It struck it on the broadside, and rolled it instantly over.

"Those redskin guns are out of the way, anyhow," Nat said. "Now we have
got to row for it."

He gave a sharp turn to the canoe as he spoke, and it bounded away
towards the right, thereby throwing those outside it on their quarter.
Simultaneously with the upset of the canoe, half a dozen rifles rang
out from the shore, an Indian war whoop rose at the edge of the woods,
and, a minute later, half a dozen canoes shot out from shore.

Chapter 15: Through Many Perils.

The course Nat was taking was not parallel to that of the boats outside
him. He was sheering gradually out into the lake, and, although the
boat was travelling somewhat faster than its pursuers, James saw that
its course would carry it across their bows at a dangerously close
distance. The Indians were not long in seeing that the canoe was
outstripping them, and in each of the boats one of the redskins laid
aside his paddle, and began to fire. The balls struck the water near
the canoe, but no one was hit.

"Let them fire," Jonathan said. "It ain't every man as can shoot
straight from a canoe going at racing pace. The more they fires the
better. They will only fall further behind."

After firing two or three shots each, the Indians appeared to be of the
same opinion, and resumed their paddles; but they had lost so much
ground that the canoe they were in chase of shot out into the lake
fifty yards ahead of the nearest. Some more shots were fired, and then
the Indians began hastily to throw the fish, with which their canoes
were laden, into the water. After paddling two or three hundred yards
farther, Nat laid in his paddle.

"Out with them fish," he said. "You can leave one or two for supper,
but the rest must go overboard. Be quick about it, for those canoes
from the shore are coming up fast."

The work was concluded just as the canoes with the Owl and his warriors
came up with the others, which, having now got rid of their fish, again
set out, and, in a close body, the ten canoes started in pursuit.

"Paddle steady," Nat said; "and whatever you do, be keerful of your
blades. If one was to break now it would mean the loss of our scalps.
Don't gain on 'em; as long as the redskins on shore think as their
friends are going to catch us, they won't care to put out and join in
the chase; but if they thought we was getting away, they might launch
canoes ahead of us and cut us off. The nearer