n talking, like a couple of women, of what can no
longer be helped."

So saying, Deerslayer turned away, like one resolved to waste no more
words on the subject, while Hutter pulled Harry by the sleeve, and led
him into the ark. There they sat long in private conference. In the
mean time, the Indian and his friend had their secret consultation; for,
though it wanted some three or four hours to the rising of the star, the
former could not abstain from canvassing his scheme, and from opening
his heart to the other. Judith, too, yielded to her softer feelings,
and listened to the whole of Hetty's artless narrative of what occurred
after she landed. The woods had few terrors for either of these girls,
educated as they had been, and accustomed as they were to look out daily
at their rich expanse or to wander beneath their dark shades; but the
elder sister felt that she would have hesitated about thus venturing
alone into an Iroquois camp. Concerning Hist, Hetty was not very
communicative. She spoke of her kindness and gentleness and of the
meeting in the forest; but the secret of Chingachgook was guarded with
a shrewdness and fidelity that many a sharper-witted girl might have
failed to display.

At length the several conferences were broken up by the reappearance
of Hutter on the platform. Here he assembled the whole party, and
communicated as much of his intentions as he deemed expedient. Of the
arrangement made by Deerslayer, to abandon the castle during the night
and to take refuge in the ark, he entirely approved. It struck him as it
had the others, as the only effectual means of escaping destruction.
Now that the savages had turned their attention to the construction of
rafts, no doubt could exist of their at least making an attempt to carry
the building, and the message of the bloody sticks sufficiently showed
their confidence in their own success. In short, the old man viewed
the night as critical, and he called on all to get ready as soon as
possible, in order to abandon the dwellings temporarily at least, if not
forever.

These communications made, everything proceeded promptly and with
intelligence; the castle was secured in the manner already described,
the canoes were withdrawn from the dock and fastened to the ark by the
side of the other; the few necessaries that had been left in the
house were transferred to the cabin, the fire was extinguished and all
embarked.

The vicinity of the hills, with their dra