FinallyJimwenttoconsultGlickhican。HefoundtheDelawareatworkinthepotatopatch。TheoldIndiandroppedhishoeandbowedtothemissionary。A
　　reverentialandstatelycourtesyalwayscharacterizedtheattitudeoftheIndianstowardtheyoungwhitefather。
　　"Glickhican,canyoutellmewhynoIndianshavecomeherelately？"
　　Theoldchiefshookhishead。
　　"DoestheirabsencesignifyilltotheVillageofPeace？"
　　"Glickhicansawablackbirdflittingintheshadowofthemoon。ThebirdhoveredabovetheVillageofPeace,butsangnosong。"
　　TheoldDelawarevouchsafednootherthanthisstrangereply。
　　Jimreturnedtohiscabindecidedlyworried。HedidnotatalllikeGlickhican'sanswer。ThepurportofitseemedtobethatacloudwasrisingonthebrighthorizonoftheChristianvillage。HeconfidedhisfearstoYoungandEdwards。Afterdiscussingthesituation,thethreemissionariesdecidedtosendforHeckewelder。HewastheleaderoftheMission;heknewmoreofIndiancraftthananyofthem,andhowtomeetit。IfthiscalmintheheretoforebusylifeoftheMissionwasthelullbeforeastorm,Heckeweldershouldbetherewithhisexperienceandinfluence。
　　"FornearlytenyearsHeckewelderhasanticipatedtroublefromhostilesavages,"saidEdwards,"butsofarhehasalwaysavertedit。Asyouknow,hehasconfinedhimselfmostlytopropitiatingtheIndians,andpersuadingthemtobefriendly,andlistentous。We'llsendforhim。"
　　AccordinglytheydispatchedarunnertoGoshocking。InduetimetheIndianreturnedwiththestartlingnewsthatHeckewelderhadlefttheIndianvillagedaysbefore,ashad,infact,allthesavagesexceptthefewconvertedones。
　　ThesameheldtrueinthecaseofSandusky,theadjoiningtown。Moreover,ithadbeenimpossibletoobtainanynewsinregardtoZeisberger。
　　Themissionarieswerenowthoroughlyalarmed,andknewnotwhattodo。TheyconcealedtherealstateofaffairsfromNellandheruncle,desiringtokeepthemfromanxietyaslongaspossible。Thatnightthethreeteacherswenttobedwithheavyhearts。
　　Thefollowingmorningatdaybreak,Jimwasawakenedfromasoundsleepbysomeonecallingathiswindow。Hegotuptolearnwhoitwas,and,inthegraylight,sawEdwardsstandingoutside。
　　"What'sthematter？"questionedJim,hurriedly。
　　"Matterenough。Hurry。Getintoyourclothes,"repliedEdwards。"Assoonasyouaredressed,quietlyawakenMr。WellsandNellie,butdonotfrightenthem。"
　　"Butwhat'sthetrouble？"queriedJim,ashebegantodress。
　　"TheIndiansarepouringintothevillageasthicklyasflyingleavesinautumn。"
　　Edwards'exaggeratedassertionprovedtobealmostliterallytrue。Nosoonerhadtherisingsundispelledthemist,thanitshoneonlonglinesofmarchingbraves,mountedwarriors,hundredsofpackhorsesapproachingfromtheforests。
　　Theorderlyprocessionwasproofofaconcertedplanonthepartoftheinvaders。
　　Fromtheirwindowsthemissionarieswatchedwithbatedbreath;withwonderandfeartheysawthelonglinesofduskyforms。Whentheywereintheclearingthesavagesbusiedthemselveswiththeirpacks。Longrowsofteepeessprungupasifbymagic。Thesavageshadcometostay！Thenumberofincomingvisitorsdidnotlessenuntilnoon,whenafewstragglinggroupsmarkedtheendoftheinvadinghost。Mostsignificantofallwasthefactthatneitherchild,maiden,norsquawaccompaniedthisarmy。
　　Jimappraisedthenumberatsixorsevenhundred,morethanhadeverbeforevisitedthevillageatonetime。TheyweremostlyDelawares,withmanyShawnees,andafewHuronsamongthem。Itwassoonevident,however,thatforthepresent,atleast,theIndiansdidnotintendanyhostiledemonstration。
　　Theywerequietinmanner,andbusyabouttheirteepeesandcamp—fires,buttherewasanabsenceofthecuriositythathadcharacterizedtheformersojournsofIndiansatthepeacefulvillage。
　　Afterabriefconsultationwithhisbrothermissionaries,whoallwereopposedtohispreachingthatafternoon,Jimdecidedhewouldnotdeviatefromhisusualcustom。Heheldtheafternoonservice,andspoketothelargestcongregationthathadeversatbeforehim。Hewassurprisedtofindthatthesermon,whichheretoforesostronglyimpressedthesavages,didnotnowarousetheslightestenthusiasm。Itwasfollowedbyabroodingsilenceofaboding,ominousimport。
　　Fourwhitemen,dressedinIndiangarb,hadbeenthemostattentivelistenerstoJim'ssermon。HerecognizedthreeasSimonGirty,ElliottandDeering,therenegades,andhelearnedfromEdwardsthattheotherwasthenotoriousMcKee。
　　Thesemenwentthroughthevillage,stalkingintotheshopsandcabins,andactingasdomenwhoareonatourofinspection。
　　SointrusivewastheircuriositythatJimhurriedbacktoMr。Well'scabinandremainedthereinseclusion。Ofcourse,bythistimeNellandheruncleknewofthepresenceofthehostilesavages。Theywerefrightened,andbarelyregainedtheircomposurewhentheyoungmanassuredthemhewascertaintheyhadnorealcauseforfear。
　　JimwassittingatthedoorstepwithMr。WellsandEdwardswhenGirty,withhiscomrades,cametowardthem。Therenegadeleaderwasatall,athleticman,withadark,strongface。Therewasinitnoneofthebrutalityandferocitywhichmarkedhisbrother'svisage。SimonGirtyappearedkeen,forceful,authoritative,as,indeed,hemusthavebeentohaveattainedthepowerheheldintheconfederatedtribes。Hiscompanionspresentedwidecontrasts。
　　Elliottwasasmall,sparemanofcunning,vindictiveaspect;McKeelooked,asmighthavebeensupposedfromhisreputation,andDeeringwasafitmatefortheabsentGirty。Simonappearedtobeamanofsomeintelligence,whohadusedallhispowertomakethatpositionagreatone。Theotherrenegadesweredesperadoes。
　　"Where'sHeckewelder？"askedGirty,curtly,ashestoppedbeforethemissionaries。
　　"HestartedoutfortheIndiantownsontheMuskingong,"answeredEdwards。
　　"ButwehavehadnowordfromeitherhimorZeisberger。"
　　"Whend'yeexpecthim？"
　　"Ican'tsay。Perhapsto—morrow,andthen,again,maybenotforaweek。"
　　"Heisinauthorityhere,ain'the？"
　　"Yes;butheleftmeinchargeoftheMission。CanIserveyouinanyway？"
　　"Ireckonnot,"saidtherenegade,turningtohiscompanions。Theyconversedinlowtonesforamoment。PresentlyMcKee,ElliottandDeeringwenttowardthenewlyerectedteepees。
　　"Girty,doyoumeanusanyillwill？"earnestlyaskedEdwards。Hehadmetthemanonmorethanoneoccasion,andhadnohesitationaboutquestioninghim。
　　"Ican'tsayasIdo,"answeredtherenegade,andthosewhoheardhimbelievedhim。"ButI'maginthisredskinpreachin',an'hevbeenallalong。Theinjunsaremadclearthrough,an'Iain'tsayin'I'vetriedtoquiet'emany。Thismissionaryworkhasgottobestopped,onewayoranother。NowwhatIwaitedheretosayisthis:Iain'tquiteforgotIwaswhiteonce,an'believeyoufellarsarehonest。I'mwillin'togooutermywaytohelpyougitawayfromhere。"
　　"Goaway？"echoedEdwards。
　　"That'sit,"answeredGirty,shoulderinghisrifle。
　　"Butwhy？Weareperfectlyharmless;weareonlydoinggoodandhurtnoone。
　　Whyshouldwego？"
　　"'Causethere'sliabletobetrouble,"saidtherenegade,significantly。
　　EdwardsturnedslowlytoMr。WellsandJim。Theoldmissionarywastremblingvisibly。Jimwaspale;butmorewithangerthanfear。
　　"Thankyou,Girty,butwe'llstay,"andJim'svoicerangclear。
　　ChapterXXI。
　　"Jim,comeouthere,"calledEdwardsatthewindowofMr。Wells'cabin。
　　Theyoungmanarosefromthebreakfasttable,andwhenoutsidefoundEdwardsstandingbythedoorwithanIndianbrave。HewasaWyandotlightlybuilt,litheandwiry,easilyrecognizableasanIndianrunner。WhenJimappearedthemanhandedhimasmallpacket。Heunwoundafewfoldsofsomeoilyskintofindasquarepieceofbirchbark,uponwhichwerescratchedthefollowingwords:
　　"Rev。J。Downs。Greeting。
　　"Yourbrotherisaliveandsafe。WhisperingWindsrescuedhimbytakinghimasherhusband。LeavetheVillageofPeace。PipeandHalfKinghavebeeninfluencedbyGirty。
　　"Zane。"
　　"Now,whatdoyouthinkofthat？"exclaimedJim,handingthemessagetoEdwards。"ThankHeaven,Joewassaved！"
　　"Zane？ThatmustbetheZanewhomarriedTarhe'sdaughter,"answeredEdwards,whenhehadreadthenote。"I'mrejoicedtohearofyourbrother。"
　　"JoemarriedtothatbeautifulIndianmaiden！Well,ofallwonderfulthings,"
　　musedJim。"WhatwillNellsay？"
　　"We'regettingwarningsenough。Doyouappreciatethat？"askedEdwards。
　　"'PipeandHalfKinghavebeeninfluencedbyGirty。'Evidentlythewriterdeemedthatbriefsentenceofsufficientmeaning。"
　　"Edwards,we'repreachers。Wecan'tunderstandsuchthings。Iamlearning,atleastsomethingeveryday。ColonelZaneadvisedusnottocomehere。Wetzelsaid,'GobacktoFortHenry。'Girtywarnedus,andnowcomesthisperemptoryorderfromIsaacZane。"
　　"Well？"
　　"Itmeansthatthesebordermenseewhatwewillnotadmit。WeministershavesuchhopeandtrustinGodthatwecannotrealizethedangersofthislife。I
　　fearthatourworkhasbeeninvain。"
　　"Never。Wehavealreadysavedmanysouls。Donotbediscouraged。"
　　Allthistimetherunnerhadstoodnearathandstraightasanarrow。
　　PresentlyEdwardssuggestedthattheWyandotwaswaitingtobequestioned,andaccordinglyheaskedtheIndianifhehadanythingfurthertocommunicate。
　　"Huron——goby——paleface。"Hereheheldupbothhandsandshuthisfistsseveraltimes,evidentlyenumeratinghowmanywhitemenhehadseen。
　　"Here——when——high——sun。"
　　Withthatheboundedlightlypastthem,andlopedoffwithaneven,swingingstride。
　　"Whatdidhemean？"askedJim,almostsurehehadnotheardtherunneraright。
　　"Hemeantthatapartyofwhitemenareapproaching,andwillbeherebynoon。
　　IneverknewanIndianrunnertocarryunreliableinformation。Wehavejoyfulnews,bothinregardtoyourbrother,andtheVillageofPeace。Letusgointotelltheothers。"
　　TheHuronrunner'sreportprovedtobecorrect。ShortlybeforenoonsignalsfromIndianscoutsproclaimedtheapproachofabandofwhitemen。EvidentlyGirty'sforceshadknowledgebeforehandoftheproximityofthisband,forthesignalscreatednoexcitement。TheIndiansexpressedonlyalazycuriosity。
　　SoonseveralDelawarescoutsappeared,escortingalargepartyoffrontiersmen。
　　ThesementurnedouttobeCaptainWilliamson'sforce,whichhadbeenoutonanexpeditionafteramaraudingtribeofChippewas。Thislastnamedtribehadrecentlyharriedtheremotesettlers,andcommitteddepredationsontheoutskirtsofthewhitesettlementseastward。ThecompanywascomposedofmenwhohadservedinthegarrisonatFortPitt,andhuntersandbackwoodsmenfromYellowCreekandFortHenry。Thecaptainhimselfwasatypicalborderman,roughandbluff,hardenedbylongyearsofborderlife,and,likemostpioneers,havingnomoreuseforanIndianthanforasnake。Hehadledhispartyafterthemarauders,andsurprisedandslaughterednearlyallofthem。
　　ReturningeastwardhehadpassedthroughGoshocking,wherehelearnedofthemutteringstormrisingovertheVillageofPeace,andhadcomemoreoutofcuriositythanhopetoavertmisfortune。
　　Theadventofsomanyfrontiersmenseemedagodsendtotheperplexedandworriedmissionaries。Theywelcomedthenewcomersmostheartily。Bedsweremadeinseveralofthenewlyerectedcabins;thevillagewasgivenoverforthecomfortofthefrontiersmen。EdwardsconductedCaptainWilliamsonthroughtheshopsandschools,andtheoldborderman'sweather—beatenfaceexpressedacomicalsurprise。
　　"Wal,I'llbedurnedifIeverexpectedtoseearedskinwork,"washisonlycommentontheindustries。
　　"WearegreatlyalarmedbythepresenceofGirtyandhisfollowers,"saidEdwards。"Wehavebeenwarnedtoleave,buthavenotbeenactuallythreatened。
　　Whatdoyouinferfromtheappearancehereofthesehostilesavages？"
　　"Ithardly'pearstomethey'llbotheryoupreachers。They'reagintheChristianredskins,that'splain。"
　　"Whyhavewebeenwarnedtogo？"
　　"That'snatural,seein'they'reaginthepreachin'。"
　　"WhatwilltheydowiththeconvertedIndians？"
　　"Mightyonsartin。Theymightletthemgobacktothetribes,but'pearstomethesegoodInjunswon'tgo。Anotherthing,GirtyisafeeredofthespreadofChristianity。"
　　"ThenyouthinkourChristianswillbemadeprisoners？"
　　"'Pearslikely。"
　　"Andyou,also,thinkwe'ddowelltoleavehere。"
　　"Ido,sartin。We'restartin'forFortHenrysoon。You'dbettercomealongwithus。"
　　"CaptainWilliamson,we'regoingtostickitout,GirtyornoGirty。"
　　"Youcan'tdonogoodstayin'here。PipeandHalfKingwon'tstandforthesingin',prayin'redskins,especiallywhenthey'vegotallthesecattleandfieldsofgrain。"
　　"Wetzelsaidthesame。"
　　"HevyouseenWetzel？"
　　"Yes;herescuedagirlfromJimGirty,andreturnedhertous。"
　　"Thatso？ImetWetzelandJackZanebackafewmilesinthewoods。They'relayin'forsomebody,becausewhenIaskedthemtocomealongtheyrefused,sayin'theyhadworkasmustbedone。Theylookedlikeit,too。IneverherntellofWetzeladvisin'anyonebefore;butI'llsayifhetoldmetodoathing,byGosh！I'ddoit。"
　　"Asmen,wemightverywelltaketheadvicegivenus,butaspreacherswemuststayheretodoallwecanfortheseChristianIndians。Onethingmore:willyouhelpus？"
　　"IreckonI'llstayheretoseethethingout,"answeredWilliamson。Edwardsmadeamentalnoteofthefrontiersman'sevasiveanswer。
　　Jimhad,meanwhile,madetheacquaintanceofayoungminister,JohnChristybyname,whohadlosthissweetheartinoneoftheChippewaraids,andhadaccompaniedtheWilliamsonexpeditioninthehopehemightrescueher。
　　"Howlonghaveyoubeenout？"askedJim。
　　"Aboutfourweeksnow,"answeredChristy。"Mybetrothedwascapturedfiveweeksagoyesterday。IjoinedWilliamson'sband,whichmadeupatShortCreektotakethetrailoftheflyingChippewas,inthehopeImightfindher。Butnotatrace！TheexpeditionfelluponabandofredskinsoverontheWalhonding,andkillednearlyallofthem。IlearnedfromawoundedIndianthatarenegadehadmadeoffwithawhitegirlaboutaweekprevious。PerhapsitwaspoorLucy。"
　　JimrelatedthecircumstancesofhisowncapturebyJimGirty,therescueofNell,andKate'ssadfate。
　　"CouldJimGirtyhavegottenyourgirl？"inquiredJim,inconclusion。
　　"It'sfairlyprobable。Thedescriptiondoesn'ttallywithGirty's。Thisrenegadewasshortandheavy,andnotedespeciallyforhisstrength。Ofcourse,anIndianwouldfirstspeakofsomesuchdistinguishingfeature。
　　Thereare,however,tenortwelverenegadesontheborder,and,exceptingJimGirty,one'sasbadasanother。"
　　"Thenit'sacommonoccurrence,thisabductinggirlsfromthesettlements？"
　　"Yes,andthestrangethingisthatoneneverhearsofsuchdoingsuntilhegetsoutonthefrontier。"
　　"Forthatmatter,youdon'thearmuchofanything,exceptofthewonderfulrichnessandpromiseofthewesterncountry。"
　　"You'reright。Rumorsoffat,fertilelandsinducethecolonisttobecomeapioneer。Hecomeswestwithhisfamily;twooutofeverytenlosetheirscalps,andinsomeplacestheaverageismuchgreater。Thewives,daughtersandchildrenarecarriedoffintocaptivity。Ihavebeenonthebordertwoyears,andknowthattherescueofanycaptive,asWetzelrescuedyourfriend,isaremarkableexception。"
　　"Ifyouhavesolittlehopeofrecoveringyoursweetheart,whatthenisyourmotiveforaccompanyingthisbandofhunters？"
　　"Revenge！"
　　"Andyouareapreacher？"Jim'svoicedidnotdisguisehisastonishment。
　　"Iwasapreacher,andnowIamthirstingforvengeance,"answeredChristy,hisfacecloudingdarkly。"Waituntilyoulearnwhatfrontierlifemeans。Youareyounghereyet;youareflushedwiththesuccessofyourteaching;youhavelivedashorttimeinthisquietvillage,where,untilthelastfewdays,allhasbeenserene。Youknownothingofthestrife,ofthenecessityoffighting,ofthecrueltywhichmakesupthisborderexistence。OnlytwoyearshavehardenedmesothatIactuallypantforthebloodoftherenegadewhohasrobbedme。Afrontiersmanmusttakehischoiceofsuccumbingorcuttinghiswaythroughfleshandbone。Bloodwillbespilled;ifnotyours,thenyourfoe's。Thepioneersrunfromtheplowtothefight;theyhaltinthecuttingofcorntodefendthemselves,andinwintermustbattleagainstcoldandhardship,whichwouldbelesscrueliftherewastimeinsummertoprepareforwinter,forthesavagesleavethemhardlyanopportunitytoplantcrops。Howmanypioneershavegivenup,andgonebackeast？Findmeanywhowouldnotreturnhometo—morrow,iftheycould。Allthatbringsthemouthereisthechanceforahome,andallthatkeepsthemouthereisthepoorhopeoffinallyattainingtheirobject。Alwaysthereisapossibilityoffutureprosperity。Butthisgeneration,ifitsurvives,willneverseeprosperityandhappiness。Whatdoesthisborderlifeengenderinapioneerwhoholdshisowninit？Ofallthings,notChristianity。Hebecomesafighter,keenastheredskinwhostealsthroughthecoverts。"
　　TheserenedaysoftheVillageofPeacehadpassedintohistory。Soonthatdepravedvagabond,theFrenchtrader,withcheaptrinketsandvilewhisky,madehisappearance。Thiswasallthatwasneededtoinflamethevisitors。
　　Wheretheyhadbeenonlyboldandimpudent,theybecameinsultingandabusive。
　　TheyexecratedtheChristianindiansfortheirneutrality;scornedthemforworshipingthisunknownGod,anddenouncedareligionwhichmadewomenofstrongmen。
　　Theslaughteringofcattlecommenced;thedespoilingofmaizefields,androbbingofcorn—cribsbeganwiththedrunkenness。
　　AllthistimeitwasseenthatGirtyandElliottconsultedoftenwithPipeandHalfKing。ThelatterwastheonlyHuronchiefopposedtoneutralitytowardtheVillageofPeace,andhewas,ifpossible,morefierceinhishatredthanPipe。ThefutureoftheChristiansettlementrestedwiththesetwochiefs。
　　GirtyandElliott,evidently,werethedesigningschemers,andtheyworkeddiligentlyonthepassionsofthesesimple—minded,butfierce,warlikechiefs。
　　Greatlytothereliefofthedistractedmissionaries,Heckewelderreturnedtothevillage。Jadedandhaggard,hepresentedatravel—wornappearance。HemadetheastonishingassertionsthathehadbeenthricewaylaidandassaultedonhiswaytoGoshocking;thendetainedbyarovingbandofChippewas,andsoonafterhisarrivalattheircampinggroundarenegadehadrunoffwithawhitewomancaptive,whiletheIndianswestofthevillagewereinanuproar。
　　Zeisberger,however,wassafeintheMoraviantownofSalem,somemileswestofGoshocking。HeckewelderhadexpectedtofindthesameconditionofaffairsasexistedintheVillageofPeace;buthewasbewilderedbythegreatarrayofhostileIndians。Chiefswhohadonceextendedfriendlyhandstohim,nowdrewbackcoldly,astheysaid:
　　"Washingtonisdead。TheAmericanarmiesarecuttopieces。ThefewthousandswhohadescapedtheBritisharecollectingatFortPitttostealtheIndian'sland。"
　　Heckeweldervigorouslydeniedalltheseassertions,knowingtheyhadbeeninventedbyGirtyandElliott。HeexhaustedallhisskillandpatienceinthevainendeavortoshowPipewherehewaswrong。HalfKinghadbeensowellcoachedbytherenegadesthatherefusedtolisten。Theotherchiefsmaintainedacoldreservethatwasbafflingandexasperating。Wingenundtooknoactivepartinthecouncils;buthispresenceapparentlydenotedthathehadsidedwiththeothers。Theoutlookwasaltogetherdiscouraging。
　　"I'mcompletelyfaggedout,"declaredHeckewelder,thatnightwhenhereturnedtoEdwards'cabin。Hedroppedintoachairasonewhosestrengthisentirelyspent,whoseindomitablespirithasatlastbeenbroken。
　　"Liedowntorest,"saidEdwards。
　　"Oh,Ican't。Matterslooksoblack。"
　　"You'retiredoutanddiscouraged。You'llfeelbetterto—morrow。Thesituationisnot,perhaps,sohopeless。Thepresenceofthesefrontiersmenshouldencourageus。"
　　"Whatwilltheydo？Whatcantheydo？"criedHeckewelder,bitterly。"ItellyouneverbeforehaveIencounteredsuchgloomy,stonyIndians。Itseemstomethattheyareinnovacillatingstate。Theyactlikemenwhosecourseisalreadydecidedupon,andwhoareonlywaiting。"
　　"Forwhat？"askedJim,afteralongsilence。
　　"Godonlyknows！Perhapsforatime;possiblyforafinaldecision,and,itmaybe,forareason,theverythoughtofwhichmakesmefaint。"
　　"Tellus,"saidEdwards,speakingquietly,forhehadeverbeenthecalmestofthemissionaries。
　　"Nevermind。Perhapsit'sonlymynerves。I'mallunstrung,andcouldsuspectanythingto—night。"
　　"Heckewelder,tellus？"Jimasked,earnestly。
　　"Myfriends,IprayIamwrong。Godhelpusifmyfearsarecorrect。IbelievetheIndiansarewaitingforJimGirty。
　　ChapterXXII。
　　SimonGirtylolledonablanketinHalfKing'steepee。Hewasalone,awaitinghisallies。RingsofwhitesmokecurledlazilyfromhislipsashepuffedonalongIndianpipe,andgazedoutovertheclearingthatcontainedtheVillageofPeace。
　　Stillwaterhassomethinginitsplacidsurfacesignificantofdeepchannels,ofhiddendepths;thedimoutlineoftheforestisdarkwithmeaning,suggestiveofitswildinternalcharacter。SoSimonGirty'shard,bronzedfacebetrayedtheman。Hisdegeneratebrother'sfeatureswererevolting;buthisownwerestriking,andfellshortofbeinghandsomeonlybecauseoftheircraggyhardness。Yearsofrevolt,ofbitterness,ofconsciousnessofwastedlife,hadgraventheirsternlinesonthatcopper,masklikeface。Yetdespitethecrueltythere,theforbiddingshadeonit,asifareflectionfromadarksoul,itwasnotwhollyabadcountenance。Tracesstilllingered,faintly,ofamaninwhomkindlierfeelingshadoncepredominated。
　　InamomentofpiqueGirtyhaddesertedhismilitarypostatFortPitt,andbecomeanoutlawofhisownvolition。Previoustothattimehehadbeenanablesoldier,andagoodfellow。Whenherealizedthathisstepwasirrevocable,thatevenhisbestfriendscondemnedhim,heplunged,withangeranddespairinhisheart,intoawaruponhisownrace。Bothofhisbrothershadlongbeenborderruffians,whoseonlyprotectionfromtheoutragedpioneerslayinthefarawaycampsofhostiletribes。GeorgeGirtyhadsosunkhisindividualityintothesavage'sthathewasnolongerawhiteman。JimGirtystalkedovertheborderlandwithabloodytomahawk,hislongarmoutstretchedtoclutchsomeunfortunatewhitewoman,andwithhishideoussmileofdeath。Bothofthesemenwerefarlowerthantheworstsavages,anditwasalmostwhollytotheirdeedsofdarknessthatSimonGirtyowedhisinfamousname。
　　To—dayWhiteChief,asGirtywascalled,awaitedhismen。Aslighttremorofthegroundcausedhimtoturnhisgaze。TheHuronchief,HalfKing,resplendentinhismagnificentarray,hadenteredtheteepee。Hesquattedinacorner,restedthebowlofhisgreatpipeonhisknee,andsmokedinsilence。Thehabitualfrownofhisblackbrow,likeashaded,overhangingcliff;thefireflashingfromhiseyes,asashininglightisreflectedfromadarkpool;hisclosely—shut,bulgingjaw,allbespokeanature,loftyinitsIndianprideandarrogance,butmorecruelthandeath。
　　Anotherchiefstalkedintotheteepeeandseatedhimself。ItwasPipe。HiscountenancedenotednoneoftheintelligencethatmadeWingenund'sfacesonoble;itwasevencoarserthanHalfKing's,andhiseyes,resemblinglivecoalsinthedark;thelong,cruellinesofhisjaw;thethin,tightly—closedlips,whichlookedasiftheycouldrelaxonlytoutterasavagecommand,expressedfiercecunningandbrutality。
　　"WhiteChiefisidleto—day,"saidHalfKing,speakingintheIndiantongue。
　　"King,Iamwaiting。Girtyisslow,butsure,"answeredtherenegade。
　　"Theeaglesailsslowlyroundandround,upandup,"repliedHalfKing,withmajesticgestures,"untilhiseyeseesall,untilheknowshistime;thenhefoldshiswingsandswoopsdownfromtheblueskyliketheforkedfire。SodoesWhiteChief。ButHalfKingisimpatient。"
　　"To—daydecidesthefateoftheVillageofPeace,"answeredGirty,imperturbably。
　　"Ugh！"gruntedPipe。
　　HalfKingventedhisapprovalinthesamemeaningexclamation。
　　Anhourpassed;therenegadesmokedinsilence;thechiefsdidlikewise。
　　Ahorsemanrodeuptothedooroftheteepee,dismounted,andcamein。ItwasElliott。Hehadbeenabsenttwentyhours。Hisbuckskinsuitshowedtheeffectofhardridingthroughthethickets。
　　"Hullo,Bill,anysignofJim？"wasGirty'sgreetingtohislieutenant。
　　"Nary。He'snotbeenseenneartheDelawarecamp。He'safterthatchapwhomarriedWinds。"
　　"Ithoughtso。Jim'sroundin'upatenderfootwhowillbeabadmantohandleifhehashalfachance。IsawasmuchthedayhetookhishorseawayfromSilver。HefinallydidfertheShawnee,an'almostputJimout。Mybrotheroughtn'ttogivereintopersonalrevengeatatimelikethis。"Girty'sfacedidnotchange,buthistonewasoneofannoyance。
　　"Jimsaidhe'dbehereto—day,didn'the？"
　　"To—dayisaslongasweallowedtowait。"
　　"He'llcome。Where'sJakeandMac？"
　　"They'reheresomewhere,drinkin'likefish,an'raisin'hell。"
　　Twomorerenegadesappearedatthedoor,and,enteringtheteepee,squatteddowninIndianfashion。ThelittlewirymanwiththewizenedfacewasMcKee;
　　theotherwasthelatestacquisitiontotherenegadeforce,JakeDeering,deserter,thief,murderer——everythingthatisbad。Inappearancehewasofmediumheight,butveryheavily,compactlybuilt,andevidentlyasstrongasanox。Hehadatangledshockofredhair,abroad,bloatedface;big,dulleyes,liketheopeningsofemptyfurnaces,andanexpressionofbeastliness。
　　DeeringandMcKeewereintoxicated。
　　"Badtimeferdrinkin',"saidGirty,withdisapprovalinhisglance。
　　"What'sthatteryou？"growledDeering。"I'mhereterdoyourwork,an'I
　　reckonit'llbedonebetterifI'mdrunk。"
　　"Don'tgitcareless,"repliedGirty,withthatcooltoneanddarklooksuchasdangerousmenuse。"I'monlysayin'it'sabadtimeferyou,becauseifthisbunchoffrontiersmenhappentogitontoyoubein'therenegadethatwaswiththeChippewasan'gotthetyoungfeller'sgirl,there'sliabletobetrouble。"
　　"Theyain'tagoin'terfindout。"
　　"Whereisshe？"
　　"Backthereinthewoods。"
　　"Mebbeit'saswell。Now,don'tgitsodrunkyou'llblaballyouknow。We'velotsofworktodowithouthavin'tocleanupWilliamson'sbunch,"rejoinedGirty。"Bill,tieupthetentflapsan'we'llgittocouncil。"
　　Elliottarosetocarryouttheorder,andhadpulledinthedeer—hideflaps,whenoneofthemwasjerkedoutwardtodisclosethebefrilledpersonofJimGirty。Exceptforadiscolorationoverhiseye,heappearedasusual。
　　"Ugh！"gruntedPipe,whowasgladtoseehisrenegadefriend。
　　HalfKingevincedthesamefeeling。
　　"Hullo,"wasSimonGirty'sgreeting。
　　"'PearsI'montimeferthepicnic,"saidJimGirty,withhisghastlyleer。
　　BillElliottclosedtheflaps,aftergivingorderstotheguardtopreventanyIndiansfromloiteringneartheteepee。
　　"Listen,"saidSimonGirty,speakinglowintheDelawarelanguage。"Thetimeisripe。Wehavecomeheretobreakforevertheinfluenceofthewhiteman'sreligion。Ourcouncilshavebeenheld;weshalldriveawaythemissionaries,andburntheVillageofPeace。"