The Morrises had suffered so much in former years that Mrs. Morris was almost inclined to urge her husband to give up the land claim at Will's Creek and move further to the eastward. But the claim was a fine one, and Joseph Morris hated to part with it, just as his brother hated to part with the trading-post lands on the Ohio.
"This place will be valuable one day, Lucy," Joseph Morris was wont to say. "We may not see it, but Henry and Rodney and the others will, and for their sakes we ought to try to hold it." And then Mrs. Morris would say no more, but utter a sigh that came from the depths of her heart.
As night came on, Rodney stationed himself on the roof of the cabin, to watch the surroundings as much as possible. Barringford and Dave passed along the brook and then crossed to the forest trail leading to the old Braddock Road, built at the time of General Braddock's advance upon Fort Duquesne.
Both the old frontiersman and the youth who had served in the army knew the value of silence at such a time, consequently scarcely a word was spoken by either as they pushed forward, making a grand semi-circle to the westward of the Morris homestead. All had now become oppressively silent—the calm before the storm of the uprising should burst in all of its fury.
"If the Injuns are in this vicinity they are keepin' amazingly quiet about it," remarked Sam Barringford, at last. "Not a trace on 'em anywhar, eh, Davy?"
"I haven't discovered anything yet, Sam. But they may be near for all that."
"Right ye are, lad. Which way do ye allow we'd better go next?"
"Let's walk the old red deer trail. Then, if we don't see anything of 'em, we may as well go home again."
"Jest what I was on the p'int o' suggestin'. Come on," and off the old frontiersman stalked, with Dave just behind him. As agreed beforehand, one looked ahead and to the right, while the other looked to the left and to the rear. Thus they kept all points of the compass covered constantly.
They were almost at the end of the red deer trail when Barringford came to a sudden halt. At the same instant Dave caught the sound of distant footsteps approaching rapidly.