After some cautious maneuvering, he gained a point from which he could obtain a view of the face, and he experienced considerable relief when he discovered that it was not a white man. He was probably some unfortunate Indian, belonging to a hostile tribe, who had been captured by his enemies, and upon whom they had thus wreaked their vengeance. Whether he was a Mohawk or the member of another tribe, it was impossible for Seth, under the circumstances, to tell. But what was singular and unaccountable to Seth, was, that there appeared to be no other savages in the vicinity. He knew it was not their custom to leave a prisoner thus, and the very fact of their being absent upon the present occasion, made him doubly cautious and suspicious.
It was while he stood meditating upon the terrible scene before him, that he was startled by the report of Haldidge’s rifle. He was satisfied that it was his as it was from that direction, and he could not be mistaken in the report. He had noticed it during the conflict the night before, as having a peculiar sound entirely different from either his own or the savages’. This was a new source of wonder and perplexity. He was completely puzzled by the extraordinary turn affairs were taking. Some unusual cause must have discharged Haldidge’s rifle. What it was he could only conjecture.
Still doubtful and cautious, he determined to reconnoiter his own position before returning. Stooping almost to the earth, he made his way stealthily around to the opposite side of the fire. Here he stretched out flat upon the earth and bent his ear to the ground. A faint tremor was heard. He raised his head and heard the brushing of some body through the wood. The next moment, five Mohawk warriors, in all the horrid panoply of war paint, stepped into the open space in front of the Indian who had been burnt at the stake.
The report of the rifle appeared to be the cause of the apprehension among them. They conversed earnestly in a low tone at first, gesticulating violently, without noticing in the least the heart-sickening spectacle before them. Seth was satisfied that they had no suspicions of his own proximity, for they gradually spoke louder until he managed to overhear the most of what they said. As he expected, it was the rifle report. They seemed to understand that it had not been discharged by one of their own number, and were afraid that their presence had been discovered. Seth learned further that there were at least a dozen Indians in the neighborhood, every one of whom were led thither by the one object.
Consequently he must have missed the others entirely in his movements, or else they were in the rear and had been discovered by Haldidge. That the latter was the case, seemed more than probable. A collision in all probability had occurred between them and the hunter, and Seth felt that his presence was needed. Accordingly he turned to retrace his steps.
His presence was indeed required, for danger, dark and threatening, surrounded the little band of whites.
CHAPTER XVI.
IN WHICH A HUNTER’S NERVES ARE TESTED.
In the morning when our friends started upon their day’s march, Haldidge, as said, fell behind in order to guard against surprise from this direction. Although expecting as little as did Seth any demonstration from this quarter, still he was too much of a backwoodsman to allow himself to lose any of his usual suspicion and watchfulness. Sometimes he would take his back trail for a long distance, and then wander off to the right or left of it for perhaps a mile or more. By this means, he kept a continual watch not only upon the trail itself but upon the neighborhood for a long distance around it, and, in case of pursuit, made so many and conflicting tracks, that it could not but puzzle and delay their enemies.