"Yes——uncle——Iwillgo——Kate,wemust——go。"
　　Anotherintervalofsilence,thenmoremurmurings。Hedistinguishedhisownname,andpresentlyshecalledclearly,asifansweringsomeinwardquestioner。
　　"I——lovehim——yes——IloveJoe——hehasmasteredme。YetIwishhewere——likeJim——Jimwholookedatme——so——withhisdeepeyes——andI。"
　　Joeliftedherasifshewereababy,andcarryingherdowntotheraft,gentlylaidherbyhersleepingsister。
　　Theinnocentwordswhichheshouldnothaveheardwerelikeablow。Whatshewouldneverhaveacknowledgedinherwakinghourshadbeenrevealedinherdreams。HerecalledtheglanceofJim'seyesasithadrestedonNellmanytimesthatday,andnowthesethingsweremostsignificant。
　　Hefoundattheendoftheislandagreat,mossystone。Onthisheclimbed,andsatwherethemoonlightstreameduponhim。Graduallythatcoldbitternessdiedoutfromhisface,asitpassedfromhisheart,andoncemorehebecameengrossedinthesilversheenonthewater,thelappingofthewavesonthepebblybeach,andinthatspeaking,mysterioussilenceofthewoods。
　　Whenthefirstfaintraysofredstreakedovertheeasternhill—tops,andtherivermistarosefromthewaterinavaporycloud,JeffLynnrolledoutofhisblanket,stretchedhislonglimbs,andgaveaheartycalltothemorning。HischeerfulwelcomeawakenedallthevoyagersexceptJoe,whohadspentthenightinwatchingandtheearlymorninginfishing。
　　"Wal,I'llbedarned,"ejaculatedJeffashesawJoe。"Upaforeme,an'
　　ketchedastringoffish。"
　　"Whatarethey？"askedJoe,holdingupseveralbronze—backedfish。
　　"Bass——blackbass,an'thetbigfellerisalammin'hefty'un。How'dyeketch'em？"
　　"Ifishedforthem。"
　　"Wal,soit'pears,"growledJeff,oncemorereluctantlyyieldingtohisadmirationforthelad。"How'dyewakeupsoearly？"
　　"Istayedupallnight。Isawthreedeerswimfromthemainland,butnothingelsecamearound。"
　　"Tryyerhandatcleanin''emferbreakfast,"continuedJeff,beginningtobusyhimselfwithpreparationsforthatmeal。"Wal,wal,ifheain'tsurprisin'！He'lldosomethin'outhereonthefrontier,sureasI'mabornsinner,"hemutteredtohimself,wagginghisheadinhisquaintmanner。
　　Breakfastover,Jefftransferredthehorsestothesmallerraft,whichhehadcutloosefromhisown,and,givingafewdirectionstoBill,starteddown—streamwithMr。Wellsandthegirls。
　　Theraftsremainedclosetogetherforawhile,butasthecurrentquickenedandwasmoreskillfullytakenadvantageofbyJeff,thelargerraftgainedconsiderableheadway,graduallywideningthegapbetweenthetwo。
　　Alldaytheydrifted。FromtimetotimeJoeandJimwavedtheirhandstothegirls;butthegreaterportionoftheirattentionwasgiventoquietingthehorses。Mose,Joe'sbigwhitedog,retiredindisgusttothehut,wherehewatchedanddozedbyturns。Hedidnotfancythiskindofvoyaging。Billstrainedhissturdyarmsalldayonthesteering—oar。
　　AboutthemiddleoftheafternoonJoeobservedthatthehillsgrewmoreruggedandprecipitous,andtheriverranfaster。Hekeptaconstantlookoutforthewallofrockwhichmarkedthepointofdanger。Whenthesunhaddisappearedbehindthehills,hesawaheadagrayrockprotrudingfromthegreenfoliage。
　　Itwasponderous,overhanging,andseemedtofrowndownontheriver。ThiswasShawneeRock。Joelookedlongatthecliff,andwonderediftherewasnowanIndianscouthiddenbehindthepinesthatskirtedtheedge。Prominentonthetopofthebluffalarge,deadtreeprojecteditshoary,twistedbranches。
　　Billevidentlysawthelandmark,forhestoppedinhismonotonouswalktoandfroacrosstheraft,andpushinghisoaramidshipshelookedaheadfortheotherraft。Thefigureofthetallfrontiersmancouldbeplainlyseenashelaboredatthehelm。
　　Theraftdisappearedroundabend,andasitdidsoJoesawawhitescarfwavedbyNell。
　　Billworkedtheclumsycraftovertowardtherightshorewherethecurrentwasmorerapid。Hepushedwithallhisstrength,andwhentheoarhadreacheditswidestsweep,helifteditandranbackacrosstheraftforanotherpush。Joescannedtheriverahead。Hesawnorapids;onlyrougherwaterwhirlingoversomerocks。Theywerewherethechannelnarrowedandranclosetotheright—handbank。Underawillow—flankedledgewasasand—bar。ToJoethereseemednothinghazardousindriftingthroughthispass。
　　"Badplaceahead,"saidBill,observingJoe'ssurveyoftheriver。
　　"Itdoesn'tlookso,"repliedJoe。
　　"Araftain'taboat。Wecouldpoleaboat。Youhastohevwatertofloatlogs,an'theriver'srunoutconsiderable。I'monlyafeerdferthehorses。Ifwehitordrag,theymightplungearoundabit。"
　　Whentheraftpassedintotheheadofthebenditstrucktherocksseveraltimes,butfinallygainedthechannelsafely,andeverythingseemedpropitiousforaneasypassage。
　　But,greatlytoBill'ssurprise,thewidecraftwascaughtdirectlyinthechannel,andswungroundsothatthesteering—oarpointedtowardtheoppositeshore。Thewaterroaredafootdeepoverthelogs。
　　"Holdhardonthehorses！"yelledBill。"Somethin'swrong。Ineverseenasnaghere。"
　　Thestrainingmassoflogs,insecurelyfastenedtogether,rolledandthenpitchedlooseagain,buttheshortdelayhadbeenfataltothesteeringapparatus。
　　Joewouldhavefoundkeenenjoymentinthesituation,haditnotbeenforhishorse,Lance。Thethoroughbredwasdifficulttohold。AsBillwasmakingstrenuouseffortstogetinaluckystrokeoftheoar,hefailedtoseealonglengthofgrapevinefloatinglikeabrownsnakeofthewaterbelow。IntheexcitementtheyheedednotthebarkingofMose。Nordidtheyseethegrapevinestraightenandbecometautjustastheydrifteduponit;butthefelttheraftstrikeandholdonsomesubmergedobject。Itcreakedandgroanedandthefoamywatersurged,gurgling,betweenthelogs。
　　Jim'smaresnortedwithterror,andrearinghigh,pulledherhalterlooseandplungedintotheriver。ButJimstillheldher,atriskofbeingdrawnoverboard。
　　"Letgo！She'lldragyouin！"yelledJoe,graspinghimwithhisfreehand。
　　Lancetrembledviolentlyandstrainedattherope,whichhismasterheldwithastronggrip。
　　CRACK！
　　Thestingingreportofariflerangoutabovethesplashingofthewater。
　　Withoutacry,Bill'sgraspontheoarloosened;hefelloveritlimply,hisheadstrikingthealmostsubmergedlog。Adark—redfluidcoloredthewater;
　　thenhisbodyslippedovertheoarandintotheriver,whereitsank。
　　"MyGod！Shot！"criedJim,inhorrifiedtones。
　　Hesawapuffofwhitesmokerisingabovethewillows。Thenthebranchesparted,revealingthedarkformsofseveralIndianwarriors。Fromtherifleintheforemostsavage'shadaslightveilofsmokerose。Withtheleapofapanthertheredskinsprangfromthestripofsandtotheraft。
　　"Hold,Jim！Dropthatax！We'recaught！"criedJoe。
　　"It'sthatIndianfromthefort！"gaspedJim。
　　ThestalwartwarriorwasindeedSilvertip。Buthowchanged！Strippedoftheblankethehadwornatthesettlement,nowstandingnakedbutforhisbuckskinbreech—cloth,withhisperfectlyproportionedformdisclosedinallitssinewybeauty,andonhisswarthy,evilfaceanexpressionofsavagescorn,hesurelylookedawarriorandachief。
　　HedrewhistomahawkandflashedadarkglanceatJoe。Foramomenthesteadilyregardedtheyoungman;butifheexpectedtoseefearinthelatter'sfacehewasmistaken,forthelookwasreturnedcoolly。
　　"Palefacestealshirt,"hesaidinhisdeepvoice。"Foolpalefaceplay——Silvertipnoforget。"
　　ChapterV。
　　Silvertipturnedtohisbraves,andgivingabriefcommand,sprangfromtheraft。Thewarriorsclosedinaroundthebrothers;twograspingeachbythearms,andtheremainingIndiantakingcareofthehorse。Thecaptiveswerethenledashore,whereSilvertipawaitedthem。
　　Whenthehorsewasclearoftheraft,whichtasknecessitatedconsiderablelaboronthepartoftheIndians,thechiefseizedthegrapevine,thatwasnowplainlyinsight,andsevereditwithoneblowofhistomahawk。Theraftdashedforwardwithalurchanddrifteddownstream。
　　IntheclearwaterJoecouldseethecunningtrapwhichhadcausedthedeathofBill,andinsuredthecaptivityofhimselfandhisbrother。Thecraftysavageshadtrimmedasix—inchsaplingandanchoreditunderthewater。Theyweightedtheheavyend,leavingtheotherpointingupstream。Tothislasthadbeentiedthegrapevine。Whenthedriftingraftreachedthesapling,theIndiansconcealedinthewillowspulledhardontheimprovisedrope;theendofthesaplingstuckuplikeahook,andtheaftwascaughtandheld。ThekillingofthehelmsmanshowedtheIndians'foresight;evenhadtheraftdriftedondownstreamthebrotherswouldhavebeenhelplessonacrafttheycouldnotmanage。Afterall,Joethought,hehadnotbeensofarwrongwhenhehalffanciedthatanIndianlaybehindShawneeRock,andhemarveledatthisclevertrickwhichhadsoeasilyeffectedtheircapture。
　　Buthehadlittletimetolookaroundatthesceneofaction。Therewasamomentonlyinwhichtostudytherivertolearniftheunfortunateraftsman'sbodyhadappeared。Itwasnottobeseen。Theriverranswiftlyandhidallevidenceofthetragedyunderitssmoothsurface。WhenthebravewhohadgonebacktotheraftforthegoodsjoinedhiscompanionthetwohurriedJoeupthebankaftertheothers。
　　OnceuponlevelgroundJoesawbeforehimanopenforest。OntheborderofthistheIndiansstoppedlongenoughtobindtheprisoners'wristswiththongsofdeerhide。Whiletwoofthebravesperformedthisoffice,Silvertipleanedagainstatreeandtooknonoticeofthebrothers。Whentheywerethussecurelytiedoneoftheircaptorsaddressedthechief,whoatonceledthewaywestwardthroughtheforest。Thesavagesfollowedinsinglefile,withJoeandJiminthemiddleoftheline。ThelastIndiantriedtomountLance;butthethoroughbredwouldhavenoneofhim,andafterseveraleffortsthesavagewascompelledtodesist。Mosetrottedreluctantlyalongbehindthehorse。
　　Althoughthechiefpreservedadignifiedmien,hisbravesweredisposedtobegay。Theywereinhighgleeovertheirfeatofcapturingthepalefaces,andkeptupanincessantjabbering。OneIndian,whowalkeddirectlybehindJoe,continuallyproddedhimwiththestockofarifle;andwheneverJoeturned,thebrawnyredskingrinnedashegrunted,"Ugh！"Joeobservedthatthishugesavagehadabroadfaceofratheralightershadeofredthanhiscompanions。
　　Perhapsheintendedthoserifle—prodsinfriendliness,foralthoughtheycertainlyamusedhim,hewouldallownooneelsetotouchJoe;butitwouldhavebeenmorepleasinghadheshownhisfriendshipinagentlemanner。ThisIndiancarriedJoe'spack,muchtohisowndelight,especiallyashiscompanionsevincedanenviouscuriosity。Thebigfellowwouldnot,however,allowthemtotouchit。
　　"He'sacheerfulbrute,"remarkedJoetoJim。
　　"Ugh！"gruntedthebigIndian,jammingJoewithhisrifle—stock。
　　Joetookheedtothewarningandspokenomore。Hegaveallhisattentiontothecourseoverwhichhewasbeingtaken。HerewashisfirstopportunitytolearnsomethingofIndiansandtheirwoodcraft。Itoccurredtohimthathiscaptorswouldnothavebeensogayandcarelesshadtheynotbelievedthemselvessafefrompursuit,andheconcludedtheywereleisurelyconductinghimtooneoftheIndiantowns。Hewatchedthesupplefigurebeforehim,wonderingatthequickstep,lightasthefallofaleaf,andtriedtowalkassoftly。Hefound,however,thatwheretheIndianreadilyavoidedthesticksandbrush,hewasunabletomovewithoutsnappingtwigs。Nowandthenhewouldlookupandstudythelayofthelandahead;andashecamenearertocertainrocksandtreeshescrutinizedthemclosely,inordertoremembertheirshapeandgeneralappearance。Hebelievedhewasblazingoutinhismindthiswoodlandtrail,sothatshouldfortunefavorhimandhecontrivetoescape,hewouldbeabletofindhiswaybacktotheriver。Also,hewasenjoyingthewildscenery。
　　Thisforestwouldhaveappearedbeautiful,eventooneindifferenttosuchcharms,andJoewasfarfromthat。Everymomenthefeltstealstrongeroverhimasubtleinfluencewhichhecouldnotdefine。Halfunconsciouslyhetriedtoanalyzeit,butitbaffledhim。Hecouldnomoreexplainwhatfascinatedhimthanhecouldunderstandwhatcausedthemelancholyquietwhichhungoverthegladesandhollows。Hehadpicturedarealforestsodifferentlyfromthis。Herewasalonglanepavedwithspringymossandfencedbybright—greensassafras;thereasecludeddale,dottedwithpale—blueblossoms,overwhichthegiantcottonwoodsleanedtheirheads,jealouslyguardingthedelicateflowersfromthesun。Beechtrees,growingcloseinclannygroups,spreadtheirstraightlimbsgracefully;thewhitebirchesgleamedlikesilverwhereverastraysunbeamstolethroughthefoliage,andtheoaks,monarchsoftheforest,roseoverall,dark,rugged,andkingly。
　　Joesoonunderstoodwhythepartytraveledthroughsuchopenforest。Thechief,seeminghardlytodeviatefromhisdirectcourse,keptclearofbrokenground,mattedthicketsandtangledwindfalls。Joegotaglimpseofdarkravinesandheardthemusicoftumblingwaters;hesawgraycliffsgrownoverwithvines,andfullofholesandcrevices;steepridges,coveredwithdensepatchesofbriarandhazel,risingintheway。YettheShawneealwaysfoundaneasypath。
　　Thesunwentdownbehindthefoliageinthewest,andshadowsappearedlowintheglens;thenthetreesfadedintoanindistinctmass;apurpleshadesettleddownovertheforest,andnightbroughtthepartytoahalt。
　　TheIndiansselectedashelteredspotundertheleeofaknoll,atthebaseofwhichranalittlebrook。Hereinthisinclosedspaceweretheremainsofacamp—fire。EvidentlytheIndianshadhaltedtherethatsameday,forthelogsstillsmouldered。Whileonebravefannedtheembers,anothertookfromaneighboringbranchahaunchofdeermeat。Ablazewassooncoaxedfromthedullcoals,morefuelwasadded,andpresentlyacheerfulfireshoneonthecircleofduskyforms。
　　ItwasapicturewhichJoehadseeninmanyaboyishdream;nowthathewasapartofithedidnotdwellonthehopelessnessofthesituation,norofthehostilechiefwhoseenmityhehadincurred。Almost,itseemed,hewasgladofthischancetowatchtheIndiansandlistentothem。HehadbeenkeptapartfromJim,anditappearedtoJoethattheircaptorstreatedhisbrotherwithacontemptwhichtheydidnotshowhim。Silvertiphad,nodoubt,informedthemthatJimhadbeenonhiswaytoteachtheIndiansofthewhiteman'sGod。
　　Jimsatwithdroopinghead;hisfacewassad,andevidentlyhetookthemostdishearteningviewofhiscapture。Whenhehadeatenthesliceofvenisongivenhimhelaydownwithhisbacktothefire。
　　Silvertip,inthesesurroundings,showedhisrealcharacter。Hehadappearedfriendlyinthesettlement;butnowhewastherelentlesssavage,asonofthewilds,freeasaneagle。Hisdignityasachiefkepthimalooffromhisbraves。Hehadtakennonoticeoftheprisonerssincethecapture。Heremainedsilent,steadilyregardingthefirewithhissombereyes。Atlength,glancingatthebigIndian,hemotionedtowardtheprisonersandwithasinglewordstretchedhimselfontheleaves。
　　JoenotedthesamechangelessnessofexpressionintheotherdarkfacesashehadseeninSilvertip's。Itstruckhimforcibly。Whentheyspokeintheirsoft,gutturaltones,orburstintoalow,notunmusicallaughter,orsatgazingstolidlyintothefire,theirfacesseemedalwaysthesame,inscrutable,likethedepthsoftheforestnowhiddeninnight。OnethingJoefeltratherthansaw——thesesavageswerefierceanduntamable。HewassorryforJim,because,ashebelieved,itwouldbeaseasytoteachthepanthergentlenesstowardhispreyastoinstillintooneofthesewildcreaturesabeliefinChrist。
　　Thebravesmanifestedkeenpleasureinanticipationastowhattheywouldgetoutofthepack,whichtheIndiannowopened。TimeandagainthebigbraveplacedhisbroadhandontheshoulderofacomradeIndianandpushedhimbackward。
　　Finallythepackwasopened。Itcontainedafewarticlesofwearingapparel,apairofboots,andapipeandpouchoftobacco。ThebigIndiankeptthelatterarticles,gruntingwithsatisfaction,andthrewthebootsandclothestotheothers。Immediatelytherewasascramble。Onebrave,afterastrugglewithanother,gotpossessionofbothboots。Heatonceslippedoffhismoccasinsanddrewonthewhiteman'sfoot—coverings。Hestruttedaroundinthemafewmoments,buthisproudmannersoonchangedtodisgust。
　　Cowhidehadnoneofthesoft,yieldingqualitiesofbuckskin,andhurttheIndian'sfeet。Sittingdown,hepulledoneoff,notwithoutdifficulty,forthebootswerewet;buthecouldnotremovetheother。Hehesitatedamoment,beingawareofthesubduedmerrimentofhiscomrades,andthenhelduphisfoottothenearestone。ThischancedtobethebigIndian,whoevidentlyhadakeensenseofhumor。Takingholdofthebootwithbothhands,hedraggedthelucklessbraveentirelyaroundthecamp—fire。Thefun,however,wasnottobeallone—sided。ThebigIndiangaveamorestrenuouspull,andthebootcameoffsuddenly。Unpreparedforthis,helosthisbalanceandfelldownthebankalmostintothecreek。Heheldontotheboot,nevertheless,andgettingup,threwitintothefire。
　　Thebravesquieteddownafterthat,andsoonlapsedintoslumber,leavingthebigfellow,towhomthechiefhadaddressedhisbriefcommand,acting,asguard。ObservingJoewatchinghimashepuffedonhisnewpipe,hegrinned,andspokeinbrokenEnglishthatwasintelligible,andmuchofasurprisetotheyoungman。
　　"Paleface——tobac'——heapgood。"
　　Then,seeingthatJoemadenoefforttofollowhisbrother'sinitiative,forJimwasfastasleep,hepointedtotherecumbentfiguresandspokeagainin。
　　"Ugh！Palefacesleep——Injunwigwams——nearsettingsun。"
　　OnthefollowingmorningJoewasawakenedbythepaininhislegs,whichhadbeenboundallnight。Hewasgladwhenthebondswerecutandthepartytookupitswestwardmarch。
　　TheIndians,thoughsomewhatquieter,displayedthesamecarelessness:theydidnothurry,noruseparticularcaution,butselectedthemostopenpathsthroughtheforest。Theyevenhaltedwhileoneoftheirnumbercreptuponaherdofbrowsingdeer。Aboutnoontheleaderstoppedtodrinkfromaspring;
　　hisbravesfollowedsuitandpermittedthewhiteprisonerstoquenchtheirthirst。
　　Whentheywereabouttostartagainthesinglenoteofabirdfarawayinthewoodssoundedclearlyonthequietair。Joewouldnothavegivenheedtoithadhebeenlessattentive。Heinstantlyassociatedthispeculiarbird—notewiththesuddenstiffeningofSilvertip'sbodyandhisattitudeofintenselistening。Lowexclamationscamefromthebravesastheybenttocatchthelightestsound。Presently,abovethemurmurofthegentlefallofwateroverthestones,rosethatmusicalnoteoncemore。Itwasmadebyabird,Joethought,andyet,judgedbytheactionsoftheIndians,howpotentwithmeaningbeyondthatofthesimplemelodyofthewoodlandsongster！Heturned,halfexpectingtoseesomewhereinthetree—topsthebirdwhichhadwroughtsosuddenachangeinhiscaptors。Ashedidsofromcloseathandcamethesamecall,nowlouder,butidenticalwiththeonethathaddeceivedhim。Itwasanansweringsignal,andhadbeengivenbySilvertip。
　　ItflashedintoJoe'smindthatothersavageswereintheforest;theyhadrunacrosstheShawnees'trail,andwerethuscommunicatingwiththem。Soondarkfigurescouldbediscernedagainstthepatchesofgreenthicket;theycamenearerandnearer,andnowenteredtheopengladewhereSilvertipstoodwithhiswarriors。
　　Joecountedtwelve,andnotedthattheydifferedfromhiscaptors。Hehadonlytimetoseethatthisdifferenceconsistedinthehead—dress,andinthecolorandquantityofpaintontheirbodies,whenhisgazewasattractedandrivetedtotheforemostfigures。
　　Thefirstwasthatofaverytallandstatelychief,towardwhomSilvertipnowadvancedwitheveryshowofrespect。InthisIndian'scommandingstature,inhisreddish—bronzeface,sternandpowerful,therewerereadablethecharacteristicsofaking。Inhisdeep—seteyes,gleamingfromunderaponderousbrow;inhismastiff—likejaw;ineveryfeatureofhishaughtyfacewerevisibleallthehighintelligence,theconsciousnessofpastvalor,andthepowerandauthoritythatdenoteagreatchieftain。
　　Thesecondfigurewasequallystrikingfortheremarkablecontrastitaffordedtothechief's。Despitethegaudygarments,thepaint,thefringedandbeadedbuckskinleggins——alltheIndianaccoutermentsandgarmentswhichbedeckedthisperson,hewouldhavebeenknownanywhereasawhiteman。Hisskinwasburnedtoadarkbronze,butithadnottheredtingewhichcharacterizestheIndian。Thiswhitemanhad,indeed,astrangephysiognomy。Theforeheadwasnarrowandslopedbackwardfromthebrow,denotinganimalinstincts。Theeyeswereclosetogether,yellowish—brownincolor,andhadapeculiarvibratingmovement,asthoughtheywerehungonapivot,likeacompass—needle。Thenosewaslongandhooked,andthemouthsetinathin,cruelline。Therewasintheman'saspectanextraordinarycombinationofignorance,vanity,cunningandferocity。
　　Whilethetwochiefsheldashortconsultation,thissavage—appearingwhitemanaddressedthebrothers。
　　"Who'reyou,an'whereyougoin'？"heaskedgruffly,confrontingJim。
　　"MynameisDowns。Iamapreacher,andwasonmywaytotheMoravianMissiontopreachtotheIndians。Youareawhiteman;willyouhelpus？"
　　IfJimexpectedtheinformationwouldpleasehisinterrogator,hewasmistaken。
　　"Soyou'reoneof'em？Yes,I'lldosuthin'feryouwhenIgitbackfromthishunt。I'llcutyourheartout,chopitup,an'feedittothebuzzards,"hesaidfiercely,concludinghisthreatbystrikingJimacruelblowonthehead。
　　Joepaleddeathlywhiteatthiscowardlyaction,andhiseyes,astheymetthegazeoftheruffian,contractedwiththeircharacteristicsteelyglow,asifsomepowerfulforcewithinthedepthsofhisbeingwereatwhiteheatandonlythispaleflashcametothesurface。
　　"Youain'tapreacher？"questionedtheman,meetingsomethinginJoe'sglancethathadbeenabsentfromJim's。
　　Joemadenoanswer,andregardedquestionersteadily。
　　"Everseemeafore？EverhearofJimGirty？"heaskedboastfully。
　　"BeforeyouspokeIknewyouwereGirty,"answeredJoequietly。
　　"Howd'youknow？Ain'tyouafeared？"
　　"Ofwhat？"
　　"Me——me？"
　　Joelaughedintherenegadesface。
　　"How'dyouknewme？"growledGirty。"I'llseethetyouhevcausetoremembermeafterthis。"
　　"Ifiguredtherewasonlyoneso—calledwhitemaninthesewoodswhoiscowardenoughtostrikeamanwhosehandsaretied。"
　　"Boy,ye'retoofreewithyourtongue。I'llshetoffyourwind。"Girty'shandwasraised,butitneverreachedJoe'sneck。
　　ThebigIndianhadanhourormorepreviouscutJoe'sbonds,buthestillretainedthethongwhichwasleftattachedtoJoe'sleftwrist。Thisallowedtheyoungmanfreeuseofhisrightarm,which,badlyswollenornot,hebroughtintoquickaction。
　　WhentherenegadereachedtowardhimJoeknockedupthehand,and,insteadofstriking,hegraspedthehookednosewithallthepowerfulgripofhisfingers。Girtyutteredafrightfulcurse;hewrithedwithpain,butcouldnotfreehimselffromthevise—likeclutch。HedrewhistomahawkandwithascreamaimedaviciousblowatJoe。Hemissedhisaim,however,forSilvertiphadintervenedandturnedthecourseofthekeenhatchet。ButtheweaponstruckJoeaglancingblow,inflictingapainful,thoughnotdangerouswound。
　　Therenegade'snosewasskinnedandbleedingprofusely。Hewasfranticwithfury,andtriedtogetatJoe;butSilvertipremainedinfrontofhiscaptiveuntilsomeofthebravesledGirtyintotheforest,wherethetallchiefhadalreadydisappeared。
　　Thenose—pullingincidentaddedtothegayetyoftheShawnees,whoevidentlywerepleasedwithGirty'sdiscomfiture。TheyjabberedamongthemselvesandnoddedapprovinglyatJoe,untilafewwordsspokenbySilvertipproducedasuddenchange。
　　WhatthewordswereJoecouldnotunderstand,buttohimtheysoundedlikeFrench。Hesmiledattheabsurdityofimagininghehadheardasavagespeakaforeignlanguage。Atanyrate,whateverhadbeensaidwastrenchantwithmeaning。TheIndianschangedfromgaytograve;theypickeduptheirweaponsandlookedkeenlyoneveryside;thebigIndianatonceretiedJoe,andthenallcrowdedroundthechief。
　　"DidyouhearwhatSilvertipsaid,anddidyounoticetheeffectithad？"
　　whisperedJim,takingadvantage,ofthemoment。
　　"ItsoundedlikeFrench,butofcourseitwasn't,"repliedJoe。
　　"ItwasFrench。'LeVentdelaMort。'"
　　"ByJove,that'sit。Whatdoesitmean？"askedJoe,whowasnotascholar。
　　"TheWindofDeath。"
　　"That'sEnglish,butIcan'tapplyithere。Canyou？"
　　"NodoubtitissomeIndianomen。"
　　Thehurriedconsultationover,SilvertiptiedJoe'shorseanddogtothetrees,andoncemoreledtheway;thistimeheavoidedtheopenforestandkeptonlowground。Foralongtimehetraveledinthebedofthebrook,wadingwhenthewaterwasshallow,andalwayssteppingwheretherewastheleastpossibilityofleavingafootprint。Notawordwasspoken。Ifeitherofthebrothersmadethelightestsplashinthewater,ortumbledastoneintothebrook,theIndianbehindrappedhimontheheadwithatomahawkhandle。
　　Atcertainplaces,indicatedbythecarewhichSilvertipexercisedinwalking,theIndianinfrontofthecaptivesturnedandpointedwheretheyweretostep。Theywerehidingthetrail。Silvertiphurriedthemoverthestonyplaces;wentmoreslowlythroughthewater,andpickedhiswaycarefullyoverthesoftgrounditbecamenecessarytocross。Attimeshestopped,remainingmotionlessmanyseconds。
　　Thisvigilancecontinuedalltheafternoon。Thesunsank;twilightspreaditsgraymantle,andsoonblacknightenvelopedtheforest。TheIndianshalted,butmadenofire;theysatclosetogetheronastonyridge,silentandwatchful。
　　Joepondereddeeplyoverthisbehavior。DidtheShawneesfearpursuit？WhathadthatIndianchieftoldSilvertip？ToJoeitseemedthattheyactedasifbelievingfoeswereonallsides。Thoughtheyhidtheirtracks,itwas,apparently,notthefearofpursuitalonewhichmadethemcautious。
　　Joereviewedtheafternoon'smarchanddweltuponthepossiblemeaningofthecat—likesteps,thecarefulbrushingasideofbranches,therovingeyes,suspiciousandgloomy,theeagerwatchfulnessoftheadvanceaswellastotheear,andalwaysthestrainedefforttolisten,allofwhichgavehimtheimpressionofsomegrave,unseendanger。
　　Andnowashelayonthehardground,nearlyexhaustedbythelongmarchandsufferingfromthethrobbingwound,hiscouragelessenedsomewhat,andheshiveredwithdread。Thequietandgloomoftheforest;thesefierce,wildcreatures,freeintheheartoftheirownwildernessyetmenacedbyafoe,andthatstrangeFrenchphrasewhichkeptrecurringinhismind——allhadtheeffectofconjuringupgiantshadowsinJoe'sfancifulmind。Duringallhislife,untilthismoment,hehadneverfearedanything;nowhewasafraidofthedarkness。Thespectraltreesspreadlongarmsoverhead,andphantomformsstalkedabroad;somewhereoutinthatdensegloomstirredthismysteriousfoe——the"WindofDeath。"
　　Nevertheless,hefinallyslept。Inthedull—graylightofearlymorningtheIndiansoncemoretookupthelineofmarchtowardthewest。Theymarchedallthatday,andatdarkhaltedtoeatandrest。SilvertipandanotherIndianstoodwatch。
　　SometimebeforemorningJoesuddenlyawoke。Thenightwasdark,yetitwaslighterthanwhenhehadfallenasleep。Apale,crescentmoonshowndimlythroughthemurkyclouds。Therewasneithermovementoftheairnorthechirpofaninsect。Absolutesilenceprevailed。
　　JoesawtheIndianguardleaningagainstatree,asleep。Silvertipwasgone。
　　Thecaptiveraisedhisheadandlookedaroundforthechief。TherewereonlyfourIndiansleft,threeonthegroundandoneagainstthetree。
　　Hesawsomethingshiningnearhim。Helookedmoreclosely,andmadeouttheobjecttobeaneagleplumeSilvertiphadworn,inhishead—dress。Itlayonthegroundnearthetree。Joemadesomeslightnoisewhichawakenedtheguard。
　　TheIndiannevermovedamuscle;buthiseyesrovedeverywhere。He,too,noticedtheabsenceofthechief。
　　Atthismomentfromoutofthedepthsofthewoodscameaswellingsigh,likethemoanofthenightwind。Itroseanddiedaway,leavingthesilenceapparentlyallthedeeper。