odthirsty savage that's lookin'
fur my scalp."

He opened his mouth to its widest extent and gave utterance to a most
extraordinary cry, the like of which had perhaps never before been heard
in those woods. It rose in a series of curves and undulations. It had in
it something of the howl of the wolf and also the human note. It was
essentially challenging and contemptuous. Anybody who heard it was bound
to take it as a personal insult, and it became most effective when it
died away in a growling, spitting noise, like the defiance of an angry
cat. Henry fairly jumped in his seat when he heard it.

"Sol," he exclaimed, "what under the sun do you mean?"

The mouth of the shiftless one opened again, but this time in a wide
grin of delight.

"I wuz jest tellin' them Injuns that I didn't like 'em," he replied. "Do
you reckon they understood?"

"I think they did," replied Henry with emphasis.

"That bein' so, I'll tell 'em ag'in. Look out, here she comes!"

Again the mouth of Shif'less Sol swung wide, and again he uttered that
fearful yell of defiance, abuse, contempt and loathing, a yell so
powerful that it came back in repeated echoes without any loss of
character. The Indians on the bank, stung by it, uttered a fierce shout
and fired another volley, but the bullets fell further short than ever.
Shif'less Sol smiled in deep content.

"See how I'm makin' 'em waste good ammunition," he said. "I learned that
trick from Paul's tales o' them old Greeks an' Trojans. As fur ez I
could make out when a Greek an' Trojan come out to fight one another,
each feller would try to talk the other into throwin' his spear fust,
an' afore he wuz close enough to take good aim. All them old heroes done
a heap o' talkin' an' gen'ally they expected to get somethin' out o'
it."

"Undoubtedly the Greeks and Trojans had thrilling war cries," said Mr.
Pennypacker, "but I doubt, Mr. Hyde, whether they ever had any as weird
as yours."

"Which shows that I'm jest a leetle ahead o' any o' them old fellers,"
said Shif'less Sol in tones of deep satisfaction.

The boat, moving swiftly before the wind, soon left the Indians on the
northern bank far behind, and once more they were at peace with the
wilderness. The river was now very beautiful. It had not yet taken on
the muddy tint characteristic of its lower reaches, the high and sloping
banks were covered with beautiful forest, and coming from north and
south they saw the mouths of creeks and riv