talking, his vigilant ear had caught the peculiar sound which is
made by the parting of a dried branch of a tree and which, if his
senses did not deceive him, came from the western shore. All who
are accustomed to that particular sound will understand how readily
the ear receives it, and how easy it is to distinguish the tread
which breaks the branch from every other noise of the forest.

"There is the footstep of a man on the bank," said Pathfinder
to Jasper, speaking in neither a whisper nor yet in a voice loud
enough to be heard at any distance. "Can the accursed Iroquois have
crossed the river already, with their arms, and without a boat?"

"It may be the Delaware. He would follow us, of course down this
bank, and would know where to look for us. Let me draw closer into
the shore, and reconnoitre."

"Go boy but be light with the paddle, and on no account venture
ashore on an onsartainty."

"Is this prudent?" demanded Mabel, with an impetuosity that rendered
her incautious in modulating her sweet voice.

"Very imprudent, if you speak so loud, fair one. I like your
voice, which is soft and pleasing, after the listening so long to
the tones of men; but it must not be heard too much, or too freely,
just now. Your father, the honest Sergeant, will tell you, when
you meet him, that silence is a double virtue on a trail. Go,
Jasper, and do justice to your own character for prudence."

Ten anxious minutes succeeded the disappearance of the canoe of