"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。