"Lay on your paddles, men," said Hutter, in a low voice, "and let
us look about us for a moment. We must now be all eyes and ears,
for these vermin have noses like bloodhounds."
The shores of the lake were examined closely, in order to discover
any glimmering of light that might have been left in a camp; and the
men strained their eyes, in the obscurity, to see if some thread
of smoke was not still stealing along the mountainside, as it arose
from the dying embers of a fire. Nothing unusual could be traced;
and as the position was at some distance from the outlet, or the
spot where the savages had been met, it was thought safe to land.
The paddles were plied again, and the bows of the canoe ground
upon the gravelly beach with a gentle motion, and a sound barely
audible. Hutter and Hurry immediately landed, the former carrying
his own and his friend's rifle, leaving Deerslayer in charge of
the canoe. The hollow log lay a little distance up the side of
the mountain, and the old man led the way towards it, using so much
caution as to stop at every third or fourth step, to listen if any
tread betrayed the presence of a foe. The same death-like stillness,
however, reigned on the midnight scene, and the desired place was
reached without an occurrence to induce alarm.
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