he pushed
the intruder over the edge of the scow, headlong into the river. This
decided feat was no sooner accomplished than the woman resumed her sway;
Judith looked over the stern to ascertain what had become of the man,
and the expression of her eyes softened to concern, next, her cheek
crimsoned between shame and surprise at her own temerity, and then she
laughed in her own merry and sweet manner. All this occupied less than a
minute, when the arm of Deerslayer was thrown around her waist, and she
was dragged swiftly within the protection of the cabin. This retreat was
not effected too soon. Scarcely were the two in safety, when the forest
was filled with yells, and bullets began to patter against the logs.

The ark being in swift motion all this while, it was beyond the danger
of pursuit by the time these little events had occurred; and the
savages, as soon as the first burst of their anger had subsided, ceased
firing, with the consciousness that they were expending their ammunition
in vain. When the scow came up over her grapnel, Hutter tripped the
latter in a way not to impede the motion; and being now beyond the
influence of the current, the vessel continued to drift ahead, until
fairly in the open lake, though still near enough to the land to render
exposure to a rifle-bullet dangerous. Hutter and March got out two small
sweeps and, covered by the cabin, they soon urged the ark far enough
from the shore to leave no inducement to their enemies to make any
further attempt to injure them.

Chapter V.

"Why, let the strucken deer go weep,
The hart ungalled play,
For some must watch, while some must sleep,
Thus runs the world away."

Hamlet, III.ii.271-74

Another consultation took place in the forward part of the scow,
at which both Judith and Hetty were present. As no danger could now
approach unseen, immediate uneasiness had given place to the concern
which attended the conviction that enemies were in considerable force on
the shores of the lake, and that they might be sure no practicable means
of accomplishing their own destruction would be neglected. As a matter
of course Hutter felt these truths the deepest, his daughters having an
habitual reliance on his resources, and knowing too little to appreciate
fully all the risks they ran; while his male companions were at liberty
to quit him at any moment they saw fit. His first remark showed that
he had an eye to the latter circumstan