Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1884-02-23

insteps; some in-toed, and some out |;
Let me get down to it, Uncas;
neither book nor moccasin is the
worse for having two opinions instead
of one" The scout stopped to the
task, and instantly added, "You are
right, boy; tits just the length and
breadth, too! look at it, Sycamore !;
you measured the prints more than
once, when we hunted the var ments
from Glenn's to the health springs"
Chingachgook complied and mere
ly pronounced the word,
"Magua."
CAY, it's a settled thing; here then
have passed the dark-hair and
Magua." 'r,tra
"And not Alice? ?" demanded Hey
ward. ". '' "
"Of her we have not yet seen the
signs," returned the scout looking
closely around. "What have we
there? Uncas bring hither the thing
you see dangling from yonder thorn
BUSH"
When the Indian had complied,
the scout received the prize, and
holding it on high, he laughed in his
silent but heartfelt manner.
""Tis the footing we'pon of the
singer! now we shall have trail a
priest might travel he said. "Uncas,
look for the marks of shoe that is
long enough to uphold six feet two Of
tottering human flesh. l begin to
have some hopes of the fellow, since
he has given up squalling to follow
some better trade" -
"At least, he has been faithful to
his trust" said Hayward; "snd Cora
and Alice are not without a friend"
eyes," said Hawk-eye, che will do
their singing! Can he slay buck
for their dinner; journey by the moss
on the beeches, or cut the throat of a
Huron? If not, the first cat-bird*
he meets is the cleverest of the two.
Well, boy, any signs Of such a founda-
tiOn ?"
"Here is something like the foot
step of one who has worn a shoe [;
can it be that of our friend %
"Touch the leaves lightly, or
you'll disconsart the formation.
That! that is the print of foot, but
tits the dark-hair's; and small it is,
too, for one of such noble height and
grand appearance. The singer would
cover it with his heel"
"Where! let me look at the foot
steps of my child" said Munro,
showing the bushes aside, and bend
ing fondly over the nearly obliterated
impression. Willing to divert a
distress which threatened each mo-
ment through the restraint of ap-
pearance, by giving the veteran some
thing to do, the young man said to
the scout
GAS we now possess these infallible
signs, let us commence our march.
A moment at such time, will appear
an age to the captives."
at is not the swiftest leaping deer
that gives the longest chase" return
ed Hawk-eye; eve know that the
rampaging Huron has passed-and
the dark k-hair-and the singer-but
where is she of the yellow locks and
blue eyes? Though little, and far
from being as bold as her sister, she
is fair to the view, and pleasant in
discourse. Has she no friend, that
none care for her ?" ......
"God forbid she should ever want
hundreds! Are we not now in her
pursuit? for one, l will never cease
the search till she be found"
Gin that case we have to journey
by different paths; for here she has
not pissed, light and little as her
footstep would be-"
Hayward drew back. The scout
continued ,
"There is no woman in this wilder
ness could leave such print as that,
but the dark-hair or her sister. We
know that the first has been here,
but where are the signs of the other ?
Move on, Uncas, and keep your eyes
on the dried leaves. l will watch
the bushes, while your father shall
*The powers of the American mocking-
bird are generally known. But the true
mocking-bird is not found so far north as the
State of New York, where it has, however,
two substitutes of inferior excellence; the
cat-bird, 80 often named by the scout, and
the bird vulgarly called ground-thresher.