The canoe hung an instant to the rock; then it
rose a hair's breadth on an almost imperceptible swell of the water,
swung round, floated clear, and reached the strand. All this the
young man noted, but it neither quickened his pulses, nor hastened
his hand. If any one had been lying in wait for the arrival of
the waif, he must be seen, and the utmost caution in approaching
the shore became indispensable; if no one was in ambush, hurry was
unnecessary. The point being nearly diagonally opposite to the
Indian encampment, he hoped the last, though the former was not
only possible, but probable; for the savages were prompt in adopting
all the expedients of their particular modes of warfare, and quite
likely had many scouts searching the shores for craft to carry
them off to the castle. As a glance at the lake from any height or
projection would expose the smallest object on its surface, there
was little hope that either of the canoes would pass unseen; and
Indian sagacity needed no instruction to tell which way a boat or
a log would drift, when the direction of the wind was known. As
Deerslayer drew nearer and nearer to the land, the stroke of his
paddle grew slower, his eye became more watchful, and his ears
and nostrils almost dilated with the effort to detect any lurking
danger.
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