He took his knife from its sheath, and turned his eyes upon the old hag, who sat at the fire with her back partly towards him, but her eyes fastened upon the captive, over whom they wandered with the fierce and unappeasable malice, that was in those days seen rankling in the breast of many an Indian mother, and expended upon prisoners at the stake with a savage, nay, a demoniacal zeal that might have put warriors to shame.  In truth, the unlucky captive had always more to apprehend from the squaws of a tribe than from its warriors; and their cries for vengeance often gave to the torture wretches whom even their cruel husbands were inclined to spare.

With knife in hand, and murderous thoughts in his heart, Nathan raised a corner of the mat, and glared for a moment upon the beldam.  But the feelings of the white-man prevailed; he hesitated, faltered, and dropping the mat in its place, retreated silently from the door.  Then restoring his knife for a second time to its sheath, listening awhile to hear if the drunken Wenonga yet stirred in his lair, and taking a survey of the sleepers at the nearly extinguished fire, he crept away, retraced his steps through the village, to the place where he had left the captain of horse-thieves, whom,—­to the shame of that worthy be it spoken,—­he found fast locked in the arms of Morpheus, and breathing such a melody from his upturned nostrils as might have roused the whole village from its repose, had not that been at least twice as sound and deep as his own.

“Tarnal death to me!” said he, rubbing his eyes when Nathan shook him from his slumbers, “I war nigh gone in a dead snooze!—­being as how I ar’n’t had a true reggelar mouthful of snortin’ this h’yar no-time,—­considering I always took it with my hoptical peepers right open.  But, I say, Nathan, what’s the last news from the abbregynes and anngelliferous madam?”

“Give me one of thee halters,” said Nathan, “and do thee observe now what I have to say to thee.”

“A halter!” cried Ralph, in dudgeon; “you ar’n’t for doing all, and the hoss-stealing too?”

“Friend,” said Nathan, “with this halter I must bind one that sits in watch over the maiden; and, truly, it is better it should be so, seeing that these hands of mine have never been stained with the blood of woman.”

“And you have found my mistress?” said Ralph, in a rapture.  “Jist call the Captain, and let’s be a doing!”

“He is a brave youth, and a youth of a mighty heart,” said Nathan; “but this is no work for them that has never seen the ways of an Injun village.  Now, friend, does thee hear me?  The town is alive with fighting-men, and there is a war-party of fourteen painted Wyandotts sleeping on the Council-square.  But don’t thee be dismayed thereupon; for, truly, these assassin creatures is all besotted with drink; and were there with us but ten stout young men of Kentucky, I do truly believe we could knock every murdering dog of an on the head,