Chapter 25 - Page 2

"Do you find any
signs of a trail?"

"Good trail"--Susquesus answered; "new trail, too Look like Huron!"

This was startling intelligence, certainly; yet, much as I was disposed to
defer to my companion's intelligence in such matters, in general, I thought
he must be mistaken in his fact. In the first place, though I had seen many
foot-prints near the hut, and along the low land on which the Indian made
his circuit, I could see none where we then were. I mentioned this to the
Indian, and desired him to show me, particularly, one of the signs which
had led him to his conclusion.

"See," said Susquesus, stooping so low as to place a finger on the
dead leaves that ever make a sort of carpet to the forest, "here been
moccasin--that heel; this toe."

Aided, in this manner, I could discover a faint foot-print, which might,
by aid of the imagination, be thus read; though the very slight impression
that was to be traced, might almost as well be supposed anything else, as
it seemed to me.

"I see what you mean, Susquesus; and, I allow, it _may_ be a foot-print," I
answered; "but then it may also have been left by anything else, which has
touched the ground just at that spot. It may have been made by a falling
branch of a tree."

"Where branch?" asked the Indian, quick as lightning.

"Sure enough; that is more than I can tell you. But I cannot suppose _that_
a Huron foot-print, without more evidence than you now give."

"What you call that?--this--that--t'other?" added the Indian, stepping
quickly back, and pointing to four other similar, but very faint
impressions on the leaves; "no see him, eh?--Just leg apart, too!"

This was true enough; and now my attention was thus directed, and my senses
were thus aided, I confess I did discover certain proofs of footsteps, that
would, otherwise, have baffled my most serious search.

"I can see what you mean, Susquesus," I said, "and will allow that this
line of impressions, or marks, does make them look more like footsteps. At
any rate, most of our party wear moccasins as well as the red-men, and how
do you know that some of the surveyors have not passed this way?"

"Surveyor no make such mark. Toe turn in."

This was true, too. But it did not follow that a foot-print was a Huron's,
merely because it was Indian. Then, where were the enemy's warriors to come
from, in so short a time as had intervened between the late battle and the
present moment? There was little question all the forces of the French,
pale-face and red-man, had been collected at Ticonderoga to meet the
English; and the distance