rior stretched an arm before him with a calm energy that aided in
giving emphasis to his expressions. "Wampum should be sent for wampum,"
he said; "a message must be answered by a message. Hear what the Great
Serpent of the Delawares has to say to the pretended wolves from the
great lakes, that are howling through our woods. They are no wolves;
they are dogs that have come to get their tails and ears cropped by the
hands of the Delawares. They are good at stealing young women; bad at
keeping them. Chingachgook takes his own where he finds it; he asks
leave of no cur from the Canadas. If he has a tender feeling in his
heart, it is no business of the Hurons. He tells it to her who most
likes to know it; he will not bellow it in the forest, for the ears of
those that only understand yells of terror. What passes in his lodge
is not for the chiefs of his own people to know; still less for Mingo
rogues--"

"Call 'em vagabonds, Sarpent--" interrupted Deerslayer, unable to
restrain his delight--"yes, just call 'em up-and-down vagabonds, which
is a word easily intarpreted, and the most hateful of all to their ears,
it's so true. Never fear me; I'll give em your message, syllable for
syllable, sneer for sneer, idee for idee, scorn for scorn, and they
desarve no better at your hands--only call 'em vagabonds, once or twice,
and that will set the sap mounting in 'em, from their lowest roots to
the uppermost branches!"

"Still less for Mingo vagabonds," resumed Chingachgook, quite willingly
complying with his friend's request. "Tell the Huron dogs to howl
louder, if they wish a Delaware to find them in the woods, where they
burrow like foxes, instead of hunting like warriors. When they had a
Delaware maiden in their camp, there was a reason for hunting them up;
now they will be forgotten unless they make a noise. Chingachgook don't
like the trouble of going to his villages for more warriors; he can
strike their run-a-way trail; unless they hide it under ground, he will
follow it to Canada alone. He will keep Wah-ta-Wah with him to cook his
game; they two will be Delawares enough to scare all the Hurons back to
their own country."

"That's a grand despatch, as the officers call them things!"
cried Deerslayer; "'twill set all the Huron blood in motion; most
particularily that part where he tells 'em Hist, too, will keep on their
heels 'til they're fairly driven out of the country. Ahs! me; big words
ain't always big deeds, notwithst