\"Supposeyoudid——whatthen？\"askedJim,severely。
\"Why——nothing——seehere,mayn\'tIadmireaprettygirlifIwant？\"
\"No,youmaynot。Joe,willnothingevercureyou？IshouldthinkthethoughtofMissWells———\"
\"Lookhere,Jim;shedon\'tcare——atleast,it\'sverylittleshecares。AndI\'m——I\'mnotworthyofher。\"
\"Turnaroundhereandfaceme,\"saidtheyoungministersharply。
Joeturnedandlookedinhisbrother\'seyes。
\"Haveyoutrifledwithher,asyouhavewithsomanyothers？Tellme。Iknowyoudon\'tlie。\"
\"No。\"
\"Thenwhatdoyoumean？\"
\"Nothingmuch,Jim,exceptI\'mreallynotworthyofher。I\'mnogood,youknow,andsheoughttogetafellowlike——likeyou。\"
\"Absurd！Yououghttobeashamedofyourself。\"
\"Nevermindme。Seehere;don\'tyouadmireher？\"
\"Why——why,yes,\"stammeredJim,flushingadark,guiltyredatthedirectquestion。\"Whocouldhelpadmiringher？\"
\"That\'swhatIthought。AndIknowsheadmiresyouforqualitieswhichIlack。
Nell\'slikeatendervinejustbeginningtocreeparoundandclingtosomethingstrong。Shecaresforme;butherloveislikethevine。Itmayhurtheralittletotearthatloveaway,butitwon\'tkillher;andintheenditwillbebestforher。Youneedagoodwife。WhatcouldIdowithawoman？Goinandwinher,Jim。\"
\"Joe,you\'resacrificingyourselfagainforme,\"criedJim,whitetothelips。
\"It\'swrongtoyourselfandwrongtoher。Itellyou———\"
\"Enough！\"Joe\'svoicecutincoldandsharp。\"Usuallyyouinfluenceme;butsometimesyoucan\'t;Isaythis:Nellwilldriftintoyourarmsassurelyastheleaffalls。Itwillnothurther——willbebestforher。Remember,sheisyoursforthewinning。\"
\"Youdonotsaywhetherthatwillhurtyou,\"whisperedJim。
\"Come——we\'llfindColonelZane,\"saidJoe,openingthedoor。
Theywentoutinthehallwaywhichopenedintotheyardaswellasthelargerroomthroughwhichthecolonelhadfirstconductedthem。AsJim,whowasinadvance,passedintothisapartmentatrimfigureenteredfromtheyard。ItwasNell,andsherandirectlyagainsthim。Herfacewasflushed,hereyeswerebeamingwithgladness,andsheseemedtheincarnationofgirlishjoy。
\"Oh,Joe,\"wasallshewhispered。Butthehappinessandwelcomeinthatwhispercouldneverhavebeenbetterexpressedinlongerspeech。Thenslightly,eversoslightly,shetiltedhersweetfaceuptohis。
Itallhappenedwiththequicknessofthought。InasingleinstantJimsawtheradiantface,theoutstretchedhands,andheardthegladwhisper。HeknewthatshehadaagainmistakenhimforJoe;butforhislifehecouldnotdrawbackhishead。Hehadkissedher,andevenashislipsthrilledwithhertremulouscaressheflushedwiththeshameofhisdeceit。
\"You\'remistakenagain——I\'mJim,\"hewhispered。
Foramomenttheystoodstaringintoeachother\'seyes,slowlyawakeningtowhathadreallyhappened,slowlyconsciousofasweet,alluringpower。ThenColonelZane\'scheeryvoicerangintheirears。
\"Ah,here\'sNellieandyourbrother！Now,lads,tellmewhichiswhich？\'
\"That\'sJim,andI\'mJoe,\"answeredthelatter。Heappearednottonoticehisbrother,andhisgreetingtoNellwasnaturalandhearty。Forthemomentshedrewtheattentionoftheothersfromthem。
Joefoundhimselflisteningtothecongratulationsofanumberofpeople。
AmongthemanynamesherememberedwerethoseofMrs。Zane,SilasZane,andMajorMcColloch。Thenhefoundhimselfgazingatthemostbeautifulgirlhehadeverseeninhislife。
\"Myonlysister,Mrs。AlfredClarke——onceBettyZane,andtheheroineofFortHenry,\"saidColonelZaneproudly,withhisarmaroundtheslender,dark—eyedgirl。
\"IwouldbravetheIndiansandthewildernessagainforthispleasure,\"
repliedJoegallantly,ashebowedlowoverthelittlehandshecordiallyextended。
\"Bess,isdinnerready？\"inquiredColonelZaneofhiscomelywife。Shenoddedherhead,andthecolonelledthewayintotheadjoiningroom。\"Iknowyouboysmustbehungryasbears。\"
DuringthemealColonelZanequestionedhisguestsabouttheirjourney,andastothetreatmenttheyhadreceivedatthehandsoftheIndians。Hesmiledattheyoungminister\'searnestnessinregardtotheconversionoftheredmen,andhelaughedoutrightwhenJoesaid\"heguessedhecametothefrontierbecauseitwastooslowathome。\"
\"Iamsureyourdesireforexcitementwillsoonbesatisfied,ifindeeditbenotsoalready,\"remarkedthecolonel。\"Butastotherealizationofyourbrother\'shopesIamnotsosanguine。UndoubtedlytheMoravianmissionarieshaveaccomplishedwonderswiththeIndians。NotlongagoIvisitedtheVillageofPeace——theIndiannameforthemission——andwasstruckbythefriendlinessandindustrywhichprevailedthere。Trulyitwasavillageofpeace。Yetitisalmosttoearlytobecertainofpermanentsuccessofthiswork。TheIndian\'snatureisonehardtounderstand。Heisnaturallyrovingandrestless,which,however,maybeowingtohishabitofmovingfromplacetoplaceinsearchofgoodhuntinggrounds。Ibelieve——thoughImustconfessIhaven\'tseenanypioneerswhosharemybelief——thatthesavagehasabeautifulsidetohischaracter。Iknowofmanynobledeedsdonebythem,andIbelieve,iftheyarehonestlydealtwith,theywillreturngoodforgood。Therearebadones,ofcourse;buttheFrenchtraders,andmenliketheGirtys,havecausedmostofthislongwar。JonathanandWetzeltellmetheShawneesandChippewashavetakenthewarpathagain。ThenthefactthattheGirtysarewiththeDelawaresisreasonforalarm。Wehavebeencomparativelyquiethereoflate。Didyouboyslearntowhattribeyourcaptorsbelong？DidWetzelsay？\"
\"Hedidnot;hespokelittle,butIwillsayhewasexceedinglyactive,\"
answeredJoe,withasmile。
\"TohaveseenWetzelfightIndiansissomethingyouarenotlikelytoforget,\"
saidColonelZanegrimly。\"Now,tellme,howdidthoseIndiansweartheirscalp—lock？\"
\"Theirheadswereshavedclosely,withtheexceptionofalittleplaceontop。
Theremaininghairwastwistedintoatuft,tiedtightly,andintothishadbeenthrustacoupleofpaintedpins。WhenWetzelscalpedtheIndiansthepinsfellout。Ipickedoneup,andfoundittobebone。\"
\"Youwillmakeawoodsman,that\'scertain,\"repliedColonelZane。\"TheIndianswereShawneeonthewarpath。Well,wewillnotborrowtrouble,forwhenitcomesintheshapeofredskinsitusuallycomesquickly。Mr。Wellsseemedanxioustoresumethejourneydowntheriver;butIshalltrytopersuadehimtoremainwithusawhile。Indeed,IamsorryIcannotkeepyouallhereatFortHenry,andmoreespeciallythegirls。Ontheborderweneedyoungpeople,and,whileIdonotwanttofrightenthewomen,IfeartherewillbemorethanIndiansfightingforthem。\"
\"Ihopenot;butwehavecomepreparedforanything,\"saidKate,withaquietsmile。\"Ourhomewaswithuncle,andwhenheannouncedhisintentionofgoingwestwedecidedourdutywastogowithhim。\"
\"Youwereright,andIhopeyouwillfindahappyhome,\"rejoinedColonelZane。\"IflifeamongtheIndian,provestobetoohad,weshallwelcomeyouhere。Betty,showthegirlsyourpetsandIndiantrinkets。IamgoingtotaketheboystoSilas\'cabintoseeMr。Wells,andthenshowthemoverthefort。\"
AstheywentoutJoesawtheIndianguidestandinginexactlythesamepositionaswhentheyenteredthebuilding。
\"Can\'tthatIndianmove？\"heaskedcuriously。
\"Hecancoveronehundredmilesinaday,whenhewantsto,\"repliedColonelZane。\"Heisrestingnow。AnIndianwilloftenstandorsitinonepositionformanyhours。\"
\"He\'safine—lookingchap,\"remarkedJoe,andthentohimself:\"butIdon\'tlikehim。IguessI\'mprejudiced。\"
\"You\'lllearntolikeTome,aswecallhim。\"
\"ColonelZane,Iwantalightformypipe。Ihaven\'thadasmokesincethedaywewerecaptured。Thatblamedredskintookmytobacco。It\'sluckyIhadsomeinmyotherpack。I\'dliketomeethimagain;alsoSilvertipandthatbruteGirty。\"
\"Mylad,don\'tmakesuchwishes,\"saidColonelZane,earnestly。\"Youwereindeedfortunatetoescape,andIcanwellunderstandyourfeelings。ThereisnothingIshouldlikebetterthantoseeGirtyoverthesightsofmyrifle;
butIneverhuntafterdanger,andtolookforGirtyistocourtdeath。\"
\"ButWetzel———\"
\"Ah,mylad,IknowWetzelgoesaloneinthewoods;butthen,heisdifferentfromothermen。BeforeyouleaveIwilltellyouallabouthim。\"。
ColonelZanewentaroundthecomerofthecabinandreturnedwithalivecoalonachipofwood,whichJoeplacedinthebowlofhispipe,andbecauseofthestrongbreezesteppedclosetothecabinwall。Beingakeenobserver,henoticedmanysmall,roundholesinthelogs。Theyweresoneartogetherthatthetimbershadanodd,speckledappearance,andtherewashardlyaplacewherehecouldhaveputhisthumbwithoutcoveringahole。Atfirsthethoughttheyweremadebyawormorbirdpeculiartothatregion;butfinallylieconcludedthattheywerebullet—holes。Hethrusthisknifebladeintoone,andoutrolledaleadenball。
\"I\'dliketohavebeenherewhentheseweremade,\"hesaid。
\"Well,atthetimeIwishedIwasbackonthePotomac,\"repliedColonelZane。
Theyfoundtheoldmissionaryonthedoorstepoftheadjacentcabin。HeappeareddiscouragedwhenColonelZaneinterrogatedhim,andsaidthathewasimpatientbecauseofthedelay。
\"Mr。Wells,isitnotpossiblethatyouunderratethedangerofyourenterprise？\"
\"IfearnaughtbuttheLord,\"answeredtheoldman。
\"Doyounotfearforthosewithyou？\"wentonthecolonelearnestly。\"Iamheartandsoulwithyouinyourwork,butwanttoimpressuponyonthatthetimeisnotpropitious。Itisalongjourneytothevillage,andthewayisbesetwithdangersofwhichyouhavenoidea。Willyounotremainherewithmeforafewweeks,or,atleast,untilmyscoutsreport？\"
\"Ithankyou;butgoIwill。\"
\"Thenletmeentreatyoutoremainhereafewdays,sothatImaysendmybrotherJonathanandWetzelwithyou。IfanycanguideyousafelytotheVillageofPeaceitwillbethey。\"
AtthismomentJoesawtwomenapproachingfromthefort,andrecognizedoneofthemasWetzel。HedoubtednotthattheotherwasLordDunmore\'sfamousguideandhunter,JonathanZane。Infeaturesheresembledthecolonel,andwasastallasWetzel,althoughnotsomuscularorwideofchest。
JoefeltthesamethrillhehadexperiencedwhilewatchingthefrontiersmenatFortPitt。WetzelandJonathanspokeawordtoColonelZaneandthensteppedaside。Thehuntersstoodlitheanderect,withtheeasy,gracefulpoiseofIndians。
\"We\'lltaketwocanoes,dayafterto—morrow,\"saidJonathan,decisively,toColonelZane。\"HaveyouarifleforWetzel？TheDelawaresgothis。\"
ColonelZaneponderedoverthequestion;rifleswerenotscarceatthefort,butaweaponthatWetzelwouldusewashardtofind。
\"Thehuntermayhavemyrifle,\"saidtheoldmissionary。\"IhavenouseforaweaponwithwhichtodestroyGod\'screatures。Mybrotherwasafrontiersman;
heleftthisrifletome。Irememberhearinghimsayoncethatifamanknewexactlytheweightofleadandpowderneeded,itwouldshootabsolutelytrue。\"
Hewentintothecabin,andpresentlycameoutwithalongobjectwrappedinlinseycloths。Unwindingthecoverings,hebroughttoviewarifle,theproportionsofwhichcausedJonathan\'seyestoglisten,andbroughtanexclamationfromColonelZane。Wetzelbalancedtheguninhishands。Itwasfullysixfeetlong;thebarrelwaslarge,andthedarksteelfinelypolished;
thestockwasblackwalnut,ornamentedwithsilvertrimmings。UsingJonathan\'spowder—flaskandbullet—pouch,Wetzelproceededtoloadtheweapon。Hepouredoutaquantityofpowderintothepalmofhishand,performingtheactionquicklyanddexterously,butwassoslowwhilemeasuringitthatJoewonderedifhewerecountingthegrains。NextheselectedabulletoutofadozenwhichJonathanheldtowardhim。Heexamineditcarefullyandtrieditinthemuzzleoftherifle。Evidentlyitdidnotpleasehim,forhetookanother。Finallyhescrapedabulletwithhisknife,andplacingitinthecenterofasmalllinseyrag,deftlyforceditdown。Headjustedtheflint,droppedafewgrainsofpowderinthepan,andthenlookedaroundforamarkatwhichtoshoot。
JoeobservedthatthehuntersandColonelZanewereasseriousregardingtheworkasifatthatmomentsomeimportantissuedependedupontheaccuracyoftherifle。
\"There,Lew;there\'sagoodshot。It\'sprettyfar,evenforyou,whenyoudon\'tknowthegun,\"saidColonelZane,pointingtowardtheriver。
Joesawtheendofalog,aboutthesizeofaman\'shead,stickingoutofthewater,perhapsanhundredandfiftyyardsdistant。Hethoughttohititwouldbeafineshot;butwasamazedwhenheheardColonelZanesaytoseveralmenwhohadjoinedthegroupthatWetzelintendedtoshootataturtleonthelog。
BystraininghiseyesJoesucceededindistinguishingasmalllump,whichheconcludedwastheturtle。
Wetzeltookastepforward;thelong,blackriflewasraisedwithastatelysweep。Theinstantitreachedalevelathreadofflameburstforth,followedbyapeculiarlyclear,ringingreport。
\"Didhehit？\"askedColonelZane,eagerlyasaboy。
\"Iallowhedid,\"answeredJonathan。
\"I\'llgoandsee,\"saidJoe。Herandownthebank,alongthebeach,andsteppedonthelog。Hesawaturtleaboutthesizeofanordinarysaucer。
Pickingitup,hesawabullet—holeintheshellnearthemiddle。Thebullethadgonethroughtheturtle,anditwasquitedead。Joecarriedittothewaitinggroup。
\"Iallowedso,\"declaredJonathan。
Wetzelexaminedtheturtle,andturningtotheoldmissionary,said:
\"Yourbrotherspokethetruth,an\'Ithankyoufertherifle。\"
ChapterVIII。
\"SoyouwanttoknowallaboutWetzel？\"inquiredColonelZaneofJoe,when,havingleftJimandMr。Wells,theyreturnedtothecabin。
\"Iamimmenselyinterestedinhim,\"repliedJoe。
\"Well,Idon\'tthinkthere\'sanythingsingularinthat。IknowWetzelbetter,perhaps,thananymanliving;buthaveseldomtalkedabouthim。Hedoesn\'tlikeit。HeisbybirthaVirginian;Ishouldsay,fortyyearsold。Wewereboystogether,andandIamalittlebeyondthatage。Hewaslikeanyofthelads,exceptthatheexcelledusallinstrengthandagility。WhenhewasnearlyeighteenyearsoldabandifIndians——Delawares,Ithink——crossedtheborderonamaraudingexpeditionfarintoVirginia。TheyburnedtheoldWetzelhomesteadandmurderedthefather,mother,twosisters,andababybrother。
TheterribleshocknearlykilledLewis,whoforatimewasveryill。Whenherecoveredhewentinsearchofhisbrothers,MartinandJohnWetzel,whowerehunting,andbroughtthembacktotheirdesolatedhome。Overtheashesofthehomeandthegravesofthelovedonesthebrotherssworesleeplessandeternalvengeance。TheelderbrothershavebeendevotedallthesetwentyyearsandmoretothekillingofIndians;butLewishasbeenthegreatfoeoftheredman。Youhavealreadyseenanexampleofhisdeeds,andwillhearofmore。
Hisnameisahouseholdwordontheborder。Scoresoftimeshehassaved,actuallysaved,thisfortandsettlement。HisknowledgeofsavagewayssurpassesbyfarBoone\'s,MajorMcColloch\'s,Jonathan\'s,oranyofthehunters\'。\"
\"ThenhuntingIndiansishissoleoccupation？\"
\"Helivesforthatpurposealone。Heisveryseldominthesettlement。
Sometimeshestayshereafewdays,especiallyifheisneeded;butusuallyheroamstheforests。\"
\"WhatdidJeffLynnmeanwhenhesaidthatsomepeoplethinkWetzeliscrazy？\"
\"Therearemanywhothinkthemanmad;butIdonot。WhenthepassionforIndianhuntingcomesuponhimheisfierce,almostfrenzied,yetperfectlysane。Whilehereheisquiet,seldomspeaksexceptwhenspokento,andistaciturnwithstrangers。Heoftencomestomycabinandsitsbesidethefireforhours。Ithinkhefindspleasureintheconversationandlaughteroffriends。Heisfondofthechildren,andwoulddoanythingformysisterBetty。\"
\"Hislifemustbelonelyandsad,\"remarkedJoe。
\"Thelifeofanybordermanisthat;butWetzel\'sisparticularlyso。\"
\"WhatishecalledbytheIndians？\"
\"TheycallhimAtelang,or,inEnglish,Deathwind。\"
\"ByGeorge！That\'swhatSilvertipsaidinFrench——\'LeVentdelaMort。\'\"
\"Yes;youhaveitright。AFrenchfurtradergaveWetzelthatnameyearsago,andithasclungtohim。TheIndianssaytheDeathwindblowsthroughtheforestwheneverWetzelstalksontheirtrail。\"
\"ColonelZane,don\'tyouthinkmesuperstitious,\"whisperedJoe,leaningtowardthecolonel,\"butIheardthatwindblowthroughtheforest。\"
\"What！\"ejaculatedColonelZane。HesawthatJoewasinearnest,fortheremembranceofthemoanhadmorethanoncepaledhischeekandcausedbeadsofperspirationtocollectonhisbrow。
Joerelatedthecircumstancesofthatnight,andattheendofhisnarrativeColonelZanesatsilentandthoughtful。
\"Youdon\'treallythinkitwasWetzelwhomoaned？\"heasked,atlength。
\"No,Idon\'t,\"repliedJoequickly;\"but,ColonelZane,IheardthatmoanasplainlyasIcanhearyourvoice。Iheardittwice。Now,whatwasit？\"
\"Jonathansaidthesamethingtomeonce。HehadbeenouthuntingwithWetzel;
theyseparated,andduringthenightJonathanheardthewind。ThenextdayheranacrossadeadIndian。HebelievesWetzelmakesthenoise,andsodothehunters;butIthinkitissimplythemoanofthenightwindthroughthetrees。Ihavehearditattimes,whenmyverybloodseeminglyrancold。\"
\"Itriedtothinkitwasthewindsoughingthroughthepines,butamafraidI
didn\'tsucceedverywell。Anyhow,IknewWetzelinstantly,justasJeffLynnsaidIwould。HekilledthoseIndiansinaninstant,andhemusthaveanironarm。\"
\"Wetzelexcelsinstrengthandspeedanyman,redorwhite,onthefrontier。
HecanrunawayfromJonathan,whoisasswiftasanIndian。He\'sstrongerthananyoftheothermen。IrememberonedayoldHughBennet\'swagonwheelsstuckinabogdownbythecreek。Hughtried,asseveralothersdid,tomovethewheels;buttheycouldn\'tbemadetobudge。AlongcameWetzel,pushedawaythemen,andliftedthewagonunaided。Itwouldtakehourstotellyouabouthim。Inbrief,amongalltheborderscoutsandhuntersWetzelstandsalone。NowondertheIndiansfearhim。Heisasswiftasaneagle,strongasmountain—ash,keenasafox,andabsolutelytirelessandimplacable。\"
\"Howlonghaveyoubeenhere,ColonelZane？\"
\"Morethantwelveyears,andithasbeenonelongfight。\"
\"I\'mafraidI\'mtoolateforthefun,\"saidJoe,withhisquietlaugh。
\"Notbyabouttwelvemoreyears,\"answeredColonelZane,studyingtheexpressiononJoe\'sface。\"WhenIcameouthereyearsagoIhadthesameadventurousspiritwhichIseeinyou。Ithasbeenconsiderablyquelled,however。Ihaveseenmanyadaringyoungfellowgettheborderfever,andwithithisdeath。Letmeadviseyoutolearnthewaysofthehunters;towatchsomeoneskilledinwoodcraft。PerhapsWetzelhimselfwilltakeyouinhand。I
don\'tmindsayingthathespokeofyoutomeinatoneIneverheardLewusebefore。\"
\"Hedid？\"questionedJoe,eagerly,flushingwithpleasure。\"Doyouthinkhe\'dtakemeout？DareIaskhim？\"
\"Don\'tbeimpatient。PerhapsIcanarrangeit。ComeoverherenowtoMetzar\'splace。Iwanttomakeyouacquaintedwithhim。Theseboyshaveallbeencuttingtimber;they\'vejustcomeinfordinner。Beeasyandquietwiththem;
thenyou\'llgeton。\"
ColonelZaneintroducedJoetofivesturdyboysandlefthimintheircompany。
Joesatdownonalogoutsideacabinandleisurelysurveyedtheyoungmen。
Theyalllookedaboutthesame:strongwithoutbeingheavy,light—hairedandbronze—faced。IntheirturntheycarefullyjudgedJoe。AnewcomerfromtheEastwasalwaysregardedwithsomedoubt。IftheyexpectedtohearJoetalkmuchtheyweremistaken。Heappearedgood—natured,butnottoofriendly。
\"Fineweatherwe\'rehavin\',\"saidDickMetzar。
\"Fine,\"agreedJoe,laconically。
\"Likefrontierlife？\"
\"Sure。\"
Asilenceensuedafterthisbreakingoftheice。Theboyswereawaitingtheirturnatalittlewoodenbenchuponwhichstoodabucketofwaterandabasin。
\"HearyegotketchedbysomeShawnees？\"remarkedanotheryouth,asherolleduphisshirt—sleeves。TheyalllookedatJoenow。Itwasnotimprobablytheirestimateofhimwouldbegreatlyinfluencedbythewayheansweredthisquestion。
\"Yes;wascaptiveforthreedays。\"
\"Didyeknockanyredskinsover？\"ThisquestionwasartfullyputtodrawJoeout。Aboveallthings,thebordermendetestedboastfulness;triedonJoetherusefailedsignally。
\"Iwasscaredspeechlessmostofthetime,\"answeredJoe,withhispleasantsmile。
\"Bygosh,Idon\'tblameye！\"burstoutWillMetzar。\"Ihedthatexperienceonct,an\'onct\'senough。\"
TheboyslaughedandlookedinamorefriendlymanneratJoe。Thoughhesaidhehadbeenfrightened,hiscoolandcarelessmannerbeliedhiswords。InJoe\'slowvoiceandclear,grayeyetherewassomethingpotentandmagnetic,whichsubtlyinfluencethosewithwhomhecameincontact。
WhilehisnewfriendswereatdinnerJoestrolledovertowhereColonelZanesatonthedoorstepofhishome。
\"Howdidyougetonwiththeboys？\"inquiredthecolonel。
\"Allright,Ihope。Say,ColonelZane,I\'dliketotalktoyourIndianguide。\"
ColonelZanespokeafewwordsintheIndianlanguagetotheguide,wholefthispostandcameovertothem。Thecolonelthenhadashortconversationwithhim,attheconclusionofwhichhepointedtowardJoe。
\"Howdo——shake,\"saidTome,extendinghishand。
Joesmiled,andreturnedthefriendlyhand—pressure。
\"Shawnee——ketch\'um？\"askedtheIndian,inhisfairlyintelligibleEnglish。
Joenoddedhishead,whileColonelZanespokeoncemoreinShawnee,explainingthecauseofSilvertip\'semnity。
\"Shawnee——chief——one——bad——Injun,\"repliedTome,seriously。
\"Silvertip——mad——thunder—mad。Ketch\'umpaleface——scalp\'umsure。\"
Aftergivingthiswarningthechiefreturnedtohisformerpositionnearthecornerofthecabin。
\"HecantalkinEnglishfairlywell,muchbetterthantheShawneebravewhotalkedwithmetheotherday,\"observedJoe。
\"SomeoftheIndiansspeakthelanguagealmostfluently,\"saidColonelZane。
\"YoucouldhardlyhavedistinguishedLogan\'sspeechfromawhiteman\'s。
Corn—planterusesgoodEnglish,asalsodoesmybrother\'swife,aWyandotgirl。\"
\"DidyourbrothermarryanIndian？\"andJoeplainlyshowedhissurprise。
\"Indeedhedid,andamostbeautifulgirlsheis。I\'lltellyouIsaac\'sstorysometime。HewasacaptiveamongtheWyandotsfortenyears。Thechief\'sdaughter,Myeerah,lovedhim,kepthimfrombeingtortured,andfinallysavedhimfromthestake。\"
\"Well,thatfloorsme,\"saidJoe;\"yetIdon\'tseewhyitshould。I\'mjustsurprised。Whereisyourbrothernow？\"
\"Heliveswiththetribe。HeandMyeerahareworkinghardforpeace。WearenowonmorefriendlytermswiththegreatWyandots,orHurons,aswecallthem,thaneverbefore。\"
\"Whoisthisbigmancomingfromthethefort？\"askedJoe,suddenlyobservingastalwartfrontiersmanapproaching。
\"MajorSamMcColloch。Youhavemethim。He\'sthemanwhojumpedhishorsefromyonderbluff。\"
\"Jonathanandhehavethesamelook,thesameswing,\"observedJoe,asheranhiseyeoverthemajor。Hisfadedbuckskincostume,beaded,fringed,andlaced,wassimilartothatofthecolonel\'sbrother。Powder—flaskandbullet—pouchweremadefromcow—hornsandslungaroundhisneckondeerhidestrings。Thehuntingcoatwasunlaced,exposing,underthelong,fringedborders,atunicofthesamewell—tanned,butfinerandsofter,material。Ashewalked,theflapsofhiscoatfellback,showingabeltcontainingtwoknives,sheathedinheavybuckskin,andabrighttomahawk。Hecarriedalongrifleinthehollowofhisarm。
\"Thesehuntershavethesamekindofbuckskinsuits,\"continuedJoe;\"still,itdoesn\'tseemtometheclothesmaketheresemblancetoeachother。Thewaythesemenstand,walkandactiswhatstrikesmeparticularly,asinthecaseofWetzel。\"
\"Iknowwhatyoumean。Theflashingeye,theerectpoiseofexpectation,andthespringystep——those,mylad,comefromalifespentinthewoods。Well,it\'sagrandwaytolive。\"
\"Colonel,myhorseislaidup,\"saidMajorMcColloch,comingtothesteps。HebowedpleasantlytoJoe。
\"SoyouaregoingtoShortCreek？Youcanhaveoneofmyhorses;butfirstcomeinsideandwe\'lltalkoveryouexpedition。\"
TheafternoonpasseduneventfullyforJoe。HisbrotherandMr。Wellswereabsorbedinplansfortheirfuturework,andNellandKatewereresting;
thereforehewasforcedtofindsuchamusementoroccupationaswaspossibleinornearthestockade。
ChapterIX。
Joewenttobedthatnightwithapromisetohimselftoriseearlynextmorning,forhehadbeeninvitedtotakepartina\"raising,\"whichtermmeantthatanewcabinwastobeerected,andsuchtaskwaseveraneventinthelivesofthesettlers。
ThefollowingmorningJoeroseearly,dressinghimselfinacompletebuckskinsuit,forwhichhehadexchangedhisgoodgarmentsofcloth。Neverbeforehadhefeltsocomfortable。Hewantedtohop,skipandjump。Thesoft,undressedbuckskinwasaswarmandsmoothassilk—plush;theweightsolight,themoccasinssowell—fittingandspringy,thathehadtoputhimselfunderconsiderablerestrainttokeepfromcaperingaboutlikeafrolicsomecolt。
Thepossessionofthisbuckskinoutfit,andtherifleandaccoutermentswhichwentwiththebargain,markedthelaststageinJoe\'ssurrendertotheborderfever。Thesilent,shadedglens,themysteryofthewoods,thebreathofthiswild,freelifeclaimedhimfromthismomententirelyandforever。
Hemettheothers,however,withasereneface,showingnotraceoftheemotionwhichwelledupstronglyfromhisheart。Nellglancedshylyathim;