Judith occasionally looked behind her, and she saw this expedient
practised. It caused her immediately to distrust the result, since
her powers of endurance were not likely to hold out against those
of men who had the means of relieving each other. Still she
persevered, allowing no very visible consequences immediately to
follow the change.
As yet the Indians had not been able to get nearer to the girls
than two hundred yards, though they were what seamen would term
"in their wake"; or in a direct line behind them, passing over the
same track of water. This made the pursuit what is technically
called a "stern chase", which is proverbially a "long chase": the
meaning of which is that, in consequence of the relative positions
of the parties, no change becomes apparent except that which is
a direct gain in the nearest possible approach. "Long" as this
species of chase is admitted to be, however, Judith was enabled to
perceive that the Hurons were sensibly drawing nearer and nearer,
before she had gained the centre of the lake. She was not a girl
to despair, but there was an instant when she thought of yielding,
with the wish of being carried to the camp where she knew the
Deerslayer to be a captive; but the considerations connected with
the means she hoped to be able to employ in order to procure his
release immediately interposed, in order to stimulate her to renewed
exertions.
Pages:
579
580
581
582
583
584
585
586
587
588
589
590
591
592
593
594
595
596
597
598
599
600
601
602
603