Deerslayer
at length discovered a place in the dense and dark woods where, he
entertained no doubt, the Iroquois were assembled in considerable
numbers. It was near the thicket whence the raft had issued, and a
little rill that trickled into the lake announced the vicinity of
a spring. Here, then, the savages were probably holding their
consultation, and the decision was to be made that went to settle the
question of life or death for the prisoners. There was one ground for
hope in spite of the delay, however, that Deerslayer did not fail to
place before his anxious companions. It was far more probable that
the Indians had left their prisoners in the camp, than that they had
encumbered themselves by causing them to follow through the woods a
party that was out on a merely temporary excursion. If such was the
fact, it required considerable time to send a messenger the necessary
distance, and to bring the two white men to the spot where they were
to embark. Encouraged by these reflections, a new stock of patience was
gathered, and the declension of the sun was viewed with less alarm.

The result justified Deerslayer's conjecture. Not long before the
sun had finally disappeared, the two logs were seen coming out of the
thicket, again, and as it drew near, Judith announced that her father
and Hurry, both of them pinioned, lay on the bushes in the centre. As
before, the two Indians were rowing. The latter seemed to be conscious
that the lateness of the hour demanded unusual exertions, and contrary
to the habits of their people, who are ever averse to toil, they labored
hard at the rude substitutes for oars. In consequence of this diligence,
the raft occupied its old station in about half the time that had been
taken in the previous visits.

Even after the conditions were so well understood, and matters had
proceeded so far, the actual transfer of the prisoners was not a duty
to be executed without difficulty. The Iroquois were compelled to
place great reliance on the good faith of their foes, though it
was reluctantly given; and was yielded to necessity rather than to
confidence. As soon as Hutter and Hurry should be released, the party
in the castle numbered two to one, as opposed to those on the raft, and
escape by flight was out of the question, as the former had three bark
canoes, to say nothing of the defences of the house and the Ark. All
this was understood by both parties, and it is probable the arrangement
never c