The Injuns call him _Jibbenainosay_, or a word of that natur', which them that know more about the Injun gabble than I do, say, means the _Spirit-that-walks_; and if we can believe any such lying devils as Injuns (which I am loath to do, for the truth ar'nt in 'em), he is neither man nor beast, but a great ghost or devil that knife cannot harm nor bullet touch; and they have always had an idea that our fort h'yar in partickelar, and the country round about, war under his friendly protection--many thanks to him, whether he be a devil or not; for that whar the reason the savages so soon left off a worrying of us." "Is it possible," said Roland, "that any one can believe such an absurd story ?" "Why not ?" said Bruce, stoutly.

"Thar's the Injuns themselves, Shawnees, Hurons, Delawares, and all,--but partickelarly the Shawnees, for he beats all creation a-killing of Shawnees,--that believe in him, and hold him in such eternal dread, that thar's scarce a brute of 'em has come within ten miles of the station h'yar this three y'ar; because as how, he haunts about our woods h'yar in partickelar, and kills 'em wheresomever he catches 'em,--especially the Shawnees, as I said afore, against which the creatur' has a most butchering spite; and there's them among the other tribes that call him _Shawneewannaween_, or the Howl of the Shawnees, because of his keeping them ever a-howling.

And thar's his marks, captain,--what do you make of _that_?
When you find an Injun lying scalped and tomahawked, it stands to reason thar war something to kill him ?" "Ay, truly," said Forrester; "but I think you have human beings enough to give the credit to, without referring it to a supernatural one." "Strannger," said Big Tom Bruce the younger, with a sagacious nod, "when you kill an Injun yourself, I reckon,--meaning no offence--you will be willing to take all the honour that can come of it, without leaving it to be scrambled after by others.

Thar's no man 'arns a scalp in Kentucky, without taking great pains to show it to his neighbours." "And besides, captain," said the father, very gravely, "thar are men among us who have _seen_ the creatur'!" "_That_," said Roland, who perceived his new friends were not well pleased with his incredulity, "is an argument I can resist no longer." "Thar war Ben Jones, and Samuel Sharp, and Peter Small-eye, and a dozen more, who all had a glimpse of him stalking through the woods, at different times; and, they agree, he looks more like a devil nor a mortal man,--a great tall fellow, with horns and a hairy head like a buffalo-bull, and a little devil that looks like a black b'ar, that walks before him to point out the way.

He war always found in the deepest forests, and that's the reason we call him Nick of the Woods; wharby we mean _Old_ Nick of the Woods; for we hold him to be the devil, though a friendly one to all but Injuns.