Chapter 11 - Page 2

As the wife of the squatter concluded, she raised a hollow, taunting
laugh, that was echoed from the mouths of several juvenile imitators,
whom she was training to a life as shiftless and lawless as her own;
but which, notwithstanding its uncertainty, was not without its secret
charms.

"Holloa! old Eester;" shouted the well-known voice of her husband,
from the plain beneath; "ar' you keeping your junkets, while we are
finding you in venison and buffaloe beef? Come down--come down, old
girl, with all your young; and lend us a hand to carry up the meat;--
why, what a frolic you ar' in, woman! Come down, come down, for the
boys are at hand, and we have work here for double your number."

Ishmael might have spared his lungs more than a moiety of the effort
they were compelled to make in order that he should be heard. He had
hardly uttered the name of his wife, before the whole of the crouching
circle rose in a body, and tumbling over each other, they precipitated
themselves down the dangerous passes of the rock with ungovernable
impatience. Esther followed the young fry with a more measured gait;
nor did Ellen deem it wise, or rather discreet, to remain behind.
Consequently, the whole were soon assembled at the base of the
citadel, on the open plain.

Here the squatter was found, staggering under the weight of a fine fat
buck, attended by one or two of his younger sons. Ahiram quickly
appeared, and before many minutes had elapsed, most of the hunters
dropped in, singly and in pairs, each man bringing with him some
fruits of his prowess in the field.

"The plain is free from red-skins, to-night at least," said Ishmael,
after the bustle of reception had a little subsided; "for I have
scoured the prairie for many long miles, on my own feet, and I call
myself a judge of the print of an Indian moccasin. So, old woman, you
can give us a few steaks of the venison, and then we will sleep on the
day's work."

"I'll not swear there are no savages near us," said Abiram. "I, too,
know something of the trail of a red-skin; and, unless my eyes have
lost some of their sight, I would swear, boldly, that there ar'
Indians at hand. But wait till Asa comes in. He pass'd the spot where
I found the marks, and the boy knows something of such matters too."

"Ay, the boy knows too much of many things," returned Ishmael,
gloomily. "It will be better for him when he thinks he knows less. But
what matters it, Hetty, if all the Sioux tribes, west of the big
river, are within a mile of us; they will find it no easy matter to
scale this rock, in the teeth of ten bold men."

"Call 'em twelve at once, Ishmael; call 'em