CHAPTER XXIV
THE FIGHT IN THE CABIN
FROM where we halted in uncertainty only one end of the cabin could be perceived through the intervening trees, and it appeared old, neglected, and partly demolished. But for the signs along the bank of the creek, showing the late passage of a man, I would have instantly jumped to the conclusion that the place had been long ago deserted and abandoned. Surely nothing about the shanty, or its immediate surroundings, indicated present occupancy. Yet with this memory in mind, when I finally advanced it was with caution, and a strange sense of expectation. Indeed, I avoided the open path entirely, pressing a way through the underbrush under the tree shadows, until I gained the edge of the little opening in which the hut stood. Noreen followed closely behind, treading almost in my footsteps, as noiseless as a fawn, her skirts held close about her limbs. At the edge of the woods, still dark with the lingering night shadows, we paused side by side, parting the leaves to stare wonderingly at the silent log walls. It was a one-roomed cabin, a mere shell,
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