“Truly,” said Nathan, looking embarrassed, “I would do what I could for thee, but—­”

“But! Do you hesitate?” cried the Virginian, in extreme indignation:  “will you leave us to perish, when you, and you alone, can guide us from the forest?”

“Friend,” said Nathan, in a submissive, deprecating tone, “I am a man of peace:  and paradventure, the party being so numerous, the Injuns will fall upon us:  and, truly, they will not spare me any more than another:  for they kill the non-fighting men, as well as them that fight.  Truly, I am in much fear for myself:  but a single man might escape.”

“If you are such a knave, such a mean-spirited, unfeeling dastard, as to think of leaving these women to their fate,” said Roland, giving way to rage, “be assured that the first step will be your last;—­I will blow your brains out, the moment you attempt to leave us!”

At these ireful words, Nathan’s eyes began to widen.

“Truly,” said he, “I don’t think thee would be so wicked!  But thee takes by force that which I would have given with good will.  It was not my purpose to refuse thee assistance; though it is unseemly that one of my peaceful faith should go with fighting-men among men of war, as if to do battle.  But, friend, if we should fall upon the angry red-men, truly, there will bloodshed come of it; and thee will say to me, ’Nathan, lift up thee gun and shoot;’ and peradventure, if I say ‘Nay,’ thee will call me hard names, as thee did before, saying, ’If thee don’t, I will blow thee brains out!’—­Friend, I am a man of peace; and if—­”

“Trouble yourself no longer on that score,” said the soldier, who began to understand how the land lay, and how much the meek Nathan’s reluctance to become his guide was engendered by his fears of being called on to take a share in such fighting as might occur:  “trouble yourself no longer; we will take care to avoid a contest.”

“Truly,” said Nathan, “that may not be as thee chooses, the Injuns being all around thee.”

“If a rencontre should be inevitable,” said Roland, with a smile, mingling grim contempt of Nathan’s pusillanimity with secret satisfaction at the thought of being thus able to secure the safety of his kinswoman, “all that I shall expect of you will be to decamp with the females, whilst we three, Emperor, Pardon Dodge, and myself, cover your retreat:  we can, at least, check the assailants, if we die for it!”

This resolute speech was echoed by each of the other combatants, the negro exclaiming, though with no very valiant utterance, “Yes, massa! no mistake in ole Emperor;—­will die for missie and massa,”—­while Pardon, who was fast relapsing into the desperation that had given him courage on a former occasion, cried out, with direful emphasis, “If there’s no dodging the critturs, then there a’n’t; and if I must fight, then I must; and them that takes my scalp must gin the worth on’t, or it a’n’t no matter!”