\"GirtyIknew,ofcourse;butIwasnotsuretheotherwastheShawneewhocapturedyouandyourbrother,\"repliedHeckewelder,drawingJimintoanotherroom。
\"Whatdotheymeanbyloiteringaroundthevillage？InquiredJim,apprehensively。WheneverheheardGirty\'snamementioned,oreventhoughtofhim,herememberedwithashuddertherenegade\'sallusiontothebuzzards。Jimneversawoneofthesecarrionbirdssoaringoverheadbuthisthoughtsinstantlyrevertedtothefrontierruffianandhishorriblecraving。
\"Idon\'tknow,\"answeredHeckewelder。\"Girtyhasbeenhereseveraltimesoflate。IsawhimconferringwithPipeatGoshhocking。Ihopethere\'snodeviltryafoot。PipeisarelentlessenemyofallChristians,andGirtyisafiend,ahyena。Ithink,perhaps,itwillbewellforyouandthegirlstostayindoorswhileGirtyandSilvertipareinthevillage。\"
ThateveningtheentiremissionarypartyweregatheredinMr。Wells\'room。
HeckeweldertoldstoriesofIndianlife;Nellsangseveralsongs,andKatetoldmanyamusingthingssaidanddonebythelittleIndianboysinherclassattheschool。Thustheeveningpassedpleasantlyforall。
\"SonextWednesdayIamtoperformthegreatceremony,\"remarkedHeckewelder,layinghishandkindlyonYoung\'sknee。\"We\'llcelebratethefirstwhiteweddingintheVillageofPeace。\"
Younglookedshylydownathisboots;Edwardscrossedonelegovertheother,andcoughedloudlytohidehisembarrassment。Katewore,asusual,herpensivesmile;Nell\'seyestwinkled,andshewasabouttospeak,whenHeckewelder\'squizzicalglanceinherdirectionmadeherlipsmute。
\"IhopeI\'llhaveanotherweddingonmyhandssoon,\"hesaidplacidly。
Thisordinaryremarkhadanextraordinaryeffect。Nellturnedwithburningcheeksandlookedoutofthewindow。Jimfrownedfiercelyandbithislips。
Edwardsbegantolaugh,andevenMr。Wells\'seriousfacelapsedintoasmile。
\"ImeanI\'vepickedoutanicelittleDelawaresquawforDave,\"saidHeckewelder,seeinghisbadinagehadsomehowgoneamiss。
\"Oh—h！\"suddenlycriedNell,inshudderingtones。
Theyallgazedatherinamazement。Everyvestigeofcolorhadrecededfromherface,leavingitmarblelike。Hereveswerefixedinstartledhorror。
Suddenlysherelaxedhergrasponthewindowsillandfellbacklimpandsenseless。
Heckewelderrantothedoorlolookout,whiletheothersbentovertheunconsciousgirl,endeavoringtoreviveher。Presentlyaflutteringbreathandaquiveringofherdarklashesnotedareturnofsuspendedlife。Thenherbeautifuleyesopenedwidetogazewithwonderandfearintothegravefacesbentsoanxiouslyoverher。
\"Nell,dearest,youaresafe。Whatwasit？Whatfrightenedyouso？\"saidKate,tenderly。
\"Oh,itwasfearful！\"gaspedNell,sittingup。Sheclungtohersisterwithonehand,whiletheothergraspedJim\'ssleeve。
\"Iwaslookingoutintothedark,whensuddenlyIbeheldaface,aterribleface！\"criedNell。Thosewhowatchedhermarveledattheshrinking,awfulfearinhereyes。\"Itwasrightbythewindow。Icouldhavetouchedit。Suchagreedy,wolfishface,withalong,hookednose！Theeyes,oh！theeyes！I\'llneverforgetthem。Theymademesick;theyparalyzedme。Itwasn\'tanIndian\'sface。Itbelongedtothatwhiteman,thatawfulwhiteman！Ineversawhimbefore;butIknewhim。\"
\"Girty！\"saidHeckewelder,whohadcomeinwithhisquietstep。\"Helookedinatthewindow。Calmyourself,Nellie。Therenegadehasgone。\"
Theincidentworriedthemallatthetime,andmadeNellnervousforseveraldays;butasGirtyhaddisappeared,andnothingmorewasheardofhim,graduallytheyforgot。Kate\'sweddingdaydawnedwithallthelittlepartywellandhappy。EarlyintheafternoonJimandNell,accompaniedbyKateandherlover,startedoutintothewoodsjustbeyondtheclearingforthepurposeofgatheringwildflowerstodecoratethecabin。
\"Weareboththinkingof——him,\"Jimsaid,afterheandNellhadwalkedsomelittlewayinsilence。
\"Yes,\"answeredNell,simply。
\"Ihope——IprayJoecomesback,butifhedoesn\'t——Nell——won\'tyoucarealittleforme？\"
Hereceivednoanswer。ButNellturnedherfaceaway。
\"Webothlovedhim。Ifhe\'sgoneforeverourveryloveforhimshouldbringustogether。Iknow——Iknowhewouldhavewishedthat。\"
\"Jim,don\'tspeakoflovetomenow,\"shewhispered。Thensheturnedtotheothers。Comequickly;herearegreatclustersofwildclematisandgoldenrod。
Howlovely！Letusgatheraquantity。\"
Theyoungmenhadalmostburiedthegirlsunderhugemassesofthebeautifulflowers,whenthesofttreadofmoccasinedfeetcausedthemalltoturninsurprise。Sixsavagesstoodwaist—deepinthebushes,wheretheyhadlainconcealed。Fierce,paintedvisagesscowledfrombehindleveledrifles。
\"Don\'tyell！\"criedahoarsevoiceinEnglish。Followingthevoicecameasnappingoftwigs,andthentwootherfigurescameintoview。TheywereGirtyandSilvertip。
\"Don\'tyell,erI\'llleaveyoulayin\'hereferthebuzzards,\"saidtherenegade。HesteppedforwardandgraspedYoung,atthesametimespeakingintheIndianlanguageandpointingtoanearbytree。Strangetorelate,therenegadeapparentlywantednobloodshed。WhileoneofthesavagesbegantotieYoungtothetree,Girtyturnedhisgazeonthegirls。Hislittle,yelloweyesglinted;hestrokedhischinwithabonyhand,andhisdark,repulsivefacewaswreathedinaterrible,meaningsmile。
\"I\'vebeenlayin\'feryou,\"hecroaked,eyeingNell。\"Ye\'rethepurtiestlass,\'ceptin\'mebbeBetZane,Ieverseedontheborder。Igotcheatedoutenher,butI\'vegotyou;arterIfeedyerInjunpreachertotherbuzzardsmebbeye\'lllarntoloveme。\"
Nellgazedoneinstantintothemonster\'sface。Herterror—strickeneyeswerepiteoustobehold。Shetriedtospeak;buthervoicefailed。Then,likestrickenbird,shefellonthegrass。
ChapterXIV。
NotmanymilesfromtheVillageofPeaceroseanirregularchainofhills,thefirstfaintindicationsofthegrandAppalachianMountainsystem。Theseridgeswerethicklywoodedwithwhiteoak,poplarandhickory,amongwhichasentinelpinerearedhereandthereitsevergreenhead。Therewerecleftsinthehills,passeslinedbygray—stonedcliffs,belowwhichranclearbrooks,tumblingoverrocksinahurrytomeettheirmajesticfather,theOhio。
Oneofthesevalleys,sonarrowthatthesunseldombrightenedthemerrybrook,madeadeepcutintherocks。Theheadofthisvalleytapereduntilthewallsnearlymet;itseemedtoloseitselfintheshadeoffern—facedcliffs,shadowedastheywerebyfirtreesleaningoverthebrink,asthoughtosearchforsecretsoftheravine。Sodeepanddarkandcoolwasthissequesterednookthatherelatesummerhadnotdislodgedearlyspring。Everywherewasasoft,fresh,brightgreen。Theoldgraycliffswerefestoonedwithferns,lichensandmoss。Underagreat,shelvingrock,dampandstainedbythecopper—coloredwaterdrippingdownitsside,wasadewydellintowhichthesunshinehadneverpeeped。Heretheswiftbrooktarriedlovingly,makingawideturnunderthecliff,asthoughlothtoleavethisquietnook,andthenleapedoncemoretoenthusiasminitsmurmuringflight。
Lifeaboundedinthiswild,beautiful,almostinaccessiblespot。Littlebrownandyellowbirdsflittedamongthetrees;thrushesranalongtheleaf—strewnground;oriolessangtheirmelancholynotes;robinsandflickersdartedbeneaththespreadingbranches。Squirrelsscurriedovertheleaveslikelittlewhirlwinds,andleapeddaringlyfromtheswingingbranchesorbarkednoisilyfromwoodyperches。Rabbitshoppedinquisitivelyhereandtherewhilenibblingatthetendershootsofsassafrasandlaurel。
Alongthisflower—skirtedstreamatallyoungman,carryingariflecautiouslystepped,peeringintothebranchesoverhead。Agrayflashshotalongalimbofawhiteoak;thenthebushytailofasquirrelflittedintoawell—protectednotch,fromwhence,nodoubt,akeenlittleeyewatchedthehunter\'severymovement。
Theriflewasraised;thenlowered。Thehunterwalkedaroundthetree。
Presentlyupinthetreetop,snugunderaknottylimb,hespiedalittleballofgrayfur。Graspingabranchofunderbush,heshookitvigorously。Thethrashingsoundworriedthegraysquirrel,forheslippedfromhisretreatandstuckhisnoseOverthelimb。CRACK！Withascratchingandtearingofbarkthesquirrelloosenedhisholdandthenfell;alightingwithathump。Asthehunterpickeduphisquarryastreakofsunshineglintingthroughthetreetopbrightenedhisface。
ThehunterwasJoe。
Hewassatisfiednow,forafterstowingthesquirrelinthepocketofhishuntingcoatheshoulderedhisrifleandwentbackuptheravine。Presentlyadullroarsoundedabovethebabbleofthebrook。Itgrewlouderashethreadedhiswaycarefullyoverthestones。Spotsofwhitefoamfleckedthebrook。
Passingunderthegray,stainedcliff,Joeturnedaroundarockycorner,andcametoanabruptendoftheravine。Awaterfallmarkedthespotwherethebrookentered。Thewaterwasbrownasittooktheleap,lightgreenwhenitthinnedout;andbelow,asitdashedonthestones,itbecameabeautiful,sheenywhite。
Uponaflatrock,sonearthecascadethatsprayflewoverhim,satanotherhunter。Theroaringfallsdrownedallothersounds,yetthemanrousedfromhisdreamycontemplationofthewaterfallwhenJoeroundedthecorner。
\"Iheerdfourshots,\"hesaid,asJoecameup。
\"Yes;Igotasquirrelforeveryshot。\"
Wetzelledthewayalonganarrowfoottrailwhichgraduallywoundtowardthetopoftheravine。Thispathemergedpresently,somedistanceabovethefalls,onthebrinkofabluff。Itranalongtheedgeoftheprecipiceafewyards,thentookacoursebackintodenselywoodedthickets。JustbeforesteppingoutontheopencliffWetzelpausedandpeeredkeenlyonallsides。Therewasnolivingthingtobeseen;thesilencewasthedeep,unbrokencalmofthewilderness。
Wetzelsteppedtothebluffandlookedover。Thestonywalloppositewasonlythirtyfeetaway,andsomewhatlower。FromWetzel\'sactionitappearedasifheintendedtoleapthefissure。Intruth,manyabandofIndianspursuingthehunterintothisrockyfastnesshadcomeoutonthebluff,and,marvelingatwhattheythoughtWetzel\'sprowess,believedhehadmadeawonderfulleap,thuseludingthem。Buthehadneverattemptedthatleap,first,becauseheknewitwaswell—nighimpossible,andsecondly,therehadneverbeenanynecessityforsuchrisk。
Anyoneleaningoverthiscliffwouldhaveobserved,perhapstenfeetbelow,anarrowledgeprojectingfromthefaceoftherock。Hewouldhaveimaginedifheweretodroponthatledgetherewouldbenowaytogetoffandhewouldbeinaworsepredicament。
Withoutamoment\'shesitationWetzelswunghimselfovertheledge。Joefollowedsuit。Atoneendofthislowerledgegrewahardyshruboftheironwoodspecies,andaboveitascrubpineleanedhorizontallyoutovertheravine。Layinghisrifledown,Wetzelgraspedastrongrootandcautiouslyslidovertheside。Whenallofhisbodyhaddisappeared,withtheexceptionofhissinewyfingers,theyloosenedtheirholdontheroot,graspedtherifle,anddraggeditdownoutofsight。Quietly,withsimilarcaution,Joetookholdofthesameroot,lethimselfdown,andwhenatfulllengthswunghimselfinundertheledge。Hisfeetfoundapocketinthecliff。Lettinggooftheroot,hetookhisrifle,andinanothersecondwassafe。
OfallWetzel\'sretreats——forhehadmany——heconsideredthisonethesafest。
Thecavernundertheledgehehaddiscoveredbyaccident。Oneday,beinghotlypursuedbyShawnees,hehadbeenheadedoffonthiscliff,andhadlethimselfdownontheledge,intendingtodropfromittothetopsofthetreesbelow。
Takingadvantageofeverylittleaid,hehungoverbymeansoftheshrub,andwasintheactofleapingwhenhesawthatthecliffshelvedundertheledge,whilewithinreachofhisfeetwastheentrancetoacavern。Hefoundthecavetobesmallwithanopeningatthebackintoasplitintherock。Evidentlytheplacehadbeenenteredfromtherearbybears,whousedtheholeforwintersleepingquarters。Bycrawlingonhishandsandknees,Wetzelfoundtherearopening。Thushehadestablishedahidingplacewhereitwasalmostimpossibletolocatehim。Heprovisionedhisretreat,whichhealwaysenteredbythecliffandleftbytherear。
AnevidenceofWetzel\'sstrangenature,andofhisloveforthiswildhome,manifesteditselfwhenheboundJoetosecrecy。Itwasunlikely,eveniftheyoungmaneverdidgetsafelyoutofthewilderness,thatanystorieshemightrelatewouldrevealthehunter\'sfavoriterendezvous。ButWetzelseriouslydemandedthissecrecy,asearnestlyasiftheforestwerefullofIndiansandwhitemen,allprowlinginsearchofhisburrow。
Joewasintheseventhheavenofdelight,andtooktothefreelifeasawildgoslingtakestothewater。Noplacehadeverappealedtohimasdidthisdark,silentholefaruponthesideofasteepcliff。HisinterestinWetzelsoonpassedintoagreatadmiration,andfromthatdeepenedtolove。
Thisafternoon,whentheyweresatisfiedthatallwaswellwithintheirrefuge,Joelaidasidehisrifle,and,whistlingsoftly,begantopreparesupper。Thebackpartofthecavepermittedhimtostanderect,andwaslargeenoughforcomparativecomfort。Therewasaneat,littlestonefireplace,andseveralcookingutensilsandgourds。FromtimetotimeWetzelhadbroughtthesethings。Apileofwoodandabundleofpineconeslayinonecorner。
Haunchesofdriedbeef,bearandbuffalomeathungfrompegs;abagofparchedcorn,anotherofdriedappleslayonarockyshelf。Nearbyhungapowder—hornfilledwithsaltandpepper。Inthecleftbackofthecavewasaspringofclear,coldwater。
Thewantsofwoodsmenarefewandsimple。JoeandWetzel,withappetiteswhettedbytheirstirringoutdoorlife,relishedthefrugalfareastheycouldneverhaveenjoyedafeast。Astheshadowsofeveningenteredthecave,theylightedtheirpipestopartakeofthehunter\'ssweetestsolace,aquietsmoke。
Strangeasitmayappear,thislonely,sternIndian—hunterandthereckless,impulsiveboywereadmirablysuitedforcompanionship。WetzelhadtakenalikingtotheyoungmanwhenheledthebrotherstoFortHenry。Subsequenteventsstrengthenedhisliking,andnow,manydaysafter,Joehavingfollowedhimintotheforest,astrongattachmenthadbeeninsensiblyforgedbetweenthem。
WetzelunderstoodJoe\'sburningdesiretoroamtheforests;buthehalfexpectedtheladwouldsoongrowtiredofthisrovinglife,butexactlytheoppositesymptomsweredisplayed。Thehunterhadintendedtotakehiscomradeonahuntingtrip,andtoreturnwithhim,afterthatwasover,toFortHenry。
TheyhadnowbeeninthewoodsforweeksandeverydayinsomewayhadJoeshowedhismettle。Wetzelfinallyadmittedhimintothesecretsofhismostcherishedhidingplace。Hedidnotwanttohurtthelad\'sfeelingsbytakinghimbacktothesettlement;hecouldnotsendhimback。Sothedaysworeonswiftly;fullofheart—satisfyingincidentandlife,withmanandboygrowingcloserinanintimacythatwasaswarmasitwasunusual。
Tworeasonsmightaccountforthis:First,thereisnosanehumanbeingwhoisnotbetteroffforcompanionship。Anexilewouldfindsomethingofhappinessinonewhosharedhismisery。And,secondly,Joewasamostacceptablecomrade,evenforaslayerofIndians。WeddedasWetzelwastotheforesttrails,tohislonelylife,totheNemesis—pursuithehadfollowedforeighteenlongyears,hewasstillawhiteman,kindandgentleinhisquiethours,andbecauseofthis,thoughheknewitnot,stillcapableofaffection。
Hehadneverknownyouth;hismanhoodhadbeenonepitilesswarfareagainsthisswornfoes;butonceinallthoseyearshadhissore,coldheartwarmed;
andthatwastowardawomanwhowasnotforhim。Hislifehadheldonlyonepurpose——abloodyone。Yetthemanhadaheart,andhecouldnotpreventitfromrespondingtoanother。Inhissimpleignoranceherebelledagainstthisaffectionforanythingotherthanhisforesthomes。Manisweakagainsthate;
whatcanheavailagainstlove？ThedarkcavernsofWetzel\'sgreatheartopened,admittingtotheirgloomydepthsthisstranger。Sonowanewlovewasborninthatcheerlessheart,whereforsolongalonelyinmate,theghostofoldlove,haddweltinchillseclusion。
ThefeelingofcomradeshipwhichWetzelhadforJoewassomethingaltogethernewinthehunter\'slife。TruehehadhuntedwithJonathanZane,andaccompaniedexpeditionswherehewasforcedtosleepwithanotherscout;butacompanion,nottosayfriend,hehadneverknown。Joewasaboy,wilderthananeagle,yethewasaman。Hewashappyandenthusiastic,stillhisgoodspiritsneverjarredonthehunter;theywererestrained。Heneveraskedquestions,aswouldseemthecaseinanyeagerlad;hewaiteduntilhewasspokento。Hewasapt;heneverforgotanything;hehadtheeyeofabornwoodsman,andlastly,perhapswhatwentfarwithWetzel,hewasasstrongandsuppleasayounglynx,andabsolutelyfearless。
OnthiseveningWetzelandJoefollowedtheirusualcustom;theysmokedawhilebeforelyingdowntosleep。Tonightthehunterwasevenmoresilentthanusual,andthelad,tiredoutwithhisday\'stramp,laydownonabedoffragrantboughs。
Wetzelsatthereinthegatheringgloomwhilehepulledslowlyonhispipe。
Theeveningwasveryquiet;thebirdshadceasedtheirtwittering;thewindhaddiedaway;itwastooearlyforthebayofawolf,thewailofapanther,orhootofanowl;therewassimplyperfectsilence。
Thelad\'sdeep,evenbreathingcaughtWetzel\'sear,andhefoundhimselfmeditating,ashehadoftenoflate,onthisnewsomethingthathadcreptintohislife。ForJoelovedhim;hecouldnotfailtoseethat。TheladhadpreferredtoroamwiththelonelyIndian—hunterthroughtheforests,toencountertheperilsandhardshipsofawildlife,ratherthanacceptthesmileoffortuneandoflove。WetzelknewthatColonelZanehadtakenalikingtotheboy,andhadofferedhimworkandahome;and,also,thehunterrememberedthewarmlighthehadseeninNell\'shazeleyes。Musingthus,themanfeltstirinhisheartanemotionsolongabsentthatitwasunfamiliar。
TheAvengerforgot,foramomenthisbroodingplans。Hefeltstrangelysoftened。Whenhelaidhisheadontherudepillowitwaswithsomesenseofgladnessthat,althoughhehadalwaysdesiredalonelylife,andwantedtopassitinthefulfillmentofhisvow,hislonelinesswasnowsharedbyaladwholovedhim。
Joewasawakenedbythemerrychirpofachipmunkthateverymorningranalongtheseamysideoftheoppositewallofthegorge。Gettingup,hewenttothebackofthecave,wherehefoundWetzelcombingouthislonghair。Theladthrusthishandsintothecoldpool,andbathedhisface。Thewaterwasicycold,andsentaninvigoratingthrillthroughhim。ThenhelaughedashetookarudecombWetzelhandedtohim。
\"MyscalpisnothingtomakeanIndianverycovetous,isit？\"saidhe,eyeinginadmirationthemagnificentblackhairthatfelloverthehunter\'sshoulders。
\"It\'llgrow,\"answeredWetzel。
JoedidnotwonderatthecareWetzeltookofhishair,nordidhemisunderstandthehunter\'ssimplepride。Wetzelwasverycarefulofhisrifle,hewasneatandcleanabouthisperson,hebrushedhisbuckskincostume,hepolishedhisknifeandtomahawk;buthishairreceivedmoreattentionthanallelse。Itrequiredmuchcare。Whencombedoutitreachedfullytohisknees。
Joehadseenhim,afterhereturnedfromalonghunt,workpatientlyforanhourwithhiswoodencomb,andnotstopuntileverylittleburrwasgone,ortanglesmoothedout。Thenhewouldcombitagaininthemorning——this,ofcourse,whentimepermitted——andtwistandtieitupsoastooffersmallresistancetohisslippingthroughtheunderbush。Joeknewthehunter\'ssimplicitywassuch,thatifhecutoffhishairitwouldseemhefearedtheIndians——forthatstreamingblackhairtheIndianshadlongcovetedandsworntotake。Itwouldmakeanybraveafamouschief,andwasthethemeofmanyasavagewartale。
AfterbreakfastWetzelsaidtoJoe:
\"Youstayhere,an\'I\'lllookroundsome;mebbeI\'llcomebacksoon,andwe\'llgooutan\'killabuffalo。Injunssometimesfollerupabuffalotrail,an\'I
wanttobesurenoneofthevarletsarechasin\'thatherdwesawto—day。\"
Wetzelleftthecavebytherear。Ittookhimfifteenminutestocrawltotheheadofthetortuous,stonypassage。Liftingthestonewhichcloseduptheaperture,helookedoutandlistened。Then,rising,hereplacedthestone,andpasseddownthewoodedhillside。
Itwasabeautifulmorning;thedewglistenedonthegreenleaves,thesunshonebrightandwarm,thebirdswarbledinthetrees。Thehunter\'smoccasinspressedsogentlyonthemossandleavesthattheymadenomoresoundthanthesoftfootofapanther。Histrainedearwasalerttocatchanyunfamiliarnoise;hiskeeneyessoughtfirsttheremoteropengladesandglens,thenbenttheirgazeonthemossybluffbeneathhisfeet。Foxsquirrelsdashedfrombeforehimintobushyretreats;grousewhirredawayintothethickets;
startleddeerwhistled,andlopedoffwiththeirwhite—flagsupraised。Wetzelknewfromtheactionofthesedenizensofthewoodsthathewastheonlycreature,notnativetothesehaunts,whohaddisturbedthemthismorning。
Otherwisethedeerwouldnothavebeengrazing,butlyinglowinsomeclosethicket;foxsquirrelsseldomorneverweredisturbedbyahuntertwiceinoneday,forafterbeingfrightenedtheselittleanimals,wilderandshyerthangraysquirrels,remainedhiddenforhours,andgrousethathavebeenflushedalittlewhilebefore,alwaysgetupunusuallyquick,andflyveryfarbeforealighting。
Wetzelcircledbackoverthehill,tookalongsurveyfromarockyeminence,andthenreconnoiteredthelowlandforseveralmiles。Helocatedtheherdofbuffalo,andsatisfyinghimselftherewerenoIndiansnear——forthebisonweregrazingquietly——hereturnedtothecave。AsoftwhistleintothebackdooroftherockyhometoldJoethatthehunterwaswaiting。
\"Coastclear？\"whisperedthelad,thrustinghisheadoutoftheentrance。Hisgrayeyesgleamedbrightly,showinghiseagerspirit。
Thehunternodded,and,throwinghisrifleinthehollowofhisarm,proceededdownthehill。Joefollowedclosely,endeavoring,asWetzelhadtrainedhim,tomakeeachsteppreciselyinthehunter\'sfootprints。Theladhadsoonlearnedtostepnimblyandsoftlyasacat。WhenhalfwaydownthebillWetzelpaused。
\"Seeanythin\'？\"hewhispered。
Joeglancedonallsides。Manymistakeshadtaughthimtobecautious。Hehadlearnedfromexperiencethatforeverywoodlandcreaturehesaw,thereweretenwatchinghiseverymove。Justnowhecouldnotseeevenalittleredsquirrel。Everywhereweresturdyhickoryandoaktrees,thicketsandhazelnuts,slenderashsaplings,and,intheopenglades,patchesofsumach。
Rottingtreeslayontheground,whilefernsnoddedlong,slenderheadsoverthefallenmonarchs。Joecouldmakeoutnothingbutthecolorsofthewoods,thegrayofthetreetrunks,and,intheopeningsthroughtheforest—green,thedeadpurplehazeofforestsfartheron。Hesmiled,and,shakinghisheadatthehunter,byhisactionadmittedfailure。
\"Tryagain。Deadahead,\"whisperedWetzel。
Joebentadirectgazeontheclumpofsassafrasonehundredfeetahead。Hesearchedtheopenplaces,theshadows——eventhebranches。Thenheturnedhiseyesslowlytotheright。Whateverwasdiscernibletohumanvisionhestudiedintently。Suddenlyhiseyebecamefixedonasmallobjectprotrudingfrombehindabeechtree。Itwaspointed,andincolordarkerthanthegraybarkofthebeech。Ithadbeenaveryeasymattertopassoverthislittlething;butnowthattheladsawit,heknewtowhatitbelonged。
\"That\'sabuck\'sear,\"hereplied。
HardlyhadhefinishedspeakingwhenWetzelintentionallysnappedatwig。
Therewasacrashandcommotioninthethicket;branchesmovedandsmallsaplingswaved;thenoutintotheopengladeboundedalargebuckwithawhistleofalarm。Throwinghisrifletoalevel,Joewastryingtocovertheboundingdeer,whenthehunterstruckuphispiece。
\"Lad,don\'tkillferthesakeofkillin,\"hesaid,quietly。\"Wehaveplentyofvenison。We\'llgoarterabuffalo。Ihevahankerin\'feragoodrumpsteak。\"
Halfanhourlater,thehuntersemergedfromtheforestintoawideplainofwavinggrass。Itwasakindofovalvalley,encircledbyhills,andhadbeenatonetime,perhaps,coveredwithwater。Joesawaherdoflargeanimalsbrowsing,likecattle,inameadow。Hisheartbeathigh,foruntilthatmomenttheonlybuffalohehadseenwerethefewwhichstoodontheriverbanksastheraftpasseddowntheOhio。Hewouldsurelygetashotatoneofthesehugefellows。
WetzelbadeJoedoexactlyashedid,whereuponhedroppedonhishandsandkneesandbegantocrawlthroughthelonggrass。Thiswaseasyforthehunter,butverybardfortheladtoaccomplish。Still,hemanagedtokeephiscomradeinsight,whichwasamatterforcongratulation,becausethemancrawledasfastashewalked。Atlength,afterwhattoJoeseemedaverylongtime,thehunterpaused。
\"Arewenearenough？\"whisperedJoe,breathlessly。
\"Nope。We\'rejustcirclin\'on\'em。Thewind\'snotright,an\'I\'mafeeredthey\'llgetourscent。\"
Wetzelrosecarefullyandpeepedoverthetopofthegrass;then,droppingonallfours,heresumedtheadvance。
Hepausedagain,presentlyandwaitedforJoetocomeup。
\"Seehere,youngfellar,remember,neverhurryunlessthebiznesscallsferspeed,an\'thenactlikelightnin\'。\"
Thusadmonishingtheeagerlad,Wetzelcontinuedtocrawl。Itwaseasyforhim。Joewonderedhowthosewideshouldersgotbetweentheweedsandgrasseswithoutbreaking,or,atleast,shakingthem。Butsoitwas。
\"Flatnow,\"whisperedWetzel,puttinghisbroadhandonJoe\'sbackandpressinghimdown。\"Now\'syertimefergoodpractice。Trailyerrifleoveryerback——ifyercarefulitwon\'tslideoff——an\'reachoutfarwithonearman\'
digyerfingersindeep。Thenpullyerselfforrard。\"
Wetzelslippedthroughthegrasslikeahugebuckskinsnake。Hislong,lithebodywormeditswayamongthereeds。ButforJoe,evenwiththeadvantageofhavingthehunter\'strailtofollow,itwasdifficultwork。Thedryreedsbrokeunderhim,andthestalksofsaw—gassshook。Heworkedpersistentlyatit,learningallthewhile,andimprovingwitheveryrod。Hewassurprisedtohearaswish,followedbyadullblowontheground。Raisinghishead,helookedforward。Hesawthehunterwipehistomahawkonthegrass。
\"Snake,\"whisperedWetzel。
Joesawahugeblacksnakesquirminginthegrass。Itsheadhadbeensevered。
Hecaughtglimpsesofothersnakesglidingaway,andglossyroundmolesdartingintotheirholes。Agrayrabbitstartedoffwithaleap。
\"We\'renearenough,\"whisperedWetzel,stoppingbehindabush。Heroseandsurveyedtheplain;thenmotionedJoetolook。
Joeraisedhimselfonhisknees。Ashisgazereachedthelevelofthegrassyplainhisheartleaped。Notfiftyyardsawaywasagreat,shaggy,blackbuffalo。Hewasthekingoftheherd;butillatease,forhepawedthegrassandshookhishugebead。Nearhimwereseveralcowsandahalf—growncalf。
Beyondwasthemainherd,extendingasfarasJoecouldsee——agreatseaofblackhumps！Theladbreathedhardashetookinthegrandsight。
\"Pickoutthelittlefellar——thereddish—brownone——an\'plughimbehindtheshoulder。Shootclosenow,ferifwemiss,mebbeIcan\'thitone,becauseI\'mnotusedtoshootin\'atsichsmallmarks。\"
Wetzel\'sraresmilelighteduphisdarkface。Probablyhecouldhaveshotaflyoffthehornofthebull,ifoneofthebigfliesorbees,plainlyvisibleastheyswirledaroundthehugehead,hadalightedthere。
Joeslowlyraisedhisrifle。Hehadcoveredthecalf,andwasabouttopullthetrigger,when,withasagacityfarbeyondhisexperienceashunter,hewhisperedtoWetzel:
\"IfIfiretheymayruntowardus。\"
\"Nope;they\'llrunaway,\"answeredWetzel,thinkingtheladwasaskeenasanIndian。
Joequicklycoveredthecalfagain,andpulledthetrigger。Bellowingloudthebigbulldashedoff。Theherdswungaroundtowardthewest,andsoonweregallopingoffwithalumberingroar。Theshaggyhumpsbobbedupanddownlikehot,angrywavesonastorm—blackenedsea。
Upongoingforward,WetzelandJoefoundthecalflyingdeadinthegrass。
\"Youmighthevdidbetter\'nthat,\"remarkedthehunter,ashesawwherethebullethadstruck。\"Youwentalittletooferback,butmebbethetwas\'causethecalfsteppedasyoushot。\"
ChapterXV。
Sothedayspassedswiftly,dreamily,eachonebringingJoeakeenerdelight。
Inasinglemonthhewasasgoodawoodsmanasmanypioneerswhohadpassedyearsontheborder,forhehadtheadvantageofateacherwhosewoodcraftwasincomparable。Besides,hewasnaturallyquickinlearning,andwithallhisinterestcentereduponforestlore,itwasnowonderheassimilatedmuchofWetzel\'sknowledge。Hewaseverwillingtoundertakeanythingwherebyhemightlearn。Oftenwhentheyweremilesawayinthedenseforest,farfromtheircave,heaskedWetzeltolethimtrytoleadthewaybacktocamp。Andheneverfailedonce,thoughmanytimeshegotoffastraightcourse,therebymissingtheeasytravelling。
Joedidwonderfullywell,buthelacked,asnearlyallwhitemendo,thesubtler,intuitiveforest—instinct,whichmakestheIndianasmuchathomeinthewoodsasinhisteepee。Wetzelhadthisdevelopedtoahighdegree。Itwasborninhim。Yearsoftraining,yearsofpassionate,unrelentingsearchforIndians,hadgivenhimaknowledgeofthewildsthatwasincomprehensibletowhitemen,andappallingtohisredfoes。
