第20章

"This is the best cover I ever yet got into," said the Pathfinder, with his quiet laugh, after having been on the outside to reconnoitre; "the leaves of our new trees fairly touch those of the bushes over our heads.Hist! -- yonder comes Eau-douce, wading, like a sensible boy, as he is, to leave his trail in the water; and we shall soon see whether our cover is good for anything or not."Jasper had indeed returned from his duty above; and missing the canoes, he at once inferred that they had dropped round the next bend in the river, in order to get out of sight of the fire.His habits of caution immediately suggested the expediency of stepping into the water, in order that there might exist no visible communication between the marks left on the shore by the party and the place where he believed them to have taken refuge below.

Should the Canadian Indians return on their own trail, and discover that made by the Pathfinder and the Serpent in their ascent from and descent to the river, the clue to their movements would cease at the shore, water leaving no prints of footsteps.The young man had therefore waded, knee-deep, as far as the point, and was now seen making his way slowly down the margin of the stream, searching curiously for the spot in which the canoes were hid.

It was in the power of those behind the bushes, by plac-ing their eyes near the leaves, to find many places to look through while one at a little distance lost this advantage.

To those who watched his motions from behind their cover, and they were all in the canoes, it was evident that Jasper was totally at a loss to imagine where the Pathfinder had secreted himself.When fairly round the curvature in the shore, and out of sight of the fire he had lighted above, the young man stopped and began examining the bank de-liberately and with great care.Occasionally he advanced eight or ten paces, and then halted again, to renew the search.The water being much shallower than common, he stepped aside, in order to walk with greater ease to himself and came so near the artificial plantation that he might have touched it with his hand.Still he detected nothing, and was actually passing the spot when Path-finder made an opening beneath the branches, and called to him in a low voice to enter.

"This is pretty well," said the Pathfinder, laughing;"though pale-face eyes and red-skin eyes are as different as human spy-glasses.I would wager, with the Sergeant's daughter here, a horn of powder against a wampum-belt for her girdle, that her father's rijiment should march by this embankment of ours and never find out the fraud!

But if the Mingoes actually get down into the bed of the river where Jasper passed, I should tremble for the planta-tion.It will do for their eyes, even across the stream, however, and will not be without its use.""Don't you think, Master Pathfinder, that it would be wisest, after all," said Cap, "to get under way at once, and carry sail hard down stream, as soon as we are satisfied that these rascals are fairly astern of us? We seamen call a stern chase a long chase.""I wouldn't move from this spot until we hear from the Sarpent with the Sergeant's pretty daughter here in our company, for all the powder in the magazine of the fort below.Sartain captivity or sartain death would follow.

If a tender fa'n, such as the maiden we have in charge, could thread the forest like old deer, it might, indeed, do to quit the canoes; for by making a circuit we could reach the garrison before morning.""Then let it be done," said Mabel, springing to her feet under the sudden impulse of awakened energy."I am young, active, used to exercise, and could easily out-walk my dear uncle.Let no one think me a hindrance.Icannot bear that all your lives should be exposed on my account.""No, no, pretty one; we think you anything but a hin-drance or anything that is unbecoming, and would will-ingly run twice this risk to do you and the honest Ser-geant a service.Do I not speak your mind, Eau-donce?"

"To do _her_ a service!" said Jasper with emphasis.

"Nothing shall tempt me to desert Mabel Dunham until she is safe in her father's arms.""Well said, lad; bravely and honestly said, too; and Ijoin in it, heart and hand.No, no! you are not the first of your sex I have led through the wilderness, and never but once did any harm befall any of them: -- that was a sad day, certainly but its like may never come again."Mabel looked from one of her protectors to the other, and her fine eyes swam in tears.Frankly placing a hand in that of each, she answered them, though at first her voice was choked, "I have no right to expose you on my account.My dear father will thank you, I thank you, God will reward you; but let there be no unnecessary risk.Ican walk far, and have often gone miles on some girlish fancy; why not now exert myself for my life? -- nay, for your precious lives?""She is a true dove, Jasper" said the Pathfinder, neither relinquishing the hand he held until the girl herself, in native modesty, saw fit to withdraw it, "and wonderfully winning! We get to be rough, and sometimes even hard-hearted, in the woods, Mabel; but the sight of one like you brings us back again to our young feelings, and does us good for the remainder of our days.I daresay Jasper here will tell you the same; for, like me in the forest, the lad sees but few such as yourself on Ontario, to soften his heart and remind him of love for his kind.Speak out now, Jasper, and say if it is not so?""I question if many like Mabel Dunham are to be found anywhere," returned the young man gallantly, an honest sincerity glowing in his face that spoke more eloquently than his tongue; "you need not mention the woods and lakes to challenge her equals, but I would go into settle-ments and towns."