age to
reach a p'int just this side of Rattlesnake Gulch early in the evening,
and will wait for you. Then I'll hurry the women folks 'cross to the
other side and make the rest of the journey to the block-house on the
Ohio bank."

"You will have to make two trips with the canoe."

"Onless I can find another one that was hid under the bushes on this
side not fur from the gulch. If that's there, I'll take one party over,
and Boone, or some one else, tother."

"And the rest of us will have it out with the redskins," remarked Weber
Hastings, with flashing eyes.

"You must start on agin," said Kenton, addressing Hastings, as the
leader of the party in the absence of himself and Boone; "don't hurry,
for as it is you've got too much time now on your hands. If you find
you're getting too near Rattlesnake Gulch afore sun-down, you must have
some sort of accident that'll give you an excuse for stopping for a
time. That'll keep the varmints from 'specting anything."

"We ought to be able to arrange some accident," remarked George
Ashbridge, with a smile, slyly pressing the hand of Agnes, standing
beside him. "I'll fall over a log if necessary and break a leg."

"A better plan will be for Jethro to get shot accidentally like."

"Gorrynation, dat won't work!" exclaimed the negro, who did not let a
word escape him; "de bestest way to fix dat will be to stuff me so full
of victuals dat I won't be able to walk alone, and de rest ob yo' will
hab to carry me slow like."

"Wal, time is passing; it won't do to stay here any longer; I leave you
in charge of Weber; he can do as well as me or Boone."

The scout turned to move away, when Jethro Juggens laid his hand on his
arm.

"See yar, Mr. Kenton, I's worried 'bout yo'," said the colored youth,
with an anxious expression on his countenance.

"What's the cause of that?" asked the ranger, who, as already stated,
held a kindly feeling toward the good-natured fellow.

"I's feard sumfin' will happen to yo'--feels it in my bones; I tink yo'
oughter hab some one to look after yo' while yo's gone."

"Would you like to do it?"

"I tinks a good deal ob yo', Mr. Kenton, and I's willin' to take keer ob
yo', and see dat yo' gets back all right."

Yielding to that waggish disposition which was a marked characteristic
of Simon Kenton, sometimes under the most trying circumstances, the
ranger said:

"Come on, younker, you shall take care of me."

And to the astonishment of the party,