cover, not at all disturbed by these expressed doubts
concerning his conduct on a point on which men are sensitive, precisely
in the degree that they feel the consciousness of demerit; "having never
been tried, I'll wait to know, before I form any opinion of myself; and
then there'll be sartainty, instead of bragging. I've heard of them
that was valiant afore the fight, who did little in it; and of them that
waited to know their own tempers, and found that they weren't as bad as
some expected, when put to the proof."

"At any rate, we know you can use a paddle, young man," said Hutter,
"and that's all we shall ask of you tonight. Let us waste no more time,
but get into the canoe, and do, in place of talking."

As Hutter led the way, in the execution of his project, the boat was
soon ready, with Hurry and Deerslayer at the paddles. Before the old man
embarked himself, however, he held a conference of several minutes with
Judith, entering the house for that purpose; then, returning, he took
his place in the canoe, which left the side of the ark at the next
instant.

Had there been a temple reared to God, in that solitary wilderness, its
clock would have told the hour of midnight as the party set forth on
their expedition. The darkness had increased, though the night was still
clear, and the light of the stars sufficed for all the purposes of the
adventurers. Hutter alone knew the places where the canoes were hid,
and he directed the course, while his two athletic companions raised
and dipped their paddles with proper caution, lest the sound should be
carried to the ears of their enemies, across that sheet of placid water,
in the stillness of deep night. But the bark was too light to require
any extraordinary efforts, and skill supplying the place of strength,
in about half an hour they were approaching the shore, at a point near a
league from the castle.

"Lay on your paddles, men," said Hutter, in a low voice, "and let us
look about us for a moment. We must now be all eyes and ears, for these
vermin have noses like bloodhounds."

The shores of the lake were examined closely, in order to discover any
glimmering of light that might have been left in a camp; and the men
strained their eyes, in the obscurity, to see if some thread of smoke
was not still stealing along the mountainside, as it arose from the
dying embers of a fire. Nothing unusual could be traced; and as the
position was at some distance from the outlet,