JoesawhowWetzelusedthisability,butwhatitreallywasbaffledhim。Herealizedthatwordswerenotadequatetoexplainfullythisgreatart。Itspossessionrequiredamarvelouslykeenvision,aneyeperfectlyfamiliarwitheverycreature,tree,rock,shrubandthingbelongingintheforest;aneyesoquickinflightastodetectinstantlytheslightestchangeinnature,oranythingunnaturaltothatenvironment。Thehearingmustbedelicate,likethatofadeer,andthefineritis,thekeenerwillbethewoodsman。Lastly,thereisthefeelingthatpromptstheoldhuntertosay:"Nogameto—day。"Itissomethinginhimthatspeakswhen,asheseesanight—hawkcirclinglowneartheground,hesays:"Astormto—morrow。"ItiswhatmakesanIndianathomeinanywilderness。Thecloudsmayhidetheguidingstar;thenorthingmaybelost;theremaybenomossonthetrees,ordifferenceintheirbark;theridgesmaybeflatorlostaltogether,andtheremaybenowater—courses;yettheIndianbravealwaysgoesforhisteepee,straightasacrowflies。ItwasthisvoicewhichrightlybadeWetzel,whenhewasbaffledbyanIndian'strailfadingamongtherocks,tocross,orcircle,oradvanceinthedirectiontakenbyhiswilyfoe。
　　Joehadpracticedtrailingdeerandotherhoofedgame,untilhewastrueasahound。Thenhebegantoperfecthimselfintheartoffollowingahumanbeingthroughtheforest。ExceptafewoldIndiantrails,whichtherainhadhalfobliterated,hehadnotrackstodiscoversaveWetzel's,andthesewereashardtofindastheairycourseofagrosbeak。Onsoftgroundormarshygrass,whichWetzelavoidedwherehecould,heleftafainttrail,butonahardsurface,forallthetracesheleft,hemightaswellnothavegoneoverthegroundatall。
　　Joe'spersistencestoodhimingoodstead;hehungon,andthemorehefailed,theharderhetried。OftenhewouldslipoutofthecaveafterWetzelhadgone,andtrytofindwhichwayhehadtaken。Inbrief,theladbecameafinemarksman,agoodhunter,andaclose,perseveringstudentofthewilderness。
　　Helovedthewoods,andalltheycontained。Helearnedthehabitsofthewildcreatures。Eachdeer,eachsquirrel,eachgrousethathekilled,taughthimsomelesson。
　　Hewasalwaysupwiththelarktowatchthesunriseredandgrandovertheeasternhills,andchaseawaythewhitemistfromthevalleys。Evenifhewasnothunting,orroamingthewoods,ifitwasnecessaryforhimtolielowincampawaitingWetzel'sreturn,hewasalwayscontent。Manyhoursheidledawaylyingonhisback,withthewestwindblowingsoftlyoverhim,hiseyeonthedistanthills,wherethecloudshadowssweptacrosswithslow,majesticmovement,likehugeshipsatsea。
　　IfWetzelandJoewerefardistantfromthecave,aswasoftenthecase,theymadecampintheopenwoods,anditwasherethatJoe'scontentmentwasfullest。Twilightshadesstealingdownoverthecamp—fire;thecheeryglowofredembers;thecracklingofdrystocks;thesweetsmellofwoodsmoke,allhadfortheladasubtle,potentcharm。
　　Thehunterwouldbroilavenisonsteak,orapartridge,onthecoals。Thentheywouldlighttheirpipesandsmokewhiletwilightdeepened。Theoppressivestillnessoftheearlyeveninghouralwaysbroughttotheyoungermanasensationofawe。Atfirstheattributedthistothefactthathewasnewtothislife;however,asthedayspassedandtheemotionremained,nay,grewstronger,heconcludeditwasimpartedbythisclosecommunionwithnature。
　　Deepsolemn,tranquil,thegloaminghourbroughthimnoordinaryfullnessofjoyandclearnessofperception。
　　"Doyoueverfeelthisstillness？"heaskedWetzeloneevening,astheysatneartheirflickeringfire。
　　Thehunterpuffedhispipe,and,likeanIndian,seemedtoletthequestiontakedeeproot。
　　"I'vescalpedredskinseveryhourintheday,'ceptin'twilight,"hereplied。
　　Joewonderednolongerwhetherthehunterwastoohardenedtofeelthisbeautifultranquillity。ThathourwhichwooedWetzelfromhisimplacablepursuitwasindeedabewitchingoneTherewasneveratime,whenJoelayaloneincampwaitingforWetzel,thathedidnothopethehunterwouldreturnwithinformationofIndians。Themannevertalkedaboutthesavages,andifhespokeatallitwastotellofsomeincidentofhisday'stravel。Oneeveninghecamebackwithalargeblackfoxthathehadkilled。
　　"Whatbeautiful,glossyfur！"saidJoe。"Ineversawablackfoxbefore。"
　　"I'vebeenlayin'ferthisfellarsometime,"repliedWetzel,ashebeganhisfirsteveningtask,thatofcombinghishair。"Jestbackhereinaclumpofcottonwoodsthere'sahollerlogfullofleaves。Happenin'toseeablacksnakesneakin'round,Ithoughtmebbehewasuptosomethin',soIinvestigated,an'
　　foundanestfullofyoungrabbits。Ikilledthesnake,an'arterthattookaninterestin'em。EverytimeIpassedI'dlookinatthebunnies,an'eachtimeIseensignsthatsometarnalvarminthadbeenprowlin'round。OnedayI
　　missedabunny,an'nextdayanother;soonuntilonlyonewasleft,apeartwhiteandgraylittlescamp。Somethin'wasstealin'of'em,an'itmadememad。Soyistiddayan'to—dayIwatched,an'finallyIpluggedthisblackthief。Yes,he'sgotaglossycoat;buthe'sabadunferallhisfinelooks。
　　Theseblackfoxesarebigger,strongeran'cunninerthanredones。Ineverylitteryou'llfindadarkone,theblacksheepofthefamily。Becausehegrowssomuchfaster,an'stealsallthefoodfromtheothers,themotherjesttakeshimbythenapeoftheneckan'chuckshimoutintheworldtoshiftferhisself。An'it'sagoodthing。"
　　ThenextdayWetzeltoldJoetheywouldgoacrosscountrytoseeknewgamefields。Accordinglythetwosetout,andtrampedindustriouslyuntilevening。
　　Theycameuponacountrynolessbeautifulthantheonetheyhadleft,thoughthepicturesquecliffsandruggedhillshadgivenwaytoarollingland,theluxurianceofwhichwasexplainedbytheabundantspringsandstreams。Forestsandfieldswerethicklyinterspersedwithbubblingsprings,narrowanddeepstreams,andhereandthereasmalllakewitharunningoutlet。
　　Wetzelhadsaidlittleconcerningthisregion,butthatlittlewasenoughtorouseallJoe'seagerness,foritwastotheeffectthattheywerenowinacountrymuchtraversedbyIndians,especiallyrunnersandhuntingpartiestravellingfromnorthtosouth。Thehunterexplainedthatthroughthecenterofthistractranabuffaloroad;thatthebuffaloalwayspickedoutthestraightest,lowestanddryestpathfromonerangetoanother,andtheIndiansfollowedthesefirstpathfinders。
　　JoeandWetzelmadecamponthebankofastreamthatnight,andastheladwatchedthehunterbuildahiddencamp—fire,hepeeredfurtivelyaroundhalfexpectingtoseedarkformsscurryingthroughtheforest。Wetzelwasextremelycautious。Hestrippedpiecesofbarkfromfallentreesandbuiltalittlehutoverhisfirewood。Herubbedsomepowderonapieceofpunk,andthenwithflintandsteeldroppedtwoorthreesparksontheinflammablesubstance。Soonhehadablaze。Hearrangedthecoveringsothatnotarayoflightescaped。
　　Whentheflameshadsubsided,andthewoodhadburneddowntoaglowingbedofred,hethrewasidethebark,andbroiledthestripsofvenisontheyhadbroughtwiththem。
　　Theyrestedonabedofboughswhichtheyhadcutandarrangedalongsideahugelog。ForhoursJoelayawake,hecouldnotsleep。Helistenedtothebreezerustlingtheleaves,andshiveredatthethoughtofthesighingwindhehadonceheardmoanthroughtheforest。Presentlyheturnedover。TheslightnoiseinstantlyawakenedWetzelwholiftedhisdarkfacewhilehelistenedintently。Hespokeoneword:"Sleep,"andlaybackagainontheleaves。Joeforcedhimselftobequiet,relaxedallhismusclesandsoonslumbered。
　　OnthemorrowWetzelwentouttolookoverthehuntingprospects。Aboutnoonhereturned。Joewassurprisedtofindsomeslightchangeinthehunter。Hecouldnottellwhatitwas。
　　"IseenInjunsign,"saidWetzel。"There'snotellin'howsoonwemayrunaginthesneaks。Wecan'thunthere。Likeasnotthere'sHuronsandDelawaresskulkin'round。IthinkI'dbettertakeyoubacktothevillage。"
　　"It'sallonmyaccountyousaythat,"saidJoe。
　　"Sure,"Wetzelreplied。
　　"Ifyouwerealonewhatwouldyoudo？"
　　"IcalkilateI'dhuntfersomered—skinnedgame。"
　　Thesuprememomenthadcome。Joe'sheartbeathard。Hecouldnotmissthisopportunity;hemuststaywiththehunter。HelookedcloselyatWetzel。
　　"Iwon'tgobacktothevillage,"hesaid。
　　Thehunterstoodinhisfavoriteposition,leaningonhislongrifle,andmadenoresponse。
　　"Iwon'tgo,"continuedJoe,earnestly。"Letmestaywithyou。IfatanytimeIhamperyou,orcannotkeepthepace,thenleavemetoshiftformyself;butdon'tmakemegountilIweaken。Letmestay。"
　　FireandfearlessnessspokeinJoe'severyword,andhisgrayeyescontractedwiththeirpeculiarsteelyflash。Plainitwasthat,whilehemightfailtokeeppacewithWetzel,hedidnotfearthisdangerouscountry,and,ifitmustbe,wouldfaceitalone。
　　Wetzelextendedhisbroadhandandgavehiscomrade'saviselikesqueeze。Toallowtheladtoremainwithhimwasmorethanhewouldhavedoneforanyotherpersonintheworld。Farbettertokeeptheladunderhisprotectionwhileitwaspossible,forJoewastakingthatwar—trailwhichhadforeveryhunter,somewherealongitsbloodycourse,abullet,aknife,oratomahawk。
　　WetzelknewthatJoewasconsciousofthisinevitableconclusion,foritshowedinhiswhiteface,andintheresolveinhisbig,grayeyes。
　　Sothere,intheshadeofatoweringoak,theIndian—killeradmittedtheboyintohisfriendship,andintoalifewhichwouldnolongerbeplay,buteventful,stirring,hazardous。
　　"Wal,lad,stay,"hesaid,withthatraresmilewhichbrightenedhisdarkfacelikearayofstraysunshine。"We'llhangroundthesedigginsafewdays。
　　Firstoff,we'lltakeinthelayoftheland。Yougodownstreamawaysan'
　　scoutroundsome,whileIgoup,an'thencircledown。Moveslow,now,an'
　　don'tmissnothin'。"
　　Joefollowedthestreamamileormore。Hekeptcloseintheshadeofwillows,andneverwalkedacrossanopengladewithoutfirstwaitingandwatching。Helistenedtoallsounds;butnonewereunfamiliar。Hecloselyexaminedthesandalongthestream,andthemossandleavesunderthetrees。WhenhehadbeenseparatedfromWetzelseveralhours,andconcludedhewouldslowlyreturntocamp,heranacrossawell—beatenpathwindingthroughtheforest。Thiswas,perhaps,oneofthebridle—trailsWetzelhadreferredto。Hebentovertheworngrasswithkeenscrutiny。
　　CRACK！
　　Theloudreportofaheavilychargedriflerangout。Joefeltthezipofabulletasitfannedhischeek。Withanagileleaphegainedtheshelterofatree,frombehindwhichhepeepedtoseewhohadshotathim。HewasjustintimetodetectthedarkformofanIndiandartbehindthefoliageanhundredyardsdownthepath。JoeexpectedtoseeotherIndians,andtohearmoreshots,buthewasmistaken。Evidentlythesavagewasalone,forthetreeJoehadtakenrefugebehindwasscarcelylargeenoughtoscreenhisbody,whichdisadvantagetheotherIndianswouldhavebeenquicktonote。
　　Joecloselywatchedtheplacewherehisassailanthaddisappeared,andpresentlysawadarkhand,thenanakedelbow,andfinallytheramrodofarifle。Thesavagewasreloading。Soonarifle—barrelprotrudedfrombehindthetree。Withhisheartbeatinglikeatrip—hammer,andtheskintighteningonhisface,Joescreenedhisbodyasbesthemight。Thetreewassmall,butitservedasapartialprotection。Rapidlyherevolvedinhismindplanstooutwittheenemy。TheIndianwasbehindalargeoakwithalowlimboverwhichhecouldfirewithoutexposinghisownpersontodanger。
　　"Bang！"TheIndian'sriflebellowed;thebulletcrumbledthebarkclosetoJoe'sface。Theladyelled,loudly,staggeredtohisknees,andthenfellintothepath,wherehelayquiet。
　　Theredskingaveanexultantshout。Seeingthatthefallenfigureremainedquitemotionlesshesteppedforward,drawinghisknifeashecame。Hewasayoungbrave,quickandeagerinhismovements,andcamenimblyupthepathtogainhiscovetedtrophy,thepaleface'sscalp。
　　SuddenlyJoesatup,raisedhisriflequicklyasthought,andfiredpoint—blankattheIndian。
　　Buthemissed。
　　Theredskinstoppedaghastwhenhesawtheladthusseeminglycomebacktolife。Then,realizingthatJoe'saimhadbeenfutile,heboundedforward,brandishinghisknife,andutteringinfuriatedyells。
　　Joerosetohisfeetwithrifleswunghighabovehishead。
　　Whenthesavagewaswithintwentyfeet,sonearthatbigdark,face,swollenwithfiercepassion,couldbeplainlydiscerned,apeculiarwhistlingnoisesoundedoverJoe'sshoulder。Itwasaccompanied,ratherthanfollowed,byaclear,ringingrifleshot。
　　TheIndianstoppedasifhehadencounteredaheavyshockfromatreeorstonebarringhisway。Clutchingathisbreast,heutteredaweirdcry,andsankslowlyonthegrass。
　　Joeranforwardtobendovertheprostratefigure。TheIndian,aslender,handsomeyoungbrave,hadbeenshotthroughthebreast。Heheldhishandtightlyoverthewound,whilebrightredbloodtrickledbetweenhisfingers,floweddownhisside,andstainedthegrass。
　　ThebravelookedsteadilyupatJoe。Shotashewas,dyingasheknewhimselftobe,therewasnoyieldinginthedarkeye——onlyanunquenchablehatred。
　　Thentheeyesglazed;thefingersceasedtwitching。
　　JoewasbendingoveradeadIndian。
　　Itflashedintohismind,ofcourse,thatWetzelhadcomeupintimetosavehislife,buthedidnotdwellonthethought;heshrankfromthisviolentdeathofahumanbeing。Butitwasfromtheaspectofthedead,notfromremorseforthedeed。Hisheartbeatfast,hisfingerstrembled,yethefeltonlyastrangecoldnessinallhisbeing。Thesavagehadtriedtokillhim,perhaps,evennow,haditnotbeenforthehunter'sunerringaim,wouldhavebeengloatingoverabloodyscalp。
　　Joefelt,ratherthanheard,theapproachofsomeone,andheturnedtoseeWetzelcomingdownthepath。
　　"He'saloneShawneerunner,"saidthehunter,gazingdownatthedeadIndian。
　　"Hewastryin'towinhiseagleplumes。Iseenyoubothfromthehillside。"
　　"Youdid！"exclaimedJoe。Thenhelaughed。"Itwasluckyforme。Itriedthedodgeyoutaughtme,butinmyeagernessImissed。"
　　"Wal,youhadn'tnocallferhurry。Youworkedthetrickclever,butyoumissedhimwhentherewasplentyoftime。Ihadtoshootoveryourshoulder,orI'dhevpluggedhimsooner。"
　　"Wherewereyou？"askedJoe。
　　"Uptherebythatbitofsumach？"andWetzelpointedtoanopenridgeonahillsidenotlessthanonehundredandfiftyyardsdistant。
　　Joewonderedwhichofthetwobullets,thedeath—seekingonefiredbythesavage,orthelife—savingmissilefromWetzel'sfatalweapon,hadpassednearesttohim。
　　"Come,"saidthehunter,afterhehadscalpedtheIndian。
　　"What'stobedonewiththissavage？"inquiredJoe,asWetzelstartedupthepath。
　　"Lethimlay。"
　　Theyreturnedtocampwithoutfurtherincident。Whilethehunterbusiedhimselfreinforcingtheirtemporaryshelter——forthecloudslookedthreatening——Joecutupsomebuffalomeat,andthenwentdowntothebrookforagourdofwater。HecamehurriedlybacktowhereWetzelwasworking,andspokeinavoicewhichhevainlyendeavorstoholdsteady:
　　"Comequickly。Ihaveseensomethingwhichmaymeanagooddeal。"
　　Heledthewaydowntothebrookside。
　　"Look！"Joesaid,pointingatthewater。
　　Herethesteamwasabouttwofeetdeep,perhapstwentywide,andhadjustanoticeablecurrent。Shortlybefore,ithadbeenasclearasabrightsummersky;itwasnowtingedwithyellowcloudsthatslowlyfloateddownstream,eachoneenlargingandbecomingfainterastheclearwaterpermeatedandstained。
　　Grainsofsandglidedalongwiththecurrent,littlepiecesofbarkfloatedonthesurface,andminnowsdartedtoandfronibblingatthesedriftingparticles。
　　"Deerwouldn'troilthewaterlikethat。Whatdoesitmean？"askedJoe。
　　"Injuns,an'notferaway。"
　　Wetzelreturnedtotheshelterandtoreitdown。Thenhebentthebranchofabeechtreelowovertheplace。Hepulleddownanotherbranchovertheremainsofthecamp—fire。Theseprecautionsmadethespotlessstriking。WetzelknewthatanIndianscoutneverglancescasually;hisrovingeyessurveytheforest,perhapsquickly,butthoroughly。Anunnaturalpositionofbushorlogalwaysleadstoanexamination。
　　Thisdone,thehuntergraspedJoe'shandandledhimuptheknoll。Makinghiswaybehindawell—screenedtree,whichhadbeenuprooted,heselectedapositionwhere,hiddenthemselves,theycouldseethecreek。
　　HardlyhadWetzel,admonishedJoetolieperfectlystill,whenfromashortdistanceupthestreamcamethesoundofsplashingwater;butnothingcouldbeseenabovetheopenglade,asinthatdirectionwillowslinedthecreekindensethickets。Thenoisegrewmoreaudible。
　　SuddenlyJoefeltamuscularcontractionpassoverthepowerfulframelyingclosebesidehim。Itwasaconvulsivethrillsuchaspassesthroughatigerwhenheisabouttospringuponhisquarry。Sosubtleandstrongwasitsmeaning,soclearlydiditconveytotheladwhatwascoming,thathefeltithimself;savethatinhiscaseitwasacold,chillshudder。
　　Breathlesssuspensefollowed。ThenintotheopenspacealongthecreekglidedatallIndianwarrior。Hewasknee—deepinthewater,wherehewadedwithlow,cautioussteps。Hisgarish,befrilledcostumeseemedfamiliartoJoe。Hecarriedarifleatalowtrail,andpassedslowlyaheadwithevidentdistrust。
　　Theladbelievedherecognizedthathead,withitstangledblackhair,andwhenhesawtheswarthy,villainouscountenanceturnedfulltowardhim,heexclaimed:
　　"Girty！by———"
　　Wetzel'spowerfularmforcedhimsohardagainstthelogthathecouldnotcompletetheexclamation;buthecouldstillsee。Girtyhadnotheardthatstifledcry,forhecontinuedhisslowwading,andpresentlyhistall,gaudilydecoratedformpassedoutofsight。
　　Anothersavageappearedintheopenspace,andthenanother。Closebetweenthemwalkedawhiteman,withhandsboundbehindhim。Theprisonerandguardsdisappeareddownstreamamongthewillows。
　　Thesplashingcontinued——grewevenlouderthanbefore。Awarriorcameintoview,thenanother,andanother。Theywalkedclosetogether。Twomorefollowed。Theywerewadingbythesideofaraftmadeofseverallogs,uponwhichweretwoprostratefiguresthatcloselyresembledhumanbeings。
　　JoewassointentuponthelitheformsoftheIndiansthathebarelygotaglimpseoftheirfloatingprize,whateveritmighthavebeen。Bringinguptherearwasanathleticwarrior,whosebroadshoulders,sinewyarms,andshaved,polishedheadJoerememberedwell。ItwastheShawneechief,Silvertip。
　　Whenhe,too,passedoutofsightinthecurveofwillows,Joefoundhimselftrembling。HeturnedeagerlytoWetzel;butinstantlyrecoiled。
　　Terrible,indeed,hadbeenthehunter'stransformation。Allcalmnessoffacialexpressionwasgone;hewasnowstern,somber。Anintenseemotionwasvisibleinhiswhiteface;hiseyesseemedreducedtotwodarkshiningpoints,andtheyemittedsofierce,sopiercingaflash,sodeadlyalight,thatJoecouldnotbeartheirglitteringgaze。
　　"Threewhitecaptives,twoof'emwomen,"utteredthehunter,asifweighinginhismindtheimportanceofthisfact。
　　"Werethosewomenontheraft？"questionedJoe,andasWetzelonlynodded,hecontinued,"Awhitemanandtwowomen,sixwarriors,Silvertip,andthatrenegade,JimGirty！"
　　WetzeldeignednottoanswerJoe'spassionateoutburst,butmaintainedsilenceandhisrigidposture。Joeglancedoncemoreatthesternface。
　　"Consideringwe'dgoafterGirtyandhisredskinsiftheywerealone,we'reprettylikelytogoquickernowthatthey'vegotwhitewomenprisoners,eh？"
　　andJoelaughedfiercelybetweenhisteeth。
　　Thelad'sheartexpanded,whilealongeverynervetingledanexquisitethrillofexcitement。Hehadyearnedforwild,borderlife。Herehewasinit,withthehunterwhosenamealonewastothesavagesasymbolforallthatwasterrible。
　　Wetzelevidentlydecidedquicklyonwhatwastobedone,forinfewwordshedirectedJoetocutupsomuchofthebuffalomeatastheycouldstowintheirpockets。Then,biddingtheladtofollow,heturnedintothewoods,walkingrapidly,andstoppingnowandthenforabriefinstant。Soontheyemergedfromtheforestintomoreopencountry。Theyfacedawideplainskirtedontherightbyalong,windingstripofbrightgreenwillowswhichmarkedthecourseofthestream。OntheedgeofthisplainWetzelbrokeintoarun。Hekeptthispaceforadistanceofanhundredyards,thenstoppedtolistenintentlyasheglancedsharplyonallsides,afterwhichhewasoffagain。
　　HalfwayacrossthisplainJoe'swindbegantofail,andhisbreathingbecamelabored;buthekeptclosetothehunter'sheels。Oncehelookedbacktoseeagreatwideexpanseofwavinggrass。Theyhadcoveredperhapsfourmilesatarapidpace,andwerenearingtheothersideoftheplain。Theladfeltasifhisheadwasabouttoburst;asharppainseizeduponhisside;ablood—redfilmobscuredhissight。Hekeptdoggedlyon,andwhenutterlyexhaustedfelltotheground。
　　When,afewminuteslater,havingrecoveredhisbreath,hegotup,theyhadcrossedtheplainandwereinagroveofbeeches。Directlyinfrontofhimranaswiftstream,whichwasdividedattherockyheadofwhatappearedtobeawoodedisland。Therewasonlyaslightrippleandfallofthewater,and,afterasecondglance,itwasevidentthatthepointoflandwasnotanisland,butaportionofthemainlandwhichdividedthestream。Thebranchestookalmostoppositecourses。
　　JoewonderediftheyhadheadedofftheIndians。Certainlytheyhadrunfastenough。Hewaswetwithperspiration。HeglancedatWetzel,whowasstandingnear。Theman'sbroadbreastroseandfellalittlefaster;thatwastheonlyevidenceofexertion。Theladhadapainfulfeelingthathecouldneverkeeppacewiththehunter,ifthisfive—milerunwasasampleofthespeedhewouldbeforcedtomaintain。
　　"They'vegotaheadofus,butwhichcrickdidtheytake？"queriedWetzel,asthoughdebatingthequestionwithhimself。
　　"Howdoyouknowthey'vepassed？"
　　"Wecircled,"answeredWetzel,asheshookhisheadandpointedintothebushes。Joesteppedoverandlookedintothethicket。Hefoundaquantityofdeadleaves,sticks,andlitterthrownaside,exposingtolightalong,hollowedplaceontheground。Itwaswhatwouldbeseenafterrollingoveralogthathadlainforalongtime。Littlefurrowsintheground,holes,mounds,andcuriouswindingpassagesshowedwheregrubsandcricketshadmadetheirhomes。Thefrightenedinsectswerenowrunningroundwildly。
　　"Whatwashere？Alog？"
　　"Atwenty—footcanoewashidunderthetstuff。TheInjunshastakenoneofthesestreams。"
　　"Howcanwetellwhichone？"
　　"Mebbewecan't;butwe'lltry。Grabupafewofthembugs,gobelowthetrockypoint,an'crawlclosetothebanksoyoucanjestpeepover。Bekeerfulnottoshowthetipofyourhead,an'don'tknocknothin'off'enthebankintothewater。Watchfertrout。Lookeverywheres,an'dropinabugnowandthen。I'lldothesamefertheotherstream。Thenwe'llcomebackherean'
　　talkoverwhatthefishhastosayabouttheInjuns。"
　　Joewalkeddownstreamafewpaces,and,droppingonhisknees,crawledcarefullytotheedgeofthebank。Heslightlypartedthegrasssohecouldpeepthrough,andfoundhimselfdirectlyoverapoolwithanarrowshoalrunningoutfromtheoppositebank。Thewaterwassoclearhecouldseethepebblybottominallparts,exceptadarkholenearabendintheshorecloseby。Hedidnotseealivingthinginthewater,notacrawfish,turtle,norevenafrog。Hepeeredroundclosely,thenflippedinoneofthebugshehadbroughtalong。Ashinyyellowfishflaredupfromthedepthsofthedeepholeanddisappearedwiththecricket;butitwasabassorapike,notatrout。
　　Wetzelhadsaidtherewereafewtroutlivingnearthecoolspringsofthesestreams。Theladtriedagaintocoaxonetothesurface。Thistimethemorefortunatecricketswamandhoppedacrossthestreamtosafety。
　　WhenJoe'seyeswerethoroughlyaccustomedtotheclearwater,withitsdeceivinglightsandshades,hesawafishlyingsnugunderthesideofastone。Theladthoughtherecognizedthesnub—nose,thehooked,wolfishjaw,buthecouldnotgetsufficientofaviewtoclassifyhim。Hecrawledtoamoreadvantageouspositionfartherdownstream,andthenhepeeredagainthroughthewoods。Yes,sureenough,hehadespiedatrout。Hewellknewthosespottedsilversides,thatbroad,squaretail。Suchamonster！Inhisadmirationforthefellow,andhiswishforahookandlinetotryconclusionswithhim,Joemomentarilyforgothisobject。Remembering,hetossedoutabig,fatcricket,whichalightedonthewaterjustabovethefish。Thetroutnevermoved,norevenblinked。Theladtriedagain,withnobettersuccess。Thefishwouldnotrise。ThereuponJoereturnedtothepointwherehehadleftWetzeL
　　"Icouldn'tseenothin'overthere,"saidthehunter,whowaswaiting。"Didyouseeany？'
　　"One,andabigfellow。"
　　"Didheseeyou？"
　　"No。"
　　"Didherisetoabug？"
　　"No,hedidn't;butthenmaybehewasn'thungry"answeredJoe,whocouldnotunderstandwhatWetzelwasdrivingat。
　　"Tellmeexactlywhathedid。"
　　"That'sjustthetrouble;hedidn'tdoanything,"repliedJoe,thoughtfully。
　　"Hejustlaylow,stifflike,underastone。Heneverbattedaneye。Buthisside—finsquiveredlikeanaspenleaf。"
　　"Themside—finstellusthestory。Girty,an'hisredskinshevtookthisbranch,"saidWetzel,positively。"TheotherleadstotheHurontowns。
　　Girty'sgotaplaceneartheDelawarecampsomewheres。I'vetriedtofinditagoodmanytimes。He'stookmore'nonewhitelassthere,an'nobodyeverseenheragin。"
　　"Fiend！Tothinkofawhitewoman,maybeagirllikeNellWells,atthemercyofthosereddevils！"
　　"Youngfellar,don'tgowrong。I'llallowInjunsisbadenough;butIneverhearntellofoneabusin'awhitewoman,asmayhapyoumean。Injunsmarrywhitewomensometimes;killan'scalp'emoften,butthat'sall。It'smenofourowncolor,renegadeslikethisGirty,asdoworse'nmurder。"
　　HerewastheamazingcircumstanceofLewisWetzel,theacknowledgedunsatiablefoeofallredmen,speakingagoodwordforhisenemies。Joewassoastonishedhedidnotattempttoanswer。
　　"Here'swheretheygotinthecanoe。Onemorelook,an'thenwe'reoff,"saidWetzel。Hestrodeupanddownthesandybeach;examinedthewillows,andscrutinizedthesand。Suddenlyhebentoverandpickedupanobjectfromthewater。Hissharpeyeshadcaughttheglintofsomethingwhite,which,uponbeingexamined,provedtobeasmallivoryorbonebucklewithapiecebrokenout。HeshowedittoJoe。
　　"Byheavens！Wetzel,that'sabuckleoffNellWell'sshoe。I'veseenittoomanytimestomistakeit。"
　　"IwasafearedGirtyhedyourfriends,thesisters,an'mebbeyourbrother,too。JackZanesaidtherenegadewashangin'roundthevillage,an'thatcouldn'tbefernogood。"
　　"Comeon。Let'skillthefiend！"criedJoe,whitetothelips。
　　"Icalkilatethey'reaboutamiledownstream,makin'campferthenight。I
　　knowtheplace。There'safinespring,an,look！D'yeseethemcrowsflyin'
　　roundthetbigoakwiththebleachedtop？Hearthemcawin'？Youmightthinktheywaschasin'ahawk,orking—birdswerearter'em,butthetfussthey'remakin'isbecausetheyseeInjuns。"
　　"Well？"askedJoe,impatiently。
　　"It'llbemoonlightawhileartermidnight。Welllaylowan'wait,an'
　　then———"
　　Thesharpclickofhisteeth,likethesnapofasteeltrap,completedthesentence。Joesaidnomore,butfollowedthehunterintothewoods。Stoppingnearafallentree,Wetzelrakedupabundleofleavesandspreadthemontheground。Thenhecutafewspreadingbranchesfromabeech,andleanedthemagainstalog。Biddingtheladcrawlinbeforehetookonelastlookaroundandthenmadehiswayundertheshelter。