on the whites themselves who were so near them. Nothing
could be done to lessen this danger on the part of the fugitives, the
only thing remaining for them being to continue the deathlike stillness
until the peril was gone. Lena-Wingo was well satisfied that the
Iroquois did not suspect the proximity of the whites, for the act of
taking refuge so near their enemies was scarcely to be expected. They
would not look, therefore, for them in such a place, and it was a matter
of accident or providential interference that would carry the Iroquois
beyond without learning of the presence of the fugitives. All the
latter--even Rosa herself--understood this danger, and the succeeding
few minutes were exceedingly trying.

The faint, catlike motion of the redskins proved they were very close,
and likely to come closer any second; and if they happened to turn to
the left but a few feet, it was sure to precipitate the collision that
must be disastrous to the patriots. More than once Ned Clinton was
certain a warrior was crouching so near him that he could touch him by
reaching out his hand. The young scout was possibly correct in his
surmise, for Rosa, who was next to him, was equally sure of the presence
of an enemy, the supposition, in her case, extending even further. Her
eyes were fixed upon the spot where she believed she could detect a dark
form stealing along on the ground, so near that she fancied he must
touch her dress. If she could see the Indian, she knew the eyes of the
warrior were keen enough to discover her presence, from which some idea
of the painful nature of her situation may be ascertained.

The senses of the girl were preternaturally acute, and still more, she
was no less convinced that she could hear the breathing of the savage as
he crept slowly forward. Fortunately for her, this fearful strain upon
her nerves could last but a few minutes. If the Indian should come to a
halt, she would take it as evidence that he had discovered the presence
of the fugitives, and she would give the alarm to her friends, but so
long as he kept moving, ever so slowly, there was cause to hope he was
unaware of how close he was to the prize for which they were hunting.
The dark form gradually passed from view, and a few minutes later the
straining vision of Rosa was unable to discover anything to excite
alarm, although her ears, for several minutes after, apprised her that
some of the dreaded figures were still making their way thro