Excerpt from The Deerslayer, Vol. 2 of 3: A Tale As the encampment was in the midst of a dense wood, the eye could not take in its tout ensemble at a glance but but after but started out of the gloomy picture, as one gazed about him in quest of objects. There was no centre, unless the fire might be so considered - no open area where the possessors of this rude Village might congregate; but all was concealed, dark, covert, and cunning, like its owners. A few children strayed from hut to but, giving the spot a little the air of domestic life; and the suppressed laugh, and low voices of the women occasionally broke in upon the deep stillness of the sombre forest. As for the men, they either ate, slept, or examined their arms. They conversed but little, and then usually apart, or in groups withdrawn from the females; whilst an air of untiring, innate watchfulness and apprehension of danger seemed to be blended even with their slumbers. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.