The circumstance
which gave him the most concern was this: Peter stated that Bear's
Meat had directed about a dozen of his young men to keep watch, day
and night, in canoes, near the mouth of the river, lying in wait
among the wild rice, like so many snakes in the grass.
The party was so much interested in this conversation that, almost
insensibly to themselves, they had dropped down to the beginning of
the rushes and rice, and had got rather dangerously near to the
critical point of their passage. As it was still daylight, Peter now
proposed pushing the canoes in among the plants, and there remaining
until it might be safer to move. This was done accordingly, and in a
minute or two all three of the little barks were concealed within
the cover.
The question now was whether the fugitives had been observed, but
suffered to advance, as every foot they descended the stream was
taking them nearer to their foes. Peter did not conceal his
apprehension on this point, since he deemed it improbable that any
reach near the mouth of the Kalamazoo was without its lookouts, at a
moment so interesting. Such was, indeed, the fact, as was afterward
ascertained; but the young men who had seen Peter and Margery had
given the alarm, passing the word where the fugitives were to be
found, and the sentinels along this portion of the stream had
deserted their stations, in order to be in at the capture.
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