atch them."

This was drawing it with a long bow, but as we have intimated, it was in
accordance with the fashion of the times. The chieftain restrained his
temper better than would have been expected, for the reason that he
understood the motive of his enemy; it was the contest preliminary to
the decisive one.

"Why did not the white dogs all come ashore and chase the Shawanoes?" he
asked, with little appearance of passion in voice or manner.

"One of them did--a little child--you, dog of a Shawanoe, made captive
the child and strode back among your warriors, proud and boastful
because it was the first prisoner you ever took. Oh, brave Shawanoe! Oh,
mighty chieftain!"

While uttering these taunts, Kenton did not permit the slightest "sign"
to escape him. He saw he was fast goading his foe to the resistless
point, the object he had in view. There was an almost insensible
tightening of the muscles of the fingers closing around the handle of
the knife, the faintest possible quiver passed through the thighs, or
showed in a single twitch of the toes of the left foot, which inched
forward. The Panther gave a quick inhalation, and while the words
recorded were in the mouth of Kenton, he hissed:

"Die, dog of a pale-face!"

At the same time he bounded forward, as does the animal whose name he
bore when leaping upon his prostrate foe. The intervening space was
cleared at the single leap, and the knife, whipped from the girdle at
the instant of starting, made a fierce sweep through the air, almost too
quick for the eye to follow, and shot like the head of a rattlesnake at
the breast of the ranger.

Nevertheless, it clove through vacancy, for Kenton recoiled a single
step, the hundredth part of a second before the weapon flashed in front
of his face, and struck with equal power and swiftness at the crouching
demon while yet in mid-air; but nothing could have surpassed the
dexterity of The Panther, who, by a flirt of the head, dodged the blow,
and dropping like a cat upon his feet, not only endeavored to strike the
white man in the back, but came within a hair of succeeding. It need
hardly be said that had he done so, the conflict would have been over on
the instant.

But Kenton saved himself, and faced about to receive the assault from
the opposite direction.

Instead of following up the slight and yet possibly fatal advantage thus
obtained, The Panther became more guarded in his attack. The opening
bout made both mor