s. Do you
wish that? It will be harder for your feet than riding in the canoe. It
may be easier on your nerves."

"Anything, Basdel, to get away from the river! And can't we start now? I
know we shall see the Indians coming across to catch us if we stay here
much longer."

I tossed her her moccasins and quickly mended mine and put them on.
Leaving her to wait until I could draw up the canoe and hide it, I
proceeded to conceal all traces of our landing as best I could, and then
told her I was ready.

The bottoms on this side of the river are narrower than on the Indian
shore, and the old surveyors' blaze proved to be a wet path. The small
creeks were bordered with cane and when we encountered them it was hard on
the girl. But she minded hardships none, and once we were out of sight of
the river she regained some of her spirits. But a glimpse of the blue
river brought back her old fears as though the Ohio were some monster able
to reach out and seize her.

Before night I proved the river could be good to us. Against her will I
had swung down to the shore and was leading her along a narrow beach in
order to escape a bad tangle of briers when I had the good fortune to
discover a bateau lodged against the bank. The girl begged me not to go
near it although it was obviously empty. I insisted and was rewarded with
a bag containing a bushel of corn. Now we could have cooked it in our
kettle had we been provided with that indispensable article. As it was
there was life in munching the corn.

The undergrowth was a nuisance, being composed of pea-vines, clover,
nettles, cane and briery berry bushes. I would not stop to camp until I
could reach a tract free from the stuff. As a result it was nearly sunset
by the time we halted in a mixed growth of hickory, ironwood and ash on
the banks of a tiny creek. Here we could pick a path that left no signs.
We rested a bit and then followed the creek toward its outlet for half a
mile and came to a log cabin.

The girl dropped to the ground, glaring as if we were beholding the
painted head of a Shawnee. I assured her it was a white man's cabin and
probably empty. Leaving her behind an elm, I scouted the place and
satisfied myself there had been no recent visitors there. I called to her
to join me and proudly displayed an iron kettle I had found by the door.
But when I would have left her to make the kettle boil while I looked for
a turkey, she refused to stay and insisted on accompanyi