The sun had actually set; no intelligence had been re-ceived from the boats, and Mabel ascended to the roof to take a last look, hoping that the party would arrive in the darkness; which would at least prevent the Indians from rendering their ambuscade so fatal as it might otherwise prove, and which possibly might enable her to give some more intelligible signal, by means of fire, than it would otherwise be in her power to do.Her eye had turned carefully round the whole horizon, and she was just on the point of drawing in her person, when an object that struck her as new caught her attention.The islands lay grouped so closely, that six or eight different channels or passages between them were in view; and in one of the most cov-ered, concealed in a great measure by the bushes of the shore, lay what a second look assured her was a bark canoe.It contained a human being beyond a question.
Confident that if an enemy her signal could do no harm, and; if a friend, that it might do good, the eager girl waved a little flag towards the stranger, which she had prepared for her father, taking care that it should not be seen from the island.
Mabel had repeated her signal eight or ten times in vain, and she began to despair of its being noticed, when a sign was given in return by the wave of a paddle, and the man so far discovered himself as to let her see it was Chingachgook.Here, then, at last, was a friend; one, too, who was able, and she doubted not would be willing to aid her.From that instant her courage and her spirits re-vived.The Mohican had seen her; must have recognized her, as he knew that she was of the party; and no doubt, as soon as it was sufficiently dark, he would take the steps necessary to release her.That he was aware of the pres-ence of the enemy was apparent by the great caution he observed, and she had every reliance on his prudence and address.The principal difficulty now existed with June;for Mabel had seen too much of her fidelity to her own people, relieved as it was by sympathy for herself, to believe she would consent to a hostile Indian's entering the blockhouse, or indeed to her leaving it, with a view to defeat Arrowhead's plans.The half-hour which succeeded the discovery of the presence of the Great Serpent was the most painful of Mabel Dunham's life.She saw the means of effecting all she wished, as it might be within reach of her hand, and yet it eluded her grasp.She knew June's decision and coolness, notwithstanding all her gentleness and womanly feeling; and at last she came reluctantly to the conclusion that there was no other way of attaining her end than by deceiving her tried companion and pro-tector.It was revolting to one so sincere and natural, so pure of heart, and so much disposed to ingenuousness as Mabel Dunham, to practise deception on a friend like June; but her own father's life was at stake, her compan-ion would receive no positive injury, and she had feelings and interests directly touching herself which would have removed greater scruples.
As soon as it was dark, Mabel's heart began to beat with increased violence; and she adopted and changed her plan of proceeding at least a dozen times in a single hour.
June was always the source of her greatest embarrassment;for she did not well see, first, how she was to ascertain when Chingachgook was at the door, where she doubted not he would soon appear; and, secondly, how she was to admit him, without giving the alarm to her watchful com-panion.Time pressed, however; for the Mohican might come and go away again, unless she was ready to receive him.It would be too hazardous to the Delaware to re-main long on the island; and it became absolutely neces-sary to determine on some course, even at the risk of choosing one that was indiscreet.After running over various projects in her mind, therefore, Mabel came to her companion, and said, with as much calmness as she could assume, --"Are you not afraid, June, now your people believe Pathfinder is in the blockhouse, that they will come and try to set it on fire?""No t'ink such t'ing.No burn blockhouse.Block-house good; got no scalp."
"June, we cannot know.They hid because they be-lieved what I told them of Pathfinder's being with us.""Believe fear.Fear come quick, go quick.Fear make run away; wit make come back.Fear make warrior fool, as well as young girl."Here June laughed, as her sex is apt to laugh when any-thing particularly ludicrous crosses their youthful fancies.
"I feel uneasy, June; and wish you yourself would go up again to the roof and look out upon the island, to make certain that nothing is plotting against us; you know the signs of what your people intend to do better than I.""June go, Lily wish; but very well know that Indian sleep; wait for 'e fader.Warrior eat, drink, sleep, all time, when don't fight and go on war-trail.Den never sleep, eat, drink -- never feel.Warrior sleep now.""God send it may be so! but go up, dear June, and look well about you.Danger may come when we least expect it."June arose, and prepared to ascend to the roof; but she paused, with her foot on the first round of the ladder.
Mabel's heart beat so violently that she was fearful its throbs would be heard; and she fancied that some gleam-ings of her real intentions had crossed the mind of her friend.She was right in part, the Indian woman having actually stopped to consider whether there was any indis-cretion in what she was about to do.At first the suspic-ion that Mabel intended to escape flashed across her mind;then she rejected it, on the ground that the pale-face had no means of getting off the island, and that the block-house was much the most secure place she could find.
