Secretly congratulating
himself on the insulting mockery that had inducted his
upper form in the disguising warpaint of his enemies, he
now drew the protecting blanket close up to his eyes;
and then, with every nerve braced up, every faculty of
mind and body called into action, commenced his dangerous
enterprise.
He had not, however, taken more than two or three steps
in advance, when, to his great discomfiture and alarm,
he beheld the formidable Wacousta approaching from a
distance, evidently in search of his prisoner. With the
quickness of thought he determined on his course. To
appear to avoid him would be to excite the suspicion of
the fierce warrior; and, desperate as the alternative
was, he resolved to move undeviatingly forward. At each
step that drew him nearer to his enemy, the beating of
his heart became more violent; and had it not been for
the thick coat of paint in which he was invested, the
involuntary contraction of the muscles of his face must
inevitably have betrayed him. Nay, even as it was, had
the keen eye of the warrior fallen on him, such was the
agitation of the officer, he felt he must have been
discovered.
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