.
But at the instant the earth-edge gave way under him, and he was sent
tumbling with the small landslide of clay down upon the twain at the
fire.

It went within a trembling hair's-breadth of a tragedy. The two at the
fire sprang up as one man; and the bound that set the hunter afoot
brought his long rifle to his shoulder. But that the Indian was the
quicker, Richard's life would have paid the penalty of his slip, I
think. At the trigger-pulling instant the Catawba thrust the thick of
his hand between stone and steel, and the flint bit, harmless for
Jennifer, into the palm of the Indian.

"Wah!" he ejaculated, in his soft guttural. "No want kill Captain
Jennif', hey?"

Ephraim Yeates lowered his weapon and released the pinched hand held
fast by the gun-flint.

"Well, I'm daddled, fair and square, Cap'n Dick!" he declared. "Jest one
more shake of a dead lamb's tail, and I'd 'a' had ye on my mind, sartain
sure! I allowed ye knowed better than to come whammling down that-away
behint a man whilst he's a-cooking his ven'son."

Dick laughed and called to me to follow as I could. And his answer to
the old borderer was no answer at all.

"'Tis to be hoped you and the chief don't mean to be niddering with that
deer's meat. We were guessing but a half-hour back, Captain Ireton and
I, whether or no we'd have to take up belt-slack for our breakfast."

At the word the Catawba whipped out his knife and fell to work
hospitably on the meat supply. Meanwhile I came upon the scene,
something less hurriedly than Richard. Ephraim Yeates looked me up and
down with a sniff for my foreign-cut coat, another for my queue, and a
third for the German ritter-boots I wore.

"Umph!" said he. "Now if here ain't that there dad-blame' Turkey-fighter
again! What almighty cur'is things the good Lord do let loose on a
stiff-necked and rebellious gineration!" Then to me, most pointedly:
"Say, Cap'n; the big woods ain't no fitting place for such as you, ez I
allow. Ye mought be getting them purty boots o' your'n all tore up on
the briars."

He ended with a dry little laugh not unlike Mr. Gilbert Stair's
parchment crackle; and, being his guest for the nonce, I laughed with
him.

"Have your joke and welcome, Mr. Yeates," said I. "I am too near
famished to quarrel with my chance of breakfast."

Much to my astoundment he flung his raccoon-skin cap into the air, spat
upon his hands and began that insane war-dance of his.

"Whoop!" he yelled. "N