His color had heightened, his eye frowned,
his lips were compressed, and all his energies were collected and
ready; but, instead of advancing to fire, he dropped his rifle to
the usual position of a sportsman in readiness to catch his aim,
and muttered to himself, unconscious that he was speaking-
"No, no - that may be red-skin warfare, but it's not a Christian's
gifts. Let the miscreant charge, and then we'll take it out like
men; for the canoe he must not, and shall not have. No, no; let
him have time to load, and God will take care of the right!"
All this time the Indian had been so intent on his own movements,
that he was even ignorant that his enemy was in the woods. His
only apprehension was, that the canoe would be recovered and carried
away before he might be in readiness to prevent it. He had sought
the cover from habit, but was within a few feet of the fringe
of bushes, and could be at the margin of the forest in readiness
to fire in a moment. The distance between him and his enemy was
about fifty yards, and the trees were so arranged by nature that
the line of sight was not interrupted, except by the particular
trees behind which each party stood.
Pages:
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192