Chapter 18 - Page 2

manifested so much self-possession, coolness, and strength of arm
himself, that even a female might have hesitated about owning all
her apprehensions. Our heroine was no coward; and while she felt
the novelty of her situation, in landing through a surf, she also
experienced a fair proportion of its wild delight. At moments,
indeed, her heart was in her mouth, as the bubble of a boat floated
on the very crest of a foaming breaker, appearing to skim the water
like a swallow, and then she flushed and laughed, as, left by the
glancing element, they appeared to linger behind as if ashamed of
having been outdone in the headlong race. A few minutes sufficed
for this excitement; for though the distance between the cutter and
the land considerably exceeded a quarter of a mile, the intermediate
space was passed in a very few minutes.

On landing, the Sergeant kissed his daughter kindly, for he was so
much of a soldier as always to feel more at home on _terra firma_
than when afloat; and, taking his gun, he announced his intention
to pass an hour in quest of game.

"Pathfinder will remain near you, girl, and no doubt he will tell
you some of the traditions of this part of the world, or some of
his own experiences with the Mingos."

The guide laughed, promised to have a care of Mabel, and in a few
minutes the father had ascended a steep acclivity and disappeared
in the forest. The others took another direction, which, after a
few minutes of a sharp ascent also, brought them to a small naked
point on the promontory, where the eye overlooked an extensive and
very peculiar panorama. Here Mabel seated herself on a fragment of
fallen rock to recover her breath and strength, while her companion,
on whose sinews no personal exertion seemed to make any impression,
stood at her side, leaning in his own and not ungraceful manner on
his long rifle. Several minutes passed, and neither spoke; Mabel,
in particular, being lost in admiration of the view.

The position the two had obtained was sufficiently elevated to
command a wide reach of the lake, which stretched away towards
the north-east in a boundless sheet, glittering beneath the rays
of an afternoon's sun, and yet betraying the remains of that
agitation which it had endured while tossed by the late tempest.
The land set bounds to its limits in a huge crescent, disappearing
in distance towards the south-east and the north. Far as the eye
could reach, nothing but forest was visible, not even a solitary sign
of civilization breaking in upon the uniform and grand magnificence
of nature. The gale had driven the _Scud_ beyond the line of
those forts with which the French were then endeavoring to gird
the English North American possessions; for,