d concealed himself; and as the latter was deceived by
the apparent apathy of his foes, as well as engaged in some further
preparations of his own, he had evidently obtained a position where
he got a sight of the Delaware. This circumstance was apparent by the
arrangements the Iroquois was making to fire, for Chingachgook himself
was not visible from the western side of the river. The rift was at a
bend in the Oswego, and the sweep of the eastern shore formed a curve
so wide that Chingachgook was quite near to his enemies in a straight
direction, though separated by several hundred feet on the land, owing
to which fact air lines brought both parties nearly equidistant from
the Pathfinder and Jasper. The general width of the river being a little
less than two hundred yards, such necessarily was about the distance
between his two observers and the skulking Iroquois.

"The Sarpent must be thereabouts," observed Pathfinder, who never turned
his eye for an instant from the young warrior; "and yet he must be
strangely off his guard to allow a Mingo devil to get his stand so near,
with manifest signs of bloodshed in his heart."

"See!" interrupted Jasper--"there is the body of the Indian the Delaware
shot! It has drifted on a rock, and the current has forced the head and
face above the water."

"Quite likely, boy, quite likely. Human natur' is little better than a
log of driftwood, when the life that was breathed into its nostrils
is departed. That Iroquois will never harm any one more; but yonder
skulking savage is bent on taking the scalp of my best and most tried
friend."

The Pathfinder suddenly interrupted himself by raising his rifle, a
weapon of unusual length, with admirable precision, and firing the
instant it had got its level. The Iroquois on the opposite shore was in
the act of aiming when the fatal messenger from Killdeer arrived. His
rifle was discharged, it is true, but it was with the muzzle in the air,
while the man himself plunged into the bushes, quite evidently hurt, if
not slain.

"The skulking reptyle brought it on himself," muttered Pathfinder
sternly, as, dropping the butt of his rifle, he carefully commenced
reloading it. "Chingachgook and I have consorted together since we were
boys, and have fi't in company on the Horican, the Mohawk, the Ontario,
and all the other bloody passes between the country of the Frenchers and
our own; and did the foolish knave believe that I would stand by and see
my