"A good deal depends on what he says. He went more among the varmints
than I did, though I found 'em plenty 'nough--confound 'em! But Boone is
wiser than me. I don't think the varmints hate him quite as bad, and
that gives him a better show for learning what they're up to."

"The Ingins must have one or two canoes," suggested Hastings, hinting at
a scheme that had assumed form in his mind.

"I know what you mean, Web. There ain't no one that would try it
quicker'n me, if I had the least chance."

"You stole a boat from one of 'em not long ago."

"But the varmint was asleep, and there was only that one. Here there's
twenty of 'em at least--most likely more--and every varmint of' em is as
wide awake as if he had been asleep seventeen years and a half. No,"
grimly added the veteran, "there ain't nothin' that would suit the
varmints better than to have Sime Kenton try to steal one of their
canoes from' em. The style in which they would lift his hair would be
beautiful. They'd be powerful glad to give me a chance if they believed
I'd try it."

"Wal," remarked Hastings, with a sigh, "it looks to me as if it's going
to be the same game over again that Jim Deane and the boys had played on
'em some months ago, 'cepting there won't be half the chance there was
then."

"Why not?"

"Wal, with them there war'nt nobody beside themselves and all knowed how
to fight, and they did fight, too--there's no mistake. But we've got two
women, a likely gal and a little girl, and of course there isn't one of
us that'll knock under or run as long as they're above ground."

"Of course not; them's the sentiments of every one of us."

"When daylight comes the varmints will be on all sides of us. They can
keep behind the trees and pick off one of us whenever he shows his
head."

"They can do a great deal better than that," suggested Kenton.

"How?"

"Starve us out; we have eat nothin' since leaving the clearin', though
that time is so short it don't count, but there isn't a mouthful of food
in this party, and no way of getting it."

"It does look bad," remarked Hastings, feeling deeply the views
expressed by his companion.

"I wish Boone would come, so him and me could agree on something to try,
whether it will win or not."

Simon Kenton was not the man to sit down and fold his hands in despair,
no matter how desperate the situation, but he had expressed the wish
that was strong within him, that he might have the counsel of the