ril, they resumed their journey,
travelling with such speed and vigour (for Roland's strength had returned
apace), that at the close of the day they were, according to Nathan's
account, scarce twenty miles distant from the Black-Vulture's village,
which they might easily reach the following day. On the following day,
accordingly, they resumed their march, avoiding all paths, and stealing
through the most unfrequented depths of the woods, proceeding with a
caution which was every moment becoming more obviously necessary to the
success of their enterprise.

Up to this period their journey had presented nothing of interest, being
a mere succession of toil, privation, and occasional suffering, naturally
enough to be expected in such an undertaking; but it was now about to be
varied by an adventure of no little interest in itself, and, in its
consequences, destined to exercise a powerful influence on the prospects
of the travellers.

Laying their plans so as to reach the Indian village only about
nightfall, and travelling but slowly and with great circumspection,
they had not, at mid-day, accomplished much more than half the distance;
when they came to a halt in a little dell, extremely wild and
sequestered, where Nathan proposed to rest a few hours, and recruit their
strength with a warm dinner--a luxury they had not enjoyed for the last
two days, during which they had subsisted upon the corn and dried meat
from the Indian wallets. Accident had, a few moments before, provided
them materials for a more palatable meal. They had stumbled upon a deer
that had just fallen under the attack of a catamount; which, easily
driven from its yet warm and palpitating quarry, surrendered the feast to
its unwelcome visitors. An inspection of the carcass showed that the
animal had been first struck by the bullet of some wandering Indian
hunter--a discovery that somewhat concerned Nathan, until, after a more
careful examination of the wound, which seemed neither severe nor mortal,
he was convinced the poor beast had run many long miles, until, in fact,
wholly exhausted, before the panther had finished the work of the
huntsman. This circumstance removing his uneasiness, he helped himself to
the choicest portion of the animal, amputated a hind leg without stopping
to flay it, and clapping this upon his shoulder in a very business-like
way, left the remainder of the carcass to be despatched by the wild-cat
at her leisure.

The little dell, i