Hepaused,leaningforwardinhisexceedingearnestness,withhisbronzedfacelinedbyswellingveins,hiswholepersonmaderigidbythemurderousthought。
　　Thehehissedbetweenhisteeth:"WhatshallwedowiththeseChristianIndians？"
　　Piperaisedhiswar—club,struckitupontheground;thenhandedittoHalfKing。
　　HalfKingtooktheclubandrepeatedtheaction。
　　Bothchiefsfavoredthedeathpenalty。
　　"Feed'emtotherbuzzards,"croakedJimGirty。
　　SimonGirtyknittedhisbrowinthought。ThequestionofwhattodowiththeconvertedIndianshadlongperplexedhim。
　　"No,"saidhe;"letusdriveawaythemissionaries,burnthevillage,andtaketheIndiansbacktocamp。We'llkeepthemthere;they'llsoonforget。"
　　"Pipedoesnotwantthem,"declaredtheDelaware。
　　"ChristianIndiansshallneversitroundHalfKing'sfire,"criedtheHuron。
　　SimonGirtyknewthecrisishadcome;thatbutfewmomentswerelefthimtodecideastothedispositionoftheChristians;andhethoughtseriously。
　　CertainlyhedidnotwanttheChristiansmurdered。Howevercruelhislife,andgreathismisdeeds,hewasstillaman。Ifpossible,hedesiredtoburnthevillageandruinthereligiousinfluence,butwithoutsheddingblood。Yet,withallhispower,hewashandicapped,andthatbytheverychiefsmostnearlyunderhiscontrol。HecouldnotsubduethisgrowingChristianinfluencewithoutthehelpofPipeandHalfKing。Tothesesavagesathingwaseitherrightorwrong。Hehadsowntheseedofunrestandjealousyinthesavagebreasts,andthefruitwasthedecreeofdeath。AsfarastheseIndianswereconcerned,thisdecisionwasunalterable。
　　Ontheotherhand,ifhedidnotspreadruinovertheVillageofPeace,themissionarieswouldsoongetsuchagrasponthetribesthattheirholdwouldneverbebroken。Hecouldnotallowthat,evenifhewasforcedtosacrificethemissionariesalongwiththeirconverts,forhesawinthegrowthofthisreligionhisowndownfall。Thebordermustbehostiletothewhites,oritcouldnolongerbehishome。Tobesure,hehadaidedtheBritishintheRevolution,andcouldfindarefugeamongthem;butthisdidnotsuithim。
　　Hebecameanoutcastbecauseoffailuretowinthemilitarypromotionwhichhehadsomuchcoveted。Hehadfailedamonghisownpeople。Hehadwonagreatpositioninanalienrace,andhelovedhispower。Toswaymen——Indians,ifnotothers——tohiswill;toavengehimselfforthefanciedwrongdonehim;tobegreat,hadbeenhisunrelentingpurpose。
　　HeknewhemustsacrificetheChristians,oreventuallylosehisownpower。HehadnofalseideasabouttheconvertedIndians。Heknewtheywereinnocent;
　　thattheywereathousandtimesbetteroffthanthepaganIndians;thattheyhadneverharmedhim,norwouldtheyeverdoso;butifheallowedthemtospreadtheirreligiontherewasanendofSimonGirty。
　　Hisdecisionwascharacteristicoftheman。Hewouldsacrificeanyone,orall,toretainhissupremacy。HeknewthefulfillmentofthedecreeaslaiddownbyPipeandHalfKingwouldbeknownashiswork。Hisname,infamousnow,wouldhaveanadditionalhorror,andeverberememberedbyposterityinunspeakableloathing,inunsofteningwrath。Heknewthis,anddeepdowninhisheartawokeanumbedchordofhumanitythattwingedwithstrangepain。Whatawfulworkhemustsanctiontokeephisvauntedpower！Morebitterthanallwastheknowledgethattoretainthisholdovertheindianshemustcommitadeedwhich,sofarasthewhiteswereconcerned,wouldtakeawayhisgreatname,andbrandhimacoward。
　　Hebrieflyreviewedhisstirringlife。Singularlyfittedforaleader,inafewyearshehadrisentothemostpowerfulpositionontheborder。Hewieldedmoreinfluencethananychief。Hehadbeenopposedtotheinvasionofthepioneers,andthisalone,withouthissagacityorhisgeneralship,wouldhavegivenhimcontrolofmanytribes。Buthatredforhisownpeople,coupledwithunerringjudgment,aremarkableabilitytoleadexpeditions,andhisinvariablesuccess,hadraisedhimhigherandhigheruntilhestoodalone。HewasthemostpowerfulmanwestoftheAlleghenies。HisfamewassuchthattheBritishhadimportunedhimtohelpthem,andhadactually,inmorethanoneinstance,givenhimcommandoverBritishsubjects。
　　Allofwhichmeantthathehadagreat,eventoughaninfamousname。Nomatterwhathewasblamedfor;nomatterhowmanydastardlydeedshadbeencommittedbyhisdepravedbrothersandlaidtohisdoor,heknewhehadneverdoneacowardlyact。Thatwhichhehadcommittedwhilehewasdrunkheconsideredashavingbeendonebytheliquor,andnotbytheman。Helovedhispower,andhelovedhisname。
　　InallGirty'seventful,ignoblelife,neitherthealienationfromhispeople,thehorrortheyascribedtohispower,northesacrificeofhislifetostandhighamongthesavageraces,noranyofthecrueldeedscommittedwhileatwar,hurthimatitheasmuchasdidthissanctioningthemassacreoftheChristians。
　　Althoughhewasavengeful,unscrupulous,evilman,hehadneveractedthecoward。
　　HalfKingwaitedlongforGirtytospeak;sinceheremainedsilent,thewilyHuronsuggestedtheytakeavoteonthequestion。
　　"LetusburntheVillageofPeace,driveawaythemissionaries,andtaketheChristiansbacktotheDelawaretowns——allwithoutspillingblood,"saidGirty,determinedtocarryhispoint,ifpossible。
　　"Isaythesame,"addedElliott,refusingthewar—clubheldouttohimbyHalfKing。
　　"Me,too,"votedMcKee,notsodrunkbutthatheunderstoodthelightninglikeglanceGirtyshotathim。
　　"Kill'emall;killeverybody,"criedDeeringindrunkenglee。Hetooktheclubandpoundedwithitontheground。
　　Piperepeatedhisformerperformance,asalsodidHalfKing,afterwhichhehandedtheblack,knottedsymbolofdeathtoJimGirty。
　　ThreehaddeclaredforsavingtheChristians,andthreeforthedeathpenalty。
　　SixpairsofburningeyeswerefastenedontheDeaths—head。
　　PipeandHalfKingwerecoldlyrelentless;Deeringawoketoabrutalearnestness;McKeeandElliottwatchedwithbatedbreath。Thesemenhadformedthemselvesintoatribunaltodecideonthelifeordeathofmany,andthesituation,ifnotthegreatestintheirlives,certainlywasoneofvitalimportance。
　　SimonGirtycursedallthefates。Hedarednotopenlyopposethevoting,andhecouldnot,beforethosecruelbutjustchiefs,trytoinfluencehisbrother'svote。
　　AsJimGirtytookthewar—club,Simonreadinhisbrother'sfacethedoomoftheconvertedIndiansandhemutteredtohimself:
　　"Nowtremblean'shrink,allyouChristians！"
　　Jimwasnotinahurry。Slowlyhepoisedthewar—club。Hewasplayingasacatplayswithamouse;hewasgloryinginhispower。Thesilencewasthatofdeath。Itsignifiedthesilenceofdeath。Thewar—clubdescendedwithviolence。
　　"FeedtheChristianstotherbuzzards！"
　　ChapterXXIII。
　　"Ihavebeenherebefore,"saidJoetoWhisperingWinds。"Irememberthatvine—coveredstone。WecrawledoverittogetatGirtyandSilvertip。There'sthelittleknoll;here'stheveryspotwhereIwashitbyaflyingtomahawk。
　　Yes,andthere'sthespring。Letmesee,whatdidWetzelcallthisspot？"
　　"BeautifulSpring,"answeredtheIndiangirl。
　　"That'sit,andit'swellnamed。Whatalovelyplace！"
　　Naturehadbeenlavishinthebeautifyingofthisincloseddell。Itwasaboutfiftyyardswide,andnestledamonglittle,woodedknollsandwallsofgray,lichen—coveredstone。Thoughthesunshonebrightlyintotheopening,andtherainhadfreeaccesstothemossyground,nostormywindseverenteredthiswellprotectedglade。
　　Joereveledinthebeautyofthescene,evenwhilehewastooweaktostanderect。Hesufferednopainfromhiswound,althoughhehadgraduallygrowndizzy,andfeltasifthegroundwasrisingbeforehim。Hewasgladtolieuponthemossygroundinthelittlecavernunderthecliff。
　　Uponexaminationhiswoundwasfoundtohaveopened,andwasbleeding。Hishuntingcoatwassaturatedwithblood。WhisperingWindswashedthecut,anddresseditwithcoolingleaves。ThensherebandagedittightlywithJoe'slinseyhandkerchiefs,andwhileherestedcomfortableshegatheredbundlesofferns,carryingthemtothelittlecavern。WhenshehadalargequantityoftheseshesatdownnearJoe,andbegantoweavethelongstemsintoakindofscreen。Thefernstalkswerefourfeetlongandhalfafootwide;theseshedeftlylacedtogether,makingbroadscreenswhichwouldservetowardoffthenightdews。Thisdone,shenextbuiltafireplacewithflatstones。Shefoundwildapples,plumsandturnipsontheknollabovetheglade。Thenshecookedstripsofmeatwhichhadbeenbroughtwiththem。Lancegrazedonthelonggrassjustwithouttheglade,andMosecaughttworabbits。WhendarknesssettleddownWhisperingWindscalledthedogwithinthecavern,andhungthescreensbeforetheopening。
　　Severaldayspassed。Joerestedquietly,andbegantorecoverstrength。
　　Besidestheworkofpreparingtheirmeals,WhisperingWindshadnothingtodosavesitneartheinvalidandamuseorinteresthimsothathewouldnotfretorgrowimpatient,whilehiswoundwashealing。
　　Theytalkedabouttheirfutureprospects。AftervisitingtheVillageofPeace,theywouldgotoFortHenry,whereJoecouldfindemployment。Theydweltuponthecabintheywouldbuild,andpassedmanyhappymomentsplanninganewhome。
　　Joe'sloveofthewildernesshadinnowisediminished;butablowonhisheadfromaheavytomahawk,andaviciousstabintheback,hadlessenedhiszealsofarthatheunderstooditwasnotwisetosacrificelifeforthepleasuresofthepathlesswoods。Hecouldhavethelastwithoutthedangerofbeingshotatfrombehindeverytree。HereasonedthatitwouldbebestforhimtotakehiswifetoFortHenry,therefindemployment,anddevotehisleisuretimetoroamingintheforest。
　　"WillthepalefacesbekindtoanIndianwhohaslearnedtolovethem？"
　　WhisperingWindsaskedwistfullyofJoe。
　　"Indeedtheywill,"answeredJoe,andhetoldherthestoryofIsaacZane;howhetookhisIndianbridehome;howherbeautyandsweetnesssoonwonallthewhitepeople'slove。"Itwillbesowithyou,mywife。"
　　"WhisperingWindsknowssolittle,"shemurmured。
　　"Why,youarelearningeveryday,andevenifsuchwasnotthecase,youknowenoughforme。"
　　"WhisperingWindswillbeafraid;shefearsalittletogo。"
　　"I'llbegladwhenwecanbeonthemove,"saidJoe,withhisoldimpatientdesireforaction。"Howsoon,Winds,canwesetoff？"
　　"Asmanydays,"answeredtheIndiangirl,holdingupfivefingers。
　　"Solong？Iwanttoleavethisplace。"
　　"LeaveBeautifulSpring？"
　　"Yes,eventhissweetplace。Ithasahorrorforme。I'llneverforgetthenightIfirstsawthatspringshininginthemoonlight。ItwasrightabovetherockthatIlookedintotheglade。Themoonwasreflectedinthedarkpool,andasIgazedintotheshadowydepthsofthedarkwaterIsuddenlyfeltanunaccountableterror;butIoughtn'ttohavethesamefeelingnow。Wearesafe,arewenot？"
　　"Wearesafe,"murmuredWhisperingWinds。
　　"YetIhavethesamechilloffearwheneverIlookatthebeautifulspring,andatnightasIawaketohearthesoftbabbleofrunningwater,Ifreezeuntilmyheartfeelslikecoldlead。Winds,I'mnotacoward;butIcan'thelpthisfeeling。Perhaps,it'sonlythememoryofthatawfulnightwithWetzel。"
　　"AnIndianfeelssowhenhepassestohisunmarkedgrave,"answeredWinds,gazingsolemnlyathim。"WhisperingWindsdoesnotlikethisfancyofyours。
　　LetusleaveBeautifulSpring。Youarealmostwell。Ah！ifWhisperingWindsshouldloseyou！Iloveyou！"
　　"AndIloveyou,mybeautifulwildflower,"answeredJoe,strokingthedarkheadsonearhisown。
　　Atendersmileshoneonhisface。Heheardaslightnoisewithoutthecave,and,lookingup,sawthatwhichcausedthesmiletofadequickly。
　　"Mose！"hecalled,sharply。Thedogwasawaychasingrabbits。
　　WhisperingWindsglancedoverhershoulderwithastartledcry,whichendedinascream。
　　NottwoyardsbehindherstoodJimGirty。
　　Hideouswashisfaceinitstriumphantferocity。Heheldalongknifeinhishand,and,snarlinglikeamadwolf,hemadeaforwardlunge。
　　Joeraisedhimselfquickly;butalmostbeforehecouldlifthishandindefense,thelongbladewassheathedinhisbreast。
　　Slowlyhesankback,hisgrayeyescontractingwiththeoldsteelyflash。Thewilltodowasthere,butthepowerwasgoneforever。
　　"Remember,Girty,murderer！IamWetzel'sfriend,"hecried,gazingathisslayerwithunutterablescorn。
　　Thenthegrayeyessoftened,andsoughttheblanchedfaceofthestrickenmaiden。
　　"Winds,"hewhisperedfaintly。
　　Shewasasonefrozenwithhorror。
　　Thegrayeyesgazedintoherswithlingeringtenderness;thenthefilmofdeathcameuponthem。
　　Therenegaderaisedhisbloodyknife,andbentovertheprostrateform。
　　WhisperingWindsthrewherselfuponGirtywiththeblindfuryofamaddenedlioness。Cursingfiercely,hestabbedheronce,twice,threetimes。Shefellacrossthebodyofherlover,andclaspeditconvulsively。
　　Girtygaveoneglanceathisvictims;deliberatelywipedthegoryknifeonWind'sleggins,and,withanotherglance,hurriedandfearful,aroundtheglade,heplungedintothethicket。
　　Anhourpassed。Adarkstreamcreptfromthequietfigurestowardthespring。
　　Itdyedthemossandthegreenvioletleaves。Slowlyitwounditswaytotheclearwater,drippingbetweenthepaleblueflowers。Thelittlefallbelowthespringwasnolongersnowywhite;bloodhadtingeditred。
　　Adogcameboundingintotheglade。Heleapedthebrook,hesitatedonthebank,andloweredhisnosetosniffatthewater。Heboundedupthebanktothecavern。
　　Along,mournfulhowlbrokethewilderness'squiet。
　　Anotherhourpassed。Thebirdsweresilent;theinsectsstill。Thesunsankbehindthetrees,andtheshadesofeveninggathered。
　　Thefernsontheothersideofthegladetrembled。Aslightrustleofdeadleavesdisturbedthestillness。Thedogwhined,thenbarked。Thetallformofahunterroseoutofthethicket,andsteppedintothegladewithhiseyesbentuponmoccasintracksinthesoftmoss。
　　Thetrailhehadbeenfollowingledhimtothisbloodyspring。
　　"Imighthevknowedit,"hemuttered。
　　Wetzel,foritwashe,leaneduponhislongriflewhilehiskeeneyestookinthedetailsofthetragedy。Thewhiningdog,thebloodywater,themotionlessfigureslyinginalastembrace,toldthesadstory。
　　"Joean'Winds,"hemuttered。
　　OnlyamomentdidheremainlostinsadreflectionAfamiliarmoccasin—printinthesandonthebankpointedwestward。Heexamineditcarefully。
　　"Twohoursgone,"hemuttered。"Imightovertakehim。"
　　Thenhismotionsbecameswift。Withtwoblowsofhistomahawkhesecuredalongpieceofgrapevine。Hetookaheavystonefromthebedofthebrook。HecarriedJoetothespring,and,returningforWinds,placedherbesideherlover。Thisdone,hetiedoneendofthegrapevinearoundthestone,andwoundtheotheraboutthedeadbodies。
　　Hepushedthemoffthebankintothespring。Astheloverssankintothedeeppooltheyturned,exposingfirstWinds'sadface,andthenJoe's。Thentheysankoutofsight。Littlewavessplashedontheshoreofthepool;therippledisappeared,andthesurfaceofthespringbecametranquil。
　　Wetzelstoodonemomentoverthewaterygraveofthemaidenwhohadsavedhim,andtheboywhohadlovedhim。Inthegatheringgloomhisstalwartformassumedgiganticproportions,andwhenheraisedhislongarmandshookhisclenchedfisttowardthewest,heresembledamagnificentstatueofdarkmenace。
　　Withasingleboundheclearedthepool,andthenspedoutoftheglade。HeurgedthedogonGirty'strail,andfollowedtheeagerbeasttowardthewest。
　　Ashedisappeared,along,lowsoundlikethesighofthenightwindswelledandmoanedthroughthegloom。
　　ChapterXXIV。
　　Whenthefirstruddyraysoftherisingsuncrimsonedtheeasternsky,WetzelslowlywoundhiswaydownaruggedhillfarwestofBeautifulSpring。Awhitedog,wearyandfootsore,limpedbyhisside。Bothmanandbeastshowedevidenceofsevereexertion。
　　Thehunterstoppedinalittlecaveunderaprojectingstone,and,layingasidehisrifle,begantogathertwigsandsticks。Hewasparticularaboutselectingthewood,andthrewasidemanypieceswhichwouldhaveburnedwell;
　　butwhenhedidkindleaflameitblazedhotly,yetmadenosmoke。
　　Hesharpenedagreenstick,and,takingsomestripsofmeatfromhispocket,roastedthemoverthehotflame。Hefedthedogfirst。Mosehadcrouchedcloseonthegroundwithhisheadonhispaws,andhisbrowneyesfasteneduponthehunter。
　　"Hehadtoobigastartferus,"saidWetzel,speakingasifthedogwerehuman。ItseemedthatWetzel'swordswereaprotestagainstthemeaninginthoselarge,sadeyes。
　　Thenthehunterputoutthefire,and,searchingforamoresecludedspot,finallyfoundoneontopoftheledge,wherehecommandedagoodviewofhissurroundings。Thewearydogwasasleep。Wetzelsettledhimselftorest,andwassoonwrappedinslumber。
　　Aboutnoonheawoke。Hearose,stretchedhislimbs,andthentookaneasypositiononthefrontoftheledge,wherehecouldlookbelow。Evidentlythehunterwaswaitingforsomething。Thedogslepton。Itwasthenoondayhour,whenthestillnessoftheforestalmostmatchedthatofmidnight。Thebirdsweremorequietthanatanyothertimeduringdaylight。
　　Wetzelreclinedtherewithhisheadagainstthestone,andhisriflerestingacrosshisknees。
　　Helistenednowtothesoundsoftheforest。Thesoftbreezeflutteringamongtheleaves,therain—callofthetreefrog,thecawofcrowsfromdistanthilltops,thesweetsongsofthethrushandoriole,wereblendedtogethernaturally,harmoniously。
　　Butsuddenlythehunterraisedhishead。Anote,deeperthantheothers,alittletoostrong,camefromfardowntheshadedhollow。ToWetzel'strainedearitwasadiscord。Hemanifestednomorethanthisattention,forthebirdcallwasthesignalhehadbeenawaiting。Hewhistledanoteinanswerthatwasasdeepandclearastheonewhichhadrousedhim。
　　Momentspassed。Therewasnorepetitionofthesound。Thesongsoftheotherbirdshadceased。BesidesWetzeltherewasanotherintruderinthewoods。
　　Moseliftedhisshaggyheadandgrowled。Thehunterpattedthedog。Inafewminutesthefigureofatallmanappearedamongthelaurelsdowntheslope。Hestoppedwhilegazingupattheledge。Then,withnoiselessstep,heascendedtheridge,climbedtherockyledge,andturnedthecornerofthestonetofaceWetzel。ThenewcomerwasJonathanZane。
　　"Jack,Iexpectedyouaforethis,"wasWetzel'sgreeting。
　　"Icouldn'tmakeitsooner,"answeredZane。"AfterweleftWilliamsonandseparated,Igotturnedaroundbyabandofseveralhundredredskinsmakin'
　　fortheVillageofPeace。Iwentbackagain,butcouldn'tfindanysignofthetrailwe'rehuntin'。ThenImakesforthismeetin'place。I'vebeengoin'forsometenhours,andamhungry。"
　　"I'vegotsomebarreadycooked,"saidWetzel,handingZaneseveralstripsofmeat。
　　"Whatluckdidyouhave？"
　　"IfoundGirty'strail,anoldone,overheresomeeighteenortwentymiles,an'folleredituntilIwentalmostintotheDelawaretown。Itledtoahutinadeepravine。Iain'toftensurprised,butIwusthen。Ifoundthedeadbodyofthatgirl,KateWells,wefetchedoverfromFortHenry。Thet'ssad,butitain'tthesurprisin'part。IalsofoundSilvertip,theShawneeI'vebeenlookin'fer。Hewasallknockedan'cutup,deader'nastone。There'dbeensomethin'ofascrapinthehut。IcalkilateGirtymurderedKate,butI
　　couldn'tthinkthenwhodidferSilver,thoughIallowedtherenegademighthevdonethet,too。Iwatchedroundan'seenGirtycomebacktothehut。HehadtenInjunswithhim,an'presentlytheyallmadeferthewest。Itrailedthem,butdidn'tcalkilateit'dbewisetotacklethebunchsingle—handed,solaidback。AmileorsofromthehutIcameacrosshosstracksminglin'withthemoccasin—prints。AboutfifteenmileorfromtheDelawaretown,Girtylefthisbuckskins,an'theywentwest,whilehestucktothehosstracks。Iwasontohisgameinaminute。IcutacrosscountryferBeautifulSpring,butI
　　gottheretoolate。IfoundthewarmbodiesofJoeandthetInjungirl,Winds。
　　Thesnakehedmurderedthem。"
　　"IallowJoewonoverWinds,gotawayfromtheDelawaretownwithher,triedtorescueKate,andkilledSilverinthefight。Girtyprobablywassurprised,an'runafterhehadknifedthegirl。"
　　"'Pearssotome。Joehadtwoknifecuts,an'onewasanoldwound。"
　　"Yousayitwasabadfight？"
　　"Musthevbeen。Thehutwasallknockedin,an'stuffscatteredabout。Wal,Joecouldgosomeifheonctgotstarted。"
　　"I'llbethecould。HewasthelikeliestladI'veseenformanyaday。"
　　"Ifhe'dlasted,he'dbeensomethin'ofahunteran'fighter。"
　　"Toobad。ButLord！youcouldn'tkeephimdown,nomorethanyoucanlotsofthesewildyoungchapsthatdriftouthere。"
　　"I'llallowhehadthefeverbad。"
　　"Didyouhevtimetoburythem？"
　　"Ihedn'ttimefermuch。Isunktheminthespring。"
　　"It'saprettydeephole,"saidZane,reflectively。"Then,youandthedogtookGirty'strail,butcouldn'tcatchupwithhim。He'snowwiththerenegadecutthroatsandhundredsofriledIndiansoverthereintheVillageofPeace。"
　　"Ireckonyou'reright。"
　　Alongsilenceensued,。Jonathanfinishedhissimplerepast,drankfromthelittlespringthattrickledunderthestone,and,sittingdownbythedog,smoothedouthislongsilkenhair。
　　"Lew,we'reprettygoodfriends,ain'twe？"heasked,thoughtfully。
　　"Jack,youan'thecolonelareallthefriendsIeverhed,'ceptin'thatboylyin'quietbackthereinthewoods。"
　　"Iknowyouprettywell,andain'tsayin'awordaboutyourrunnin'offfrommeonmanyahunt,butIwanttospeakplainaboutthisfellowGirty。"
　　"Wal？"saidWetzel,asZanehesitated。
　　"TwiceinthelastfewyearsyouandIhavehaditinforthesamemen,bothwhite—liveredtraitors。Youremember？FirstitwasMiller,whotriedtoruinmysisterBetty,andnextitwasJimGirty,whomurderedouroldfriend,asgoodanoldmanaseverworemoccasins。Wal,afterMillerranofffromthefort,wetrailedhimdowntotheriver,andIpointsacrossandsays,'Youorme？'andyousays,'Me。'YouwasBetty'sfriend,andIknewshe'dbeavenged。
　　Millerislyin'quietinthewoods,andvioletshaveblossomedtwiceoverhisgrave,thoughyouneversaidaword;butIknowit'struebecauseIknowyou。"
　　Zanelookedeagerlyintothedarkfaceofhisfriend,hopingperhapstogetsomeverbalassurancetherethathisbeliefwastrue。ButWetzeldidnotspeak,andhecontinued:
　　"Anotherdaynotsolongagowebothlookeddownatanoldfriend,andsawhiswhitehairmattedwithblood。He'dbeenmurderedfornothin'。AgainyouandmetrailedacowardandfoundhimtobeJimGirty。Iknewyou'dbeenhuntin'
　　himforyears,andsoIsays,'Lew,youorme？'andyousays,'Me。'"Igiveintoyou,forIknewyou'reabettermanthanme,andbecauseIwantedyoutohavethesatisfaction。Wal,themonthshavegoneby,andJimGirty'sstilllivin'andcarryin'on。Nowhe'soverthereafterthempoorpreachers。Iain'tsayin',Lew,thatyouhaven'tmoreaginhimthanme,butIdosay,letmeinonitwithyou。Healwayshasagangofredskinswithhim;he'safraidtotravelalone,elseyou'dhadhimlongago。Twoofus'llhavemorechancetogethim。Letmegowithyou。Whenitcomestoafinish,I'llstandasidewhileyougiveittohim。I'denjoyseein'youcuthimfromshouldertohip。AfterheleavestheVillageofPeacewe'llhithistrail,camponit,andsticktoituntilitendsinhisgrave。"
　　Theearnestvoiceofthebackwoodsmanceased。Bothmenroseandstoodfacingeachother。Zane'sbronzedfacewashardandtense,expressiveofanindomitablewill;Wetzel'swascoldlydark,withfatefulresolve,asifhisdecreeofvengeance,oncegiven,wasasimmutableasdestiny。Thebig,hornyhandsgrippedinaviselikeclaspbornoffiercepassion,butnowordwasspoken。
　　Fartothewestsomewhere,abefrilledanddedizenedrenegadepursuedthewildtenorofhisways;perhaps,evennowsteepinghissoulinmorecrime,orstaininghishandsadeeperred,butsleepingorwaking,hedreamednotofthisdeadlycompactthatmeanthisdoom。
　　Thetwohuntersturnedtheirsternfacestowardthewest,andpassedsilentlydowntheridgeintothedepthsoftheforest。Darknessfoundthemwithinrifle—shotoftheVillageofPeace。Withthedogcreepingbetweenthem,theycrawledtoapositionwhichwould,indaylight,commandaviewoftheclearing。Then,whileonestoodguard,theotherslept。
　　Whenmorningdawnedtheyshiftedtheirpositiontothetopofalow,fern—coveredcliff,fromwhichtheycouldseeeverymovementinthevillage。
　　Allthemorningtheywatchedwiththatwonderfulpatienceofmenwhoknewhowtowait。Thevisitingsavageswerequiet,themissionariesmovedaboutinandoutoftheshopsandcabins;theChristianindiansworkedindustriouslyinthefields,whiletherenegadeslolledbeforeaprominentteepee。
　　"Thisquietlooksbad,"whisperedJonathantoWetzel。Noshoutswereheard;
　　notahostileIndianwasseentomove。
　　"They'vecometoadecision,"whisperedJonathan,andWetzelansweredhim:
　　"Iftheyhev,theChristiansdon'tknowit。"
　　Anhourlaterthedeeppealingofthechurchbellbrokethesilence。TheentirebandofChristianIndiansgatherednearthelargelogstructure,andthenmarchedinorderlyformtowardthemaplegrovewheretheservicewasalwaysheldinpleasantweather。ThismovementbroughttheIndianswithinseveralhundredyardsofthecliffwhereZaneandWetzellayconcealed。
　　"There'sHeckewelderwalkingwitholdmanWells,"whisperedJonathan。"There'sYoungandEdwards,and,yes,there'stheyoungmissionary,brotherofJoe。
　　'Pearstomethey'refoolishtoholdserviceinthefaceofallthoseriledInjuns。"
　　"Wuss'nfoolish,"answeredWetzel。
　　"Look！Bygum！AsI'malivin'sinnertherecomesthewholecrowdofhostileredskins。They'vegottheirguns,and——byGum！they'repainted。Looksbad,bad！Notmuchfriendlinessaboutthatbunch！"
　　"Theyain'tintendin'tobepeaceable。"
　　"Bygum！You'reright。Thereain'toneofthemsettin'down。'PearstomeI
　　knowsomeofthemredskins。There'sPipe,sureenough,andKotoxen。Bygum！
　　Ifthereain'tShingiss;hewasfriendlyonce。"
　　"Noneofthem'sfriendly。"
　　"Look！Lew,look！RightbehindPipe。Seethatlongwar—bonnet。AsI'mabornsinner,that'syouroldfriend,Wingenund。'Pearstomewe'veroundedupallouracquaintances。"
　　Thetwobordermenlaycloseunderthetallfernsandwatchedtheproceedingswithsharpeyes。TheysawtheconvertedIndiansseatthemselvesbeforetheplatform。ThecrowdofhostileIndianssurroundedthegladeonallsides,excepton,which,singularlyenough,wasnexttothewoods。
　　"Lookthar！"exclaimedWetzel,underhisbreath。Hepointedofftotherightofthemapleglade。Jonathangazedinthedirectionindicated,andsawtwosavagesstealthilyslippingthroughthebushes,andbehindtrees。Presentlythesesuspiciousactingspies,orscouts,stoppedonalittleknollperhapsanhundredyardsfromtheglade。
　　Wetzelgroaned。