He was very thoughtful and presently glanced up at the heavens.
"What does the Great Bear think of the sky ?" he asked.
"I think it's a fine sky, Tayoga," Willet replied with a humorous inflection.

"But I've always admired it, whether it's blue or gray or just black, spangled with stars." Tayoga smiled.
"What does the Great Bear think of the sky ?" he repeated.

"Do the signs say to him that the coming night will be dark like the one that has just gone before ?" "They say it will be dark, Tayoga, but I don't believe we'll have the rain again." "We do not want the rain, but we do want the dark.

Tonight when the moon and stars fail to come we must leave the hollow." "By what way, Tayoga ?" The Onondaga pointed to the river.
"We have the canoe," he said.
"But if they should hear or see us we'd make a fine target in it," said Robert.
"We won't be in it," said the Onondaga, "although our weapons and clothes will." "Ah, I understand! We're to launch the canoe, put in it everything including our clothes, except ourselves, and swim by the side of it.
Three good swimmers are we, Tayoga, and I believe we can do it." The Onondaga looked at Willet, who nodded his approval.
"The chances will favor us, and we'd better try it," he said, "that is, if the night is dark, as I think it will be." "Then it is agreed," said Robert.
"It is so," said Tayoga.
No more words were needed, and they strengthened their hearts for the daring attempt, waiting patiently for the afternoon to wane and die into the night, which, arrived moonless and starless and heavy with dark, as they had hoped and predicted.

Just before, a little spasmodic firing came from the besiegers, but they did not deign to answer.