In the mean time the little party consisting of Maggie and Eva Brainerd, Aunt Peggy, and the servant Gravity Gimp, and the eccentric New Englander Habakkuk McEwen, were improving to the utmost the advantage gained by reaching the eastern bank of the Susquehanna.  
"I don't want to go away without papa," said Eva, as she looked across the river, where the was going on, as shown in the smoke of burning buildings, the crack of the rifles, the of the Indians, the shouts of , and the flight of settlers, including women and children, who flocked to the river.
 
Despite the danger, Maggie shared with her sister the most tender for her parent.
 
"Perhaps he is among them," said she, in a lower voice, to Gravity.
 
"There's no telling where anybody is," replied the New Englander, "but I notice that the Tories and Injins right across from us are watching our movements pretty sharp, and it won't do for us to loaf about here many days, if we expect to get out with our lives."
 
"What a pity that Jake Golcher was not shot when we had the chance!" exclaimed Aunt Peggy.
 
"We're likely to get dat same chance agin," said Gimp, impressively, "and de next time de one dat don't took it has got to be shot for him."
 
"If we could do Richard any good," added Aunt Peggy, more thoughtfully, "we ought to wait here; but can we?"
 
McEwen, who was growing uneasy over this delay, shook his head.
 
"If anybody can show me the way by which we can help him I'm willing to stay, but the woods are full of people fleeing, and the are after 'em. I've no doubt a lot are in Forty Fort, where they'll be safe if they've enough to keep the Injins back. There's only one thing left for us to do, and that's to run."
 
He looked inquiringly at Maggie, and the brave girl, with a breaking heart, her and nodded her head to signify that she was ready.
 
As as the Roman of old, she could walk straight along the line of duty, even though it led over red-hot plow-shares.
 
Poor Eva put her hands to her face, and the tears streamed through her fingers, but she, too, had something of the high courage of her sister, and when the latter placed her arm about her and drew her head over upon her shoulder, the little girl for a few minutes only, and then cheered up and to her task.
 
"Where do you go?" asked Maggie of Habakkuk.
 
"I think there is an old trail leading through the mountains and to Stroudsburg, ain't there, Gimp?"
 
"Dar am," was the response, "and I've been over it twice, so dat I knows de way."
 
"Does it lead through the 'Shades of Death?'"
 
"It am."
 
"It's a long road to Stroudsburg, for I came from out that way, and it'll be a powerful hard tramp, but I don't think we can do any better. These Iroquois have had a taste of victory, and they'll never stop, so long as there's a chance to get any more. They'll trail us all day to-morrow, and it's my opinion we ain't goin' to get to Stroudsburg in a hurry, either."
 
" let's be off," added Gravity, who could not fail to see the necessity for such promptness.
 
"If papa comes across the river," said Eva, who threatened to yield again; "won't he cross higher up?"
 
It struck all that there was some reason in this suggestion, which was acted upon without delay.
 
They made their way up the western shore until some distance above Monocacy Island, every eye and ear on the alert.
 
They saw plenty of fugitives, some on horseback, some wounded, all scared half out of their senses, and striving to get as far from the valley as possible.
 
Numerous neighbors and acquaintances were encountered, but was seen of Mr. Brainerd, and nothing was known of Fred's presence on the other shore. He had left the army directly after McEwen, who w............