, however, by the sudden appearance of a second Indian
on the lake shore, a few hundred yards from the point. This man, evidently
another scout, who had probably been drawn to the place by the reports of the
rifles, broke out of the forest with so little caution that Deerslayer caught a
view of his person, before he was himself discovered. When the latter event did
occur, as was the case a moment later, the savage gave a loud yell, which was
answered by a dozen voices from different parts of the mountain-side. There was
no longer any time for delay, and, in another minute the boat was quitting the
shore under long and steady sweeps of the paddle.
    As soon as Deerslayer believed himself to be at a safe distance, he ceased
his efforts, permitting the little bark to drift, while he leisurely took a
survey of the state of things. The canoe first sent adrift was floating before
the air, quite a quarter of a mile above him, and a little nearer to the shore
than he wished, now that he knew more of the savages were so near at hand. The
canoe shoved from the point was within a few yards of him, he having directed
his own course towards it, on quitting the land. The dead Indian lay in grim
quiet, where he had left him, the warrior who had shown himself from the forest
had already vanished, and the woods themselves were as silent, and seemingly as
deserted, as the day they came fresh from the hands of their great creator. This
profound stillness, however, lasted but a moment. When time had been given to
the scouts of the enemy to reconnoitre, they burst out of the thicket, upon the
naked point, filling the air with yells of fury, at discovering the death of
their companion. These cries were immediately succeeded by shouts of delight,
when they reached the body, and clustered eagerly around it. Deerslayer was a
sufficient adept in the usages of the natives, to understand the reason of the
change. The yell was the customary lamentation at the loss of a warrior, the
shout a sign of rejoicing that the conqueror had not been able to secure the
scalp; the trophy, without which a victory was never considered complete. The
distance at which the canoes lay, probably prevented any attempts to injure the
conqueror, the American Indian, like the panther of his own woods, seldom making
any effort against his foe, unless tolerably certain it is under circumstances
that may be expected to prove effective.
    As the young man had no longer any motive