of which she was so near entering, and held
her way again, more towards the centre of the lake. This seemed the
instant favorable for the Hurons to make their push, as it gave them
the entire breadth of the sheet to do it in; and this too in the widest
part, as soon as they had got between the fugitives and the land. The
canoes now flew, Judith making up for what she wanted in strength by her
great dexterity and self command. For half a mile the Indians gained
no material advantage, but the continuance of so great exertions for so
many minutes sensibly affected all concerned. Here the Indians resorted
to an expedient that enabled them to give one of their party time to
breathe, by shifting their paddles from hand to hand, and this too
without sensibly relaxing their efforts.

Judith occasionally looked behind her, and she saw this expedient
practised. It caused her immediately to distrust the result, since her
powers of endurance were not likely to hold out against those of men who
had the means of relieving each other. Still she persevered, allowing no
very visible consequences immediately to follow the change.

As yet the Indians had not been able to get nearer to the girls than two
hundred yards, though they were what seamen would term "in their wake";
or in a direct line behind them, passing over the same track of water.
This made the pursuit what is technically called a "stern chase",
which is proverbially a "long chase": the meaning of which is that, in
consequence of the relative positions of the parties, no change becomes
apparent except that which is a direct gain in the nearest possible
approach. "Long" as this species of chase is admitted to be, however,
Judith was enabled to perceive that the Hurons were sensibly drawing
nearer and nearer, before she had gained the centre of the lake. She
was not a girl to despair, but there was an instant when she thought of
yielding, with the wish of being carried to the camp where she knew the
Deerslayer to be a captive; but the considerations connected with the
means she hoped to be able to employ in order to procure his release
immediately interposed, in order to stimulate her to renewed exertions.
Had there been any one there to note the progress of the two canoes, he
would have seen that of Judith flying swiftly away from its pursuers,
as the girl gave it freshly impelled speed, while her mind was thus
dwelling on her own ardent and generous schemes. So material, inde