Joetooktwolongstrides,andwasonthedoor—step。HesawNellstrugglingviolentlyinthegraspofthehalf—drunkenteamster。
　　"I'lljes'hev'tokissthislassieferluck,"hesaidinatoneofgoodhumor。
　　AtthesameinstantJoesawthreeloungerslaughing,andafourth,thegrizzledfrontiersman,startingforwardwithayell。
　　"Letmego！"criedNell。
　　Justwhentheteamsterhadpulledherclosetohim,andwasbendinghisred,moistfacetohers,twobrown,sinewyhandsgraspedhisneckwithanangryclutch。Deprivedthusofbreath,hismouthopened,histongueprotruded;hiseyesseemedstartingfromtheirsockets,andhisarmsbeattheair。Thenhewasliftedandflungwithacrashagainstthecabinwall。Falling,helayinaheaponthegrass,whilethebloodflowedfromacutonhistemple。
　　"What'sthis？"criedaman,authoritatively。Hehadcomeswiftlyup,andarrivedatthescenewherestoodthegrizzledfrontiersman。
　　"Itwaspurtyhandy,Wentz。Icouldn'thev'didbettermyself,andIwascomin'forthatpurpose,"saidthefrontiersman。"Lefflerwastryin'tokissthelass。He'sbeendrunkfertwodays。Thatlittlegirl'ssweetheartkinhandlehimselfsome,nowyoutakemywordonit。"
　　"I'llagreeLeff'sbadwhenhe'sdrinkin',"answeredthefur—trader,andtoJoeheadded,"He'sliabletolookyouupwhenhecomesaround。"
　　"TellhimifIamherewhenhegetssober,I'llkillhim,"Joecriedinasharpvoice。Hisgazerestedoncemoreonthefallenteamster,andagainanoddcontractionofhiseyeswasnoticeable。Theglancewascutting,asifwiththeflashofcoldgraysteel。"Nell,I'msorryIwasn'troundsooner,"hesaid,apologetically,asifitwasowingtohisneglecttheaffairhadhappened。
　　AstheyenteredthecabinNellstoleaglanceathim。Thiswasthethirdtimehehadinjuredamanbecauseofher。Shehadonseveraloccasionsseenthatcold,steelyglareinhiseyes,andithadalwaysfrightenedher。Itwasgone,however,beforetheywereinsidethebuilding。Hesaidsomethingwhichshedidnotheardistinctly,andhiscalmvoiceallayedherexcitement。Shehadbeenangrywithhim;butnowsherealizedthatherresentmenthaddisappeared。Hehadspokensokindlyaftertheoutburst。Hadhenotshownthatheconsideredhimselfherprotectorandlover？Astrangeemotion,sweetandsubtleasthetasteofwine,thrilledher,whileasenseoffearbecauseofhisstrengthwasmingledwithherprideinit。Anyothergirlwouldhavebeenonlytoogladtohavesuchachampion;shewould,too,hereafter,forhewasamanofwhomtobeproud。
　　"Lookhere,Nell,youhaven'tspokentome,"Joecriedsuddenly,seemingtounderstandthatshehadnotevenheardwhathesaid,soengrossedhadshebeenwithherreflections。"Areyoumadwithmeyet？"hecontinued。"Why,Nell,I'min——Iloveyou！"
　　EvidentlyJoethoughtsuchfactasufficientreasonforanyactonhispart。
　　HistendertoneconqueredNell,andsheturnedtohimwithflushedcheeksandgladeyes。
　　"Iwasn'tangryatall,"shewhispered,andthen,eludingthearmheextended,sheranintotheotherroom。
　　ChapterIII。
　　Joeloungedinthedoorwayofthecabin,thoughtfullycontemplatingtwoquietfiguresthatwerelyingintheshadeofamapletree。OneherecognizedastheIndianwithwhomJimhadspentanearnesthourthatmorning;theredsonofthewoodswaswrappedinslumber。Hehadplacedunderhisheadamany—huedhomespunshirtwhichtheyoungpreacherhadgivenhim;butwhileasleephisheadhadrolledoffthisimprovisedpillow,andthebrightgarmentlayfree,attractingtheeye。CertainlyithadledtothetrainofthoughtwhichhadfoundlodgmentinJoe'sfertilebrain。
　　Theothersleeperwasashort,stoutmanwhomJoehadseenseveraltimesbefore。Thislastfellowdidnotappeartobewell—balancedinhismind,andwasthebuttofthesettlers'jokes,whilethechildrencalledhim"Loorey。"
　　He,liketheIndian,wassleepingofftheeffectsofthepreviousnight'sdissipation。
　　DuringafewmomentsJoeregardedtherecumbentfigureswithanexpressiononhisfacewhichtoldthathethoughtinthemweregreatpossibilitiesforsport。Withonequickglancearoundhedisappearedwithinthecabin,andwhenheshowedhimselfatthedoor,surveyingthevillagesquarewithmirthfuleyes,heheldinhishandasmallbasketofIndiandesign。Itwasmadeoftwistedgrass,andsimplycontainedseveralbitsofsoft,chalkystonesuchastheIndiansusedforpainting,whichcollectionJoehaddiscoveredamongthefur—trader'swares。
　　Heglancedaroundoncemore,andsawthatallthoseinsightwerebusywiththeirwork。Hegavetheshortmanapush,andchuckledwhentherewasnoresponseotherthanalazygrunt。JoetooktheIndians'gaudyshirt,and,liftingLoorey,slippeditaroundhim,shovedthelatter'sarmsthroughthesleeves,andbuttoneditinfront。Hestreakedtheroundfacewithredandwhitepaint,andthen,dexterouslyextractingtheeagleplumefromtheIndian'shead—dress,stuckitinLoorey'sthickshockofhair。Itwasalldoneinamoment,afterwhichJoereplacedthebasket,andwentdowntotheriver。
　　SeveraltimesthatmorninghehadvisitedtherudewharfwhereJeffLynn,thegrizzledoldfrontiersman,busiedhimselfwithpreparationsfortheraft—journeydowntheOhio。Lynnhadbeenemployedtoguidethemissionary'spartytoFortHenry,and,asthebrothershadacquaintedhimwiththeirintentionofaccompanyingthetravelers,hehadconstructedaraftforthemandtheirhorses。
　　Joelaughedwhenhesawthedozentwo—footlogsfastenedtogether,uponwhicharudeshackhadbeenerectedforshelter。Thisslightprotectionfromsunandstormwasallthebrotherswouldhaveontheirlongjourney。
　　Joenoted,however,thatthelargerrafthadbeenpreparedwithsomethoughtforthecomfortofthegirls。Thefloorofthelittlehutwasraisedsothatthewaveswhichbrokeoverthelogscouldnotreachit。Takingapeepintothestructure,JoewaspleasedtoseethatNellandKatewouldbecomfortable,evenduringastorm。Abuffalorobeandtworedblanketsgavetotheinterioracozy,warmlook。Heobservedthatsomeofthegirls'luggagewasalreadyonboard。
　　"When'llwebeoff？"heinquired。
　　"Sun—up,"answeredLynn,briefly。
　　"I'mgladofthat。Iliketobeonthegointheearlymorning,"saidJoe,cheerfully。
　　"MostfolksfromoverEastwaysain'tinahurrytotackletheriver,"repliedLynn,eyeingJoesharply。
　　"It'sabeautifulriver,andI'dliketosailonitfromheretowhereitends,andthencomebacktogoagain,"Joereplied,warmly。
　　"Inahurrytobea—goin'？I'llallowyou'llseesomeslimreddevils,withfeathersintheirhair,slippingamongthetreesalongthebank,andmebbeyou'llhearthepingwhich'smadewhenwhistlin'leadhits。Perhapsyou'llwanttobebackherebytermorrersundown。"
　　"NotI,"saidJoe,withhisshort,coollaugh。
　　Theoldfrontiersmanslowlyfinishedhistaskofcoilinguparopeofwetcowhide,andthen,producingadirtypipe,hetookaliveemberfromthefireandplaceditonthebowl。Hesuckedslowlyatthepipe—stem,andsoonpuffedoutagreatcloudofsmoke。Sittingonalog,hedeliberatelysurveyedtherobustshouldersandlong,heavylimbsoftheyoungman,withakeenappreciationoftheirsymmetryandstrength。Agility,enduranceandcourageweremoretoabordermanthanallelse;anew—comeronthefrontierwasalways"sized—up"withreferencetothese"points,"andrespectedinproportiontothemeasureinwhichhepossessedthem。
　　OldJeffLynn,riverman,hunter,frontiersman,puffedslowlyathispipewhilehemusedthustohimself:"MebbeI'mwrongintakin'alikin'tothisyoungstersosudden。Mebbeit'sbecauseI'mfondofhissunny—hairedlass,an'
　　ag'inmebbeit'sbecauseI'mgettin'oldan'likesyoungfolksbetter'nIonctdid。Anyway,I'mkinderthinkin,ifthisyoungfellergitsworkedout,sayferabouttwentypoundsless,he'lllickawholeraft—loadofwild—cats。"
　　Joewalkedtoandfroonthelogs,ascertainedhowtheraftwasputtogether,andtookapullonthelong,clumsysteering—oar。AtlengthheseatedhimselfbesideLynn。Hewaseagertoaskquestions;toknowabouttherafts,theriver,theforest,theIndians——everythinginconnectionwiththiswildlife;
　　butalreadyhehadlearnedthatquestioningthesefrontiersmenisasuremeansofclosingtheirlips。
　　"Everhandlethelongrifle？"askedLynn,afterasilence。
　　"Yes,"answeredJoe,simply。
　　"Evershootanythin'？"thefrontiersmanquestioned,whenhehadtakenfourorfivepuffsathispipe。
　　"Squirrels。"
　　"Goodpractice,shootin'squirrels,"observedJeff,afteranothersilence,longenoughtoallowJoetotalkifhewassoinclined。"Kinyehitone——say,ahundredyards？"
　　"Yes,butnoteverytimeinthehead,"returnedJoe。Therewasanapologetictoneinhisanswer。
　　Anotherintervalfollowedinwhichneitherspoke。Jeffwasslowlypursuinghislineofthought。AfterJoe'slastremarkhereturnedhispipetohispocketandbroughtoutatobacco—pouch。Hetoreoffalargeportionoftheweedandthrustitintohismouth。ThenheheldoutthelittlebuckskinsacktoJoe。
　　"Hev'achaw,"hesaid。
　　Tooffertobaccotoanyonewasabsolutelyaborderman'sguaranteeoffriendlinesstowardthatperson。
　　Jeffexpectoratedhalfadozentimes,eachtimecomingalittlenearerthestonehewasaimingat,somefiveyardsdistant。Possiblythiswastheborderman'swayofoilinguphisconversationalmachinery。Atallevents,hecommencedtotalk。
　　"Yerbrother'sgoin'topreachouthere,ain'the？Preachin'isallright,I'llallow;butI'mkinderdoubtfulaboutpreachin'toredskins。Howsumever,I'veknowedInjunswhoaregoodfellows,andthere'snotellin'。Whatareyegoin'infer——farmin'？"
　　"No,Iwouldn'tmakeagoodfarmer。"
　　"Jestcumoutkinderwildlike,eh？"rejoinedJeff,knowingly。
　　"IwantedtocomeWestbecauseIwastiredoftamelife。Ilovetheforest;I
　　wanttofishandhunt;andIthinkI'dliketo——toseeIndians。"
　　"Ikinderthoughtso,"saidtheoldfrontiersman,noddinghisheadasthoughheperfectlyunderstoodJoe'scase。"Well,lad,whereyou'regoin'seein'
　　Injunsain'tamatterofchoice。Youhastosee'em,andfight'em,too。We'vehadbadtimesforyearsouthereontheborder,andI'mthinkin'wussiscomin'。DidyeeverhearthenameGirty？"
　　"Yes;he'sarenegade。"
　　"He'satraitor,andJimandGeorgeGirty,hisbrothers,arep'isinrattlesnakeInjuns。SimonGirty'sbadenough;butJim'sthewust。He'snowwusser'nafull—bloodedDelaware。He'sallthetimeonthelookouttocapturewhitewimentotaketohisInjunteepee。SimonGirtyandhispals,McKeeandElliott,desertedfromthattharfortrightaforeyereyes。They'renowlivin'
　　amongtheredskinsdownFortHenryway,raisin'asmuchhellferthesettlersastheykin。"
　　"IsFortHenryneartheIndiantowns？"askedJoe。
　　"There'sDelawares,ShawneesandHuronsallalongtheOhiobelowFortHenry。"
　　"WhereistheMoravianMissionlocated？"
　　"Why,lad,theVillageofPeace,astheInjunscallit,isrightinthemidstofthatInjuncountry。I'spectit'samatterofahundredmilesbelowandcross—countryalittlefromFortHenry。"
　　"Thefortmustbeanimportantpoint,isitnot？"
　　"Wal,Iguessso。It'sthelastplaceontheriver,"answeredLynn,withagrimsmile。"There'sonlyastockadethere,an'ahandfulofmen。TheInjunshevswarmeddownonittimeandag'in,buttheyhevneverburnedit。OnlysuchmenasColonelZane,hisbrotherJack,andWetzelcouldhevkeptthatfortstandin'allthesebloodyyears。EbZane'sgotbutafewmen,yethekinhandle'emsome,an'withsuchscoutsasJackZaneandWetzel,heallusknowswhat'sgoin'onamongtheInjuns。"
　　"I'veheardofColonelZane。HewasanofficerunderLordDunmore。ThehuntersherespeakoftenofJackZaneandWetzel。Whatarethey？"
　　"JackZaneisahunteran'guide。Iknowedhimwellafewyearsback。He'saquiet,mildchap;butastreakofchain—lightnin'whenhe'sriled。WetzelisanInjun—killer。Somepeoplesayashowhe'scrazyoverscalp—huntin';butI
　　reckonthat'snotso。I'veseenhimafewtimes。Hedon'thangroundthesettlement'ceptwhentheInjunsareup,an'nobodyseeshimmuch。Athomehesetsroundsilent—like,an'thenmebbenextmornin'he'llbegone,an'won'tshowupferdaysorweeks。Butallthefrontierknowsofhisdeeds。Ferinstance,I'vehearnofsettlersgettin'upinthemornin'an'findin'acoupleofdeadandscalpedInjunsrightinfrontoftheircabins。Nooneknowedwhokilled'em,buteverybodysays'Wetzel。'He'salluswarnin'thesettlerswhentheyneedtofleetothefort,andsurehe'srighteverytime,becausewhenthesemengobacktotheircabinstheyfindnothin'butashes。
　　Therecouldn'tbeanyfarmin'doneouttherebutferWetzel。"
　　"Whatdoeshelooklike？"questionedJoe,muchinterested。
　　"Wetzelstandsstraightastheoakoverthar。He'dhev'togosidewaystogithisshouldersinthatdoor,buthe'saslightoffootan'fastasadeer。An'
　　hiseyes——why,lad,yekinhardlylookinto'em。IfyoueverseeWetzelyou'llknowhimtoonct。"
　　"Iwanttoseehim,"Joespokequickly,hiseyeslightingwithaneagerflash。
　　"Hemustbeagreatfighter。"
　　"Ishe？LewWetzelistheheftiestof'emall,an'wehevsomeaskinfightouthere。Iwasdowntheriverafewyearsagoandjoinedapartytogooutan'huntupsomeredskinsashadbeenreported。Wetzelwaswithus。WesoonstruckInjunsign,andthencomeontoalotofthepeskyvarmints。Wewasallfergoin'home,becausewehadasmallforce。WhenwestartedtogowefindsWetzelsittin'calm—likeonalog。Wesaid:'Ain'tyegoin'home？'andhereplied,'Icumouttofindredskins,an'nowaswe'vefound'em,I'mnotgoin'torunaway。'An'welefthimsettin'thar。Oh,Wetzelisafighter！"
　　"IhopeIshallseehim,"saidJoeoncemore,thewarmlight,whichmadehimlooksoboyish,stillglowinginhisface。
　　"Mebbeye'llgitto;andsureye'llseeredskins,an'nottameones,nuther。"
　　Atthismomentthesoundofexcitedvoicesnearthecabinsbrokeinontheconversation。Joesawseveralpersonsruntowardthelargecabinanddisappearbehindit。HesmiledashethoughtperhapsthecommotionhadbeencausedbytheawakeningoftheIndianbrave。
　　Risingtohisfeet,Joewenttowardthecabin,andsoonsawthecauseoftheexcitement。Asmallcrowdofmenandwomen,alllaughingandtalking,surroundedtheIndianbraveandthelittlestoutfellow。Joeheardsomeonegroan,andthenadeep,gutturalvoice:
　　"Paleface——bigsteal——ugh！Injunmad——heapmad——killpaleface。"
　　Afterelbowinghiswayintothegroup,JoesawtheIndianholdingLooreywithonehand,whilehepokedhimontheribswiththeother。Thecaptive'sfacewasthepictureofdismay;eventhestreaksofpaintdidnothidehislookoffearandbewilderment。Thepoorhalf—wittedfellowwassobadlyfrightenedthathecouldonlygroan。
　　"Silvertipscalppaleface。Ugh！"growledthesavage,givingLooreyanotherblowontheside。Thistimehebentoverinpain。Thebystandersweredividedinfeeling;themenlaughed,whilethewomenmurmuredsympathetically。
　　"This'snotabitfunny,"mutteredJoe,ashepushedhiswaynearlytothemiddleofthecrowd。Thenhestretchedoutalongarmthat,bareandbrawny,lookedasthoughitmighthavebeenablacksmith's,andgraspedtheIndian'ssinewywristwithaforcethatmadehimloosenhisholdonLooreyinstantly。
　　"Istoletheshirt——fun——joke,"saidJoe。"Scalpmeifyouwanttoscalpanyone。"
　　TheIndianlookedquicklyatthepowerfulformbeforehim。WithatwistheslippedhisarmfromJoe'sgrasp。
　　"Bigpalefaceheapfun——allsquawplay,"hesaid,scornfully。Therewasamenaceinhissombereyesasheturnedabruptlyandleftthegroup。
　　"I'mafraidyou'vemadeanenemy,"saidJakeWentztoJoe。"AnIndianneverforgetsaninsult,andthat'showheregardedyourjoke。Silvertiphasbeenfriendlyherebecausehesellsushispelts。He'saShawneechief。Therehegoesthroughthewillows！"
　　BythistimeJimandMr。Wells,Mrs。Wentzandthegirlshadjoinedthegroup。
　　TheyallwatchedSilvertipgetintohiscanoeandpaddleaway。
　　"Abadsign,"saidWentz,andthen,turningtoJeffLynn,whojoinedthepartyatthatmoment,hebrieflyexplainedthecircumstances。
　　"NeverdidlikeSilver。He'sacraftyredskin,an'nottobetrusted,"repliedJeff。
　　"Hehasturnedroundandislookingback,"Nellsaidquickly。
　　"Sohehas,"observedthefur—trader。
　　TheIndianwasnowseveralhundredyardsdowntheswiftriver,andforaninstanthadceasedpaddling。Thesunshonebrightlyonhiseagleplumes。Heremainedmotionlessforamoment,andevenatsuchadistancethedark,changelessfacecouldbediscerned。Heliftedhishandandshookitmenacingly。
　　"Ifyedon'thearfromthatredskinaginJeffLynndon'tknownothin',"calmsaidtheoldfrontiersman。
　　ChapterIV。
　　Astheraftsdriftedwiththecurrentthevoyagerssawthesettlersonthelanding—placediminishuntiltheyhadfadedfromindistinctfigurestomereblackspecksagainstthegreenbackground。Thencamethelastwaveofawhitescarf,faintlyinthedistance,andatlengththedarkoutlineofthefortwasallthatremainedtotheirregretfulgaze。Quicklythat,too,disappearedbehindthegreenhill,which,withitsboldfront,forcestherivertotakeawideturn。
　　TheOhio,windinginitscoursebetweenhigh,woodedbluffs,rolledonandonintothewilderness。
　　Beautifulaswastheever—changingscenery,ruggedgray—facedcliffsononesidecontrastingwithgreen—cladhillsontheother,therehoveredoverlandandwatersomethingmorestrikingthanbeauty。Aboveallhungastillatmosphereofcalmness——ofloneliness。
　　Andthispenetratingsolitudemarredsomewhatthepleasurewhichmighthavebeenfoundinthepicturesquescenery,andcausedthevoyagers,towhomthiscountrywasnew,totakelessinterestinthegaily—featheredbirdsandstealthyanimalsthatweretobeseenontheway。Bytheformsofwildlifealongthebanksoftheriver,thisstrangeintruderontheirpeacewasregardedwithattention。Thebirdsandbeastsevincedlittlefearofthefloatingrafts。Thesandhillcrane,stalkingalongtheshore,liftedhislongneckastheunfamiliarthingcamefloatingby,andthenstoodstillandsilentasastatueuntiltheraftsdisappearedfromview。Blue—heronsfeedingalongthebars,sawtheunusualspectacle,and,utteringsurprised"booms,"theyspreadwidewingsandlumberedawayalongtheshore。Thecrowscircledabovethevoyagers,cawinginnotunfriendlyexcitement。Smallerbirdsalightedontheraisedpoles,andseveral——arobin,acatbirdandalittlebrownwren——venturedwithhesitatingboldnesstopeckatthecrumbsthegirlsthrewtothem。Deerwadedknee—deepintheshallowwater,and,liftingtheirheads,instantlybecamemotionlessandabsorbed。Occasionallyabuffaloappearedonalevelstretchofbank,and,tossinghishugehead,seemedinclinedtoresentthecomingofthisstrangerintohisdomain。
　　Alldaytheraftsdriftedsteadilyandswiftlydowntheriver,presentingtothelittlepartyever—varyingpicturesofdenselywoodedhills,ofjutting,brokencliffswithscantevergreengrowth;oflongreachesofsandybarthatglistenedgoldeninthesunlight,andoveralltheflightandcallofwildfowl,theflittingofwoodlandsongsters,andnowandthenthewhistleandbellowofthehornedwatchersintheforest。
　　Theintenseblueofthevaultabovebegantopale,andlowdowninthewestafewfleecyclouds,gorgeouslygoldenforafleetinginstant,thencrimson—crownedforanother,shadedanddarkenedasthesettingsunsankbehindthehills。Presentlytheredraysdisappeared,apinkglowsuffusedtheheavens,andatlast,asgraytwilightstoledownoverthehill—tops,thecrescentmoonpeepedabovethewoodedfringeofthewesternbluffs。
　　"Hardan'fastsheis,"sangoutJeffLynn,ashefastenedtheropetoatreeattheheadofasmallisland。"Alloffnow,and'we'llhev'supper。Thar'safinespringunderyoncurlybirch,an'Ifetchedalongalegofdeer—meat。
　　Hungry,little'un？"
　　Hehadworkedhardalldaysteeringtherafts,yetNellhadseenhimsmilingathermanytimesduringthejourney,andhehadfoundtimebeforetheearlystarttoarrangeforheracomfortableseat。Therewasnowasolicitudeinthefrontiersman'svoicethattouchedher。
　　"Iamfamished,"shereplied,withherbrightsmile。"IamafraidIcouldeatawholedeer。"
　　Theyallclimbedthesandyslope,andfoundthemselvesonthesummitofanovalisland,withaprettygladeinthemiddlesurroundedbybirches。Bill,thesecondraftsman,astolid,silentman,atonceswunghisaxeuponalogofdriftwood。Mr。WellsandJimwalkedtoandfrounderthebirches,andKateandNellsatonthegrasswatchingwithgreatinteresttheoldhelmsmanashecameufromtheriver,hisbrownhandsandfaceshiningfromthescrubbinghehadgiventhem。Soonhehadafirecheerfullyblazing,andafterlayingoutthefewutensils,headdressedhimselftoJoe:
　　"I'lltellyerighthere,lad,goodvenisonkinbespoiledbybadcuttin'andcookin'。You'reslicin'ittoothick。See——thar！Nowsaltgood,an'keepoutentheflame;ontheredcoalsisbest。"
　　WithasharpenedstickJeffheldthethinslicesoverthefireforafewmoments。Thenhelaidthemasideonsomecleanwhite—oakchipsBill'saxehadprovided。Thesimplemealofmeat,bread,andafterwardadrinkofthecoldspringwater,waskeenlyrelishedbythehungryvoyagers。Whenithadbeeneaten,Jeffthrewalogonthefireandremarked:
　　"Seein'ashowwewon'tbeinredskinterritoryferawhileyit,wekinhevafire。I'llallowye'llallbechillyanddampfromriver—mistaforelong,sotoastyerselvesgood。"
　　"Howfarhavewecometo—day？"inquiredMr。Wells,hismindalwaysintentonreachingthesceneofhischerishedundertaking。
　　"'Boutthirty—oddmile,Ireckon。Notmuchonatrip,thet'ssartin,butwe'llpickuptermorrer。We'vesomequickerwater,an'theraftshevtogoseparate。"
　　"Howquiet！"exclaimedKate,suddenlybreakingthesilencethatfollowedthefrontiersman'sanswer。
　　"Beautiful！"impetuouslysaidNell,lookingupatJoe。Aquickflashfromhisgrayeyesansweredher;hedidnotspeak;indeedhehadsaidlittletohersincethestart,buthisglanceshowedherhowgladhewasthatshefeltthesweetnessandcontentofthiswildland。
　　"Iwasneverinawildernessbefore,"brokeintheearnestvoiceoftheyoungminister。"Ifeelanalmostoverpoweringsenseofloneliness。Iwanttogetneartoyouall;Ifeellost。Yetitisgrand,sublime！"
　　"Hereisthepromisedland——thefruitfullife——NatureasitwascreatedbyGod,"repliedtheoldminister,impressively。
　　"Tellusastory,"saidNelltotheoldfrontiersman,asheoncemorejoinedthecircleroundthefire。
　　"So,little'un,yewantastory？"queriedJeff,takingupalivecoalandplacingitinthebowlofhispipe。Hetookoffhiscoon—skincapandcarefullylaiditaside。Hisweather—beatenfacebeamedinanswertothegirl'srequest。Hedrewalongandaudiblepullathisblackpipe,andsendforthslowlyacloudofwhitesmoke。Deliberatelypokingthefirewithastick,asifstirringintolifedeadembersofthepast,hesuckedagainathispipe,andemittedagreatpuffofsmokethatcompletelyenvelopedthegrizzledhead。Fromoutthatwhitecloudcamehisdrawlingvoice。
　　"Ye'veseenthetbigcurlybirchoverthat——thet'unasbendskindofsorrowfullike。Wal,itusedtostandstraightan'proud。I'veknowedthettreealltheyearsI'venavigatedthisriver,an'itseemsnaturalliketomethetitnowdroopsdyin',feritshadesthegraveofasyoung,an'sweet,an'
　　purtyalassasyerself,MissNell。RivermencalledthisislandGeorge'sIsland,'causeWashingtononctcampedhere;butoflateyearsthename'sgotchanged,an'themensaysuthin'likethis:'We'lltryan'makeMilly'sbirchaforesundown,'jestasBillandmehevdoneto—day。SomeyearsagoneIwascomin'upfromFortHenry,an'hadonboardmyslowoldscowalassnamedMilly——weneverlearnedherothername。Shecometomeatthefort,an'tellsashowherfolkshedbeenkilledbyInjuns,an'shewantedtogitbacktoPitttomeethersweetheart。Iwasag'inhercomin'allalong,an'fustoffIsaid'No。"ButwhenIseentearsinherblueeyes,an'sheputsherlittlehandonmine,Ijestwilted,an'saystoJimBlair,'Shegoes。'Wal,jestasmighthev'beenexpected——an'factisIlookedferit——wewustackledbyredskins。
　　Somehow,JimGirtygotwindofushevin'alassaboard,an'heketchedupwithusjestbelowhere。It'sabadplace,calledShawneeRock,an'I'llshowittoyetermorrer。Therenegade,withhisreddevils,attackedusthar,an'wehadatimegittin'away。Millywusshot。Shelivedferawhile,acoupleofdays,an'allthetimewussopatient,an'sweet,an'bravewiththetrenegade'sbulletinher——ferheshotherwhenheseenhecouldn'tcaptureher——thettharwusn'tablamemanofuswhowouldn'thevdiedtograntherprayer,whichwusthatshecouldlivetoonctmoreseeherlover。"
　　Therewasalongsilence,duringwhichtheoldfrontiersmansatgazingintothefirewithsadeyes。
　　"Wecouldn'tdonuthin',an'weburiedhertharunderthetbirch,whereshesmiledherlastsad,sweetsmile,an'died。Eversincethentheriverhasbeeneatn'awayatthisisland。It'sonlyhalfasbigasitwusonct,an'anotherfloodwilltakeawaythissand—bar,thesefewbirches——an'Milly'sgrave。"
　　Theoldfrontiersman'sstoryaffectedallhislisteners。Theelderministerbowedhisheadandprayedthatnosuchfatemightovertakehisnieces。Theyoungministerlookedagain,ashehadmanytimesthatday,atNell'swinsomeface。Thegirlscastgraveglancesatthedroopingbirch,andtheirbrighttearsglistenedinthefire—glow。OncemoreJoe'seyesglintedwiththatsteelyflash,andashegazedoutoverthewide,darkeningexpanseofwaterhisfacegrewcoldandrigid。
　　"I'llallowImighthevtoldamorecheerfulstory,an'I'lldosonexttime;
　　butIwantedyeall,particularthelasses,toknowsomethin'ofthekindofcountryye'regoin'into。Thefrontierneedswomen;butjistyititdealshardwiththem。An'JimGirty,withmoreofhiskind,ain'tdeadyit。"
　　"Whydon'tsomeonekillhim？"wasJoe'ssharpquestion。
　　"Easiersaidthandone,lad。JimGirtyisawhitetraitor,buthe'sacunnin'
　　an'fierceredskininhiswaysan'life。Heknowsthewoodsasacrowdoes,an'keepsoutersight'ceptwhenhe'sleastexpected。Thenag'in,he'sgotSimonGirty,hisbrother,an'almostthewholeredskintribebehindhim。
　　Injunsstickclosetoawhitemanthathasturnedag'insthisownpeople,an'
　　JimGirtyhain'teverbeenketched。Howsumever,Iheardlasttripthethe'dbeentryin'someofhistricksroundFortHenry,an'thetWetzelisonhistrail。Wal,ifit'ssothetLewWetzelisarterhim,Iwouldn'tgiveapincho'powderferthewhite—redskin'schancesofalonglife。"
　　Noonespoke,andJeff,afterknockingtheashesfromhispipe,wentdowntotheraft,returningshortlyafterwardwithhisblanket。Thishelaiddownandrolledhimselfinit。Presentlyfromunderhiscoon—skincapcamethewords:
　　"Wal,I'veturnedin,an'Iadviseyealltodothesame。"
　　AllsaveJoeandNellactedonJeff'ssuggestion。Foralongtimetheyoungcouplesatclosetogetheronthebank,gazingatthemoonlightontheriver。
　　Thenightwasperfect。Acoolwindfannedthedyingembersofthefireandsoftlystirredtheleaves。Earlierintheeveningasinglefroghadvoicedhisprotestagainsttheloneliness;butnowhisdismalcroakwasnolongerheard。
　　Asnipe,belatedinhisfeeding,ranalongthesandyshoreutteringhistweet—tweet,andhislittlecry,breakinginsosoftlyonthesilence,seemedonlytomakemoredeeplyfeltthegreatvaststillnessofthenight。
　　Joe'sarmwasaroundNell。Shehaddemurredatfirst,buthegavenoheedtoherslightresistance,andfinallyherheadrestedagainsthisshoulder。
　　Therewasnoneedofwords。
　　Joehadapleasurablesenseofhernearness,andtherewasadelightinthefragranceofherhairasitwavedagainsthischeek;butjustthenlovewasnotuppermostinhismind。Alldayhehadbeensilentundertheforceofanemotionwhichhecouldnotanalyze。Somepower,somefeelinginwhichthethoughtofNellhadnoshare,wasdrawinghimwithirresistiblestrength。Nellhadjustbeguntosurrendertohiminthesweetnessofherpassion;andyetevenwiththatknowledgeknockingreproachfullyathisheart,hecouldnothelpbeingabsorbedintheshimmeringwater,inthedarkreflectionofthetrees,thegloomandshadowoftheforest。
　　Presentlyhefeltherformrelaxinhisarms;thenhersoftregularbreathingtoldhimshehadfallenasleepandhelaughedlowtohimself。Howshewouldpoutonthemorrowwhenheteasedheraboutit！Then,realizingthatshewastiredwithherlongday'sjourney,hereproachedhimselfforkeepingherfromtheneededrest,andinstantlydecidedtocarryhertotheraft。Yetsuchwasthenoveltyofthesituationthatheyieldedtoitscharm,anddidnotgoatonce。Themoonlightfoundbrightthreadsinherwavyhair;itshonecaressinglyonherquietface,andtriedtostealunderthedowncastlashes。
　　Joemadeamovementtorisewithher,whenshemutteredindistinctlyasifspeakingtosomeone。Herememberedthenshehadoncetoldhimthatshetalkedinhersleep,andhowgreatlyitannoyedher。Hemighthearsomethingmorewithwhichtoteaseher;sohelistened。