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Chapter 17
Alongthesweepingbordersofthewoods,hungadarkcloudofsavages,eyingthepassageoftheirenemies,andhovering,atadistance,likevultures,whowereonlykeptfromswoopingontheirprey,bythepresenceandrestraintofasuperiorarmy.Afewhadstraggledamongtheconqueredcolumns,wheretheystalkedinsullendiscontent;attentive,though,asyet,passiveobserversofthemovingmultitude.
Theadvance,withHeywardatitshead,hadalreadyreachedthedefile,andwasslowlydisappearing,whentheattentionofCorawasdrawntoacollectionofstragglers,bythesoundsofcontention.Atruantprovincialwaspayingtheforfeitofhisdisobedience,bybeingplunderedofthoseveryeffectswhichhadcausedhimtodeserthisplaceintheranks.Themanwasofpowerfulframe,andtooavaricioustopartwithhisgoodswithoutastruggle.Individualsfromeitherpartyinterfered;theonesidetoprevent,andtheothertoaidintherobbery.Voicesgrewloudandangry,andahundredsavagesappeared,asitwerebymagic,whereadozenonlyhadbeenseenaminutebefore.ItwasthenthatCorasawtheformofMaguaglidingamonghiscountrymen,andspeakingwithhisfatalandartfuleloquence.Themassofwomenandchildrenstopped,andhoveredtogetherlikealarmedandflutteringbirds.ButthecupidityoftheIndianwassoongratified,andthedifferentbodiesagainmovedslowlyonward.
Thesavagesnowfellback,andseemedcontenttolettheirenemiesadvancewithoutfurthermolestation.
