in the mean time the little party consisting of maggie and eva brainerd, aunt peggy, and the servant gravity gimp, and the eccentric new englander habakkuk mcewen, were improving to the utmost the advantage gained by reaching the eastern bank of the susquehanna.
"i don't want to go away without papa," said eva, as she looked longingly across the river, where the massacre was going on, as shown in the smoke of burning buildings, the crack of the rifles, the whoop of the indians, the shouts of fugitives, and the flight of settlers, including women and children, who flocked to the river.
despite the danger, maggie shared with her sister the most tender solicitude for her parent.
"perhaps he is among them," said she, in a lower voice, to gravity.
"there's no telling where anybody is," replied the new englander, "but i notice that the tories and injins right across from us are watching our movements pretty sharp, and it won't do for us to loaf about here many days, if we expect to get out with our lives."
"what a pity that jake golcher was not shot when we had the chance!" exclaimed aunt peggy.
"we're likely to get dat same chance agin," said gimp, impressively, "and de next time de one dat don't took it has got to be shot for him."
"if we could do richard any good," added aunt peggy, more thoughtfully, "we ought to wait here; but can we?"
mcewen, who was growing uneasy over this delay, shook his head.
"if anybody can show me the way by which we can help him i'm willing to stay, but the woods are full of people fleeing, and the savages are after 'em. i've no doubt a lot are in forty fort, where they'll be safe if they've enough to keep the injins back. there's only one thing left for us to do, and that's to run."
he looked inquiringly at maggie, and the brave girl, with a breaking heart, stifled her anguish and nodded her head to signify that she was ready.
as courageous as the roman maiden of old, she could walk straight along the line of duty, even though it led over red-hot plow-shares.
poor eva put her hands to her face, and the tears streamed through her fingers, but she, too, had something of the high courage of her sister, and when the latter placed her arm about her and drew her head over upon her shoulder, the little girl sobbed for a few minutes only, and then cheered up and bent to her task.
"where do you go?" asked maggie of habakkuk.
"i think there is an old trail leading through the mountains and wilderness to stroudsburg, ain't there, gimp?"
"dar am," was the response, "and i've been over it twice, so dat i knows de way."
"does it lead through the 'shades of death?'"
"it am."
"it's a long road to stroudsburg, for i came from out that way, and it'll be a powerful hard tramp, but i don't think we can do any better. these iroquois have had a taste of victory, and they'll never stop, so long as there's a chance to get any more. they'll trail us all day to-morrow, and it's my opinion we ain't goin' to get to stroudsburg in a hurry, either."
"den let's be off," added gravity, who could not fail to see the necessity for such promptness.
"if papa comes across the river," said eva, who threatened to yield again; "won't he cross higher up?"
it struck all that there was some reason in this suggestion, which was acted upon without delay.
they made their way up the western shore until some distance above monocacy island, every eye and ear on the alert.
they saw plenty of fugitives, some on horseback, some wounded, all scared half out of their senses, and striving to get as far from the valley as possible.
numerous neighbors and acquaintances were encountered, but naught was seen of mr. brainerd, and nothing was known of fred's presence on the other shore. he had left the continental army directly after mcewen, who was unaware, therefore, of his coming.
it would not do to tarry any longer. the afternoon was drawing to a close, and the whoops and rifle-shots that every now and then were heard on the eastern shore proved that the little party in whom we are interested were only rendering their situation more perilous by every minute's delay.
accordingly an abrupt turn was made to the right, and they plunged into the woods, pushing for the mountains some distance back of the river, and aiming to strike the stroudsburg trail, after reaching the other side of the range, which is about a thousand feet in height.
as gravity gimp was better acquainted than any one with the wilderness, he took the lead, the ladies coming next, while habakkuk mcewen brought up the rear—leader and rear guard each, as well as maggie, carrying a loaded rifle, and on the alert.
"gravity," said eva, when they had gone but a short distance, "i thought you were lame a while ago?"
"wal, what ob it?"
"you don't show a bit of lameness now."
to the surprise of his friends, the african laughed heartily.
"dat war a joke ob mine; i warn't hurt at all, but war jes pretendin'."
"why did you do that?"
"to fool the injuns: i war thinkin' dat if dey seed i war lame, dey would think i couldn't run, and would lebe me to scoop up arter a while, and den i'd get de start on' em. shouldn't wonder if i done it, too."
there was no discussion of this original strategy, which possibly did prove of some benefit to the sable fugitive.
the company pressed on until they reached a point perhaps an eighth of a mile from the river, when, as by common consent, a halt was made.
no path was followed, but they had scrambled along as best they could, and now paused, where, for the time at least, they were alone.
the sun had gone down, and the question was whether they should pause where they were for the night, or whether they should try to get through the mountainous ridge before daylight came again.
the question would not have arisen but for the anxiety concerning the missing mr. brainerd. the ladies, including eva, seated themselves on the ground, while gravity gimp and habakkuk mcewen perched themselves on a high, broad boulder, where they could detect the approach of danger.
"dar's one thing dat troubles me wery muchly," said the african, with a worried expression.
"what's that?" asked habakkuk.
"it'll take us two or free days to reach stroudsburg, no matter how fast we trabbel, and whar's we gwine to got de prowisions on de road?"
this was a serious matter indeed, and it was one which caused many a death and much suffering among the hapless multitude that pressed through the "shades of death," in the direction of the settlements on the upper delaware.
"i've got some bread and meat," said the new englander, "which i brought from a settler's cabin thirty miles away, but i ate a big lot on the road and there ain't much left, but what there is goes to the ladies, of course."
"dat's a wery good arrangement," said gimp, "but i don't see dat it am gwine to do dis gemman much good."
"you'll have to do the same as i—sh!"
a crackling of the undergrowth startled every one, and gravity and habakkuk instantly slid off their rocky seats and crouched down, with their cocked guns in their hands.
"scrooch low!" whispered the new englander; "it must be injins, and that's worse than having nothin' to eat."
the five did their best to screen themselves from observation, for, as has been said, the most dreaded calamity that could befall them would be their discovery by a party of their enemies, numbers of whom, it was known, had crossed the river and were scouring the woods for more victims of their cruelty.
