so far as the
casual eye could have seen, man had not yet come.

But in the deep cleft of the cliff, from which coign of vantage they had
fought off Shawnee and Miami, Henry Ware, Paul Cotter and Long Jim Hart
sat snug, warm and dry, and looked out at the bitter storm. Near them a
small fire burned, the smoke passing out at the entrance, and at the far
end of the hollow much more wood was heaped. There were five beds of dry
leaves with the blankets lying upon them, useful articles were stored in
the niches of the stone, and jerked meat lay upon the natural shelves.
It was a secret, but cheerful spot in that vast, wet and cold
wilderness. Long Jim felt its comfort and security, as he rose, put
another stick of wood on the fire, and then resumed his seat near the
others.

"I'm sorry the storm came up so soon," said Henry. "Of course, Sol and
Tom are hardened to all kinds of weather, but it's not pleasant to be
caught in the woods at such a time."

"And our ammunition," said Paul. "It wouldn't hurt the lead, of course,
but it would be a disaster for the powder to be soaked through and
through. They'd have to go back to the settlements, and that would mean
a long journey and a lot of lost time."

"I don't think we need be afraid about the powder," said Henry.
"Whatever happens, Sol and Tom will protect it, even if their own bodies
suffer."

"Then I'm thinkin' they'll have to do a lot of protectin'," said Long
Jim. "The wind is blowin' plum' horizontal, an' the rain is sweepin'
'long in sheets."

Henry, despite his consoling words, was very anxious. Since their great
battle with the invading Indian force and the destruction of the cannon,
their supply of ammunition had run very low, and without powder and
bullets they were lost in the wilderness. He walked to the narrow
entrance of the cave, and, standing just where the rain could not reach
him, looked out upon the cold and dripping forest, a splendid figure
clothed in deerskin, specially adapted in both body and mind to
wilderness life.

He saw nothing but the foliage bending before the wind and the chill
sheets sent down by the clouds. The somber sky and the desolation would
not have made him feel lonely, even had he been without his comrades. He
had faced primeval nature too often and he knew it too well to be
overcome or to be depressed by any of its dangers. Yet his heart would
have leaped had he beheld the shiftless and the silent ones, making
their way amon