r Nathan. But, his triumph was short-lived; the
blow, so fatal as it must have proved to the life of Nathan, was averted
by an unexpected incident. The prisoner, near whom he stood, putting
all his vigour into one tremendous effort, burst his bonds, and, with a
yell ten times louder and fiercer than had yet been uttered, added
himself to the combatants. With a furious cry of encouragement to his
rescuers,--"Hurrah for Kentucky!--give it to 'em good!" he threw himself
upon the savage, beat the gun from his hands, and grasping him in his
brawny arms, hurled him to the earth, where, rolling over and over in
mortal struggle, growling and whooping, and rending one another like wild
beasts, the two, still locked in furious embrace, suddenly tumbled down
the banks of the brook, there high and steep, and were immediately lost
to sight.

Before this catastrophe occurred, the other Indians and the assailants
met at the fire; and each singling out his opponent, and thinking no more
of the rifles, they met as men whose only business was to kill or to die.
With his axe flourished over his head, Nathan rushed against the tallest
and foremost enemy, who, as he advanced, swung his tomahawk, in the act
of throwing it. Their weapons parted from their hands at the same moment,
and with perhaps equal accuracy of aim; but meeting with a crash in the
air, they fell together to the earth, doing no harm to either. The Indian
stooped to recover his weapon; but it was too late: the hand of Nathan
was already upon his shoulder: a single effort of his vast strength
sufficed to stretch the savage at his feet; and holding him down with
knee and hand, Nathan snatched up the nearest axe. "If the life of thee
tribe was in thee bosom," he cried, with a look of unrelenting fury, of
hatred deep and ineffaceable, "thee should die the dog's death, as thee
does!" And with a blow furiously struck, and thrice repeated, he
despatched the struggling savage as he lay.

He rose, brandishing the bloody hatchet, and looked for his companion. He
found him upon the earth, lying upon the breast of his antagonist, whom
it had been his good fortune to over-master. Both had thrown their
hatchets, and both without effect, Roland because skill was wanting, and
the Shawnee because, in the act of throwing, he had stumbled over the
body of one of his comrades, so as to disorder his aim, and even to
deprive him of his footing. Before he could recover himself, Roland
imitated N