r now," suggested Mr. Ashbridge, who
understood matters.

The words and the expressions on the countenances of the others caused
the truth to flash upon the good Samaritan. He rose to his feet with a
disgusted look. Then he shook his glass flask, and held it up between
him and the sunlight.

"If I had suspected, he shouldn't have had a drop; he has drank enough
to make three men drunk."

"And he's as drunk as three men can get," replied Ashbridge.

"Fetch on your rattler--hic," stuttered Jim, who was about to add some
more remarks when he gave it up and toppled over on the ground,
deferring all such observations to a more convenient season.

It assumed an almost grotesque phase, and sounds incredible when it is
stated that this pretended rattlesnake bite was solely for the purpose
of deceiving the members of the Shawanoe war party that were swarming
through the woods, yet not only was such the fact, but the scheme,
singular as it was, met the approval of Daniel Boone and Simon Kenton,
whose judgment in such matters all will admit should be accepted as
final.

Meanwhile, Hastings was anxiously consulting with Ashbridge, Altman, and
his own men.

The situation was grave to the last degree, and the crisis could not be
far off.

"We don't need to wait here more'n half an hour," said he, "and may be
not that long; then, when we start, night'll be fully here afore we
reach the gulch."

"And the Indians have been deceived as to our purpose?" was the
inquiring remark of Mr. Ashbridge.

"There's no sartinty of that, but it looks that way."

"But the most alarming feature of this business, as it seems to me,"
continued the pioneer, "is this: the time must soon come when these
Shawanoes will learn we do not mean to pass through that valley of
death."

Hastings nodded his head. He had thought of all this, as well as of the
complications that were likely to follow.

"How long after we make our pause will they suspect the truth?"

"Inside of ten minutes; but," added the ranger, "they may think we've
decided to wait till morning afore we pass through."

"Is that probable?" asked young Ashbridge.

"No; there isn't one chance in a thousand that they'll think anything of
the kind, and yet there is that one chance."

Mr. Ashbridge again took up the exchange of views with the leader of the
scouts, the others listening with the closest attention and interest.

"Suppose the Shawanoes believe we have merely postponed o