commandments to send me off to the river, leaving you
and your traps, your Ark and your children, your man servants and your
maid servants, your oxen and your asses, to fight this battle with the
Iroquois by yourselves. Open that window, Floating Tom, and I'll blunder
through and do the same job to the front door."

A moment of silence succeeded, and a noise like that produced by the
fall of a heavy body followed. A deep execration from Hurry succeeded,
and then the whole interior of the building seemed alive. The noises
that now so suddenly, and we may add so unexpectedly even to the
Delaware, broke the stillness within, could not be mistaken. They
resembled those that would be produced by a struggle between tigers in a
cage. Once or twice the Indian yell was given, but it seemed smothered,
and as if it proceeded from exhausted or compressed throats, and, in a
single instance, a deep and another shockingly revolting execration
came from the throat of Hurry. It appeared as if bodies were constantly
thrown upon the floor with violence, as often rising to renew the
struggle. Chingachgook felt greatly at a loss what to do. He had all the
arms in the Ark, Hutter and Hurry having proceeded without their rifles,
but there was no means of using them, or of passing them to the hands of
their owners. The combatants were literally caged, rendering it almost
as impossible under the circumstances to get out, as to get into the
building. Then there was Hist to embarrass his movements, and to cripple
his efforts. With a view to relieve himself from this disadvantage,
he told the girl to take the remaining canoe and to join Hutter's
daughters, who were incautiously but deliberately approaching, in order
to save herself, and to warn the others of their danger. But the girl
positively and firmly refused to comply. At that moment no human power,
short of an exercise of superior physical force, could have induced her
to quit the Ark. The exigency of the moment did not admit of delay, and
the Delaware seeing no possibility of serving his friends, cut the line
and by a strong shove forced the scow some twenty feet clear of the
piles. Here he took the sweeps and succeeded in getting a short distance
to windward, if any direction could be thus termed in so light an air,
but neither the time, nor his skill at the oars, allowed the distance to
be great. When he ceased rowing, the Ark might have been a hundred yards
from the platform, and half t