oward him.
There must be real danger after all!

"Who's there?" called Perkins, in a shiver. "If you don't answer I'll
shoot."

Nevertheless, no answer was evoked by such a threat and the settler made
up his mind that if he could not effect an orderly retreat he must make
some kind of a fight. Accordingly, he peered ahead in the darkness,
seeking a view of the crouching redskin, with the purpose of giving him
the whole charge of the musket.

"I hope there ain't more than one of them, for if there happens to be,"
he said to himself, "I ain't likely to get a chance to reload before
they come down on me. It was an infernal mean piece of business in that
crowd to sneak off that way and leave me in the lurch just when I was
likely to need their help."

While he was muttering in his endless fashion, he was still retreating
as stealthily as possible, hoping to get far enough off from the
dangerous spot to give himself a chance to make a run for some safe
concealment. He had taken only a step or two, when he was hailed from
somewhere in the gloom ahead.

"Stop, white man, or me take scalp!"

The settler paused at this fearful summons and his knees smote together.

"Wh-wh-what do yo-yo-you want?" he stammered, hardly conscious of what
he was saying.

"Want your scalp, white man."

"Thunderation! I hain't got any! My wife pulled out all my hair the
first week we were married. I'm bald-headed, so what's the--"

"Stop!" broke in the voice of the hidden Indian, who seemed to know that
he was trying to steal away.

"Well, what do you want?" asked the victim, showing a disposition to
argue the matter.

"Want your scalp! Come up--hand it to me."

This was more than flesh and blood could stand. With a howl of terror
the settler whirled around and dashed into the depths of the forest,
never pausing long enough to notice that the voice which addressed such
terrifying words to him was that of Lena-Wingo, the Mohawk.

CHAPTER X.

ON THE RIVER.

After the unceremonious flight of Mr. Perkins, the whites gathered
around the Mohawk and expressed a fear that their little joke had
resulted in the loss of the boat which the frightened settler was about
to place in their possession. But the Indian assured them there was no
loss on that account, as he knew the precise point where, if there was
any boat within reach, it would be found. He proved the truth of what he
said by leading them to the shore of the river, where,