Останній з Могікан
Chapter 13
"’Tissomecreatureoftheforestprowlingaroundusinquestoffood,"hesaid,inawhisper,assoonasthelow,andapparentlydistantsounds,whichhadstartledtheMohicans,reachedhisownears.
"Hist!"returnedtheattentivescout;"’tisman;evenIcannowtellhistread,poorasmysensesarewhencomparedtoanIndian’s!ThatscamperingHuronhasfalleninwithoneofMontcalm’soutlyingparties,andtheyhavestruckuponourtrail.Ishouldn’tlike,myself,tospillmorehumanbloodinthisspot,"headded,lookingaroundwithanxietyinhisfeatures,atthedimobjectsbywhichhewassurrounded;"butwhatmustbe,must!Leadthehorsesintotheblock-house,Uncas;and,friends,doyoufollowtothesameshelter.Poorandoldasitis,itoffersacover,andhasrungwiththecrackofarifleaforeto-night!"
Hewasinstantlyobeyed,theMohicansleadingtheNarragansettswithintheruin,whitherthewholepartyrepairedwiththemostguardedsilence.
Thesoundsofapproachingfootstepswerenowtoodistinctlyaudibletoleaveanydoubtsastothenatureoftheinterruption.TheyweresoonmingledwithvoicescallingtoeachotherinanIndiandialect,whichthehunter,inawhisper,affirmedtoHeywardwasthelanguageoftheHurons.Whenthepartyreachedthepointwherethehorseshadenteredthethicketwhichsurroundedtheblock-house,theywereevidentlyatfault,havinglostthosemarkswhich,untilthatmoment,haddirectedtheirpursuit.
