sighed.

"I ain't used to tinkin' so hard as dis; it exhorsts me."

To remedy which he groped his way to the huge bread box, a few paces
away. There was enough, left to furnish a person of ordinary appetite
with a good meal, but, when he ceased, nothing was left.

"Umph! dat rewives me; I feel stronger now--I'll do a little more hard
tinkin'--graciousnation, I's got it!" he exclaimed, leaping from the
floor in exultation; "why didn't I tink ob it afore? I'll hold one ob
dese boxes ober me, so dey can't see nuffin' ob me, and den walk out ob
de house and straight 'cross de clearin' to de woods. When I got dar,
I'll flung de box off en run! Dat's de plan, suah I's born!"

CHAPTER XIII.

UNKIND FATE.

After setting out on his return to his friends with the canoe which he
had recovered so cleverly from the drowsy Shawanoe, Simon Kenton gave
little thought to Jethro Juggens. The youth had become separated from
the scout through his own disregard of orders, and, as has already been
said, the former regarded his highest duty to be to the pioneers, who, a
mile or so away, were anxiously looking for his return.

It was during the first part of his voyage with the canoe that Kenton
had his hurricane encounter with the warrior who withdrew it from the
point along the bank where he left the craft for a few minutes only.

The scout was surprised and somewhat alarmed for his friends over one or
two facts which thus came to light. The Indian who paid so dearly for
this little trick he attempted upon the white man was not the one that
sat on the bank near the clearing while the boat was withdrawn from
before him. This proved that more than one Shawanoe was down the river
between the pioneers and the cabin in the clearing. The cawing from the
Ohio side showed that the lynx-eyed watchers were there, with the
unwelcome certainty that the Shawanoes were far more numerous than
either Boone or Kenton had supposed.

"Wa-on-mon has been doing some good work," reflected Kenton, "since he
sneaked out of sight, instead of meeting me for our last scrimmage.
Dan'l is right when he says the reason The Panther done that warn't
'cause he was afeared of me, but' cause he seed a chance of hittin' a
powerfuller blow than in sending nobody but Sime Kenton under. That's
what he's up to, with a mighty big chance of doing what he set out to
do."

The signal from the Ohio bank, and the encounter with the redskin, drove
all hesitation from