with
bushes, towards the level of the buildings.

The glen of the mills was very narrow; so much so, as barely to leave
sites for the buildings themselves, and three or four cabins for the
workmen. The mills were placed in advance, as near as possible to the
course of the water; while the habitations of the workmen were perched
on shelves of the rocks, or such level bits of bottom-land as offered.
Owing to this last circumstance, the house of Daniel the miller, or
that in which it was supposed the major was still confined, stood by
itself, and fortunately, at the very foot of the path by which the
adventurers were descending. All this was favourable, and had been
taken into the account as a material advantage, by Captain Willoughby
when he originally conceived the plan of the present sortie.

When the chimney of the cabin was visible over the bushes, Captain
Willoughby halted his party, and repeated his instruction to Joyce, in
a voice very little raised above a whisper; The serjeant was ordered to
remain in his present position, until he received a signal to advance.
As for the captain, himself, he intended to descend as near as might be
to the buttery of the cabin, and reconnoitre, before he gave the final
order. This buttery was in a lean-to, as a small addition to the
original building was called in the parlance of the country; and, the
object being shade and coolness, on account of the milk with which it
was usually well stored at this season of the year, it projected back
to the very cliff, where it was half hid in bushes and young trees. It
had but a single small window, that was barred with wood to keep out
cats, and such wild vermin as affected milk, nor was it either lathed
or plastered; these two last being luxuries not often known in the log
tenements of the frontier. Still it was of solid logs, chinked in with
mortar, and made a very effectual prison, with the door properly
guarded; the captive being deprived of edged tools. All this was also
known to the father, when he set forth to effect the liberation of his
son, and, like the positions of the buildings themselves, had been well
weighed in his estimate of the probabilities and chances.

As soon as his orders were given, Captain Willoughby proceeded down the
path, accompanied only by Nick. He had announced his intention to send
the Tuscarora ahead to reconnoitre, then to force himself among the
bushes between the lean-to and the rocks, and there to ope