free from
underbrush, that they resembled vast columns, irregularly scattered,
upholding a dome of leaves. Although they stood tolerably close
together, for their ages and size, the eye could penetrate to
considerable distances; and bodies of men, even, might have engaged
beneath their cover, with concert and intelligence.

Deerslayer knew that his adversary must be employed in reloading, unless
he had fled. The former proved to be the case, for the young man had no
sooner placed himself behind a tree, than he caught a glimpse of the arm
of the Indian, his body being concealed by an oak, in the very act of
forcing the leathered bullet home. Nothing would have been easier than
to spring forward, and decide the affair by a close assault on his
unprepared foe; but every feeling of Deerslayer revolted at such a step,
although his own life had just been attempted from a cover. He was yet
unpracticed in the ruthless expedients of savage warfare, of which he
knew nothing except by tradition and theory, and it struck him as unfair
advantage to assail an unarmed foe. His color had heightened, his eye
frowned, his lips were compressed, and all his energies were collected
and ready; but, instead of advancing to fire, he dropped his rifle to
the usual position of a sportsman in readiness to catch his aim, and
muttered to himself, unconscious that he was speaking--

"No, no--that may be red-skin warfare, but it's not a Christian's gifts.
Let the miscreant charge, and then we'll take it out like men; for the
canoe he must not, and shall not have. No, no; let him have time to
load, and God will take care of the right!"

All this time the Indian had been so intent on his own movements,
that he was even ignorant that his enemy was in the woods. His only
apprehension was, that the canoe would be recovered and carried away
before he might be in readiness to prevent it. He had sought the cover
from habit, but was within a few feet of the fringe of bushes, and could
be at the margin of the forest in readiness to fire in a moment. The
distance between him and his enemy was about fifty yards, and the trees
were so arranged by nature that the line of sight was not interrupted,
except by the particular trees behind which each party stood.

His rifle was no sooner loaded, than the savage glanced around him, and
advanced incautiously as regarded the real, but stealthily as respected
the fancied position of his enemy, until he was fairly expose