"Hi, that was a good fight," Yellow Wolf laughed, excitedly, as he examined a gash on his arm.
"We showed the Mohawks how to fight," Spotted Deer said, grimly.
Except for the slight wound which Yellow Wolf received, the Delawares escaped unharmed. As the Mohawks outnumbered them six or eight to one, they were greatly elated at their success. They had little fear that the attack would be renewed before dark. The Mohawks had carried off their disabled comrades, and the Delawares were unable to learn what the effort had cost them. They had withdrawn beyond arrow-range and were shouting and singing war songs.
"They sound very fierce, but we made them run," Dancing Owl said, boastfully.
"They will come back when it gets dark," Yellow Wolf warned him.
The thought made them serious. They knew that the night would give the Mohawks a great advantage. It would enable them to creep close up to the shelter, and the Delawares feared that it would be impossible to discover them. They realized, therefore, that although they had successfully resisted the first savage attack of their foes they were still in great danger. They believed that the Mohawks would make a still more determined effort under cover of the darkness.
"Perhaps we can fool them," said Turning Eagle. "When it gets dark we will creep away from here. Then perhaps we can get out of this swamp when the Mohawks rush to this place to fight us."
"No, my brother," Spotted Deer told him. "The Mohawks have found us. They are very sharp. They will keep us here. I believe they are watching close by. When it gets dark, they will come closer. If we leave this place, I believe we will be wiped out."
"It is true," said Yellow Wolf. "We must stay where we are."
In the meantime the Mohawks had become silent. The Delawares instantly became alert. They wondered if their foes were again advancing noiselessly through the timber. The sun has disappeared, and the twilight shadows were creeping into the swamp. The Delawares kept sharp watch on the spaces between the trees. The Mohawks, however, failed to show themselves.