hut in the morass; that was to be
guarded for himself alone. He was fond of Paul, but Paul able though he
was fell far behind Henry in the forest.

The debt of Wareville to him grew and none felt privileged to criticise
him now, as he appeared from the forest and disappeared into it again on
his self-chosen tasks.

The winter broke up at last, but with the spring came a new and more
formidable danger. Small parties of Indians, not strong enough to attack
Wareville itself but sufficient for forest ambush, began to appear in
the country, and two or three lives that could be ill spared were lost.
Now Henry Ware showed his supreme value; he was a match and more than a
match for the savages at all their own tricks, and he became the ranger
for the settlement, its champion against a wild and treacherous foe.

The tales of his skill and prowess spread far through the wilderness.
Single handed he would not hesitate in the depths of the forest to
attack war parties of half a dozen, and while suffering heavily
themselves they could never catch their daring tormentor. These tales
even spread across the Ohio to the Indian villages, where they told of a
blond and giant white youth in the South who was the spirit of death,
whom no runner could overtake, whom no bullet could slay and who raged
against the red man with an invincible wrath.

As his single hand had fed them through the winter so his single hand
protected them from death in the spring. He seemed to know by instinct
when the war parties were coming and where they would appear. Always he
confronted them with some devious attack that they did not know how to
meet, and Wareville remained inviolate.

Then, in the summer, when the war bands were all gone he came back to
Wareville to stay a while, although, everyone, himself included, knew
that he would always remain a son of the wilderness, spending but part
of his time in the houses of men.

CHAPTER XIX

AN ERRAND AND A FRIEND

Two stalwart lads were marching steadily through the deep woods, some
months later. They were boys in years, but in size, strength, alertness
and knowledge of the forest far beyond their age. One, in particular,
would have drawn the immediate and admiring glance of every keen-eyed
frontiersman, so powerful was he, and yet so light and quick of
movement. His wary glance seemed to read every secret of tree, bush and
grass, and his head, crowned by a great mass of thick, yellow hair, rose