She did not dare to land; if such an
expedient were to be resorted to at all, she could only venture on
it in the last extremity. At first the Indians paid little or no
attention to the other canoe, for, fully apprised of its contents,
they deemed its capture of comparatively little moment, while the
Ark, with its imaginary treasures, the persons of the Delaware and
of Hurry, and its means of movement on a large scale, was before
them. But this Ark had its dangers as well as its temptations, and
after wasting near an hour in vacillating evolutions, always at a
safe distance from the rifle, the Hurons seemed suddenly to take
their resolution, and began to display it by giving eager chase to
the girls.
When this last design was adopted, the circumstances of all parties,
as connected with their relative positions, were materially changed.
The Ark had sailed and drifted quite half a mile, and was nearly
that distance due north of the castle. As soon as the Delaware
perceived that the girls avoided him, unable to manage his unwieldy
craft, and knowing that flight from a bark canoe, in the event of
pursuit, would be a useless expedient if attempted, he had lowered
his sail, in the hope it might induce the sisters to change their
plan and to seek refuge in the scow.
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