There was no road to be seen; and this circumstance, added to the
sounds which the rippling current produced, afforded me some knowledge
of my situation. The ledge along which the road was conducted disappeared near this spot. The opposite sides of the chasm through which flowed the river
approached nearer to each other, in the form of jutting promontories. I
now stood upon the verge of that on the northern side. The water
flowed at the foot, but, for the space of ten or twelve feet from the
rock, was so shallow as to permit the traveller and his horse to wade
through it, and thus to regain the road which the receding precipice had
allowed to be continued on the farther side. I knew the nature and dimensions of this ford. I knew that, at a few
yards from the rock, the channel was of great depth. To leap into it, in
this place, was a less dangerous exploit than at the spot where I had
formerly been tempted to leap. There I was unacquainted with the depth,
but here I knew it to be considerable. Still, there was some ground of
hesitation and fear. My present station was loftier, and how deeply I
might sink into this gulf, how far the fall and the concussion would
bereave me of my presence of mind, I could not determine. This
hesitation vanished, and, placing my tomahawk and fusil upon the ground,
I prepared to leap. This purpose was suspended, in the moment of its execution, by a faint
sound, heard from the quarter whence I had come. It was the warning of
men, but had nothing in common with those which I had been accustomed to
hear. It was not the howling of a wolf or the yelling of a panther. These had often been overheard by night during my last year's excursion
to the lakes. My fears whispered that this was the vociferation of a
savage. I was unacquainted with the number of the enemies who had adventured
into this district. Whether those whom I had encountered at _Deb's
hut_ were of that band whom I had met with in the cavern, was merely
a topic of conjecture. There might be a half-score of troops, equally
numerous, spread over the wilderness, and the signal I had just heard
might betoken the approach of one of these. Yet by what means they
should gain this nook, and what prey they expected to discover, were not
easily conceived. The sounds, somewhat diversified, nearer and rising from different
quarters, were again heard. My doubts and apprehensions were increased. What expedient to adopt for my own safety was a subject of rapid
meditation:--whether to remain stretched upon the ground or to rise and
go forward. Was it likely the enemy would coast along the edge of the
steep? Would they ramble hither to look upon the ample scene which
spread on all sides around the base of this rocky pinnacle? In that
case, how should I conduct myself? My arms were ready for use. Could I
not elude the necessity of shedding more blood? Could I not anticipate
their assault by casting myself without delay into the stream? The sense of danger demanded more attention to be paid to external
objects than to the motives by which my future conduct should be
influenced. My post was on a circular prefecture, in some degree
detached from the body of the hill, the brow of which continued in a
straight line, uninterrupted by this projecture, which was somewhat
higher than the continued summit of the ridge. This line ran at the
distance of a few paces from my post. Objects moving along this line
could merely be perceived to move, in the present obscurity. My scrutiny was entirely directed to this quarter. Presently the
treading of many feet was heard, and several figures were discovered,
following each other in that straight and regular succession which is
peculiar to the Indians. They kept along the brow of the hill joining
the promontory. I distinctly marked seven figures in succession. My resolution was formed. Should any one cast his eye hither, suspect or
discover an enemy, and rush towards me, I determined to start upon my
feet, fire on my foe as he advanced, throw my piece on the ground, and
then leap into the river. Happily, they passed unobservant and in silence. I remained in the same
posture for several minutes. At length, just as my alarms began to
subside, the halloos, before heard, arose, and from the same quarter as
before. This convinced me that my perils were not at an end. This now
appeared to be merely the vanguard, and would speedily be followed by
others, against whom the same caution was necessary to be taken. My eye, anxiously bent the only way by which any one could approach, now
discerned a figure, which was indubitably that of a man armed. None
other appeared in company; but doubtless others were near. He
approached, stood still, and appeared to gaze steadfastly at the spot
where I lay. The optics of a _Lenni-lennapee_ I knew to be far keener than my
own. A log or a couched fawn would never be mistaken for a man, nor a
man for a couched fawn or a log. Not only a human being would be
instantly detected, but a decision be unerringly made whether it wrere
friend or foe. That my prostrate body was the object on which the
attention of this vigilant and steadfast gazer was fixed could not be
doubted. Yet, since he continued an inactive gazer, there was ground for
a possibility to stand upon that I was not recognised. My fate therefore
was still in suspense. This interval was momentary. I marked a movement, which my fears
instantly interpreted to be that of levelling a gun at my head. This
action was sufficiently conformable to my prognostics. Supposing me to
be detected, there was no need for him to change his post. Aim might be
too fatally taken, and his prey be secured, from the distance at which
he now stood. These images glanced upon my thought, and put an end to my suspense. A
single effort placed me on my feet. I fired with a precipitation that
precluded the certainty of hitting my mark, dropped my piece upon the
ground, and leaped from this tremendous height into the river. I reached
the surface, and sunk in a moment to the bottom. Plunging endlong into the water, the impetus created by my fall from
such a height would be slowly resisted by this denser element. Had the
depth been less, its resistance would not perhaps have hindered me from
being mortally injured against the rocky bottom. Had the depth been
greater, time enough would not have been allowed me to regain the
surface. Had I fallen on my side, I should have been bereft of life or
sensibility by the shock which my frame would have received. As it was,
my fate was suspended on a thread. To have lost my presence of mind, to
have forborne to counteract my sinking, for an instant, after I had
reached the water, would have made all exertions to regain the air
fruitless. To so fortunate a concurrence of events was thy friend
indebted for his safety! Yet I only emerged from the gulf to encounter new perils.