left, until it enclosed a space thirty feet across at its largest
+diameter. It was not a complete circle, however, but formed
+three-fourths of one. The side toward the river was left open, so as to
+preserve the means of retreat if the worst came.
+
+The worst did come, as has been intimated, and through this opening the
+few defenders that were left, after the resistless assault of The
+Panther and his warriors, dashed in the supreme effort to save their
+lives. Such is an imperfect description of the "fort" into which the
+pioneers were conducted, when the time arrived for them to essay no
+further concealment of their intention to leave Rattlesnake Gulch wholly
+to itself.
+
+Fifteen or twenty minutes were used by the fugitives, as they may be
+considered, in "locating" themselves. In other words, they improved the
+time in learning, so far as possible, their immediate surroundings, and
+the best means of defence against the Shawanoes, that were certain to
+leave them but a short time to themselves.
+
+Above all things, it was necessary that Hastings and his men should know
+this, and, with the help of Deane, the knowledge was soon acquired.
+Finally, Hastings stationed his men in their proper positions, and then
+conducted the others to a spot near the splintered ash. He made sure
+that all were near him, and that each heard every word he spoke, though
+he guarded the utterances with a care that would have shut them from a
+listening Shawanoe a rod away.
+
+"You understand, my friends, that this place is only a makeshift; we're
+powerful lucky that Jim got sober in time to find it for us. This is the
+safest spot, and here the women and children will stay till we leave."
+
+"And when is that likely to be?" asked Mr. Altman.
+
+"I can't say till Kenton gets back; he'll be here afore long."
+
+"Suppose anything happens to him and Boone?" suggested Mr. Ashbridge.
+
+"Something like that has been said afore; Boone and Kenton are always
+having something happen to them, but that both of 'em should slip up and
+not show themselves agin--why, that sort of thing can't be."
+
+"It might take place," remarked young Ashbridge, whose faith in the two
+great pioneers equaled that of Hastings, "but it is so unlikely that it
+isn't worth considering it. As I understand it, we have to wait here
+until Kenton comes back."
+
+"You've hit it, younker, to a dot. You folks can see that a chap's eyes
+ain't of much account, so you must all make the best use of your ears."
+
+"I can see a little," said Agnes Altman, "and I shall believe that our
+eyes are almost as likely as our ears to help us."
+
+"You've got a wise head on your shoulders," said the ranger, admiringly.
+"About all that you folks need to remember is, that the varmints are all
+around us, and where there's one of 'em, he's sure to try some trick.
+Look out for him."
+
+"Surely, Mr. Hastings, you don't mean that Mr. Altman and my son shall
+all stay in this spot, merely to keep company with our families, when
+every man is needed to guard the approaches to this enclosure."
+
+"Wal, I'll own that was my idea, but we can turn you to use if you say
+so."
+
+"We do say so, most decidedly," Mr. Altman was quick to remark.
+
+"Come with me."
+
+Thereupon, the leader of the rangers gave Mr. Altman, Ashbridge, and the
+son their several stations. Each had his rifle, and was simply to do his
+utmost to guard against the insidious approach of the Shawanoes, who, if
+they had not already located them, were certain to do so very soon.
+
+The instructions of Hastings to his men was, that the moment they
+discovered an Indian they should wait only long enough to make sure of
+no mistake, and then shoot to kill.
+
+"Every varmint counts at a time like this," he said, significantly, "and
+if any one is lucky enough to drop The Panther, it'll be worth a dozen
+warriors."
+
+When all the male members were placed, they were crouching behind
+boulders, limbs, and ridges of dirt in the irregular three-quarter
+circle, and separated from each other by a space varying from two yards
+to a distance twice as great.
+
+Whether intentional or otherwise, Hastings stationed George Ashbridge
+immediately on the left of Agnes Altman, while her mother, Mrs.
+Ashbridge, and Mabel were near at hand. The lovers were so close,
+indeed, that there was little risk in their exchanging a whispered word
+or two at intervals. When either raised his or her head, the other could
+catch the faint outlines of the loved one.
+
+While the temporary refuge was a most fortunate thing for the distressed
+fugitives, it had several features which caused uneasiness to Hastings
+and his experienced rangers. Although the moon soon appeared in the sky,
+its light was treacherous and uncertain, because of the skurrying
+clouds. Sometimes an object would be visible for a number of rods on the
+river, and then it took a pair of keen eyes to identify a canoe at half
+that distance.
+
+More serious, however, than all was the west wind. This blew steadily,
+and with considerable force, directly upon the river. It sighed among
+the trees, and so stirred the branches that the rustling was continuous.
+Thus it afforded a diversion that was wholly in favor of the Indians,
+for, without taking any special precaution, they could approach as near
+as they chose to the fortification, with little, if any, fear of
+detection.
+
+That they would be quick to turn this to account was certain.
+
+Hastings had not forgotten to impress his friends with the fact that
+they were awaiting the coming of Simon Kenton, and incidentally of
+Daniel Boone. Each, when he did appear, would do so with the
+noiselessness of The Panther himself, and too great care could not he
+taken to guard against mistaking them for enemies.
+
+There really was little, if any, danger of this, since all understood
+the situation, and would run no risk of harming their friends.
+Furthermore, Kenton and Boone were sure to give timely notice of their
+coming by means of signals which every one of the rangers would
+understand.
+
+The sleep of most of the men had been broken and scant during the past
+twenty-four hours, but the situation was so strained that there was no
+danger of any one falling asleep until the peril passed. If any one
+thing was certain, it was that the watch within that rough circle would
+be unremitting and vigilant while it lasted.
+
+Mabel Ashbridge laid her head on the lap of her mother, who like Mrs.
+Altman, sat with her back against the splintered ash, and with little
+appreciation of the fearful shadow that rested upon all, soon sank into
+unconsciousness. The mothers were so nervous and unstrung that though
+they occasionally shut their eyes, the slumber was fitful and brief.
+
+But among all the party there was none more alert than Agnes Altman. She
+had not yet quite forgiven herself for her weakness in showing mercy to
+the imprisoned Panther the night before, when he came within a hair of
+slaying her beloved George Ashbridge, and, without hinting her intention
+to any one, she determined that, with the help of heaven, she would do
+something to erase that criminal imprudence, as she viewed it, on her
+part.
+
+It may have been this resolution, supplemented by her own consummate
+faculties of sight and vision, or, more properly, it was both, that
+brought to her a knowledge of peril before it was suspected by any one
+of the rangers, or even by George Ashbridge, who, as may be said, was at
+her elbow.
+
+Agnes was seated on the leaves, the same as her mother, and with her
+back resting against a boulder, which rose a few inches above her head.
+In this posture she closed her eyes. They could be of no use to her, and
+by shutting them she was able to concentrate her faculties into the
+single one of listening; upon that alone she now placed her dependence.
+
+And seated thus, and listening with absorbing intensity, she speedily
+became aware of a startling fact; some one was directly on the other
+side of the boulder, and separated by no more than three feet from her.
+
+That that some one was a Shawanoe Indian was as certain as that her name
+was Agnes Altman.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+CARRYING THE WAR INTO AFRICA.
+
+
+Jethro Juggens, the brawny servant of Mr. Altman, the dusky youth with
+the strength of a Hercules, the intellect of a child, or a skill in the
+use of the rifle hardly second to that of Kenton and Boone, has a
+singular but momentous part to play in the incidents that follow. The
+reader must, therefore, bear with us when now and then we turn aside
+from the graver and more tragical sweep of incidents to follow the
+doings and the fortunes and misfortunes of the one who rendered such
+signal service to his friends, already related in "Shod with Silence."
+
+Simon Kenton denounced himself times without number for bringing Jethro
+with him when he set out to recover the canoe that had been left at the
+clearing; and yet that act, ill-advised as it seemed, changed the whole
+course of events that followed quick and fast, and became the foundation
+of one of the most remarkable legends connected with the romantic Ohio
+and the stirring events that marked the history of the settlement of
+Ohio and Kentucky.
+
+With no thought of the mischief he was likely to cause, Jethro Juggens,
+as the reader has learned, circled part way round the cabin in the
+clearing, passed through the door, drew in the latch-string, devoured
+nearly all of the bread that was left behind, and then lay down and went
+to sleep.
+
+He had managed to gain so much slumber during the past twenty-four hours
+that he was in need of nothing of the kind. As a consequence, he
+remained unconscious less than an hour, when he opened his eyes, as
+fully awake as he ever was in all his life.
+
+The room was in darkness, and he was so confused that for a brief spell
+he was at a loss to know where he was. Rising to a sitting position, he
+rubbed his eyes and stared around in the gloom.
+
+"Am dis de flatboat, and am I in de cellar ob it?" he asked himself.
+
+But a moment's reflection recalled what had taken place.
+
+"Gracious! I wonder if anyting hab happened to Mr. Kenton?" he
+exclaimed, starting to his feet and stumbling headlong over one of the
+boxes, unnoticed in the gloom.
+
+"Dar's no tellin' what trouble he may get into widout me watchin' and
+tookin' keer ob him. I's afraid I'm too late to help him."
+
+He would have opened the door and hurried out, but at that moment his
+keen nostrils caught the appetizing odor of the loaves of bread, amid
+which he had created havoc a short time before.
+
+"I hab an obspression dat I done eat some ob dat afore I took a nap, but
+I ain't certain; don't want to make any mistake, and I feels sorter
+hungry."
+
+There was enough food left to furnish him another good meal, and he did
+not stop using his peerless teeth and massive jaws until he had secured
+it.
+
+His rifle was leaning against the wall near the door, where he had left
+it. He took it in hand, with the intention of opening the door and
+passing out, when the first real thrill of alarm stirred him. He heard
+some one attempting to open the door.
+
+He knew it was an enemy, for Kenton, the only friend he had in the
+neighborhood, would never come there to look for him.
+
+The latch-string being drawn in, it was impossible for the door to be
+opened, except by great labor from the outside. Nevertheless, some one
+was pushing at it repeatedly, and with such vigor that there could be no
+mistake about it.
+
+"Who dar?" demanded Jethro, in his deepest voice, holding his rifle
+ready to use it in case the Indian effected an entrance.
+
+There was no answer, but the efforts on the outside ceased for a minute,
+to be resumed more guardedly than at first.
+
+"Go way from der, I toles yo' or yo'll get into trouble," called the
+youth, in a louder voice, meant to be as threatening as he could make
+it.
+
+Again the pushing ceased, and all became still.
+
+Jethro heard the wind blowing strongly around the cabin and among the
+trees beyond. Standing in the open clearing, as did the cabin, no shadow
+was cast upon it. The narrow windows, therefore, were clearly outlined
+against the dim moonlight. The youth glanced furtively at them,
+comprehending more fully than at any time before the sad mistake he had
+made in disobeying the orders of Kenton. But for that he would not have
+been in his present plight.
+
+But it was too late for regrets to avail him. All he could do was to
+fight it out as best he knew how to the end.
+
+Stepping nearer the door, he bent his head and listened. The pressure
+against the structure had ceased, but he caught the murmur of voices
+when a few broken sentences were uttered. Their meaning, of course, was
+beyond his reach.
+
+"Why don't dey be gemmen?" he asked himself, "or talk in American, so
+dat anoder gemmen can understand 'em? I don't know what dey's talkin'
+'bout, and it sounds as if dey don't know demselves."
+
+He could understand, however, that no immediate cause for fear existed.
+
+A dozen brawny Shawanoes could not force the door, and the windows, as
+has been explained, were too narrow for any one to push his body
+through.
+
+But, all the same, some mischief was afoot at one of the rear
+window's--the one into which Jethro Juggens had fired that very day with
+fatal effect. The disturbance was transferred from the door to the
+window.
+
+The youth was standing in the middle of the lower apartment, gun in
+hand, watching and listening. The moon was so placed in the heavens that
+this particular opening was seen more clearly than any of the others,
+and peering intently at it, Jethro became conscious of some dark object
+that was slowly obtruding into his field of vision.
+
+"What de mischief am dat?" he muttered. "Looks like a hobblegoblin, but
+I knows it am an Injin."
+
+Dimly seen in the partial illumination, the resemblance to the head of a
+warrior was so close that all doubt was removed from the mind of Jethro
+Juggens.
+
+"Dat's what I's waiting for," was his thought, as he brought his piece
+to a level, took the best aim he could in the darkness, and let fly.
+
+The report within the close room was so thunderous that his ears
+tingled, but confident of the accuracy of his shot, he looked through
+the smoke at the moonlit opening.
+
+"I didn't hear no yell, but I reckoned dat blowed de top ob his head off
+afore he could let out de war-whoop dat Mr. Kenton says an Injin always
+gibs when he cotches his last sickness--gracious hebbins! how's dat?"
+
+Could he believe his eyes? The head at which he had fired only a few
+feet away had not vanished. There it was, the owner apparently staring
+in upon him, with the same interest he had shown from the first.
+
+"Dat beats all creation! I knowed I hit him, 'cause I couldn't miss him
+if I tried. He must had a head as hard as mine--"
+
+If Jethro Juggens was astounded by what had just occurred, he was almost
+lifted off his feet by what followed before he finished the expression
+of the thought that was in his mind. Through the narrow window at which
+he was gazing the muzzle of a gun was thrust and the weapon discharged,
+the ball passing so close that he felt it nip his ear.
+
+With a howl of dismay the youth leaped a foot in the air and to one
+side. No one could have had a narrower escape than he, and he knew it.
+
+"Tings are gettin' mixed most obstrageously," he muttered, stepping
+nearer to one side of the room and proceeding to reload his gun as best
+he could in the darkness.
+
+Much as Jethro had blundered, and obtuse as he was in many things, he
+understood what had taken place. That which he supposed to be the head
+of an Indian was some object presented by the crouching warrior with the
+purpose of drawing his fire, and it succeeded in doing so. The flash of
+the negro's rifle revealed where he stood, and the Shawanoe, who was
+watching for that clew, lost no time in firing, missing by a
+hair's-breadth a fatal result. Thus it came about that not the least
+execution was done on either side.
+
+Jethro waited some minutes in order to discover the next movement of his
+enemies. Nothing presenting itself, he had resort to the dangerous
+expedient of trying to peer through the different windows. Being
+enveloped in impenetrable gloom, he could not have been seen by the
+Indians had they been on the watch, though possibly they might have
+heard him. As it was, no shot was fired at him, nor was he able to
+detect anything that could give him the least information of what his
+enemies were doing, or what they intended to do. They may have been
+quite near, but he could not get the first glimpse of them.
+
+"Dis yeah am gettin' ser'us," mused Jethro, leaning against the side of
+the house in order to think more clearly. "I's afeard dat somethin' may
+happen to Mr. Kenton, and if it does and he can't get back, nor me
+neither, what's goin' to become of de folks? I 'spose dey am most
+worried to def now."
+
+[Illustration: JETHRO IN TROUBLE.]
+
+Since it looked as if it would be impossible for him to leave the cabin
+for an indefinite time, the anxiety of the dusky youth to do so
+increased with every passing minute, until he formed the resolution to
+make the attempt, no matter what the consequences might prove to
+himself.
+
+A dispassionate view of the situation would have pronounced Jethro as
+useful to the pioneers in one place as in another. Possibly, it might
+have been decided that it was better that he should remain away so long
+as the peril remained imminent, despite the fact that he had already
+done them most effective service.
+
+Jethro could not so far forget the first law of human nature as not to
+debate and hesitate for a considerable while before taking the decisive
+step.
+
+"I might leave de door open," he reflected, "so dat if any ob de heathen
+are hangin' round de outside waitin' for a chance to shet me off, I kin
+dodge back and slam de door in dar faces. Ef I don't see 'em till I git
+too fur to run back, I kin dive into de woods or hide."
+
+All this sounded well enough in theory, but the young man could not lose
+sight of one thing: in point of fleetness he could not compare with any
+of the Shawanoes. They could run him down, as may be said, in a
+twinkling.
+
+It was impossible for one so inexperienced as he to form a reasonable
+guess of the intentions of the red men. It was curious, to say the
+least, that one or two of them should linger in the vicinity of the
+cabin after the departure of the pioneers for the block-house. Even
+Simon Kenton could not have guessed their purpose.
+
+"Dey couldn't hab seed me go in," thought Jethro, "for, if dey did, dey
+would hab hollered to me and asked me who I was lookin' fur; I'd gib 'em
+some sass, and den dar would hab been a row and some ha'r pullin'."
+
+The youth leaned against the side of the apartment a brief while longer
+in intense cogitation, and then sighed.
+
+"I ain't used to tinkin' so hard as dis; it exhorsts me."
+
+To remedy which he groped his way to the huge bread box, a few paces
+away. There was enough, left to furnish a person of ordinary appetite
+with a good meal, but, when he ceased, nothing was left.
+
+"Umph! dat rewives me; I feel stronger now--I'll do a little more hard
+tinkin'--graciousnation, I's got it!" he exclaimed, leaping from the
+floor in exultation; "why didn't I tink ob it afore? I'll hold one ob
+dese boxes ober me, so dey can't see nuffin' ob me, and den walk out ob
+de house and straight 'cross de clearin' to de woods. When I got dar,
+I'll flung de box off en run! Dat's de plan, suah I's born!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+UNKIND FATE.
+
+
+After setting out on his return to his friends with the canoe which he
+had recovered so cleverly from the drowsy Shawanoe, Simon Kenton gave
+little thought to Jethro Juggens. The youth had become separated from
+the scout through his own disregard of orders, and, as has already been
+said, the former regarded his highest duty to be to the pioneers, who, a
+mile or so away, were anxiously looking for his return.
+
+It was during the first part of his voyage with the canoe that Kenton
+had his hurricane encounter with the warrior who withdrew it from the
+point along the bank where he left the craft for a few minutes only.
+
+The scout was surprised and somewhat alarmed for his friends over one or
+two facts which thus came to light. The Indian who paid so dearly for
+this little trick he attempted upon the white man was not the one that
+sat on the bank near the clearing while the boat was withdrawn from
+before him. This proved that more than one Shawanoe was down the river
+between the pioneers and the cabin in the clearing. The cawing from the
+Ohio side showed that the lynx-eyed watchers were there, with the
+unwelcome certainty that the Shawanoes were far more numerous than
+either Boone or Kenton had supposed.
+
+"Wa-on-mon has been doing some good work," reflected Kenton, "since he
+sneaked out of sight, instead of meeting me for our last scrimmage.
+Dan'l is right when he says the reason The Panther done that warn't
+'cause he was afeared of me, but' cause he seed a chance of hittin' a
+powerfuller blow than in sending nobody but Sime Kenton under. That's
+what he's up to, with a mighty big chance of doing what he set out to
+do."
+
+The signal from the Ohio bank, and the encounter with the redskin, drove
+all hesitation from the ranger's mind regarding the canoe. He drew it
+from the water and upon the dry land, his paddle and rifle lying inside,
+and then, with no little labor, dragged it among the trees to the other
+side of the open space, where it was launched again, uninjured by its
+rough experience.
+
+"I hope there ain't many such places," he muttered, as he took the
+paddle in hand; "'cause if there is, this old boat will suffer."
+
+But night was closing in, and, with the coming of darkness, the need of
+such extreme caution would pass. The wind too, was now blowing so
+strongly up the river that it was not necessary to use the extreme
+caution against making any noise while pushing his way along the bank.
+
+To Kenton's disgust, he had gone a little more than a hundred yards
+further when he struck another of the very places he had in mind. It was
+twice as broad as the one he had flanked a few minutes before, and did
+not offer the slightest concealment.
+
+He checked the canoe, with the nose on the edge of the opening, and took
+several minutes to look over the ground and decide upon the best course
+to follow.
+
+To most persons it must seem like an excess of caution for Kenton to
+hesitate to propel his boat across this open space when it confronted
+him. That there was any dusky foe crouching in the woods, with his eyes
+fixed upon that "clearing" in the water and watching for the appearance
+of Kenton, was a piece of fine-spun theorizing that entered the realms
+of the absurd. It was preposterous to suppose anything of the kind.
+Simon Kenton was too much of a veteran in woodcraft to make such
+preposterous mistakes.
+
+But the unwelcome truth which stared him in the face was that he had
+been followed from the clearing, and the signal from the other side of
+the river, resembling the call of a crow, he believed referred to him.
+It looked as if there was an understanding between the Shawanoe scouts
+on the Ohio and those on the Kentucky side of the river.
+
+As the matter stood, however, Kenton decided not to drag the canoe among
+the trees again. In the gathering darkness he was liable to injure it
+beyond repair, and in a brief while the gloom itself would afford him
+the screen he needed.
+
+The wind stirred the water into wrinkles and wavelets along the shore,
+which rippled against the canoe and the end of the paddle when held
+motionless. Further out in the river the disturbance was so marked that
+it would have caused some annoyance even to a strong swimmer.
+
+Kenton's conclusion was to stay where he was for a brief while--that is,
+until the gloom increased sufficiently to allow him to paddle across the
+open space without the misgiving that now held his muscular arm
+motionless.
+
+Sitting thus, with all his senses alert, he caught the distinct outlines
+of some large object on the surface of the river. It was moving with
+moderate swiftness from the Ohio bank in a diagonal direction to the
+Kentucky shore, making for a point but a short distance above where the
+ranger was waiting for a slight increase of darkness.
+
+A second glance identified the object as an Indian canoe containing
+several occupants. But for the noise made by the wind and water he would
+have heard the dipping of the paddles, for there was no attempt in the
+way of secrecy of movement.
+
+"That looks as though they didn't 'spect none of us was in these parts,"
+mused Kenton, with considerable relief. "If the varmints thought Sime
+Kenton was loafin' anywhere near they'd be a powerful sight more
+keerful."
+
+Since the new party were following a course which would ultimately take
+them up stream and nearer to the party of fugitives, the ranger decided
+to learn, if possible, something more of their intentions.
+
+A moment's thought convinced him that there was more risk in following
+the Shawanoes in his canoe than on foot. He suspected the party intended
+to land. He could move with more freedom and effect among the trees,
+with liberty to return to his boat whenever he chose.
+
+Accordingly, with hardly a moment's hesitation, he stepped out of the
+canoe again and drew the prow so far up the bank that there was no
+danger of its being swept away by the disturbed current. Then, with the
+noiseless celerity for which he was noted, he moved along the shore in
+the direction of the camp, where soon after his friends gathered and
+anxiously awaited his coming.
+
+A disappointment came to the ranger. His supposition was that the
+Shawanoes in the canoe would run in close to shore or paddle up the
+stream at so moderate a speed that it would be easy for him to overtake
+them, but for some reason or other she shot forward with a swiftness
+fully double what he expected. Kenton's error, as will be seen, was in
+not sticking to his canoe, in which it would have cost him little effort
+to follow the other at a safe distance, ready to dart in under the
+protection of the overhanging limbs at the first danger of detection.
+
+"They won't land till they get to Rattlesnake Gulch, or above it," was
+his new conclusion, "and I'm throwing away time by dodging among the
+trees."
+
+Men of the stamp of the ranger follow their decisions by instant action.
+Turning about, he strode rapidly through the woods to the point where he
+had left his canoe but a short time before.
+
+To his consternation it was gone.
+
+Hardly crediting his senses, he made hasty search, with the speedy
+confirmation of the astounding fact.
+
+He was too skilled in woodcraft to make any mistake as to the precise
+spot, just on the edge as it was of the open space which he hesitated to
+cross.
+
+Whereas, the boat was there less than a quarter of an hour before, it
+was now nowhere in sight.
+
+Inasmuch as he had taken pains to draw it far enough up the bank to
+prevent it being swept free by the current, only one conclusion was
+possible; a single Shawanoe or more had taken it away.
+
+It may be doubted whether Simon Kenton in all his life was more
+chagrined, for he had been surprised and outwitted with a cleverness
+that was the keenest possible blow to his pride.
+
+When he disposed of the single warrior that attempted precisely the same
+trick upon him, the pioneer accepted that as an end of the matter. He
+did not deem it possible that a second danger of that nature could
+threaten him.
+
+What added special poignancy to his humiliation was the belief, formed
+without any tangible grounds, that the Indian who had outwitted him was
+the Shawanoe from before whom the canoe had been withdrawn while he was
+indulging in his afternoon siesta. This impression which fastened itself
+upon him, constituted the "most unkindest cut of all."
+
+But, angered, exasperated, and mortified as he was, Simon Kenton was not
+the man to waste the minutes in idle lamentation. Since the first part
+of the former attempt to outwit him had succeeded, he felt there was no
+reason why the second part should triumph. He therefore started down the
+stream as rapidly as he could force his way in the darkness.
+
+There was no duplication, however, of the second part of the programme.
+Whoever the dusky thief was that had withdrawn the canoe from the
+possession of the unsuspicious ranger, he was too wise to commit the
+fatal mistake of his predecessor. Instead of loitering close in shore,
+he had taken to the clear water, or propelled the boat with a deft
+swiftness that placed him beyond all danger from the irate white man.
+
+So it was that the time quickly came when Kenton paused in his blind
+pursuit, convinced that the craft was irrecoverably gone.
+
+"I'll be hanged if that varmint ain't a sharp one!" he muttered, with a
+feeling akin to admiration at the performance. "It ain't the first time
+Sim Kenton has been outwitted by his people, but it's the first time he
+had it played on him in that style."
+
+It was a serious blow to the scheme which the pioneer had formed for the
+deliverance of his friends; for, as will be seen, it destroyed all
+chance of transporting the women and children to the Ohio shore in the
+canoe that had accompanied the flatboat a part of the way down the
+river.
+
+The roughness of the water under the high, steady wind might well cause
+the men to hesitate over the other plan that had been spoken of--that of
+swimming the stream and bearing the women and children with them. The
+project of constructing a raft upon which to float them over was open to
+the fatal objection that the watchful Shawanoes were absolutely certain
+to discover it, and discovery could mean but one thing--not only those
+on the raft, but the men who might be swimming in the water, would be so
+utterly at the mercy of their enemies in their canoes that it would be
+but play to pick off every man, woman, and child.
+
+Only one shadowy hope remained--the second canoe, which he hoped to find
+at the point where he had hidden it some weeks before, close to
+Rattlesnake Gulch. If that had remained undetected by the Indians, it
+could take the place of the one he had just lost.
+
+Pushing out in the gloom, Kenton, with one at least of the rangers to
+bear him company, need have little personal fear, even if discovered by
+the Shawanoes; for they could drive the boat as fast over the water as
+could the most skilful of pursuers, and the gloom or woods of the Ohio
+shore once reached, all danger to them would vanish. But dare lie hope
+that such an opportunity would be presented to him? It would seem, that
+with their dusky enemies everywhere, some of them were certain to
+stumble upon the boat, though if they did so, it would be accident
+rather than design.
+
+There was only one way, however, of settling the matter; that was to
+learn whether the boat was where it had been left or where he hoped to
+find it.
+
+Kenton pushed along the shore with a haste which at times approached
+recklessness; but, as he drew near Rattlesnake Gulch, he called into
+play his usual caution, even with the wind and darkness in his favor.
+
+With more anxiety than often troubled him, he groped his way to the spot
+where he had carefully hidden his canoe. His search, if quick, was
+thorough, and, alas! it told him the woeful truth that the second boat
+was as effectually beyond all possible reach as was the first one.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+THE INTRUDER.
+
+
+It has been said that Agnes Altman, seated behind the boulder on the
+edge of the rude fortification near the river, was among the most alert
+of the pioneers that had taken refuge there until Simon Kenton could
+open the way for their escape across the Ohio.
+
+To this fact may be ascribed the startling discovery she made that an
+Indian warrior was crouching on the other side of the boulder, no more
+than three feet from where she was listening with intensest attention,
+and in this discovery she preceded all other members of the company.
+
+The Shawanoe, indeed, was so close that it may be said the slight noise
+he made shut out the rustling of the wind and the rippling of the
+current against the bank, the overhanging branches and around the
+twisted roots along shore.
+
+She heard his body move along the surface of the rock, and, pressing her
+ear against it, caught the slight disturbance more distinctly. A solid
+substance, as every one knows, is a better conductor of sound than air,
+and the medium was of more help to her than she dreamed it could be.
+
+What particular thing her mortal enemy was doing she could not surmise,
+nor did it specially concern her to know at that moment; there could be
+no doubt that he was in a state of pernicious activity.
+
+The question which the maiden asked herself was, whether she should not
+acquaint George Ashbridge with what she had learned. He was almost at
+her elbow, as has been explained, and, brief as was the time, several
+whispered conferences had taken place.
+
+But, if she should speak or move, the Indian on the other side of the
+boulder would take the alarm and make off. This, it would seem, was the
+very thing which a young woman in her situation ought to desire above
+all others, but Agnes thought the miscreant should not be allowed to
+escape in that manner, at least not before he and his people had been
+taught a well-needed lesson.
+
+She concluded to remain quiescent and await developments.
+
+The next thing decided upon may have been characteristic of her age and
+sex, but, all the same, it was a piece of recklessness almost the equal
+of the weakness shown when she placed the knife in the hand of The
+Panther. She decided to peep over the top of the rock and learn what the
+Shawanoe was doing.
+
+Sufficient moonlight found its way among the branches to permit one to
+see indistinctly for a few feet. She was confident that she could give
+their enemy one quick glance and then drop back before he could do her
+harm.
+
+Her heart beat a little faster than it was wont when, with the silence
+of a phantom, she began slowly raising her head, with her eyes fixed on
+the top of the rock, which she touched with her hands. Before she
+reached the elevation in mind, she discovered the Indian was doing the
+same thing, and, fortunately for her, was two or three seconds advanced
+with the action.
+
+The crown of the warrior, with the projecting eagle feathers, were as if
+they were a part of the darkness itself, so vaguely were they outlined
+in the gloom, though their identity was as clear to the girl as if the
+noon-day sun was shining upon the painted features.
+
+The head rose just high enough for the glittering eyes to peer over the
+horizon of the rock in the endeavor to learn something of the situation
+within the interior of the "fort."
+
+Agnes was transfixed for a moment. She feared that if she sank lower, or
+changed her position, the Indian would detect it and use his knife or
+tomahawk, and the same unspeakable dread prevented her crying out to
+warn George Ashbridge or any of the others of their peril.
+
+She had no weapon of her own at command, and very probably it would have
+made no difference if she had, for she was but an infant before this
+terrible embodiment of strength, treachery and hate. But she felt she
+must do something to teach the miscreant the risk he ran by his daring
+act.
+
+Groping silently with her right hand among and under the leaves, she
+managed to clutch some gravel and dirt, which, with a quick flirt, she
+intended to fling in the face of the Indian. It would probably cause him
+some inconvenience and considerable surprise, though the weapon was too
+insignificant for him to make any use of it.
+
+The result of the novel demonstration can only be guessed, since the
+opportunity to try it passed at the moment Agnes was ready to make the
+test. When in the act of drawing back her hand, the head of the Shawanoe
+vanished as noiselessly as it had obtruded on the scene.
+
+It seems incredible that the savage could have gained any knowledge of
+the interior of the fortification or of the location of the defenders.
+The gloom was too deep to permit the use of any vision except that of
+the owl or cat. He had probably withdrawn to repeat his attempt at some
+other point.
+
+Again, the marvelous delicacy of hearing told the girl that her enemy
+was in motion, not directly in front of the boulder, but on the left, in
+the direction of George Ashbridge. She peered intently at that point,
+wondering how much longer she ought to remain motionless and mute, and
+on the point of calling, in a suppressed voice, to her lover, when
+something whisked by her elbow, too quickly or too dimly seen for her to
+comprehend at once what it meant.
+
+Then it flashed upon her.
+
+"George!" she called, in an undertone, so full of dread and terror that
+he was at her side in an instant.
+
+"What's the matter? What has happened?"
+
+"There's an Indian within the inclosure!"
+
+"Impossible! You are mistaken!"
+
+"I saw him this minute."
+
+"Where? Tell me how it was!" he whispered, seizing her hand, and quick
+to catch her excitement.
+
+"I saw the top of his head peeping over this very rock in front of me. I
+was about to call to you, when he dropped down again. The next moment he
+passed over the spot where you are. He did it so quickly and silently
+that I heard nothing, and caught only the most shadowy glimpses of him."
+
+"Can it be possible? I cannot dispute you, and yet--"
+
+A tall figure, walking erect, assumed form in the gloom, and was upon
+the startled lovers before they were aware of it.
+
+Young Ashbridge was in the act of bringing his rifle to a level, when
+Weber Hastings spoke.
+
+"Not too fast, younkers. I'm afeared I didn't do the best thing in the
+world, when I placed you two so near each other."
+
+"No matter where you placed her," replied the youth, "you did a good
+thing for the rest. She has sharper eyes than any of us, for she has
+seen what nobody else saw."
+
+"What's that? What's that?"
+
+"Within the last three minutes," said Agnes, "one of the Shawanoes
+passed by this boulder behind which I have been sitting, and is now
+somewhere within the inclosure. Oh, I wonder if he means any harm to
+your folks, George, or mine!"
+
+And spurred by her new terror she hurried across the brief intervening
+space to where her mother and Miss Altman were sitting trembling, and
+occasionally whispering in the darkness.
+
+Thank heaven! no harm had befallen them, and since there was no call for
+her to return to George Ashbridge and Weber Hastings, she remained with
+those that were so near and dear to her.
+
+"Them varmints are gettin' pow'rful sassy," was the comment of Hastings,
+who, now that the truth was known, seemed to lose all the excitement he
+had first shown. "You don't think the gal was mistook?"
+
+"I am sure she was not."
+
+"So am I; stay right here where you be, while I look around for that
+varmint; keep a lookout yourself, for he may try to sneak out this way."
+
+"All I want is a chance at him."
+
+"That's right--helloa!"
+
+It so happened that Jim Deane, fully recovered from the effects of the
+rattlesnake antidote he had taken earlier in the evening, was on guard
+at a point almost opposite where Agnes Altman had made her alarming
+discovery. Instead of being sheltered by boulders and rocks, he had lain
+down behind some branches and logs, which he himself had helped place in
+position weeks before, when he and his companions were caught in their
+desperate straits.
+
+Stretched at full length upon his face, with one hand grasping the
+barrel of his rifle in front and hearing nothing, he felt something
+softly touch his foot. The ranger did not speak or move a limb, but with
+rare cleverness, suspected the astonishing truth; one of the Shawanoe
+had entered the fort and was making a tour of inspection. The miscreant
+would offer harm to no one until he had gathered the knowledge he
+sought. Then he doubtless meant to deal some swift, terrible blows with
+his knife, and make off before anything could be done in the way of
+punishment.
+
+The ranger turned his head and peered over his shoulder behind him.
+Lying flat on the ground, while the one that had touched him was on his
+feet, the advantage was with the white man. The almost impalpable
+outlines of a crouching figure that had paused upon touching his foot
+was revealed, and all doubt vanished from the mind of Deane.
+
+His posture, as will be perceived, was an awkward one compared with that
+of the Shawanoe. It was necessary for the white man to change it before
+he could assume the offensive, and during the making of that change was
+the time for the hostile to get in his effective work.
+
+The possibility of his doing so caused no hesitation on the part of Jim
+Deane. He flirted himself upon his back, snapped his feet beneath his
+body, and came to a standing position in a twinkling. In the act of
+doing so, he cocked his rifle.
+
+The click of the hammer warned the intruder of his danger. His situation
+was not one in which to make a fight, and he turned to flee. The white
+man heard him, and dashed through the gloom to gain sufficient sight to
+warrant a shot. The fugitive must have been as familiar with the ground
+as was his pursuer, for he showed no hesitation as to his course, nor
+did he give any evidence of blundering.
+
+He was so near the side of the inclosure that he had to run but a few
+steps when he made a leap which lifted him several feet above the
+obstruction, and it was this temporary elevation which gave the ranger
+the chance he was seeking. At the moment the figure was at the highest
+point of the arch, with his feet gathered beneath him, the ranger
+brought his gun to his shoulder and let fly.
+
+A flash, a resounding report, a rasping shriek that resounded through
+the woods, and the Shawanoe sprawled forward on his face, with his hands
+clutching the leaves and dirt, and then all was still.
+
+"That 'ere varmint ought to have knowed that 'cause a man happens to git
+bit by a rattler and takes an over-dose of antidote, it ain't no reason
+for stubbin' your toe agin him, and thinkin' he's forgot how to shoot
+off a gun."
+
+"You managed that purty well, Jim," quietly remarked Weber Hastings,
+appearing that moment at his elbow. "Glad to see you don't forget to
+reload as quick as you kin."
+
+"I larned that long ago; wonder if there are any more of the varmints
+'bout."
+
+"If there is, they'll be a little more keerful, but there's no saying
+what'll be the next thing--sh!"
+
+Through the arches of the forest stole the soft, tremulous notes of a
+night bird--so faintly heard that even the trained ears of the ranger
+could do no more than guess the distance.
+
+"That's Kenton," he remarked, in a guarded voice; "I'm powerful glad of
+it, for now something will be done."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+A DARK PROSPECT.
+
+
+Weber Hastings waited only a few seconds after hearing the soft,
+tremulous bird call that stole among the leafy arches, when he replied
+with an imitation so exact that it might well have been mistaken for an
+echo of the first.
+
+Nothing more was done, for that was sufficient. Groping around among the
+"hornets' nests," as Kenton declared it to be, eluding the Shawanoes,
+who seemed to be everywhere, the pioneer found it impossible to locate
+his friends, until, as a last resort, he had recourse to the signal,
+which he knew would be recognized by Hastings, provided it could be
+projected to him.
+
+Ten minutes later, the pioneer appeared within the enclosure as silently
+as if he had risen from the very earth. He sat down on the ground to
+consult with Hastings after his arrival had been made known to the rest.
+He would have willingly talked to them all, had it been feasible, but
+the exciting incidents a brief time before proved that not a man could
+be spared from his station. There was no certainty as to the schemes of
+the Shawanoes, and nothing less than the utmost vigilance could save the
+fugitives.
+
+"What do you think of things?" inquired Hastings, the moment they were
+alone.
+
+"They look bad--powerful bad; fact is, I don't see how they could look
+much worse."
+
+"How did you make out?"
+
+"Didn't make out at all," growled the ranger, not yet recovered from his
+keen disappointment; "I went back to the clearin', and yanked out that
+canoe from right under the nose of one of them varmints; when I had
+fetched it purty near here, I left it a few minutes to reckynoiter, and
+when I went back I'll be hanged if the same varmint hadn't yanked it
+back agin."
+
+He made no reference to the first affair, which resulted in a fatal
+failure to the Indian attempting it. That didn't count in the light of
+the success which followed it.
+
+"Of course, you hadn't any chance of getting it back again, or you'd
+done it?"
+
+"You're correct; it was growing dark, and, though I hunted powerful
+lively for the varmint, I didn't get the first show for drawin' a bead
+on him."
+
+"You said somethin' about another canoe of your'n that you hed among the
+bushes some time ago, near where we are now."
+
+"I found the spot, but didn't find no canoe; the varmints had been ahead
+of me; I shouldn't wonder, now, if the boat which I seed comin' over
+from the Ohio side was the identical craft that I was looking for."
+
+Kenton indulged in a forceful exclamation, for the occasion was one of
+the rare ones in which his chagrin and self disgust became intolerable.
+Nevertheless, he was very much of a philosopher, and soon talked with
+all his self-possession, betraying a hopeful vein in his composition
+which did much to sustain him in the great trials to which he was
+subjected in later years.
+
+"I counted on two boats," he added, "and did git one; now, I haven't got
+any. But it don't do any good to kick."
+
+"No," assented his companion; "we must make the best of it."
+
+"Though there doesn't seem to be any 'best' about the bus'ness. Haven't
+heard anything of Boone since I left you?"
+
+"Not a word."
+
+"A good deal depends on what he says. He went more among the varmints
+than I did, though I found 'em plenty 'nough--confound 'em! But Boone is
+wiser than me. I don't think the varmints hate him quite as bad, and
+that gives him a better show for learning what they're up to."
+
+"The Ingins must have one or two canoes," suggested Hastings, hinting at
+a scheme that had assumed form in his mind.
+
+"I know what you mean, Web. There ain't no one that would try it
+quicker'n me, if I had the least chance."
+
+"You stole a boat from one of 'em not long ago."
+
+"But the varmint was asleep, and there was only that one. Here there's
+twenty of 'em at least--most likely more--and every varmint of' em is as
+wide awake as if he had been asleep seventeen years and a half. No,"
+grimly added the veteran, "there ain't nothin' that would suit the
+varmints better than to have Sime Kenton try to steal one of their
+canoes from' em. The style in which they would lift his hair would be
+beautiful. They'd be powerful glad to give me a chance if they believed
+I'd try it."
+
+"Wal," remarked Hastings, with a sigh, "it looks to me as if it's going
+to be the same game over again that Jim Deane and the boys had played on
+'em some months ago, 'cepting there won't be half the chance there was
+then."
+
+"Why not?"
+
+"Wal, with them there war'nt nobody beside themselves and all knowed how
+to fight, and they did fight, too--there's no mistake. But we've got two
+women, a likely gal and a little girl, and of course there isn't one of
+us that'll knock under or run as long as they're above ground."
+
+"Of course not; them's the sentiments of every one of us."
+
+"When daylight comes the varmints will be on all sides of us. They can
+keep behind the trees and pick off one of us whenever he shows his
+head."
+
+"They can do a great deal better than that," suggested Kenton.
+
+"How?"
+
+"Starve us out; we have eat nothin' since leaving the clearin', though
+that time is so short it don't count, but there isn't a mouthful of food
+in this party, and no way of getting it."
+
+"It does look bad," remarked Hastings, feeling deeply the views
+expressed by his companion.
+
+"I wish Boone would come, so him and me could agree on something to try,
+whether it will win or not."
+
+Simon Kenton was not the man to sit down and fold his hands in despair,
+no matter how desperate the situation, but he had expressed the wish
+that was strong within him, that he might have the counsel of the man
+who was twenty years his senior, and who had turned his steps westward
+before Kenton knew that Kentucky and Ohio existed.
+
+"I'm glad of one thing," added the pioneer, after a moment's pause, "and
+that is, that this arrangement of yours is open on the side toward the
+river."
+
+"Jim said that was done so as to give him and the boys a chance for the
+last plunge. If they hadn't done that them three chaps never would have
+seen the sun rise again."
+
+"It may come to the same thing when there's only two or three of us
+left. Helloa! who's this?"
+
+It was Mr. Altman, who, knowing where the two were in consultation,
+ventured to approach them, doing so with an apology.
+
+"I have no wish to intrude," he added, "but I am disturbed over one
+matter, Kenton, about which I would like to ask a question or two."
+
+"What's that?" inquired the scout.
+
+"When you left us this afternoon you took my servant Jethro with you,
+but I have seen nothing of him since you came back."
+
+"I'll be hanged if I hadn't forgot all about that younker!"
+
+"Did you bring him back with you?"
+
+"No; and I'm doubtful if you see him ag'in--leastways not very soon."
+
+He then told all he knew about the fellow, his master listening, as may
+well be supposed, with the deepest interest. Keenly as he regretted the
+misfortune that had befallen the stupid fellow, he saw that no possible
+blame could be placed upon any one beside the youth himself.
+
+"If he happens to fall into the hands of the Shawanoes, it will go hard
+with him," remarked Mr. Altman, with a shudder.
+
+"So it will, so it will," repeated Kenton; "the varmints never fancy
+them of his color, and they've good reason to hate him."
+
+"I heard that he did a powerful lot to help you folks," remarked
+Hastings.
+
+"I should say he did; whenever one of the varmints was hit, you could
+make up your mind that it was the darky that done it. He had the
+confoundest luck, and at the same time can shoot a gun as well as Boone,
+or you or me. But worse than all that, he was the means of catching The
+Panther himself, and nearly pounded the life out of him."
+
+"Wouldn't the chief like to lay hands on him?" said Altman.
+
+"Much as he hates me and the rest of us, I think he would give any two
+for the sake of that darky. If he once gets hold of him it won't be any
+shootin' bus'ness, but Col. Crawford over agin."
+
+The thought was a depressing one, but all were powerless to help the
+fellow, and the consciousness of the fearful danger which hung over all
+was a hundredfold sadder. The Ashbridges and Altmans saw the nearest and
+dearest ones on earth in the most imminent peril of their lives, and, so
+far as human agency was concerned, none were able to extend a helping
+hand.
+
+"I've a feeling," remarked Hastings, after Thomas Altman had withdrawn
+to his station, "that whatever is done to help these folks has got to be
+done this very night."
+
+"There ain't no speck of doubt about it--helloa, who's this?"
+
+A second form approached them through the gloom. Dimly seen though it
+was, something in the gait or manner told Kenton who it was.
+
+"Is that you, Dan'l?"
+
+"Yes," replied the veteran, quietly sitting down near them as though he
+had been absent but a few minutes. "I had a hard time to find you, and
+was on the p'int several times of 'calling.'"
+
+"Why didn't you do it? I did."
+
+"There are too many Injins in the woods. I heerd 'em 'calling' to each
+other more than once, and it was all I could do to keep from bumpin'
+aginst 'em. If I had signaled, some of 'em would have answered, and
+things might have got mixed. I 'spected where you was, and therefore
+knowed the right spot to look."
+
+"As I didn't, I 'called,' and come through all right. Wal, Dan'l, as you
+say, the varmints are powerful plenty in these parts. Since you and me
+hadn't any trouble gettin' into this fort, as Jim Deane calls it, it
+follers that if the varmints should try it they would find it jest as
+easy."
+
+"So they won't," remarked Hastings; "but one of 'em found it rather
+risky gettin' out agin."
+
+"I heerd a gun go off a while ago," said Boone, as though the matter had
+little interest to him.
+
+Hastings related the occurrence which resulted in the death of the dusky
+intruder, and Kenton gave an account of what he had done, or, rather,
+attempted to do, for he was more unsparing in condemning his failures
+than his worst enemies would have been.
+
+"Now, Dan'l," remarked his younger friend, "the past ain't of any
+'count; it's the present, the now, that we've got to take care of. What
+do you think the varmints mean to do?"
+
+"Wait where they are till mornin', and then begin shooting."
+
+"And if they can't pick us all off, keep us here till we're starved
+out?"
+
+"There ain't any doubt of that."
+
+"I agree with you, Daniel; therefore, whatever we do for the folks has
+got to be done afore sun-up."
+
+"That's as true as Gospel."
+
+"How many of the varmints are there?"
+
+"There seemed to be about twenty, more or less, this afternoon, but
+toward night some others come from 'cross the river, I reckon, as there
+must be all of thirty."
+
+"Who has charge of 'em, Daniel?"
+
+"That painted imp they call Wa-on-mon, or The Panther."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+SIMON KENTON IN A PANIC.
+
+
+It was no surprise to Simon Kenton to learn that his old enemy, The
+Panther, was at the head of the formidable war party that were plotting
+with so much success against the pioneers. He had suspected the truth
+before he learned it from Boone.
+
+The fact removed the last vestige of suspicion any one might have held
+as to the motive of the chieftain in failing to accept the challenge of
+Kenton to mortal combat. Wa-on-mon had made haste to hunt up the war
+party of Shawanoes that he must have known were in the vicinity, well
+aware that with them at his beck and call he could strike a thousandfold
+more effective blow than by the simple overthrow of Kenton, accompanied
+by the disablement of himself.
+
+The ferocious leader was perilously near success, and it looked as if
+nothing could extricate the fugitives from destruction.
+
+The reader need not be reminded that it was the presence and care of the
+four females that was a mortal handicap to the brave men who had set out
+to conduct them to the block-house up the river. Had they been already
+there, the pioneers and rangers would have given the Shawanoes a hot
+fight, and driven them off with the loss of more than one of their
+bravest leaders.
+
+From what has been already made known, it will be seen that it was not a
+hard thing for a friend or enemy to enter the rough inclosure which had
+been dignified with the name of fort. The discovery of the Shawanoe's
+presence was in the nature of an accident; but for Agnes Altman he might
+have wandered almost at will among the men on guard, and, having learned
+all he had set out to learn, stole away without detection.
+
+Kenton and Boone reversed the method when they appeared on the scene.
+They had but to make themselves known (an easy matter, since they were
+expected) to receive a welcome. At the same time they avoided detection
+by the Indians, who were hovering on all sides.
+
+It has been shown that, in a certain sense, one part of the
+fortification was open, since nothing in the nature of a defence
+interposed between it and the river. The presumption was, that in this
+direction one would have a fair chance of stealing away undiscovered.
+
+The fact, however, that such an opening presented itself was proof that
+it was under close surveillance. Possibly, in the gloom, some of the
+most skilful of the rangers, by swimming under water a long way, might
+elude the vigilance of the Shawanoes, but the attempt would be fatal to
+any one of the females, and to more than one of the men.
+
+Kenton, Boone and Hastings held what might be considered a council of
+war, since the fate to all concerned depended upon the result of the
+conference.
+
+"There seems but the one chance," remarked Boone, after each had
+expressed his views, "and that's a powerful slim one."
+
+"So must every chance be," commented Kenton.
+
+"From what we've learned to-night any one of us three can sneak out of
+this place and off in the woods. If that's so, what's to hinder two or
+three doing it, by treading on each other's heels?"
+
+"Nothin'," was the prompt response of Hastings.
+
+"'Spose, then, that I try it to the right and Simon to the left; 'spose
+that each of us takes two persons with him and that they are females?"
+
+"And if you should get through the lines with 'em?" asked Hastings.
+
+"That's all we want; once clear of the varmints, and with the better
+part of the night afore us, the road to the block-house will be so clear
+that sun-up will find us all there."
+
+Kenton did not like this plan, and said so.
+
+"It won't work," he asserted, with quiet emphasis. "You and me, Dan'l,
+might get through the lines, 'cause we've both done it this very night,
+but we couldn't take a woman or gal with us."
+
+Boone held unlimited faith in the woodcraft of his friend, and meant to
+leave the decision of the question with him. Kenton condemned the scheme
+from the first; therefore it was abandoned.
+
+"I've nothing more to offer," said the elder pioneer, disappointed by
+the emphatic veto of the other; "there seems but one thing left for
+us--to stay here and fight it out with the varmints to-morrow. We can
+drop some of 'em, and mebbe The Panther will be among 'em, but there
+won't be one of us left to rej'ice over his going under."
+
+Kenton held his peace for several minutes. His companions knew he was
+thinking intently and that something, desperate though it might be,
+would come from it. Neither Boone nor Hastings could offer the first
+suggestion; they could only wait for their athletic companion to counsel
+or to act.
+
+Without a word, Kenton rose to his feet.
+
+The others did the same, even though their erect position offered a
+tempting target to any prowling enemies who might succeed in entering
+the inclosure.
+
+"Dan'l, take my gun," said the younger ranger, impressively; "if I never
+come back, keep it in remembrance of the many times you and Sime Kenton
+have been on the trail together."
+
+"I'll do it, Simon," replied Boone, accepting the weapon.
+
+"But," interposed Hastings, with a nervousness he could not conceal,
+"can't me and Boone be of help to you?"
+
+"Not the least; I must go it alone this time."
+
+"But let us know what you're going to try to do."
+
+"When you and me were talking awhile ago, Hastings, you remember I said
+there warn't no chance of stealing any canoe in these parts belonging to
+the varmints; you remember that?"
+
+"Of course."
+
+"All the same I'm going after the canoe I seed crossing the Ohio just as
+it was getting dark. I don't b'leve I'll get it, or if I do that I can
+make any use of it."
+
+Boone was impelled to interpose, for understanding the hopeless
+character of the attempt, it distressed him unspeakably to have his
+brave friend sacrifice himself. The elder, however, held his peace. He
+knew that Kenton had weighed all the chances, and the time for protest
+had passed.
+
+"Stay right where you are," said the younger, moving as coolly and
+deliberately as though making ready to retire for the night. "It ain't
+likely the varmints will try to disturb you afore morning, but you know
+better than to trust 'em. If I ain't back afore daylight you'll never
+see me ag'in, and God help you all."
+
+He wrung the hand of each in turn, and facing toward the river and
+assuming a crouching posture, vanished as silently as a shadow in the
+gloom, not another word falling from the lips of the two whom he had
+left behind, until considerable time had elapsed.
+
+Having stripped for the fray, as may be said, by leaving his cumbersome
+rifle behind, Kenton approached the edge of the river with the utmost
+circumspection. Suspecting, as he did, that the Shawanoes had left this
+point open for the very purpose of inviting such an attempt as he had in
+view, he was too wise to neglect every precaution to keep it secret. If
+by any remote possibility he should succeed in his daring purpose, it
+could only be by keeping his enemies in ignorance of his movements, at
+least up to the point of decisive action on his part.
+
+He therefore availed himself of every screen that could be used to hide
+his body, and advanced for several rods, more after the fashion of a
+serpent gliding over the ground than of a man stealing forward on his
+hands and knees. More than a quarter of an hour was consumed in passing
+this slight distance. Patience is a cardinal virtue with men of his
+profession, a moment's undue haste often undoing the work of hours. When
+at last he was able to reach out his hand and dip it in the cool waters,
+he was quite certain that none of the Shawanoes suspected what he had
+accomplished.
+
+At this crisis several conditions united to help the intrepid scout. The
+wind still blowing strongly up the river rustled the vegetation, and
+whipped the surface of the river into wavelets that veiled other sounds,
+and helped to conceal any disturbance of the water. A glance at the sky
+showed the moon hidden by clouds, but the keen survey of Kenton told him
+that they would soon float past the face of the orb, leaving it to shine
+with greater strength than before. There was not a moment, therefore, to
+spare.
+
+He was still flat on the ground, not daring to raise his head more than
+a few inches. With the same indescribable movement he glided from the
+land into the water, sinking quietly and heavily below the surface as
+though he were an iron statue.
+
+Close to the shore the depth was shallow, but he secured enough freedom
+of movement to work his way quickly into deep water, where he was at
+home. Swimming with prodigious power and skill, wholly beneath the
+surface, he turned on his back and allowed his nose to rise just high
+enough to give him one deep inhalation, when he sank again.
+
+With the water crinkled and disturbed by the strong wind, the
+keenest-eyed Indian, peering out from the undergrowth along shore, would
+have discovered nothing upon which to hinge the faintest suspicion.
+
+After another long swim, without the power to breathe, Kenton allowed
+his head to come up and opened his eyes.
+
+As he anticipated, the moon was just emerging from the mass of drifting
+clouds, and the increasing light, spreading over forest and river,
+considerably extended his area of vision. Confident that his departure
+was unknown to any of the lurking Shawanoe scouts, he scrutinized his
+surroundings with more confidence than he would have felt had it been
+otherwise.
+
+He could trace the dark outline of the shore he had just left, or rather
+the mass of trees and branches were clearly stamped against the
+background of sky. Above and below rippled the river in the dim
+moonlight, while a wall of indistinct blackness masked the Ohio shore.
+
+Somewhere along the bank, which he had left but a brief while before,
+nestled the canoe he had set out to find and bring to a point where it
+could be used to help deliver the pioneers from their perilous
+environment, and, without giving another thought to the impossibility of
+success, he grimly resolved to do his utmost, no matter if certain death
+was to be the result.
+
+Prudence required him to wait until the moon was obscured. Masses of
+vapor were continually passing in front of it, and he had to wait only a
+few minutes when the gloom permitted the attempt.
+
+With the same cool promptness he swam toward shore, until the distance
+he had in mind was passed. Then carefully measuring the space, he sank
+below the surface again. The precaution seemed unnecessary, but such
+trifles sometimes decide the question of life and death. Not the
+slightest misgiving remained, when he noiselessly raised his head
+beneath the overhanging branches, that his departure and return were
+suspected by a single Shawanoe.
+
+And yet he was only on the threshold of his enterprise. The real work
+now confronted him.
+
+Having come in to shore at a point considerably above where he had left
+it, Kenton hoped the canoe for which he was searching was below him. He
+therefore decided to continue his hunt in that direction.
+
+With the advantage gained, he required but a short time to do this, the
+result being a mistake on his part. He saw nothing of the craft.
+
+He was about to turn again when he looked out upon the river, where the
+moon was shining with unobscured light.
+
+He gave a start, and peered through the parted bushes a second time,
+and, as he did so, he received the greatest shock of his life. Never
+before or after that eventful night did he go through so astounding an
+experience.
+
+So terrified indeed was the brave ranger by what he saw, that, forgetful
+of the Shawanoes, the imperiled fugitives, and everything except his own
+panic, he dashed through the intervening space, and, bursting into the
+inclosure where he had left his friends, called in a husky undertone:
+
+"Boys, we're lost! we're lost! There's a ghost coming up the river!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+A RUN OF GOOD FORTUNE.
+
+
+We have now reached a point in our narrative where it once more becomes
+necessary to follow the fortunes of Jethro Juggens, whom we were obliged
+to leave in anything but a pleasant situation.
+
+After a rather stirring experience in the cabin of Mr. Ashbridge,
+whither he had gone in total disregard of the instructions of Simon
+Kenton, he awoke to the fact that it would not do for him to tarry
+longer so far from his friends and exposed to so much personal danger.
+He must leave without further delay.
+
+The proof received of the presence of one or more Shawanoes on the
+outside was too alarming for him to feel any of his old-time assurance
+in venturing across the clearing to the shelter of the surrounding
+forest. It will be remembered that he suddenly formed the decision to
+incase himself in armor, so to speak, by using one of the several boxes
+that had been brought down the river on the flatboat.
+
+Filled with the scheme, he made ready for the extraordinary experiment.
+His plan was to invert one of the boxes over his head, and thus
+protected, stride across the open space to the woods; but second thought
+and considerable experimenting revealed difficulties which speedily
+became mountainous in their nature.
+
+"Dat will be all right," he muttered, after he had emptied the box which
+had contained the food and some other articles; "but it's gwine to be a
+mighty bother to take dis ting and my gun too. Den as long as I keep it
+ober my head I won't be able to see where I'm gwine; I may keep walkin'
+round in a circle for two, free days, and fotch up ag'in de doah ob dis
+house ebery time. I'll hab to make a peep-hole in front."
+
+To do this required work, but the pine wood was soft and his knife was
+sharp. Vigorous use of the implement soon opened a hole two or three
+inches in diameter, through which he could obtain a good view of his
+immediate surroundings.
+
+"Dat will work," he muttered, with some satisfaction, as he felt of the
+opening, and found he could pass his hand through it; "it's a little
+bigger dan I meant to make it, but if I see one ob de heathen p'intin'
+his gun toward me I can slip my head to one side. I'll try it."
+
+He lifted the receptacle over his head and shoulders, and found it
+fitted to a nicety. It could not have answered better had it been
+constructed for the express purpose of serving him as a shield.
+
+He cautiously peeped through the windows, and discovering nothing to
+cause misgiving, drew back the door sufficiently to allow him to pass
+through with his turtle-like protection. Then he stepped forth upon the
+partially moonlit clearing, and, with considerable labor, inched along
+until perhaps a dozen feet distant from the building. His next act was
+to turn abruptly about and hasten back through the open door with such
+precipitation that he stumbled headlong into the room.
+
+"Gorrynation! I's a big fool!" was his exclamation, and which, it is
+safe to say, none of his acquaintances would have disputed.
+
+To his dismay he made several disquieting discoveries. In the first
+place, when he attempted to look through the peep-hole it was not there.
+Inadvertently he had put on the box in a reversed position, so that the
+opening was behind him. He attempted to shift the box about, but it
+would not work well. At the same moment he became aware that he had
+forgotten to bring his gun with him, and, worst of all, a sudden
+conviction flashed upon him that the soft pine in which he was enveloped
+was not strong enough to stop the course of a bullet. Therefore the wood
+was no protection at all.
+
+These causes combined to throw the dusky youth into a panic, which sent
+him and the box crashing through the door before his novel experiment
+was subjected to a real test.
+
+"It won't work," was his decision; "I hab to show my feet, 'cause dey's
+de biggest part ob me, and if de heathens shoot dem off dey'll hab me
+dead suah."
+
+The only comfort he derived from the partial experiment was that nothing
+was seen or heard of the red men. It seemed to him that they would have
+made some demonstration had they observed him, and he was strongly
+tempted to make a dash for the wood, without encumbering himself with
+anything more than his gun.
+
+Sufficient uncertainty, however, remained to hold him in check for a
+time, when, like an inspiration, a new suggestion forced itself into his
+brain.
+
+Among the goods left behind in the cabin by the pioneers in their flight
+toward the block-house was considerable bedding, mostly in the shape of
+sheets, quilts and blankets. Why not swathe himself in these instead of
+using the awkward and cumbersome box?
+
+The more he thought of the plan, the more he was pleased. He could wrap
+the tough linen sheets about his figure until the thickness would be
+doubly as effective as the wood. He could gather them round his head so
+that they would project above and protect it, and let them descend so
+low that his feet would be well armored and still leave opportunity to
+use them. He could readily carry his gun and leave a space in front of
+his eyes through which to make observations.
+
+What was to prevent the complete success of the plan?
+
+"Nuffin," he muttered, answering his own question. "I'll put so many ob
+dem sheets 'round me dat dey can bang away all night widout hurtin'
+nobody. Den, I've been told dat Injins am mighty skeery, and dey may
+take me for a hobblegoblin or ghost."
+
+Absurd as the scheme of Jethro Juggens may seem, it was not wholly
+lacking in merit. At any rate, he took but a brief while to turn it over
+in his mind, when he set to work to put it to a practical test.
+
+The toughness of the sheets made them preferable to the softer and more
+yielding blankets, and the youth decided to use them exclusively. Each,
+of course, had been put together by deft hands and spinning-wheel, and
+was of firm, strong texture. Jethro was so familiar with where these
+were stowed, through his work of loading and unloading, that he found no
+trouble when compelled to labor in total darkness.
+
+One by one the sheets were drawn forth, until six of them were tumbled
+upon the floor at his feet. He opened wide the door, that the faint
+moonlight should give help in arraying himself in his novel costume.
+Then, making sure that the rifle was not forgotten this time, he wrapped
+himself round and round, again and again, until he resembled an enormous
+pillow stood on one end.
+
+He made sure that the folds projected above his hat, and would shut out
+all bullets that might hurtle against the unique helmet. At the same
+time the covering descended so low about his ankles that it trailed upon
+the ground, and portended disaster in case of haste upon his part.
+
+Now that the essay was to be pushed to a conclusion, Jethro was wise in
+taking every possible precaution.
+
+Peering through the door, he scanned the clearing to the river, as it
+was revealed by the moon, which just then was obstructed by passing
+clouds. Then he looked searchingly to the eastward, where, so far as he
+could tell, nothing threatened, and the same result followed a survey of
+the clearing in the opposite direction. Lastly, he peered through the
+rear window where had been displayed the flag of truce which he
+dextrously appropriated to his personal use.
+
+This was the course he was inclined to take, and because of that he
+subjected it to the closest possible study.
+
+Was it imagination, or did he really see the figures of one or two
+Indians standing motionless on the edge of the wood, as if waiting for
+him to come forth and place himself within their reach? Jethro stood
+intently watching them for some minutes, until in the obscured moonlight
+they vanished from sight.
+
+"Guess dar ain't nobody dar," was his conclusion, as his spirits revived
+again; "anyway, I won't try to rout 'em out if dar is."
+
+The uncertainty caused him to change his intention and decide to advance
+toward the wood near where Kenton had withdrawn the canoe from under the
+nose of the sleeping Shawanoe. A vague feeling of security hung around
+the flatboat. The youth was accustomed to that, having spent so much
+time on it, and if he were driven to it as a refuge, was confident of
+making a good defence with the aid of his rifle.
+
+With that peculiar sensitiveness to little things which a man often
+displays in moments of danger, Jethro paused after reaching the outside,
+and, making sure that the latch-string was drawn inward, carefully
+closed the door behind him. Thus it was securely locked, and he
+reflected with a start that he had now burned his bridge behind him. If
+any enemies at that moment should charge upon him, he could not make use
+of the cabin, even though he stood near enough to it to reach it with
+his outstretched hand.
+
+So far as he saw, no danger confronted him, and he resolutely struck off
+in the direction he had in mind, instantly discovering that the pains he
+had taken to protect his feet and ankles seriously interfered with his
+locomotion. He could take only very short steps, and naturally became
+impatient with his slow progress.
+
+The figure that he cut was certainly grotesque to the last degree. His
+ample proportions were made much more ample by the many thicknesses of
+spotless linen in which they were arrayed. The folds, extended above his
+head, naturally added to his height, so that he suggested a ghostly
+giant mincing across the clearing to the river.
+
+The strangely good fortune which had accompanied the dusky youth did not
+desert him now when entering upon the most remarkable experience of his
+career. We have shown how he entered the cabin unchallenged, when, had
+he made the attempt a little earlier or later, assuredly he could not
+have escaped the bullet of one of the two Indians in the vicinity.
+
+From what was afterward learned, the theory of Kenton and Boone was
+probably reasonably correct, though it did not fully explain all that
+took place.
+
+When Kenton returned to the clearing toward the close of that day, there
+were two Shawanoes lurking in the vicinity. It may have been that The
+Panther, arranging the ambuscade further away at Rattlesnake Gulch, held
+a suspicion that the pioneers might turn back on their own trail and
+make a stand in the cabin, and he instructed these two warriors to
+remain and signal the fact to him, probably by some peculiar discharge
+of their rifles.
+
+While one of them was moving through the woods, the other remained near
+the canoe and fell into a doze. It was at this juncture that Jethro
+Juggens entered the cabin unobserved. Soon after, the second Indian
+returned to the neighborhood of the other, who had awakened, and noted
+with amazement the loss of the boat.
+
+One of these warriors set out to recover it, with what result has
+already been made known. The other remained in the vicinity of the
+clearing to watch things until his return. Discovering the presence of
+one of the party in the building, but, without any means of knowing his
+identity, he set out to dislodge him.
+
+The voices which Jethro insisted he heard outside the door could very
+well have been the voice of a single warrior, such subterfuges being
+among the most common with the American race. After the man[oe]uvring
+back and forth between this Shawanoe and the youth, the former must have
+grown uneasy over the prolonged absence of his companion who had set out
+to recover the canoe. Abandoning the cabin with one or more occupants,
+he hurried along the river bank. This enterprise was more successful
+than the other, for he recovered the boat without the slightest injury
+to himself.
+
+Thus it came about that when Jethro Juggens emerged from the cabin,
+bandaged and swathed from above the crown of his head to the soles of
+his feet, the extraordinary precaution was useless, and he might have
+walked forth with the assurance of one who was master of the situation.
+
+But had he done so that which we have now to make known could never have
+taken place.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+"IT'S AN ILL WIND THAT BLOWS NOBODY ANY GOOD."
+
+
+Although Jethro Juggens was not in the slightest danger of molestation
+by the Shawanoes from the moment he emerged from the cabin and started
+across the clearing, he was not to escape all danger and a great scare.
+
+He chafed at the binding of the linen armor about his ankles. He was
+impatient to walk faster, and could not do so in that situation. His
+strength was great, but a Hercules could not have overcome the obstacle
+without loosening it. Glancing to the right and left and on all sides,
+and seeing nothing threatening, he decided to end the intolerable
+annoyance in the only way possible. He therefore stopped short and
+stooped over to loosen the bandages.
+
+But lo! it was impossible. His body was so confined that he could only
+make a slight inclination. The hands, which were partly covered, would
+not reach further than a point just above his knees.
+
+"I' clar to gracious!" exclaimed the alarmed Jethro, straightening up
+like a jack-knife, "I's committed sooicide. I'll nebber be able to get
+my feet free. I'll hab to lib dis way de rest ob my life, and dat won't
+be berry long."
+
+But the first shock over, the truth gradually dawned upon him that
+inasmuch as he had wound himself up, he must possess the ability to
+unwind himself. All he had to do was to begin at the upper instead of
+the lower part of his body.
+
+"Qu'ar I didn't tink ob dat," he said, with a chuckle at his own fright.
+
+It was the work of but a few minutes to unwrap his body and limbs, when
+he kicked his feet free, and "Richard was himself again." By that time,
+however, he had entirely freed himself from the sheets, which he flung
+over his left arm, while he held his heavy gun in his right.
+
+"What's de use ob smotherin' myself to def," he muttered. "Dar ain't no
+Injuns 'round, and dar won't be--gracious hebben."
+
+From the edge of the wood, barely fifty feet away, a dark object issued
+and advanced straight upon him.
+
+"Dat's de Panther! I knows him by his face; he wants to git eben wid me
+'cause I wouldn't 'low him to stick his foot in my mouf."
+
+Forgetful of the effective weapon he had in his hand, Jethro made a dash
+for the flatboat, his nearest refuge, and forgetful, too, of the
+voluminous folds over his arm, he tangled the lower ends about his feet
+and sprawled headlong to the ground. This completed the panic, and
+letting go of his rifle, he rolled over on his back and made desperate
+efforts to gather the mass of linen over his face and body, so as to
+protect him against bullet and knife and tomahawk, somewhat as a child
+covers its head at night to escape imaginary terrors.
+
+There was so much of the stuff that the armoring of his head and limbs
+was quite effective, but his feet were left wholly unprotected. The only
+recourse left was to kick, which he proceeded to do with a vigor that
+would have sent any man flying had he come within reach of the whirring
+pedals.
+
+When this had continued until Jethro was tired, he concluded that the
+demonstration had frightened off his enemy. Dropping his feet on the
+ground, he drew the covering of his face sufficiently to one side to
+permit him to peep forth. Seeing nothing, he ventured to raise his head
+a little higher and to look around.
+
+The dark object that had thrown him into the panic was just disappearing
+from sight in the direction of the wood whence it came. There was enough
+moonlight at that moment for him to identify it.
+
+"By gracious! it am a bar! I done forgot dat I had my loaded gun and
+could hab drapped him easy. If any ob de folks had come 'long while I
+lay on my back kickin' at de sky, dey would hab tought I had a bone in
+my froat and didn't know what to do wid it."
+
+In all probability the bear, when he first appeared, intended to make an
+investigation, but the sight of a figure, smothered in sheets and with
+his feet thrumming in the air like a couple of drum sticks, must have
+frightened bruin into leaving the strange animal alone.
+
+Jethro was disposed to make chase after the animal and bring him to
+account, but reflection showed the unwisdom of allowing any diversion to
+interfere with the plain dictates of duty.
+
+"Dar's no tellin' what trouble Mr. Kenton may hab tumbled into widout
+habin' me dar to pull him out. De rest ob de folks don't know how to
+shoot Injuns half as well as me."
+
+It was evident the youth felt quite proud of his exploits, and who can
+blame him? He surely had warrant for his pride. He had decided to pay a
+visit to the flatboat even though time was so urgent. It lay close
+against the bank, just as it had been left earlier in the day, after the
+cargo was removed. Abandoning it before a chance was given to break it
+up, and with the vague hope that they might be permitted to turn it to
+account some time in the future, the pioneers offered it no harm, nor
+was it injured by the Indians who, later, came upon the scene.
+
+Jethro stepped over the heavy gunwale and looked about him with peculiar
+interest, for, as is well known, that craft was the scene of many
+stirring incidents during the preceding twenty-four hours.
+
+There was the long sweeping oar, balanced on a pivot at either end, with
+the handle reaching almost to the middle of the boat. That portion
+considered the stern (although in no respect did it differ from the bow)
+had the covered space, used as sleeping quarters for the females. At the
+other end was where the cooking was done.
+
+In the bottom lay the two long poles to be used in controlling the boat
+when necessary, and, groping about, Jethro noticed the pieces of rope
+that had served to bind The Panther, and which no one had deemed
+valuable enough to be removed. Other pieces of board and a few fragments
+of articles were scattered around, but none was of any account. Jethro
+flung down his big armful of linen at the bow, and, sitting upon them,
+gave himself over to characteristic meditation.
+
+There is no intellect so dull through which some bright thought does not
+now and then flash. It may come and go too quickly to be turned to
+account, but, all the same, it is that mystic throb which proves that
+all human souls are beating in unison with the divinity that created
+them.
+
+Sitting thus at the prow of the flatboat, meditating upon the strange
+occurrences through which he had passed since leaving his old home in
+Virginia, a scheme gradually assumed definite form in the brain of
+Jethro Juggens, whose brilliancy and originality startled even himself.
+
+And yet, when it comes to be analyzed, there was really nothing
+startling and brilliant in it. The wonder would have been, if any
+person, with a modicum of sense, could have held his place under similar
+circumstances and not thought of that which gradually worked its way
+into his consciousness.
+
+There were the poles used in handling the flatboat; there were bits of
+rope scattered about the bottom of the craft. He was sitting upon almost
+half a score of tough, thin sheets of linen; he was the possessor of a
+sharp knife and was dextrous in its use; and the wind was blowing almost
+a gale from the west, and therefore directly up stream; why not sail the
+flatboat up the Ohio?
+
+This was the question which at first held the youth breathless with the
+very grandeur and magnitude of the scheme; but, as fully considered, it
+became simple and more practical.
+
+Jethro was far from suspecting the real use to which his scheme could be
+possibly put. He knew and suspected nothing of the desperate straits in
+which his friends were placed at that very hour. He had an altogether
+different project in view.
+
+"Dey're pickin' dar way frough de woods, whar it's dark, and habing all
+sorts ob trouble. Dey can't see tings, and dat makes it wusser; de one
+dat's walkin' at de head will be sartin to hab a limb cotch him under
+his chin and raise him off his feet; den he'll feel like sw'aring, but
+will be afeared to do so, 'cause de heathen might oberhear him and stop
+him, and make him explanify de meanin' of his discumvations.
+
+"De tramp wouldn't be much if de sun war shinin' so dat dey could walk
+long widout steppin' on snakes. When dey see me come sailin' up de
+ribber, why, dey will be so pleased dat Mr. Altman won't--dat is, he
+won't obsist on my workin' so hard, and Mrs. Altman won't frow out so
+many digustin' hints 'bout de bigness ob my appertite."
+
+Having labored up to his decision, Jethro Juggens threw away no time in
+carrying it out. It really seemed as if everything had been directed for
+the last hour or two to prepare this very course to him. The failure of
+the wooden box to serve him as an armor, and the resort to the sheets of
+linen, the turning of his steps toward the flatboat, and, above all,
+that strong, steadily-blowing west wind--many persons would have seen
+something more than a mere coincidence in these things, and who shall
+say that this view would not have been right?
+
+The task that presented itself to Jethro Juggens, though a hard one, was
+by no means impossible. His keen-edged knife soon fashioned excavations
+in the soft planking at the sides, through which he passed some of the
+pieces of rope and fastened one of the poles in an upright position, or
+nearly so, for he was wise enough to place it so that it leaned backward
+like the masts of ordinary sailing vessels. He secured this as strongly
+as he could, and then did the same with the second pole on the other
+side, and directly opposite the first.
+
+He had now two strong uprights or masts. He examined and tested them
+until certain that nothing more could be done to add to their firmness.
+Then he set to work to knot or tie a number of the sheets together at
+the corners, until a sail was fashioned of the right dimensions, and
+this, in turn, was secured to the masts.
+
+He went about the business with that deliberation and care which marks
+the skilled workman. Almost any one, placed as he was, would have been
+hasty, nervous and unfitted to do a good job. It would have been
+neglected at some point, and, consequently, disaster would have come at
+the beginning of the enterprise. Jethro wrought as though such a thing
+as danger was not within a hundred miles, and that, too, when he had
+recently passed through some terrifying incidents.
+
+When the work was completed, he had a sail containing something like
+fifty square feet, the sheets secured together with no little skill, and
+the masts so strongly set that they could be relied upon, unless some
+unusual cause interfered with them. The only probable contingency to
+cause misgiving was the wind.
+
+That would not always blow from the west, and it might cease within an
+hour, or even less time.
+
+"It may get contrary," reflected Jethro, "and turn de oder way; if dat
+am de case, dis old boat will go kitin' down de Ohio till we strike de
+Massissip--and den--I done forgot what dat riber runs into, but if I
+discomember incorrectly, it am de Red Sea; don't want to go dar, so I'll
+jump ober board, if I can't stop de boat, and take to de woods.
+
+"Mebbe de gale will twist 'round and come from de souf; under dem
+sarcummentions de boat'll bang in 'mong de trees and smash tings. If Mr.
+Kenton had managed to got 'long when I ain't wid him, and Mr. Boone
+don't fall down and hurt hisself, why dem two might got de Injins
+togeder and hold dem on de Kentucky shore, while I run ober' em wid de
+flatboat.
+
+"Dat would gib' em such a good squshin' dat dey wouldn't bother us for a
+good while. It happens, howsumeber, just now dat de wind am blowin'
+right, and we kin sail up de Ohio as fur as we want, dat is," qualified
+Jethro, "if we don't want to go furder dan de wind will took us--but why
+don't the old ting start?"
+
+The sail was spread, and the strong gale was impinging dead against it,
+and yet, strange to say, the flatboat remained as motionless as if sunk
+at the bottom of the river.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+A FELLOW-PASSENGER.
+
+
+Jethro Juggens was alarmed on the very threshold of his strange
+enterprise by the threatened danger of failure. When everything was
+ready to start, the flatboat refused to stir so much as an inch.
+
+In the hope of helping matters, he swung the bow oar a number of times,
+so as to turn the head out in the stream. It moved a foot or two, and
+then became stationary, gradually working back to its former position.
+Then he tried the same thing with the stern oar, accomplishing about as
+much as if he had attempted to overturn a rock.
+
+"Dat beats de dickens!" muttered the puzzled youth, stopping to rest
+himself. "Qu'ar de wind am jes' strong enough to hold de boat stock
+still. I guess I'll onwestigate."
+
+And, doing so, the mystery was speedily solved. He had forgotten to
+hoist the anchor, which lay imbedded on the bottom, on the outside of
+the boat near the stern.
+
+"I'll neber tell nobody dat," he said, ashamed of the blunder. Lifting
+the heavy weight over his gunwale, he dropped it in the bottom of the
+boat, which immediately began gliding slowly up stream. With the aid of
+the long paddles, he easily worked the craft so far out in the stream
+that there was no danger of running into any of the overhanging limbs
+and vegetation.
+
+Jethro did not make the mistake of paddling the flatboat into the middle
+of the current, which was so much stronger there as to impede, if not to
+check, its progress altogether. And, as before stated, there could be no
+saying how much longer this favorable wind would continue.
+
+The dusky youth overflowed with complacency when he sat down at the prow
+and noticed the satisfactory trend of events.
+
+He was within a dozen yards or so of the wooded bank, sometimes
+approaching still closer, in accordance with the configuration of the
+land. His desire to keep advancing, while the chance was his, led him to
+venture further in, in order to take advantage of the sluggish current.
+Once or twice he felt a projecting root graze the bottom, and again the
+craft came almost to a standstill from partially grounding in a shallow
+portion. Its momentum, however, carried it over into deeper water, when
+its speed instantly increased.
+
+Seeing nothing for him to do, Jethro seated himself at the bow, with his
+rifle resting in the boat near him, and his feet hanging over the water.
+
+"Mr. Kenton and Boone and Altman and Ashbridge and all de rest ob de
+folks couldn't hab tought ob dis if dey had put their minds altogeder
+onto it. It was Jethro Juggens dat trotted out de idee. Some folks tinks
+he ain't much more dan a fool, and mebbe he ain't, but he knows a ting
+or two, and when dey cotch sight--"
+
+At that instant the flatboat struck a shallow portion with such
+suddenness that it instantly stopped, and the youth, unprepared for the
+shock, sprawled overboard with a loud splash.
+
+Nothing more serious than a shock and wetting resulted, and when he
+clambered to his feet the water did not reach to his knees. Grasping the
+prow with his huge hand, and applying his prodigious strength, he easily
+forced the front of the boat into deeper water and swung himself over
+the gunwale.
+
+"Dat sort of bus'ness am inconwenieut, and it musn't happen agin."
+
+Several sweeps of the two oars, he grasped one in either hand, worked
+the craft sufficiently far from land to prevent any repetition of his
+mishap. Then, caring naught for his moistened clothing, he sat down at
+the prow again.
+
+The boat was moving steadily up stream, with more speed, indeed, than it
+had ever shown descending it. So long as the strong wind blew from the
+west this progress would continue. The moon, veiled at intervals by the
+drifting masses of clouds, sometimes revealed the trees on his right
+sweeping backward and occasionally, when the light was wholly
+unobstructed, he could catch the dim shadowy outlines of the Ohio shore.
+Not only was the water rippled by the bow of the boat as it forced its
+way forward, but it was broken into tiny chopping seas by the action of
+the gale.
+
+The roving eyes detected no sign of life in any direction. The gloom was
+not pierced even by the starlike twinkle of some Indian campfire or
+signal light, but the dull boom of a rifle report, rolling over the
+river from the direction of Rattlesnake Gulch, proved that life, fierce,
+alert and vigilant, still throbbed with terrifying intensity.
+
+It so came about that the second Shawanoe, he who succeeded in
+recapturing the canoe from Simon Kenton, was returning in the direction
+of the clearing. The sagacious warrior knew the ranger would be quick to
+discover the theft of his property, and would make search for it. Only
+by the utmost care and skill could he escape an encounter with the
+terrible scout, whom he held in unspeakable dread.
+
+It was natural, therefore, that he should give his closest attention to
+the shore he was skirting, confident that that was the only direction
+whence danger could come. So, while the canoe skimmed the water, he held
+his gaze on the bank, and watched and listened with the acuteness of
+long training.
+
+"Who dar?"
+
+The question was asked in a sepulchral voice, and would have startled
+the bravest man. The head of the Indian whirled about like a flash, and
+he saw that which, it is safe to say, no member of his race had ever
+seen--an Ohio flatboat gliding up stream, with a broad spread of white
+sail, and moving with a noiselessness of death itself.
+
+More than that, it was almost upon him. Only by dextrous work could he
+save himself from being run down. Less than a dozen feet separated them.
+
+[Illustration: THE PHANTOM BOAT.]
+
+Glancing at the frightful object, the Shawanoe observed the figure of a
+sturdy, broad-shouldered man, standing near the bow with his rifle in
+his grasp. The sight was more than he could stand. With a frantic sweep
+of his paddle he drove the canoe like a swallow against the bank, leaped
+out and dashed into the woods.
+
+"Dat chap acts as dough he am scared," remarked Jethro, in doubt whether
+or not to fire; "de next time, I 'spose, I oughter shoot fust and den
+make my obspectful inquiries afterward."
+
+The incident was hardly over when to the surprise and disappointment of
+the youth the progress of the boat began to slacken, soon ceased, and
+then it slowly floated down stream. The wind had died out more suddenly
+than it had risen. He quickly dropped the anchor overboard.
+
+"Wonder how fur I've come," he thought, peering at the bank and unable
+to locate himself; "reckon I must hab come fifteen or twenty miles--but
+dat can't be either, for de folks at de block-house would hab seen me if
+I didn't see dem--hulloa! dat chap must tink he knows me; it ain't him
+after all."
+
+The canoe which had shot under the bank so suddenly, now emerged again
+and paddled straight towards the flatboat, only a short distance away.
+The action so startled the dusky youth that he would have acted upon his
+own suggestion of firing before asking any questions, had he not
+perceived that the occupant was a white man.
+
+"Dat can't be Mr. Kenton or Boone," mused Jethro, closely studying the
+stranger. "No, it am somebody dat hasn't de honor ob my obquaintance.
+Him and me ain't neber met afore."
+
+As the individual came closer and was more plainly shown in the dim
+moonlight, he was seen to be a sturdy man in middle life, dressed much
+the same as Mr. Ashbridge and Altman--that is, with more regard for the
+fashions of the age than was shown by men like Boone and Kenton.
+
+"Good evening," he called, nodding his head in salutation; "may I come
+aboard?"
+
+"Who am yo'? Am yo' name Girty?" asked Jethro, in doubt whether to
+permit the man to join him, now that his canoe was near enough to permit
+him to do so. His appearance was pleasing, and his voice had a hearty
+ring about it, but the African, since he was master of the situation,
+felt he could not be too careful of his company.
+
+The stranger laughed at the question asked him, and replied:
+
+"Bless me, that's the first time I was ever taken for Mr. Girty. You
+seem to be alone on the boat."
+
+Jethro suspected this to be a trick meant to make him unmask his
+weakness. He was not to be caught that way.
+
+"No, sah! dar's whar yo's mistooken, sah. Dan'l Kenton and Simon Boone,
+and 'leven oder gemman am in dis boat wid me, and if yo'----"
+
+"Tut, tut," interrupted the stranger, with another laugh, so genial in
+its character that it disarmed the youth.
+
+"'Scoose me; I meant to say dat dem folks would like to be wid me."
+
+"My son, you and I are the best of friends; you surely have no misgiving
+regarding me; my name is Finley."
+
+And, with this remark, he stepped over the gunwale and cordially shook
+the hand of Jethro, who was won by his looks and manner. He helped
+fasten the canoe at the side of the flatboat, and invited the visitor to
+seat himself upon the remaining sheets at the stern, an invitation that
+was so agreeably accepted that Jethro was certain he had never met so
+delightful a gentleman.
+
+There may be some among my readers who have recognized the name of the
+man who paddled out in the canoe as among the most honored in the early
+history of the West. He was James B. Finley, the famous missionary,
+whose career is one of the brightest pages among the many stained by
+cruelty, vice and crime. For years he carried his life in his hands,
+traversing the vast stretches of wilderness with rifle over his
+shoulder, living on the game brought down by his own marksmanship, or
+what he could obtain in the lodges of the red men or the cabins of the
+pioneers. He slept in the woods, freezing by the lonely campfire, or
+sweltering in the smothering heat of the summer sun.
+
+And wherever this devoted man went, he carried the message of his
+Master. He labored unceasingly in His vineyard, illustrating precept by
+his own example, and winning many to the right way, not only among the
+rough bordermen, but from among the fierce warriors themselves.
+
+Without turning aside in this place to refer more fully to Rev. Mr.
+Finley, the interesting fact should be recalled that it was under his
+exhortation that Simon Kenton, years subsequent to the events we are now
+recording, professed conversion, and became a deeply devout man.
+
+The missionary showed his tact by making no reference to the tremendous
+falsehood he had just brought home to Jethro Juggens.
+
+Laying his hand in a fatherly way upon the shoulder of the youth, he
+remarked:
+
+"You will believe me, my son, when I tell you I am surprised."
+
+"Yes, I offen s'prise folks."
+
+"What is your name, please?"
+
+Jethro answered all his questions truthfully and respectfully, so that
+in a few minutes the gentleman gained a fair understanding of the
+incidents in which the colored youth had been involved during the past
+few days, and which placed him in his present extraordinary situation.
+
+"I have seen a great many flatboats pass down the river," remarked Mr.
+Finley, at the close of the interesting narrative, "but this is the
+first time I ever saw any go up stream."
+
+"Yes, I tinked I'se begun de fashine."
+
+"But why is it you are at rest?"
+
+"'Cause de anchor am drapped overboard."
+
+"But don't you notice that the wind is blowing again, and the boat will
+move readily."
+
+Jethro had not observed the fact until his friend reminded him of it.
+Then he made haste to hoist the anchor, and once more the flatboat
+resumed its singular voyage up the Ohio.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+WAR'S STRATEGY.
+
+
+Even after considerable more conversation than has been recorded, Jethro
+Juggens and the missionary had much to learn of each other.
+
+The youth was especially puzzled to understand how it was that almost
+immediately following the flight of the Shawanoe in the extremity of
+panic, the good man should have paddled out to the flatboat in the canoe
+that had been so hurriedly deserted.
+
+"That was a curious circumstance," said Mr. Finley, musingly; "sit down
+beside me and I will tell you about it."
+
+"I's bery glad to do so," replied Jethro, placing himself at a
+respectful distance from the good man, "if you don't tink I had better
+keep a lookout dat we don't run by the block-house afore we knows it."
+
+"My dear boy, we are still a long way from that. Have no fear. From what
+you have told me I see you understand that sad times are coming between
+the white people and the Indians of this region."
+
+"Yes, sah."
+
+"I and many of my friends have been expecting it for weeks and months
+past, and have done all we could to prevent the dreadful state of things
+that is now at hand."
+
+"How was it you tried to prevent it?" asked Jethro, feeling that he
+ought to say something when the missionary paused; "was yo' idee to get
+all de Injuns togeder, tie' em fast to de trees, and den let the trees
+fall down on 'em and mash 'em?"
+
+"No, we had a better plan than that," gravely replied the missionary,
+making sure the youth did not see the flitting smile; "I went among the
+different tribes and talked with the chiefs and leaders, and strove in
+every way possible to show them not only the wickedness of going upon
+the war-path, but that in the end they themselves must be the chief
+sufferers."
+
+Jethro Juggens turned his head and stared at the speaker in amazement.
+
+"And did yo' go right 'mong de heathen all alone by yo'self?"
+
+"That's the only way in which I could have gone. They would not have
+allowed me to have any companions, for that would have shown I
+distrusted them."
+
+"Wal, didn't yo' obstrust them?" inquired the youth, to whom the whole
+business was a mystery.
+
+"I cannot deny that I felt I was in danger of violence at times, but
+when I took up the work of my Master I expected that, and therefore was
+not disappointed. If it was the will of Heaven that I should yield my
+life at any time, I was always ready. You know, my son, that that is the
+true way to live."
+
+"Yes, sah."
+
+"So it never caused me any discomfort. The only uneasiness a person
+should feel is whether he is ready for the call when it comes. Well, to
+return to what you asked me about, it soon became clear to me that the
+worst sort of trouble was at hand. The Indians have defeated the
+expeditions sent against them, until many believe our government is not
+strong enough to conquer them. They need a crushing defeat, just such as
+I am sure the next battle will be, before we can secure a lasting peace
+for the frontier. I was engaged in this business when I approached the
+Ohio this evening. At the moment of reaching the river I caught sight of
+this boat and the ingenious arrangement you have made. I saw the
+terrified Indian whom you hailed dash to shore and flee in mortal fright
+into the woods.
+
+"There was not enough light for me to recognize him," continued the
+missionary, speaking as though every person, American and Caucasian, in
+that vast region was an acquaintance. "I called to him, but he paid no
+heed, and inasmuch as he had left his canoe behind him and I wished to
+cross the river, I thought I might as well call upon you."
+
+"What yo' want to cross de riber fur?" asked Jethro, without reflecting
+that his question approached impertinence.
+
+"Just now, I am looking for a chief known as Wa-on-mon, or, as his own
+people call him, The Panther."
+
+"Do yo' know dat debbil?" demanded the amazed youth, springing to his
+feet and looking down in the face of the surprised missionary, who
+replied:
+
+"I have known him a good many years, have slept in his lodge, have
+fondled his two children, have hunted with him, and placed my life in
+his hands times without number."
+
+Jethro could hardly express his astonishment at this information. Aside
+from what he had seen of the fierce chieftain, he could not forget the
+character given him by Simon Kenton. In his way, he related the proposed
+duel to the death between the ranger and the leader of the Shawanoes.
+
+Mr. Finley listened with the deepest interest, for he felt a strong
+attachment to both of the parties, and he cherished the hope that the
+fearful personal encounters between them would give way, sooner or
+later, to a more charitable, if not to a gentler feeling.
+
+"De reason de fout didn't take place," explained Jethro, "was 'cause de
+Panther got scared and runned away."
+
+The reply was, in effect, that which was made by Daniel Boone when
+discussing the question with Kenton.
+
+"You are mistaken in supposing Wa-on-mon was frightened; he is afraid of
+no man."
+
+"What den made him get skeered at Mr. Kenton?"
+
+"He did not. The Panther's heart is full of bitterness toward the white
+people. He saw, by hurrying off, a chance to do greater harm to those
+whom he regards as intruders upon the hunting grounds of his people;
+that is why the two did not meet."
+
+"Mr. Kenton says de Panther hab shot women and children, and done de
+wust tings dat you can tink of."
+
+"Simon Kenton is a truthful man."
+
+"And I know he hab tried to do a worser ting dan dat."
+
+"Impossible! What can it be?"
+
+"He tried to step into my mouf when I war asleep."
+
+The brave old pioneer preachers were as full of humor as they were of
+tenderness or pathos. Mr. Finley threw back his head and shook with
+laughter, though it was noticeable that it was as silent as that of
+Leatherstocking when that inimitable hero was amused with anything that
+took place in the woods.
+
+The missionary made the youth give him the particulars of the incident,
+and despite the tragic atmosphere by which it was surrounded, he
+appreciated its grotesque features. Before he had grasped the whole
+occurrence he shuddered at the tempest of fury that he knew had been
+awakened to life in the breast of the terrible chieftain of the
+Shawanoes.
+
+"To think of his being flung to the ground by this young man, of his
+being struck by him, and then bound and held for hours in captivity--ah,
+me! I pray that this colored youth may never fall into the power of
+Wa-on-mon. Much I fear that yesterday's events have so deepened the
+hatred of the chieftain, that the truth can make little impression upon
+his heart."
+
+By questioning and comment, Mr. Finley gradually gained an accurate idea
+of the perilous situation of the pioneers who were on their way to the
+block-house to escape the storm that was already bursting from the sky.
+The information, however, that he filtered through the brain of Jethro
+Juggens could not fail to be mystifying in more than one respect.
+
+Thus he knew that the pioneers had started up the Kentucky side of the
+river for Capt. Bushwick's block-house, and, before going far, had come
+to a halt, while Kenton returned to the clearing in quest of the canoe
+that had been left there beside the flatboat. His natural object, it
+would seem, in taking this course, was to secure the smaller craft for
+use in transporting the women and children to the other side of the
+Ohio. Why he should have taken Jethro Juggens as a companion could not
+be conjectured.
+
+Another self-evident fact caused the missionary less misgiving than
+would be supposed. Kenton had captured the canoe, for he and it were
+gone when the youth boarded the flatboat. Furthermore, the craft in
+which the visitor paddled out to the flatboat was the very one, as
+identified by Jethro, which, in some way, had been recaptured from the
+ranger. The presence of the warrior in the boat seemed to point with
+absolute certainty to the conclusion that the Shawanoe had slain the
+great pioneer before wresting the property from him.
+
+But Mr. Finley did not accept that theory, and was willing to await an
+explanation in the near future.
+
+An inexpressibly greater and more distressing problem lay beyond that,
+as to the ultimate fate of the two families turned back, as may be said,
+on the threshold of success. The action of Kenton and Boone told their
+anxiety to place them on the same side of the Ohio with the block-house,
+and it indicated with equal certainty the appearance of some frightful
+danger in their front.
+
+That danger must be The Panther and his war party. Thus, it will be
+perceived, that by a course of rapid reasoning the missionary was
+approaching a correct idea of the situation.
+
+He knew nothing of Rattlesnake Gulch, for the pioneer circuit preachers
+of the west had to traverse too many vast areas of wilderness to become
+minutely familiar with every portion; but the checking of the fugitives,
+or the turning back of their real leader, could mean but one thing; they
+had discovered the presence of The Panther and his Shawanoes in their
+path.
+
+All and considerably more than the foregoing being conceded, the
+missionary could not but regard the turning over to him of the
+invaluable canoe, to say nothing of the flatboat itself, as
+providential. There was now abundant means to carry the imperiled ones
+to the other shore.
+
+But missionary Finley was too familiar with the people of the West, and
+too well versed in woodcraft, to feel over-confidence, or to believe
+that it was plain sailing into the haven of absolute safety. If The
+Panther had cut off the flight of the fugitives to the block-house, he
+was not the one to permit them to flank the danger by means of the
+canoe.
+
+The first step necessary, as it seemed to the good man, was to open
+communication in some way with Simon Kenton.
+
+"Have you any idea where he is?" he asked of Jethro.
+
+"Yes--I feels purty suah, and it makes me feel bad."
+
+"Where can he be?"
+
+"He fell out dat canoe and got drownded; I feels bad 'cause I neber
+oughter left Mr. Kenton alone. He took me 'long to hab care ob him, and
+I outer feel dat I am to blame for his drownin'."
+
+"Have no alarm about that. Kenton is too good a swimmer to lose his life
+in that way."
+
+"But he mout get de cramps."
+
+"He might, but he didn't. He probably awaited your return as long as it
+was safe, and then continued up the river to join his friends. In some
+way he lost the canoe to the Shawanoe, who abandoned it to me."
+
+"I should tink dat he would come back to look for de boat."
+
+"The same thought has occurred to me, I hope he has done so, for then we
+shall be pretty sure to see him. But, after all, if he set out for that
+purpose, he has probably given it up and returned, or he would have
+shown himself before."
+
+All this time the flatboat, with its broad spread of sail, was gliding
+steadily up the Ohio, keeping as close as was prudent to the Kentucky
+shore.
+
+An odd thought had gradually assumed form in the mind of the missionary.
+He had noted the headlong panic into which the single Shawanoe was
+thrown by the sudden sight of the fantastic craft, and he asked himself
+whether, such being the case, The Panther and his warriors could not be
+temporarily frightened, and advantage taken of it.
+
+"At any rate it is worth trying," was his conclusion.
+
+But in arriving at this belief, it did not occur to the good man that
+the seeming apparition might produce the same effect upon the white men
+as upon the Shawanoes.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+THE PHANTOM OF THE RIVER.
+
+
+The reader has long since penetrated the cause of the panic into which
+Simon Kenton was thrown--a panic as wild, as unreasonable and
+uncontrollable as that of the single Shawanoe, some time before, when he
+plunged into the forest and fled as if from the pursuit of the evil one
+himself.
+
+There were no more superstitious men living than the daring pioneers and
+scouts of the West. Never hesitating to meet death, and courageously
+facing peril before which most people would have cowered, they demanded
+that that death and that peril should present themselves in tangible
+form. In other words, they shrank at receiving no blows, provided the
+opportunity was given them of striking effective blows in return.
+
+In trailing an enemy, when the "crossing of the ways" was reached, that
+is, where it was impossible to decide from evidence the right path to
+take, the question was often decided by a flirt of a hunting-knife;
+whichever course the implement indicated when it fell, was accepted as
+the finger of Providence, and was followed with as much unflinching
+vigor as though the possibility of an error did not exist. In many other
+respects was this belief in signs and the awe of the supernatural shown.
+
+The brief, terrified glance of Kenton revealed to him an Ohio flatboat
+moving up the river against the current--something which in all his
+varied experience he had never seen. The same glance showed a yawning
+white spread across the craft, as if it were the upturned wing of some
+monster swimming on its side in the water.
+
+Without pausing to reflect that this appearance was the key to the whole
+mystery, the brave man gave way to terror, and, throwing discretion to
+the winds, dashed into the enclosure among his friends with the
+exclamation:
+
+"Boys, we're lost! We're lost! There's a ghost coming up the river!"
+
+His words and manner threw the others into consternation. While it is
+certain that some would have shown more coolness, yet nothing is more
+contagious than fear, and the panic of one considered the
+clearest-headed and most daring of the rangers caused the rest for a
+brief while to bid good-by to their senses.
+
+Forgetful of the Shawanoes near at hand, and thinking of nothing but the
+new and dreadful peril, the men and women made haste to gather about the
+tall figure that advanced almost to the middle of the inclosure before
+checking himself.
+
+"What is it, Kenton? For heaven's sake, tell us!"
+
+"Where is it? What does it look like?"
+
+"Keep your head, Simon," counselled Boone, in the babel of exclamations,
+"and tell us what it is the ghost of."
+
+"You remember t'other flatboat," said Kenton, partially recovering his
+self-mastery, "the one the MacDougalls was on, and they was all killed?"
+
+"Yes, of course, of course," replied several.
+
+"Wal, the ghost of that flatboat is coming up the river; it's right off
+shore; it'll be among us in a few minutes; we had better take to the
+woods."
+
+And, incredible as it may seem, the intrepid scout would have led the
+absurd stampede, had not his elder and cooler friend laid his hand on
+his arm.
+
+"Simon, you ain't yourself; don't forget the varmints are all around
+us."
+
+"Dan'l," returned Kenton, sharply, "did you ever see a ghost?"
+
+"I have not."
+
+"Wal, if you want to see one, walk down to the edge of the river and
+there it is! As for me, I want to git away afore it comes any closer;
+but I forgot 'bout the varmints; I'll wait till you folks have a look at
+it, and then we'll all run."
+
+Evidently, the ranger was rallying from his panic.
+
+Among the group that gathered around him were several who were quick to
+recover from their own fright, and to see that the true course was to
+investigate the cause of the latter's state of mind.
+
+"Wait here till I take a look for myself," said George Ashbridge,
+touching the elbow of his father; "there's something in this that I
+don't understand; I will be gone but a few minutes; it's the strangest
+condition of affairs I ever knew."
+
+He whisked off in the obscurity and quickly reached the river side.
+
+Meanwhile, Missionary Finley gave proof of his sagacity. Having decided
+to use the flatboat and its sail as a possible weapon, he had risen to
+his feet, and with hands grasping the bow oar was figuring as to how he
+could discover the proper point at which to work the boat to land.
+
+He had made up his mind to emit a signal which would be recognized
+either by Boone or Kenton, if it reached their ears, when across the
+brief, intervening space he heard the threshing and the terrified
+exclamations of his old friend.
+
+"Here we are, Jethro! This is the place! Now, work with a will!"
+
+Both bent their strong arms to the task, and the water was churned at
+each end of the craft by the broad blades that swept deep and powerful
+like the arms of a propeller. The bulky boat responded and began
+approaching the bank, no more than a couple of rods distant.
+
+In this hurly-burly of affright and excitement, the missionary
+compressed his lips to keep back the tugging smile. He had caught the
+first words uttered by Kenton, identified his voice, and understood the
+cause of his alarm.
+
+"If it please Heaven to deliver us all from peril," was the thought of
+Finley, "I shall not forget this affair, and I will make sure that Simon
+is not allowed to forget it."
+
+It was only a minute or two later that George Ashbridge hurried to the
+margin of the water. The sweep of the long oars and the sight of the
+flatboat itself, with the spread of sail above it, all so near that they
+were recognized at the first glance, told the whole amazing story to the
+young man, though, as yet, he could not comprehend how it had all come
+about.
+
+One of the figures toiling at the sweeps was Jethro Juggens; he could
+form no suspicion as to the identity of the other.
+
+"Is that you, Jethro?" called Ashbridge, in a guarded undertone.
+
+"It am," was the proud response; "keep out ob de way, Marse George, or
+dis boat will run ober you. We's comin' like thunder."
+
+"There! that will do," said the missionary, as the boat struck sideways,
+almost abreast of where the youth was standing; "we couldn't have made a
+better landing. Good evening, my friend; I am sure we are welcome."
+
+With these cheery words the man, with his rifle in his left hand,
+stepped across the gunwale upon the hard earth and extended his right to
+young Ashbridge.
+
+"My name is Finley--James B. Finley; I am a missionary for Ohio and
+Kentucky, and joined your young friend hero to see whether I can be of
+any help to you and those with you."
+
+"And an angel could not be more welcome," was the fervent response of
+the youth, returning the warm pressure of the good man.
+
+"There seems to be trouble here," said he, with grave concern.
+
+"We are in sore straits, indeed; we have been resting for a good while,
+afraid to go on, for there is an ambuscade of the Indians just beyond,
+into which they are waiting for us to enter."
+
+"I presume the Shawanoes are in charge of The Panther."
+
+"So Daniel Boone tells us."
+
+"I feared as much; I'm glad that Boone is with you."
+
+"And so is Kenton."
+
+"Yes; I recognized his voice; he seems to be a little disturbed by the
+appearance of our craft."
+
+"I never knew it was possible for a man like him to become so
+frightened. He seems to have lost his wits."
+
+"They will soon return to him; he's a noble fellow."
+
+"Jes' let me know what you want done," remarked Jethro Juggens, who had
+placed the anchor so as to hold the flatboat motionless; "don't forget
+dat I fixed up dis yer contrivance."
+
+"Yes, all the credit belongs to him. He will explain when there is time;
+we have not a minute to spare now; it looks as if the appearance of the
+boat has given the red men, as well as the others, a scare."
+
+"No doubt of that, and Kenton's performance has had a good deal to do
+with it, for he upset our people completely."
+
+"We must take instant advantage of this diversion, which is
+providential; let us go to your friends at once."
+
+The missionary set off with young Ashbridge at his side and Jethro
+Juggens immediately behind them. A few brief, hurried steps took them to
+the group, whose members were beginning to regain a part at least of
+their senses.
+
+It was no occasion for Mr. Finley to indulge in any pleasantry at the
+expense of his old friend, Simon Kenton, however appropriate it might be
+at another time. His words were grave, quick and prompt, as were
+becoming. He hurriedly shook hands with Boone, Kenton and the rangers,
+to all of whom he was well known and by them held in high esteem. He
+greeted the others warmly in turn, using his tongue while doing so.
+
+"The appearance of the flatboat is so strange that it gave you all a
+good scare, and no wonder that it did so. It has produced the same
+effect upon The Panther's party, else they would not have allowed us to
+land or permitted this passing back and forth; but like you they will
+soon recover from it; one must use this opportunity, so providentially
+placed in our way."
+
+"That's the right kind of talk," remarked Kenton, who was already
+humiliated at the part he had played a short time before.
+
+"From what Jethro told me, you have little, if any, luggage with you."
+
+"Only what we can carry in our hands," replied Mr. Altman.
+
+"So far as I can judge, you are all gathered in this spot--a thing you
+would not be permitted to do but for the fright of the Indians. Follow
+me then; I will lead the way."
+
+Less time than would be supposed was occupied in this broken
+conversation. As stated, the words of the missionary were quickly
+uttered, and he showed his promptness by wheeling about and moving down
+the gentle incline toward the river. It seemed strange for him to take
+the lead of a party of rangers, among whom were Daniel Boone and Simon
+Kenton, but his leadership was only for the moment, and could have been
+assumed by Jethro Juggens himself, for it signified an advance only to
+the flatboat itself.
+
+Boone, with several quick strides, placed himself beside the preacher.
+
+"Have a care," he continued. "I don't understand what makes the varmints
+so quiet."
+
+"Because they are scared, as all of you were by the flatboat and its
+sail."
+
+"The only one of us skeered was Simon," corrected the great pioneer,
+"and then he skeered us by the way he carried on."
+
+"Well, any one of you would have been just as much frightened as he, and
+I suspect the rumpus he created had something to do with the panic of
+the Shawanoes; but you are right; it will not last long, and it may be
+over already."
+
+The habit of caution to which all the rangers were trained asserted
+itself. Grasping their rifles firmly, they involuntarily assumed a
+crouching pose and stepped lightly forward, as if afraid the slightest
+footfall would betray them. They glanced to the right and left, and more
+than once fancied they discerned shadowy forms stealing here and there
+in the gloom.
+
+It was natural, perhaps, that a different and somewhat peculiar feeling
+should influence the two families of settlers. They felt as if they
+would ignore the existence of enemies in their immediate neighborhood;
+they would forget that any danger of that nature ever threatened them at
+all, and devote their utmost energies to hurrying forward to the
+flatboat. They held their gaze in that direction, and tried to pierce
+the gloom and see nothing but the single object upon which their hope
+was fixed.
+
+Mr. Ashbridge and his wife clasped a hand of Mabel between them. Mr.
+Altman and his wife clung to each other, while George Ashbridge had
+fallen slightly to the rear with Agnes, while the rangers seemed to
+straggle irregularly forward, as they had done when pushing through the
+woods, but, in truth, they were advancing in accordance with a
+well-defined idea of the best course to follow at this time.
+
+Finley, Kenton and Boone held their places at the head, and the
+fugitives speedily reached the river side, where the unpleasant fact
+became apparent that the wind, which had been blowing so long and
+steadily, had dropped to a degree that it could no longer be of any help
+to them.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+
+PUTTING OUT FROM SHORE.
+
+
+Not a moment was to be lost. Everything depended upon boarding the
+flatboat and pushing off at once from shore. The party was so large that
+the craft was sure to be crowded, but its buoyancy was sufficient to
+carry still more.
+
+To most of the party hurrying on board, the silence and inactivity of
+the Shawanoes were incomprehensible. That they had been partially dazed
+was fair to believe, but it could not continue long. The presence of the
+boat, with its sail still spread, against the bank, must tell the story
+to the fierce red men, who ought to be as quick to recover from it as
+were the pioneers.
+
+It mattered not that the wind had failed. The one point was to get the
+flatboat away from land, and out into the stream. That done, a long step
+would be taken toward safety. The ambuscade would be flanked and
+avoided.
+
+"You can't hurry too much," said the missionary, beginning to show
+nervousness now that the critical moment was at hand. He helped the
+women on board, and did what he could to prevent the confusion caused at
+this juncture by the crowding. He expected that a volley would come
+every moment from the gloom along the shore, and therefore held his
+station where his body would be most likely to shield the helpless ones.
+
+Amid the confusion there was something approaching order, and it can be
+said that no time was thrown away. Within a minute of reaching the
+flatboat it seemed that every one of the pioneers was on board.
+
+"Lay down," whispered Boone, addressing the settlers especially; "the
+varmints are sartin to fire afore you can get out on the river--"
+
+"Dar goes dat canue," called Jethro Juggens, who managed to be the first
+on board.
+
+The little boat had been swung around and fastened to the farther side
+of the more bulky craft, so as to allow the latter to approach nearer
+the land. The youth was doing what he could to aid his friends (really
+doing nothing), when he observed the canoe several feet away with the
+intervening space steadily increasing.
+
+"Jump over after it," commanded Kenton, who himself would have done what
+he ordered but for the need of his presence on the flatboat.
+
+"Drop dat boat!" shouted Jethro, addressing (with a view of impressing
+those around him) an imaginary foe. At the same moment, leaving his gun
+behind him, he leaped overboard and swam powerfully toward the little
+craft. The clothing of the youth had not yet dried from the wetting
+received by his bath earlier in the evening, and at this sultry season
+of the year a plunge in the river was pleasant than otherwise.
+
+Jethro ought to have noticed that while the canoe was drifting with the
+current it was also approaching the middle of the Ohio. That could
+hardly take place without the interference of some one.
+
+But the powerful youth noted not the significant fact, and swam with
+lusty stroke straight for the little boat that had changed hands so
+frequently during the last few hours, and been the cause of more than
+one furious wrangle. Only a second or two was necessary to reach it, and
+he laid his hand on the gunwale.
+
+At that instant a Shawanoe warrior rose from the interior of the canoe,
+and lifted his hand in which was clasped a knife, with the purpose of
+burying it with vicious energy in the breast of the astonished youth.
+
+"Whew! gorrynation! I didn't know yo' war dar!" gasped Jethro, dropping
+like a loon beneath the surface just in time to escape the ferocious
+thrust.
+
+The Shawanoe leaned so far out, with upraised weapon, to strike the
+African when he came up, that the canoe careened almost upon its side.
+He was in this attitude of expectancy when, from the flatboat, came the
+sharp crack of a rifle, and the savage plunged over, head first, with a
+smothered shriek, and sank from sight.
+
+"I expected something of the kind," muttered Simon Kenton, who, amid the
+tumult around him, proceeded to reload his rifle with as much coolness
+as if he were in the depth of the forest and had just brought down a
+deer or bear.
+
+From the undergrowth immediately above where the boat was pushing from
+land, a second warrior, whose zeal outran his discretion, emitted a
+ringing whoop, and dashed straight at the crowding fugitives. He was
+nearer Mrs. Altman than any of the others, and meant to bury his
+uplifted tomahawk in her brain, but when almost within reach he made a
+frenzied leap from the ground, and, with outspread arms and legs,
+tumbled forward on his face.
+
+It was never clearly established who was quick enough to check the
+murderous miscreant in this fashion, for fighting had fairly begun and
+considerable shooting was going on; but the moon at that moment was
+unobscured, and Mr. Altman insisted that he saw Missionary Finley raise
+his rifle like a flash and discharge it in the direction of the warrior
+just at the instant before the husband could intervene in defence of his
+wife.
+
+When the good man was afterward taxed with the exploit, so creditable to
+his coolness and courage, he showed a reluctance to discuss it. Pressed
+further, he would not admit the charge, and yet refrained from denial.
+It will be conceded, therefore, that the presumption is reasonable that
+Missionary Finley was the instrument of saving Mrs. Altman's life when
+it was in the gravest possible peril. Meanwhile Jethro Juggens found
+himself with interesting surroundings. Availing himself of his great
+skill in the water, he dived so deeply that his feet touched bottom and
+he came up a dozen rods away from the canoe and between it and the Ohio
+shore. The passing of the Shawanoe took place while the youth was
+beneath the surface, so that he was unaware of the true situation when
+he arose and stared at the boat.
+
+"Gorrynation, if de t'ing ain't upsot!" was his exclamation when he had
+approached somewhat nearer and saw the boat turned bottom upward.
+
+The spasmodic lunge of the Shawanoe had overturned the craft, which
+resembled a huge tortoise, drifting with the current.
+
+"He's walking on de bottom ob de ribber, wid dat boat ober his head, to
+keep from gettin' moonstruck. Dat can't be neither," added Jethro,
+"onless he am seventeen foot tall, and I don't tink he am dat high."
+
+The gently moving arms of the swimmer came in contact with something.
+Closing his hands about it, he found it to be the oar flung out of the
+canoe by the overturning.
+
+"Dat'll come handy," thought Jethro. "When he sticks out his head to get
+a bref ob air, I'll whack him wid de paddle till he s'renders."
+
+After manoeuvring about the canoe for some minutes, a suspicion of the
+truth dawned upon the youth. Even when under the water he was able to
+hear the deadened reports of the rifles above, and he believed that one
+of the shots must have reached the occupant of the boat, whose frenzied
+leap capsized it.
+
+Gathering courage after a few minutes, he grasped the canoe and managed
+to swing it back into proper position, but it contained so much water as
+to forbid its use until it was emptied. This could be done only by
+taking it ashore. Jethro therefore tossed the paddle inside, and
+grasping the gunwale with one hand, swam with the other toward Ohio. It
+may be added that he reached it without further event, and there for a
+time we will leave him to himself.
+
+"Lie down!" thundered the missionary, seeing that his first order was
+only partially obeyed. "My good woman, I beg your pardon, but it must be
+done."
+
+His words were addressed to Mrs. Ashbridge, who, in her anxiety for her
+husband and son, was exposing herself in the most reckless manner. As he
+spoke, he seized her in his arms as though she were but an infant, and
+placed her not too gently flat in the bottom of the boat.
+
+"There! spend these minutes in prayer--no; that will never do," he
+added, grasping the shoulder of Agnes Altman, who, at that moment,
+attempted to rise; "keep down--all that is between you and death is that
+plank."
+
+"But--but," pleaded the distressed girl, "tell father and George to be
+careful, won't you, please?"
+
+"We are in the hands of God, my child, and have only to do our duty.
+Help us by causing no anxiety about yourselves."
+
+The great necessity, as has been explained, was to work the flatboat
+away from land. The most direct means of doing this was by pushing with
+the poles that had been taken on board for that use; but they were
+fastened in place as supports for the sail that had brought the craft to
+this place. The sweeps would accomplish this work, but only slowly and
+by frightful exposure on the part of those swaying them.
+
+Nevertheless, Jim Deane seized the bow sweep at the moment another
+ranger grasped the rear one, and both wrought with right good will.
+
+Dark forms appeared in greater number along shore and near the craft
+itself. The gloom was lit up by flashes of guns, and the air was rent by
+the shouts of the combatants, for the white men could make as much noise
+as their enemies in the swirl and frenzy of personal encounter and
+deadly conflict.
+
+Boone, Kenton, the missionary and most of the men had leaped into the
+flatboat and crouched low, where all seemed huddled together in
+inextricable confusion. The two were toiling at the sweeps, and the
+craft worked away from the shore with maddening tardiness. To some of
+the terrified inmates it did not seem to move at all.
+
+"A little harder, Jim," called the missionary "shall I lend a hand?"
+
+"No," replied Deane; "I'll fetch it, I don't need you--yes I do, too."
+
+As he spoke, he let go of the sweep and sagged heavily downward.
+
+"Are you hit?" asked the good man, raising the head upon his knee.
+
+"I got my last sickness that time, parson--it's all up--good-by!"
+
+The missionary would have said more, would have prayed with the fellow,
+despite the terrifying peril around him, had there been time to do so,
+but Jim Deane was dead.
+
+"God rest his soul!" murmured the good man, gently laying down the head,
+and drawing the body as closely as he could to the gunwale, where it
+would be out of the way.
+
+As from the first, the missionary exposed himself with the utmost
+recklessness, and, where the bullets were hurtling all about him, the
+wonder was that he had not already been struck; but the life of Rev. J.
+B. Finley was one of sacrifice, peril, suffering and hardship, in which
+his last thought was for himself. He was ready for the call of the dark
+angel, whether he came at midnight, morning, or high noon, and the angel
+did not come until after the lapse of many years, when the scenes such
+as we are describing had long passed away.
+
+A strange and for a time wholly unaccountable occurrence took place near
+the stem of the flatboat, only a moment before Jim Deane was mortally
+smitten.
+
+Simon Kenton had just withdrawn his attention from Jethro Juggens and
+his canoe, and was looking toward the bank at his elbow, when he uttered
+an exclamation, the meaning of which no one caught, or, if he did,
+failed to notice it in the tumult and hullabaloo. At the same moment the
+ranger gathered his muscles into one mighty effort, and made a leap
+toward shore.
+
+Superb as was his skill in this direction, the distance was too great to
+be covered, and he stuck in the water, but so near land that he sank
+only to his waist. He struggled furiously forward, seemingly in the very
+midst of the Shawanoes, and was immediately lost to sight.
+
+There was no time to inquire the meaning of this extraordinary action,
+and no one suspected it, but it became apparent within a brief space of
+time.
+
+It was at this juncture that several noticed the wind had risen again.
+It was blowing not so strongly as before, but with sufficient power to
+start the flatboat slowly up stream. Boone called to all to keep down,
+while he, crouching close to the stern, held the oar so that it helped
+steer the craft into mid-stream.
+
+The missionary did the same with the forward sweep, and, impelled by the
+wind, the craft slowly forged away from the Kentucky and toward the Ohio
+shore.
+
+All hearts were beating high with hope and thankfulness when a piercing
+cry came from Mrs. Ashbridge.
+
+"Where is Mabel? What has become of Mabel? Oh, where is she?"
+
+Dismay reigned during the minute or two of frenzied search of the
+interior of the craft. The space was so small that the hunt was quickly
+over, with the dreadful truth established that little ten-year old Mabel
+Ashbridge was not on the flatboat.
+
+Missionary Finley announced the fact when he said:
+
+"She has fallen into the hands of the Shawanoes; that was the cause of
+Simon Kenton leaping ashore."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+THE SHAWANOE CAMP.
+
+
+How it all happened was never clearly established, but it is not to be
+supposed that in the tumult, the swirl, the confusion, the firing,
+shouting and dashing to and fro, that the coolest-headed Shawanoe or
+most self-possessed ranger could any more than keep a general idea of
+the hurricane rush of events. Special incidents were noted by different
+persons, as the circumstances favored them, while others saw and knew
+nothing of what took place under their very eyes.
+
+Mr. and Mrs. Ashbridge hurried down the wooded slope in the gloom, each
+holding a hand of Mabel between them. At the side of the flatboat, where
+there were crowding in increased excitement, the parents released the
+child, and the father turned to help in the defence against the Indians,
+who immediately attacked them. Mabel entered the boat near the bow, and
+had crouched there several minutes, in obedience to the order of the
+missionary, to avoid the bullets that were whistling about, when the
+idea seized her that there were much better quarters at the stern, where
+the pushing was less.
+
+The best way, as it struck her, to reach the spot, was by bounding
+ashore and darting the few paces thither. She made the attempt, and was
+in the act of leaping back when her arm was gripped by a warrior, who
+hurried her from the spot.
+
+Although bewildered and partly dazed by the rush of events, the child
+resisted and screamed for help, but she was powerless in the hands of
+the sinewy savage, who forced her from the edge of the river.
+
+It must be remembered, that in addition to the confusion it was night,
+and the partial moon in the sky was obscured at intervals by passing
+clouds. Beside, among the shadows of the wood the gloom was so deepened
+that the wonder is, not that none of Mabel's friends saw her capture but
+that Simon Kenton observed it.
+
+He did so a minute later, and knew at once that the little one, if saved
+at all, must be saved instantly. He cleared most of the intervening
+space with his tremendous bound, and made for the Shawanoe like a
+cyclone. He had noted the point where the warrior had passed from view,
+as well as the general direction taken by him; consequently a quick dash
+in the right course ought to overtake him.
+
+Such was the dash made by the ranger, at the imminent risk of colliding
+with tree-trunks, limbs, and boulders, and with the result that within
+twenty feet of the river he ran plump against the Indian who had the
+terrified child in charge, and with no suspicion of his furious pursuer.
+
+The attack of the Bengal tiger upon the hunter that is throttling its
+whining cubs, is no fiercer, more resistless and lightning-like, than
+was the assault of Simon Kenton upon the buck that was making off with
+the little daughter of Norman Ashbridge.
+
+It mattered not that the gloom was well-nigh impenetrable, and the eye
+could not direct or follow the blow. The ranger knew he had his man in
+his grasp, and within a few seconds the affair was over.
+
+Had there been only the slightest illumination of the wood at this point
+to aid the eye, the rescue of Mabel would have been effected, but she
+knew not the meaning of the terrific struggle, and the instant her
+captor loosened his grip upon her arm, so as to defend himself, she
+hurried off in the gloom in the hope of joining her friends on the
+flatboat.
+
+"I say, gal, where be you?" called Kenton, grasping with one hand, and
+expecting every moment to touch her form.
+
+But the little one heard him not, or if she did, had no suspicion of his
+identity, and a few moments only convinced the ranger that the child
+once within his grasp was gone again, he knew not where.
+
+He held a strong hope, however, that she had started on her return for
+the boat from which she had been taken in such hot haste by her
+abductor. If so, the attempt on her part offered a chance of saving her
+if the ranger moved promptly; for, by hastening to the same point he was
+sure to meet her, even though amid enemies; but, if he delayed, she must
+inevitably fall into the hands of the Shawanoes again.
+
+It was apparent to Kenton that none of those on the boat were aware of
+the loss of the child, and if it became known to her friends they could
+give her no help. The ranger was fortunate, indeed, that in the flurry
+he was not assaulted in turn by some of the hostiles.
+
+He picked his way as best he could to the river's margin, carefully
+keeping himself back in the gloom while he made his observation. The
+moon was still unobstructed, and showed him the flatboat fifty feet away
+and increasing the space every minute.
+
+Thus it came about, that as the craft was laboriously worked into
+mid-stream and towards the Ohio shore, two of the whites were left
+behind amid the merciless members of The Panther's band.
+
+The situation was of little moment to Simon Kenton, for more than once
+he had been in a situation of much greater peril. He felt abundantly
+able to take care of himself, his great concern being for the little one
+to whom fate had been so cruel.
+
+Inasmuch as there was not one chance in a thousand of accomplishing
+anything by groping in the gloom among the trees, he adopted the single
+course that promised success, and that was only to a slight degree
+indeed.
+
+The flatboat was now so far out in the river that the firing had ceased
+on both sides. Kenton did not know to what extent his friends had
+suffered, but he was certain that in addition to the warrior whom he had
+picked off in time to save Jethro Juggens, several others must have gone
+down in the fusilade.
+
+When The Panther brought his band together to effect the ambuscade at
+Rattlesnake Gulch, he must have established some sort of camp or
+headquarters beyond that point, where it could not be noted by the
+fugitives until on the other side of the dangerous section. Hoping, with
+a shudder of misgiving, that the little child would be taken to this
+camp instead of being tomahawked, he began searching for it.
+
+The task was less difficult than would be supposed. A veteran like
+Kenton had no trouble in avoiding the warriors moving about. As he
+expected, he passed but a short distance beyond the gulch, when he
+caught the twinkle of the campfire just beyond the hollow in which the
+Shawanoes had arranged to blot out the whole company of settlers and
+pioneers.
+
+Carefully threading his way through the undergrowth and among the trees,
+he reached a point from which he gained an unobstructed view of the camp
+without any risk of discovery on his part. The scene in many respects
+resembled that which he had looked upon times without number.
+
+There was the fire of sticks and branches that had been burning several
+hours, for it contained many glowing embers, in the middle of an open
+space. A circle of diminishing light was thrown out several rods in all
+directions. Upon a fallen tree, on the other side of the blaze, sat
+three warriors, painted and decked in the hideous manner adopted by the
+people when upon the war-path. Armed with rifles, tomahawks and knives,
+they were talking excitedly, and one had just had his wounded arm
+bandaged, proving that he failed to go through the battle unscathed.
+
+Two other Shawanoes were standing at the right of the fire, also talking
+with great animation. Further back, where the light was less, were
+others, most of them seated on the ground. Kenton's scrutiny satisfied
+him that more than one of these had been "hit hard," and their
+companions were looking after them as best they could.
+
+Nothing was seen of those that had fallen, though the American Indian is
+not the one to forget his stricken comrade, and the warriors that had
+started on their journey to the happy hunting grounds were certain to
+receive due attention. As nearly as the spy could judge there were from
+twelve to fifteen Shawanoes in camp. Since Boone had reported the party
+as about double that number, several of them--not counting those that
+had fallen--were still absent.
+
+The ranger was profoundly interested in two of these absentees. One was
+little Mabel Ashbridge, and the other The Panther, leader of the
+Shawanoes. The closest scrutiny failed to reveal either of them, and
+though he had no real cause for doing so, he could not help connecting
+their absence with each other.
+
+His suspicion proved right, for only a few minutes passed when two
+figures strode from the gloom into the firelight. One was Wa-on-mon,
+whose hand gripped the arm of the young captive. He walked at a moderate
+pace to the fallen tree, where he motioned to Mabel to take her seat.
+She obeyed with the same promptness she would have shown had the command
+come from her father or mother.
+
+The Panther remained standing, and the three who had been seated on the
+log also rose and advanced, several others drawing near and taking part
+in the conversation.
+
+"Ah!" muttered Kenton, between his set teeth, with his flashing eyes
+fixed upon The Panther, "if I could only have come 'cross you and the
+little gal!"
+
+Seated with the firelight falling upon her face, the ranger was able to
+see it quite plainly. She had lost the cute little homemade cap in the
+flurry, and her luxuriant hair hung loosely about her shoulder. She was
+neatly clad in homespun, though the dress, the stockings, and the shoes
+were of coarse texture.
+
+The countenance wore the scared expression which showed that the child
+suspected her dreadful peril. The marks of weeping were noticed, but the
+ferocious Wa-on-mon had probably terrified her to that extent that she
+was forced to deny herself the relief of tears. Resting on the fallen
+tree, with her dimpled hands clasped, she hardly removed her eyes from
+the chieftain and his immediate companions. She appeared to feel they
+were about to decide her fate.
+
+From his concealment, not far off, Kenton allowed nothing in his field
+of vision to escape him. He could not catch a word uttered by the
+Shawanoes, but he did not believe the chief was discussing with his
+warriors the question of what should be done with the little captive,
+for the reason that it was not his habit to debate such matters with his
+followers. His rule was so absolute that he made his own decisions,
+leaving to others to obey or take the consequences.
+
+It was more probable that The Panther was seeking the views of his
+followers on what was the best step to prevent the fugitives from
+reaching the block-house, now that they had escaped the ambuscade that
+had been set for them.
+
+While the ranger held his position he did a deal of thinking. The
+problem that wholly interested him was, as to what could be done to save
+the child, for that she was doomed by her captors, sooner or later, to
+death, he considered as certain as he did his own existence. It simply
+remained to be decided when she should be sacrificed.
+
+Kenton was too much of a veteran to attempt anything rash. Had Mabel
+been an adult, on the alert for something of the kind, possibly he might
+have warned her of his presence without revealing himself to the
+captors, but it would have been fatal folly to try to effect an
+understanding with her.
+
+He asked himself whether he could steal up behind the log, and then, by
+a sudden dash, seize and make off with her. There were a few minutes
+when he was much inclined to make the venture, but the more he reflected
+the more hopeless did the chances of success appear.
+
+He could not run fast in the darkness among the trees, and burdened with
+the care of Mabel, The Panther and half a dozen warriors would be upon
+him by the time he was fairly started, with the absolute result that
+child and would-be rescuer would not live ten minutes.
+
+"There's one thing powerful sartin'," muttered Kenton, keeping his eye
+upon the party, "if they decide that the gal shall be sent under while
+she's setting there on that log, the first move to harm a hair of her
+head means death to him as tries it."
+
+So it would have been. The silent, sinewy figure, standing as rigid and
+motionless as the tree-trunk which sheltered him, let nothing escape
+him. Had The Panther, or any of his warriors, turned toward Mabel
+Ashbridge with hostile intent, he would have fallen forward with a
+bullet through heart or brain before he could have raised his hand to do
+evil.
+
+The night wore along, with more hostiles returning at intervals, and
+still the discussion continued between the chieftain and his warriors.
+It was a puzzle to Kenton why the talk should continue so long, for to
+him there was nothing in the situation to cause much variance of
+opinion.
+
+The ranger was still watching and wondering, when from the gloom of the
+wood another party strode into view, and walked up to the group gathered
+about The Panther, and, as he did so, it would be hard to decide whether
+they or Simon Kenton were filled with the greater amazement over the
+unexpected occurrence.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+THE FORLORN HOPE.
+
+
+It is useless to dwell upon the grief and consternation of the occupants
+of the flatboat when the discovery was made that little Mabel Ashbridge
+was missing.
+
+The parents and brother, after the first shock, bore the affliction with
+rare courage. By common impulse, they looked to the two persons best
+fitted of all to give counsel and hope, Missionary Finley and Daniel
+Boone.
+
+Young George Ashbridge was the first to speak after the fearful lull
+that followed the cry of the stricken mother. Touching the arm of Boone,
+he asked:
+
+"Can we not work the flatboat back to shore, charge upon the Shawanoes,
+and recover her before they have time to rally?"
+
+"It might do," replied the pioneer, feelingly, "if we had daylight to
+help us, but not while the night lasts. I had a son shot down by the
+varmints just as I was entering Kentucky, and they ran off with a
+daughter of mine, whom I took back from them, but the sarcumstances was
+different from this."
+
+"But we must do something; we cannot go to the block-house and leave the
+dear little one behind. I would give my life to save her."
+
+"So would we all, so would we all," repeated Boone, touched by the
+memory of his own sorrows, "but we must not shut our eyes from seeing
+things as they are."
+
+The youth groaned in anguish and said no more. The hardest thing of all
+was to remain idle while the cherished sister was in her dreadful peril.
+
+"I'll let myself overboard," said the veteran, "swim back, and do what I
+can to help Simon."
+
+"You can give him no help," gently interposed the missionary; "in truth,
+Kenton will do better without than with you."
+
+"I'm of that way of thinking myself," said Boone, "though if Simon was
+expecting me it would be different."
+
+"But he won't expect you; he saw what none else of us saw--the capture
+of the little one, and will do all that mortal man can do."
+
+"I don't remember whether I told him the camp of The Panther and his
+party is just on t'other side of Rattlesnake Gulch or not."
+
+"Probably you did tell him, but it matters little if you did not; he
+will speedily learn the truth. They are likely to take the child there,
+and she will not arrive in camp much sooner than Kenton will reach the
+vicinity."
+
+The parents were quick to notice that Boone and the missionary spoke as
+if there were little, if any, doubt in their minds that this course
+would be followed.
+
+"Suppose," said Mr. Ashbridge, in a tremulous voice, "she is not spared
+to be taken into camp?"
+
+"We are all in the hands of our Heavenly Father," reverently replied the
+good man, "He doeth all things well, and we must accept His will with
+resignation. If the little one has not been spared, then it is already
+too late for us to give her aid; if she has escaped death, then I
+believe she is in the camp of the Shawanoes."
+
+"And we can steal up and charge upon them," said the brother, to whom
+the inaction was becoming intolerable.
+
+"Such a proceeding would insure her instant death," said Mr. Finley.
+
+"And why? Boone can guide us to the direct spot, so there will be no
+mistake about that, and a quick rally and charge will decide it."
+
+"You forget, George," responded the missionary, in his fatherly way,
+"that though The Panther has established his camp on the other side of
+the gulch, all his warriors are not there; some of them are watching us,
+as best they can, from the shore; by the time we turned about, and long
+before we could reach land, it would be known to The Panther, or the
+ambuscade he formed hours ago would be made as effective as though you
+had all pressed on without halt."
+
+"Boone said a few minutes ago that if we had daylight instead of
+darkness to help us, there would be hope."
+
+"And he is wise, as he always is, for we should have put back at once;
+and doing so, immediately on the heels of our flight, the Shawanoes
+would not have been given time to prepare a surprise for us; it is too
+late now, and the circumstances prevent any attempt of that nature."
+
+"Then we can do nothing at all--nothing except to wait until Kenton
+makes his report," remarked the father, despairingly.
+
+Instead of replying, the missionary turned to Boone, at his elbow, and
+whispered something. The pioneer answered in the same guarded manner,
+and the conversation, inaudible to others, continued for some minutes.
+
+Meanwhile two of the rangers kept toiling at the sweeps, so gently that
+it did not interfere with what was said and done by the others, and the
+craft slowly approached the Ohio shore.
+
+Starting up, the missionary looked around and inquired:
+
+"What has become of the canoe Jethro and I brought with us?"
+
+"It floated free during the fight," replied one of the rangers, "and he
+swam after it. I reckon he has reached the other side of the river, and
+is waiting somewhere along the bank."
+
+A general turning of heads and peering in different directions followed,
+but nothing was seen of the missing youth. Several wondered why the
+reverend gentleman should have made the inquiry, when the more momentous
+subject was upon all minds, but he offered no explanation.
+
+The wind that had brought the flatboat to this point on the river, and
+then died out, did not resume its force and direction. It blew gently,
+but veered around from the north, so that its tendency was to drive the
+craft back to the Kentucky shore. It required hard work at the sweeps to
+overcome the momentum, but as the Ohio side was approached the forest
+shut off and so lessened the power of the wind that the boat was forced
+in close to the bank and brought to a standstill, where all could leap
+ashore without difficulty.
+
+And now had the missing child been with them all would have been as
+hopeful as could have been desired. Some seven or eight miles away, and
+on the same side of the river, stood the strong, rugged block-house,
+where the small garrison, under charge of the veteran Captain Bushwick,
+could laugh to scorn the assault of a force ten times as numerous as
+that under the leadership of The Panther.
+
+A distinctly marked trail wound along the northern branch of the Ohio,
+so that it could be readily followed by the fugitives, even without the
+escort of the rangers that had been sent out to their assistance.
+
+Mr. Finley gently suggested that the two families should push on to the
+block-house, leaving the others to do what they could for the help of
+the child. Mr. Ashbridge, as quietly but firmly, made answer that
+neither he, his son nor his wife would move a step until the fate of his
+child was determined beyond all doubt. Mr. Altman, his wife and daughter
+Agnes felt the same way, and the good man did not urge his proposal.
+
+"I would probably feel and act the same if I were similarly placed," he
+said, with a touch of sympathy which impressed every one. "You have the
+sorrowful consolation of knowing that the suspense won't last long--"
+
+"Ship ahoy, dar! Show yo' colors!" came in a sepulchral voice from the
+shadows along shore. All recognized the tones, and before any reply
+could be made Jethro Juggens paddled up against the prow in his canoe.
+
+"Wasn't suah dat war yo' or de heathen," he added, stepping over the
+gunwale and joining his friends, who were all pleased to learn it had
+gone so well with him.
+
+Called upon to explain, he promptly did so in characteristic style:
+
+"While dat little flurry dat didn't 'mount to nuffin' was gwine on 'long
+shore, I seed one ob de heathen tryin' to run off wid de canoe. I wasn't
+gwine to stand nuffin like dat, and I was b'iling mad. So I flopped
+overboard and swam after de boat; de Injin seed me comin' and tried to
+dodge, but I cotched him by de heels and whanged his head agin de canoe;
+den I got in and paddled ashore and waited for yo' folks, and hyar I is,
+and mighty glad to see yo' all."
+
+No one deemed it worth while to contradict this wild yarn, and Jethro
+naturally supposed it was believed.
+
+"Friends," said Mr. Finley, amid the hush that fell upon all, "Mr. Boone
+and I, after talking over the matter, have made a change of plan. I
+shall cross the river to the other side and see what I can do, with the
+help of Heaven, for the little child."
+
+Mr. Ashbridge was impelled to question the wisdom of this step, for it
+was hardly to be supposed that a man of peace, whose profession was the
+opposite of those around him, was the best person to attempt the
+perilous task; but, brief as was the acquaintance of all with the
+missionary, he had won their confidence.
+
+Besides, the scheme, whatever it was, had the guarantee of Boone himself
+as to its wisdom, and was therefore beyond cavil.
+
+"God go with you!" was the fervent exclamation of the father, as he took
+the hand of the good man. "Would that I could help."
+
+"Gladly would I take you if I saw any possible aid you could afford, but
+the only aid, friends, that any of you can give me is your prayers."
+
+"You will have them unceasingly," said Mrs. Ashbridge, clinging to the
+hand of the missionary, as if he was her only earthly comforter.
+
+"I dare not tell you to hope for the best," he said, unwilling to awaken
+an expectation that was likely to be followed by bitter disappointment,
+"but I can only add that whatever may come, try to say 'God's will be
+done.' I shall count upon all of you remaining here until definite news
+reaches you."
+
+"Have no fear of our going before that," replied Mr. Altman; "we are
+distressed as deeply as our friends, and can hardly bear the suspense."
+
+As the missionary was stepping over the flatboat into the canoe, George
+Ashbridge caught his arm, and plead in a low, earnest voice:
+
+"I am sure I can be of some help; please take me. I can't stand it to
+remain behind to wait and wait--not knowing what the tidings will be."
+
+"My dear boy," replied Mr. Finley, laying his hand upon his shoulder,
+"if any one was to go with me it should be you, for none can be more
+capable, but be assured that your company would be a hindrance, as you
+would admit if you knew my plan."
+
+The sorrowing brother still held his arm, but could not speak. The
+missionary gently removed his grasp, and, entering the canoe, paddled
+directly out upon the river. The figure of the boat and occupant quickly
+passed from view, and those who remained behind, though they listened
+intently, could not catch the faintest sound to betray his progress or
+change of direction.
+
+Now that the party left in the flatboat had some leisure on their hands,
+they devoted it to looking after their own wounds, and in taking a
+precaution, which was only ordinary prudence, against surprise. Two of
+the rangers entered the wood, one passing a short distance up and the
+other down stream. Their duty was to guard against surprise from the
+Shawanoes.
+
+It was not to be expected that The Panther and his party, after being
+once repulsed, would accept that as final. They knew the fugitives were
+provided with a strong escort, and were on their way to the block-house.
+Even though they could not be wholly cut off, great damage might be
+inflicted, and more of the intending settlers placed beyond the power of
+invading the hunting grounds of the red men. That they would make the
+attempt was to be set down as one of the certainties of the immediate
+future.
+
+One of the rangers had been killed during the attack and three others
+severely wounded; but when, with the assistance of the women, their
+hurts had been bandaged or attended to, they made light of them,
+insisting that they were as ready for effective service as before.
+Indeed, it was one of the wounded men that threaded his way up the river
+bank to help guard against surprise from their enemies.
+
+Another change of direction was noted in the wind. Beginning by blowing
+directly up stream, it had continued to veer until its course was almost
+directly opposite, so that, had the flatboat ventured out in the current
+with its sail still spread, its progress down stream would have been
+more rapid than ever before.
+
+"Marse George," said Jethro, "whar does dis riber flow?"
+
+Wondering at the meaning of the question, the youth replied, after a
+moment's hesitation:
+
+"It flows into the Mississippi."
+
+"And what becomes ob dat?"
+
+"It empties into the Gulf of Mexico, which joins the Atlantic Ocean."
+
+"And dat runs along de oder side ob Wirginny, I hab heard."
+
+"Yes, such is the fact."
+
+"I've an idee; let's put out in de middle ob dis riber, and go scootin'
+down de Massipp to de Gulf ob Mexico, and den up de ocean to Wirginny;
+dar we'll carry de flatboat ober land till we strike de Ohio ag'in, and
+den come down to de block-house from de oder side. It'll be a
+round-about way, but we'll got dar, suah."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+
+FACE TO FACE.
+
+
+Two white men had set out to do whatever lay in their power to rescue
+little Mabel Ashbridge from the hands of the Shawanoes, and their policy
+was diametrically opposed to each other.
+
+Simon Kenton, it may be said, had but one law--that of fighting fire
+with fire. Against cunning, woodcraft and daring he would array
+precisely the same weapons. In short, he knew of no other method, and
+would have laughed to scorn any different line of procedure, with the
+single exception of its attempt by the one man who now resorted to it.
+
+Mr. Finley, the missionary, knowing the futility of the course laid down
+by Kenton, Boone and those of his calling, determined to go directly
+into the camp of The Panther, and try to induce the fiery chieftain to
+surrender the little girl to her friends.
+
+What task could be more hopeless?
+
+The unquenchable hatred of Wa-on-mon toward all who belonged to the
+Caucasian race has been learned long ago by the reader. He belonged to
+the most untamable of his people, and had proven a continual
+stumbling-block in the path of the missionary. He shut his ears
+resolutely against the pleadings of the good man, and forbade him to
+speak to him of the God who taught gentleness, charity, love and the
+forgiveness of enemies.
+
+And yet, as Finley told Jethro Juggens, he had hunted with The Panther,
+slept in his lodge and trusted his life in his hands many times, and
+under ordinary circumstances would not hesitate to do so again.
+
+But those were periods when comparative peace reigned on the frontier,
+and the missionary, like many others of his sacred calling, found little
+trouble in passing back and forth among the Shawanoes, Wyandots,
+Pottawatomies, Delawares and other tribes. Indeed, many converts were
+gained, as was shown in the case of the Moravian Indians.
+
+When hostilities broke out, however, and the fierce red men daubed their
+faces with paint and rushed upon the war-path, the missionaries were
+wise enough to leave them alone and keep out of the way until the
+tempest had passed.
+
+War was coming again, of that there could be no doubt, and on its
+threshold, at its very opening, Wa-on-mon, the tiger-like chief, known
+even among his own people as The Panther, had been subjected to an
+indignity at the hands of the pale-faces, such as in his life had never
+been put upon him before. He had been flung down, struck repeatedly,
+bound and kept a prisoner for many hours.
+
+Then escaping by the usual weapon of the red man--treachery--he had laid
+a cunning ambuscade for the destruction of the large party of pioneers
+and rangers. The scheme had miscarried, and several of the foremost of
+the Shawanoe warriors had fallen before their deadly fire.
+
+The only panacea for this terrific chagrin was the capture of the single
+small child attached to the families of the settlers. She, the tender
+little flower, had been plucked by the merciless chieftain, and none
+knew better than he what sweet revenge could be secured through her upon
+the older ones.
+
+Yes; she was in his power, and it was beyond the ability of any one to
+take her from him.
+
+And lo! at this moment, the man who preached humility and love and
+gentleness and forgiveness of enemies was on the way to the camp of The
+Panther to ask him to return the captive to her friends.
+
+Missionary Finley did not need to be reminded of all this, and it must
+be confessed that he would not have ventured upon the attempt, so utter
+did he consider its hopelessness, but for an extraordinary suggestion
+that Daniel Boone whispered in his ear.
+
+This suggestion foreshadowed a complication, as among the possibilities,
+from which a diversion might be created in favor of little Mabel
+Ashbridge; but the possibility was so remote that the missionary did not
+deem it right to awaken false hopes in the hearts of the parents and
+brother by making known the scheme that had taken shape in the most
+veteran of all pioneers.
+
+Aside from all this was the fearful risk run personally by Finley, in
+thus venturing into the hostile camp while, as may be said, the echoes
+of the rifle shots were still lingering among the trees. The chances
+were that, from The Panther down, there was not one who would not shoot
+the missionary the instant he could draw bead on him.
+
+But this was a feature of the business that gave Finley the least
+concern. It must not be supposed, however, that he was a reckless man,
+who acted on the principle that Providence would take care of him
+without the putting forth of any effort on his part. He was a practical
+believer in the doctrine that God helps them that help themselves.
+
+When he paddled from the side of the flatboat, therefore, in the cause,
+he put forth as much care and skill as Kenton or Boone himself would
+have done.
+
+Glancing over his shoulder, he noted the moment when the dim outline of
+the wooded shore loomed to view. Then, the swinging of his arms ceased
+for a few seconds while he peered off in the gloom and listened. Nothing
+was seen or heard to cause misgiving, or to show that any one had
+detected his approach.
+
+"From what Kenton told me, the Shawanoes have a larger canoe hidden
+somewhere along the bank. It has not yet appeared among these sad
+troubles, but it must have a part to play, and I fear it will be used to
+carry the warriors to the other side that they may hurry my friends on
+their way to the block-house."
+
+He did not cross the river in a direct line, but headed so far up stream
+that his canoe became diagonal. His intention was to strike the shore
+above Rattlesnake Gulch, thus keeping clear, as he hoped, of the canoe
+with the warriors who might be making ready to embark on it. At the same
+time, he was assured that he would thus shorten the path to the
+campfire, where he expected to find The Panther.
+
+Still watching and listening, the missionary edged his way up stream,
+until he had gone as far as he wished, bearing off so that only the
+keenest eye of suspicion would have noticed his presence from the shore.
+Then, turning the prow straight toward land, he sent it skimming, like a
+swallow, over the surface by means of a half-dozen powerful strokes,
+ducking his head as it glided among the overhanging limbs, and its nose
+slid up the bank. He was out of the little craft in a twinkling, and
+drawing it still further so as to hold it secure, he set out, rifle in
+hand, to meet Wa-on-mon, chief of the Shawanoes.
+
+It need not be repeated that the missionary comprehended the danger into
+which he was running, but, aside from the personal intrepidity that
+distinguished him through life, he was controlled and impelled by the
+highest of all motives that can direct the conduct of men--the desire to
+please God.
+
+Careful meditation over what had taken place convinced him that it was
+his duty to enter the camp of the hostiles; and, with that conviction,
+ended everything in the nature of hesitation.
+
+Having landed, it remained for him to find The Panther. There might be
+some persons, in the place of the reverend gentleman, who would have
+conceived it the proper thing to enter the hostile camp without carrying
+anything in the nature of a weapon; it may be said, indeed, that his
+errand was in the nature of a flag of truce, in which that course was
+demanded.
+
+But Mr. Finley understood too well the nature of the people with whom he
+was dealing to attempt anything of that nature. Such sentimentality
+would be wasted. Besides he conceived it to be quite likely that he
+might be called upon to defend himself, in which event the gun would
+come in "mighty handy."
+
+Engaged on the business described, the messenger did not add to his
+peril by trying to steal noiselessly up to camp, though the act might
+have been possible.
+
+"I must advance openly," was his thought, "when near the camp, and it is
+better I should do so from the first."
+
+It was hard work picking his course through the dense and tangled
+undergrowth, but, quite confident of the right direction to take, he
+pushed on until the gleam of a light apprised him that no mistake had
+been made.
+
+And then, when within sight of The Panther and his ferocious party, and
+half suspecting he was already under the eye of some dusky sentinel, the
+missionary came to a halt, and, kneeling in the solemn depths of the
+woods, spent several minutes in prayer.
+
+The sound of a rustling near him did not hasten the end of his
+devotions. When he had asked his Heavenly Father for all that was in his
+mind, he rose to his feet and resumed his advance upon the camp.
+
+He knew he was followed, and that every step was watched, and it was
+then that his own manner of procedure saved him. The Shawanoe must have
+reasoned that no scout or person with hostile purpose would act thus
+recklessly, and, though the dusky sentinel followed and watched his
+course until the messenger came within the circle of firelight, yet no
+harm was offered him.
+
+Probably, by that time the Indian recognized the visitor as the white
+man with such strange views, and so different in his words and conduct
+from most of those of his race. If so, he must have wondered at the
+temerity of the individual in entering the camp of The Panther at so
+critical a time.
+
+While yet some rods distant the missionary recognized the chieftain,
+standing among his group of warriors, in excited conversation. The back
+of Wa-on-mon was toward him, so that he did not observe the white man;
+but he was quick to note the looks in the faces of the others, and the
+general turning of eyes in one direction. The chief also wheeled, and,
+to his astonishment, saw the man of God approaching him.
+
+There was no mistaking the expression that overspread the painted
+countenance of The Panther. He was angered at this intrusion of a white
+man into his council of war, as it may be called. A muttered exclamation
+escaped him, which those near interpreted as an utterance of impatience
+that the visitor had been permitted to come even thus far. He must have
+been identified long before, and, in accordance with Indian custom,
+should have been shot or cut down ere he could disturb the chieftain and
+his cabinet.
+
+But here he was, showing no more hesitation than had marked his course
+from the moment he left the side of the flatboat.
+
+Mr. Finley, clad in his partly civilized costume, and with his gun
+grasped in his left hand, walked forward, neither timidly nor with an
+assumption of confidence it was impossible for him to feel. He was not
+only too well aware of the situation himself, but knew the Shawanoes
+could not be deceived by any such pretence on his part.
+
+Wa-on-mon had leaned his rifle against the fallen tree upon which the
+three warriors were sitting when he first came up, so that he stood with
+arms folded and in an attitude of natural and unconscious grace,
+glancing from one painted countenance to another, as he asked a question
+or listened to whatever they chose to say to him.
+
+It was evident that these were the most trusted of his warriors, for
+while the consultation was going on, no one ventured near. They may be
+considered as making up the chieftain's cabinet, and when they were in
+session all other business had to wait.
+
+The missionary was quick to note the expression on the face of the
+terrible Wa-on-mon. He had seen a look there not so long before which
+told more plainly than words that he was welcome, but that time had
+passed.
+
+Mr. Finley advanced with the same dignified step to the chief, and,
+making a half-military salute, said in Shawanoe:
+
+"I greet my brother Wa-on-mon, in whose lodge I have slept in safety
+when there was no other place to lay my head."
+
+As he spoke he extended his hand, but The Panther, with his serpent eyes
+fixed upon the face of his visitor, made no motion to unfold his arms.
+He continued to scowl, and his lips remained mute.
+
+This was embarrassing to a certain extent, though the missionary knew
+the cause. He continued, in the same gentle persuasive voice.
+
+"Why does Wa-on-mon frown when he looks upon his pale-faced brother--"
+
+"He is not my brother," interrupted The Panther, with a scowl and look
+of indescribable fierceness. "He is a dog, and he shall die!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+
+IN THE LION'S DEN.
+
+
+The Panther was in the ugliest mood conceivable. Missionary Finley was
+well aware of this before approaching and addressing him. Consequently,
+when the chieftain called him a dog and declared he should die, the good
+man was neither silenced nor overthrown, though it would be untrue to
+say he was not alarmed for his own safety, but he had counted the cost
+before making the venture.
+
+"Wa-on-mon did not always look upon the missionary as a dog," he said,
+with gentle dignity; "he once called him brother."
+
+"It was because he spoke with a single tongue and was the friend of the
+red man," The Panther made haste to say, with no abatement in the
+ferocity of expression or manner.
+
+"The missionary always speaks with a single tongue, and he will be the
+friend of the red man as long as he lives."
+
+If possible, the wrath of voice and action became more venomous on the
+part of The Panther. He unfolded his arms, so as to give facility of
+gesture, and with one step forward placed himself so near the white man
+that the two could have embraced each other with little change of
+position. Then he bent his hideous countenance until the gleaming eyes,
+the dangling hair, the white teeth and the painted features were almost
+against the mild, beneficent face, which did not shrink or show the
+slightest change of looks.
+
+One of the warriors then threw additional wood on the fire, and the
+blaze of light lit up the scene as if at noon-day. The Shawanoes
+instinctively drew back, so as to leave the principal figures not only
+in prominent view, but apart from the others. No one presumed to take
+any part in the disputation, but in the stillness and general hush the
+words of both were audible to every warrior present.
+
+Little Mabel Ashbridge was perplexed and uncertain what she ought to say
+or do, if indeed, she could say or do anything. She did not recognize
+the white man who suddenly appeared and addressed the dreadful Indian in
+a tongue she could not understand, for it will be remembered that,
+although the missionary had joined the company of fugitives some time
+before, she saw his countenance for the first time when it reflected the
+glow of the firelight.
+
+Had Finley given her one encouraging word, or even look, she would have
+rushed to his arms and begged him to take her to her parents and
+brother. This would have been a dangerous diversion, and, dreading it,
+the missionary carefully acted as though he had no knowledge of her
+presence, but she was in his field of vision, and while talking with the
+savage chieftain he knew the child, mute and wondering, was seated on
+the log and intently watching both.
+
+As The Panther stepped forward in the manner described, and thrust his
+baleful countenance into that of the white man, he said, with atrocious
+fierceness:
+
+"The missionary lies; he has the forked tongue of the serpent, and like
+all the pale-faces, he is the enemy of the red man."
+
+"But Wa-on-mon once said he was the friend of the missionary; why does
+he say now that he is an enemy?"
+
+"Did he not fight against the Shawanoes this night? Did he not help the
+pale face dogs to flee across the river in the boat?"
+
+These questions were expected by Finley, and his tact, delicacy and
+skill were tested to the utmost in meeting them. Following the practice
+of The Panther, he continued referring to himself in the third person.
+
+"The missionary gives his days and nights to help those that are in need
+of help, and he does not ask whether their color is white or black or
+red. He was on his way to visit the red men that Wa-on-mon once said
+were the brothers of the missionary, when he came upon some of his own
+people who were in sore distress. He did what he could to help them, and
+then left to speak to Wa-on-mon."
+
+"And why does he wish to speak to Wa-on-mon?"
+
+It was a subtle question. The cunning Indian suspected the errand of the
+good man, but its avowal at this juncture would have been fatal; it must
+be parried.
+
+"When the missionary last entered the lodge of Wa-on-mon, he did not ask
+him why he wished to speak to him, but gave him welcome. Wa-on-mon now
+speaks in another way."
+
+"Because the missionary does not seek Wa-on-mon for himself, but for
+another; the missionary's heart is not red, but is white."
+
+"It is red and white, for it loves the white man and the red man. The
+heart of Wa-on-mon is red, and he therefore loves his people. Should not
+the missionary feel thus toward those whom the Great Spirit is pleased
+to make white?"
+
+"The Indian is the child of the Great Spirit; the pale-face is the child
+of the evil spirit; these are the hunting grounds of the red man, and
+the pale-face has no right here."
+
+It was the same old plea which Finley had heard from the first day he
+held converse with a member of the American race, and which he knew
+would be dinned into his ears to the very end, but he never listened to
+it with impatience.
+
+"The hunting grounds are broad and long, the streams are deep and full
+of fish, the woods abound with game, there is room for the red men and
+pale-faces to live beside each other."
+
+"But they can never live beside each other!" exclaimed The Panther, with
+a deadlier flash of the eye; "the pale-faces are dogs; they steal the
+hunting grounds from the Indians; they rob and cheat them; they shoot
+our warriors and then call us brothers!"
+
+No words can picture the scorn which the chieftain threw into these
+expressions. He flung his head back with an upward graceful swing of the
+arms, which added immense force to his declaration. It was an
+unconscious but a fine dramatic effect.
+
+The chief difficulty in a "pow-wow" of this nature was that the balance
+of argument was invariably on the side of the Indian. The white men had
+invaded the hunting grounds of the aborigines. The French and Indian war
+was a prodigious struggle between the two rival nations of Europe as to
+which should own those hunting grounds; neither thought or cared for the
+rights of the red man; they had never done so.
+
+The history of the settlement of this country, as has been said, is
+simply a history of violence, wrong, fraud, rapine, injustice,
+persecution, and crime on the part of the Caucasian against the
+American, relieved now and then, at remote periods, by such wise and
+beneficent acts as the Quaker treaty under the old tree at Shackamaxon,
+and stained with the hue of hell by such crimes as the massacre of the
+Moravian Indians, the capture of the Seminole chieftain Osceola under a
+flag of truce, the slaughter in later days of Colonel Chivington, and
+innumerable other instances of barbarity never surpassed by the most
+ferocious savages of the dark continent.
+
+"Many of the pale-faces are evil," said the missionary. "The words of
+Wa-on-mon are true of a great number, I am sorry to say, but they are
+not true of all."
+
+"They are true of all. They are true of the missionary."
+
+The firelight showed a deeper flush that sprang to the face of the good
+man, who was not, and never could be, fully freed of much of the old
+Adam that lingered in his nature. His impulse was strong to smite the
+chieftain to the earth for his deadly insult, but Finley always held
+such promptings well in hand, and the duskier hue on each health-tinted
+cheek was the only evidence that his feelings had been stirred. His
+voice was as low and softly modulated as a woman's. He folded both arms
+over the muzzle of his rifle, whose stock rested on the leaves at his
+feet, and remained calmly confronting the savage chieftain, who more
+than once seemed ready to snatch out his knife and drive it into the
+heart of the man of God.
+
+"The eyes of Wa-on-mon are not in the sunlight; the smoke is in them;
+when the sun drives away the smoke he will see the missionary as he saw
+him when they hunted the deer and buffalo and bear together, and when
+they helped the Wyandot, Kush-la-ka, to his wigwam."
+
+This allusion was to an incident only a few months old. Kush-la-ka was
+almost mortally wounded in a death struggle with an immense bear, and
+would have perished had not The Panther and Finley looked after him and
+helped him to his own home.
+
+The good man hoped the recall of the occurrence would stir a responsive
+chord in the heart of the chieftain, and open the way for uttering the
+prayer which he had not yet dared to hint; but the failure was absolute;
+the mood of The Panther was too sullen, too revengeful, too deeply
+stirred by the memory of recent wrongs for it to be amenable (as it
+occasionally had been) to gentle influences. He persisted in regarding
+the missionary as a presumptuous and execrated enemy.
+
+"Wa-on-mon is on the war-path," he fairly hissed; "he is the enemy of
+all the pale faces."
+
+"Wa-on-mon is a great chieftain; the heart of the missionary is grieved.
+Wa-on-mon speaks as he feels, and the missionary will dispute him no
+more."
+
+This abrupt collapse, as it may be termed, of the visitor was unexpected
+by the Shawanoe. It was a masterful stroke, and produced an immediate
+effect, though so slight in its nature that a man less observant than
+Finley would have failed to perceive it.
+
+"Why does the missionary come to the camp of Wa-on-mon when more than
+one of the Shawanoes have fallen by the rifles of the pale-faces?"
+
+"And the rifles of the Shawanoes have done grievous harm among the
+pale-faces?"
+
+"The heart of Wa-on-mon rejoices to learn that!" exclaimed the
+chieftain; "how many of them have fallen?"
+
+"There is mourning among my people; one of them fell dead at my side,
+and others are grievously hurt."
+
+"There shall be more mourning, for not one of them shall be spared to
+reach the block-house! They shall all be cut off."
+
+"The will of the Great Spirit shall be done."
+
+"And why does the missionary come to the camp of Wa-on-mon? He has been
+asked the question before."
+
+"And has answered," Finley was quick to say, hesitating to avow the
+whole truth, even though it was evident it was known from the first to
+the chieftain.
+
+"Cannot the missionary speak with a single tongue? Does he come to seek
+Wa-on-mon alone?"
+
+"No," was the prompt response.
+
+"Who comes he to see?"
+
+"The little captive in the hands of Wa-on-mon."
+
+"She is there," said the chief, pointing to the fallen tree upon which
+little Mabel sat; "he can see her; he may speak to her."
+
+"The missionary thanks Wa-on-mon--may he call him his brother?"
+
+"No," was the sharp response, "the missionary and Wa-on-mon were once
+brothers, but they are so no longer."
+
+"The missionary thanks Wa-on-mon, but he is not, as yet, ready to talk
+to the suffering little one."
+
+"Little time remains to do so; she dies at sunrise."
+
+"That is several hours distant; in the meanwhile, the missionary would
+speak to Wa-on-mon of the child."
+
+"What does he wish to say?"
+
+"He has a prayer to make."
+
+"What is the prayer?" asked the chief, well aware what it was.
+
+"Wa-on-mon has two little ones, a warrior and a sweet girl. The
+missionary has played and talked with them and held them on his knee;
+does Wa-on-mon believe that the missionary would not risk his life to
+save them from harm?"
+
+Finley paused, but there was no response. The way had been opened at
+last, and it was too late now to turn back. He must press forward to the
+final solution, no matter what that should prove to be, but all the
+signs were ominous of the worst.
+
+The question was anything but pleasing to the chieftain. He was silent a
+minute, and replied by means of a pointed question himself:
+
+"Is the child on the tree the child of the missionary?"
+
+"No, but she is the daughter of a friend; she is not a warrior who fires
+a gun at the Shawanoes of Wa-on-mon; she has harmed none of them."
+
+"But her parents did; to harm her will hurt them more than will a bullet
+fired from the gun of the chieftain; therefore, Wa-on-mon will kill
+her."
+
+"Let Wa-on-mon listen to the good spirit that whispers in his ears; let
+him show the same kindness to the prisoner that the missionary will show
+to the pappoose of the great chieftain; that the father of the captive
+would show to the children of Wa-on-mon if the Great Spirit gave them to
+him."
+
+"The missionary speaks with a double tongue; he lies; he is a dog, and
+he must say such words no more!" broke in The Panther, with a voice, a
+manner, and a glare that showed his patience was exhausted. "The
+missionary deserves the death of a dog, but he may go back to his
+people; he cannot take the child with him; she shall die when the sun
+rises."
+
+"If the missionary cannot take the child of his friend with him then he
+will not go back to him."
+
+"If he stays till the sun shows itself above the woods then he shall
+die."
+
+Finley saw it would not do to hesitate longer. The moment had come for
+him to fall back on the last and only recourse left, and much as he
+regretted the act (for it was at variance with his principles), he now
+made it promptly and with a skill, a cunning and a delicacy that could
+not be excelled.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII.
+
+THE LAST RECOURSE.
+
+
+The night was well along when Missionary Finley determined to appeal to
+his last recourse for saving the life of little Mabel Ashbridge.
+
+In unnumbered ways the Shawanoes showed that stoicism and indifference
+which they take pains to display when in the presence of strangers,
+though not always among themselves. A number lolled on the ground, some
+were standing, and two had sat down on the fallen tree. Another took
+upon himself the duty of keeping the fire vigorously burning. From time
+to time he walked off among the trees, and came back with sticks and
+brush in his arms, which were flung on the flames. Although the air was
+colder than on the preceding night, the additional warmth was not
+needed; it was simply the light that was required.
+
+The action of all these Shawanoes was as if their chieftain and his
+white visitor were one hundred miles distant. None approached, addressed
+or seemed to hear a word that passed, though in the stillness many of
+their words, especially those uttered by the chieftain, were audible to
+the farthest point of the camp.
+
+The observant eye of Finley told him a significant fact. Allowing for
+those that had fallen in the attack upon the flatboat, fully half a
+dozen of the warriors were absent. They were watching the movements of
+the whites who had crossed the river, and would soon report to The
+Panther.
+
+The absence of these warriors, we say, was suggestive, but caused the
+missionary no concern. With the pioneers were Daniel Boone and his
+rangers, while Simon Kenton was somewhere between the hostile forces.
+After the late escape of the party from The Panther and his men, no
+great fear was to be entertained of them.
+
+Mabel Ashbridge, wondering, distressed and sorrowful, sat on the fallen
+tree, now and then looking around the camp and following the movements
+of the painted men as they passed to and fro, some of them occasionally
+glancing toward her with a scowl and gleam of the black eyes, which
+terrified her, but most of the time her gaze rested upon the chieftain
+and white man talking near her.
+
+How odd their words sounded! She could hear everything said, and yet it
+was in another language, and seemed as if they were mumbling over
+gibberish, like a couple of children for their own amusement, except
+that the chief most of the time acted as though he was angry at the
+white man, who looked so pleasant and kind that she was sure he must
+have a little girl at home.
+
+But strange, novel and exciting as all this seemed, it soon became
+monotonous to her. Unable to learn of its meaning, she became drowsy,
+and, leaning over and laying her head on the log beside her, she closed
+her eyes in slumber.
+
+Thus matters stood when the missionary said:
+
+"The white and red children of the Great Spirit, I fear, will always
+fight each other. The missionary has tried to make them live in peace,
+but he can do nothing. The Shawanoes have made captive a little girl
+over whose head only the moons of a pappoose have passed. A few hours
+ago the pale-faces made captive the great chieftain Wa-on-mon, but the
+white hunter let him go free."
+
+The Panther was about to interrupt angrily, when the missionary
+continued, with the same calm evenness of voice:
+
+"The white hunter did not set Wa-on-mon free because he loved him, but
+rather because he hated him. He wished to meet him in combat; but when
+he went to the place where Wa-on-mon promised to meet him, the chieftain
+was not there. The great Wa-on-mon was not afraid of the white man;
+therefore, he must have made a mistake and gone elsewhere."
+
+"Wa-on-mon made haste to meet his warriors, that he might lead them
+against the pale-faces and slay them all."
+
+"He lost more braves than did the pale-faces, but the white hunter must
+not think the mighty Wa-on-mon is afraid of him."
+
+The remark was as near an untruth as the conscience of the good man
+would permit him to go. No one, not even Simon Kenton, suspected The
+Panther was afraid to meet any white man that lived in a personal
+encounter. But the statement hit the chieftain in the most sensitive
+spot.
+
+"Does the white hunter think Wa-on-mon is afraid to meet him in the
+depths of the wood, where no eye but that of the Great Spirit shall see
+them?"
+
+"How can he help thinking so when Wa-on-mon agrees to meet him, and the
+white hunter goes to the spot, and waits for Wa-on-mon, who does not
+come?"
+
+"But Wa-on-mon has told the missionary the reason," said The Panther,
+with a threatening movement and flash of his eyes.
+
+"Wa-on-mon has not told the white hunter," returned the unruffled
+Finley.
+
+"The missionary can tell him."
+
+"And he will do so, but what shall he tell the white hunter when he asks
+whether Wa-on-mon will meet him again and prove he is not afraid?"
+
+"Tell the white hunter that Wa-on-mon will meet him!" exclaimed The
+Panther, with a concentrated fury of voice and manner surpassing that
+which he had yet shown. He placed his hand threateningly upon his knife,
+as though in his wrath he would bury it in the body of the good man as a
+means of relief for the cyclone of hate that was aroused by his words.
+
+It was the precise point for which Missionary Finley had been playing.
+The preliminary conversation had been aimed to bring The Panther to see
+that the only way he could save himself from the charge of cowardice was
+by meeting Kenton in mortal combat. Such an issue, in which one of the
+contestants must fall, was extremely distasteful to the man of peace.
+There could be only one combination of circumstances that would justify,
+in his judgment, that supreme test; that combination now existed.
+
+With the skill of a trained diplomat, with his perfect knowledge of the
+Indian character, Finley kept matters moving.
+
+"It will delight the heart of the white hunter to meet Wa-on-mon, as
+they were to meet only yesterday, and I know it will make glad the heart
+of Wa-on-mon to meet the white hunter in the woods, where no one can see
+them. Shall I tell the white hunter that these are the words of
+Wa-on-mon?"
+
+"They are Wa-on-mon's words; he will meet the white hunter."
+
+This was all well enough, and the negotiation was progressing
+satisfactorily; but the most delicate work yet remained to be done.
+
+The arrangements for the encounter were yet to be completed, and, above
+all, the stake must be fixed, or, no matter what the issue, everything
+would come to naught.
+
+"The white hunter and my brother, the great and mighty Wa-on-mon, cannot
+meet in the darkness of the wood, for when they meet they must see each
+others' faces."
+
+It was the first time the missionary had ventured to speak of the
+chieftain as his brother since he was angrily forbidden to do so. He
+made no objection in the present instance, though possibly it was due to
+his mental excitement that he did not notice it.
+
+"They shall meet when the sun rises over the tree-tops; Wa-on-mon will
+be there and await the white hunter, if he does not run away."
+
+"The white hunter will not run away," quietly remarked the missionary,
+refraining from making the stinging retort that rose to his lips; "but
+my brother, the mighty Wa-on-mon, is wise, let him say how he and the
+white hunter shall meet, and the missionary will see that it is done."
+
+Before the chieftain could formulate a scheme, the shrewd Finley was
+ready with that which he had formed while crossing the river in the
+canoe.
+
+"Let Wa-on-mon go to the rock that lies yonder," he said, pointing up
+the stream, "it is but a small way beyond this camp; the rock is only
+the size of a canoe, and it is hardly above the surface of the water;
+does my brother know it?"
+
+"Wa-on-mon knows where his brother, the missionary, means," replied the
+chieftain, thrilling the good man by the term used.
+
+"Will he be there when the sun appears above the tree-tops?"
+
+"Wa-on-mon will be there, armed only with his knife."
+
+"It shall be the same with the white hunter."
+
+But the sagacious Panther saw the difficulties that still confronted
+them. His "brother" had clinched the confidence the chieftain held in
+him by his selection of the battle-ground for the Kentucky side of the
+Ohio, not far from the Shawanoe camp. This reduced, as far as possible,
+the chances of treachery by the white men, and conceded a most important
+point to those with whom treachery has always been a cardinal virtue.
+
+"The missionary will see that the white hunter is by the rocks when it
+begins to grow light in the east."
+
+"Then what will the missionary do?"
+
+"He will come back to the camp of Wa-on-mon and await his return."
+
+Had he expressed his wishes he would have added the words, "hoping he
+will never come back again," but he was too wise to say anything of that
+nature.
+
+"Wa-on-mon will not keep him waiting long," was the confident
+declaration of the Shawanoe.
+
+"And when he returns?"
+
+"Then my brother, the missionary, shall go free."
+
+"And the little one asleep there?"
+
+"She dies."
+
+"Wa-on-mon will not return until the white hunter has fallen before his
+knife."
+
+"No; but that will not be long."
+
+"Suppose Wa-on-mon does not come back?" remarked Finley, in a
+matter-of-fact, off-hand manner, but it was the crucial point of the
+whole matter.
+
+"He will come back," was the response of the chieftain.
+
+"Does he think the white hunter will spare him? No," added the
+missionary, answering his own question. "But suppose my brother, the
+mighty Wa-on-mon, does not come back?"
+
+"Then my brother, the missionary, shall go back to his people."
+
+"But that is the promise my brother gave before; will he not say that if
+Wa-on-mon does not come back, the missionary shall return to his people
+and take the little captive with him?"
+
+"Wa-on-mon gives his brother that pledge; he has spoken."
+
+It was settled! The scheme that had been in the mind of the good man
+from the moment he paddled away from the flatboat was fully assented to
+by The Panther. If the latter overcame Simon Kenton in the hand-to-hand
+encounter, he would return to camp and put innocent Mabel Ashbridge to
+death.
+
+If, on the other hand, the ranger overcame The Panther, or the latter
+was seen no more among his warriors, then the missionary was at liberty
+to take the tiny hand within his own, and make his way back to her
+friends without let or hindrance from the Shawanoes.
+
+In other words, the life of the child was the stake at issue.
+
+"Let my brother make known his wishes to his braves," said the
+missionary, losing no time in following up the advantage he had gained.
+
+As if aware for the first time of the presence of his people around him,
+The Panther now beckoned to several to approach. They did so with a
+prompt readiness which suggested a camp of highly-disciplined soldiers.
+The chief explained what had been agreed upon, and made his orders so
+explicit that there could be no misconception on the part of any one.
+Finley watched closely while he listened, and saw that in this matter at
+least all was above board. The chieftain's self-confidence was so
+ingrained and deeply set that he could not doubt his own triumph.
+
+But he astounded Rev. Mr. Finley by an unprecedented proof of faith in
+his honor.
+
+The combat was to take place as near sunrise as could be arranged. As it
+was impossible to say beforehand precisely when The Panther would be due
+in camp, it was his order that the decision of the question should be
+left wholly with the missionary.
+
+When he should declare to the leading Shawanoes that the time that had
+elapsed was so great that it was certain Wa-on-mon had been overthrown
+and would not come back to his warriors, then the missionary was free to
+take the little captive by the hand and walk away, and no one should say
+them nay.
+
+It was an unprecedented compliment in respect to the integrity and honor
+of the good man; but, oh, what a temptation, when it promised to settle
+the question of life and death for the precious child!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII.
+
+THE RETURN.
+
+
+The interview between Missionary Finley and the Shawanoe chieftain had
+been prolonged; it was of the first importance. Many things that this
+narrative does not require should be recorded passed between them, and
+the hour was far advanced when the decision was reached; it was agreed
+that the life of the little captive, Mabel Ashbridge, should be
+determined by the result of the duel to the death between Simon Kenton
+and Wa-on-mon, known as The Panther.
+
+Aware as was the missionary of the departure of the ranger at the moment
+the flatboat was pushing from the Kentucky shore, he knew his course of
+action as well as if he had watched his every movement.
+
+"Throughout the whole interview he had scarcely removed his eyes from
+Wa-on-mon and me," was the conclusion of Finley, and he was right.
+
+"I will now go in search of the white hunter," he said, slightly
+modifying his manner of speaking; "I shall soon find him, and he will be
+at the rock."
+
+"And when the sun rises he will find Wa-on-mon awaiting him there," said
+the chieftain.
+
+Waving his hand in a half-military fashion, as a salute not only to the
+chief but to the leading Shawanoes, Finley turned about and walked away
+in the forest.
+
+He felt an almost irresistible yearning to go over to Mabel Ashbridge
+and utter a few comforting words in her ear; but her own welfare
+prevented anything of that nature. Besides, she had laid her weary head
+down upon the bark and was sleeping as soundly as if resting on her
+mother's bosom.
+
+After leaving the Shawanoe camp, the missionary directed his steps
+toward the Ohio, where he had left his canoe. There was no call for
+secrecy in his movements, and he tramped through the bushes and
+undergrowth as a countryman would have done had he held no suspicion of
+danger. If he excelled in any direction, it was in making more of a
+racket than such a countryman.
+
+As he anticipated, he had not gone far when a familiar signal arrested
+him. He instantly paused, and the next moment Simon Kenton was at his
+side.
+
+"I seed you and The Panther talkin'," remarked the ranger, "and it
+struck me powerful hard that the varmint was saying something that must
+be of interest to me."
+
+"I was confident you were lurking among the trees not far off, and since
+Wa-on-mon sometimes spoke pretty loud, I fancied you would catch the
+drift of our conversation."
+
+"I couldn't catch 'nough to do that, but I am interested in it."
+
+"No one can be more so; I left the camp to hunt for you; do you know of
+that rock which lies just above the gulch, on this side of the river? It
+is a small flat rock, rising only a few inches above the water."
+
+"I know the spot as well as I do the one where the block-house stands."
+
+"Wa-on-mon has pledged himself to be there when the sun rises, and I
+have given him my pledge that you will not be behind him."
+
+"I'll be there!" said Kenton in a low voice, and with a deliberation
+that made his earnestness the more impressive. "It's the chance I've
+been huntin' for years."
+
+"The agreement is that each of you is to be armed only with his knife.
+No one is to be present--not even myself. If Wa-on-mon wins by slaying
+you, then Mr. Ashbridge's little child must die."
+
+"And if I win?"
+
+"I am to take her back to her parents unharmed."
+
+"You've said 'nough, parson; I'll be there."
+
+The missionary did not know whether to accept it as a good or bad omen
+that Kenton, contrary to The Panther, and contrary to his own habit,
+made no boast of what he would do upon meeting the chieftain.
+
+"No danger of his flunking, I hope, parson?"
+
+"Not the slightest; but, Simon, may I say one word?"
+
+"You may say a thousand."
+
+"I have arranged for two persons to meet in deadly combat. There is
+something dreadfully shocking in the idea, and in some respects it is
+most distressing to me--"
+
+"It ain't to me," interrupted Kenton, with a chuckle; "all I'm afeered
+of is that the varmint may find some excuse not to meet me."
+
+"I have assured you that there is no cause for any such fear. What it
+has been in my mind to say is that when you do meet, remember that a
+truly brave man is merciful."
+
+"I don't understand you, parson."
+
+"Perhaps it is better that I shall not attempt to explain, but, if
+possible, remember my words."
+
+"I think that to make sartin there's no slip on my part, I'll go to the
+rock now."
+
+"I'll go with you."
+
+It was a brief walk to the place fixed upon for the meeting, and both
+were so familiar with the ground, or rather the shore of the river (for
+it has been explained that the missionary knew little about Rattlesnake
+Gulch itself), that it required only a few minutes for them to proceed
+directly to the place.
+
+"I'll leave you here and return to Wa-on-mon," said Finley; "God be with
+you, and, if you can, remember what I said just now."
+
+Kenton returned his salutation, and without further words they
+separated.
+
+On his return to the Shawanoe camp the good man used extreme caution for
+a time, as though fearful of being detected by some of the warriors whom
+he was seeking. When certain at last that no human eye saw him, he knelt
+in the midst of the solemn wood, and poured out his soul in prayer to
+the only One who could aid him in his dire perplexity. He spent a long
+time alone and in communion with his Maker, and then, much strengthened
+in spirit, he pressed forward with the same openness as before, until
+once more he stood in the Shawanoe camp.
+
+Little change had taken place during his absence. Instead of most of the
+warriors walking about all were seated--some sleeping, but the majority
+awake and talking with each other.
+
+Little Mabel was still unconscious, but instead of reclining on the log
+she lay on the leaves close to the fallen tree, one chubby arm doubled
+under her cheek, her slumber as sweet and restful as if in her
+trundle-bed at home.
+
+Since it was not reasonable to think the little one had made this change
+of position herself, it must have been done by one of the Shawanoes. An
+odd suspicion came to the missionary that it had been done by The
+Panther, but he deemed it unwise to inquire, so the truth was never
+known.
+
+But nothing escaped the eye of Finley. He noticed the chieftain sitting
+apart talking with four warriors, and two of them were not in the camp
+when the missionary left it. They had come in while he was away. Most
+likely they were scouts that had been watching the movements of the
+pioneers on the other side of the river. It was fortunate if it was so,
+for they must have brought news that the fugitives had ceased any effort
+to reach the block-house, and were quietly waiting until the missionary
+or Kenton, or both, had returned with their tidings.
+
+Finley endeavored to approach near enough to the group to catch
+something that was said, but the chief and his warriors were too cunning
+to permit this. Not wishing to interrupt, he seated himself on the
+fallen tree to wait until Wa-on-mon was ready to talk to him.
+
+The chief did not keep him waiting. Leaving the warriors, he came over
+and sat down beside him, the moccasins of the savage so close to the
+curly head that a motion of a few inches would have touched it with his
+toe.
+
+The Panther did not glance at the little sleeper, and it would be
+unwarrantable to suppose that any feeling akin to pity glowed within
+that sinister breast, which burned and seethed with a quenchless hatred
+of the people that were trying to drive the red men from their hunting
+grounds. Nevertheless, Missionary Finley clung to the belief that it was
+Wa-on-mon that had lifted the child from her hard seat on the log and
+deposited her so gently upon the leaves that her slumber was not
+disturbed.
+
+"Has my brother seen the white hunter?" asked Wa-on-mon, speaking in a
+much lower tone than was used in the former interview.
+
+"He parted with him a short time ago."
+
+"Is his heart glad that Wa-on-mon will meet him?"
+
+"His heart flows with joy," replied Finley, with deep depression that
+such should be the truth, over the prospect of so shocking an event.
+
+"He will not run away?"
+
+"Did he do so yesterday?" was the stinging question of the missionary,
+which struck the Shawanoe hard; "he is so afraid he will not be at the
+rock in time that he has gone there to await the coming of Wa-on-mon; he
+is there now; Wa-on-mon will find him when he goes thither."
+
+"Wa-on-mon will be there when the sun rises from its bed; he will not
+keep the white hunter waiting."
+
+"And the pale-faces that have crossed to the other side of the river
+will tarry there till the missionary returns to them."
+
+"My brother speaks with a single tongue," remarked The Panther, thereby
+uttering another strong tribute to the integrity of his visitor.
+
+"Does he not always speak with a single tongue?" asked Finley, feeling
+warranted in pushing the chieftain, now that the all-important question
+had been settled.
+
+"He does," was the prompt response of the fiery sachem, who thereby
+plumply contradicted what he had said a short time before.
+
+This, in a certain sense, might have been gratifying to the missionary,
+had not his knowledge of Indian nature told him unerringly the cause of
+the exultant mood of The Panther. Simply, he was gratified at the
+prospect of meeting the white man in mortal combat, for he held not a
+shadow of doubt that the career of Kenton was already as good as ended.
+An hour or so, and the famous ranger would vex the red men no more.
+
+It has been made plain to the reader that the vicious miscreant was
+anything but a coward. The events that had since occurred fully
+justified his failure to meet Kenton upon the former acceptance of his
+challenge.
+
+"The man's confidence in himself is unbounded; he does not think it
+possible he can fail to overcome Simon. It will be a fearful struggle
+when they do meet, and I shudder at the thought. Can it be that Simon
+underestimates the prowess of Wa-on-mon? I hope not, and yet, I fear--I
+fear."
+
+Within the following hour a dim, growing light began showing in the
+eastern part of the heavens. Day was breaking.
+
+"Wa-on-mon goes to meet the white hunter," said the chieftain, much as a
+groom might have announced his going forth to greet his bride.
+
+He made no farewell to the other warriors. He had explained everything
+to them and nothing was to be added. His words were addressed to the
+missionary, who was so oppressed by the situation that he could make no
+response, excepting a silent nod of his head.
+
+"Wa-on-mon will soon return," added the exultant Shawanoe, as if
+determined that his visitor should speak.
+
+"How soon?" the latter forced himself to ask.
+
+"When the sun appears there," said The Panther, indicating a point, by
+extending his arm, which the orb would reach within an hour after
+rising. "Wa-on-mon will come back, bringing the scalp of the white
+hunter with him. If he is still absent when the sun is there, the
+missionary may take the hand of the captive and go back to his people.
+The Shawanoe warriors will not stand in his way."
+
+It would be vain to attempt to depict the anguish of the dreadful
+minutes that followed. Missionary Finley underwent a struggle that was
+the keenest agony he had ever known. Most of the warriors dropped off in
+slumber. Included with these were those who had been wounded, and who
+seemed to have the faculty of overcoming their sufferings to a
+remarkable degree.
+
+Three remained awake to attend the fire and guard the camp. Little Mabel
+Ashbridge slept on in blissful ignorance of the awful fate impending
+over her childish head. Only the good man himself suffered a torture
+beyond the power of words to describe.
+
+He glanced upward through the leaves continually. At the very moment the
+sun reached the point indicated by Wa-on-mon, the undergrowth parted and
+the chieftain himself strode forward. And as he did so the missionary
+saw on his countenance an expression that he had never noted before.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX.
+
+SQUARING ACCOUNTS.
+
+
+When Simon Kenton was left alone by the missionary, who had been the
+means of bringing about this hostile meeting, he knew that a full hour
+must pass before his mortal enemy, The Panther, would reach the spot.
+The ranger was in need of sleep, and he did a thing which, while the
+most sensible act he could perform under the circumstances, was
+certainly extraordinary; he sat down on the ground, with his back
+against a tree, closed his eyes in slumber, and did not open them again
+until the hour had passed. He possessed that ability, which almost any
+one can acquire, of awaking at any time previously fixed upon.
+
+Day was breaking, its light steadily spreading and diffusing itself
+through the surrounding forest and filling the summer sky with an
+increasing glow. Kenton deliberately arose, drank from the neighboring
+river, bathing his hands and face in it, and then sauntered to the spot
+where he expected to meet the dusky miscreant who was equally eager to
+cross weapons with him. Leaning his rifle against a tree, the ranger
+took a position and attitude in which nothing could approach or pass
+without being noted by him.
+
+"The parson is the best man in the world," he mused; "there ain't
+another white man that dare go visitin' 'mong the varmints like him, for
+they trust him just as his own kith and kin do.
+
+"When I seed him walk out of the wood, right by them other varmints and
+straight up to The Panther, I was sartin it was all over with him, and
+he was in for his last sickness sure. The Panther had just had things
+slip up on him in a way that must have made him mad enough to bite off
+his own head, but the parson fixed it, and The Panther and me are bound
+to meet this time.
+
+"There must be something in that thing which he preaches," continued the
+ranger, musingly, "which ain't like other things. What he says hits one
+so powerful hard that it makes me feel quar. It makes him love the
+varmints, the black people and the white all alike; it makes him leave
+his home and spend days or weeks in the wood, just as Boone done afore
+he brought his family to Kentucky.
+
+"What did the missionary mean by tellin' me a brave man is merciful? I
+wonder whether he had any talk with The Panther? It would be just like
+him to do so, but it was time throwed away. Howsumever, his words to me
+stick in my ears, and keep going back and forth as nothin' that was ever
+said to me afore has done.
+
+"The Panther is full of grit; when he comes I'll make him b'leve I think
+he was scared and run off. That'll make him so mad, he'll fight harder
+than ever, which is what I want.
+
+"But he'll fight like a wounded catamount, He is sure he'll wipe me out
+and send me under this time, and that he can go on shootin' settlers in
+the back, tomahawking women and children without stoppin' to bother with
+me. Somehow or other I don't feel as sartin in this matter as afore, but
+I wouldn't let this chance of closing accounts with The Panther pass by
+for the whole of Kentucky--sh! there he comes!"
+
+A rustle, such as a quail might have made in walking over the leaves,
+caused the ranger to turn his head like a flash. The undergrowth parted,
+and Wa-on-mon, chief of the Shawanoes, stepped into full view hardly ten
+feet distant, with his glittering eyes fixed upon the face of the
+ranger.
+
+The coarse black hair dangled about the shoulders, with a couple of
+strands hanging loosely over the chest. Three stained eagle feathers
+projected backward from the crown, where the hair was stained with
+several hues of paint. The hard, sinister features displayed the same
+fantastic daubs that marked them when The Panther was a prisoner on the
+flatboat, the white cross showing on the forehead, with streakings of
+red and black on the cheeks and chin. The coppery chest was bare to the
+waist, where reposed the single weapon of the chieftain--his formidable
+hunting knife, which had committed many a dark deed when wielded in the
+vicious grip of the dusky miscreant.
+
+Below the breech-clout the iron limbs were encased in leggings and the
+small feet were covered with moccasins, now faded and worn by hard
+usage. The Panther paused, with his left foot in advance, his right hand
+grasping the hilt of his knife at his waist, and his shoulders and head
+thrust forward, the attitude of the body being that of an athlete with
+his muscles concentrated for a leap across a chasm that yawns in front
+of him.
+
+The pose of Kenton was dissimilar, and yet showed some points of
+resemblance. In accordance with the custom of his people, he carried his
+knife, in a small scabbard, by a string over his left breast. He grasped
+the handle, ready to whip it out on the first need. He did not mean that
+his antagonist should "get the drop" on him.
+
+Kenton stood with his feet well together, but separated enough to give
+his attitude grace and strength. His coonskin cap, fringed hunting
+shirt, leggings and shoes were such as were commonly worn by people of
+his calling. He was taller, more sinewy and equally active with the
+Shawanoe, upon whom his blue eyes were fixed with burning intensity and
+a glow that was the "light of battle" itself.
+
+The Panther had brought no weapon except his knife with him. The rifle
+of the ranger rested against a tree several paces away, and as near the
+Indian as the white man. It was a strange position for two mortal
+enemies, thoroughly distrusting each other, but in neither case did it
+imply a lessening of that distrust; it simply attested the faith of the
+two in a third person--Missionary Finley. He had arranged this meeting,
+and both believed in him.
+
+A scornful smile lit up the thin, smooth, handsome face of Kenton, who,
+with his fingers still clasping the haft of the weapon at his breast,
+said in the Shawanoe tongue:
+
+"The Panther meets his enemy at last, but does he bring no warriors with
+him to hide among the trees and rush forward when he begs for mercy from
+the white man?"
+
+This question was meant for the cutting taunt it proved to be, for it
+was a strange fashion on the frontier, when two enemies came face to
+face in deadly encounter, for each to try to goad the other to the point
+of what may be termed nervousness before the critical assault took
+place.
+
+"The Panther needs no one to help him bring the dog of a white man to
+his knees," replied Wa-on-mon, holding his passion well in hand.
+
+"Then why, Shawanoe, did you run away when a short time since you
+promised to meet me by the splintered tree near the clearing?"
+
+"The dog of a white man speaks as a fool! He knows that Wa-on-mon
+hastened to find his brave warriors, that the pale-faces should not be
+allowed to make their way to the fort. He found them, and they shall
+never get there."
+
+"The Shawanoes have tried to stop them, but could not; they tried last
+night, and more than one of the dogs were brought low. The gun that
+leans against the tree there did its part, as it shall continue to do.
+The Shawanoes fled as children, and I leaped ashore and chased them, but
+they ran too fast for me to catch them."
+
+This was drawing it with a long bow, but as we have intimated, it was in
+accordance with the fashion of the times. The chieftain restrained his
+temper better than would have been expected, for the reason that he
+understood the motive of his enemy; it was the contest preliminary to
+the decisive one.
+
+"Why did not the white dogs all come ashore and chase the Shawanoes?" he
+asked, with little appearance of passion in voice or manner.
+
+"One of them did--a little child--you, dog of a Shawanoe, made captive
+the child and strode back among your warriors, proud and boastful
+because it was the first prisoner you ever took. Oh, brave Shawanoe! Oh,
+mighty chieftain!"
+
+While uttering these taunts, Kenton did not permit the slightest "sign"
+to escape him. He saw he was fast goading his foe to the resistless
+point, the object he had in view. There was an almost insensible
+tightening of the muscles of the fingers closing around the handle of
+the knife, the faintest possible quiver passed through the thighs, or
+showed in a single twitch of the toes of the left foot, which inched
+forward. The Panther gave a quick inhalation, and while the words
+recorded were in the mouth of Kenton, he hissed:
+
+"Die, dog of a pale-face!"
+
+At the same time he bounded forward, as does the animal whose name he
+bore when leaping upon his prostrate foe. The intervening space was
+cleared at the single leap, and the knife, whipped from the girdle at
+the instant of starting, made a fierce sweep through the air, almost too
+quick for the eye to follow, and shot like the head of a rattlesnake at
+the breast of the ranger.
+
+Nevertheless, it clove through vacancy, for Kenton recoiled a single
+step, the hundredth part of a second before the weapon flashed in front
+of his face, and struck with equal power and swiftness at the crouching
+demon while yet in mid-air; but nothing could have surpassed the
+dexterity of The Panther, who, by a flirt of the head, dodged the blow,
+and dropping like a cat upon his feet, not only endeavored to strike the
+white man in the back, but came within a hair of succeeding. It need
+hardly be said that had he done so, the conflict would have been over on
+the instant.
+
+But Kenton saved himself, and faced about to receive the assault from
+the opposite direction.
+
+Instead of following up the slight and yet possibly fatal advantage thus
+obtained, The Panther became more guarded in his attack. The opening
+bout made both more cautious; their respect for each other's prowess was
+increased.
+
+Neither uttered a syllable; the taunts had ended; there was no call to
+goad each other to fury, for the highest point of passion was already
+attained. To spend breath in the utterance of words was to place
+themselves in the position of the gymnast who breaks into laughter--it
+would be a fatal weakening of strength.
+
+The Panther, crouching low, clutching knife, with head thrust forward,
+and gleaming eye fixed on his victim, began slowly circling around him,
+on the watch for an opening that would permit him to bound forward and
+strike his foe to the earth.
+
+Standing thus in the centre of a circle, Kenton had but to turn slowly
+so as to keep his face turned toward his assailant. It was the easiest
+thing in the world to present indefinitely an unassailable front, and
+yet The Panther had barely completed his first circuit when the opening
+which he sought offered itself, and he seized it with lightning-like
+quickness.
+
+But it was presented purposely; Kenton incited the attack, and when the
+Shawanoe demon shot through the air toward him, he steadied himself for
+a second, and struck again with all the might and skill at command.
+
+That which the ranger had not counted upon, or which was not likely to
+happen once in a thousand times, intervened to save The Panther for the
+single instant. He and Kenton struck precisely the same blow, and their
+forearms glanced against each other. The stroke of the white man was the
+more powerful, and impinging against the less muscular arm of the
+Shawanoe with paralyzing force, sent his knife spinning twenty feet away
+among the undergrowth. Before the agile Shawanoe could recover himself
+the left hand of Kenton griped his throat, he was borne furiously
+backward, hurled to the ground as though he were an infant, the knee of
+the ranger was at his breast, and the knife was held ready to complete
+the fearful work.
+
+"Dog of a Shawanoe!" hissed the infuriated hunter, "you are conquered at
+last! Now beg for mercy!"
+
+Had the positions of the two been reversed, the prostrate foe could not
+have been more defiant when he hissed back, with flashing eye:
+
+"Dog of a pale-face, that is afraid to strike!"
+
+The words were meant as a taunt to the ranger to do his worst.
+
+Down deep in the heart of every being, no matter how degraded, how
+sinful, how wicked, how merciless, is a spark of goodness which, when
+fanned by the angel's breath, glows or spreads until it burns out all
+the dross that years of wrong-doing have implanted there. Why it was and
+how it came about, Simon Kenton to his dying day never fully understood,
+but he always insisted that at that moment he heard the voice of
+Missionary Finley, with unmistakable distinctness, in his ear:
+
+"Show him mercy, and mercy shall be shown to you when you need it!"
+
+Impelled by a power which he dared not resist, the ranger rose from the
+chest of The Panther, and said in tones that sounded like those of
+another person:
+
+"Shawanoe, take your life; I give it to you!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX.
+
+CONCLUSION.
+
+
+The heart of Missionary Finley stood still when he saw The Panther
+stride from the wood into the open space where the campfire was burning.
+He knew that the terrible chieftain and Simon Kenton had met in mortal
+combat, and what could the return of the Shawanoe mean but that the
+prince of pioneers and rangers had been overthrown and slain by his
+implacable enemy?
+
+With a self-possession which surprised even himself, the good man looked
+straight into the face of the Indian as he approached, and, noting its
+strange expression, said:
+
+"Wa-on-mon has met the white hunter and conquered him."
+
+Three paces away The Panther abruptly halted and stood for several
+seconds, looking silently at the missionary. Then he said, in a low,
+deliberate voice:
+
+"Wa-on-mon has met the white hunter--the white hunter has conquered
+Wa-on-mon."
+
+Missionary Finley was quick to catch the point of a situation; but, for
+a moment, he was dumfounded. Then a suspicion of the truth flashed upon
+him.
+
+The good man was too sagacious to question The Panther. A strange,
+hitherto impossible condition of affairs existed. It was dangerous to
+meddle with them.
+
+Suppressing all evidence of emotion, Finley asked:
+
+"What are the wishes of my brother, the mighty Wa-on-mon?"
+
+"She opens her eyes; she has awakened!"
+
+He pointed to the little captive, who just then looked around, with a
+bewildered air, sat up and rubbed her eyes.
+
+"Where is papa? where is mamma?" she asked, looking from one to the
+other, and at a loss to comprehend her situation and her surroundings.
+
+"Take the captive," said The Panther. "No harm shall come to her and my
+brother until after they meet their friends."
+
+It was fair notice that the remarkable truce ended at the moment of the
+arrival of the missionary and the child among their people.
+
+Again Finley displayed his tact by asking no questions of Wa-on-mon. Nor
+did he essay to thank him for his unexpected clemency. He did not so
+much as speak to or look at him.
+
+"Come, my child," he said tenderly, extending his hand to Mabel, "I am
+going to take you to papa and mamma."
+
+"Oh, I am so glad!" exclaimed the happy one, slipping her hand into the
+palm of the missionary.
+
+The warriors standing around and seeing all this must have had their
+share, too, of strange emotions, for the experience was without a
+parallel with them.
+
+Had the chieftain been any one except The Panther, something in the
+nature of a revolt would have been probable; but no one dared gainsay
+that fearful leader, who, like Philip, chief of the Wampanoags, had
+mortally smitten the warrior that dared to suggest an opposite policy to
+that already determined by the sachem.
+
+[Illustration: THE MISSIONARY'S TRIUMPH.]
+
+There were looks, but nothing more, as the man, holding the hand of the
+child, walked out of the camp, without any appearance of haste or
+fright, and disappeared among the trees.
+
+With a heart swelling with gratitude to God for the wonderful outcome of
+the strange complication, the good man picked his way through the
+forest, still holding the trusting hand within his own, and comforting
+her by promises that she should soon see her father and mother and
+brother, who were awaiting her coming on the other side of the river.
+Like every other member of the company, she was a-hungered, but there
+could be no guarantee that she, like them, would not have to remain so
+for hours to come.
+
+When the missionary reached the river side, to recross in his canoe, he
+found Kenton awaiting him, paddle in hand. The two men smiled
+significantly as their eyes met. They silently grasped hands, and then
+adjusting themselves in the boat, with Mabel between them, pushed for
+the other shore.
+
+And as the graceful craft skimmed the smooth surface of the Ohio on that
+beautiful summer morning, a hundred years ago, the ranger told his story
+of his encounter with Wa-on-mon, chief of the Shawanoes.
+
+"It took the varmint some time to know what I meant, when I said he
+could go; he wouldn't take the life I offered him at first, but said it
+belonged to me, and not to him. That bein' so," added Kenton, with a
+grin, "I told him as how I could do as I chose with it, as I throwed it
+from me."
+
+"It was a surprise to him, indeed," remarked Finley.
+
+"Wal, I should say powerful somewhat. When he made up his mind at last
+that bein' as I wasn't going to send him under, he might as well take
+what I give him, he done it."
+
+"Did he say anything?"
+
+"Not a word; I thought maybe he'd pick up his knife ag'in, but he done
+nothin' of the kind; he didn't even look to where it had fallen when I
+knocked it out of his hand, but walked off in the woods, and that was
+the last of him. Parson," said the scout, with a grave expression,
+looking him calmly in the face, "I want to ask you a question."
+
+"Why, Simon, my good man, you may ask me anything you choose."
+
+"Where was you when The Panther and me was having our little argyment?"
+
+"I went directly back to the Shawanoe camp and stayed there till he
+returned with word that I might depart with Mabel."
+
+"Sure you wasn't nowhere near us?"
+
+"No nearer than what I have just told you."
+
+The ranger paddled a moment in silence.
+
+"Bein' as you say so, that settles it."
+
+The missionary, who was watching his friend closely, now said:
+
+"Since I have answered your question, Simon, it is right that I should
+know why you ask it."
+
+"Wal, it's this: Just as I had The Panther down, and was 'bout to finish
+the bus'ness, I heard you speak."
+
+"Heard me speak? And what did I say?"
+
+"'Show him mercy, and mercy shall be shown unto you when you need it;'
+so what could I do but let him up?"
+
+The good man understood the incident better than did Kenton himself.
+
+"But," he said, gently, "I have just explained that I was too far from
+you for me to make myself heard."
+
+"Whose voice was it, then?"
+
+"The voice of Conscience, Simon, or the whisperings of God. It may have
+sounded louder to you just then than usual, but it was not the first
+time it has sounded in your ear, reproving you when you have done wrong,
+and commending you when you have done right. Listen and heed what it
+tells you, Simon, and no matter what comes, all shall be well with you."
+
+The missionary saw that his words had made a strong impression, and he
+was wise in saying no more.
+
+The ranger headed the course for a point that would land them
+considerably below where the friends in the flatboat were awaiting their
+coming. Finley, after noting the fact, remarked:
+
+"You are doing it on purpose, Simon."
+
+"Of course; some of the varmints are watchin'."
+
+The object, as the reader will perceive, was to make the Shawanoes
+believe the fugitives had shifted their position further down stream.
+Since Boone was with the latter party, the stratagem, slight of itself
+and possibly ineffectual, was readily understood by them.
+
+When the canoe shot in under the bank on the Ohio side, it was an eighth
+of a mile below where the flatboat had been hidden with the utmost care
+on the same bank of the river; but there could be no question that the
+fugitives had peered out with equal eagerness of vision, and parents,
+brother and friends were aware of the amazing, blessed truth that in
+that canoe, seated between the missionary and ranger, was Mabel
+Ashbridge, she that was lost and was found, was dead but was alive
+again.
+
+Finley and Kenton made no mistake as to the situation. The "truce" was
+now ended. The Panther was the bitter, relentless enemy that he was
+before, eager only for the life of every man, woman and child connected
+with the company of fugitives. If little Mabel fell into his hands
+again, she would be sacrificed without a throb of pity. He would do his
+utmost to prevent the company reaching the block-house. If its members
+counted upon his forbearance, it would be a fatal mistake.
+
+And should he and Kenton again face each other in single-handed combat,
+it would be with the same unrelenting ferocity as before. The episode
+that had just taken place would be as though it had never been. How
+strange that such an encounter did take place sooner than either white
+or red combatant dreamed!
+
+When the canoe glided from sight under the screening of the Ohio shore,
+Kenton, Finley and the little girl sprang out and made all haste to
+where the main party by the flatboat were awaiting their coming. The
+sagacious Boone had already formed an inkling of the truth, and,
+allowing only a minute or two for the reunion and exchange of
+salutations, he insisted that the flight to the block-house should be
+resumed and pressed with the utmost vigor until the post was reached.
+The large boat could serve them no longer, and was abandoned where it
+lay. The masts had been taken down so as to allow it to pass under the
+overhanging vegetation, and, consequently, had it been permitted to make
+its appearance on the river, there would have been nothing in its looks
+to suggest the facetious name, "Phantom of the River," first applied to
+it by Missionary Finley.
+
+It is not required that the particulars of the seven or eight miles'
+journey through the wilderness should be given. The Panther made such
+persistent attempts to destroy the pioneers that more than once they
+were in the gravest peril; but they had an advantage not possessed
+before, in that it was impossible to arrange any ambuscade, for the
+advanced guard of rangers were too perfect in their knowledge of
+woodcraft to lead the whites into any situation that shut off escape.
+The Shawanoes knew enough of Kenton, Boone and their rangers to hold
+them in respect, and not presume upon their committing any irretrievable
+error.
+
+Jim Deane, the only white man that had fallen, was given decent burial
+in the shadowy forest while the party were awaiting the arrival of
+Kenton and his companions. The missionary paused long enough to offer up
+a prayer over the grave, and then, as we have said, the journey was
+pressed to the utmost.
+
+And so, at last, the block-house was safely reached, and, for the time,
+all danger to our friends was over.
+
+
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's The Phantom of the River, by Edward S. Ellis
+
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