appeared on the top of the ridge, drawn against the background of
light, resembling the dim shadows of the phantasmagoria. It was
now quite time for the hunter to retreat. Tripping up the heels
of his captive, and giving her throat a parting squeeze, quite as
much in resentment at her indomitable efforts to sound the alarm
as from any policy, he left her on her back, and moved towards the
bushes, his rifle at a poise, and his head over his shoulders, like
a lion at bay.



Chapter XVII.


There, ye wise saints, behold your light, your star,
Ye would be dupes and victims and ye are.
Is it enough? or, must I, while a thrill
Lives in your sapient bosoms, cheat you still?"

Thomas Moore, Lalla Rookh, "The Veiled Prophet of Khorassan"

The fire, the canoe, and the spring, near which Deerslayer commenced
his retreat, would have stood in the angles of a triangle of tolerably
equal sides. The distance from the fire to the boat was a little
less than the distance from the fire to the spring, while the
distance from the spring to the boat was about equal to that between
the two points first named. This, however, was in straight lines,
a means of escape to which the fugitives could not resort. They
were obliged to have recourse to a detour in order to get the cover
of the bushes, and to follow the curvature of the beach. Under