"
"Will we eat? will we eat? Oh, try us, try us," chanted Henry and Paul
in chorus, their mouths stretching simultaneously into wide grins, and
Ross grinned back in sympathy.
The revulsion had come for the two boys. After so much danger and
suffering, the sense of safety and the warmth penetrating their bones
made them feel like little children, and they seized each other in a
friendly scuffle, which terminated only when they were about to roll
into the fire. Then they ate venison as if they had been famished.
Afterwards, when they were asleep on their blankets before the fire,
Ross said to Mr. Pennypacker:
"They did well, for youngsters."
"They certainly did, Mr. Ross," said the master. "I confess to you that
there were times to-day when learning seemed to offer no consolation."
Ross smiled a little, and then his face quickly became grave.
"It's what we've got to go through out here," he said. "Every settlement
will have to stand the storm."
A vigilant watch was kept all the long night but there was no sign of a
second Shawnee attack. Ross had reckoned truly when he thought the
Shawnees would not care to risk further pursuit, and the next day they
resumed their journey, under a drying sun.
Pages:
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172