Последний из Могикан
Chapter 10
But,whileDuncanresortedtothesewordsofconsolationtoquiettheapprehensionsofthesisters,hewasnotsoweakastodeceivehimself.HewellknewthattheauthorityofanIndianchiefwassolittleconventional,thatitwasoftenermaintainedbyphysicalsuperioritythanbyanymoralsupremacyhemightpossess.Thedangerwas,therefore,magnifiedexactlyinproportiontothenumberofthesavagespiritsbywhichtheyweresurrounded.Themostpositivemandatefromhimwhoseemedtheacknowledgedleader,wasliabletobeviolatedateachmoment,byanyrashhandthatmightchoosetosacrificeavictimtothemanesofsomedeadfriendorrelative.While,therefore,hesustainedanoutwardappearanceofcalmnessandfortitude,hisheartleapedintohisthroat,wheneveranyoftheirfiercecaptorsdrewnearerthancommontothehelplesssisters,orfastenedoneoftheirsullenwanderinglooksonthosefragileformswhichweresolittleabletoresisttheslightestassault.
Hisapprehensionswere,however,greatlyrelieved,whenhesawthattheleaderhadsummonedhiswarriorstohimselfincouncil.Theirdeliberationswereshort,anditwouldseem,bythesilenceofmostoftheparty,thedecisionunanimous.BythefrequencywithwhichthefewspeakerspointedinthedirectionoftheencampmentofWebb,itwasapparenttheydreadedtheapproachofdangerfromthatquarter.Thisconsiderationprobablyhastenedtheirdetermination,andquickenedthesubsequentmovements.
