, ere long,
to their joyful surprise, came forth with a dinner handsomely
provided, which she placed before them with a smile of satisfaction
playing on her lips, and entirely unmindful of the shafts that
continued to fly overhead, which either pierced the wood and remained
stationary, or fell expended and harmless at her feet.

Affairs thus remained till night, when the arrows ceased to fly. There
was not a cloud in the heavens, and the moon rose up in purest
brightness. A breathless stillness pervaded the air, and no sound for
a great length of time could be heard but the hooting of owls on the
opposite side of the river, and the howling of wolves in the flats
about a mile above.

"I'm not a bit cold--are you?" said Joe, addressing Sneak.

"Dad! keep an eye out!" replied Sneak, in a low tone.

"There's nothing out this way but a bush. But I declare it seems to be
bigger and nigher than it was in the daytime," said Joe.

"Don't speak so loud," remarked Boone, crossing to where Joe stood,
and looking through at the bush.

"It's nothing but a bush," said Joe.

"Do you wish to kill an Indian?" inquired Boone.

"I wish they were all worms, and I could get my heel on them!" said
Joe.

"That would be cruel--but as any execution we may now do, is in our
own defence, you may fire at that bush if you like," continued Boone.

"Well," said Joe; and taking deliberate aim, discharged his musket as
directed, and was knocked down on his back in the snow by the rebound.

"Plague take the gun!" said he, recovering his feet; "but I remember
it had two loads in--I forgot it was charged, and loaded it again. Ha!
ha! ha! but what's become of the bush?" he continued jocularly, not
thinking he had fired at an Indian.

"Look for yourself," replied Boone.

"Hang me if it ain't gone!" exclaimed Joe.

"Ay, truly it is; but had you hit the mark, it would have fallen. It
was rather too far, however, even for your musket," said Boone,
returning to his former position.

"You are the poorest marksman that ever I saw, or you'd 'ave killed
that red rascal," said Sneak, coming up to Joe, and finding where the
bush had been.

"I didn't know it was any thing but a bush--if I'd only known it was
an Indian--"

"You be hanged!" replied Sneak, vexed that such a capital opportunity
should be lost, and petulantly resuming his own station.

An intense silence succeeded the discharge of Joe's gun, after the
tremendous report died away, in