Chapter 8

"His words are bonds, his oaths are oracles;
His love sincere, his thoughts immaculate;
His tears pure messengers sent from his heart;
His heart as far from fraud as heaven from earth."

Two Gentlemen of Verona, II.vii,75-78

Neither of the girls spoke as Deerslayer stood before them alone,
his countenance betraying all the apprehension he felt on account
of two absent members of their party.

"Father!" Judith at length exclaimed, succeeding in uttering the
word, as it might be by a desperate effort.

"He's met with misfortune, and there's no use in concealing it,"
answered Deerslayer, in his direct and simple minded manner. "He
and Hurry are in Mingo hands, and Heaven only knows what's to be the
tarmination. I've got the canoes safe, and that's a consolation,
since the vagabonds will have to swim for it, or raft off, to come
near this place. At sunset we'll be reinforced by Chingachgook,
if I can manage to get him into a canoe; and then, I think, we two
can answer for the ark and the castle, till some of the officers
in the garrisons hear of this war-path, which sooner or later must
be the case, when we may look for succor from that quarter, if from
no other."

"The officers!" exclaimed Judith, impatiently, her color deepening,
and her eye expressing a lively but passing emotion. "Who thinks
or speaks of the heartless gallants now? We are sufficient of
ourselves to defend the castle. But what of my father, and of poor
Hurry Harry?"

"'T is natural you should feel this consarn for your own parent,
Judith, and I suppose it's equally so that you should feel it for
Hurry Harry, too."

Deerslayer then commenced a succinct but clear narrative of all
that occurred during the night, in no manner concealing what had
befallen his two companions, or his own opinion of what might prove
to be the consequences. The girls listened with profound attention,
but neither betrayed that feminine apprehension and concern which
would have followed such a communication when made to those who were
less accustomed to the hazards and accidents of a frontier life.
To the surprise of Deerslayer, Judith seemed the most distressed,
Hetty listening eagerly, but appearing to brood over the facts
in melancholy silence, rather than betraying any outward signs of
feeling. The former's agitation, the young man did not fail to
attribute to the interest she felt in Hurry, quite as much as to
her filial love, while Hetty's apparent indifference was ascribed
to that mental darkness which, in a measure, obscured her intellect,
and which possibly prevented her from foreseeing all the consequences.
Little was said, however, by