In the dusk
he did not remember Shif'less Sol.
"Mr. Standish," Henry said, speaking rapidly, "we are, as you can
see, white. You will be attacked here by Indians and renegades
within half an hour. We know that, because we heard them talking
from the bushes. We have a boat in the river; you can reach it
in five minutes. Take your wife and children, and pull for Forty
Fort."
Standish was bewildered.
"How do I know that you are not enemies, renegades, yourselves?"
he asked.
"If we had been that you'd be a dead man already," said Shif'less
Sol.
It was a grim reply, but it was unanswerable, and Standish
recognized the fact. His wife had felt the truth in the tones of
the strangers, and was begging him to go. Their children were
crying at visions of the tomahawk and scalping knife now so near.
"We'll go," said Standish. "At any rate, it can't do any harm.
We'll get a few things together."
"Do not wait for anything! "exclaimed Henry. "You haven't a
minute to spare! Here are more blankets! Take them and run for
the boat! Sol and Jim, see them on board, and then come back!"
Carried away by such fire and earnestness, Standish and his
family ran for the boat.
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