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           Whiletheeyesofthesisterswereendeavoringtocatchglimpsesthroughthetrees,ofthefloodofgoldenglorywhichformedaglitteringhaloaroundthesun,tinginghereandtherewithrubystreaks,orborderingwithnarrowedgingsofshiningyellow,amassofcloudsthatlaypiledatnogreatdistanceabovethewesternhills,Hawkeyeturnedsuddenly,and,pointingupwardstowardsthegorgeousheavens,hespoke:—

           "Yonderisthesignalgiventoamantoseekhisfoodandnaturalrest,"hesaid:"betterandwiserwoulditbe,ifhecouldunderstandthesignsofnature,andtakealessonfromthefowlsoftheairandthebeastsofthefields!Ournight,however,willsoonbeover;for,withthemoon,wemustbeupandmovingagain.Iremembertohavefou’ttheMaquas,hereaways,inthefirstwarinwhichIeverdrewbloodfromman;andwethrewupaworkofblocks,tokeeptheravenousvarmintsfromhandlingourscalps.Ifmymarksdonotfailme,weshallfindtheplaceafewrodsfarthertoourleft."

           Withoutwaitingforanassent,or,indeed,foranyreply,thesturdyhuntermovedboldlyintoadensethicketofyoungchestnuts,shovingasidethebranchesoftheexuberantshootswhichnearlycoveredtheground,likeamanwhoexpected,ateachstep,todiscoversomeobjecthehadformerlyknown.Therecollectionofthescoutdidnotdeceivehim.Afterpenetratingthroughthebrush,mattedasitwaswithbriers,forafewhundredfeetheenteredanopenspace,thatsurroundedalow,greenhillock,whichwascrownedbythedecayedblock-houseinquestion.