CHAPTER VII

"Clear, placid Leman I Thy contrasted lake
With the wild world I dwelt in, is a thing
Which warns me, with its stillness, to forsake
Earth's troubled waters for a purer spring.
This quiet sail is as a noiseless wing
To waft me from distraction; once I loved
Torn ocean's roar, but thy soft murmuring
Sounds sweet as if a sister's voice reproved,
That I with stern delights should e'er have been so moved."
BYRON.

Day had fairly dawned before the young man, whom we have left in the
situation described in the last chapter, again opened his eyes. This was no
sooner done, than he started up, and looked about him with the eagerness of
one who suddenly felt the impor­tance of accurately ascertaining his precise
position. His rest had been deep and undisturbed; and when he awoke, it was
with a clearness of intellect and a readiness of resources that were very
much needed at that particular moment. The sun had not risen, it is true, but
the vault of heaven was rich with the winning softness that "brings and shuts
the day," while the whole air was filled with the carols of birds, the hymns
of the feathered tribe. These sounds first told Deerslayer the risks he ran.
The air, for wind it could scarce be called, was still light, it is true, but
it had increased a little in the course of the night, and as the canoes were
feathers on the water, they had drifted twice the expected distance; and,
what was still more dangerous, had approached so near the base of the
mountain that here rose precipitously from the eastern shore, as to render
the carols of the birds plainly audible. This was not the worst. The third
canoe had taken the same direction, and was slowly drifting towards a point
where it must inevitably touch, unless turned aside by a shift of wind, or
human hands. In other respects, nothing presented itself to attract
attention, or to awaken alarm. The castle stood on its shoal, nearly abreast
of the canoes, for the drift had amounted to miles in the course of the
night, and the ark lay fastened to its piles, as both had been left so many
hours before.

As a matter of course, Deerslayer's attention was first given to the canoe
ahead. It was already quite near the point, and a very few strokes of the
paddle sufficed to tell him that it must touch before he could possibly
overtake it. Just at this moment, too, the wind inopportunely freshened,
rendering the drift of the light craft much mote rapid than certain. Feeling
the impossibility of preventing a contact with the land, the young man wisely
determined not to heat himself with unnecessary exertions; but first looking
to the priming of his piece, he proceeded slowly and warily towards the
point, taking care to make a little circuit, that he might be exposed on only
one side, as he approached.

The canoe adrift being directed by no such intelligence, pursued its proper
way, and grounded on a small sunken rock, at the distance of three or four
yards from the shore. Just at that moment, Deerslayer had got abreast of the
point, and turned the bows of his own boat to the land; first casting loose
his tow, that his movements might be unencumbered. The canoe hung an instant
to the rock; then it rose a hair's breadth on an almost imperceptible swell
of the water, swung round, floated clear, and reached the strand. All this
the young man noted, but it neither quickened his pulses, nor hastened his
hand. If any one had been lying in wait for the arrival of the waif, he must
be seen, and the utmost caution in approaching the shore became
indispensable; if no one was in ambush, hurry was unnecessary. The point
being nearly diagonally opposite to the Indian encampment, he hoped the last,
though the former was not only possible, but probable; for the savages were
prompt in adopting all the expedients of their particular modes of warfare,
and quite likely had many scouts searching the shores for craft to carry them
off to the castle. As a glance at the lake from any height or projection
would expose the smallest object on its surface, there was little hope that
either of the canoes would pass unseen; and Indian sagacity needed no
instruction to tell which way a boat or a log would drift, when the direction
of the wind was known. As Deerslayer drew nearer and nearer to the land, the
stroke of his paddle grew slower, his eye became more watchful, and his ears
and nostrils almost dilated with the effort to detect any lurking danger. 'T
was a trying moment for a novice, nor was there the encouragement which even
the timid sometimes feel, when conscious of being observed and commended. He
was entirely alone, thrown on his own resources, and was cheered by no
friendly eye, emboldened by no encourag­ing voice. Notwithstanding all these
circumstances, the most experienced veteran in forest warfare could not have
behaved better. Equally free from recklessness and hesita­tion, his advance
was marked by a sort of philosophical prudence that appeared to render him
superior to all motives but those which were best calculated to effect his
purpose. Such was the commencement of a career in forest exploits, that
afterwards rendered this man, in his way, and under the limits of his habits
and opportunities, as renowned as many a hero whose name has adorned the
pages of works more celebrated than legends simple as ours can ever become.

When about a hundred yards from the shore, Deerslayer rose in the canoe, gave
three or four vigorous strokes with the paddle, sufficient of themselves to
impel the bark to land, and then quickly laying aside the instrument of
labor, he seized that of war. He was in the very act of raising the rifle,
when a sharp report was followed by the buzz of a bullet that passed so near
his body as to cause him involuntarily to start. The next instant Deerslayer
staggered, and fell his whole length in the bottom of the canoe. A yell-it
came from a single voice-followed, and an Indian leaped from the bushes upon
the open area of the point, bounding towards the canoe. This was the moment
the young man desired. He rose on the instant, and levelled his own rifle at
his uncovered foe; but his finger hesitated about pulling the trigger on one
whom he held at such a disadvantage. This little delay, probably, saved the
life of the Indian, who bounded back into the cover as swiftly as he had
broken out of it. In the meantime Deerslayer had been swiftly approaching the
land, and his own canoe reached the point just as his enemy disappeared. As
its movements had not been directed, it touched the shore a few yards from
the other boat; and though the rifle of his foe had to be loaded, there was
not time to secure his prize, and carry it beyond danger, before he would be
exposed to another shot. Under the circumstances, therefore, he did not pause
an instant, but dashed into the woods and sought a cover.

On the immediate point there was a small open area, partly in native grass,
and partly beach, but a dense fringe of bushes lined its upper side. This
narrow belt of dwarf vegetation passed, one issued immediately into the high
and gloomy vaults of the forest. The land was tolerably level for a few
hundred feet, and then it rose precipitously in a mountainside. The trees
were tall, large, and so free from underbrush, that they resembled vast
columns, irregularly scattered, upholding a dome of leaves. Although they
stood tolerably close together, for their ages and size, the eye could
penetrate to considerable distances; and bodies of men, even, might have
engaged beneath their cover, with concert and intelligence.

Deerslayer knew that his adversary must be employed in re-loading, unless he
had fled. The former proved to be the case, for the young man had no sooner
placed himself behind a tree, than he caught a glimpse of the arm of the
Indian, his body being concealed by an oak, in the very act of forcing the
leathered bullet home. Nothing would have been easier than to spring forward,
and decide the affair by a close assault on his unprepared foe; but every
feeling of Deer­slayer revolted at such a step, although his own life had
just been attempted from a cover. He was yet unpracticed in the ruthless
expedients of savage warfare, of which he knew nothing except by tradition
and theory, and it struck him as unfair advantage to assail an unarmed foe.
His color had heightened, his eye frowned, his lips were compressed, and all
his energies were collected and ready; but, instead of advancing to fire, he
dropped his rifle to the usual position of a sportsman in readiness to catch
his aim, and muttered to himself, unconscious that he was speaking-

"No, no-that may be redskin warfare, but it's not a
Christian's gifts. Let the miscreant charge, and then we'll take it out like
men; for the canoe he must not, and shall not have. No, no; let him have time
to load, and God will take care of the right!"

All this time the Indian had been so intent on his own movements, that he was
even ignorant that his enemy was in the woods. His only apprehension was,
that the canoe would be recovered and carried away before he might be in
readiness to prevent it. He had sought the cover from habit, but was within a
few feet of the fringe of bushes, and could be at the margin of the forest in
readiness to fire in a moment. The distance between him and his enemy was
about fifty yards, and the trees were so arranged by nature that the line of
sight was not interrupted, except by the particular trees behind which each
party stood.

His rifle was no sooner loaded, than the savage glanced around him, and
advanced incautiously as regarded the real, but stealthily as respected the
fancied position of his enemy, until he was fairly exposed. Then Deerslayer
stepped from behind its own cover, and hailed him.

"This a way, redskin; this a way, if you're looking for me," he called out.
"I'm young in war, but not so young as to stand on an open beach to be shot
down like an owl, by daylight. It rests on yourself whether it's peace or war
atween us; for my gifts are white gifts, and I'm not one of them that thinks
it valiant to slay human mortals, singly, in the woods."

The savage was a good deal startled by this sudden discovery of the danger he
ran. He had a little knowledge of English, however, and caught the drift of
the other's mean­ing. He was also too well schooled to betray alarm, but,
dropping the butt of his rifle to the earth, with an air of con­fidence, he
made a gesture of lofty courtesy. All this was done with the ease and self-
possession of one accustomed to consider no man his superior. In the midst of
this consummate acting, however, the volcano that raged within caused his
eyes to glare, and his nostrils to dilate, like those of some wild beast that
is suddenly prevented from taking the fatal leap.

"Two canoes," he said, in the deep guttural tones of his race, holding up the
number of fingers he mentioned, by way of preventing mistakes; "one for you--
one for me."

"No, no, Mingo, that will never do. You own neither; and neither shall you
have, as long as I can prevent it. I know it's war atween your people and
mine, but that's no reason why human mortals should slay each other, like
savage creatur's that meet in the woods; go your way, then, and leave me to
go mine. The world is large enough for us both; and when we meet fairly in
battle, why, the Lord will order the fate of each of us."

"Good!" exclaimed the Indian; "my brother mission­ary-great talk; all about
Manitou."

"Not so-not so, warrior. I'm not good enough for the Moravians, and am too
good for most of the other vagabonds that preach about in the woods. No, no;
I'm only a hunter, as yet, though afore the peace is made, 't is like enough
there'll be occasion to strike a blow at some of your people. Still, I wish
it to be done in fair fight, and not in a quarrel about the ownership of a
miserable canoe."

"Good I My brother very young-but he is very wise. Little warrior-great
talker. Chief, sometimes, in council."

" I don't know this, nor do I say it, Injin," returned Deerslayer, coloring a
little at the ill-concealed sarcasm of the other's manner; "I look forward to
a life in the woods, and I only hope it may be a peaceable one. All young men
must go on the war-path, when there's occasion, but war is n't needfully
massacre. I've seen enough of the last, this very night, to know that
Providence frowns on it; and I now invite you to go your own way, while I go
mine; and hope that we may part frinds."

"Good! My brother has two scalp-gray hair under 'other. Old wisdom-young
tongue."

Here the savage advanced with confidence, his hand extended, his face
smiling, and his whole bearing denoting amity and respect. Deerslayer met his
offered friendship in a proper spirit, and they shook hands cordially, each
endeavoring to assure the other of his sincerity and desire to be at peace.

All have his own," said the Indian; "my canoe, mine; your canoe, your'n. Go
look; if your'n, you keep; if mine, I keep."

"That's just, redskin; thought you must be wrong in thinking the canoe your
property. Howsever, seem' is believin ', and we'll go down to the shore,
where you may look with your own eyes; for it's likely you'll object to
trustin' altogether to mine."

The Indian uttered his favorite exclamation of "Good!" and then they walked
side by side, towards the shore. There was no apparent distrust in the manner
of either, the Indian moving in advance, as if he wished to show his
com­panion that he did not fear turning his back to him. As they reached the
open ground, the former pointed towards Deerslayer' s boat, and said
emphatically- "No mine-pale-face canoe. This redman's. No want other man's
canoe-want his own."

"You're wrong, redskin, you 're altogether wrong. This canoe was left in old
Hutter's keeping, and is his'n according to law, red or white, till its owner
comes to claim it. Here's the seats and the stitching of the bark to speak
for themselves. No man ever know'd an Injin to turn off such work."

"Good! My brother little old-big wisdom. Injin no make him. White man's
work."

"I'm glad you think so, for holding out to the contrary might have made ill
blood atween us, every one having a right to take possession of his own. I'll
just shove the canoe out of reach of dispute at once, as the quickest way of
settling difficulties."

While Deerslayer was speaking, he put a foot against the end of the light
boat, and giving a vigorous shove, he sent it out into the lake a hundred
feet or more, where, taking the true current, it would necessarily float past
the point, and be in no further danger of coming ashore. The savage started
at this ready and decided expedient, and his companion saw that he cast a
hurried and fierce glance at his own canoe, or that which contained the
paddles. The change of manner, however, was but momentary, and then the
Iroquois resumed his air of friendliness, and a smile of satisfaction.

"Good !" he repeated, with stronger emphasis than ever. "Young head, old
mind. Know how to settle quarrel. Farewell, brother. He go to house in water-
muskrat house- Injin go to camp; tell chiefs no find canoe."

Deerslayer was not sorry to hear this proposal, for he felt anxious to join
the females, and he took the offered hand of the Indian very willingly. The
parting words were friendly, and while the redman walked calmly towards the
wood, with the rifle in the hollow of his arm, without once looking back in
uneasiness or distrust, the white man moved towards the remaining canoe,
carrying his piece in the same pacific manner, it is true, but keeping his
eye fastened on the movements of the other. This distrust, however, seemed to
be altogether uncalled for, and as if ashamed to have entertained it, the
young man averted his look, and stepped carelessly up to his boat. Here he
began to push the canoe from the shore, and to make his other preparations
for departing. He might have been thus employed a minute, when, happening to
turn his face towards the land, his quick and certain eye told him, at a
glance, the imminent jeopardy in which his life was placed. The black,
ferocious eyes of the savage were glancing on him, like those of the
crouching tiger, through a small opening in the bushes, and the muzzle of his
rifle seemed already to be opening in a line with his own body.

Then, indeed, the long practice of Deerslayer, as a hun­ter did him good
service. Accustomed to fire with the deer on the bound, and often when the
precise position of the animal's body had in a manner to be guessed at, he
used the same expedients here. To cock and poise his rifle were the acts of a
single moment and a single motion: then aiming almost without sighting, he
fired into the bushes where he knew a body ought to be, in order to sustain
the appalling countenance which alone was visible. There was not time to
raise the piece any higher, or to take a more deliberate aim. So rapid were
his movements that both parties discharged their pieces at the same instant,
the concussions mingling in one report. The mountains, indeed, gave back but
a single echo. Deerslayer dropped his piece, and stood with head erect,
steady as one of the pines in the calm of a June morning, watching the
result; while the savage gave the yell that has become historical for its
appalling influence, leaped through the bushes, and came bounding across the
open ground, flourishing a tomahawk. Still Deerslayer moved not, but stood
with his unloaded rifle fallen against his shoulders, while, with a hunter's
habits, his hands were mechanically feeling for the powder-horn and charger.
When about forty feet from his enemy, the savage hurled his keen weapon; but
it was with an eye so vacant, and a hand so unsteady and feeble, that the
young man caught it by the handle as it was flying past him. At that instant
the Indian staggered and fell his whole length on the ground.

"I know' d it-I know' d it!" exclaimed Deerslayer, who was already preparing
to force a fresh bullet into his rifle; "I know'd it must come to this, as
soon as I had got the range from the creatur's eyes. A man sights sud­denly,
and fires quick when his own life's in danger; yes, I know'd it would come to
this. I was about the hundredth part of a second too quick for him, or it
might have been bad for me! The riptyle's bullet has just grazed my side- but
say what you will for or ag'in 'em, a redskin is by no means as sartain with
powder and ball as a white man. Their gifts don't seem to lie that a way.
Even Chingachgook, great as he is in other matters, isn't down­right deadly
with the rifle."

By this time the piece was reloaded, and Deerslayer, after tossing the
tomahawk into the canoe, advanced to his victim, and stood over him, leaning
on his rifle, in melancholy attention. It was the first instance in which he
ha seen a man fall in battle-it was the first fellow-creature against whom he
had ever seriously raised his own hand. The sensations were novel; and
regret, with the freshness of our better feelings, mingled with his triumph.
The Indian was not dead, though shot directly through the body. He lay on his
back motionless, but his eyes, now full of consciousness, watched each action
of his victor-as the fallen bird regards the fowler-jealous of every
movement. The man probably expected the fatal blow which was to precede the
loss of his scalp; or perhaps he anticipated that this latter act of cruelty
would precede his death. Deer­slayer read his thoughts; and he found a
melancholy satis­faction in relieving the apprehensions of the helpless
savage.

"No, no, redskin," he said; "you've nothing more to fear from me. I am of a
Christian stock, and scalping is not of my gifts. I '11 just make sartain of
your rifle, and then come back and do you what sarvice I can. Though here I
can't stay much longer, as the crack of three rifles will be apt to bring
some of your devils down upon me."

The close of this was said in a sort of a soliloquy, as the young man went in
quest of the fallen rifle. The piece was found where its owner had dropped
it, and was imme­diately put into the canoe. Laying his own rifle at its
side, Deerslayer then returned and stood over the Indian again.

"All inmity atween you and me's at an ind redskin," he said; "and you may set
your heart at rest on the score of the scalp, or any further injury. My gifts
are white, as I 'ye told you; and I hope my conduct will be white also."

Could looks have conveyed all they meant, it is probable Deerslayer's
innocent vanity on the subject of color would have been rebuked a little; but
he comprehended the grati­tude that was expressed in the eyes of the dying
savage, without in the least detecting the bitter sarcasm that struggled with
the better feeling.

"Water !" ejaculated the thirsty and unfortunate creature; "give poor Injin
water."

"Ay, water you shall have, if you drink the lake dry. I'll just carry you
down to it that you may take your fill.
This is the way, they tell me, with all wounded people- water is their
greatest comfort and delight."

So saying, Deerslayer raised the Indian in his arms, and carried him to the
lake. Here he first helped him to take an attitude in which he could appease
his burning thirst; after which he seated himself on a stone, and took the
head of his wounded adversary in his own lap, and endeavored to soothe his
anguish in the best manner he could.

"It would be sinful in me to tell you your time had n't come, warrior," he
commenced, "and therefore I '11 not say it. You 'ye passed the middle age
already, and, considerin' the sort of lives ye lead, your days have been
pretty well filled The principal thing now, is to look forward to what comes
next. Neither redskin nor pale-face, on the whole, calculates much on
sleepin' forever; but both expect to live in another world. Each has his
gifts, and will be judged by 'em, and I suppose you 'ye thought these matters
over enough not to stand in need of sarmons when the trial comes. You '11
find your happy hunting-grounds, if you 'ye been a just Injin; if an onjust,
you'll meet your desarts in another way. I'ye my own idees about these
things; but you're too old and exper'enced to need any explanations from one
as young as I."
"Good!" ejaculated the Indian, whose voice retained its depth even as life
ebbed away; "young head-old wisdom I"

"It's sometimes a consolation, when the ind comes, to know that them we 'ye
harmed, or tried to harm, forgive us. I suppose natur' seeks this relief, by
way of getting a pardon on 'arth; as we never can know whether He par­dons,
who is all in all, till judgment itself comes. It's soothing to know that any
pardon at such times; and that, I conclude, is the secret. Now, as for
myself, I overlook altogether your designs ag'in my life; first, because no
harm came of 'em; next, because it 's your gifts, and natur', and trainin',
and I ought not to have trusted you at all; and, finally and chiefly, because
I can bear no ill-will to a dying man, whether heathen or Christian. So put
your heart at ease, so far as I'm consarned; you know best what other matters
ought to trouble you, or what ought to give you satisfaction in so trying a
moment."

It is probable that the Indian had some of the fearful glimpses of the
unknown state of being which God, in mercy, seems at times to afford to all
the human race; but they were necessarily in conformity with his habits and
prejudices Like most of his people, and like too many of our own, he thought
more of dying in a way to gain applause among those he left than to secure a
better state of existence hereafter. While Deerslayer was speaking, his mind
was a little bewildered, though he felt that the intention was good; and when
he had done, a regret passed over his spirit that none of his own tribe were
present to witness his stoicism, under extreme bodily suffering, and the
firmness with which he met his end. With the high innate courtesy that so
often distinguishes the Indian warrior before he becomes corrupted by too
much intercourse with the worst class of the white men, he endeavored to
express his thankfulness for the other's good intentions, and to let him
understand that they were appreciated.

"Good!" he repeated, for this was an English word much used by the savages,
"good! young head ; young heart, too. Old heart tough; no shed tear. Hear
Indian when he die, and no want to lie-what he call him?"

"Deerslayer is the name I bear now, though the Dela­wares have said that when
I get back from this war-path, I shall have a more manly title, provided I
can am one."

"That good name for boy-poor name for warrior. He get better quick. No fear
there, "-the savage had strength sufficient, under the strong excitement he
felt, to raise a hand and tap the young man on his breast,-" eye sartain-
finger lightning-aim, death-great warrior soon. No Deerslayer -Hawkeye-
Hawkeye-Hawkeye. Shake hand."

Deerslayer-or Hawkeye, as the youth was then first named, for in after years
he bore the appellation throughout all that region-Deerslayer took the hand
of the savage, whose last breath was drawn in that attitude, gazing in
admiration at the countenance of a stranger, who had shown so much readiness,
skill, and firmness, in a scene that was
equally trying and novel. When the reader remembers it is the highest
gratification an Indian can receive to see his enemy betray weakness, he will
be better able to appreciate the conduct which had extorted so great a
concession at such a moment.

"His spirit has fled!" said Deerslayer, in a suppressed, melancholy voice.
"Ah's me! Well, to this we must all come, sooner or later; and he is
happiest, let his skin be what color it may, who is best fitted to meet it.
Here lies the body of no doubt a brave warrior, and the soul is already
flying towards its heaven or hell, whether that be a happy huntingground, a
place scant of game, regions of glory, according to Moravian doctine, or
flames of fire! So it happens too, as regards other matters! Here have old
Hutter and Hurry Harry got themselves into difficulty, if they have n't got
themselves into torment and death, and all for a bounty that luck offers to
me in what many would think a lawful and suitable manner. But not a farthing
of such money shall cross my hand. White I was born, and white will I die;
clinging to color to the last, even though the King's majesty, his governors,
and all his councils, both at home and in the colonies, forget from what they
come, and where they hope to go, and all for a little advantage in war­fare.
No, no, warrior, hand of mine shall never molest your scalp, and so your soul
may rest in peace on the p'int of making a decent appearance when the body
comes to join it, in your own land of spirits."

Deerslayer arose as soon as he had spoken. Then he placed the body of the
dead man in a sitting posture, with its back against the little rock, taking
the necessary care to prevent it from falling or in any way settling into an
attitude that might be thought unseemly by the sensitive, though wild notions
of a savage. When this duty was performed, the young man stood gazing at the
grim countenance of his fallen foe, in a sort of melancholy abstraction. As
was his practice, however, a habit gained by living so much alone in the
forest, he then began again to give utterance to his Thoughts and feelings
aloud.

"I didn't wish your life, redskin," he said "but you
left me no choice atween killing or being killed. each party acted according
to his gifts, I suppose, and blame can light on neither. You were
treacherous, according to your natur' in war, and I was a little
oversightful, as I'm apt to be in trusting others. Well, this is my first
battle with a human mortal, though it's not likely to be the last. I have
fou't most of the creatur's of the forest, such as bears, wolves, painters,
and catamounts, but this is the beginning with the redskins. If I was Injin
born, now, I might tell of this, or carry in the scalp, and boast of the
expl'ite afore the whole tribe; or, if my inimy had only been even a bear, 't
would have been nat'ral and proper to let everybody know what had happened;
but I don't well see how I'm to let even Chingachgook into this secret, so
long as it can be done only by boasting with a white tongue. And why should I
wish to boast of it a'ter all? It's slaying a human, although he was a
savage; and how do I know that he was a just Injin; and that he has not been
taken away sud­denly to anything but happy hunting-grounds. When it 's
onsartain whether good or evil has been done, the wisest way is not to be
boastful-still, I should like Chingachgook to know that I haven't discredited
the Delawares, or my training!"

Part of this was uttered aloud, while part was merely muttered between the
speaker's teeth; his more confident opinions enjoying the first advantage,
while his doubts were expressed in the latter mode. Soliloquy and reflection
received a startling interruption, however, by the sudden appearance of a
second Indian on the lake shore, a few hundred yards from the point. This
man, evidently another scout, who had probably been drawn to the place by the
reports of the rifles, broke out of the forest with so little caution that
Deerslayer caught a view of his person before he was himself discovered. When
the latter event did occur, as was the case a moment later, the savage gave a
loud yell, which was answered by a dozen voices from different parts of the
mountain-side. There was no longer any time for delay; in another minute the
boat was quitting the shore under long and steady sweeps of the paddle.

As soon as Deerslayer believed himself to be at a safe distance he ceased his
efforts, permitting the little bark to drift, while he leisurely took a
survey of the state of things. The canoe first sent adrift was floating
before the air, quite a quarter of a mile above him, and a little nearer to
the shore than he wished, now that he knew more of the savages were so near
at hand. The canoe shoved from the point was within a few yards of him, he
having directed his own course towards it on quitting the land. The dead
Indian lay in grim quiet where he had left him, the warrior who had shown
himself from the forest had already vanished, and the woods themselves were
as silent and seemingly deserted as the day they came fresh from the hands of
their great Creator. This profound stillness, however, lasted but a moment.
When time had been given to the scouts of the enemy to reconnoitre, they
burst out of the thicket upon the naked point, filling the air with yells of
fury at discovering the death of their companion. These cries were
immedi­ately succeeded by shouts of delight when they reached the body and
clustered eagerly around it. Deerslayer was a sufficient adept in the usages
of the natives to understand the reason of the change. The yell was the
customary lamentation at the loss of a warrior, the shout a sign of rejoicing
that the conqueror had not been able to secure the scalp; the trophy, without
which a victory is never consid­ered complete. The distance at which the
canoes lay proba­bly prevented any attempts to injure the conqueror, the
American Indian, like the panther of his own woods, seldom making any effort
against his foe unless tolerably certain it is under circumstances that may
be expected to prove effective.

As the young man had no longer any motive to remain near the point, he
prepared to collect his canoes, in order to tow them off to the castle. That
nearest was soon in tow, when he proceeded in quest of the other, which was
all this time floating up the lake. The eye of Deerslayer was no sooner
fastened on this last boat, than it struck him that it was nearer to the
shore than it would have been had it merely followed the course of the gentle
current of air. He began to suspect the influence of some unseen current in
the water, and he quickened his exertions, in order to regain possession of
it before it could drift into a dangerous proximity to the woods. On getting
nearer, he thought that the canoe had a perceptible motion through the water,
and, as it lay broadside to the air, that this motion was taking it towards
the land. A few vigorous strokes of the paddle carried him still nearer, when
the mystery was explained. Something was evidently in motion on the off-side
of the canoe, or that which was farthest from himself, and closer scrutiny
showed that it was a naked human arm. An Indian was lying in the bottom of
the canoe, and was pro­pelling it slowly but certainly to the shore, using
his hand as a paddle. Deerslayer understood the whole artifice at a glance. A
savage had swum off to the boat while he was occupied with his enemy on the
point, got possession, and was using these means to urge it to the shore.

Satisfied that the man in the canoe could have no arms, Deerslayer did not
hesitate to dash close alongside of the retiring boat, without deeming it
necessary to raise his own rifle. As soon as the wash of the water, which he
made in approaching, became audible to the prostrate savage, the latter
sprang to his feet, and uttered an exclamation that proved how completely he
was taken by surprise.

"If you've enj'yed yourself enough in that canoe, red­skin," Deerslayer
coolly observed, stopping his own career in sufficient time to prevent an
absolute collision between the two boats,-" if you 'ye enj'yed yourself
enough in that canoe, you 'Il do a prudent act by taking to the lake ag'in.
I'm reasonable in these matters, and don't crave your blood, though there 's
them about that would look upon you more as a due-bill for the bounty than a
human mortal. Take to the lake this minute, afore we get to hot words."

The savage was one of those who did not understand a word of English, and he
was indebted to the gestures of Deerslayer, and to the expression of an eye
that did not often deceive, for an imperfect comprehension of his mean­ing.
Perhaps, too, the sight of the rifle that lay so near the hand of the white
man quickened his decision. At all events, he crouched like a tiger about to
take his leaps uttered a yell, and the next instant his naked body
disap­peared in the water. When he rose to take breath, it was at the
distance of several yards from the canoe, and the hasty glance he threw
behind him denoted how much he feared the arrival of a fatal messenger from
the rifle of his foe. But the young man made no indication of any hostile
inten­tion. Deliberately securing the canoe to the others, he began to paddle
from the shore; and by the time the Indian reached the land, and had shaken
himself, like a spaniel, on quitting the water, his dreaded enemy was already
beyond rifle-shot on his way to the castle. As was so much his practice,
Deerslayer did not fail to soliloquize on what had just occurred, while
steadily pursuing his course towards the point of destination.

"Well, well,' '-he commenced,-" 't would have been wrong to kill a human
mortal without an object. Scalps are of no account with me, and life is
sweet, and ought not to be taken marcilessly by them that have white gifts.
The savage was a Mingo, it 's true; and I make no doubt he is, and will be as
long as he lives, a ta"l' al riptyle and vaga­bond; but that's no reason I
should forget my gifts and color. No, no,-let him go; if ever we meet ag'in,
rifle in hand, why then 'twill be seen which has the stoutest heart and the
quickest eye. Hawkeye! That's not a bad name for a warrior, sounding much
more manful and valiant than Deerslayer! 'T wouldn't be a bad title to begin
with, and it has been fairly arned. If 't was Chingachgook, now, he might go
home and boast of his deeds, and the chiefs would name him Hawkeye in a
minute; but it don't become white blood to brag, and 't is n't easy to see
how the matter can be known unless I do. Well, well,-everything is in the
hands of Providence; this affair as well as another; I'11 trust to that for
getting my desarts in all things."

Having thus betrayed what might be termed his weak spot, the young man
continued to paddle in silence, making his way diligently, and as fast as his
tows would allow him, towards the castle. By this time the sun had not only
risen, but it had appeared over the eastern mountains, and was shedding a
flood of glorious light on this as yet unchristened sheet of water. The whole
scene was radiant with beauty; and no one unaccustomed to the ordinary
history of the woods would fancy it had so lately witnessed incidents so
ruthless and barbarous. As he approached the building of old Hutter,
Deerslayer thought, or rather felt that its appearance was in singular
harmony with all the rest of the scene. Although nothing had been consulted
but strength and security, the rude, massive logs, covered with their rough
bark, the projecting roof, and the form, would contribute to render the
building picturesque in almost any situation, while its actual position added
novelty and piquancy to its other points of interest.

When Deerslayer drew nearer to the castle, however, objects of interest
presented themselves that at once eclipsed any beauties that might have
distinguished the scenery of the lake, and the site of the singular edifice.
Judith and Hetty stood on the platform before the door, Hurry's door­yard
awaiting his approach with manifest 'anxiety; the former, from time to time,
taking a survey of his person and of the canoes through the old ship's spy-
glass that has been already mentioned. Never probably did this girl seem more
brilliantly beautiful than at that moment; the flush of anxiety and alarm
increasing her color to its rich­est tints, while the softness of her eyes, a
charm that even poor Hetty shared with her, was deepened by intense con­cern.
Such, at least, without pausing or pretending to analyze motives, or to draw
any other very nice distinction between cause and effect, were the opinions
of the young man as his canoes reached the side of the ark, where he
carefully fastened all three before he put his foot on the platform.

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