They knowed we was going there, and they
meant to wait until we got inside, when they'd clean us all out. While
we was man[oe]uvring round like, so as to trade places with 'em, a
powerful qu'ar thing happened."

"There's a good many queer things happening in this part of the world,
Simon," curtly remarked Boone.

"Two of them Shawanoes was shot--one killed or the other hit hard--and
in both cases it was done by that darkey, Jethro Juggens. He's a big,
strong, simple chap, that hates work worse nor pizen, but he knows how
to shoot that gun of his in a way that'll open your eyes."

"But what about The Panther?" asked Boone, feeling more interest in him
than in Jethro Juggens. Kenton's brow clouded again as he made answer:

"Consarn The Panther! I forgot about him. It was agreed that him and me
would meet, all by ourselves, in the woods near the clearing, and settle
that account between us. If I come back all right, Girty and the
varmints was to leave the cabin. I come back and they left."

"And you evened up matters with The Panther?" exclaimed Boone, with a
glow of satisfaction, in strong contrast to the scornful disgust on the
rugged countenance of his friend.

"No; I went to the spot, but The Panther didn't show himself."

The readers of "Shod with Silence" will recall the circumstances. Simon
Kenton hurried to the appointed place of meeting, eager for the
encounter with Wa-on-mon, the famous war chief of the Shawanoes, but the
crafty miscreant had vanished, and nothing was seen of him.

"I never thought Wa-on-mon was a coward," bitterly repeated Kenton.

"And, Simon," said Boone, impressively, "don't make the mistake of
thinking so now; the reason why he didn't meet you wasn't that he was
afraid of you."

"What was it?"

"You know as well as me."

And so he did. The savage leader of the Shawanoes merely deferred his
furious meeting with the ranger in order to strike a more fearful blow
against the pioneers.

The moment Wa-on-mon plunged into the woods near the clearing, with the
avowed purpose of meeting Kenton, he was off like a deer in search of a
large war party that he knew was somewhere in the neighborhood. With
them he meant to return and "wipe out" every man, woman and child of the
settlers.

Meanwhile, the Altmans and Ashbridges, assisted by their companions,
removed all their goods from the flatboat against the bank and placed
them in the cabin, prepared some time before for the occupancy of