hen the ark reached the first bend in the Susquehannah, and the eye
caught a glimpse of the broader expanse of the lake, all felt a relief,
that perhaps none would have been willing to confess. Here the last
stone was raised from the bottom, and the line led directly towards the
grapnel, which, as Hutter had explained, was dropped above the suction
of the current.

"Thank God!" ejaculated Hurry, "there is daylight, and we shall soon
have a chance of seeing our inimies, if we are to feel 'em."

"That is more than you or any man can say," growled Hutter. "There is no
spot so likely to harbor a party as the shore around the outlet, and the
moment we clear these trees and get into open water, will be the most
trying time, since it will leave the enemy a cover, while it puts us
out of one. Judith, girl, do you and Hetty leave the oar to take care of
itself; and go within the cabin; and be mindful not to show your faces
at a window; for they who will look at them won't stop to praise their
beauty. And now, Hurry, we 'll step into this outer room ourselves, and
haul through the door, where we shall all be safe, from a surprise, at
least. Friend Deerslayer, as the current is lighter, and the line has
all the strain on it that is prudent, do you keep moving from window to
window, taking care not to let your head be seen, if you set any value
on life. No one knows when or where we shall hear from our neighbors."

Deerslayer complied, with a sensation that had nothing in common with
fear, but which had all the interest of a perfectly novel and a most
exciting situation. For the first time in his life he was in the
vicinity of enemies, or had good reason to think so; and that, too,
under all the thrilling circumstances of Indian surprises and Indian
artifices. As he took his stand at the window, the ark was just passing
through the narrowest part of the stream, a point where the water first
entered what was properly termed the river, and where the trees fairly
interlocked overhead, causing the current to rush into an arch of
verdure; a feature as appropriate and peculiar to the country, perhaps,
as that of Switzerland, where the rivers come rushing literally from
chambers of ice.

The ark was in the act of passing the last curve of this leafy entrance,
as Deerslayer, having examined all that could be seen of the eastern
bank of the river, crossed the room to look from the opposite window, at
the western. His arrival at this aper