ut nothing occurred
to disturb them. Once a deer came down to drink, and fled away at sight
of the phantom boat gliding almost without noise on the still waters.
Once the far scream of a panther came from the woods, but Mary Newton
and her children, sleeping soundly, did not hear it. The five themselves
knew the nature of the sound, and paid no attention. The boat went
steadily on, the three riflemen never changing their position, and soon
the day began to come. Little arrows of golden light pierced through the
foliage of the trees, and sparkled on the surface of the water. In the
cast the red sun was coming from his nightly trip. Henry looked down at
the sleepers. They were overpowered by exhaustion, and would not awake
of their own accord for a long time.

Shif'less Sol caught his look.

"Why not let 'em sleep on?" he said.

Then he and Jim Hart took the oars, and the shiftless one and Tom Ross
resumed their rifles. The day was coming fast, and the whole forest was
soon transfused with light.

No one of the five had slept during the night. They did not feel the
need of sleep, and they were upborne, too, by a great exaltation. They
had saved the prisoners thus far from a horrible fate, and they were
firmly resolved to reach, with them, some strong settlement and safety.
They felt, too, a sense of exultation over Brant, Sangerachte, Hiokatoo,
the Butlers, the Johnsons, Wyatt, and all the crew that had committed
such terrible devastation in the Wyoming Valley and elsewhere.

The full day clothed the earth in a light that turned from silver to
gold, and the woman and the children still slept. The five chewed some
strips of venison, and looked rather lugubriously at the pieces they
were saving for Mary Newton and the children.

"We ought to hev more'n that," said Shif'less Sol. "Ef the worst comes to
the worst, we've got to land somewhar an' shoot a deer."

"But not yet," said Henry in a whisper, lest he wake the sleepers. "I
think we'll come into the Susquehanna pretty soon, and its width will be
a good thing for us. I wish we were there now. I don't like this narrow
stream. Its narrowness affords too good an ambush."

"Anyway, the creek is broadenin' out fast," said the shiftless one,
"an' that is a good sign. What's that you see ahead, Henry--ain't it a
river?"

"It surely is," replied Henry, who caught sight of a broad expanse of
water, "and it's the Susquehanna. Pull hard, Sol! In five more minutes
we'll be