McEwen, who was growing uneasy over this delay, shook his head.
"If anybody can show me the way by which we can help him I'm willing to stay, but the woods are full of people fleeing, and the savages are after 'em. I've no doubt a lot are in Forty Fort, where they'll be safe if they've enough to keep the Injins back. There's only one thing left for us to do, and that's to run."
He looked inquiringly at Maggie, and the brave girl, with a breaking heart, stifled her anguish and nodded her head to signify that she was ready.
As courageous as the Roman maiden of old, she could walk straight along the line of duty, even though it led over red-hot plow-shares.
Poor Eva put her hands to her face, and the tears streamed through her fingers, but she, too, had something of the high courage of her sister, and when the latter placed her arm about her and drew her head over upon her shoulder, the little girl sobbed for a few minutes only, and then cheered up and bent to her task.
"Where do you go?" asked Maggie of Habakkuk.
"I think there is an old trail leading through the mountains and wilderness to Stroudsburg, ain't there, Gimp?"
"Dar am," was the response, "and I've been over it twice, so dat I knows de way."
"Does it lead through the 'Shades of Death?'"
"It am."