Oak Openings

by James Fenimore Cooper

  CHAPTER XXVIII.

  Yes! we have need to bid our hopes repose On some protecting influence; here confined Life hath no healing balm for mental woes; Earth is too narrow for the immortal mind. Our spirits burn to mingle with the day, As exiles panting for their native coast; Yet lured by every wild-flower from their way, And shrinking from the gulf that must be crossed. Death hovers round us--in the zephyr's sigh As in the storm he comes--and lo! Eternity! --MRS. HEMANS.

  It was probably that inherent disposition to pry into unknown things,which is said to mark her sex, and which was the weakness assailed bythe serpent when he deluded Eve into disobedience, that now temptedMargery to go beyond the limits which Pigeonswing had set for her, witha view to explore and ascertain what might be found without. In doingthis, however, she did not neglect a certain degree of caution, andavoided exposing her person as much as possible.

  Margery had got to the very verge of prudence, so far as the cover wasconcerned, when her steps were suddenly arrested by a most unexpectedand disagreeable sight. An Indian was seated on a rock within twentyfeet of the place where she stood. His back was toward her, but shewas certain it could not be Pigeonswing, who had gone in a contrarydirection, while the frame of this savage was much larger and heavierthan that of the Chippewa. His rifle leaned against the rock, near hisarm, and the tomahawk and knife were in his belt; still Margery thought,so far as she could ascertain, that he was not in his war-paint, as sheknew was the fact with those whom she had seen at Prairie Round. Theattitude and whole deportment of this stranger, too, struck her asremarkable. Although our heroine stood watching him for several minutes,almost breathless with terror and anxiety to learn his object, he neverstirred even a limb in all that time. There he sat, motionless asthe rock on which he had placed himself; a picture of solitude andreflection.

  It was evident, moreover, that this stranger also sought a species ofconcealment, as well as the fugitives. It is true he had not buriedhimself in a cover of bushes; but his seat was in a hollow of the groundwhere no one could have seen him, from the rear or on either side, at adistance a very little greater than that at which Margery stood, whilehis front was guarded from view by a line of bushes that fringed themargin of the stream. Marius, pondering on the mutations of fortune,amid the ruins of Carthage, could scarcely have presented a morestriking object than the immovable form of this stranger. At lengththe Indian slightly turned his head, when his observer, to her greatsurprise, saw the hard, red, but noble and expressive profile of thewell-known features of Peter.

  In an instant all Margery's apprehensions vanished, and her hand wassoon lightly laid on the shoulder of her friend. Notwithstanding thesuddenness of this touch, the great chief manifested no alarm. He turnedhis head slowly, and when he saw the bright countenance of the charmingbride, his smile met hers in pleased recognition. There was no start, noexclamation, no appearance of surprise; on the contrary, Peter seemed tomeet his pretty young friend much as a matter of course, and obviouslywith great satisfaction.

  "How lucky this is, Peter!" exclaimed the breathless Margery. "Bourdon'smind will now be at rest, for he was afraid you had gone to join ourenemies, Bear's Meat and his party."

  "Yes; go and stay wid 'em. So bess. Now dey t'ink Peter all on deirside. But never forget you, young Blossom."

  "I believe you, Peter; for I FEEL as if you are a true friend. How luckythat we should meet here!"

  "No luck at all. Come a purpose. Pigeonswing tell me where you be, socome here. Juss so."

  "Then you expected to find us in this cover! and what have you to tellus of our enemies?"

  "Plenty of DEM. All about mout' of river. All about woods and Openingshere. More dan you count. T'ink of nuttin' but get your scalp."

  "Ah! Peter;--why is it that you red men wish so much to take ourlives?--and why have you destroyed the missionary, a pious Christian,who wished for nothing but your good?"

  Peter bent his eyes to the earth, and for more than a minute he made noreply. He was much moved, however, as was visible in his countenance,which plainly denoted that strong emotions were at work within.

  "Blossom, listen to my words," he, at length, answered. "They are suchas a fader would speak to his da'ghter. You my da'ghter. Tell you so,once; and what Injin say once, he say alway. Poor, and don't know much,but know how to do as he say he do. Yes, you my da'ghter! Bear's Meatcan't touch YOU, widout he touch ME. Bourdon your husband; you hissquaw. Husband and squaw go togedder, on same path. Dat right. But,Blossom, listen. Dere is Great Spirit. Injin believe dat as well aspale-face. See dat is so. Dere is Great WICKED Spirit, too. Feel dat,too; can't help it. For twenty winter dat Great Wicked Spirit stay closeto my side. He put his hand before one of my ear, and he put his mout'to tudder. Keep whisper, whisper, day and night, nebber stop whisper.Tell me to kill pale-face, wherever I find him. Bess to kill him. Ifdidn't kill pale-face, pale-face kill Injin. No help for it. Kill oleman, kill young man; kill squaws, pappoose and all. Smash eggs and breakup 'e nest. Dat what he whisper, day and night, for twenty winters.Whisper so much, was force to b'lieve him. Bad to have too much whisperof same t'ing in ear. Den I want scalp. Couldn't have too much scalp.Took much scalp. All pale-face scalp. Heart grow hard. Great pleasurewas to kill pale-face. Dat feeling last, Blossom, till I see you. Feellike fader to you, and don't want your scalp. Won'er great deal why Ifeel so, but do feel so. Dat my natur'. Still want all udder pale-facescalp. Want Bourdon scalp, much as any."

  A slight exclamation from his companion, which could scarcely be calleda scream, caused the Indian to cease speaking, when the two lookedtoward each other, and their eyes met. Margery, however, saw none ofthose passing gleams of ferocity which had so often troubled her in thefirst few weeks of their acquaintance; in their stead, an expression ofsubdued anxiety, and an earnestness of inquiry that seemed to say howmuch the chief's heart yearned to know more on that mighty subjecttoward which his thoughts had lately been turned. The mutual glancesufficed to renew the confidence our heroine was very reluctant torelinquish, while it awakened afresh all of Peter's parental concern inthe welfare of the interesting young woman at his side.

  "But this feeling has left you, Peter, and you no longer wish Bourdon'sscalp," said Margery, hastily. "Now he is my husband, he is your son."

  "Dat good, p'raps," answered the Injin, "but dat not a reason, nudder,Blossom. You right, too. Don't want Bourdon scalp any longer. Dat true.But don't want ANY scalp, any more. Heart grow soft--an't hard, now."

  "I wish I could let you understand, Peter, how much I rejoice to hearthis! I have never felt afraid of you, on my own account, though I willown that I have sometimes feared that the dreadful cruel stories whichare told of your enmity to my color are not altogether without truth.Now, you tell me you are the white man's friend, and that you no longerwish to injure him. These are blessed words, Peter; and humbly do Ithank God, through his blessed Son, that I have lived to hear them!"

  "Dat Son make me feel so," returned the Indian, earnestly. "Yes, jussso. My heart was hard, till medicinepriest tell dat tradition of Son ofGreat Spirit--how he die for all tribes and nations, and ask his faderto do good to dem dat take his life--dat won'erful tradition, Blossom!Sound like song of wren in my ear--sweeter dan mocking-bird when he dohis bess. Yes, dat won'erful. He true, too; for medicine-priest ask hisManitou to bless Injin, juss as Injins lift tomahawk to take his life. Isee'd and heard dat, myself. All, won'erful, won'erful!"

  "It was the Spirit of God that enabled poor Amen to do that, Peter; andit is the Spirit of God that teaches you to see and feel the beautyof such an act. Without the aid of that Spirit, we are helpless aschildren; with it, strong as giants. I do not wonder, at all, that thegood missionary was able to pray for his enemies with his dying breath.God gave him strength to do so."

  Margery spoke as she felt, earnestly, and with emphasis. Her cheeksflushed with the strength of her feelings, and Peter gazed on her with
aspecies of reverence and wonder. The beauty of this charming young womanwas pleasing rather than brilliant, depending much on expression forits power. A heightened color greatly increased it, and when, as in thisinstance, the eyes reflected the tints of the cheeks, one might havejourneyed days in older regions, without finding her equal in personalattractions. Much as he admired her, however, Peter had now that on hismind which rendered her beauty but a secondary object with him. Hissoul had been touched by the unseen, but omnipresent, power of the HolySpirit, and his companion's language and fervor contributed largely inkeeping alive his interest in what he felt.

  "Nebber know Injin do dat," said Peter, in a slow, deliberative sort ofway; "no, nebber know Injin do so. Always curse and hate his enemy, andmost when about to lose his scalp. Den, feelin's hottest. Den, most wantto use tomahawk on his enemy. Den, most feel dat he hate him. But not sowid medicine-priest. Pray for Injin; ask Great Spirit to do him all'e good he can; juss as Injin was goin' to strike. Won'erful--mostwon'erful DAT, in my eyes. Blossom, you know Peter. He your fader. Hetake you, and make you his da'ghter. His heart is soft to you, Blossom.But, he nuttin' but poor Injin, dough a great chief. What he know?Pale-face pappoose know more dan Injin chief. Dat come from Great Spirittoo. He wanted it so, and it is so. Our chiefs say dat Great Spirit loveInjin. May be so. T'ink he love ebbery body; but he can't love Injin asmuch as he love pale-face, or he wouldn't let red man know so little.Don't count wigwams, and canoes, and powder, and lead, as proof of GreatSpirit's love. Pale-face got more of dese dan Injin. Dat I see and know,and dat I feel. But it no matter. Injin used to be poor, and don't care.When used to be poor, den used to it. When used to be rich, den it hardnot to be rich. All use. Injin don't care. But it bad not to know. I'mwarrior--I'm hunter--I'm great chief. You squaw--you young--you knowso much as squaw of chief. But you know most. I feel ashamed to know solittle. Want to know more. Want to know most how 'e Son of Great Spiritdie for all tribe, and pray to his fader to bless 'em dat kill him. Datwhat Peter now want most to know!"

  "I wish I was better able to teach you, Peter, from the bottom of myheart; but the little I do know you shall hear. I would not deny you fora thousand worlds, for I believe the Holy Spirit has touched your heart,and that you will become a new man. Christians believe that all mustbecome new men, who are to live in the other world, in the presence ofGod."

  "How can dat be? Peter soon be ole--how can ole man grow young ag'in?"

  "The meaning of this is that we must so change in feelings, as no longerto be the same persons. The things that we loved we must hate, and thethings that we hated, or at least neglected, we must love. When we feelthis change in our hearts, then may we hope that we love and reverencethe Great Spirit, and are living under his holy care."

  Peter listened with the attention of an obedient and respectful child.If meekness, humility, a wish to learn the truth, and a devout sentimenttoward the Creator, are so many indications of the "new birth," thenmight this savage be said to have been truly "born again." Certainly hewas no longer the same man, in a moral point of view, and of this he washimself entirely conscious. To him the wonder was what had produced sogreat and so sudden a change! But the reply he made to Margery will, ofitself, sufficiently express his views of his own case.

  "An Injin like a child," he said, meekly; "nebber know. Even pale-facesquaw know more dan great chief, Nebber feel as do now. Heart soft asyoung squaw's. Don't hate any body, no more. Wish well to all tribe,and color, and nation. Don't hate Bri'sh, don't hate Yankee; don't hateCherokee, even. Wish 'em all well. Don't know dat heart is strong enoughto ask Great Spirit to do 'em all good, if dey want my scalp--p'rapdat too much for poor Injin; but don't want nobody's scalp, myself. Datsomet'in', I hope, for me."

  "It is, indeed, Peter; and if you will get down on your knees, andhumble your thoughts, and pray to God to strengthen you in these goodfeelings, he will be sure to do it, and make you, altogether, a newman."

  Peter looked wistfully at Margery, and then turned his eyes towardthe earth. After sitting in a thoughtful mood for some time, he againregarded his companion, saying, with the simplicity of a child:

  "Don't know how to do dat, Blossom. Hear medicine-priest of pale-facespray, sometime, but poor Injin don't know enough to speak to GreatSpirit. You speak to Great Spirit for him. He know your voice, Blossom,and listen to what you say; but he won't hear Peter, who has so longhated his enemy. P'raps he angry if he hear Peter speak."

  "In that you are mistaken, Peter. The ears of the Lord are ever open toour prayers, when put up in sincerity, as I feel certain that yours willnow be. But, after I have told you the meaning of what I am about tosay, I will pray with you and for you. It is best that you should beginto do this, as soon as you can."

  Margery then slowly repeated to Peter the words of the Lord's prayer.She gave him its history, and explained the meaning of several ofits words that might otherwise have been unintelligible to him,notwithstanding his tolerable proficiency in English--a proficiencythat had greatly increased in the last few weeks, in consequence of hisconstant communications with those who spoke it habitually. The word"trespasses," in particular, was somewhat difficult for the Indian tocomprehend, but Margery persevered until she succeeded in giving herscholar tolerably accurate ideas of the meaning of each term. Then shetold the Indian to kneel with her, and, for the first time in his life,that man of the Openings and prairies lifted his voice in prayer to theone God. It is true that Peter had often before mentally asked favorsof his Manitou; but the requests were altogether of a worldly character,and the being addressed was invested with attributes very different fromthose which he now understood to belong to the Lord of heaven and earth.Nor was the spirit in asking at all the same. We do not wish to beunderstood as saying that this Indian was already a full convert toChristianity, which contains many doctrines of which he had not the mostdistant idea; but his heart had undergone the first step in the greatchange of conversion, and he was now as humble as he had once beenproud; as meek, as he had formerly been fierce; and he felt that certainproof of an incipient love of the Creator, in a similar feeling towardall the works of his hands.

  When Peter arose from his knees, after repeating the prayer to Margery'sslow leading, it was with the dependence of a child on the teaching ofits mother. Physically, he was the man he ever had been. He was as ableto endure fatigue, as sinewy in his frame, and as capable of fasting andof sustaining fatigue, as in his most warlike days; but, morally, thechange was great, indeed. Instead of the obstinate confidence in himselfand his traditions, which had once so much distinguished this chief,there was substituted an humble distrust of his own judgment, thatrendered him singularly indisposed to rely on his personal views, inany matter of conscience, and he was truly become a child in allthat pertained to his religious belief. In good hands, and under moreadvantageous circumstances, the moral improvement of Peter would havebeen great; but, situated as he was, it could not be said to amount tomuch more than a very excellent commencement.

  All this time both Peter and Margery had been too intent on theirfeelings and employment, to take much heed to the precautions necessaryto their concealment. The sun was setting ere they arose, and then itwas that Peter made the important discovery that they were observed bytwo of the young men of the Pottawattamies--scouts kept out by Bear'sMeat to look for the fugitives.

  The time was when Peter would not have hesitated to use his rifle onthese unwelcome intruders; but the better spirit that had come over him,now led him to adopt a very different course. Motioning to the youngmen, he ordered them to retire, while he led Margery within the coverof the bushes. Formerly, Peter would not have scrupled to resort todeception, in order to throw these two young men on a wrong scent, andget rid of them in that mode; but now he had a reluctance to deceive;and, no sooner did they fall back at his beckoning, than he followedMargery to the camp. The latter was giving her husband a hurried accountof what had just happened, as Peter joined them.

  "Our camp is known!" exclaimed t
he bee-hunter the instant he beheld theIndian.

  "Juss so. Pottawattamie see squaw, and go and tell his chief. Datsartain," answered Peter.

  "What is there to be done?--Fight for our lives, or fly?"

  "Get in canoe quick as can. It take dem young men half-hour to reachplace where chief be. In dat half-hour we muss go as far as we can. Nogood to stay here. Injin come in about one hour."

  Le Bourdon knew his position well enough to understand this.Nevertheless, there were several serious objections to an immediateflight. Pigeonswing was absent, and the bee-hunter did not like thenotion of leaving him behind, for various reasons. Then it was not yetdark; and to descend the river by daylight, appeared like advancing intothe jaws of the lion designedly. Nor was le Bourdon at his ease on thesubject of Peter. His sudden appearance, the insufficient and far fromclear account of Margery, and the extraordinary course advised, servedto renew ancient distrusts, and to render him reluctant to move. But ofone thing there could be no doubt. Their present position must be known,for Margery had seen the two strange Indians with her own eyes, and asearch might soon be expected. Under all the circumstances, therefore,our hero reluctantly complied with Margery's reiterated solicitations,and they all got into the canoes.

  "I do not like this movement, Peter," said le Bourdon, as he shoved hisown light craft down the brook, previously to entering the river. "Ihope it may turn out to be better than it looks, and that you can keepus out of the hands of our enemies. Remember, it is broad daylight, andthat red men are plenty two or three miles below us."

  "Yes, know dat; but muss go. Injin too plenty here, soon. Yes, muss go.Bourdon, why you can't ask bee, now, what bess t'ing for you to do, eh?Good time, now, ask bee to tell what he know."

  The bee-hunter made no reply, but his pretty wife raised her hand,involuntarily, as if to implore the Indian to forbear. Peter was alittle bewildered; for as yet, he did not understand that a belief innecromancy was not exactly compatible with the notions of the ChristianProvidence. In his ignorance, how much was he worse off than the wisestof our race? Will any discreet man who has ever paid close attention tothe power of the somnambule, deny that there is a mystery about such aperson that exceeds all our means of explanation? That there are degreesin the extent of this power--that there are false, as well as truesomnambules--all who have attended to the subject must allow; but, aderiding disbeliever in our own person once, we have since seen thatwhich no laws, known to us, can explain, and which we are certain isnot the subject of collusion, as we must have been a party to the fraudourselves, were any such practised. To deny the evidence of our sensesis an act of greater weakness than to believe that there are mysteriesconnected with our moral and physical being that human sagacity has notyet been able to penetrate; and we repudiate the want of manlinessthat shrinks from giving its testimony when once convinced, through anapprehension of being derided, as weaker than those who withhold theirbelief. We KNOW that our own thoughts have been explained and rendered,by a somnambule, under circumstances that will not admit of anyinformation by means known to us by other principles; and whateverothers may think on the subject, we are perfectly conscious that nocollusion did or could exist. Why, then, are we to despise the poorIndian because he still fancied le Bourdon could hold communication withhis bees? We happen to be better informed, and there may be beingswho are aware of the as yet hidden laws of animal magnetism--hiddenas respects ourselves, though known to them--and who fully comprehendvarious mistakes and misapprehensions connected with our impressions onthis subject, that escape our means of detection. It is not surprising,therefore, that Peter, in his emergency, turned to those bees, in thehope that they might prove of assistance, or that Margery silentlyrebuked him for the weakness, in the manner mentioned.

  Although it was still light, the sun was near setting when the canoesglided into the river. Fortunately for the fugitives, the banks weredensely wooded, and the stream of great width--a little lake, infact--and there was not much danger of their being seen until they gotnear the mouth; nor then, even, should they once get within the coverof the wild rice, and of the rushes. There was no retreat, however; andafter paddling some distance, in order to get beyond the observation ofany scout who might approach the place where they had last been seen,the canoes were brought close together, and suffered to float beforea smart breeze, so as not to reach the mouth of the stream before thenight closed around them. Everything appeared so tranquil, the solitudewas so profound, and their progress so smooth and uninterrupted, that acertain amount of confidence revived in the breasts of all, and even thebee-hunter had hopes of eventual escape.

  A conversation now occurred, in which Peter was questioned concerningthe manner in which he had been occupied during his absence; an absencethat had given le Bourdon so much concern. Had the chief been perfectlyexplicit, he would have confessed that fully one-half of his wakingthoughts had been occupied in thinking of the death of the Son of God,of the missionary's prayer for his enemies, and of the sublime moralityconnected with such a religion. It is true Peter did not--could not,indeed--enter very profoundly into the consideration of these subjects;nor were his notions either very clear or orthodox; but they weresincere, and the feelings to which they gave birth were devout.Peter did not touch on these circumstances, however, confining hisexplanations to the purely material part of his proceedings. He hadremained with Bear's Meat, Crowsfeather, and the other leading chiefs,in order to be at the fountain-head of information, and to interpose hisinfluence should the pale-faces unhappily fall into the hands of thosewho were so industriously looking for them. Nothing had occurred to callhis authority out, but a strange uncertainty seemed to reign among thewarriors, concerning the manner in which their intended victims eludedtheir endeavors to overtake them. No trail had been discovered, scoutafter scout coming in to report a total want of success in theirinvestigations inland. This turned the attention of the Indians stillmore keenly on the river's mouth, it being certain that the canoes couldnot have passed out into the lake previously to the arrival of the twoor three first parties of their young men, who had been sent so early towatch that particular outlet.

  Peter informed le Bourdon that his cache had been discovered, opened,and rifled of its stores. This was a severe loss to our hero, and onethat would have been keenly felt at any other time; but just then he hadinterests so much more important to protect, that he thought and saidlittle about this mishap. The circumstance which gave him the mostconcern was this: Peter stated that Bear's Meat had directed about adozen of his young men to keep watch, day and night, in canoes, nearthe mouth of the river, lying in wait among the wild rice, like so manysnakes in the grass.

  The party was so much interested in this conversation that, almostinsensibly to themselves, they had dropped down to the beginning of therushes and rice, and had got rather dangerously near to the criticalpoint of their passage. As it was still daylight, Peter now proposedpushing the canoes in among the plants, and there remaining until itmight be safer to move. This was done accordingly, and in a minute ortwo all three of the little barks were concealed within the cover.

  The question now was whether the fugitives had been observed, butsuffered to advance, as every foot they descended the stream was takingthem nearer to their foes. Peter did not conceal his apprehension onthis point, since he deemed it improbable that any reach near the mouthof the Kalamazoo was without its lookouts, at a moment so interesting.Such was, indeed, the fact, as was afterward ascertained; but the youngmen who had seen Peter and Margery had given the alarm, passing theword where the fugitives were to be found, and the sentinels along thisportion of the stream had deserted their stations, in order to be in atthe capture. By such delicate and unforeseen means does Providence oftenprotect those who are the subjects of its especial care, baffling thecalculations of art by its own quiet control of events.

  The bee-hunter had a feverish desire to be moving. After remainingin the cover about half an hour, he proposed that they should get thecanoes into one of th
e open passages, of which there were many among theplants, and proceed. Peter had more of the patience of an Indian, anddeemed the hour too early. But le Bourdon was not yet entirely freefrom distrust of his companion, and telling Gershom to follow, hebegan paddling down one of the passages mentioned. This decisive stepcompelled the rest to follow, or to separate from their companions. Theychose to do the first.

  Had le Bourdon possessed more self-command, and remained stationary alittle longer, he would, in all probability, have escaped altogetherfrom a very serious danger that he was now compelled to run. Althoughthere were many of the open places among the plants, they did not alwayscommunicate with each other, and it became necessary to force thecanoes through little thickets, in order to get out of one into another,keeping the general direction of descending the river. It was whileeffecting the first of these changes, that the agitation of the topsof the plants caught the eye of a lookout on the shore. By signals,understood among themselves, this man communicated his discovery to acanoe that was acting as one of the guard-boats, thus giving a generalalarm along the whole line of sentinels, as well as to the chiefs downat the hut or at the mouth of the river. The fierce delight with whichthis news was received, after so long a delay, became ungovernable, andpresently yells and cries filled the air, proceeding from both sides ofthe stream, as well as from the river itself.

  There was not a white person in those canoes who did not conceive thattheir party was lost, when this clamor was heard. With Peter it wasdifferent. Instead of admitting of alarm, he turned all his faculties touse. While le Bourdon himself was nearly in despair, Peter was listeningwith his nice ears, to catch the points on the river whence the yellsarose. For the banks he cared nothing. The danger was from the canoes.By the keenness of his faculties, the chief ascertained that there werefour canoes out, and that they would have to run the gauntlet betweenthem, or escape would be hopeless. By the sounds he also became certainthat these four canoes were in the rice, two on each side of the river,and there they would probably remain, in expectation that the fugitiveswould be most likely to come down in the cover.

  The decision of Peter was made in a moment. It was now quite dark, andthose who were in canoes within the rice could not well see the middleof the stream, even by daylight. He determined, therefore, to take thevery centre of the river, giving his directions to that effect withprecision and clearness. The females he ordered to lie down, each inher own canoe, while their husbands alone were to remain visible. Peterhoped that, in the darkness, le Bourdon and Gershom might pass forIndians, on the lookout, and under his own immediate command.

  One very important fact was ascertained by le Bourdon, as soon as thesearrangements were explained and completed. The wind on the lake wasblowing from the south, and of course was favorable to those who desiredto proceed in the opposite direction. This he communicated to Margery ina low tone, endeavoring to encourage her by all the means in his power.In return, the young wife muttered a few encouraging words to herhusband. Every measure was understood between the parties. In the eventof a discovery, the canoes were to bury themselves in the rice, takingdifferent directions, each man acting for himself. A place of rendezvouswas appointed outside, at a headland known to Gershom and le Bourdon,and signals were agreed on, by which the latest arrival might know thatall was safe there. These points were settled as the canoes floatedslowly down the stream.

  Peter took and kept the lead. The night was star-lit and clear, butthere was no moon. On the water, this made but little difference,objects not being visible at any material distance. The chief governedthe speed, which was moderate, but regular. At the rate he was nowgoing, it would require about an hour to carry the canoes into the lake.But nearly all of that hour must pass in the midst of enemies!

  Half of the period just mentioned elapsed, positively without an alarmof any sort. By this time, the party was abreast of the spot whereGershom and le Bourdon had secreted the canoes in the former adventureat the mouth of the river. On the shores, however, a very differentscene now offered. Then, the fire burned brightly in the hut, and thesavages could be seen by its light. Now, all was not only dark, butstill as death. There was no longer any cry, sound, alarm, or foot-fall,audible. The very air seemed charged with uncertainty, and itsoffspring, apprehension.

  As they approached nearer and nearer to what was conceived to be themost critical point in the passage, the canoes got closer together; soclose, indeed, that le Bourdon and Gershom might communicate in veryguarded tones. The utmost care was taken to avoid making any noise,since a light and careless blow from a paddle, on the side of a canoe,would be almost certain, now, to betray them. Margery and Dorothy couldno longer control their feelings, and each rose in her seat, raising herbody so as to bring her head above the gunwale of the canoe, if a barkcanoe can be said to have a gunwale at all. They even whispered to eachother, endeavoring to glean encouragement by sympathy. At this instantoccurred the crisis in their attempt to escape.