It mattered not that the gloom was well-nigh impenetrable, and the eye
could not direct or follow the blow. The ranger knew he had his man in
his grasp, and within a few seconds the affair was over.

Had there been only the slightest illumination of the wood at this point
to aid the eye, the rescue of Mabel would have been effected, but she
knew not the meaning of the terrific struggle, and the instant her
captor loosened his grip upon her arm, so as to defend himself, she
hurried off in the gloom in the hope of joining her friends on the
flatboat.

"I say, gal, where be you?" called Kenton, grasping with one hand, and
expecting every moment to touch her form.

But the little one heard him not, or if she did, had no suspicion of his
identity, and a few moments only convinced the ranger that the child
once within his grasp was gone again, he knew not where.

He held a strong hope, however, that she had started on her return for
the boat from which she had been taken in such hot haste by her
abductor. If so, the attempt on her part offered a chance of saving her
if the ranger moved promptly; for, by hastening to the same point he was
sure to meet her, even though amid enemies; but, if he delayed, she must
inevitably fall into the hands of the Shawanoes again.

It was apparent to Kenton that none of those on the boat were aware of
the loss of the child, and if it became known to her friends they could
give her no help. The ranger was fortunate, indeed, that in the flurry
he was not assaulted in turn by some of the hostiles.

He picked his way as best he could to the river's margin, carefully
keeping himself back in the gloom while he made his observation. The
moon was still unobstructed, and showed him the flatboat fifty feet away
and increasing the space every minute.

Thus it came about, that as the craft was laboriously worked into
mid-stream and towards the Ohio shore, two of the whites were left
behind amid the merciless members of The Panther's band.

The situation was of little moment to Simon Kenton, for more than once
he had been in a situation of much greater peril. He felt abundantly
able to take care of himself, his great concern being for the little one
to whom fate had been so cruel.

Inasmuch as there was not one chance in a thousand of accomplishing
anything by groping in the gloom among the trees, he adopted the single
course that promised success, and that was only to a slight degree
indeed.