ght such
means of amusement as their peculiar circumstances allowed.

As is common with those who are unused to the confinement of a vessel,
Mabel cast wistful eyes towards the shore; nor was it long before she
expressed a wish that it were possible to land. The Pathfinder was near
her at the time, and he assured her that nothing would be easier, as
they had a bark canoe on deck, which was the best possible mode of
conveyance to go through a surf. After the usual doubts and misgivings,
the Sergeant was appealed to; his opinion proved to be favorable, and
preparations to carry the whim into effect were immediately made.

The party which was to land consisted of Sergeant Dunham, his daughter,
and the Pathfinder. Accustomed to the canoe, Mabel took her seat in the
centre with great steadiness, her father was placed in the bows, while
the guide assumed the office of conductor, by steering in the stern.
There was little need of impelling the canoe by means of the paddle, for
the rollers sent it forward at moments with a violence that set every
effort to govern its movements at defiance. More than once, before
the shore was reached, Mabel repented of her temerity, but Pathfinder
encouraged her, and really manifested so much self-possession, coolness,
and strength of arm himself, that even a female might have hesitated
about owning all her apprehensions. Our heroine was no coward; and while
she felt the novelty of her situation, in landing through a surf, she
also experienced a fair proportion of its wild delight. At moments,
indeed, her heart was in her mouth, as the bubble of a boat floated on
the very crest of a foaming breaker, appearing to skim the water like
a swallow, and then she flushed and laughed, as, left by the glancing
element, they appeared to linger behind as if ashamed of having
been outdone in the headlong race. A few minutes sufficed for this
excitement; for though the distance between the cutter and the land
considerably exceeded a quarter of a mile, the intermediate space was
passed in a very few minutes.

On landing, the Sergeant kissed his daughter kindly, for he was so much
of a soldier as always to feel more at home on _terra firma_ than when
afloat; and, taking his gun, he announced his intention to pass an hour
in quest of game.

"Pathfinder will remain near you, girl, and no doubt he will tell you
some of the traditions of this part of the world, or some of his own
experiences with the Mingos."