第12章

"And what the devil is to prevent these minks of which you speak from shooting us as we double a headland, or are busy in steering clear of the rocks?""The Lord! -- He who has so often helped others in greater difficulties.Many and many is the time that my head would have been stripped of hair, skin, and all, hadn't the Lord fi't of my side.I never go into a skrimmage, friend mariner, without thinking of this great ally, who can do more in battle than all the battalions of the 60th, were they brought into a single line.""Ay, ay, this may do well enough for a scouter; but we seamen like our offing, and to go into action with nothing in our minds but the business before us -- plain broadside and broadside work, and no trees or rocks to thicken the water.""And no Lord too, I dare to say, if the truth were known.Take my word for it, Master Cap, that no battle is the worse fi't for having the Lord on your side.Look at the head of the Big Sarpent, there; you can see the mark of a knife all along by his left ear: now nothing but a bullet from this log rifle of mine saved his scalp that day; for it had fairly started, and half a minute more would have left him without the war-lock.When the Mohican squeezes my hand, and intermates that I be-friended him in that matter, I tell him no; it was the Lord who led me to the only spot where execution could be done, or his necessity be made known, on account of the smoke.Sartain, when I got the right position, I finished the affair of my own accord.For a friend under the tomahawk is apt to make a man think quick and act at once, as was my case, or the Sarpent's spirit would be hunting in the happy land of his people at this very mo-ment."

"Come, come, Pathfinder, this palaver is worse than being skinned from stem to stem; we have but a few hours of sun, and had better be drifting down this said current of yours while we may.Magnet dear, are you not ready to get under way?"Magnet started, blushed brightly, and made her prep-arations for immediate departure.Not a syllable of the discourse just related had she heard; for Eau-douce, as young Jasper was oftener called than anything else, had been filling her ears with a description of the yet distant part towards which she was journeying, with accounts of her father, whom she had not seen since a child, and with the manner of life of those who lived in the frontier gar-risons.Unconsciously she had become deeply interested, and her thoughts had been too intently directed to these matters to allow any of the less agreeable subjects dis-cussed by those so near to reach her ears.The bustle of departure put an end to the conversation, and, the bag-gage of the scouts or guides being trifling, in a few minutes the whole party was ready to proceed.As they were about to quit the spot, however, to the surprise of even his fellow-guides, Pathfinder collected a quantity of branches and threw them upon the embers of the fire, taking care even to see that some of the wood was damp, in order to raise as dark and dense a smoke as possible.

"When you can hide your trail, Jasper," said he, "a smoke at leaving an encampment may do good instead of harm.If there are a dozen Mingos within ten miles of us, some on 'em are on the heights, or in the trees, look-ing out for smokes; let them see this, and much good may it do them.They are welcome to our leavings.""But may they not strike and follow on our trail?"asked the youth, whose interest in the hazard of his situa-tion had much increased since the meeting with Magnet.

"We shall leave a broad path to the river.""The broader the better; when there, it will surpass Mingo cunning, even, to say which way the canoe has gone - up stream or down.Water is the only thing in natur'

that will thoroughly wash out a trail, and even water will not always do it when the scent is strong.Do you not see, Eau-douce, that if any Mingos have seen our path below the falls, they will strike off towards this smoke, and that they will naturally conclude that they who began by going up stream will end by going up stream.If they know anything, they now know a party is out from the fort, and it will exceed even Mingo wit to fancy that we have come up here just for the pleasure of going back again, and that, too, the same day, and at the risk of our scalps.""Certainly," added Jasper, who was talking apart with the Pathfinder, as they moved towards the wind-row, "they cannot know anything about the Sergeant's daugh-ter, for the greatest secrecy has been observed on her ac-count."

"And they will learn nothing here," returned Path-finder, causing his companion to see that he trod with the utmost care on the impression left on the leaves by the little foot of Mabel; "unless this old salt-water fish has been taking his niece about in the wind-row, like a fa'n playing by the side of the old doe.""Buck, you mean, Pathfinder."

"Isn't he a queerity? Now I can consort with such a sailor as yourself, Eau-douce, and find nothing very con-trary in our gifts, though yours belong to the lakes and mine to the woods.Hark'e, Jasper," continued the scout, laughing in his noiseless manner; "suppose we try the temper of his blade and run him over the falls?""And what would be done with the pretty niece in the meanwhile?""Nay, nay, no harm shall come to her; she must walk round the portage, at any rate; but you and I can try this Atlantic oceaner, and then all parties will become better acquainted.We shall find out whether his flint will strike fire; and he may come to know something of frontier tricks."Young Jasper smiled, for he was not averse to fun, and had been a little touched by Cap's superciliousness; but Mabel's fair face, light, agile form, and winning smiles, stood like a shield between her uncle and the intended experiment.

"Perhaps the Sergeant's daughter will be frightened,"said he.

"Not she, if she has any of the Sergeant's spirit in her.

She doesn't look like a skeary thing, at all.Leave it to me, then, Eau-douce, and I will manage the affair alone.""Not you, Pathfinder; you would only drown both.If the canoe goes over, I must go in it.""Well, have it so, then: shall we smoke the pipe of agreement on the bargain?"Jasper laughed, nodded his head by way of consent, and then the subject was dropped, as the party had reached the canoe so often mentioned, and fewer words had de-termined much greater things between the parties.