Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1884-05-03
CONTINUED STORY.
THE
LAST OF THE M0HICANs.
BY
u. FenS9,s0re Cooper.
[Continued from last week.

"'1NS AiAAAASSAA AAnS AAA1
royal namesake, from among the peb-
bles Of the brook; "though not given
to the desire to kill, had you sent me
away my spirit would have been
troubled"
| "Remember," added the scout, eve
come to fight, and not to muslkate.
Until the general whoop is given,
nothing speaks but the rifle"
David nodded, as much as to sig
Nifty his acquiescence with the terms
and then Hawk-eye, casting another
observant glance over his followers,
made the signal to proceed.
Their route lay, for the distance OF
mile, along the bed of the water
course. Though protected from any
great danger of observation by the
precipitous banks, and the thick
shrubbery which skirted the stream,
no precaution known to an Indian at.
tack was neglected. A warrior rather
crawled than walked on each flank,
so as to catch occasional glimpses into
the forest; and every few minutes the
band came to a halt, and listened for
hostile sounds, with an acuteness of
organs that would be scarcely con-
ceivable to man in a less. natural
state. Their march, was, however, un-
molested, and they reached the point
where the lesser stream was lost in the
greater, without the smallest evidence
that their progress had been noted.
Here the scout again halted, to con-
suit the signs of the forest.
"We are likely to have good day
for fight" he said in English, ad-
dressing Hayward, and glancing his
eye upwards, at the clouds, which
began to move in broad sheets across
the armament "a bright sun is no
friend to true sight. Everything is
favorable; they have the wind which
will bring down their noises and
their smoke too, no little matter in
in itself; whereas with us it will be q
shot, and then clear view. But
here is an end of our cover; the
beavers have had the range of this
stream for hundreds Of years, and
what atween their food and their
dams, there is, as you see, many a
girdled stub, but few living trees"
Hawk-eye had, in truth, in these
few words, given no bad description
of the prospect that now lay in their
front. He knew that the Huron en-
campment lay a short half-mile up
the brook and, with the character
istic anxiety of one who dreaded a
hidden danger, he was greatly
troubled at not finding the smallest
trace of the presence of the enemy.
Once or twice he felt induced to give
the order for a rush, and to attempt
the village by surprise; but his ex-
perience admonished him of the dam
ger of so useless an experiment.
Then he listened intently, and with
painful uncertainty, for the sounds
of hostility in the quarter where I'm
cas- was left; but nothing was audible
except the signing of the wind. At
length, yielding to his unusual i'm
patience, he determined to bring mat
rers to an issue, by unmasking his
force, and proceeding steadily up the
stream.
The scout had stood, while making
his observations, sheltered by brake,
and his companions still lay in the
bed of the ravine, through which the
smaller stream debouched; but on
hearing his low signal, the whole
party stole up the bank, like so
many dark spectres, and silently ar
ranged themselves around him.
Pointing in the direction he wished
to proceed, Hawk-eye advanced, the
band breaking off in single files, and
following so accurately in his foot
steps, as to leave it, if we except Hey
ward and David, the trail of but o
siugle man.
The party was, however, scarcely
uncovered before volley from a doz-
en- rifles was heard in their rear; and
IA Delaware, leaping high in the air,
like a wounded deer, fell at his whole
length, perfectly dead.
"Ah! | feared some deviltry like
thisw exclaimed the scout, in English;
"To cover, men, and charge"
The band dispersed At the word,
and before Hayward hM veil re-