The idea of his being allowed to pass a crew of Indians in their lair, without being pursued, or even fired upon, is quite preposterous." These ideas, perhaps devised to dispel his kinswoman's fears, were scarce uttered before they appeared highly reasonable to the inventor himself; and he straightway rode to Dodge's side, and began to question him more closely than he had before had leisure to do, in relation to those wondrous adventures, the recounting of which had produced so serious a change in the destination of the party.

All his efforts, however, to obtain satisfactory confirmation of his suspicion were unavailing.

The man, now in a great measure relieved of his terrors, repeated his story with a thousand details, which convinced Roland that it was, in its chief features, correct.

That he had actually been attacked, or fired upon by some persons, Roland could not doubt, having heard the shots himself.

As to the ambush at the Ford, all he could say was, that he had actually seen several Indians,--he knew not the number,--stealing through the wood in the direction opposite the river, as if on the outlook for some expected party,--Captain Forrester's, he supposed, of which he had heard among the emigrants; and that this giving him the advantage of the first discovery, he had darted ahead with all his speed, until arrested at an unexpected moment by the six warriors, whose guns and voices had been heard by the party.
Besides communicating all the information which he possessed on these points, he proceeded, without waiting to be asked, to give an account of his own history; and a very lamentable one it was.