Now we will whisper no more for a while, because they come, and they will soon be upon us." Robert bent over his paddle.

His upper clothing lay in the bottom of the canoe, with his rifle and Tayoga's upon the garments, ready to be snatched up in an instant, if need should come.

The cold, wet fog beat upon his bare shoulders and chest, but he did not feel it.

Instead his blood was hot in every vein, and the great pulses in his temples beat so hard that they made a roaring in his ears.
Distinct sounds now came from both left and right, the swish of paddles, the ripple of water against the side of a canoe, men talking.
They were coming to the chain that had been stretched in front of them, and their fate would soon be decided.

Now, they must be not only brave to the uttermost, but they must be consummate actors too.
Figures began to form themselves in the fog, the outline of a canoe with two men in it appeared on their right, another showed just ahead, and two more on the left.