to land would be to share their fate He was already within a
hundred feet of the shore, when a few timely strokes of the paddle not
only arrested his advance, but forced him off to six or eight times
that distance from his enemies. Luckily for him, all of the Indians had
dropped their rifles in the pursuit, or this retreat might not have been
effected with impunity; though no one had noted the canoe in the first
confusion of the melee.

"Keep off the land, lad," called out Hutter; "the girls depend only on
you, now; you will want all your caution to escape these savages. Keep
off, and God prosper you, as you aid my children!"

There was little sympathy in general between Hutter and the young man,
but the bodily and mental anguish with which this appeal was made served
at the moment to conceal from the latter the former's faults. He saw
only the father in his sufferings, and resolved at once to give a pledge
of fidelity to its interests, and to be faithful to his word.

"Put your heart at ease, Master Hutter," he called out; "the gals shall
be looked to, as well as the castle. The inimy has got the shore, 'tis
no use to deny, but he hasn't got the water. Providence has the charge
of all, and no one can say what will come of it; but, if good-will can
sarve you and your'n, depend on that much. My exper'ence is small, but
my will is good."

"Ay, ay, Deerslayer," returned Hurry, in this stentorian voice,
which was losing some of its heartiness, notwithstanding,--"Ay, ay,
Deerslayer. You mean well enough, but what can you do? You're no great
matter in the best of times, and such a person is not likely to turn
out a miracle in the worst. If there's one savage on this lake shore,
there's forty, and that's an army you ar'n't the man to overcome. The
best way, in my judgment, will be to make a straight course to the
castle; get the gals into the canoe, with a few eatables; then strike
off for the corner of the lake where we came in, and take the best trail
for the Mohawk. These devils won't know where to look for you for some
hours, and if they did, and went off hot in the pursuit, they must
turn either the foot or the head of the lake to get at you. That's my
judgment in the matter; and if old Tom here wishes to make his last will
and testament in a manner favorable to his darters, he'll say the same."

"'Twill never do, young man," rejoined Hutter. "The enemy has scouts out
at this moment, looking for canoes, and you'll be