quarter; and again, he would plunge with them into the boiling torrent
below, trusting to the strength of the horses to carry them through in
safety.

To these and other frantic proposals, uttered in the intervals of combat,
which was still maintained, with occasional demonstrations on the part of
the enemy of advancing to a third assault, Nathan replied only by
representing the certain death they would bring upon all, especially "the
poor helpless women," whose condition, with the reflection that he had
brought them into it, seemed ever to dwell upon his mind, producing
feelings of remorseful excitement not inferior even to the compunctions
which he expressed at every shot discharged by him at the foe. Indeed his
conscience seemed sorely distressed and perplexed; now he upbraided
himself with being the murderer of the two poor women, and now of his
Shawnee fellow-creatures; now he wrung the soldier by the hand, begging
him to bear witness that he was shedding blood, not out of malice or
wantonness, or even self-defence, but purely to save the innocent scalps
of poor women, whose blood would be otherwise on his head; and now
beseeching the young man with equal fervour to let the world know of his
doings, that the blame might fall, not upon the faith of which he was an
unworthy professor, but upon him, the evil-doer and backslider. But with
all his remorse and contrition, he manifested no inclination to give over
the work of fighting; but, on the contrary, fired away with extreme
good-will at every evil Shawnee creature that showed himself, encouraging
Roland to do the same, and exhibiting throughout the whole contest the
most exemplary courage and good conduct.

But courage and good conduct, although so unexpectedly manifested in the
time of need by all his companions, Roland felt could only serve to defer
for a few hours the fate of his party. The night wore away fast, the
assailants grew bolder; and from the louder yells and more frequent shots
coming from them, it seemed as if their numbers, instead of diminishing
under his own fire, were gradually increasing by the dropping in of their
scouts from the forest. At the same time, he became sensible that his
stores of ammunition were fast decreasing.

"Friend," said Nathan, wringing the soldier's hand for the twentieth
time, when made acquainted with the deficiency, "it is written, that thee
women shall be murdered before thee eyes! Nevertheless I will do my best
to s