The Hunters of the Hills

arkness on the stone shelf, with the canoe beside them. They were no more than the point of a pin in the vast wilderness that stretched unknown thousands of mil

s driving sound. Boughs cracked and broke beneath it. The waters of the river, swollen by the floods of tributary creeks and brooks,

h had been trained to extreme acuteness by the needs of forest life. All three of them were great wilderness trailers and scouts, but Tayoga was the first of the three. Back of him lay untold generations that had be

he crack of splintering boughs, the flowing of the rising river, and the gurgling of its waters as they lapped against t

ning note. A danger threatened. He did not know what the danger was nor whence it would come, but the soul of the Onondaga was alive and every nerve and muscle in his body was attune

the darkness with his eyes, and always he looked up the stream in the direction in which they had come. He strained his ears too to the utmost, concentrating the full powers of his hearing upon the river, but

ow, the water rising almost to his knees, and leaned farther forward to listen. O

physical way, until they bore upon one point, and he poured so much strength and vitality into them that he

toward the shelf. Leaning far over and extending the hand that held the knife, Tayoga struck. When the blade came back i

et, all sleep driven away at once, a

ga?" exclaimed th

loating on a tree. He thought to slay us as we slept and take away our

ne more deed for which we have to thank you, but I think you'd better get back on the shelf. They can fir

mphant shout there was no sound save those of the river and the rain. But Robert expected it. He knew th

ingle warrior to come floating d

't been awake," said the hunter. "One warri

ou think th

out of savages, even wild for scalps. I'm mighty glad we have the canoe. It holds the food we need for a siege, and if the chance

there are others whom we cannot see. Keep clo

kness, the bullets rattling on the stone cliff or sending up little spurts of water from the river. The volley was foll

yoga, and Robert and Willet qu

illet, "and so long as we keep quiet now they won't learn.

, although they can't pull trigger directly upon

f random firing the chances are about a hundred to one they won't hit

can launch the canoe

the flood. It's likely, too, that they're

indefinite time, and, that being the case,

ant's notice. His feeling of comfort returned and with it the sense of safety. The bullets of the savages had gone so wild a

ing down the stream on trees or

" replied the Onondaga. "They

Then the waiting was broken by scattering shots, accompanied by detached war whoops, as if different bands were near. From their shelter they watched the red dots th

dred," said Willet, "and now we're sa

ule will work,

y left hand in a fir

why?" retur

ting wood and lay it along the edge of the shelf. In the dark the

course. I'm sorry I di

t, and that's enough. H

t your g

ome smaller pieces which they placed carefully on the edge of the stone shelf. Lying flat behind th

rain, although the river was still rising, and Tayoga and Willet were of the opinion that it would stop soon, a belief that was justified in

ayoga, "then it will darken again for a

k out our place and send their bullets to it. What do you think, Tayoga? Is it just a band taking the chance to get some sca

Quebec). He talks long in whispers with the northern chiefs, and often he does not let his

ghtforward English and American way best. We may blunder along for a

keep the Hodenosaunee faithful to the English side, but it is the knowledge of the fifty

t lau

l Frenchmen are not tricksters. Most of 'em are brave, and when they're friends they're good and true. About all I've got to say against 'em is that they're willing to shut their eyes

to be dreaded," said Tayo

ake the best enemies, I suppose. He had a sharp eye. I could see how

I was the most important of t

, "and he can't get away from it. Tayoga, do you think you

reat Bear," replied the Onondaga.

us. I think they'll open fire pretty soon now, because the night is growing uncommon bright. The stars are so big and shining, and there are so many of them

from the water, as they afforded almost complete shelter. The crouching warrior

an they often sh

d, and once more he was thankful for their rude breastwork. But it was the only one that struck so close and presently the sa

horter distance from them to us than it is from us to them, and that our bullets

id Tayoga. "He has fired three shots at us, a

the debt

reat for accuracy, but the light was brilliant, and the rifle of the hunter rose to his shoulder. The muzzle b

d like dead wood on the swift current, reappeared and floated by the little fortress of

of the warrior, but the besieged were silent. Willet, as he

e've given 'em fair warning that they've got a nest of panthers here to deal with,

t one among them who is willing to fa

mpliment. He was proud of his sharp-shoot

do for a warning. I think we can

on the leaves, and the wilderness seemed to emerge, fresh and dripping, from a glorious bath. Pleasant odors of the wild came to him, and now he felt the sting of imprisonment there among the rocks. He wished they could go

?" said Willet wh

passed. I wanted to be going on this lively river and thro

the savages will hang on here for a long while. Indians always have plenty of time. That's why

y he wants to leave the hollow and go into the woods. But if Lenn

ndaga twinkled as he del

same tone, "but tomorrow is never as good as today. I

re young. We don't know how long we'll be here. A little more of the deer, Tayoga. It's close to the middle of the day now and

from nothing except the soreness and stiffness that came from lying almost flat and so long in one position. The afternoon, cloudless and brilliant, waned, and the air in the recess grew warm and heavy. Had it not been for the necessity of keeping guard

t's cornered us here has got too much. They may send out a warrior or two to hunt, and the others may sit at a distance

lied the Onondaga. "He is alwa

ga, are you mak

s nearly always right and very seldom wrong.

I can keep up a high averag

was the case with the Onondaga. Like the celebrated Thayendanegea, the Mohawk, otherwise known as Joseph Brant, he had been sent to a whit

maintain a watch what will we do?" asked Robert.

ght to be moving. A long delay here won't

ooked at Tayoga. He was very thoughtful

at Bear think of t

humorous inflection. "But I've always admired it, wheth

ga s

ated. "Do the signs say to him that the coming night

Tayoga, but I don't believe

the dark. Tonight when the moon and sta

t way,

a pointed t

the canoe

r or see us we'd make a

be

the Onondaga, "although ou

including our clothes, except ourselves, and swim by the side of

d at Willet, who n

tter try it," he said, "that is, if the

agreed," s

o," said

before, a little spasmodic firing came from the besiegers, but they did not deign to answer. Instead they waited patiently until the night was far advanced and then they prepared quickly for running the gauntlet, a task that would require the greates

d with a single swift movement of the arm. Then they stared up and down the stream, and listened with all their powers of hearing. No sav

don't dare try the river, and in this case as in most others the boldest way

no splash when it took the water, and then the three lowered

d the hunter, "and whatever you do

peared, nor was any human agency visible. It was just a wandering little boat, set adrift upon the wilderness waters, a light shell, but with an explorer's soul. It moved casually along, keeping nearest

ches of the river. Gasna Gaowo, this bark canoe of red elm, was not large, but it was a noble specimen of its kind, a forest product of Onondaga patience and skill. On eit

at the other cliff farther away and at the middle of the stream, which was now tranquil and unruffled by the wreckage of the forest blown into the water by the storm. The canoe also looked into one or two li

iscovered voyage it wished to make. Masses of clouds gathered and hovered over that particular river, as if they had some especial object in doing so, and they made the night so dark that the red eyes of the canoe, great in size though they were, could see but a little way down

f the bank, and a sustained gaze soon showed to him that it was a canoe, and, in his opinion, a derelict, washed by the flood from some camp a long

p, which was a sad disappointment, and now Manitou had sent this stray craft to him as a consolation prize. He was not one to decline the gifts of the gods, and he ran along the edge of

ten that such a valuable prize came to a man and asked to be taken. He reached it and put one hand upon the side. Then a heavy fist stretched entirely over the canoe and struck him

canoe sailed on in lonely

rs, Dave," said Robert. "You s

st of it," said the hunter. "He may have been a sentinel set to watch for just such an attempt

rely floating on the waters. I can see a heap of underbrush that has gathered against a projecting point, and the current would naturally b

t to remain under fire, so to speak, in order to deceiv

ll three of us," sai

considerable width and depth, against which the canoe in its wandering course lodged. But it was evident that its stay in such a port would be but

time. Since he was no longer kept warm by the act of swimming Robert felt the chill of the water entering his bones. His physical desir

e than the first man had been and at that point the river spread out to a much greater width. He did not know that his comrade was lying on the bank farther up in a half stunned condition, but he was naturally cautious and he stared at the canoe a long time. He saw that the action of the current would eventually work it loose from the raft, but he believed it would yet hang th

and they read his mind. They knew that when he turned away he had gone for help and t

llet, "and I think we'd better help

o," said

eed between banks that were growing high again. The friendly dark was also an increasing protection to the three who were steering it. The heavy but rainless clouds continued to gather over them, and the canoe sped on at accelerated speed

water, and sped down the stream, as if it were the leader in a ra

vered in some way that w

so," sa

want to brag, but you can't find three better paddlers in the wilderness than we are, and with a mile start we ought

now," said Tayoga, "an

d, but it was a long cry, full of varied meaning. It expressed satisfaction, triumph, a taunt for the foe, and

in their hearts, and they don't like it. But they can squirm as much

nce. The three paddled with their utmost strength, the great muscles on their arms rising

in, and then the air was shot with golden beams from the rising sun. Wil

d. "Now we'll land, put on our