whether
or not to fire; "de next time, I 'spose, I oughter shoot fust and den
make my obspectful inquiries afterward."

The incident was hardly over when to the surprise and disappointment of
the youth the progress of the boat began to slacken, soon ceased, and
then it slowly floated down stream. The wind had died out more suddenly
than it had risen. He quickly dropped the anchor overboard.

"Wonder how fur I've come," he thought, peering at the bank and unable
to locate himself; "reckon I must hab come fifteen or twenty miles--but
dat can't be either, for de folks at de block-house would hab seen me if
I didn't see dem--hulloa! dat chap must tink he knows me; it ain't him
after all."

The canoe which had shot under the bank so suddenly, now emerged again
and paddled straight towards the flatboat, only a short distance away.
The action so startled the dusky youth that he would have acted upon his
own suggestion of firing before asking any questions, had he not
perceived that the occupant was a white man.

"Dat can't be Mr. Kenton or Boone," mused Jethro, closely studying the
stranger. "No, it am somebody dat hasn't de honor ob my obquaintance.
Him and me ain't neber met afore."

As the individual came closer and was more plainly shown in the dim
moonlight, he was seen to be a sturdy man in middle life, dressed much
the same as Mr. Ashbridge and Altman--that is, with more regard for the
fashions of the age than was shown by men like Boone and Kenton.

"Good evening," he called, nodding his head in salutation; "may I come
aboard?"

"Who am yo'? Am yo' name Girty?" asked Jethro, in doubt whether to
permit the man to join him, now that his canoe was near enough to permit
him to do so. His appearance was pleasing, and his voice had a hearty
ring about it, but the African, since he was master of the situation,
felt he could not be too careful of his company.

The stranger laughed at the question asked him, and replied:

"Bless me, that's the first time I was ever taken for Mr. Girty. You
seem to be alone on the boat."

Jethro suspected this to be a trick meant to make him unmask his
weakness. He was not to be caught that way.

"No, sah! dar's whar yo's mistooken, sah. Dan'l Kenton and Simon Boone,
and 'leven oder gemman am in dis boat wid me, and if yo'----"

"Tut, tut," interrupted the stranger, with another laugh, so genial in
its character that it disarmed the youth.

"'Scoose me; I meant to say dat dem fo