there and give him the gun, provided the pelts
were to his liking. As they talked, each, in his mind's eye, saw the
other dead before him. The one meant to possess a gun, indeed, but he
thought to take it himself from the munition house at Jamestown; the
other knew that the otter which died not until this Indian's arrow
quivered in its side would live until doomsday. Yet they discussed the
matter gravely, hedging themselves about with provisos, and, the
bargain clinched, walked on side by side in the silence of a perfect and
all-comprehending amity.

The sun rode higher and higher, gilding the misty green of the budding
trees, quickening the red maple bloom into fierce scarlet, throwing
lances of light down through the pine branches to splinter against the
dark earth far below. For an hour it shone; then clouds gathered and
shut it from sight. The forest darkened, and the wind arose with
a shriek. The young trees cowered before the blast, the strong and
vigorous beat their branches together with a groaning sound, the old and
worn fell crashing to the earth. Presently the rain rushed down, slant
lines of silver tearing through the wood with the sound of the feet of
an army; hail followed, a torrent of ice beating and bruising all tender
green things to the earth. The wind took the multitudinous sounds,--the
cries of frightened birds, the creaking trees, the snap of breaking
boughs, the crash of falling giants, the rush of the rain, the drumming
of the hail,--enwound them with itself, and made the forest like a great
shell held close to the ear.

There was no house to flee to; so long as we could face the hail we
staggered on, heads down, buffeting the wind; but at last, the fury of
the storm increasing, we were fain to throw ourselves upon the earth,
in a little brake, where an overhanging bank somewhat broke the wind. A
mighty oak, swaying and groaning above us, might fall and crush us like
eggshells; but if we went on, the like fate might meet us in the way.
Broken and withered limbs, driven by the wind, went past us like crooked
shadows; it grew darker and darker, and the air was deadly cold.

The three Indians pressed their faces against the ground; they dreamed
not of harm from us, but Okee was in the merciless hail and the first
thunder of the year, now pealing through the wood. Suddenly Diccon
raised himself upon his elbow, and looked across at me. Our eyes had
no sooner met than his hand was at his bosom. The s