, lately, and 'twill take two pale faces to fill her seat.«
    »And do you bring such a message to me!« exclaimed Judith, though the tone
in which the words were uttered, had more in it of sorrow than of anger. »Am I a
girl to be an Indian's slave?«
    »If you wish my honest thoughts on this p'int, Judith, I shall answer that I
do n't think you'll, willingly, ever become any man's slave; red-skin or white.
You're not to think hard, howsever, of my bringing the message, as near as I
could, in the very words in which it was given to me. Them was the conditions on
which I got my furlough, and a bargain is a bargain, though it is made with a
vagabond. I've told you what they've said, but I've not yet told you what I
think you ought, one and all, to answer.«
    »Ay; let's hear that, Deerslayer,« put in Hurry. »My cur'osity is up on that
consideration, and I should like, right well, to hear your idees of the
reasonableness of the reply. For my part, though, my own mind is pretty much
settled, on the p'int of my own answer, which shall be made known as soon as
necessary.«
    »And so is mine, Hurry, on all the different heads, and on no one is it more
sartainly settled than on yourn. If I was you, I should say - Deerslayer, tell
them scamps, they don't know Harry March! He is human; and having a white skin,
he has also a white natur', which natur' won't let him desart females of his own
race and gifts, in their greatest need. So set me down as one that will refuse
to come into your treaty, though you should smoke a hogshead of tobacco over
it.«
    March was a little embarrassed at this rebuke, which was uttered with
sufficient warmth of manner, and with a point that left no doubt of the meaning.
Had Judith encouraged him, he would not have hesitated about remaining to defend
her and her sister, but under the circumstances, a feeling of resentment rather
urged him to abandon them. At all events, there was not a sufficiency of
chivalry in Hurry Harry to induce him to hazard the safety of his own person,
unless he could see a direct connection between
