and as he looked at Wingenund his little, yellow eyes flared like flint. "Does



a wolf befriend Girty's captives? Chief you hev led me a hard chase."

Wingenund deigned no reply. He stood as he did so often, still and silent,



with folded arms, and a look that was haughty, unresponsive.

The Indians came forward into the glade, and one of them quickly bound Jim's



hands behind his back. The savages wore a wild, brutish look. A feverish

ferocity, very near akin to insanity, possessed them. They were not quiet a



moment, but ran here and there, for no apparent reason, except, possibly, to

keep in action with the raging fire in their hearts. The cleanliness which



characterized the normal Indian was absent in them; their scant buckskin dress

was bedraggled and stained. They were still drunk with rum and the lust for



blood. Murder gleamed from the glance of their eyes.

"Jake, come over here," said Girty to his renegade friend. "Ain't she a



prize?"

Girty and Deering stood before the poor, stricken girl, and gloated over her



fair beauty. She stood as when first transfixed by the horror from which she

had been fleeing. Her pale face was lowered, her hands clenched tightly in the



folds of her skirt.

Never before had two such coarse, cruel fiends as Deering and Girty encumbered



the earth. Even on the border, where the best men were bad, they were the

worst. Deering was yet drunk, but Girty had recovered somewhat from the



effects of the rum he had absorbed. The former rolled his big eyes and nodded

his shaggy head. He was passing judgment, from his point of view, on the fine



points of the girl.

"She cer'aintly is," he declared with a grin. "She's a little beauty. Beats



any I ever seen!"

Jim Girty stroked his sharp chin with dirty fingers. His yellow eyes, his



burnt saffron skin, his hooked nose, his thin lips--all his evil face seemed

to shine with an evil triumph. to look at him was painful. To have him gaze at



her was enough to drive any woman mad.

Dark stains spotted the bright frills of his gaudy dress, his buckskin coat



and leggins, and dotted his white eagle plumes. Dark stains, horribly

suggestive, covered him from head to foot. Blood stains! The innocent blood



of Christians crimsoned his renegade's body, and every dark red blotch cried

murder.



"Girl, I burned the Village of Peace to git you," growled Girty. "Come here!"

With a rude grasp that tore open her dress, exposing her beautiful white



shoulder and bosom, the ruffian pulled her toward him. His face was transfixed

with a fierce joy, a brutal passion.



Deering looked on with a drunken grin, while his renegade friend hugged the

almost dying girl. The Indians paced the glade with short strides like leashed



tigers. The young missionary lay on the moss with closed eyes. He could not

endure the sight of Nell in Girty's arms.



No one noticed Wingenund. He stood back a little, half screened by drooping

branches. Once again the chief's dark eyes gleamed, his head turned a trifle



aside, and, standing in the statuesque position habitual with him when

resting, he listened, as one who hears mysterious sounds. Suddenly his keen



glance was riveted on the ferns above the low cliff. He had seen their

graceful heads quivering. Then two blinding sheets of flame burst from the



ferns.

Spang! Spang!



The two rifle reports thundered through the glade. Two Indians staggered and

fell in their tracks--dead without a cry.



A huge yellow body, spread out like a panther in his spring, descended with a

crash upon Deering and Girty. The girl fell away from the renegade as he went



down with a shrillscreech, dragging Deering with him. Instantly began a

terrific, whirling, wrestling struggle.



A few feet farther down the cliff another yellow body came crashing down to

alight with a thud, to bound erect, to rush forward swift as a leaping deer.



The two remaining Indians had only time to draw their weapons before this

lithe, threatening form whirled upon them. Shrill cries, hoarse yells, the



clash of steel and dull blows mingled together. One savage went down, twisted

over, writhed and lay still. The other staggered, warded of lightninglike



blows until one passed under his guard, and crashed dully on his head. Then he

reeled, rose again, but only to have his skull cloven by a bloody tomahawk.



The victor darted toward the whirling mass.

"Lew, shake him loose! Let him go!" yelled Jonathan Zane, swinging his bloody



weapon.

High above Zane's cry, Deering's shouts and curses, Girty's shrieks of fear



and fury, above the noise of wrestling bodies and dull blows, rose a deep

booming roar.



It was Wetzel's awful cry of vengeance.

"Shake him loose," yelled Jonathan.

• opening [´əupəniŋ] n.开放；开端 a.开始的 (初中英语单词)


• hunger [´hʌŋgə] n.饥饿；渴望 (初中英语单词)


• indian [´indiən] a.印度的 n.印度人 (初中英语单词)


• pressure [´preʃə] n.压榨 vt.对…施压力 (初中英语单词)


• excitedly [ik´saitidli] ad.兴奋地，激动地 (初中英语单词)


• moonlight [´mu:nlait] n.&a.月光(的) (初中英语单词)


• yesterday [´jestədi] n.&ad.昨天；前不久 (初中英语单词)


• wilderness [´wildənis] n.荒地，荒野 (初中英语单词)


• unable [ʌn´eibəl] a.不能的；无能为力的 (初中英语单词)


• silently [´sailəntli] ad.寂静地；沉默地 (初中英语单词)


• pointed [´pɔintid] a.尖(锐)的；中肯的 (初中英语单词)


• knowing [´nəuiŋ] a.会意的，心照不宣的 (初中英语单词)


• softly [´sɔftli] ad.软化地；柔和地 (初中英语单词)


• magnificent [mæg´nifisənt] a.壮丽的；豪华的 (初中英语单词)


• pierce [piəs] v.刺穿；突破；洞察 (初中英语单词)


• strangely [´streindʒli] ad.奇怪地；陌生地 (初中英语单词)


• emotion [i´məuʃən] n.感情；情绪；激动 (初中英语单词)


• gently [´dʒentli] ad.温和地；静静地 (初中英语单词)


• striking [´straikiŋ] a.显著的，明显的 (初中英语单词)


• suffering [´sʌfəriŋ] n.痛苦；灾害 (初中英语单词)


• apparent [ə´pærənt] a.显然的；表面上的 (初中英语单词)


• normal [´nɔ:məl] a.正规的 n.正常状态 (初中英语单词)


• absent [´æbsənt, əb´sent] a.不在的 vt.使缺席 (初中英语单词)


• horror [´hɔrə] n.恐怖；战栗 (初中英语单词)


• coarse [kɔ:s] a.粗(糙)的；粗鲁的 (初中英语单词)


• hooked [hukt] a.钩状的；上瘾的 (初中英语单词)


• triumph [´traiəmf] n.胜利 vi.得胜，战胜 (初中英语单词)


• innocent [´inəsənt] a.无罪的；单纯的 (初中英语单词)


• fierce [fiəs] a.残忍的；强烈的 (初中英语单词)


• drunken [´drʌŋkən] a.喝醉的；常醉的 (初中英语单词)


• standing [´stændiŋ] n.持续 a.直立的 (初中英语单词)


• mysterious [mi´stiəriəs] a.神秘的；难以理解的 (初中英语单词)


• instantly [´instəntli] ad.立即，立刻 (初中英语单词)


• savage [´sævidʒ] a.野蛮的 n.蛮人 (初中英语单词)


• bloody [´blʌdi] a.(流)血的；血腥的 (初中英语单词)


• chestnut [´tʃesnʌt] n.栗子；栗树；栗色(马) (高中英语单词)


• seeing [si:iŋ] see的现在分词 n.视觉 (高中英语单词)


• faintly [´feintli] ad.微弱地，软弱无力的 (高中英语单词)


• motionless [´məuʃənləs] a.静止的；固定的 (高中英语单词)


• suspicious [sə´spiʃəs] a.可疑的，多疑的 (高中英语单词)


• missionary [´miʃənəri] a.传教(士)的 n.传教士 (高中英语单词)


• vainly [´veinli] ad.虚荣地；自负地 (高中英语单词)


• tenderness [´tendənis] n.娇嫩；柔软；温柔 (高中英语单词)


• response [ri´spɔns] n.回答；响应 (高中英语单词)


• rumble [´rʌmbəl] v.(使)隆隆响 n.隆隆声 (高中英语单词)


• gravel [´grævəl] n.砾石 vt.铺砾石 (高中英语单词)


• cavern [´kævən] n.大山洞；大岩洞 (高中英语单词)


• misfortune [mis´fɔ:tʃən] n.不幸；灾祸 (高中英语单词)


• apparently [ə´pærəntli] ad.显然，表面上地 (高中英语单词)


• haughty [´hɔ:ti] a.傲慢的，高傲的 (高中英语单词)


• stricken [´strikən] strike的过去分词 (高中英语单词)


• tightly [´taitli] ad.紧，紧密地 (高中英语单词)


• painful [´peinfəl] a.痛(苦)的；费力的 (高中英语单词)


• shrill [ʃril] a.(声音)尖锐的 (高中英语单词)


• wearily [´wiərili] ad.疲倦地；厌烦地 (英语四级单词)


• watchful [´wɔtʃfəl] a.注意的；戒备的 (英语四级单词)


• gracefully [´greisfuli] ad.优美地，斯文地 (英语四级单词)


• overwhelming [,əuvə´welmiŋ] a.压倒的；势不可挡的 (英语四级单词)


• wistful [´wistfəl] a.渴望的；不满足的 (英语四级单词)


• trying [´traiiŋ] a.难堪的；费劲的 (英语四级单词)


• somber [´sɔmbə] a.昏暗的；忧郁的 (英语四级单词)


• compassion [kəm´pæʃən] n.同情；怜悯 (英语四级单词)


• befriend [bi´frend] vt.亲近；帮助 (英语四级单词)


• cleanliness [´kli:nlinis] n.清洁 (英语四级单词)


• shaggy [´ʃægi] a.蓬乱的；多粗毛的 (英语四级单词)


• brutal [´bru:tl] a.兽性的；残暴的 (英语四级单词)


• screech [skri:tʃ] v.&n.尖叫(声) (英语四级单词)


• hoarse [hɔ:s] a.嘶哑的；嗓门粗哑的 (英语四级单词)


• victor [´viktə] n.&a.胜利者(的) (英语四级单词)


• gloriously [´glɔ:riəsli] ad.光荣地，辉煌地 (英语六级单词)


• taking [´teikiŋ] a.迷人的 n.捕获物 (英语六级单词)


• chieftain [´tʃi:ftən] n.(强盗)首领；族长 (英语六级单词)


• avalanche [´ævəlɑ:nʃ] n.雪崩 (英语六级单词)


• insanity [in´sæniti] n.疯狂；精神错乱 (英语六级单词)


• ruffian [´rʌfiən] n.流氓 a.残暴的 (英语六级单词)


• habitual [hə´bitʃuəl] a.习惯的，通常的 (英语六级单词)


• panther [´pænθə] n.豹；美洲狮 (英语六级单词)