felt the majesty of all that
surrounded him, but he was not lonely, nor was he oppressed. Instead,
the night, the great forest, the swift river and the gliding canoe
appealed to his sensitive and highly imaginative mind. He was uplifted
and he felt the confidence and elation that contribute so much to
success.

It was characteristic of the three, so diverse in type, and yet knitted
so closely together in friendship, that they would talk much at times
and at other times have silence long and complete. Now, neither spoke
for at least three hours. Tayoga, in the prow, made occasional strokes
of his paddle, but the current remained swift and the speed of the canoe
was not slackened. The young Onondaga devoted most of his time to
watching. Much wreckage from storms or the suction of flood water often
floated on the surface of these wild rivers, and his keen eyes searched
for trunk or bough or snag. They also scanned at intervals the green
walls speeding by on either side, lest they might pass some camp fire
and not notice it, but finding no lighter note in the darkness he felt
sure that no hostile bands were near.

About midnight the force of the current began to abate and Robert and
Willet used the paddles. The darkness also thinned. The rainless clouds
drifted away and disclosed a full moon, which turned the dusk of the
water to silver. The stars came out in cluster after cluster and the
skies became a shining blue. The wilderness revealed itself in another
and splendid phase, and Robert saw and admired.

"How long will we go on, Dave?" The words were his and they were the
first to break the long silence.

"Until nearly daylight," replied Willet. "Then we can land, take the
canoe into the bushes and rest. What do you say, Tayoga?"

"It is good," replied the Onondaga. "We are not weary, because the
river, of its own accord, has borne us on its bosom, but we must sleep.
We would not wish to appear heavy of eye and mind before the children of
Onontio."

"Well spoken, Tayoga," said the hunter. "An Iroquois chief knows that
appearance and dignity count, and you were right to remind us of it. I
think that by the next sunset we'll be meeting French, not the Canadian
French that they call _habitants_, but outposts made up mostly of
officers and soldiers from France. They'll be very curious about us,
naturally so, and since your new friend Dayohogo has announced that you
are a great orator, you can do most of the talking an