Prev | Current Page 662 | Next

Cooper, James Fenimore, 1789-1851

"Oak Openings"

Time come to go on path dat lead to
pale-face country."
"What has happened, Peter?" demanded the bee-hunter, springing to
his feet. "You come like a runner rushing in with his bad tidings.
Has anything happened to give an alarm?"
"Up, and off, tell you. No use talkin' now. Put all he can in canoe,
and paddle away fast as can." There was no mistaking Peter's manner.
The bee-hunter saw the uselessness of questioning such a man, at a
time like that, and he called to Gershom to join him.
"Here is the chief, to warn us to move," said the bee-hunter,
endeavoring to appear calm, in order that he might not needlessly
alarm the females, "and what he advises, we had better do. I know
there is danger, by what has fallen from Pigeonswing as well as from
himself; so let us lose no time, but stow the canoes, and do as he
tells us."
As Gershom assented, it was not two minutes ere all were at work.
For several days, each canoe had been furnished with provisions for
a hasty flight. It remained only to add such of the effects as were
too valuable and necessary to be abandoned, and which had not been
previously exposed without the palisades. For half an hour le
Bourdon and Gershom worked as for life.


Pages:
650 651 652 653 654 655 656 657 658 659 660 661 662 663 664 665 666 667 668 669 670 671 672 673 674