open lake, at a distance of fully a quarter of a mile from
the nearest shore. On every other side the water extended much farther, the
precise position being distant about two miles from the northern end of the
sheet, and near, if not quite a mile from its eastern shore. As there was not
the smallest appearance of any island, but the house stood on piles with the
water flowing beneath it, and Deerslayer had already discovered that the lake
was of a great depth, he was fain to ask an explanation of this singular
circumstance. Hurry solved the difficulty by telling him that on this spot
alone, a long narrow shoal, which extended for a few hundred yards in a north
and south direction, rose within six or eight feet of the surface of the lake,
and that Hutter had driven piles into it, and placed his habitation on them, for
the purpose of security.
    »The old fellow was burnt out three times, atween the Indians and the
hunters, and in one affray with the red skins he lost his only son; since which
time he has taken to the water for safety. No one can attack him, here, without
coming in a boat, and the plunder and scalps would scarce be worth the trouble
of digging out canoes. Then, it's by no means sartain which would whip, in such
a skrimmage, for, old Tom is well supplied with arms and ammunition, and the
castle, as you may see, is a tight breast-work, ag'in light shot.«
    Deerslayer had some theoretical knowledge of frontier warfare, though he had
never yet been called on to raise his hand, in anger, against a fellow creature.
He saw that Hurry did not over-rate the strength of this position, in a military
point of view, since it would not be easy to attack it, without exposing the
assailants to the fire of the besieged. A good deal of art had also been
manifested in the disposition of the timber, of which the building was
constructed, and which afforded a protection much greater than was usual to the
ordinary log cabins of the frontier. The sides and ends were composed of the
trunks of large pines, cut about nine feet long, and placed upright, instead of
being laid horizontally, as was the practice of the country. These logs were
squared on three sides, and had large tennons on each end. Massive sills were
secured on the heads of the piles, with suitable grooves dug out of their upper
surfaces, which had been squared for the purpose, and the lower