The MASTERS of the PEAKS

A STORY OF THE GREAT NORTH WOODS

BY JOSEPH A. ALTSHELER

1918

FOREWORD

"The Masters of the Peaks, " while presenting a complete story initself is the fourth volume of the French and Indian War Series, ofwhich the predecessors were "The Hunters of the Hills, " "The Shadowof the North, " and "The Rulers of the Lakes. " Robert Lennox, Tayoga, Willet, and all the other important characters of the earlier romancesreappear in the present book. 

CHARACTERS IN THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR SERIES

ROBERT LENNOX: A lad of unknown origin

TAYOGA A young Onondaga warrior

DAVID WILLET A hunter

RAYMOND LOUIS DE ST. LUC A brilliant French officer

AUGUSTE DE COURCELLES A French officer

FRANÇOIS DE JUMONVILLE A French officer

LOUIS DE GALISSONNIÈRE A young French officer

JEAN DE MÉZY A corrupt Frenchman

ARMAND GLANDELET A young Frenchman

PIERRE BOUCHER A bully and bravo

PHILIBERT DROUILLARD A French priest

THE MARQUIS DUQUESNE Governor-General of Canada

MARQUIS DE VAUDREUIL Governor-General of Canada

FRANÇOIS BIGOT Intendant of Canada

MARQUIS DE MONTCALM French commander-in-chief

DE LEVIS A French general

BOURLAMAQUE A French general

BOUGAINVILLE A French general

ARMAND DUBOIS A follower of St. Luc

M. DE CHATILLARD An old French Seigneur

CHARLES LANGLADE A French partisan

THE DOVE The Indian wife of Langlade

TANDAKORA An Ojibway chief

DAGONOWEDA A young Mohawk chief

HENDRICK An old Mohawk chief

BRADDOCK A British general

ABERCROMBIE A British general

WOLFE A British general

COL. WILLIAM JOHNSON Anglo-American leader

MOLLY BRANT Col. Wm. Johnson's Indian wife

JOSEPH BRANT Young brother of Molly Brant, afterward the great Mohawk chief, Thayendanegea

ROBERT DINWIDDIE Lieutenant-Governor of Virginia

CHARACTERS

William Shirley Governor of Massachusetts

Benjamin Franklin Famous American patriot

James Colden A young Philadelphia captain

William Wilton A young Philadelphia lieutenant

Hugh Carson A young Philadelphia lieutenant

Jacobus Huysman An Albany burgher

Caterina Jacobus Huysman's cook

Alexander McLean An Albany schoolmaster

Benjamin Hardy A New York merchant

Johnathan Pillsbury Clerk to Benjamin Hardy

Adrian Van Zoon A New York merchant

The Slaver A nameless rover

Achille Garay A French spy

Alfred Grosvenor A young English officer

James Cabell A young Virginian

Walter Stuart A young Virginian

Black Rifle A famous "Indian fighter"

Elihu Strong A Massachusetts colonel

Alan Hervey A New York financier

Stuart Whyte Captain of the British sloop, _Hawk_

John Latham Lieutenant of the British sloop, _Hawk_

Edward Charteris A young officer of the Royal Americans

Zebedee Crane A young scout and forest runner

Robert Rogers Famous Captain of American Rangers

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

I. IN THE DEEP WOODS

II. ON THE RIDGES

III. THE BRAVE DEFENCE

IV. THE GODS AT PLAY

V. TAMING A SPY

VI. PUPILS OF THE BEAR

VII. THE SLEEPING SENTINELS

VIII. BEFORE MONTCALM

IX. THE SIGN OF THE BEAR

X. THE FLIGHT OF THE TWO

XI. THE MYSTIC VOYAGE

XII. THE MARVELOUS TRAILER

XIII. READING THE SIGNS

XIV. ST. LUC'S REVENGE

CHAPTER I

IN THE DEEP WOODS

A light wind sang through the foliage, turned to varying and vividhues now by the touch of autumn, and it had an edge of cold that madeRobert Lennox shiver a little, despite a hardy life in wilderness andopen. But it was only a passing feeling. A moment or two later heforgot it, and, turning his eyes to the west, watched the vastterraces of blazing color piled one above another by the sinking sun. 

Often as he had seen it the wonderful late glow over the mighty forestnever failed to stir him, and to make his pulse beat a little faster. His sensitive mind, akin in quality to that of a poet, responded witheagerness and joy to the beauty and majesty of nature. Forgettingdanger and the great task they had set for themselves, he watched thebanks of color, red and pink, salmon and blue, purple and yellow, shift and change, while in the very heart of the vast panorama thehuge, red orb, too strong for human sight, glittered and flamed. 

The air, instinct with life, intoxicated him and he became rapt as ina vision. People whom he had met in his few but eventful years passedbefore him again in all the seeming of reality, and then his spiritleaped into the future, dreaming of the great things he would see, andin which perhaps he would have a share. 

Tayoga, the young Onondaga, looked at his comrade and he understood. The same imaginative thread had been woven into the warp of whichhe was made, and his nostrils and lips quivered as he drank in thesplendor of a world that appealed with such peculiar force to him, ason of the woods. 

"The spirit of Areskoui (the Sun God) is upon Dagaeoga, and he hasleft us to dwell for a little while upon the seas of color heapedagainst the western horizon, " he said. 

Willet, the hunter, smiled. The two lads were very dear to him. Heknew that they were uncommon types, raised by the gift of God farabove the normal. 

"Let him rest there, Tayoga, " he said, "while those brilliant bankslast, which won't be long. All things change, and the glorious hueswill soon give way to the dark. "

"True, Great Bear, but if the night comes it, in turn, must yield tothe dawn. All things change, as you say, but nothing perishes. The suntomorrow will be the same sun that we see today. Black night will nottake a single ray from its glory. "

"It's so, Tayoga, but you talk like a book or a prophet. I'm wonderingif our lives are not like the going and coming of the sun. Maybe wepass on from one to another, forever and forever, without ending. "

"Great Bear himself feels the spell of Areskoui also. "

"I do, but we'd better stop rhapsodizing and think about our needs. Here, Robert, wake up and come back to earth! It's no time to sing asong to the sun with the forest full of our red enemies and the whitetoo, perhaps. "

Robert awoke with a start. 

"You dragged me out of a beautiful world, " he said. 

"A world in which you were the central star, " rejoined the hunter. 

"So I was, but isn't that the case with all the imaginary worlds a mancreates? He's their sun or he wouldn't create 'em. "

"We're getting too deep into the unknown. Plant your feet on the solidearth, Robert, and let's think about the problems a dark night isgoing to bring us in the Indian country, not far south of the St. Lawrence. "

Young Lennox shivered again. The terraces in the west suddenly beganto fade and the wind took on a fresh and sharper edge. 

"I know one thing, " he said. "I know the night's going to be cold. Italways is in the late autumn, up here among the high hills, and I'dlike to see a fire, before which we could bask and upon which we couldwarm our food. "

The hunter glanced at the Onondaga. 

"That tells the state of my mind, too, " he said, "but I doubt whetherit would be safe. If we're to be good scouts, fit to discover theplans of the French and Indians, we won't get ourselves cut off bysome rash act in the very beginning. "

"It may not be a great danger or any at all, " said Tayoga. "There ismuch rough and rocky ground to our right, cut by deep chasms, andwe might find in there a protected recess in which we could build asmothered fire. "

"You're a friend at the right time, Tayoga, " said Robert. "I feel thatI must have warmth. Lead on and find the stony hollow for us. "

The Onondaga turned without a word, and started into the maze of loftyhills and narrow valleys, where the shadows of the night that wascoming so swiftly already lay thick and heavy. 

The three had gone north after the great victory at Lake George, atriumph that was not followed up as they had hoped. They had waitedto see Johnson's host pursue the enemy and strike him hard again, butthere were bickerings among the provinces which were jealous of oneanother, and the army remained in camp until the lateness of theseason indicated a delay of all operations, save those of the scoutsand roving bands that never rested. But Robert, Willet and Tayogahoped, nevertheless, that they could achieve some deed of importanceduring the coming cold weather, and they were willing to undergo greatrisks in the effort. 

They were soon in the heavy forest that clothed all the hills, andpassed up a narrow ravine leading into the depths of the maze. Thewind followed them into the cleft and steadily grew colder. Theglowing terraces in the west broke up, faded quite away, and night, asyet without stars, spread over the earth. 

Tayoga was in front, the other two following him in single file, stepping where he stepped, and leaving to him without question theselection of a place where they could stay. The Onondaga, guided bylong practice and the inheritance from countless ancestors who hadlived all their lives in the forest, moved forward with confidence. His instinct told him they would soon come to such a refuge as theydesired, the rocky uplift about him indicating the proximity of manyhollows. 

The darkness increased, and the wind swept through the chasms withalternate moan and whistle, but the red youth held on his course fora full two miles, and his comrades followed without a word. When thecliffs about them rose to a height of two or three hundred feet, hestopped, and, pointing with a long forefinger, said he had found whatthey wished. 

Robert at first could see nothing but a pit of blackness, butgradually as he gazed the shadows passed away, and he traced a deeprecess in the stone of the cliff, not much of a shelter to thoseunused to the woods, but sufficient for hardy forest runners. 

"I think we may build a little fire in there, " said Tayoga, "and noone can see it unless he is here in the ravine within ten feet of us. "

Willet nodded and Robert joyfully began to prepare for the blaze. Thenight was turning even colder than he had expected, and the chillwas creeping into his frame. The fire would be most welcome for itswarmth, and also because of the good cheer it would bring. He sweptdry leaves into a heap within the recess, put upon them dead wood, which was abundant everywhere, and then Tayoga with artful use offlint and steel lighted the spark. 

"It is good, " admitted the hunter as he sat Turkish fashion on theleaves, and spread out his hands before the growing flames. "Thenights grow cold mighty soon here in the high hills of the north, andthe heat not only loosens up your muscles, but gives you new courage. "

"I intend to make myself as comfortable as possible, " said Robert. "You and Tayoga are always telling me to do so and I know the adviceis good. "

He gathered great quantities of the dry leaves, making of them whatwas in reality a couch, upon which he could recline in halfway fashionlike a Roman at a feast, and warm at the fire before him the food hecarried in a deerskin knapsack. An appetizing odor soon arose, and, ashe ate, a pleasant warmth pervaded all his body, giving him a feelingof great content. They had venison, the tender meat of the young bearwhich, like the Indians, they loved, and they also allowed themselvesa slice apiece of precious bread. Water was never distant in thenorthern wilderness, and Tayoga found a brook not a hundred yardsaway, flowing down a ravine that cut across their own. They drank atit in turn, and, then, the three lay down on the leaves in the recess, grateful to the Supreme Power which provided so well for them, even inthe wild forest. 

They let the flames die, but a comfortable little bed of coalsremained, glowing within the shelter of the rocks. Young Lennox heapedup the leaves until they formed a pillow under his head, and thenhalf dreaming, gazed into the heart of the fire, while his comradesreclined near him, each silent but with his mind turned to that whichconcerned him most. 

Robert's thoughts were of St. Luc, of the romantic figure he hadseen in the wilderness after the battle of Lake George, the knightlychevalier, singing his gay little song of mingled sentiment anddefiance. An unconscious smile passed over his face. He and St. Luccould never be enemies. In very truth, the French leader, though anofficial enemy, had proved more than once the best of friends, readyeven to risk his life in the service of the American lad. What wasthe reason? What could be the tie between them? There must be someconnection. What was the mystery of his origin? The events of the lastyear indicated to him very clearly that there was such a mystery. Adrian Van Zoon and Master Benjamin Hardy surely knew something aboutit, and Willet too. Was it possible that a thread lay in the hand ofSt. Luc also?

He turned his eyes from the coals and gazed at the impassive face ofthe hunter. Once the question trembled on his lips, but he was surethe Great Bear would evade the answer, and the lad thought too much ofthe man who had long stood to him in the place of father to cause himannoyance. Beyond a doubt Willet had his interests at heart, and, whenthe time came for him to speak, speak he would, but not before. 

His mind passed from the subject to dwell upon the task they had setfor themselves, a thought which did not exclude St. Luc, though thechevalier now appeared in the guise of a bold and skillful foe, withwhom they must match their wisdom and courage. Doubtless he had formeda new band, and, at the head of it, was already roaming the countrysouth of the St. Lawrence. Well, if that were the case perhaps theywould meet once more, and he would have given much to penetrate thefuture. 

"Why don't you go to sleep, Robert?" asked the hunter. 

"For the best of reasons. Because I can't, " replied the lad. 

"Perhaps it's well to stay awake, " said the Onondaga gravely. 

"Why, Tayoga?"

"Someone comes. "

"Here in the ravine?"

"No, not in the ravine but on the cliff opposite us. "

Robert strained both eye and ear, but he could neither see nor hearany human being. The wall on the far side of the ravine rose to aconsiderable height, its edge making a black line against the sky, butnothing there moved. 

"Your fancy is too much for you, Tayoga, " he said. "Thinking thatsomeone might come, it creates a man out of air and mist. "

"No, Dagaeoga, my fancy sleeps. Instead, my ear, which speaks only thetruth, tells me a man is walking along the crest of the cliff, andcoming on a course parallel with our ravine. My eye does not yet seehim, but soon it will confirm what my ear has already told me. Thisdeep cleft acts as a trumpet and brings the sound to me. "

"How far away, then, would you say is this being, who, I fear, ismythical?"

"He is not mythical. He is reality. He is yet about three hundredyards distant. I might not have heard him, even with the aid of thecleft, but tonight Areskoui has given uncommon power to my ear, perhaps to aid us, and I know he is walking among thick bushes. I canhear the branches swish as they fly back into place, after his bodyhas passed. Ah, a small stick popped as it broke under his foot!"

"I heard nothing. "

"That is not my fault, O Dagaeoga. It is a heavy man, because I nowhear his footsteps, even when they do not break anything. He walkswith some uncertainty. Perhaps he fears lest he should make a falsestep, and tumble into the ravine. "

"Since you can tell so much through hearing, at such a great distance, perhaps you know what kind of a man the stranger is. A warrior, Isuppose?"

"No, he is not of our race. He would not walk so heavily. It is awhite man. "

"One of Rogers' rangers, then? Or maybe it is Rogers himself, orperhaps Black Rifle. "

"It is none of those. They would advance with less noise. It is onenot so much used to the forest, but who knows the way, nevertheless, and who doubtless has gone by this trail before. "

"Then it must be a Frenchman!"

"I think so too. "

"It won't be St. Luc?"

"No, Dagaeoga, though your tone showed that for a moment you hoped itwas. Sharp Sword is too skillful in the forest to walk with so heavya step. Nor can it be either of the leaders, De Courcelles orJumonville. They also are too much at home in the woods. The rightname of the man forms itself on my lips, but I will wait to be sure. In another minute he will enter the bare space almost opposite us andthen we can see. "

The three waited in silence. Although Robert had expressed doubt hefelt none. He had a supreme belief in the Onondaga's uncanny powers, and he was quite sure that a man was moving upon the bluff. A strangerat such a time was to be watched, because white men came but littleinto this dangerous wilderness. 

A dark figure appeared within the prescribed minute upon the crest andstopped there, as if the man, whoever he might be, wished to rest anddraw fresh breath. The sky had lightened and he was outlined clearlyagainst it. Robert gazed intently and then he uttered a little cry. 

"I know him!" he said. "I can't be mistaken. It's Achille Garay, theone whose name we found written on a fragment of a letter in Albany. "

"It's the man who tried to kill you, none other, " said Tayoga gravely, "and Areskoui whispered in my ear that it would be he. "

"What on earth can he be doing here in this lone wilderness at such atime?" asked Robert. 

"Likely he's on his way to a French camp with information about ourforces, " said Willet. "We frightened Mynheer Hendrik Martinus, when wewere in Albany, but I suppose that once a spy and traitor always aspy and traitor. Since the immediate danger has moved from Albany, Martinus and Garay may have begun work again. "

"Then we'd better stop him, " said Robert. 

"No, let him go on, " said Willet. "He can't carry any informationabout us that the French leaders won't find out for themselves. The fact that he's traveling in the night indicates a French campsomewhere near. We'll put him to use. Suppose we follow him anddiscover what we can about our enemies. "

Robert looked at the cheerful bed of coals and sighed. They wereseeking the French and Indians, and Garay was almost sure to leadstraight to them. It was their duty to stalk him. 

"I wish he had passed in the daytime, " he said ruefully. 

Tayoga laughed softly. 

"You have lived long enough in the wilderness, O Dagaeoga, " he said, "to know that you cannot choose when and where you will do your work. "

"That's true, Tayoga, but while my feet are unwilling to go my willmoves me on. So I'm entitled to more credit than you who take anactual physical de light in trailing anybody at any time. "

The Onondaga smiled, but did not reply. Then the three took up theirarms, returned their packs to their backs and without noise left thealcove. Robert cast one more reluctant glance at the bed of coals, butit was a farewell, not any weakening of the will to go. 

Garay, after his brief rest on the summit, had passed the open spaceand was out of sight in the bushes, but Robert knew that both Tayogaand Willet could easily pick up his trail, and now he was alleagerness to pursue him and see what the chase might disclose. Alittle farther down, the cliff sloped back to such an extent that theycould climb it without trouble, and, when they surmounted the crest, they entered the bushes at the point where Garay had disappeared. 

"Can you hear him now, Tayoga?" asked Robert. 

"My ears are as good as they were when I was in the ravine, " repliedthe Onondaga, "but they do not catch any sounds from the Frenchman. It is, as we wish, because we do not care to come so near him that hewill hear. "

"Give him a half mile start, " said Willet. "The ground is soft here, and it won't be any sort of work to follow him. See, here are thetraces of his footsteps now, and there is where he has pushed his wayamong the little boughs. Notice the two broken twigs, Robert. "

They followed at ease, the trail being a clear one, and the light ofmoon and stars now ample. Robert began to feel the ardor of the chase. He did not see Garay, but he believed that Tayoga at times heard himwith those wonderful ears of his. He rejoiced too that chance hadcaused them to find the French spy in the wilderness. He rememberedthat foul attempt upon his life in Albany, and, burning withresentment, he was eager to thwart Garay in whatever he was nowattempting to do. Tayoga saw his face and said softly:

"You hate this man Garay?"

"I don't like him. "

"Do you wish me to go forward and kill him?"

"No! No, Tayoga! Why do you ask me such a cold-blooded question?"

The Onondaga laughed gently. 

"I was merely testing you, Dagaeoga, " he said. "We of the Hodenosauneeperhaps do not regard the taking of life as you do, but I would notshoot Garay from ambush, although I might slay him in open battle. Ah, there he is again on the crest of the ridge ahead!"

Robert once more saw the thick, strong figure of the spy outlinedagainst the sky which was now luminous with a brilliant moon andcountless clear stars, and the feeling of resentment was very powerfulwithin him. Garay, without provocation, had attempted his life, andhe could not forget it, and, for a moment or two, he felt that ifthe necessity should come in battle he was willing for a bullet fromTayoga to settle him. Then he rebuked himself for harboring rancor. 

Garay paused, as if he needed another rest, and looked back, though itwas only a casual glance, perhaps to measure the distance he had come, and the three, standing among the dense bushes, had no fear that hesaw them or even suspected that anyone was on his traces. After adelay of a minute or so he passed over the crest and Robert, Willetand Tayoga moved on in pursuit. The Frenchman evidently knew his path, as the chase led for a long time over hills, down valleys and acrosssmall streams. Toward morning he put his fingers to his lips and blewa shrill whistle between them. Then the three drew swiftly nearuntil they could see him, standing under the boughs of a great oak, obviously in an attitude of waiting. 

"It is a signal to someone, " said Robert. 

"So it is, " said Willet, "and it means that he and we have come tothe end of our journey. I take it that we have arrived almost at theFrench and Indian camp, and that he whistles because he fears lest heshould be shot by a sentinel through mistake. The reply should comesoon. "

As the hunter spoke they heard a whistle, a faint, clear note farahead, and then Garay without hesitation resumed his journey. Thethree followed, but when they reached the crest of the next ridge theysaw a light shining through the forest, a light that grew and finallydivided into many lights, disclosing to them with certainty thepresence of a camp. The figure of Garay appeared for a little whileoutlined against a fire, another figure came forward to meet him, andthe two disappeared together. 

From the direction of the fires came sounds subdued by the distance, and the aroma of food. 

"It is a large camp, " said Tayoga. "I have counted twelve fires whichproves it, and the white men and the red men in it do not go hungry. They have deer, bear, fish and birds also. The pleasant odors of themall come to my nostrils, and make me hungry. "

"That's too much for me, " said Robert. "I can detect the blendedsavor, but I know not of what it consists. Now we go on, I suppose, and find out what this camp holds. "

"We wouldn't dream of turning back, " said the hunter. "Did you noticeanything familiar, Robert, about the figure that came forward to meetGaray?"

"Now that you speak of it, I did, but I can't recall the identity ofthe man. "

"Think again!"

"Ah, now I have him! It was the French officer, Colonel Auguste deCourcelles, who gave us so much trouble in Canada and elsewhere. "

"That's the man, " said Willet. "I knew him at once. Now, wherever DeCourcelles is mischief is likely to be afoot, but he's not the onlyFrenchman here. We'll spy out this camp to the full. There's time yetbefore the sunrise comes. "

Now the three used all the skill in stalking with which they wereendowed so plentifully, creeping forward without noise through thebushes, making so little stir among them that if a wary warrior hadbeen looking he would have taken the slight movement of twig or leaffor the influence of a wandering breeze. Gradually the whole camp cameinto view, and Tayoga's prediction that it would be a large one provedtrue. 

Robert lay on a little knoll among small bushes growing thick, wherethe keenest eye could not see him, but where his own vision sweptthe whole wide shallow dip, in which the French and Indian force wasencamped. Twelve fires, all good and large, burned gayly, throwing outruddy flames from great beds of glowing coals, while the aroma of foodwas now much stronger and very appetizing. 

The force numbered at least three hundred men, of whom about one thirdwere Frenchmen or Canadians, all in uniform. Robert recognized DeCourcelles and near him Jumonville, his invariable comrade, and alittle farther on a handsome and gallant young face. 

"It's De Galissonnière of the Battalion Languedoc, whom we met inQuébec, " he whispered to Tayoga. "Now I wonder what he's doing here. "

"He's come with the others on a projected foray, " Tayoga whisperedback. "But look beyond him, Dagaeoga, and you will see one more to bedreaded than De Courcelles or Jumonville. "

Robert's gaze followed that of the young Onondaga and was interceptedby the huge figure of Tandakora, the Ojibway, who stood erect by oneof the fires, bare save for a breech cloth and moccasins, his bodypainted in the most hideous designs, of which war paint was possible, his brow lowering. 

"Tandakora is not happy, " said Tayoga. 

"No, " said Robert. "He is thinking of the battle at Lake George thathe did not win, and of all the scalps he did not take. He is thinkingof his lost warriors, and the rout of his people and the French. "

"Even so, Dagaeoga. Now Tandakora and De Courcelles talk with the spy, Garay. They want his news. They rejoice when he tells them Waraiyagehand his soldiers still make no preparations to advance after theirvictory by the lake. The long delay, the postponement of a bigcampaign until next spring will give the French and Indians time tobreathe anew and renew their strength. Tandakora and De Courcellesconsider themselves fortunate, and they are pleased with the spy, Garay. But look, Dagaeoga! Behold who comes now!"

Robert's heart began to throb as the handsomest and most gallantfigure of them all walked into the red glow of the firelight, a tallman, young, lithe, athletic, fair of hair and countenance, his mannerat once graceful and proud, a man to whom the others turned withdeference, and perhaps in the case of De Courcelles and Jumonvillewith a little fear. He wore a white uniform with gold facings, anda small gold hilted sword swung upon his thigh. Even in the forest, dress impresses, and Robert was quite sure that St. Luc was in hisfinest attire, not from vanity, but because he wished to create aneffect. It would be like him, when his fortunes were lowest, to assumehis highest manner before both friend and foe. 

"You'd think from his looks that he had nothing but a string ofvictories and never knew defeat, " whispered Willet. "Anyway, his isthe finest spirit in all that crowd, and he's the greatest leaderand soldier, too. Notice how they give way to him, and how they stopasking questions of Garay, leaving it to him. And now Garay himselfbows low before him, while De Courcelles, Jumonville and Tandakorastand aside. I wish we could hear what they say; then we might learnsomething worth all our risk in coming here. "

But their voices did not reach so great a distance, though the three, eager to use eye even if ear was of no use, still lay in the bushesand watched the flow of life in the great camp. Many of the French andIndians who had been asleep awoke, sat up and began to cook breakfastfor themselves, holding strips of game on sharp sticks over the coals. St. Luc talked a long while with Garay, afterward with the Frenchofficers and Tandakora, and then withdrew to a little knoll, where heleaned against a tree, his face expressing intense thought. A dark, powerfully built man, the Canadian, Dubois, brought him food which heate mechanically. 

The dusk floated away, and the sun came up, great and brilliant. Thethree stirred in their covert, and Willet whispered that it was timefor them to be going. 

"Only the most marvelous luck could save us from detection in thedaylight, " he said, "because presently the Indians, growing restless, will wander about the camp. "

"I'm willing to go, " Robert whispered back. "I know the danger is toogreat. Besides I'm starving to death, and the odors of all their goodfood will hasten my death, if I don't take an antidote. "

They retreated with the utmost care and Robert drew an immense breathof relief when they were a full mile away. It was well to look uponthe French and Indian camp, but it was better to be beyond the reachof those who made it. 

"And now we make a camp of our own, don't we?" he said. "All my bonesare stiff from so much bending and creeping. Moreover, my hunger hasgrown to such violent pitch that it is tearing at me, so to speak, with red hot pincers. "

"Dagaeoga always has plenty of words, " said Tayoga in a whimsicaltone, "but he will have to endure his hunger a while longer. Let thepincers tear and burn. It is good for him. It will give him a chanceto show how strong he is, and how a mighty warrior despises suchlittle things as food and drink. "

"I'm not anxious to show myself a mighty warrior just now, " retortedyoung Lennox. "I'd be willing to sacrifice my pride in that respect ifI could have carried off some of their bear steaks and venison. "

"Come on, " said Willet, "and I'll see that you're satisfied. I'mbeginning to feel as you do, Robert. "

Nevertheless he marshaled them forward pretty sternly and they pursueda westward course for many miles before he allowed a halt. Even thenthey hunted about among the rocks until they found a secluded place, no fire being permitted, at which it pleased Robert to grumble, although he did not mean it. 

"We were better off last night when we had our little fire in thehollow, " he said. 

"So we were, as far as the body is concerned, " rejoined Willet, "but we didn't know then where the Indian camp lay. We've at leastincreased our knowledge. Now, I'm thinking that you two lads, who havebeen awake nearly all night and also the half of the morning that haspassed, ought to sleep. Time we have to spare, but you know we shouldpractice all the economy we can with our strength. This place ispretty well hidden, and I'll do the watching. Spread your blankets onthe leaves, Robert. It's not well even for foresters to sleep on thebare ground. Now draw the other half of it over you. Tayoga has doneso already. I'm wondering which of you will get to sleep first. Whoever does will be the better man, a question I've long wanted todecide. "

But the problem was still left for the future. They fell asleep sonearly at the same time that Willet could tell no difference. Henoticed with pleasure their long, regular breathing, and he said tohimself, as he had said so often before, that they were two good andbrave lads. 

Then he made a very comfortable cushion of fallen leaves to sit upon, and remained there a long time, his rifle across his knees. 

His eyes were wide open, but no part of his body stirred. He hadacquired the gift of infinite patience, and with it the difficultphysical art of remaining absolutely motionless for a long time. Sothorough was his mastery over himself that the small wild game beganto believe by and by that he was not alive. Birds sang freely over hishead and the hare hopped through the undergrowth. Yet the hunter saweverything and his very stillness enabled him to listen with all themore acuteness. 

The sun which had arisen great and brilliant, remained so, floodingthe world with golden lights and making it wonderfully alluring toWillet, whose eyes never grew weary of the forest's varying shades andaspects. They were all peaceful now, but he had no illusions. He knewthat the hostile force would send out many hunters. So many men musthave much game and presently they would be prowling through the woods, seeking deer and bear. The chief danger came from them. 

The hours passed and noon arrived. Willet had not stirred. He didnot sleep, but he rested nevertheless. His great body was relaxedthoroughly, and strength, after weariness, flowed back into his veins. Presently his head moved forward a little and his attitude grew moreintent. A slight sound that was not a part of the wilderness had cometo him. It was very faint, few would have noticed it, but he knew itwas the report of a rifle. He knew also that it was not a shot firedin battle. The hunters, as he had surmised, were abroad, and they hadstarted up a deer or a bear. 

But Willet did not stir nor did his eyelids flicker. He was used tothe proximity of foes, and the distant report did not cause his heartto miss a single beat. Instead, he felt a sort of dry amusement thatthey should be so near and yet know it not. How Tandakora would haverejoiced if there had been a whisper in his ear that Willet, Robertand Tayoga whom he hated so much were within sound of his rifle! Andhow he would have spread his nets to catch such precious game!

He heard a second shot presently from the other side, and then thehunter began to laugh softly to himself. His faint amusement wasturning into actual and intense enjoyment. The Indian hunters wereobviously on every side of them but did not dream that the finest gameof all was at hand. They would continue to waste their time on deerand bear while the three formidable rangers were within hearing oftheir guns. 

But the hunter was still silent. His laughter was wholly internal, andhis lips did not even move. It showed only in his eye and the generalexpression of his countenance. A third shot and a fourth came, but noanxiety marred his sense of the humorous. 

Then he heard the distant shouts of warriors in pursuit of a woundedbear and still he was motionless. 

Willet knew that the French and Tandakora suspected no pursuit. Theybelieved that no American rangers would come among the lofty peaks andridges south of the border, and he and his comrades could lie in safehiding while the hunt went on with unabated zeal. But he was sure oneday would be sufficient for the task. That portion of the wildernesswas full of game, and, since the coming of the war, deer and bear wereincreasing rapidly. Willet often noted how quickly game returned toregions abandoned by man, as if the wild animals promptly told oneanother the danger had passed. 

Joyous shouts came now and then and he knew that they marked thetaking of game, but about the middle of the afternoon the hunt driftedentirely away. A little later Tayoga awoke and sat up. Then Willetmoved slightly and spoke. 

"Tandakora's hunters have been all about us while you slept, " he said, "but I knew they wouldn't find us. "

"Dagaeoga and I were safe in the care of the Great Bear, " said theOnondaga confidently. "Tandakora will rage if we tell him some daythat we were here, to be taken if he had only seen us. Now Lennoxawakes also! O Dagaeoga, you have slept and missed all the greatjest. "

"What do you mean, Tayoga?"

"Tandakora built his fire just beyond the big bush that grows ten feetaway, and sat there two hours without suspecting our presence here. "

"Now I know you are romancing, Tayoga, because I can see the twinklein your eyes. But I suspect that what you say bears some remoterelation to the truth. "

"The hostile hunters passed while you slept, and while I slept also, but the Great Bear was all eyes and ears and he did not think itneedful to awaken us. "

"What are we going to do now, Dave?"

"Eat more venison. We must never fail to keep the body strong. "

"And then?"

"I'm not sure. I thought once that we'd better go south to our army atLake George with news of this big band, but it's a long distance downthere, and it may be wiser to stay here and watch St. Luc. What do yousay, Robert?"

"Stay here. "

"And you, Tayoga?"

"Watch St. Luc. "

"I was inclining to that view myself, and it's settled now. But wemustn't move from this place until dark; it would be too dangerous inthe day. "

The lads nodded and the three settled into another long period ofwaiting. 

CHAPTER II

ON THE RIDGES

Late in the afternoon Willet went to sleep and Robert and Tayogawatched, although, as the hunter had done, they depended more uponear than eye. They too heard now and then the faint report of distantshots from the hunt, and Robert's heart beat very fast, but, if theyoung Onondaga felt emotion, he did not show it. At twilight, theyate a frugal supper, and when the night had fully come they rose andwalked about a little to make their stiffened muscles elastic again. 

"The hunters have all gone back to the camp now, " said Tayoga, "sinceit is not easy to pursue the game by dusk, and we need not keep soclose, like a bear in its den. "

"And the danger of our being seen is reduced to almost nothing, " saidRobert. 

"It is so, Dagaeoga, but we will have another fight to make. We muststrive to keep ourselves from freezing. It turns very cold on themountains! The wind is now blowing from the north, and do you not feela keener edge to it?"

"I do, " replied Robert, sensitive of body as well as mind, and heshivered as he spoke. "It's a most unfortunate change for us. But nowthat I think of it we've got to expect it up among the high mountainstoward Canada. Shall we light another fire?"

"We'll talk of that later with the Great Bear when he comes out of hissleep. But it fast grows colder and colder, Dagaeoga!"

Weather was an enormous factor in the lives of the borderers. Wilderness storms and bitter cold often defeated their best plans, andshelterless men, they were in a continual struggle against them. Andhere in the far north, among the high peaks and ridges, there was muchto be feared, even with official winter yet several weeks away. 

Robert began to rub his cold hands, and, unfolding his blanket, hewrapped it about his body, drawing it well up over his neck and ears. Tayoga imitated him and Willet, who was soon awakened by the coldblast, protected himself in a similar manner. 

"What does the Great Bear think?" asked the Onondaga. 

The hunter, with his face to the wind, meditated a few moments beforereplying. 

"I was testing that current of air on my face and eyes, " he said, "and, speaking the truth, Tayoga, I don't like it. The wind seemed togrow colder as I waited to answer you. Listen to the leaves fallingbefore it! Their rustle tells of a bitter night. "

"And while we freeze in it, " said Robert, whose imagination wasalready in full play, "the French and Indians build as many and bigfires as they please, and cook before them the juicy game they killedtoday. "

The hunter was again very thoughtful. 

"It looks as if we would have to kindle a fire, " he said, "andtomorrow we shall have to hunt bear or deer for ourselves, because wehave food enough left for only one more meal. "

"The face of Areskoui is turned from us, " said Tayoga. "We have donesomething to anger him, or we have failed to do what he wished, andnow he sends upon us a hard trial to test us and purify us! A greatstorm with fierce cold comes!"

The wind rose suddenly, and it began to make a sinister hissing amongall the passes and gorges. Robert felt something damp upon his face, and he brushed away a melting flake of snow. But another and anothertook its place and the air was soon filled with white. And the flakeswere most aggressive. Driven by the storm they whipped the cheeksand eyes of the three, and sought to insert themselves, often withsuccess, under their collars, even under the edges of the protectingblankets, and down their backs. Robert, despite himself, shiveredviolently and even the hunter was forced to walk vigorously back andforth in the effort to keep warm. It was evident that the Onondaga hadtold the truth, and that the face of Areskoui was in very fact turnedfrom them. 

Robert awaited the word, looking now and then at Willet, but thehunter hung on for a long time. The leaves fell in showers before thestorm, making a faint rustling like the last sigh of the departing, and the snow, driven with so much force, stung his face like hail whenit struck. He was anxious for a fire, and its vital heat, but he wastoo proud to speak. He would endure without complaint as much as hiscomrades, and he knew that Tayoga, like himself, would wait for theolder man to speak. 

But he could not keep, meanwhile, from thinking of the French andIndians beside their vast heaps of glowing coals, fed and warmed totheir hearts' content, while the three lay in the dark and bitter coldof the wilderness. An hour dragged by, then two, then three, but thestorm showed no sign of abating. The sinister screaming of the winddid not cease and the snow accumulated upon their bodies. At lastWillet said:

"We must do it. "

"We have no other choice, " said Tayoga. "We have waited as long as wecould to see if Areskoui would turn a favoring face upon us, but hisanger holds. It will not avail, if in our endeavor to escape thetomahawk of Tandakora, we freeze to death. "

The fire decided upon, they took all risks and went about the taskwith eagerness. Ordinary men could not have lighted it under suchcircumstances, but the three had uncommon skill upon which to draw. They took the bark from dead wood, and shaved off many splinters, building up a little heap in the lee of a cliff, which they shelteredon the windward side with their bodies. Then Willet, working a longtime with his flint and steel, set to it the sparks that grew into ablaze. 

Robert did not stop with the fire. Noticing the vast amount of deadwood lying about, as was often the case in the wilderness, he draggedup many boughs and began to build a wall on the exposed side of theflames. Willet and Tayoga approving of the idea soon helped him, andthree pairs of willing hands quickly raised the barrier of trunks andbrush to a height of at least a yard. 

"A happy idea of yours, Robert, " said the hunter. "Now we achieve twoends at once. Our wall hides the glow of the fire and at the same timeprotects us in large measure from the snow and wind. "

"I have bright thoughts now and then, " said Robert, whose spirits hadreturned in full tide. "You needn't believe you and Tayoga have allof 'em. I don't believe either of you would have ever thought of thisfine wooden wall. In truth, Dave, I don't know what would become ofyou and Tayoga if you didn't have me along with you most all thetime! How good the fire feels! The warmth touches my fingers and goesstealing up my arms and into my body! It reaches my face too andgoes stealing down to meet the fine heat that makes a channel of myfingers! A glorious fire, Tayoga! I tell you, a glorious fire, Dave!The finest fire that's burning anywhere in the world!"

"The quality of a fire depends on the service it gives, " said thehunter. 

"Dagaeoga has many words when he is happy, " said the Onondaga. "Histongue runs on like the pleasant murmur of a brook, but he does itbecause Manitou made him that way. The world must have talkers aswell as doers, and it can be said for Lennox that he acts as well astalks. "

"Thanks, I'm glad you put in the saving clause, " laughed Robert. "Butit's a mighty good thing we built our wooden wall. That wind would cutto the bone if it could get at you. "

"The wind at least will keep the warriors away, " said Tayoga. "Theywill all stay close in the camp on such a night. "

"And no blame to them, " murmured the hunter. "If we weren't in theIndian country I'd build our own fire five times as big. Now, Robert, suppose you go to sleep. "

"I can't, Dave. You know I slept all the morning, but I'm notsuffering from dullness. I'm imagining things. I'm imagining how muchworse off we'd be if we didn't have flint and steel. I can always findpleasure in making such contrasts. "

But he crouched down lower against the cliff, drew his blanket closerand spread both hands over the fire, which had now died down into aglowing mass of coals. He was wondering what they would do on themorrow, when their food was exhausted. They had not only the storm tofight, but possible starvation in the days to come. He foresaw thatinstead of discovering all the plans of the enemy they would have astruggle merely to live. 

"Areskoui must truly be against us, Tayoga, " he said. "Who would havepredicted such a storm so early in the season?"

"We are several thousand feet above the sea level, " said Willet, "andthat will account for the violent change. I think the wind and snowwill last all tonight, and probably all tomorrow. "

"Then, " said Robert, "we'd better gather more wood, build our wallhigher and save ample fuel for the fire. "

The other two found the suggestion good, and all three acted uponit promptly, ranging through the forest about them in search ofbrushwood, which they brought back in great quantities. Robert's bloodbegan to tingle with the activity, and his spirits rose. Now the snow, as it drove against his face, instead of making him shiver, whippedhis blood. He was the most energetic of the three, and went thefarthest, in the hunt for fallen timber. 

One of his trips took him into the mouth of a little gorge, and, ashe bent down to seize the end of a big stick, he heard just ahead arustling that caused him with instinctive caution to straighten up andspring back, his hand, at the same time, flying to the butt of thepistol in his belt. A figure, tall and menacing, emerged from thedarkness, and he retreated two or three steps. 

It was his first thought that a warrior stood before him, but reasontold him quickly no Indian was likely to be there, and, then, throughthe thick dusk and falling snow, he saw a huge black bear, erect onhis hind legs, and looking at him with little red eyes. The animal wasso near that the lad could see his expression, and it was not angerbut surprise and inquiry. He divined at once that this particular bearhad never seen a human being before, and, having been roused from somewarm den by Robert's advance, he was asking what manner of creaturethe stranger and intruder might be. 

Robert's first impulse was one of friendliness. It did not occur tohim to shoot the bear, although the big fellow, fine and fat, wouldfurnish all the meat they needed for a long time. Instead his largeblue eyes gave back the curious gaze of the little red ones, and, fora little space, the two stood there, face to face, with no thought ofdanger or attack on the part of either. 

"If you'll let me alone I'll let you alone, " said the lad. 

The bear growled, but it was a kindly, reassuring growl. 

"I didn't mean to disturb you. I was looking for wood, not for bear. "

Another growl, but of a thoroughly placid nature. 

"Go wherever you please and I'll return to the camp with this fallensapling. "

A third growl, now ingratiating. 

"It's a cold night, with fire and shelter the chief needs, and you andI wouldn't think of fighting. "

A fourth growl which clearly disclosed the note of friendship andunderstanding. 

"We're in agreement, I see. Good night, I wish you well. "

A fifth growl, which had the tone of benevolent farewell, and thebear, dropping on all fours, disappeared in the brush. Robert, whosefancy had been alive and leaping, returned to the camp rather pleasedwith himself, despite the fact that about three hundred pounds ofexcellent food had walked away undisturbed. 

"I ran upon a big bear, " he said to the hunter and the Onondaga. 

"I heard no shot, " said Willet. 

"No, I didn't fire. Neither my impulse nor my will told me to do so. The bear looked at me in such brotherly fashion that I could neverhave sent a bullet into him. I'd rather go hungry. "

Neither Willet nor Tayoga had any rebuke for him. 

"Doubtless the soul of a good warrior had gone into the bear andlooked out at you, " said the Onondaga with perfect sincerity. "It issometimes so. It is well that you did not fire upon him or the face ofAreskoui would have remained turned from us too long. "

"That's just the way I felt about it, " said Robert, who had greattolerance for Iroquois beliefs. "His eyes seemed fully human to me, and, although I had my pistol in my belt and my hand when I first sawhim flew to its butt, I made no attempt to draw it. I have no regretsbecause I let him go. "

"Nor have we, " said Willet. "Now I think we can afford to rest again. We can build our wall six feet high if we want to and have wood enoughleft over to feed a fire for several days. "

The two lads, the white and the red, crouched once more in the lee ofthe cliff, while the hunter put two fresh sticks on the coals. Butlittle of the snow reached them where they lay, wrapped well in theirblankets, and all care disappeared from Robert's mind. Inured to thewilderness he ignored what would have been discomfort to others. Thetrails they had left in the snow when they hunted wood would soon becovered up by the continued fall, and for the night, at least, therewould be no danger from the warriors. He felt an immense comfort andsecurity, and by-and-by fell asleep again. Tayoga soon followed him toslumberland, and Willet once more watched alone. 

Tayoga relieved Willet about two o'clock in the morning, but they didnot awaken Robert at all in the course of the night. They knew that hewould upbraid them for not summoning him to do his share, but therewould be abundant chance for him to serve later on as a sentinel. 

The Onondaga did not arouse his comrades until long past daylight, andthen they opened their eyes to a white world, clear and cold. The snowhad ceased falling, but it lay several inches deep on the ground, andall the leaves had been stripped from the trees, on the high pointwhere they lay. The coals still glowed, and they heated over themthe last of their venison and bear meat, which they ate with keenappetite, and then considered what they must do, concluding at last todescend into the lower country and hunt game. 

"We can do nothing at present so far as the war is concerned, " saidWillet. "An army must eat before it can fight, but it's likely thatthe snow and cold will stop the operations of the French and Indiansalso. While we're saving our own lives other operations will bedelayed, and later on we may find Garay going back. "

"It is best to go down the mountain and to the south, " said Tayoga, inhis precise school English. "It may be that the snow has fallen onlyon the high peaks and ridges. Then we'll be sure to find game, andperhaps other food which we can procure without bullets. "

"Do you think we'd better move now?" asked Robert. 

"We must send out a scout first, " said Willet. 

It was agreed that Tayoga should go, and in about two hours hereturned with grave news. The warriors were out again, hunting in thesnow, and although unconscious of it themselves they formed an almostcomplete ring about the three, a ring which they must undertake tobreak through now in full daylight, and with the snow ready to leave abroad trail of all who passed. 

"They would be sure to see our path, " said Tayoga. "Even the shorttrail I made when I went forth exposes us to danger, and we must trustto luck that they will not see it. There is nothing for us to do, butto remain hidden here, until the next night comes. It is quite certainthat the face of Areskoui is still turned from us. What have we donethat is displeasing to the Sun God?"

"I can't recall anything, " said Robert. 

"Perhaps it is not what we have done but what we have failed to do, though whatever it is Areskoui has willed that we lie close anotherday. "

"And starve, " said Robert ruefully. 

"And starve, " repeated the Onondaga. 

The three crouched once more under the lee of the cliff, but towardnoon they built their wooden wall another foot higher, driven to thework by the threatening aspect of the sky, which turned to a somberbrown. The wind sprang up again, and it had an edge of damp. 

"Soon it will rain, " said Tayoga, "and it will be a bitter cold rain. Much of the snow will melt and then freeze again, coating the earthwith ice. It will make it more difficult for us to travel and thehunting that we need so much must be delayed. Then we'll grow hungrierand hungrier. "

"Stop it, Tayoga, " exclaimed Robert. "I believe you're torturing me onpurpose. I'm hungry now. "

"But that is nothing to what Dagaeoga will be tonight, after he hasgone many hours without food. Then he will think of the juicy venison, and of the tender steak of the young bear, and of the fine fish fromthe mountain streams, and he will remember how he has enjoyed them inthe past, but it will be only a memory. The fish that he craves willbe swimming in the clear waters, and the deer and the bear will be faraway, safe from his bullet. "

"I didn't know you had so much malice in your composition, Tayoga, butthere's one consolation; if I suffer you suffer also. "

The Onondaga laughed. 

"It will give Dagaeoga a chance to test himself, " he said. "We knowalready that he is brave in battle and skillful on the trail, and nowwe will see how he can sit for days and nights without anything toeat, and not complain. He will be a hero, he will draw in his beltnotch by notch, and never say a word. "

"That will do, Tayoga, " interrupted the hunter. "While you play uponRobert's nerves you play upon mine also, and they tell me you've saidenough. Actually I'm beginning to feel famished. "

Tayoga laughed once more. 

"While I jest with you I jest also with myself, " he said. "Now we'llsleep, since there is nothing else to do. "

He drew his blanket up to his eyes, leaned against the stony wall andslept. Robert could not imitate him. As the long afternoon, one of thelongest he had ever known, trailed its slow length away, he studiedthe forest in front of them, where the cold and mournful rain wasstill falling, a rain that had at least one advantage, as it had longsince obliterated all traces of a trail left by Tayoga on his scoutingexpedition, although search as he would he could find no other profitin it. 

Night came, the rain ceased, and, as Tayoga had predicted, the intensecold that arrived with the dark, froze it quickly, covering the earthwith a hard and polished glaze, smoother and more treacherous thanglass. It was impossible for the present to undertake flight oversuch a surface, with a foe naturally vigilant at hand, and they madethemselves as comfortable as they could, while they awaited anotherday. Now Robert began to draw in his belt, while a hunger that wasalmost too fierce to be endured assailed him. His was a strong body, demanding much nourishment, and it cried out to him for relief. Hetried to forget in sleep that he was famished, but he only dozed awhile to awaken to a hunger more poignant than ever. 

Yet he said never a word, but, as the night with its illimitable hourspassed, he grew defiant of difficulties and dangers, all of whichbecame but little things in presence of his hunger. It was his impulseto storm the Indian camp itself and seize what he wanted of thesupplies there, but his reason told him the thought was folly. Then hetried to forget about the steaks of bear and deer, and the delicatelittle fish from the mountain stream that Tayoga had mentioned, butthey would return before his eyes with so much vividness that healmost believed he saw them in reality. 

Dawn came again, and they had now been twenty-four hours without food. The pangs of hunger were assailing all three fiercely, but they didnot yet dare go forth, as the morning was dark and gloomy, with aresumption of the fierce, driving rain, mingled with hail, whichrattled now and then like bullets on their wooden wall. 

Robert shivered in his blanket, not so much from actual cold as fromthe sinister aspect of the world, and his sensitive imagination, which always pictured both good and bad in vivid colors, foresaw theenormous difficulties that would confront them. Hunger tore at him, as with the talons of a dragon, and he felt himself growing weak, although his constitution was so strong that the time for a decline invitality had not yet really come. He was all for going forth in thestorm and seeking game in the slush and cold, ignoring the French andIndian danger. But he knew the hunter and the Onondaga would not hearto it, and so he waited in silence, hot anger swelling in his heartagainst the foes who kept him there. Unable to do anything else, hefinally closed his eyes that he might shut from his view the gray andchilly world that was so hostile. 

"Is Areskoui turning his face toward us, Tayoga?" he asked after along wait. 

"No, Dagaeoga. Our unknown sin is not yet expiated. The day growsblacker, colder and wetter. "

"And I grow hungrier and hungrier. If we kill deer or bear we mustkill three of each at the same time, because I intend to eat one allby myself, and I demand that he be large and fat, too. I suppose we'llgo out of this place some time or other. "

"Yes, Dagaeoga. "

"Then we'd better make up our minds to do it before it's too late. Ifeel my nerves and tissues decaying already. "

"It's only your fancy, Dagaeoga. You can exist a week without food. "

"A week, Tayoga! I don't want to exist a week without food! Iabsolutely refuse to do so!"

"The choice is not yours, now, O Dagaeoga. The greatest gift you canhave is patience. The warrior, Daatgadose, of the clan of the Bear, ofthe nation Onondaga, of the great League of the Hodenosaunee, evenas I am, hemmed in by enemies in the forest, and with his powder andbullets gone, lay in hiding ten days without food once passing hislips, and took no lasting hurt from it. You, O Dagaeoga, willsurely do as well, and I can give you many other examples for youremulation. "

"Stop, Tayoga. Sometimes I'm sorry you speak such precise English. Ifyou didn't you couldn't have so much sport with a bad situation. "

The Onondaga laughed deeply and with unction. He knew that Robert wasnot complaining, that he merely talked to fill in the time, and hewent on with stories of illustrious warriors and chiefs among hispeople who had literally defied hunger and thirst and who had livedincredible periods without either food or water. Willet listened insilence, but with approval. He knew that any kind of talk would cheerthem and strengthen them for the coming test which was bound to besevere. 

Feeling that no warriors would be within sight at such a time theybuilt their fire anew and hovered over the flame and the coals, drawing a sort of sustenance from the warmth. But when the day wasnearly gone and there was no change in the sodden skies Robertdetected in himself signs of weakness that he knew were not theproduct of fancy. Every inch of his healthy young body cried out forfood, and, not receiving it, began to rebel and lose vigor. 

Again he was all for going forth and risking everything, and henoticed with pleasure that the hunter began to shift about and to peerinto the forest as if some plan for action was turning in his mind. But he said nothing, resolved to leave it all to Tayoga and Willet, and by-and-by, in the dark, to which his eyes had grown accustomed, hesaw the two exchanging glances. He was able to read these looks. The hunter said: "We must try it. The time has come. " The Onondagareplied: "Yes, it is not wise to wait longer, lest we grow too feeblefor a great effort. " The hunter rejoined: "Then it is agreed, " and theOnondaga said: "If our comrade thinks so too. " Both turned their eyesto young Lennox who said aloud: "It's what I've been waiting for along time. The sooner we leave the better pleased I'll be. "

"Then, " said Willet, "in an hour we'll start south, going down thetrail between the high cliffs, and we'll trust that either we'veexpiated our sin, whatever it was, or that Areskoui has forgiven us. It will be terrible traveling, but we can't wait any longer. "

They wrapped their blankets about their bodies as additional covering, and, at the time appointed, left their rude shelter. Yet when theywere away from its protection it did not seem so rude. When theirmoccasins sank in the slush and the snow and rain beat upon theirfaces, it was remembered as the finest little shelter in the world. The bodies of all three regretted it, but their wills and direnecessity sent them on. 

The hunter led, young Lennox followed and Tayoga came last, their feetmaking a slight sighing sound as they sank in the half-melted snow andice now several inches deep. Robert wore fine high moccasins of tannedmooseskin, much stronger and better than ordinary deerskin, but beforelong he felt the water entering them and chilling him to the bone. Nevertheless, keeping his resolution in mind, and, knowing that theothers were in the same plight, he made no complaint but trudgedsteadily on, three or four feet behind Willet, who chose the way thatnow led sharply downward. Once more he realized what an enormousfactor changes in temperature were in the lives of borderers and howthey could defeat supreme forethought and the greatest skill. Winterwith its snow and sleet was now the silent but none the less potentally of the French and Indians in preventing their escape. 

They toiled on two or three miles, not one of the three speaking. Thesleet and hail thickened. In spite of the blanket and the deerskintunic it made its way along his neck and then down his shoulders andchest, the chill that went downward meeting the chill that came upwardfrom his feet, now almost frozen. He could not recall ever beforehaving been so miserable of both mind and body. He did not know itjust then, but the lack of nourishment made him peculiarly susceptibleto mental and physical depression. The fires of youth were not burningin his veins, and his vitality had been reduced at least one half. 

Now, that terrible hunger, although he had striven to fight it, assailed him once more, and his will weakened slowly. What were thosetales Tayoga had been telling about men going a week or ten dayswithout food? They were clearly incredible. He had been less than twodays without it, and his tortures were those of a man at the stake. 

Willet's eyes, from natural keenness and long training, were able topierce the dusk and he showed the way, steep and slippery though itwas, with infallible certainty. They were on a lower slope, where bysome freak of the weather there was snow instead of slush, when hebent down and examined the path with critical and anxious eyes. Robertand Tayoga waited in silence, until the hunter straightened up again. Then he said:

"A war party has gone down the pass ahead of us. There were abouttwenty men in it, and it's not more than two hours beyond us. Whetherit's there to cut us off, or has moved by mere chance, I don't know, but the effect is just the same. If we keep on we'll run into it. "

"Suppose we try the ascent and get out over the ridges, " said Robert. 

Willet looked up at the steep and lofty slopes on either side. 

"It's tremendously bad footing, " he replied, "and will take heavy tollof our strength, but I see no other way. It would be foolish for us togo on and walk straight into the hands of our enemies. What say you, Tayoga?"

"There is but a single choice and that a desperate one. We must trythe summits. "

They delayed no longer, and, Willet still leading, began the frightfulclimb, choosing the westward cliff which towered above them afull four hundred feet, and, like the one that faced it, almostprecipitous. Luckily many evergreens grew along the slope and usingthem as supports they toiled slowly upward. Now and then, in spite ofevery precaution, they sent down heaps of snow that rumbled as itfell into the pass. Every time one of these miniature avalanches fellRobert shivered. His fancy, so vitally alive, pictured savages in thepass, attracted by the noise, and soon to fire at his helpless figure, outlined against the slope. 

"Can't you go a little faster?" he said to Willet, who was just ahead. 

"It wouldn't be wise, " replied the hunter. "We mustn't risk a fall. But I know why you want to hurry on, Robert. It's the fear of beingshot in the back as you climb. I feel it too, but it's only fancy withboth of us. "

Robert said no more, but, calling upon his will, bent his mind totheir task. Above him was the dusky sky and the summit seemed to towera mile away, but he knew that it was only sixty or seventy yards now, and he took his luxurious imagination severely in hand. At such a timehe must deal only in realities and he subjected all that he saw tomathematical calculation. Sixty or seventy yards must be sixty orseventy yards only and not a mile. 

After a time that seemed interminable Willet's figure disappeared overthe cliff, and, with a gasp, Robert followed, Tayoga coming swiftlyafter. The three were so tired, their vitality was so reduced thatthey lay down in the snow, and drew long, painful breaths. When somemeasure of strength was restored they stood up and surveyed the placewhere they stood, a bleak summit over which the wind blew sharply. Nothing grew there but low bushes, and they felt that, while they mayhave escaped the war band, their own physical case was worse insteadof better. Both cold and wind were more severe and a bitter hail beatupon them. It was obvious that Areskoui did not yet forgive, althoughit must surely be a sin of ignorance, of omission and not ofcommission, with the equal certainty that a sin of such type could notbe unforgivable for all time. 

"We seem to be on a ridge that runs for a great distance, " saidTayoga. "Suppose we continue along the comb of it. At least we cannotmake ourselves any worse off than we are now. "

They toiled on, now and then falling on the slippery trail, theirvitality sinking lower and lower. Occasionally they had glimpses of avast desolate region under a somber sky, peaks and ridges and slopesover which clouds hovered, the whole seeming to resent the entry ofman and to offer to him every kind of resistance. 

Robert was now wet through and through. No part of his body hadescaped and he knew that his vitality was at such a low ebb that atleast seventy-five per cent, of it was gone. He wanted to stop, hiscold and aching limbs cried out for rest, and he craved heat at thecost of every risk, but his will was still firm, and he would not bethe first to speak. It was Willet who suggested when they came to aslight dip that they make an effort to build a fire. 

"The human body, no matter how strong it may be naturally, and howmuch it may be toughened by experience, will stand only so much, " hesaid. 

They were constantly building fires in the wilderness, but the firethey built that morning was the hardest of them all to start. Theyselected, as usual, the lee of a rocky uplift, and, then by thepatient use of flint and steel, and, after many failures, theykindled a blaze that would last. But in their reduced state the laborexhausted them, and it was some time before they drew any life fromthe warmth. When the circulation had been restored somewhat they piledon more wood, taking the chance of being seen. They even went so faras to build a second fire, that they might sit between the two and drythemselves more rapidly. Then they waited in silence the coming of thedawn. 

CHAPTER III

THE BRAVE DEFENSE

Robert hoped for a fair morning. Surely Areskoui would relent now! Butthe sun that crept languidly up the horizon was invisible to them, hidden by a dark curtain of clouds that might shed, at any moment, torrents of rain or hail or snow. The whole earth swam in chillydamp. Banks of cold fog filled the valleys and gorges, and shreds andpatches of it floated along the peaks and ridges. The double fires haddried his clothing and had sent warmth into his veins, increasing hisvitality somewhat, but it was far below normal nevertheless. He had animmense aversion to further movement. He wanted to stay there betweenthe coals, awaiting passively whatever fate might have for him. Somehow, his will to make an effort and live seemed to have gone. 

While weakness grew upon him and he drooped by the fire, he did notfeel hunger, but it was only a passing phase. Presently the desire forfood that had gnawed at him with sharp teeth came back, and with ithis wish to do, like one stirred into action by pain. Hunger itselfwas a stimulus and his sinking vitality was arrested in its decline. He looked around eagerly at the sodden scene, but it certainly heldout little promise of game. Deer and bear would avoid those steeps, and range in the valleys. But the will to action, stimulated back tolife, remained. However comfortable it was between the fires they mustnot stay there to perish. 

"Why don't we go on?" he said to Willet. 

"I'm glad to hear you ask that question, " replied the hunter. 

"Why, Dave?"

"Because it shows that you haven't given up. If you've got the courageto leave such a warm and dry place you've got the courage also to makeanother fight for life. And you were the first to speak, too, Robert. "

"We must go on, " said Tayoga. "But it is best to throw slush over thefire and hide our traces. "

The task finished they took up their vague journey, going they knewnot where, but knowing that they must go somewhere, their uncertainway still leading along the crests of narrow ridges, across shallowdips and through drooping forests, where the wind moaned miserably. Atintervals, it rained or snowed or hailed and once more they were wetthrough and through. The recrudescence of Robert's strength was a mereflare-up. His vitality ebbed again, and not even the fierce gnawinghunger that refused to depart could stimulate it. By-and-by he beganto stumble, but Tayoga and Willet, who noticed it, said nothing--theystaggered at times themselves. They toiled on for hours in silence, but, late in the afternoon, Robert turned suddenly to the Onondaga. 

"Do you remember, Tayoga, " he said, "something you said to me a coupleof days since, or was it a week, or maybe a month ago? I seem toremember time very uncertainly, but you were talking about repasts, banquets, Lucullan banquets, more gorgeous banquets than old Nero had, and they say he was king of epicures. I think you spoke of tendervenison, and juicy bear steaks, and perhaps of a delicate broiledtrout from one of these clear mountain streams. Am I not right, Tayoga? Didn't you mention viands? And perhaps you may still bethinking of them?"

"I _am_, Dagaeoga. I am thinking of them all the time. I confess toyou that I am so hungry I could gnaw the inside of the fresh bark upona tree, and if I were turned loose upon a deer, slain and cooked, Icould eat him all from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail. "

"Stop, you boys, " said Willet sternly. "You only aggravate yoursufferings. Isn't that a valley to the right, Tayoga, and don't youcatch the gleam of a little lake among its trees?"

"It is a valley, Great Bear, and there _is_ a small lake in thecenter. We will go there. Perhaps we can catch fish. "

Hope sprang up in Robert's heart. Fish? Why, of course there were fishin all the mountain lakes! and they never failed to carry hooks andlines in their packs. Bait could be found easily under the rocks. He did not conceal his eagerness to descend into the valley and theothers were not less forward than he. 

The valley was about half a square mile in area, of which the lake inthe center occupied one-fourth, the rest being in dense forest. The three soon had their lines in water, and they waited full ofanticipation, but they waited in vain until long after night had come. Not one of the three received a bite. The lines floated idly. 

"Every lake in the mountains except one is full of fish--except one!"exclaimed Robert bitterly, "and this is the one!"

"No, it is not that, " said Tayoga gravely. "It means that the faceof Areskoui is still turned from us, that the good Sun God does notrelent for our unknown sin. We must have offended him deeply that heshould remain angry with us so long. This lake is swarming with fish, like the others of the mountains, but he has willed that not oneshould hang upon our hooks. Why waste time?"

He drew his line from the water, wound it up carefully and replacedit in his pack. The others, after a fruitless wait, imitated him, convinced that he was right. Then, after infinite pains, as before, they built two fires again, and slept between them. But the nextmorning all three were weak. Their vitality had declined fast in thenight, and the situation became critical in the extreme. 

"We must find food or we die, " said Willet. "We might linger a longtime, but soon we won't have the strength to hunt, and then it wouldonly be a question of when the wolves took us. "

"I can hear them howling now on the slopes, " said Tayoga. "They knowwe are here, and that our strength is declining. They will not faceour rifles, but will wait until we are too weak to use them. "

"What is your plan, Dave?" asked Robert. 

"There must be game on the slopes. What say you, Tayoga?"

"If Areskoui has willed for game to be there it will be there. Hewill even send it to us. And perhaps he has decided that he has nowpunished us enough. "

"It certainly won't hurt for us to try, and perhaps we'd betterseparate. Robert, you go west; Tayoga, you take the eastern slopes, and I'll hunt toward the north. By night we'll all be back at thisspot, full-handed or empty-handed, as it may be, but full-handed, Ihope. "

He spoke cheerfully, and the others responded in like fashion. Actiongave them a mental and physical tonic, and bracing their weak bodiesthey started in the direction allotted to each. Robert forgot, for alittle while, the terrible hunger that seemed to be preying upon hisvery fiber, and, as he started away, showed an elasticity and buoyancyof which he could not have dreamed himself capable five minutesbefore. 

Westward stretched forest, lofty in the valley, high on the slopes andeverywhere dense. He plunged into it, and then looked back. Tayoga andWillet were already gone from his sight, seeking what he sought. Theirexperience in the wilderness was greater than his, and they weresuperior to him in trailing, but he was very hopeful that it would behis good fortune to find the game they needed so badly, the game theymust have soon, in truth, or perish. 

The valley was deep in slush and mire, and the water soaked throughhis leggings and moccasins again, but he paid no attention to it now. His new courage and strength lasted. Glancing up at the heavens hebeheld a little rift in the western clouds. A bar of light waslet through, and his mind, so imaginative, so susceptible to theinfluences of earth and air, at once saw it as an omen. It was apillar of fire to him, and his faith was confirmed. 

"Areskoui is turning back his face, and he smiles upon us, " he said tohimself. Then looking carefully to his rifle, he held it ready for aninstant shot. 

He came to the westward edge of the valley, and found the slope beforehim gentle but rocky. He paused there a while in indecision, and, then glancing up again at the bar of light that had grown broader, hemurmured, so much had he imbibed the religion and philosophy of theIroquois:

"O Areskoui, direct me which way to go. "

The reply came, almost like a whisper in his ear:

"Try the rocks. "

It always seemed to him that it was a real whisper, not his own mindprompting him, and he walked boldly among the rocks which stretchedfor a long distance along the slopes. Then, or for the time, at least, he felt sure that a powerful hand was directing him. He saw tracks inthe soft soil between the strong uplifts and he believed that theywere fresh. Hollows were numerous there, and game of a certain kindwould seek them in bitter weather. 

His heart began to pound hard, too heavily, in fact, for his weakenedframe, and he was compelled to stop and steady himself. Then heresumed the hunt once more, looking here and there between the rockyuplifts and in the deep depressions. He lost the tracks and thenhe found them, apparently fresher than ever. Would he take what hesought? Was the face of Areskoui still inclining toward him? He lookedup and the bar of light was steadily growing broader and longer. Thesmile of the Sun God was deeper, and his doubts went away, one by one. 

He turned toward a tall rock and a black figure sprang up, stared athim a moment or two, and then undertook to run away. Robert's rifleleaped to his shoulder, and, at a range so short that he could notmiss, he pulled the trigger. The animal went down, shot through theheart, and then, silently exulting, young Lennox stood over him. 

Areskoui had, in truth, been most kind. It was a young bear, nearlygrown, very fat, and, as Robert well knew, very tender also. Here wasfood, splendid food, enough to last them many days, and he rejoiced. Then he was in a quandary. He could not carry the bear away, and whilehe could cut him up, he was loath to leave any part of him there. Thewolves would soon be coming, insisting upon their share, but he wasresolved they should have none. 

He put his fingers over his mouth and blew between them a whistle, long, shrill and piercing, a sound that penetrated farther thanthe rifle shot. It was answered presently in a faint note from theopposite slope, and, then sitting down, he waited patiently. He knewthat Tayoga and Willet would come, and, after a while, they appeared, striding eagerly through the forest. Then Robert rose, his heart fullof gratitude and pride, and, in a grand manner, he did the honors. 

"Come, good comrades, " he said. "Come to the banquet. Have a steak ofa bear, the finest, juiciest, tenderest bear that was ever killed. Have two steaks, three steaks, four steaks, any number of them. Hereis abundant food that Areskoui has sent us. "

Then he reeled and would have fallen to the ground had not Willetcaught him in his arms. His great effort, made in his weakenedcondition, had exhausted him and a sudden collapse came, but herevived almost instantly, and the three together dragged the body ofthe bear into the valley. Then they proceeded dextrously, but withoutundue haste, to clean it, to light a fire, and to cook strips. Nor didthey eat rapidly, knowing it was not wise to do so, but took littlepieces, masticating them long and well, and allowing a decent intervalbetween. Their satisfaction was intense and enormous. Life, fresh andvigorous, poured back into their veins. 

"I'm sorry our bear had to die, " said Robert, "but he perished in agood cause. I think he was reserved for the especial purpose of savingour lives. "

"It is so, " said Tayoga with deep conviction. "The face of Areskoui isnow turned toward us. Our unknown sin is expiated. We must cook allthe bear, and hang the flesh in the trees. "

"So we must, " said the hunter. "It's not right that we three, who areengaged in the great service of our country, should be hindered by thedanger of starvation. We ought now to be somewhere near the French andIndians, watching them. "

"Tomorrow we will seek them, Great Bear, " said Tayoga, "but do you notthink that tonight we should rest?"

"So we should, Tayoga. You're right. We'll take all chances on beingseen, keep a good fire going and enjoy our comfort. "

"And eat a big black bear steak every hour or so, " said Robert. 

"If we feel like it that's just what we'll do, " laughed Willet. "It'sour night, now. Surely, Robert, you're the greatest hunter in theworld! Neither Tayoga nor I saw a sign of game, but you walkedstraight to your bear. "

"No irony, " said Robert, who, nevertheless, was pleased. "It merelyproves that Areskoui had forgiven me, while he had not forgiven youtwo. But don't you notice a tremendous change?"

"Change! Change in what?"

"Why, everything! The whole world is transformed! Around us alittle while ago stretched a scrubby, gloomy forest, but it is nowmagnificent and cheerful. I never saw finer oaks and beeches. That skywhich was black and sinister has all the gorgeous golds and reds andpurples of a benevolent sunset. The wind, lately cold and wet, isactually growing soft, dry and warm. It's a grand world, a kind world, a friendly world!"

"Thus, O Dagaeoga, " said Tayoga, "does the stomach rule man and theuniverse. It is empty and all is black, it is filled and all thatwas black turns to rose. But the rose will soon be gone, because thesunlight is fading and night is at hand. "

"But it's a fine night, " said Robert sincerely. "I think it about thefinest night I ever saw coming. "

"Have another of these beautiful broiled steaks, " said Willet, "andyou'll be sure it's the finest night that ever was or ever will be. "

"I think I will, " said Robert, as he held the steak on the end of asharpened stick over the coals and listened to the pleasant sizzlingsound, "and after this is finished and a respectable time has elapsed, I may take another. "

The revulsion in all three was tremendous. Although they had hiddenit from one another, the great decrease in physical vitality hadmade their minds sink into black despair, but now that strength wasreturning so fast they saw the world through different eyes. Theylay back luxuriously and their satisfaction was so intense that theythought little of danger. Tandakora might be somewhere near, but itdid not disturb men who were as happy as they. The night came down, heavy and dark, as had been predicted, and they smothered their fire, but they remained before the coals, sunk in content. 

They talked for a while in low tones, but, at length, they becamesilent. The big hunter considered. He knew that, despite the revulsionin feeling, they were not yet strong enough to undertake a greatcampaign against their enemies, and it would be better to remain awhile in the valley until they were restored fully. 

Beside their fire was a good enough place for the time, and Robertkept the first watch. The night, in reality, had turned much warmerand the sky was luminous with stars. The immense sense of comfortremained with him, and he was not disturbed by the howling of thewolves, which he knew had been drawn by the odor of game, but which heknew also would be afraid to invade the camp and attack three men. 

His spirits, high as they were already, rose steadily as he watched. Surely after the Supreme Power had cast them down into the depths, amiracle had been worked in their behalf to take them out again. It wasno skill of his that had led him to the bear, but strength far greaterthan that of man was now acting in their behalf. As they had triumphedover starvation they would triumph over everything. His sanguine mindpredicted it. 

The next morning was crisp and cold, but not wet, and Robert ate themost savory breakfast he could recall. That bear must have been fed onthe choicest of wild nuts, topped off with wild honey, to have been sojuicy and tender, and the thought of nuts caused him to look under thebig hickory trees, where he found many of them, large and ripe. Theymade a most welcome addition to their bill of fare, taking the placeof bread. Then, they were so well pleased with themselves that theyconcluded to spend another day and night in the valley. 

Tayoga about noon climbed the enclosing ridge to the north, and, whenhe returned, Willet noticed a sparkle in his eyes. But the hunter saidnothing, knowing that the Onondaga would speak in his own good time. 

"There is another valley beyond the ridge, " said Tayoga, "and a warparty is encamped in it. They sit by their fire and eat prodigiouslyof deer they have killed. "

Robert was startled, but he kept silent, he, too, knowing that Tayogawould tell all he intended to tell without urging. 

"They do not know we are here, I do not think they dream of ourpresence, " continued the Onondaga, "Areskoui smiles on us now, andTododaho on his star, which we cannot see by day, is watching over us. Their feet will not bring them this way. "

"Then you wouldn't suggest our taking to flight?" said Willet. "Youwould favor hiding here in peace?"

"Even so. It will please us some day to remember that we rested andslept almost within hearing of our enemies, and yet they did not takeus. "

"That's grim humor, Tayoga, but if it's the way you feel, Robert and Iare with you. "

Later in the afternoon they saw smoke rising beyond the ridge andthey knew the warriors had built a great fire before which they wereprobably lying and gorging themselves, after their fashion when theyhad plenty of food, and little else to do. Yet the three remaineddefiantly all that day and all through the following night. The nextmorning, with ample supplies in their packs, they turned their facessouthward, and cautiously climbed the ridge in that direction, oncemore passing into the region of the peaks. To their surprise theystruck several comparatively fresh trails in the passes, and they weresoon forced to the conclusion that the hostile forces were still allabout them. Near midday they stopped in a narrow gorge between highpeaks and listened to calls of the inhabitants of the forest, thefaint howls of wolves, and once or twice the yapping of a fox. 

"The warriors signaling to one another!" said Willet. 

"It is so, " said Tayoga. "I think they have noticed our tracks inthe earth, too slight, perhaps, to tell who we are, but they willundertake to see. "

"I hear the call of a moose directly ahead, " said Robert, "although Iknow it is no moose that makes it. Our way there is cut off. "

"And there is the howl of the wolf behind us, " said Tayoga. "We cannotgo back. "

"Then, " said Robert, "I suppose we must climb the mountain. It's luckywe've got our strength again. "

They scaled a lofty summit once more, fortunately being able to climbamong rocks, where they left no trail, and, crouched at the crest indense bushes, they saw two bands meet in the valley below, evidentlysearching for the fugitives. There was no white man among them, butRobert knew a gigantic figure to be that of Tandakora, seeking themwith the most intense and bitter hatred. The muzzle of his rifle beganto slide forward, but Willet put out a detaining hand. 

"No, Robert, lad, " he said. "He deserves it, but his time hasn't comeyet. Besides your shot would bring the whole crowd up after us. "

"And he belongs to me, " added Tayoga. "When he falls it is to be by myhand. "

"Yes, he belongs to you, Tayoga, " said Willet "Now they've concludedthat we continued toward the south, and they're going on that way. "

As they felt the need of the utmost caution they spent the remainderof the day and the next night on the crest. Robert kept the latewatch, and he saw the dawn come, red and misty, a huge sun shiningover the eastern mountains, but shedding little warmth. He was hopefulthat Tandakora and his warriors had passed on far into the south, buthe heard a distant cry rising in the clear air east of the peak andthen a reply to the west. His heart stood still for a moment. Heknew that they were the whoops of the savages and he felt that theysignified a discovery. Perhaps chance had disclosed their trail. Helistened with great intentness, but the shouts did not come again. Nevertheless the omen was bad. 

He awoke Willet and the Onondaga, who had been sleeping soundly, and told them what had happened, both agreeing that the shouts werecharged with import. 

"I think it likely that we will be attacked, " said the hunter. "Now wemust take another look at our position. "

The peak, luckily for them, was precipitous, and its crest did notcover an area of more than twenty or thirty square yards. On the threesides the ascent was so steep that a man could not climb up exceptwith extreme difficulty, but on the fourth, by which they had come, the slope was more gradual. The gentle climb faced the east, and itwas here that the hunter and Robert watched, while Tayoga, for thesake of utmost precaution, kept an eye on the steep sides. 

Knowing that it was wise to economize and even to increase theirstrength, they ate abundantly of the bear steaks, afterward cravingwater, which they were forced to do without--the one great flaw intheir position, since the warriors might hold them there to perish ofthirst. 

Robert soon forgot the desire for water in the tenseness of watchingand waiting. But even the anxiety and the peril to his life did notkeep him from noticing the singularity of his situation, upon theslender peak of a high mountain far in the wilderness. The sun, fullof splendor but still cold, touched with gold all the surroundingcrests and ridges and filled with a yellow but luxurious haze everygorge and ravine. He was compelled to admire its wintry beauty, abeauty, though, that he knew to be treacherous, surcharged as it waswith savage wile and stratagem, and a burning desire for their lives. 

A time that seemed incredible passed without demonstration from theenemy. But he realized that it was only about two hours. He did notexpect to see any of the warriors creeping up the slopes toward them, but too wise to watch for their faces he did expect to notice thebushes move ever so slightly under their advance. He and Willetremained crouched in the same positions in the shelter of high rocks. Tayoga, who had been moving about the far side, came to them andwhispered:

"I am going down the northern face of the cliff!"

"Why, it's sheer insanity, Tayoga!" said the astonished hunter. 

"But I'm going. "

"What'll you achieve after you've gone? You'll merely walk intoTandakora's hands!"

"I go, Great Bear, and I will return in a half hour, alive and well. "

"Is your mind upset, Tayoga?"

"I am quite sane. Remember, Great Bear, I will be back in a half hourunhurt. "

Then he was gone, gliding away through the low vegetation that coveredthe crest, and Robert and the hunter looked at each other. 

"There is more in this than the eye sees, " said young Lennox. "I neverknew Tayoga to speak with more confidence. I think he will be backjust as he says, in half an hour. "

"Maybe, though I don't understand it. But there are lots of things onedoesn't understand. We must keep our eyes on the slope, and let Tayogasolve his own problem, whatever it is. "

There was no wind at all, but once Robert thought he saw the shrubshalfway down the steep move, though he was not sure and nothingfollowed. But, intently watching the place where the motion hadoccurred, he caught a gleam of metal which he was quite sure came froma rifle barrel. 

"Did you see it?" he whispered to the hunter. 

"Aye, lad, " replied Willet. "They're there in that dense clump, hopingwe've relaxed the watch and that they can surprise us. But it may betwo or three hours before they come any farther. Always remember inyour dealings with Indians that they have more time than anythingelse, and so they know how to be patient. Now, I wonder what Tayoga isdoing! That boy certainly had something unusual on his mind!"

"Here he is, ready to speak for himself, and back inside his promisedhalf hour. "

Tayoga parted the bushes without noise, and sat down between thembehind the big rocks. He offered no explanation, but seemed verycontent with himself. 

"Well, Tayoga, " said Willet, "did you go down the side of themountain?"

"As far as I wished. "

"What do you mean by that?"

"I have been engaged in a very pleasant task, Great Bear. "

"What pleasure can you find in scaling a steep and rocky slope?"

"I have been drinking, Great Bear, drinking the fresh, pure water ofthe mountains, and it was wonderfully cool and good to my dry throat. "

The two gazed at him in astonishment, and he laughed low, but withdeep enjoyment. 

"I took one drink, two drinks, three drinks, " he said, "and when thetime comes I shall take more. The fountain also awaits the lips of theGreat Bear and of Dagaeoga. "

"Tell it all, " said Robert. 

"When I looked down the steep side a long time I thought I caught agleam as of falling water in the bushes. It was only twenty or thirtyyards below us, and, when I descended to it, I found a little fountainbursting from a crevice in the rock. It was but a thread, makinga tiny pool a few inches across, before it dropped away among thebushes, but it is very cool, very clear, and there is always plenty ofit for many men. "

"Is the descent hard?" asked Willet. 

"Not for one who is strong and cautious. There are thick vines andbushes to which to hold, and remember that the splendid water is atthe end of the journey. "

"Then, Robert, you go, " said the hunter, "and mind, too, that you getback soon, because my throat is parching. I'd like to have one deepdrink before the warriors attack. "

Robert followed Tayoga, and, obeying his instructions, was soon at thefountain, where he drank once, twice, thrice, and then once moreof the finest water he could recall. Then, deeply grateful for theOnondaga's observation, he climbed back, and the hunter took his turn. 

"It was certainly good, Tayoga, " he said, when he was back inposition. "Some men don't think much of water, but none of us can livewithout it. You've saved our lives. "

"Perhaps, O Great Bear, " responded the Onondaga, "but if the bushesbelow continue to shake as they are doing we shall have to save themagain. Ah!"

The exclamation, long drawn but low, was followed by the leap of hisrifle to the shoulder, and the pressing of his finger on the trigger. A stream of fire sprang from the muzzle of the long barrel to befollowed by a yell in one of the thickets clustering on the slope. Asavage rose to his feet, threw up his arms and fell headlong, his bodycrashing far below on the rocks. Robert shut his eyes and shivered. 

"He was dead before he touched earth, lad, " said the hunter. "Now theothers are ready to scramble back. Look how the bushes are shakingagain!"

Robert had shut his eyes only for a moment, and now he saw the scrubshaking more violently than ever. Then he had a fleeting glimpse ofbrown bodies as all the warriors descended rapidly. Anyone of thethree might have fired with good aim, but they did not raise theirrifles. Since their enemies were retreating they would let themretreat. 

"They're all back in the valley now, " said the hunter after a littlewhile, "and they'll think a lot before they try the steep ascent asecond time. Now it's a question of patience, and they hope we'llbecome so weak from thirst that we'll fall into their hands. "

"Tandakora and his warriors would be consumed with anger if they knewof our spring, " said Tayoga. 

"They'll find out about it soon, " said Robert. 

"I think not, " said Tayoga. "I noticed when I was at the fountain thatthe rivulet ran back into the cliff about a hundred feet below, andone can see the water only from the crest. If Areskoui has allowed usto be besieged here, he at least has created much in our favor. "

He looked toward the east, where the great red sun was shining, andworshiped silently. It seemed to Robert that his young comrade staredunwinking for a long time into the eye of the Sun God, though perhapsit was only a few seconds. But his form expanded and his face wasillumined. Robert knew that the Onondaga's confidence had becomesupreme, and he shared in it. 

The hunter and Tayoga kept the watch after a while, and young Lennoxwas free to wander about the crest as he wished. He examined carefullythe three sides they had left unguarded, but was convinced that nowarrior, no matter how skillful and tenacious, could climb up there. Then he wandered back toward the sentinels, and, sitting down under atree, began to study the distant slopes across the gorge. 

He saw the warriors gather by-and-by in a deep recess out of rifleshot, light a fire and begin to cook great quantities of game, asif they meant to stay there and keep the siege until doomsday, ifnecessary. He saw the gigantic figure of Tandakora approach the fire, eat voraciously for a while and then go away. After him came a whiteman in French uniform. He thought at first it was St. Luc and hisheart beat hard, but he was able to discern presently that it was anofficer not much older than himself, in a uniform of white faced withviolet and a black, three-cornered hat. Finally he recognized young DeGalissonnière, whom he had met in Québec, and whom he had seen a fewdays since in the French camp. 

As he looked De Galissonnière left the recess, descended into thevalley and then began to climb their slope, a white handkerchief heldaloft on the point of his small sword. Young Lennox immediately joinedthe two watchers at the brink. 

"A flag of truce! Now what can he want!" he exclaimed. 

"We'll soon see, " replied Willet. "He's within good hearing now, andI'll hail him. "

He shouted in powerful tones that echoed in the gorge:

"Below there! What is it?"

"I have something to say that will be of great importance to you, "replied De Galissonnière. 

"Then come forward, while we remain here. We don't trust your allies. "

Robert saw the face of the young Frenchman flush, but DeGalissonnière, as if knowing the truth, and resolved not to quibbleover it, climbed steadily. When he was within twenty feet of thecrest the hunter called to him to halt, and he did so, leaning easilyagainst a strong bush, while the three waited eagerly to hear what hehad to say. 

CHAPTER IV

THE GODS AT PLAY

De Galissonnière gazed at the three faces, peering at him over thebrink, and then drew himself together jauntily. His position, perchedon the face of the cliff, was picturesque, and he made the most of it. 

"I am glad to see you again Mr. Willet, Mr. Lennox and Tayoga, thebrave Onondaga, " he said. "It's been a long time since we met inQuébec and much water has flowed under that bridge of Avignon, ofwhich we French sing, but I can't see that any one of you has changedmuch. "

"Nor you, " said Robert, catching his tone and acting as spokesmanfor the three. "The circumstances are unusual, Captain Louis deGalissonnière, and I'm sorry I can't invite you to come up on ourcrest, but it wouldn't be military to let you have a look at ourfortifications. "

"I understand, and I do very well where I am. I wish to say first thatI am sorry to see you in such a plight. "

"And we, Captain, regret to find you allied with such a savage asTandakora. "

A quick flush passed over the young Frenchman's face, but he made noother sign. 

"In war one cannot always choose, " he replied. "I have come to receiveyour surrender, and I warn you very earnestly that it will be wise foryou to tender it. The Indians have lost one man already and they areinflamed. If they lose more I might not be able to control them. "

"And if we yield ourselves you pledge us our lives, a transfer insafety to Canada where we are to remain as prisoners of war, untilsuch time as we may be exchanged?"

"All that I promise, and gladly. "

"You're sure, Captain de Galissonnière, that you can carry out theconditions?"

"Absolutely sure. You are surrounded here on the peak, and you cannotget away. All we have to do is to keep the siege. "

"That is true, but while you can wait so can we. "

"But we have plenty of water, and you have none. "

"You would urge us again to surrender on the ground that it would bethe utmost wisdom for us to do so?"

"It goes without saying, Mr. Lennox. "

"Then, that being the case, we decline. "

De Galissonnière looked up in astonishment at the young face thatgazed down at him. The answer he had expected was quite the reverse. 

"You mean that you refuse?" he exclaimed. 

"It is just what I meant. "

"May I ask why, when you are in such a hopeless position?"

"Tayoga, Mr. Willet and I wish to see how long we can endure the pangsof thirst without total collapse. We've had quite a difference on thesubject. Tayoga says ten days, Mr. Willet twelve days, but I think wecan stand it a full two weeks. "

De Galissonnière frowned. 

"You are frivolous, Mr. Lennox, " he said, "and this is not a time forlight talk. I don't know what you mean, but it seems to me you don'tappreciate the dire nature of your peril. I liked you and yourcomrades when I met you in Québec and I do not wish to see you perishat the hands of the savages. That is why I have climbed up here tomake you this offer, which I have wrung from the reluctant Tandakora. It was he who assured me that the besieged were you. It pains me thatyou see fit to reject it. "

"I know it was made out of a good heart, " said Robert, seriously, "andwe thank you for the impulse that brought you here. Some day we may beable to repay it, but we decline because there are always chances. Youknow, Captain, that while we have life we always have hope. We may yetescape. "

"I do not see wherein it is possible, " said the young Frenchman, withactual reluctance in his tone. "But it is for you to decide what youwish to do. Farewell. "

"Farewell, Captain de Galissonnière, " said Robert, with the utmostsincerity. "I hope no bullet of ours will touch you. "

The captain made a courteous gesture of good-by and slowly descendedthe slope, disappearing among the bushes in the gorge, whence came afierce and joyous shout. 

"That was the cry of the savages when he told them our answer, " saidWillet. "They don't want us to surrender. They think that by-and-bywe'll fall into their hands through exhaustion, and then they can worktheir will upon us. "

"They don't know about that fountain, that pure, blessed fountain, "said Robert, "the finest fountain that gushes out anywhere in thisnorthern wilderness, the fountain that Tayoga's Areskoui has put herefor our especial benefit. "

His heart had become very light and, as usual when his optimism wasat its height, words gushed forth. Water, and their ability to get itwhenever they wanted it, was the key to everything, and he paintedtheir situation in such bright colors that his two comrades could notkeep from sharing his enthusiasm. 

"Truly, Dagaeoga did not receive the gift of words in vain, " saidTayoga. "Golden speech flows from him, and it lifts up the mindsof those who hear. Manitou finds a use for everybody, even for theorator. "

"Though it was a hard task, even for Manitou, " laughed Robert. 

They watched the whole afternoon without any demonstration from theenemy--they expected none--and toward evening the Onondaga, who wasgazing into the north, announced a dark shadow on the horizon. 

"What is it?" asked Robert. "A cloud? I hope we won't have anotherstorm. "

"It is no cloud, " replied Tayoga. "It is something else that movesvery fast, and it comes in our direction. A little longer and I cantell what it is. Now I see; it is a flight of wild pigeons, a greatflock, hundreds of thousands, and millions, going south to escape thewinter. "

"We've seen such flights often. "

"So we have, but this is coming straight toward us, and I have a greatthought, Dagaeoga. Areskoui has not only forgiven us for our unknownsin--perhaps of omission--but he has also decided to put help in ourway, if we will use it. You see many dwarf trees at the southern edgeof the crest, and I believe that by dark they will be covered withpigeons, stopping for the night. "

"And some of them will stop for our benefit, though we have bear meattoo! I see, Tayoga. "

Robert watched the flying cloud, which had grown larger and blacker, and then he saw that Tayoga was right. It was an immense flock of wildpigeons, and, as the twilight fell, they covered the trees upon theircrest so thickly that the boughs bent beneath them. Young Lennox andthe Onondaga killed as many as they wished with sticks, and soon, fatand juicy, they were broiling over the coals. 

"Tandakora will guess that the pigeons have fed us, " said Robert, "andhe will not like it, but he will yet know nothing about the water. "

They climbed down in turn in the darkness and took a drink, andRobert, who explored a little, found many vines loaded with wildgrapes, ripe and rich, which made a splendid dessert. Then he tooka number of the smaller but very tough stems, and knotting themtogether, with the assistance of Tayoga ran a strong rope from thecrest down to the fountain, thus greatly easing the descent for waterand the return. 

"Now we can take two drinks where we took one before, " he saidtriumphantly when the task was finished. "If you have your water thereis nothing like making it easy to be reached. Moreover, while it wassafe for an agile fellow like me, you and Dave, Tayoga, being stiffand clumsy, might have tumbled down the mountain and then I shouldhave been lonesome. "

Willet, who had been keeping the watch alone, was inclined to thebelief that they might expect an attack in the night, if it shouldprove to be very dark. He felt able, however, should such an attemptcome, to detect the advance of the savages, either by sight orhearing, especially the latter, ear in such cases generally informinghim earlier than eye. But as neither Robert nor Tayoga was busy theyjoined him, and all three sat near the brink with their rifles acrosstheir knees, and their pistols loosened in their belts, ready fortheir foes should they come in numbers. 

They talked a while in low tones, and then fell silent. The night hadcome, starless and moonless, favorable to the designs of Tandakora, but they felt intense satisfaction, nevertheless. It was partlyphysical. Robert's making of an easy road to the water, the coming ofthe pigeons, to be eaten, apparently sent by Areskoui, and the easewith which they believed they could hold their lofty fortress, combined to produce a victorious state of mind. Robert looked over thebrink once or twice at the steep slope, and he felt that the warriorswould, in truth, be taking a mighty risk, if they came up that steeppath against the three. 

He and Tayoga, in the heavy darkness, depended, like Willet, chieflyon ear. It was impossible to see to the bottom of the valley, wherethe dusk had rolled up like a sea, but, as the night was still, theyfelt sure they could hear anyone climbing up the peak. In order tomake themselves more comfortable they spread their blankets at thevery brink, and lay down upon them, thus being able to repose, and atthe same time watch without the risk of inviting a shot. 

Young Lennox knew that the attack, if it came at all, would not comeuntil late, and restraining his naturally eager and impatient temper, he used all the patience that his strong will could summon, neverceasing meanwhile to lend an attentive ear to every sound of thenight. He heard the wind rise, moan a little while in the gorge andthen die; he heard a fitful breeze rustle the boughs on the slopes andthen grow still, and he heard his comrades move once or twice to easetheir positions, but no other sound came to him until nearly midnight, and then he heard the fall of a pebble on the slope, absolute proofto one experienced as he that it had been displaced by the incautiousfoot of a climbing enemy. 

The rattling of the pebble was succeeded by a long interval ofsilence, and the lad understood that too. The warriors, to whom timewas nothing, fearing that suspicion had been aroused by the fall ofthe pebble, would wait until it had been lulled before resuming theiradvance. They would flatten themselves like lizards against the slope, not stirring an inch. But the three were as patient as they, and whilea full hour passed after the slip of the stone before the slightestsound came from the slope, they did not relax their vigilance aparticle. Then all three heard a slight rustle among the bushes andthey peered cautiously over. 

They were able to discern the dim outline of figures among the bushesabout twenty feet below, and Wilier, who directed the defense, whispered that Tayoga and he would take aim, while Robert held hisfire in reserve. Then the Onondaga and he picked their targets inthe darkness and pulled trigger. Shouts, the fall of bodies and thecrackling of rifles came back. A half dozen bullets, fired almost atrandom, whistled over their heads and then Robert sent his own lead ata shadow which appeared very clearly among the bushes, a crashing fallfollowing at once. 

Then the three, not waiting to reload, snatched out their pistols andheld themselves ready for a further attack, if it should come. But itdid not come. Even the rage of Tandakora had had enough. His secondrepulse had been bloodier than the first, and it had been proved withthe lives of his warriors that they could not storm that terriblesteep, in the face of three such redoubtable marksmen. 

Robert heard a number of pebbles rolling now, but they were made bymen descending, and the three, certain of abundant leisure, reloadedtheir rifles. Their eyes told them nothing, but they were as sure asif they had seen them that the warriors had disappeared in the sea ofdarkness with which the gulf was filled. The lad breathed a long sighof relief. 

"You're justified in your satisfaction, " said Willet. "I think it'sthe last direct attack they'll make upon us. Now they'll try the slowmethods of siege and our exhaustion by thirst, and how it would maketheir venom rise if they knew anything about that glorious fountainof ours! Since it's to be a test of patience, we'd better make thingseasy for ourselves. I'll sit here and watch the slope, and, as thenight is turning cold, you and Tayoga, Robert, can build a fire. "

There was a dip in the center of the crest, and in this they heapedthe fallen wood, which here as elsewhere in the wilderness wasabundant. Wood and water, two great requisites of primitive man, theyhad in plenty, and had it not been for their eagerness to go forwardwith their work they would have been content to stay indefinitely onthe peak. 

The fire was soon blazing cheerfully. Warriors on the opposing peaksor crest might see it, but they did not care. No bullets from rivalheights could reach them and the light would appear to their enemiesas a beacon of defiance, a sort of challenge that was very pleasing toRobert's soul. He basked in the glow and heat of the coals, ate bearmeat and wild pigeon for a late supper, and discoursed on the strengthof their natural fortress. 

"The peak was reared here by Areskoui for our especial benefit, " hesaid. "It is in every sense a tower of strength, water even beingplaced in its side that we might not die of thirst. "

"And yet we cannot stay here always, " said the Onondaga. "Tomorrow wemust think of a way of escape. "

"Let tomorrow take care of itself. Tayoga, you're too serious! You'remissing the pleasure of the night. "

"Dagaeoga loves to talk and he talks well. His voice is pleasant in myear like to the murmur of a silver brook. Perhaps he is right. Lo! theclouds have gone, and I can see Tododaho on his star. Areskoui watchesover us by day and Tododaho by night. We are once more the favoritesof the Sun God and of the great Onondaga who went away to hiseverlasting star more than four centuries ago. Again I say Dagaeoga isright; I will enjoy the night, and let the morrow care for itself. "

He drew the folds of his blanket to his chin and stretched his lengthbefore the fire. Having made up his mind to be satisfied, Tayoga wouldlet nothing interfere with such a laudable purpose. Soon he sleptpeacefully. 

"You might follow him, " said Willet. 

"I don't think I can do it now, " said Robert. "I've a restlessspirit. "

"Then wander about the peak, and I'll take up my old place at the edgeof the slope. "

Robert went back to the far side, where he had stretched his rope ofgrape vines down to the spring, and, craving their cool, fresh taste, he ate more of the grapes. He noticed then that they were uncommonlyplentiful. All along the cliff they trailed in great, rich clusters, black and glossy, fairly asking to be eaten. In places the vineshung in perfect mazes, and he looked at them questioningly. Thenthe thought came to him and he wondered why it had been so slow ofarrival. He returned to Willet and said:

"I don't think you need watch any longer here, Dave. "

"Why?" was the hunter's astonished reply. 

"Because we're going to leave the mountain. "

"Leave the mountain! It's more likely, Robert, that your prudence hasleft you. If we went down the slope we'd go squarely into the horde, and then it would be a painful and lingering end for us. "

"I don't mean the slope. We're to go down the other side of thecliff. "

"Except here and near the bottom the mountain is as steep everywhereas the side of a house. The only way for us to get down is to falldown and then we'd stop too quick. "

"We don't have to fall down, we'll climb down. "

"Can't be done, Robert, my boy. There's not enough bushes. "

"We don't need bushes, there are miles of grape vines as strong asleather. All we have to do is to knot them together securely and ourrope is ready. If we eased our way to the spring with vines then wecan finish the journey to the bottom of the cliff with them. "

The hunter's gaze met that of the lad, and it was full of approval. 

"I believe you've found the way, Robert, " said Willet. "Wake Tayogaand see what he thinks. "

The Onondaga received the proposal with enthusiasm, and he made thefurther suggestion that they build high the fire for the sake ofdeceiving the besiegers. 

"And suppose we prop up two or three pieces of fallen tree trunkbefore it, " added Robert. "Warriors watching on the opposite slopeswill take them for our figures and will not dream that we'reattempting to escape. "

That idea, too, was adopted, and in a few minutes the fire was blazingand roaring, while a stream of sparks drifted up merrily from it to belost in the dusk. Near it the fragments of tree trunks set erect wouldpass easily, at a great distance and in the dark, for human beings. Then, while Willet watched, Robert and Tayoga knotted the vines withquick and dextrous hands, throwing the cable over a bough, and tryingevery knot with their double weight. A full two hours they toiled andthen they exulted. 

"It will reach from the clump of bushes about the fountain to the nextclump below, which is low down, " said Robert, "and from there we candescend without help. "

They called Willet, and the three, leaving the crest which had beensuch a refuge for them and which they had defended so well, descendedto the fountain. At that point they secured their cable with infinitecare to the largest of the dwarf trees and let it drop over across abare space to the next clump of bushes below, a distance that seemedvery great, it was so steep. Robert claimed the honor of the firstdescent, but it was finally conceded to Tayoga, who was a triflelighter. 

The Onondaga fastened securely upon his back his rifle and his packcontaining food, and then, grasping the cable firmly with both hands, he began to go down, while his friends watched with great anxiety. Hewas not obliged to swing clear his whole weight, but was able to bracehis feet against the cliff. Thus he steadied the vines, but Robert andWillet nevertheless breathed great sighs of relief, when he reachedthe bushes below, and detached himself from the cable. 

"It is safe, " he called back. 

Robert went next and Willet followed. When the three were in thebushes, clinging to their tough and wiry strength, they found that thedifficulties, as they invariably do, had decreased. Below them theslope was not so steep by any means, and, by holding to the rockyoutcrops and scant bushes, they could make the full descent of themountain. While they rested for a little space where they were, Robertsuddenly began to laugh. 

"Is Dagaeoga rejoicing so soon?" asked Tayoga

"Why shouldn't I laugh, " replied Robert, "when we have such a goodjest?"

"What jest? I see none. "

"Why, to think of Tandakora sitting at the foot of our peak andwatching there three or four days, waiting all the time for us to dieof hunger and thirst, and we far to the south. At least he'll see thatthe mountain doesn't get away, and Tandakora, I take it, has smallsense of humor. When he penetrates the full measure of the joke he'lllove us none the less. Perhaps, though, De Galissonnière will notmourn, because he knows that if we were taken after a siege he couldnot save us from the cruelty of the savages. "

The hunter and the Onondaga were forced to laugh a little with him, and then, rested thoroughly, they resumed the descent, leaving theircable to tell its own tale, later on. The rest of the slope, althoughpossible, was slow and painful, testing their strength and skill tothe utmost, but they triumphed over everything and before day were ina gorge, with the entire height of the peak towering above them anddirectly between them and their enemies. Here they flung themselveson the ground and rested until day, when they began a rapid flightsouthward, curving about among the peaks, as the easiest way led them. 

The air rapidly grew warmer, showing that the sudden winter had comeonly on the high mountains, and that autumn yet lingered on the lowerlevels. The gorgeous reds and yellows and browns and vivid shadesbetween returned, but there was a haze in the air and the west wasdusky. 

"Storm will come again before night, " said Tayoga. 

"I think so too, " said Willet, "and as I've no mind to be beaten aboutby it, suppose we build a spruce shelter in the gorge here and waituntil it passes. "

The two lads were more than willing, feeling that the chance ofpursuit had passed for a long time at least, and they set to work withtheir sharp hatchets, rapidly making a crude but secure wickiup, asusual against the rocky side of a hill. Before the task was done thesky darkened much more, and far in the west thunder muttered. 

"It's rolling down a gorge, " said Robert, "and hark! you can hear italso in the south. "

From a point, far distant from the first, came a like rumble, and, after a few moments of silence, a third rumble was heard to the east. Silence again and then the far rumble came from the south. 

"That's odd, " said Robert. "It isn't often that you hear thunder onall sides of you. "

"Listen!" exclaimed Tayoga, whose face bore a rapt and extraordinarylook. The four rumbles again went around the horizon, coming from onepoint after the other in turn. 

"It is no ordinary thunder, " said the Onondaga in a tone of deepconviction. 

"What is it, then?" asked Robert. 

"It is Manitou, Areskoui, Tododaho and Hayowentha talking together. That is why we have the thunder north, east, south and west. Heartheir voices carrying all through the heavens!"

"Which is Manitou?"

"That I cannot tell. But the great gods talk, one with another, thoughwhat they say is not for us to know. It is not right that mere mortalslike ourselves should understand them, when they speak across infinitespace. "

"It may be that you're right, Tayoga, " said Willet. 

The three did not yet go into the spruce shelter, because, contrary tothe signs, there was no rain. The wind moaned heavily and thick blackclouds swept up in an almost continuous procession from the westernhorizon, but they did not let a drop fall. The thunder at the fourpoints of the horizon went on, the reports moving from north to east, and thence to south and west, and then around and around, always inthe same direction. After every crash there was a long rumble in thegorges until the next crash came again. Now and then lightning flared. 

"It is not a storm after all, " said the Onondaga, "or, at least, if astorm should come it will not be until after night is at hand, whenthe great gods are through talking. Listen to the heavy booming, always like the sound of a thousand big guns at one time. Now thelightning grows and burns until it is at a white heat. The great godsnot only talk, but they are at play. They hurl thunderbolts throughinfinite space, and watch them fall. Then they send thunder rumblingthrough our mountains, and the sound is as soft to them as a whisperto us. "

"Your idea is pretty sound, Tayoga, " said Willet, who had imbibed morethan a little of the Iroquois philosophy, "and it does look as if thegods were at play because there is so much thunder and lightning andno rain. Look at that flash on the mountain toward the east! I thinkit struck. Yes, there goes a tree! When the gods play among the peaksit's just as well for us to stay down here in the gorge. "

"But the crashes still run regularly from north to east and onaround, " said Robert. "I suppose that when they finish talking, therain will come, and we'll have plenty of need for our spruce shelter. "

The deep rumbling continued all through the rest of the afternoon. A dusk as of twilight arrived long before sunset, but it was of anunusually dull, grayish hue, and it affected Robert as if he werebreathing an air surcharged with gunpowder. It colored and intensifiedeverything. The peaks and ridges rose to greater heights, the gorgesand valleys were deeper, the reports of the thunder, extremely heavy, in fact, were doubled and tripled in fancy; all that Tayoga had saidabout the play of the gods was true. Tododaho, the great Onondaga, spoke across the void to Hayowentha, the great Mohawk, and Areskoui, the Sun God, conversed with Manitou, the All Powerful, Himself. 

The imaginative lad felt awe but no fear. The gods at play in theheavens would not condescend to harm a humble mortal like himself andit was an actual pleasure because he was there to hear them. Justbefore the invisible sun went over the rim of the horizon, a brilliantred light shot for a minute or two from the west through the grayhaze, and fell on the faces of the three, sitting in silence beforetheir spruce shelter. 

"It is Areskoui throwing off his most brilliant beams before he goes, "said Tayoga. "Now I think the play will soon be over, and we may lookfor the rain. "

The crashes of thunder increased swiftly and greatly in violence, andthen, as the Onondaga had predicted, ceased abruptly. The silence thatfollowed was so heavy that it was oppressive. No current of air wasmoving anywhere. Not a leaf stirred. The grayish haze became thickerand every ridge and peak was hidden. Presently a sound like a sighcame down the gorge, but it soon grew. 

"We'll go inside, " said Tayoga, "because the deluge is at hand. "

They crowded themselves into their crude little hut, and in fiveminutes the flood was upon them, pouring with such violence that someof it forced its way through the hasty thatch, but they were ableto protect themselves with their blankets, and they slept the nightthrough in a fair degree of comfort. 

In the morning they saw a world washed clean, bright and shining, andthey breathed an autumnal air wonderful in its purity. Feeling safenow from pursuit, they were no longer eager to flee. A brief councilof three decided that they would hang once more on the French andIndian flank. It had been their purpose to discover what was intendedby the formidable array they had seen, and it was their purpose yet. 

They did not go back on their path, but they turned eastward into aland of little and beautiful lakes, through which one of the greatIndian trails from the northwest passed, and made a hidden campnear the shore of a sheet of water about a mile square, set in themountains like a gem. They had method in locating here, as the trailran through a gorge less than half a mile to the east of their camp, and they had an idea that the spy, Garay, might pass that way, two ofthem always abiding by the trail, while the third remained in theirsecluded camp or hunted game. Willet shot a deer and Tayoga broughtdown a rare wild turkey, while Robert caught some wonderful laketrout. So they had plenty of food, and they were content to wait. 

They were sure that Garay had not yet gone, as the storms that hadthreatened them would certainly have delayed his departure, andneither the hunter nor the Onondaga could discover any traces offootsteps. Fortunately the air continued to turn warmer and the lowercountry in which they now were had all the aspects of Indian summer. Robert, shaken a little perhaps by the great hardships and dangersthrough which he had passed, though he may not have realized at thetime the weight upon his nerves, recovered quickly, and, as usual, passed, with the rebound, to the heights of optimism. 

"What do you expect to get from Garay?" he asked Willet as he changedplaces with him on the trail. 

"I'm not sure, " replied the hunter, "but if we catch him we'll findsomething. We've got to take our bird first, and then we'll see. Hewent north and west with a message, and that being the case he's boundto take one back. I don't think Garay is a first-class woodsman and wemay be able to seize him. "

Robert was pleased with the idea of the hunted turning into thehunters, and he and Tayoga now did most of the watching along thetrail, a watch that was not relaxed either by day or by night. Onthe sixth night the two youths were together, and Tayoga thought hediscerned a faint light to the north. 

"It may be a low star shining over a hill, " said Robert. 

"I think it is the glow from a small camp fire, " said the Onondaga. 

"It's a question that's decided easily. "

"You mean we'll stalk it, star or fire, whichever it may be?"

"That is what we're here for, Tayoga. "

They began an exceedingly cautious advance toward the light, and itsoon became evident that it was a fire, though, as Tayoga had said, asmall one, set in a little valley and almost hidden by the surroundingfoliage. Now they redoubled their caution, using every forest art tomake a silent approach, as they might find a band of warriors aroundthe blaze, and they did not wish to walk with open eyes into anysuch deadly trap. Their delight was great when they saw only one mancrouched over the coals in a sitting posture, his head bent over hisknees; so that, in effect, only his back was visible, but they knewhim at once. It was Garay. 

The heart of young Lennox flamed with anger and triumph. Here was thefellow who had tried to take his life in Albany, and, if he wishedrevenge, the moment was full of opportunity. Yet he could never fireat a man's back, and it was their cue, moreover, to take him alive. Garay's rifle was leaning against a log, six or eight feet from him, and his attitude indicated that he might be asleep. His clothing wasstained and torn, and he bore all the signs of a long journey andextreme weariness. 

"See what it is to come into the forest and not be master of all itssecrets, " whispered Tayoga. "Garay is the messenger of Onontio (theGovernor General of Canada) and Tandakora, and yet he sleeps, whenthose who oppose him are abroad. "

"A man has to sleep some time or other, " said Robert, "or at least awhite man must. We're not all like an Iroquois; we can't stay awakeforever if need be. "

"If one goes to the land of Tarenyawagon when his enemies are at handhe must pay the price, Dagaeoga, and now the price that Garay is goingto pay will be a high one. Surely Manitou has delivered him, helpless, into our hands. Come, we will go closer. "

They crept through the bushes until they could have reached out andtouched the spy with the muzzles of their rifles, and still he did notstir. Into that heavy and weary brain, plunged into dulled slumbers, entered no thought of a stalking foe. The fire sank and the bentback sagged a little lower. Garay had traveled hard and long. He wasanxious to get back to Albany with what he knew, and he felt sure thatthe northern forests contained only friends. He had built his firewithout apprehension, and sleep had overtaken him quickly. 

A fox stirred in the thicket beyond the fire and looked suspiciouslyat the coals and the still figure beyond them. He did not see theother two figures in the bushes but his animosity as well as hissuspicion was aroused. He edged a little nearer, and then a slightsound in the thicket caused him to creep back. But he was an inquiringfox, and, although he buried himself under a bush, he still looked, staring with sharp, intent eyes. 

He saw a shadow glide from the thicket, pick up the rifle of Garaywhich leaned against the fallen log, and then glide back, soundless. The curiosity of the fox now prevailed over his suspicion. The shadowhad not menaced him, and his vulpine intelligence told him that he wasnot concerned in the drama now about to unfold itself. He was merely aspectator, and, as he looked, he saw the shadow glide back and crouchbeside the sleeping man. Then a second shadow came and crouched on theother side. 

What the fox saw was the approach of Robert and Tayoga, whom somewhimsical humor had seized. They intended to make the surprisecomplete and Robert, with a memory of the treacherous shot in Albany, was willing also to fill the soul of the spy with terror. Tayogaadroitly removed the pistol and knife from the belt of Garay, andRobert touched him lightly on the shoulder. Still he did not stir, andthen the youth brought his hand down heavily. 

Garay uttered the sigh of one who comes reluctantly from the land ofsleep and who would have gone back through the portals which were onlyhalf opened, but Robert brought his hand down again, good and hard. Then his eyes flew open and he saw the calm face beside him, and thecalm eyes less than a foot away, staring straight into his own. It must be an evil dream, he thought at first, but it had all thesemblance of reality, and, when he turned his head in fear, he sawanother face on the other side of him, carved in red bronze, it tooonly a foot away and staring at him in stern accusation. 

Then all the faculties of Garay, spy and attempted assassin, leapedinto life, and he uttered a yell of terror, springing to his feet, asif he had been propelled by a galvanic battery. Strong hands, seizinghim on either side, pulled him down again and the voice of Tayoga, ofthe clan of the Bear, of the nation Onondaga, of the great League ofthe Hodenosaunee said insinuatingly in his ear:

"Sit down, Achille Garay! Here are two who wish to talk with you!"

He fell back heavily and his soul froze within him, as he recognizedthe faces. His figure sagged, his eyes puffed out, and he waited insilent terror. 

"I see that you recognize us, Achille Garay, " said Robert, whosewhimsical humor was still upon him. "You'll recall that shot inAlbany. Perhaps you did not expect to meet my friend and me here inthe heart of the northern forests, but here we are. What have you tosay for yourself?"

Garay strove to speak, but the half formed words died on his lips. 

"We wish explanations about that little affair in Albany, " continuedhis merciless interlocutor, "and perhaps there is no better time thanthe present. Again I repeat, what have you to say? And you have alsobeen in the French and Indian camp. You bore a message to St. Luc andTandakora and beyond a doubt you bear another back to somebody. Wewant to know about that too. Oh, we want to know about many things!"

"I have no message, " stammered Garay. 

"Your word is not good. We shall find methods of making you talk. Youhave been among the Indians and you ought to know something aboutthese methods. But first I must lecture you on your lack of woodcraft. It is exceedingly unwise to build a fire in the wilderness and goto sleep beside it, unless there is someone with you to watch. I'mashamed of you, Monsieur Garay, to have neglected such an elementarylesson. It made your capture easy, so ridiculously easy that itlacked piquancy and interest. Tayoga and I were not able to give ourfaculties and strength the healthy exercise they need. Come now, areyou ready to walk?"

"What are you going to do with me?" asked Garay in French, which bothof his captors understood and spoke. 

"We haven't decided upon that, " replied Robert maliciously, "butwhatever it is we'll make it varied and lively. It may please youto know that we've been waiting several days for you, but we scarcethought you'd go to sleep squarely in the trail, just where we'd besure to see you. Stand up now and march like a man, ready to meet anyfate. Fortune has turned against you, but you still have the chance toshow your Spartan courage and endurance. "

"The warrior taken by his enemies meets torture and death with aheroic soul, " said Tayoga solemnly. 

Garay shivered. 

"You'll save me from torture?" he said to Robert. 

Young Lennox shook his head. 

"I'd do so if it were left to me, " he said, "but my friend, Tayoga, has a hard heart. In such matters as these he will not let me have myway. He insists upon the ancient practices of his nation. Also, DavidWillet, the hunter, is waiting for us, and he too is strong forextreme measures. You'll soon face him. Now, march straight to theright!"

Garay with a groan raised himself to his feet and walked unsteadily inthe direction indicated. Close behind him came the avenging two. 

CHAPTER V

TAMING A SPY

Young Lennox undeniably felt exultation. It fairly permeated hissystem. The taking of Garay had been so easy that it seemed as if thegreater powers had put him squarely in their path, and had deprivedhim of all vigilance, in order that he might fall like a ripe pluminto their hands. Surely the face of Areskoui was still turnedtoward them, and the gods, having had their play, were benevolent ofmood--that is, so far as Robert and Tayoga were concerned, althoughthe spy might take a different view of the matter. The triumph, andthe whimsical humor that yet possessed him, moved him to floweryspeech. 

"Monsieur Garay, Achille, my friend, " he said. "You are surprised thatwe know you so well, but remember that you left a visiting card withus in Albany, the time you sent an evil bullet past my head, and thenproved too swift for Tayoga. That's a little matter we must look intosome time soon. I don't understand why you wished me to leave theworld prematurely. It must surely have been in the interest of someoneelse, because I had never heard of you before in my life. But we'llpass over the incident now as something of greater importance is tothe fore. It was really kind of you, Achille, to sit down there in themiddle of the trail, beside a fire that was sure to serve as a beacon, and wait for us to come. It reflects little credit, however, on yourskill as a woodsman, and, from sheer kindness of heart, we're notgoing to let you stay out in the forest after dark. "

Garay turned a frightened look upon him. It was mention of thebullet in Albany that struck renewed terror to his soul. But Robert, ordinarily gentle and sympathetic, was not inclined to spare him. 

"As I told you, " he continued, "Tayoga and I are disposed to be easywith you, but Willet has a heart as cold as a stone. We saw you goingto the French and Indian camp, and we laid an ambush for you on yourway back. We were expecting to take you, and Willet has talked of youin merciless fashion. What he intends to do with you is more than I'vebeen able to determine. Ah, he comes now!"

The parting bushes disclosed a tall figure, rifle ready, and Robertcalled cheerily:

"Here we are, Dave, back again, and we bring with us a welcome guest. Monsieur Achille Garay was lost in the forest, and, taking pity onhim, we've brought him in to share our hospitality. Mr. David Willet, Monsieur Achille Garay of everywhere. "

Willet smiled grimly and led the way back to the spruce shelter. ToGaray's frightened eyes he bore out fully Robert's description. 

"You lads seem to have taken him without trouble, " he said. "You'vedone well. Sit down, Garay, on that log; we've business with you. "

Garay obeyed. 

"Now, " said the hunter, "what message did you take to St. Luc and theFrench and Indian force?"

The man was silent. Evidently he was gathering together the shreds ofhis courage, as his back stiffened. Willet observed him shrewdly. 

"You don't choose to answer, " he said. "Well, we'll find a way to makeyou later on. But the message you carried was not so important as themessage you're taking back. It's about you, somewhere. Hand over thedispatch. "

"I've no dispatch, " said Garay sullenly. 

"Oh, yes, you have! A man like you wouldn't be making such a long anddangerous journey into the high mountains and back again for nothing. Come, Garay, your letter!"

The spy was silent. 

"Search him, lads!" said Willet. 

Garay recoiled, but when the hunter threatened him with his pistolhe submitted to the dextrous hands of Robert and Tayoga. They wentthrough all his pockets, and then they made him remove his clothingpiece by piece, while they thrust the points of their knives throughthe lining for concealed documents. But the steel touched nothing. Then they searched his heavy moccasins, and even pulled the solesloose, but no papers were disclosed. There was nowhere else to lookand the capture had brought no reward. 

"He doesn't seem to have anything, " said Robert. 

"He must have! He is bound to have!" said the hunter. 

"You have had your look, " said Garay, a note of triumph showing inhis voice, "and you have failed. I bear no message because I am nomessenger. I am a Frenchman, it is true, but I have no part in thiswar. I am not a soldier or a scout. You should let me go. "

"But that bullet in Albany. "

"I did not fire it. It was someone else. You have made a mistake. "

"We've made no mistake, " said the hunter. "We know what you are. Weknow, too, that a dispatch of great importance is about you somewhere. It is foolish to think otherwise, and we mean to have it. "

"I carry no dispatch, " repeated Garay in his sullen, obstinate tones. 

"We mean that you shall give it to us, " said the hunter, "and soon youwill be glad to do so. "

Robert glanced at him, but Willet did not reveal his meaning. It wasimpossible to tell what course he meant to take, and the two lads werewilling to let the event disclose itself. The same sardonic humor thathad taken possession of Robert seemed to lay hold of the older manalso. 

"Since you're to be our guest for a while, Monsieur Garay, " he said, "we'll give you our finest room. You'll sleep in the spruce shelter, while we spread our blankets outside. But lest you do harm toyourself, lest you take into your head some foolish notion to commitsuicide, we'll have to bind you. Tayoga can do it in such a mannerthat the thongs will cause you no pain. You'll really admire hiswonderful skill. "

The Onondaga bound Garay securely with strips, cut from the prisoner'sown clothing, and they left him lying within the spruce shelter. Atdawn the next day Willet awoke the captive, who had fallen into atroubled slumber. 

"Your letter, " he said. "We want it. "

"I have no letter, " replied Garay stubbornly. 

"We shall ask you for it once every two hours, and the time will comewhen you'll be glad to give it to us. "

Then he turned to the lads and said they would have the finestbreakfast in months to celebrate the good progress of their work. 

Robert built up a splendid fire, and, taking their time about it, theybroiled bear meat, strips of the deer they had killed and portions ofwild pigeon and the rare wild turkey. Varied odors, all appetizing, and the keen, autumnal air gave them an appetite equal to anything. Yet Willet lingered long, seeing that everything was exactly rightbefore he gave the word to partake, and then they remained yetanother good while over the feast, getting the utmost relish out ofeverything. When they finally rose from their seats on the logs, twohours had passed since Willet had awakened Garay and he went back tohim. 

"Your letter?" he said. 

"I have no letter, " replied Garay, "but I'm very hungry. Let me havemy breakfast. "

"Your letter?"

"I've told you again and again that I've no letter. "

"It's now about 8:30 o'clock; at half past ten I'll ask you for itagain. "

He went back to the two lads and helped them to put out the fire. Garay set up a cry for food, and then began to threaten them with thevengeance of the Indians, but they paid no attention to him. At halfpast ten as indicated by the sun, Willet returned to him. 

"The letter?" he said. 

"How many times am I to tell you that I have no letter?"

"Very well. At half past twelve I shall ask for it again. "

At half past twelve Garay returned the same answer, and then thethree ate their noonday meal, which, like the breakfast, was rich andluscious. Once more the savory odors of bear, deer, wild turkey andwild pigeon filled the forest, and Garay, lying in the doorway of thehut, where he could see, and where the splendid aroma reached hisnostrils, writhed in his bonds, but still held fast to his resolution. 

Robert said nothing, but the sardonic humor of both the Onondaga andthe hunter was well to the fore. Holding a juicy bear steak inhis hand, Tayoga walked over to the helpless spy and examined himcritically. 

"Too fat, " he said judicially, "much too fat for those who would roamthe forest. Woodsmen, scouts and runners should be lean. It burdensthem to carry weight. And you, Achille Garay, will be much better off, if you drop twenty pounds. "

"Twenty pounds, Tayoga!" exclaimed Willet, who had joined him, a wholeroasted pigeon in his hands. "How can you make such an underestimate!Our rotund Monsieur would be far more graceful and far more healthyif he dropped forty pounds! And it behooves us, his trainers andphysicians, to see that he drops 'em. Then he will go back to Albanyand to his good friend, Mynheer Hendrik Martinus, a far handsomer manthan he was when he left. It may be that he'll be so much improvedthat Mynheer Hendrik will not know him. Truly, Tayoga, this wildpigeon has a most savory taste! When wild pigeon is well cooked andthe air of the forest has sharpened your appetite to a knife edgenothing is finer. "

"But it is no better than the tender steak of young bear, " saidTayoga, with all the inflections of a gourmand. "The people of mynation and of all the Indian nations have always loved bear. It istenderer even than venison and it contains more juices. For the hungryman nothing is superior to the taste or for the building up of sinewsand muscles than the steak of fat young bear. "

Garay writhed again in his bonds, and closed his eyes that he mightshut away the vision of the two. Robert was forced to smile. At halfpast two, as he judged it to be by the sun, Willet said to Garay oncemore:

"The papers, Monsieur Achille. "

But Garay, sullen and obstinate, refused to reply. The hunter did notrepeat the question then, but went back to the fire, whistling gayly alight tune. The three were spending the day in homely toil, polishingtheir weapons, cleaning their clothing, and making the numerous littlerepairs, necessary after a prolonged and arduous campaign. They werevery cheerful about it, too. Why shouldn't they be? Both Tayoga andthe hunter had scouted in wide circles about the camp, and had seenthat there was no danger. For a vast distance they and their prisonerwere alone in the forest. So, they luxuriated and with abundance ofappetizing food made up for their long period of short commons. 

At half past four Willet repeated his question, but the lips of thespy remained tightly closed. 

"Remember that I'm not urging you, " said the hunter, politely. "I'm abeliever in personal independence and I like people to do what theywant to do, as long as it doesn't interfere with anybody else. So Itell you to think it over. We've plenty of time. We can stay here aweek, two weeks, if need be. We'd rather you felt sure you were rightbefore you made up your mind. Then you wouldn't be remorseful aboutany mistake. "

"A wise man meditates long before he speaks, " said Tayoga, "and itfollows then that our Achille Garay is very wise. He knows, too, thathis figure is improving already. He has lost at least five pounds. "

"Nearer eight I sum it up, Tayoga, " said Willet. "The improvement isvery marked. "

"I think you are right, Great Bear. Eight it is and you also speaktruly about the improvement. If our Monsieur Garay were able to standup and walk he would be much more graceful than he was, when he sokindly marched into our guiding hands. "

"Don't pay him too many compliments, Tayoga. They'll prove trying toa modest man. Come away, now. Monsieur Garay wishes to spend the nexttwo hours with his own wise thoughts and who are we to break in uponsuch a communion?"

"The words of wisdom fall like precious beads from your lips, GreatBear. For two hours we will leave our guest to his great thoughts. "

At half past six came the question, "Your papers?" once more, andGaray burst forth with an angry refusal, though his voice trembled. Willet shrugged his shoulders, turned away, and helped the ladsprepare a most luxurious and abundant evening meal, Tayoga adding wildgrapes and Robert nuts to their varied course of meats, the grapesbeing served on blazing red autumn leaves, the whole very pleasing tothe eye as well as to the taste. 

"I think, " said Willet, in tones heard easily by Garay, "that I havein me just a trace of the epicure. I find, despite my years in thewilderness, that I enjoy a well spread board, and that bits ofdecoration appeal to me; in truth, give an added savor to the viands. "

"In the vale of Onondaga when the fifty old and wise sachems make abanquet, " said Tayoga, "the maidens bring fruit and wild flowers toit that the eye also may have its feast. It is not a weakness, but anexcellence in Great Bear to like the decorations. "

They lingered long over the board, protracting the feast far after thefall of night and interspersing it with pleasant conversation. Theruddy flames shone on their contented faces, and their light laughtercame frequently to the ears of Garay. At half past eight the question, grown deadly by repetition, was asked, and, when only a curse came, Willet said:

"As it is night I'll ask you, Achille Garay, for your papers onlyonce every four hours. That is the interval at which we'll change ourguard, and we don't wish, either, to disturb you many times in yourpleasant slumbers. It would not be right to call a man back too oftenfrom the land of Tarenyawagon, who, you may know, is the Iroquoissender of dreams. "

Garay, whom they had now laid tenderly upon the floor of the hut, turned his face away, and Willet went back to the fire, humming in apleased fashion to himself. At half past twelve he awoke Garay fromhis uneasy sleep and propounded to him his dreadful query, grownterrifying by its continual iteration. At half past four Tayoga askedit, and it was not necessary then to awake Garay. He had not sleptsince half past twelve. He snarled at the Iroquois, and then sank backon the blanket that they had kindly placed for him. Tayoga, his bronzeface expressing nothing, went back to his watch by the fire. 

Breakfast was cooked by Robert and Willet, and again it was lusciousand varied. Robert had risen early and he caught several of the finelake trout that he broiled delicately over the coals. He hadalso gathered grapes fresh with the morning dew, and wonderfullyappetizing, and some of the best of the nuts were left over. Bear, deer, venison and turkey they still had in abundance. 

The morning itself was the finest they had encountered so far. Muchsnow had fallen in the high mountains, but winter had not touched theearth here. The deep colors of the leaves, moved by the light wind, shifted and changed like a prism. The glorious haze of Indian summerhung over everything like a veil of finest gauze. The air wassurcharged with vitality and life. It was pleasant merely to sit andbreathe at such a time. 

"I've always claimed, " said Robert, as he passed a beautifully broiledtrout to Tayoga and another to the hunter, "that I can cook fishbetter than either of you. Dave, I freely admit, can surpass me in thematter of venison and Tayoga is a finer hand with bear than I am, butI'm a specialist with fish, be it salmon, or trout, or salmon trout, or perch or pickerel or what not. "

"Your boast is justified, in very truth, Robert, " said Willet. "I'veknown none other who can prepare a fish with as much tenderness andperfection as you. I suppose 'tis born in you, but you have a way ofpreserving the juices and savors which defies description and which isbeyond praise. 'Tis worth going hungry a long while to put one's toothinto so delicate a morsel as this salmon trout, and 'tis a great pity, too, that our guest, Monsieur Achille Garay, will not join us, whenwe've an abundance so great and a variety so rich. "

The wretched spy and intermediary could hear every word they said, andRobert fell silent, but the hunter and the Onondaga talked freely andwith abounding zest. 

"'Tis a painful thing, " said Willet, "to offer hospitality and tohave it refused. Monsieur Garay knows that he would be welcome at ourboard, and yet he will not come. I fear, Robert, that you have cookedtoo many of these superlative fish, and that they must even go towaste, which is a sin. They would make an admirable beginning for ourguest's breakfast, if he would but consent to join us. "

"It is told by the wise old sachems of the great League, " said Tayoga, "that warriors have gone many days without food, when plenty of itwas ready for their taking, merely to test their strength of body andwill. Their sufferings were acute and terrible. Their flesh wastedaway, their muscles became limp and weak, their sight failed, painstabbed them with a thousand needles, but they would not yield andtouch sustenance before the time appointed. "

"I've heard of many such cases, Tayoga, and I've seen some, but it wasalways warriors who were doing the fasting. I doubt whether white mencould stand it so long, and 'tis quite sure they would suffer more. About the third day 'twould be as bad as being tied to the stake in themiddle of the flames. "

"Great Bear speaks the truth, as he always does. No white man canstand it. If he tried it his sufferings would be beyond anything ofwhich he might dream. "

A groan burst suddenly from the wretched Garay. The hunter and theOnondaga looked at each other and their eyes expressed astonishment. 

"Did you hear a sound in the thicket?" asked Willet. 

"I think it came from the boughs overhead, " said Tayoga. 

"I could have sworn 'twas the growl of a bear. "

"To me it sounded like the croak of a crow. "

"After all, we may have heard nothing. Imagination plays strangetricks with us. "

"It is true, Great Bear. We hear queer sounds when there are no soundsat all. The air is full of spirits, and now and then they have sportwith us. "

A second groan burst from Garay, now more wretched than ever. 

"I heard it again!" exclaimed the hunter. "'Tis surely the growl ofa bear in the bush! The sound was like that of an angry wild animal!But, we'll let it go. The sun tells meet's half past eight o'clock andI go to ask our guest the usual question. "

"Enough!" exclaimed Garay. "I yield! I cannot bear this any longer!"

"Your papers, please!"

"Unbind me and give me food!"

"Your papers first, our fish next. "

As he spoke the hunter leaned over, and with his keen hunting knifesevered Garay's bonds. The man sat up, rubbed his wrists and anklesand breathed deeply. 

"Your papers!" repeated Willet. 

"Bring me my pistol, the one that the Indian filched from me while Islept, " said Garay. 

"Your pistol!" exclaimed the hunter, in surprise. "Now I'd certainlybe foolish to hand you a deadly and loaded weapon!"

But Robert's quick intellect comprehended at once. He snatched theheavy pistol from the Onondaga's belt, drew forth the bullet and thendrew the charge behind it, not powder at all, but a small, tightlyfolded paper of tough tissue, which he held aloft triumphantly. 

"Very clever! very clever!" said Willet in admiration. "The pistol wasloaded, but 'twould never be fired, and nobody would have thought ofsearching its barrel. Tayoga, give Monsieur Garay the two spare fishand anything else he wants, but see that he eats sparingly because agorge will go ill with a famished man, and then we'll have a look athis precious document. "

The Onondaga treated Garay as the honored guest they had been callinghim, giving him the whole variety of their breakfast, but, at guardedintervals, which allowed him to relish to the full all the savors andjuices that had been taunting him so long. Willet opened the letter, smoothed it out carefully on his knee, and holding it up to the lightuntil the words stood out clearly, read:

"To Hendrik Martinus At Albany. 

"The intermediary of whom you know, the bearer of this letter, hasbrought me word from you that the English Colonial troops, after theunfortunate battle at Lake George, have not pushed their victory. Healso informs us that the governors of the English colonies do notagree, and that there is much ill feeling among the different Colonialforces. He says that Johnson still suffering from his wound, does notmove, and that the spirit has gone out of our enemies. All of which iswelcome news to us at this juncture, since it has given to us the timethat we need. 

"Our defeat but incites us to greater efforts. The Indian tribes whohave cast their lot with us are loyal to our arms. All the forces ofFrance and New France are being assembled to crush our foes. We havelost Dieskau, but a great soldier, Louis Joseph de Saint Véran, theMarquis de Montcalm-Gozon, is coming from France to lead our armies. He will be assisted by the incomparable chieftains, the Chevalier deLevis, the Chevalier Bourlamaque and others who understand the warfareof the wilderness. Even now we are preparing to move with a greatpower on Albany and we may surprise the town. 

"Tell those of whom you know in Albany and New York to be ready withrifles and ammunition and other presents for the Indian warriors. Muchdepends upon their skill and promptness in delivering these valuablegoods to the tribes. It seals them to our standard. They can be landedat the places of which we know, and then be carried swiftly across thewilderness. But I bid you once more to exercise exceeding caution. Letno name of those associated with us ever be entrusted to writing, as asingle slip might bring our whole fabric crashing to the ground, andsend to death those who serve us. After you have perused this letterdestroy it. Do not tear it in pieces and throw them away but burn itto the last and least little fragment. In conclusion I say yet again, caution, caution, caution. 

Raymond Louis de St. Luc. "

The three looked at one another. Garay was in the third course of hisbreakfast, and no longer took notice of anything else. 

"Those associated with us in Albany and New York, " quoted Willet. "NowI wonder who they are. I might make a shrewd guess at one, but nonames are given and as we have no proof we must keep silent about himfor the present. Yet this paper is of vast importance and it must beput in hands that know how to value it. "

"Then the hands must be those of Colonel William Johnson, " saidRobert. 

"I fancy you're right, lad. Yet 'tis hard just now to decide upon thewisest policy. "

"The colonel is the real leader of our forces, " persisted the lad. "It's to him that we must go. "

"It looks so, Robert, but for a few days we've got to considerourselves. Now that we have his letter I wish we didn't have Garay. "

"You wouldn't really have starved him, would you, Dave? Somehow itseemed pretty hard. "

The hunter laughed heartily. 

"Bless your heart, lad, " he replied. "Don't you be troubled about theway we dealt with Garay. I knew all the while that he would never getto the starving point, or I wouldn't have tried it with him. I knew bylooking at him that his isn't the fiber of which martyrs are made. Icalculated that he would give up last night or this morning. "

"Are we going to take him back with us a prisoner?"

"That's the trouble. As a spy, which he undoubtedly is, his life isforfeit, but we are not executioners. For scouts and messengers suchas we are he'd be a tremendous burden to take along with us. Moreover, I think that after his long fast he'd eat all the game we could kill, and we don't propose to spend our whole time feeding one of ourenemies. "

"Call Tayoga, " said Robert. 

The Onondaga came and then young Lennox said to his two comrades:

"Are you willing to trust me in the matter of Garay, our prisoner?"

"Yes, " they replied together. 

Robert went to the man, who was still immersed in his gross feeding, and tapped him on the shoulder. 

"Listen, Garay, " he said. "You're the bearer of secret and treacherousdispatches, and you're a spy. You must know that under all the rulesof war your life is forfeit to your captors. "

Garay's face became gray and ghastly. 

"You--you wouldn't murder me?" he said. 

"There could be no such thing as murder in your case, and we won'ttake your life, either. "

The face of the intermediary recovered its lost color. 

"You will spare me, then?" he exclaimed joyfully. 

"In a way, yes, but we're not going to carry you back in luxury toAlbany, nor are we thinking of making you an honored member of ourband. You've quite a time before you. "

"I don't understand you. "

"You will soon. You're going back to the Chevalier de St. Luc who haslittle patience with failure, and you'll find that the road to himabounds in hard traveling. It may be, too, that the savage Tandakorawill ask you some difficult questions, but if so, Monsieur AchilleGaray, it will be your task to answer them, and I take it that youhave a fertile mind. In any event, you will be equipped to meet him byyour journey, which will be full of variety and effort and which willstrengthen and harden your mind. "

The face of Garay paled again, and he gazed at Robert in a sort ofdazed fashion. The imagination of young Lennox was alive and leaping. He had found what seemed to him a happy solution of a knotty problem, and, as usual in such cases, his speech became fluent and golden. 

"Oh, you'll enjoy it, Monsieur Achille Garay, " he said in his mellow, persuasive voice. "The forest is beautiful at this time of the yearand the mountains are so magnificent always that they must appeal toanyone who has in his soul the strain of poetry that I know you have. The snow, too, I think has gone from the higher peaks and ridges andyou will not be troubled by extreme cold. If you should wander fromthe path back to St. Luc you will have abundant leisure in which tofind it again, because for quite a while to come time will be of noimportance to you. And as you'll go unarmed, you'll be in no danger ofshooting your friends by mistake. "

"You're not going to turn me into the wilderness to starve?"

"Not at all. We'll give you plenty of food. Tayoga and I will see youwell on your way. Now, since you've eaten enough, you start at once. "

Tayoga and the hunter fell in readily with Robert's plan. The captivereceived enough food to last four days, which he carried in a packfastened on his back, and then Robert and Tayoga accompanied himnorthward and back on the trail. 

Much of Garay's courage returned as they marched steadily on throughthe forest. When he summed it up he found that he had fared well. Hiscaptors had really been soft-hearted. It was not usual for one servingas an intermediary and spy like himself to escape, when taken, withhis life and even with freedom. Life! How precious it was! YoungLennox had said that the forest was beautiful, and it was! It wassplendid, grand, glorious to one who had just come out of the jaws ofdeath, and the air of late autumn was instinct with vitality. He drewhimself up jauntily, and his step became strong and springy. 

They walked on many miles and Robert, whose speech had been so fluentbefore, was silent now. Nor did the Onondaga speak either. Garayhimself hazarded a few words, but meeting with no response his spiritsfell a little. The trail led over a low ridge, and at its crest histwo guards stopped. 

"Here we bid you farewell, Monsieur Achille Garay, " said Robert. "Doubtless you will wish to commune with your own thoughts and ourpresence will no longer disturb you. Our parting advice to you is togive up the trade in which you have been engaged. It is full perilous, and it may be cut short at any time by sudden death. Moreover, it issomewhat bare of honor, and even if it should be crowned by continuedsuccess 'tis success of a kind that's of little value. Farewell. "

"Farewell, " said Garay, and almost before he could realize it, the twofigures had melted into the forest behind him. A weight was liftedfrom him with their going, and once more his spirits bounded upward. He was Achille Garay, bold and venturesome, and although he waswithout weapons he did not fear two lads. 

Three miles farther on he turned. He did not care to face St. Luc, hisletter lost, and the curious, dogged obstinacy that lay at the back ofhis character prevailed. He would go back. He would reach those forwhom his letter had been intended, Martinus and the others, and hewould win the rich rewards that had been promised to him. He hadplenty of food, he would make a wide curve, advance at high speed andget to Albany ahead of the foolish three. 

He turned his face southward and walked swiftly through the thickets. A rifle cracked and a twig overhead severed by a bullet fell upon hisface. Garay shivered and stood still for a long time. Courage trickledback, and he resumed his advance, though it was slow. A second riflecracked, and a bullet passed so close to his cheek that he felt itswind. He could not restrain a cry of terror, and turning again he flednorthward to St. Luc. 

CHAPTER VI

PUPILS OF THE BEAR

When Robert and Tayoga returned to the camp and told Willet what theyhad done the hunter laughed a little. 

"Garay doesn't want to face St. Luc, " he said, "but he will do itanyhow. He won't dare to come back on the trail in face of bullets, and now we're sure to deliver his letter in ample time. "

"Should we go direct to Albany?" asked Robert. 

The hunter cupped his chin in his hand and meditated. 

"I'm all for Colonel Johnson, " he replied at last. "He understands theFrench and Indians and has more vigor than the authorities at Albany. It seems likely to me that he will still be at the head of Lake Georgewhere we left him, perhaps building the fort of which they weretalking before we left there. "

"His wound did not give promise of getting well so very early, " saidRobert, "and he would not move while he was in a weakened condition. "

"Then it's almost sure that he's at the head of the lake and we'llturn our course toward that point. What do you say, Tayoga?"

"Waraiyageh is the man to have the letter, Great Bear. If it becomesnecessary for him to march to the defense of Albany he will do it. "

"Then the three of us are in unanimity and Lake George it is insteadof Albany. "

They started in an hour, and changing their course somewhat, began ajourney across the maze of mountains toward Andiatarocte, the lakethat men now call George, and Robert's heart throbbed at the thoughtthat he would soon see it again in all its splendor and beauty. He hadpassed so much of his life near them that his fortunes seemed to himto be interwoven inseparably with George and Champlain. 

They thought they would reach the lake in a few days, but in awilderness and in war the plans of men often come to naught. Beforethe close of the day they came upon traces of a numerous bandtraveling on the great trail between east and west, and they alsofound among them footprints that turned out. These Willet and Tayogaexamined with the greatest care and interest and they lingered longestover a pair uncommonly long and slender. 

"I think they're his, " the hunter finally said. 

"So do I, " said the Onondaga. 

"Those long, slim feet could belong to nobody but the Owl. "

"It can be only the Owl. "

"Now, who under the sun is the Owl?" asked Robert, mystified. 

"The Owl is, in truth, a most dangerous man, " replied the hunter. "Hisname, which the Indians have given him, indicates he works by night, though he's no sloth in the day, either. But he has another name, also, the one by which he was christened. It's Charles Langlade, ayoung Frenchman who was a trader before the war. I've seen him morethan once. He's mighty shrewd and alert, uncommon popular among thewestern Indians, who consider him as one of them because he married agood looking young Indian woman at Green Bay, and a great forester andwilderness fighter. It's wonderful how the French adapt themselves tothe ways of the Indians and how they take wives among them. I supposethe marriage tie is one of their greatest sources of strength with thetribes. Now, Tayoga, why do you think the Owl is here so far to theeastward of his usual range?"

"He and his warriors are looking for scalps, Great Bear, and it may bethat they have seen St. Luc. They were traveling fast and they are nowbetween us and Andiatarocte. I like it but little. "

"Not any less than I do. It upsets our plans. We must leave the trail, or like as not we'll run squarely into a big band. What a pity ourtroops didn't press on after the victory at the lake. Instead ofdriving the French and Indians out of the whole northern wildernesswe've left it entirely to them. "

They turned from the trail with reluctance, because, strong andenduring as they were, incessant hardships, long traveling and battlewere beginning to tell upon all three, and they were unwilling to beclimbing again among the high mountains. But there was no choice andnight found them on a lofty ridge in a dense thicket. The hunter andthe Onondaga were disturbed visibly over the advent of Langlade, andtheir uneasiness was soon communicated to the sympathetic mind ofRobert. 

The night being very clear, sown with shining stars, they saw rings ofsmoke rising toward the east, and outlined sharply against the duskyblue. 

"That's Langlade sending up signals, " said the hunter, anxiously, "andhe wouldn't do it unless he had something to talk about. "

"When one man speaks another man answers, " said Tayoga. "Now from whatpoint will come the reply?"

Robert felt excitement. These rings of smoke in the blue were fullof significance for them, and the reply to the first signal would bevital. "Ah!" he exclaimed suddenly. The answer came from the west, directly behind them. 

"I think they've discovered our trail, " said Willet. "They didn'tlearn it from Garay, because Langlade passed before we sent him back, but they might have heard from St. Luc or Tandakora that we weresomewhere in the forest. It's bad. If it weren't for the letter wecould turn sharply to the north and stay in the woods till Christmas, if need be. "

"We may have to do so, whether we wish it or not, " said Tayoga. "Theshortest way is not always the best. "

Before morning they saw other smoke signals in the south, and itbecame quite evident then that the passage could not be tried, exceptat a risk perhaps too great to take. 

"There's nothing for it but the north, " said Willet, "and we'll trustto luck to get the letter to Waraiyageh in time. Perhaps we can findRogers. He must be roaming with his rangers somewhere near Champlain. "

At dawn they were up and away, but all through the forenoon theysaw rings of smoke rising from the peaks and ridges, and the lastlingering hope that they were not followed disappeared. It becamequite evident to their trained observation and the powers of inferencefrom circumstances which had become almost a sixth sense with themthat there was a vigorous pursuit, closing in from three points of thecompass, south, east and west. They slept again the next night in theforest without fire and arose the following morning cold, stiff andout of temper. While they eased their muscles and prepared for theday's flight they resolved upon a desperate expedient. 

It was vital now to carry the letter to Johnson and then to Albany, which they considered more important than their own escape, and theycould not afford to be driven farther and farther into the recesses ofthe north, while St. Luc might be marching with a formidable force onAlbany itself. 

"With us it's unite to fight and divide for flight, " said Robert, divining what was in the mind of the others. 

"The decision is forced upon us, " said Willet, regretfully. 

Tayoga nodded. 

"We'll read the letter again several times, until all of us know it byheart, " said the hunter. 

The precious document was produced, and they went over it until eachcould repeat it from memory. Then Willet said:

"I'm the oldest and I'll take the letter and go south past theirbands. One can slip through where three can't. "

He spoke with such decision that the others, although Tayoga wantedthe task of risk and honor, said nothing. 

"And do you, Robert and Tayoga, " resumed the hunter, "continue yourflight to the northward. You can keep ahead of these bands, and, whenyou discover the chase has stopped, curve back for Lake George. If byany chance I should fall by the way, though it's not likely, you canrepeat the letter to Colonel Johnson, and let's hope you'll be intime. Now good-by, and God bless you both. "

Willet never displayed emotion, but his feeling was very deep as hewrung the outstretched hand of each. Then he turned at an angle to theeast and south and disappeared in the undergrowth. 

"He has been more than a father to me, " said Robert. 

"The Great Bear is a man, a man who is pleasing to Areskoui himself, "said Tayoga with emphasis. 

"Do you think he will get safely through?"

"There is no warrior, not even of the Clan of the Bear, of the NationOnondaga, of the great League of the Hodenosaunee, who can surpass theGreat Bear in forest skill and cunning. In the night he will creep byTandakora himself, with such stealth, that not a leaf will stir, andthere will be not the slightest whisper in the grass. His step, too, will be so light that his trail will be no more than a bird's in theair. "

Robert laughed and felt better. 

"You don't stint the praise of a friend, Tayoga, " he said, "but I knowthat at least three-fourths of what you say is true. Now, I take itthat you and I are to play the hare to Langlade's hounds, and that indoing so we'll be of great help to Dave. "

"Aye, " agreed the Onondaga, and they swung into their gait. Robert hadreceived Garay's pistol which, being of the same bore as his own, wasnow loaded with bullet and powder, instead of bullet and paper, and itswung at his belt, while Tayoga carried the intermediary's rifle, afine piece. It made an extra burden, but they had been unwillingto throw it away--a rifle was far too valuable on the border to beabandoned. 

They maintained a good pace until noon, and, as they heard no soundbehind them, less experienced foresters than they might have thoughtthe pursuit had ceased, but they knew better. It had merely settledinto that tenacious kind which was a characteristic of the Indianmind, and unless they could hide their trail it would continue in thesame determined manner for days. At noon, they paused a half hour in adense grove and ate bear and deer meat, sauced with some fine, blackwild grapes, the vines hanging thick on one of the trees. 

"Think of those splendid banquets we enjoyed when Garay was sittinglooking at us, though not sharing with us, " said Robert. 

Tayoga smiled at the memory and said:

"If he had been able to hold out a little longer he would have hadplenty of food, and we would not have had the letter. The Great Bearwould never have starved him. "

"I know that now, Tayoga, and I learn from it that we're to hold outtoo, long after we think we're lost, if we're to be the victors. "

They came in the afternoon to a creek, flowing in their chosen course, and despite the coldness of its waters, which rose almost to theirknees, they waded a long time in its bed. When they went out on thebank they took off their leggings and moccasins, wrung or beat out ofthem as much of the water as they could, and then let them dry for aspace in the sun, while they rubbed vigorously their ankles and feetto create warmth. They knew that Langlade's men would follow on eitherside of the creek until they picked up the trail again, but theirmaneuver would create a long delay, and give them a rest needed badly. 

"Have you anything in mind, Tayoga?" asked Robert. "You know that thefarther north and higher we go the colder it will become, and ourflight may take us again into the very heart of a great snow storm. "

"It is so, Dagaeoga, but it is also so that I do have a plan. I thinkI know the country into which we are coming, and that tells me what todo. The people of my race, living from the beginning of the world inthe great forest, have not been too proud to learn from the animals, and of all the animals we know perhaps the wisest is the bear. "

"The bear is scarcely an animal, Tayoga. He is almost a human being. He has as good a sense of humor as we have, and he is more carefulabout minding his own business, and letting alone that of otherpeople. "

"Dagaeoga is not without wisdom. We will even learn from the bear. A hundred miles to the north of us there is a vast rocky regioncontaining many caves, where the bears go in great numbers to sleepthe long winters through. It is not much disturbed, because it isa dangerous country, lying between the Hodenosaunee and the Indiannations to the north, with which we have been at war for centuries. There we will go. "

"And hole up until our peril passes! Your plan appeals to me, Tayoga!I will imitate the bear! I will even be a bear!"

"We will take the home of one of them before he comes for it himself, and we will do him no injustice, because the wise bear can always findanother somewhere else. "

"They're fine caves, of course!" exclaimed Robert, buoyantly, hisimagination, which was such a powerful asset with him, flaming up asusual. "Dry and clean, with plenty of leaves for beds, and with nicelittle natural shelves for food, and a pleasant little brook justoutside the door. It will be pleasant to lie in our own cave, the bestone of course, and hear the snow and sleet storms whistle by, whilewe're warm and comfortable. If we only had complete assurance thatDave was through with the letter I'd be willing to stay there untilspring. "

Tayoga smiled indulgently. 

"Dagaeoga is always dreaming, " he said, "but bright dreams hurtnobody. "

When night came, they were many more miles on their way, but it wasa very cold darkness that fell upon them and they shivered in theirblankets. Robert made no complaint, but he longed for the caves, ofwhich he was making such splendid pictures. Shortly before morning, alight snow fell and the dawn was chill and discouraging, so much sothat Tayoga risked a fire for the sake of brightness and warmth. 

"Langlade's men will come upon the coals we leave, " he said, "butsince we have not shaken them off it will make no difference. How muchfood have we left, Dagaeoga?"

"Not more than enough for three days. "

"Then it is for us to find more soon. It is another risk that we musttake. I wish I had with me now my bow and arrows which I left at thelake, instead of Garay's rifle. But Areskoui will provide. "

The day turned much colder, and the streams to which they came werefrozen over. By night, the ice was thick enough to sustain theirweight and they traveled on it for a long time, their thick moosehidemoccasins keeping their feet warm, and saving them from falling. Before they returned to the land it began to snow again, and Tayogarejoiced openly. 

"Now a white blanket will lie over the trail we have left on the ice, "he said, "hiding it from the keenest eyes that ever were in a man'shead. "

Then they crossed a ridge and came upon a lake, by the side of whichthey saw through the snow and darkness a large fire burning. Creepingnearer, they discerned dusky forms before the flames and made out aband of at least twenty warriors, many of them sound asleep, wrappedto the eyes in their blankets. 

"Have they passed ahead of us and are they here meaning to guard theway against us?" whispered Robert. 

"No, it is not one of the bands that has been following us, " repliedthe Onondaga. "This is a war party going south, and not much stainedas yet by time and travel. They are Montagnais, come from Montreal. They seek scalps, but not ours, because they do not know of us. "

Robert shuddered. These savages, like as not, would fall at midnightupon some lone settlement, and his intense imagination depicted thehideous scenes to follow. 

"Come away, " he whispered. "Since they don't know anything about uswe'll keep them in ignorance. I'm longing more than ever for my warmbear cave. "

They disappeared in the falling snow, which would soon hide theirtrail here, as it had hidden it elsewhere, and left the lake behindthem, not stopping until they came to a deep and narrow gorge in themountains, so well sheltered by overhanging bushes that no snow fellthere. They raked up great quantities of dry leaves, after the usualfashion, and spread their blankets upon them, poor enough quarterssave for the hardiest, but made endurable for them by custom andintense weariness. Both fell asleep almost at once, and both awokeabout the same time far after dawn. 

Robert moved his stiff fingers in his blanket and sat up, feeling coldand dismal. Tayoga was sitting up also, and the two looked at eachother. 

"In very truth those bear caves never seemed more inviting to me, "said young Lennox, solemnly, "and yet I only see them from afar. "

"Dagaeoga has fallen in love with bear caves, " said the Onondaga, ina whimsical tone. "The time is not so far back when he never talkedabout them at all, and now words in their praise fall from his lips ina stream. "

"It's because I've experienced enlightenment, Tayoga. It is only inthe last two or three days that I've learned the vast superiority of acave to any other form of human habitation. Our remote ancestors livedin them two or three hundred thousand years, and we've been living inhouses of wood or brick or stone only six or seven thousand years, Isuppose, and so the cave, if you judge by the length of time, is ourtrue home. Hence I'm filled with a just enthusiasm at the thought ofgoing back speedily to the good old ways and the good old days. It'spossible, Tayoga, that our remote grandfathers knew best. "

"When Dagaeoga comes to his death bed, seventy or eighty years fromnow, and the medicine man tells him but little more breath is left inhis body, what then do you think he will do?"

"What will I do, Tayoga?"

"You will say to the medicine man, 'Tell me exactly how long I haveto live, ' and the medicine man will reply: 'Ten minutes, O Dagaeoga, venerable chief and great orator. ' Then you will say: 'Let all thepeople be summoned and let them crowd into the wigwam in which I lie, 'and when they have all come and stand thick about your bed, you willsay, 'Now raise me into a sitting position and put the pillows thickbehind my back and head that I may lean against them. ' Then youwill speak to the people. The words will flow from your lips in acontinuous and golden stream. It will be the finest speech of yourlife. It will be filled with magnificent words, many of them, eight orten syllables long. It will be mellow like the call of a trumpet. Itwill be armed with force, and it will be beautiful with imagery; itwill be suffused and charged with color, it will be the very essenceof poetry and power, and as the aged Dagaeoga draws his very lastbreath so he will speak his very last word, and thus, in a goldencloud, his soul will go away into infinite space, to dwell foreverin the bosom of Manitou, with the immortal sachems, Tododaho andHayowentha!"

"Do you know, Tayoga, I think that would be a happy death, " saidRobert earnestly. 

The Onondaga laughed heartily. 

"Thus does Dagaeoga show his true nature, " he said. "He was born withthe spirit and soul of the orator, and the fact is disclosed often. Itis well. The orator, be he white or red, will lose himself sometimesin his own words, but he is a gift from the gods, sent to lift up thesouls, and cheer the rest of us. He is the bugle that calls us to thechase and we must not forget that his value is great. "

"And having said a whole cargo of words yourself Tayoga, now what doyou propose that we do?"

"Push on with all our strength for the caves. I know now we are on theright path, because I recall the country through which we are passing. At noon we will reach a small lake, in which the fish are so numerousthat there is not room for them all at the same time in the water. They have to take turns in getting the air above the surface on top ofthe others. For that reason the fish of this lake are different fromall other fish. They will live a full hour on the bank after they arecaught. "

"Tayoga, in very truth, you've learned our ways well. You've become aprince of romancers yourself. "

At the appointed time they reached the lake. There were no fish aboveits surface, but the Onondaga claimed it was due to the fact that thelake was covered with ice which of course kept them down, and whichcrowded them excessively, and very uncomfortably. They broke two bigholes in the ice, let down the lines which they always carried, thehooks baited with fragments of meat, and were soon rewarded withsplendid fish, as much as they needed. 

Tayoga with his usual skill lighted a fire, despite the driving snow, and they had a banquet, taking with them afterward a supply of thecooked fish, though they knew they could not rely upon fish alone inthe winter days that were coming. But fortune was with them. Beforedark, Robert shot a deer, a great buck, fine and fat. They had solittle fear of pursuit now that they cut up the body, saving the skinwhole for tanning, and hung the pieces in the trees, there tofreeze. Although it would make quite a burden they intended to carrypractically all of it with them. 

Many mountain wolves were drawn that night by the odor of the spoils, but they lay between twin fires and had no fear of an attack. Yet thetime might come when they would be assailed by fierce wild animals, and now they were glad that Tayoga had kept Garay's rifle, and alsohis ammunition, a good supply of powder and bullets. It was possiblethat the question of ammunition might become vital with them, but theydid not yet talk of it. 

On the second day thereafter, bearing their burdens of what had beenthe deer, they reached the stony valley Tayoga had in mind, and Robertsaw at once that its formation indicated many caves. 

"Now, I wonder if the bears have come, " he said, putting down his packand resting. "The cold has been premature and perhaps they're stillroaming through the forest. I shouldn't want to put an interloper outof my own particular cave, but, if I have to do it, I will. "

"The bears haven't arrived yet, " said Tayoga, "and we can choose. I donot know, but I do not think a bear always occupies the same winterhome, so we will not have to fight over our place. "

It was a really wonderful valley, where the decaying stone had made arich assortment of small caves, many of them showing signs of formeroccupancy by large wild animals, and, after long searching, they foundone that they could make habitable for themselves. Its entrance wasseveral feet above the floor of the valley, so that neither storm norwinter flood could send water into it, and its own floor was fairlysmooth, with a roof eight or ten feet high. It could be easilydefended with their three rifles, the aperture being narrow, and theyexpected, with skins and pelts, to make it warm. 

It was but a cold and bleak refuge for all save the hardiest, andfor a little while Robert had to use his last ounce of will to savehimself from discouragement. But vigorous exertion and keen interestin the future brought back his optimism. The hide of the deer they hadslain was spread at once upon the cave floor and made a serviceablerug. They spoke hopefully of soon adding to it. 

A brook flowed less than a hundred yards away, and they would haveno trouble about their water supply, while the country about seemedhighly favorable for game. But on their first day there they did notdo any hunting. They rolled several large stones before the door oftheir new home, making it secure against any prying wild animals, andthen, after a hearty meal, they wrapped themselves in their blanketsand slept prodigiously. 

Tayoga went into the forest the next day and set traps and snares, while Robert worked in the valley, breaking up fallen wood to be usedfor fires, and doing other chores. The Onondaga in the next three orfour days shot a large panther, a little bear, and caught in the trapsand snares a quantity of small game. The big pelts and the littlepelts, after proper treatment, were spread upon the floor or hungagainst the walls of the cave, which now began to assume a much moreinviting aspect, and the flesh of the animals that were eatable, curedafter the primitive but effective processes, was stored there also. 

Providence granted them a period of good weather, days and nightsalike being clear and cold. The game, evidently not molested for along time, fairly walked into their traps, and they were compelled todraw but little upon their precious supply of ammunition. Food for thefuture accumulated rapidly, and the floor and walls of the cave weresoon covered entirely with furs. 

Not one of the numerous caves and hollows about them contained anoccupant and Robert wondered if their presence would frighten away thewild animals, so many of which had hibernated there so often. Yet hehad a belief that the bears would come. His present mode of life andhis isolation from the world gave him a feeling almost of kinship withthem, and in some strange way, and through some medium unknown to him, they might reciprocate. He and Tayoga had killed several bears, it wastrue, but far from the cave, and they made up their minds to molestnothing in the valley or just about it. 

It was a land of many waters and they caught with ease numerous fish, drying all the surplus and storing it with the other food in the cave. They also made soft beds for themselves of the little branches of theevergreen, over which they spread their blankets, and when they rolledthe stone before the doorway at night they never failed to sleepsoundly. 

They did their cooking in front of the cave door, but it was alwaysa smothered fire. While they felt safe from wandering bands in thatlofty and remote region, they took no unnecessary risks. The valleyitself, though deep, was much broken up into separate little valleys, and most of the caves were hidden from their own. It was this factthat made Robert still think the bears would come, despite coals andflame. In the evenings they would talk of Willet, and both were firmin the opinion that the hunter had got through to Lake George and thatJohnson and Albany had been warned in time. Each was confirmed in hisopinion by the other and in a few days it became certainty. 

"I think Tododaho on his star whispered in my ear while I slept thatGreat Bear has passed the hostile lines, " said Tayoga with conviction, "because I know it, just as if the Great Bear himself had told it tome, though I do not know how I know it. "

"It's some sort of mysterious information, " said Robert in the sametone of absolute belief, "and I don't worry any more about Dave andthe letter. The men of the Hodenosaunee seem to have a special gift. You know the old chief, Hendrik, foretold that he would die on theshores of Andiatarocte, and it came to pass just as he had said. "

"It was a glorious death, Dagaeoga, and it was, perhaps, he who savedour army, and made the victory possible. "

"So it was. There's not a doubt of it, but, here, I don't feel muchlike taking part in a war. The great struggle seems to have passedaround us for a while, at least. I appear to myself as a man of peace, occupied wholly with the struggle for existence and with preparationsfor a hard winter. I don't want to harm anything. "

"Perhaps it's because nothing we know of wants to harm us. But, Dagaeoga, if the bears come at all they will come quickly, because ina few days winter will be roaring down upon us. "

"Then, Tayoga, we must hurry our labors, and since the mysteriousmessage brought in some manner through the air has told us that Davehas reached the lake, I'm rather anxious for it to rush down. While itkeeps us here it will also hold back the forces of St. Luc. "

"That's true, Dagaeoga. It's a poor snow that doesn't help somebody. Now, I will make a bow and arrow to take the place of my great bow andquiver, which await me elsewhere, because we must draw but little uponour powder and bullets. "

The Onondaga had hatchet and knife and he worked with great rapidityand skill, cutting and bending a bow in two or three days, and makinga string of strong sinews, after which he fashioned many arrows andtipped them with sharp bone. Then he contemplated his handiwork withpride. 

"Hasty work is never the best of work, " he said, "and these are not asgood as those I left behind me, but I know they will serve. The gamehere, hunted but little, is not very wary and I can approach near. "

His skill both in construction and use was soon proved, as he slewwith his new weapons a great moose, two ordinary deer, and muchsmaller game, while the traps caught beaver, otter, fox, wolf andother animals, with fine pelts. Many splendid furs were soon dryingin the air and were taken later into the cave, while they accumulateddried and jerked game enough to last them until the next spring. 

Both worked night and day with such application and intensity thattheir hands became stiff and sore, and every bone in them ached. Nevertheless Robert took time now and then to examine the little cavesin the other sections of the valley, only to find them still empty. He thought, for a while, that the presence of Tayoga and himself andtheir operations with the game might have frightened the bears away, but the feeling that they would come returned and was strong upon him. As for Tayoga he never doubted. It had been decreed by Tododaho. 

"The animals have souls, " he said. "Often when great warriors die orfall in battle their souls go into the bodies of bear, or deer, orwolf, but oftenest into that of bear. For that reason the bear, savingonly the dog which lives with us, is nearest to man, and now and then, because of the warrior soul in him, he is a man himself, althoughhe walks on four legs--and he does not always walk on four legs, sometimes he stands on two. Doubt not, Dagaeoga, that when the stormywinter sweeps down the bears will come to their ancient homes, whetheror not we be here. "

The winds grew increasingly chill, coming from the vast lakes beyondthe Great Lakes, those that lay in the far Canadian north, and theskies were invariably leaden in hue and gloomy. But in the cave itwas cozy and warm. Furs and skins were so numerous that there was nolonger room on the floor and walls for them all, many being stored inglossy heaps in the corners. 

"Some day these will bring a good price from the Dutch traders atAlbany, " said Robert, "and it may be, Tayoga, that you and I will needthe money. I've been a scout and warrior for a long time, and nowI've suddenly turned fur hunter. Well, that spirit of peace and of afriendly feeling toward all mankind grows upon me. Why shouldn't I befull of brotherly love when your patron saint, Tododaho, has been sokind to us?"

He swept the cave once more with a glance of approval. It furnishedshelter, warmth, food in abundance, and with its furs even a certainvelvety richness for the eye, and Tayoga nodded assent. Meanwhile theywaited for the fierce blasts of the mountain winter. 

CHAPTER VII

THE SLEEPING SENTINELS

A singular day came when it seemed to Robert that the wind alternatelyblew hot and cold, at least by contrast, and the deep, leaden skieswere suffused with a peculiar mist that made him see all objects ina distorted fashion. Everything was out of proportion. Some weretoo large and some too small. Either the world was awry or his ownfaculties had become discolored and disjointed. While his interest inhis daily toil decreased and his thoughts were vague and distant, his curiosity, nevertheless, was keen and concentrated. He knew thatsomething unusual was going to happen and nature was preparing him forit. 

The occult quality in the air did not depart with the coming of night, though the winds no longer alternated, the warm blasts ceasing toblow, while the cold came steadily and with increasing fierceness. Yetit was warm and close in the cave, and the two went outside for air, wandering up the face of the ridge that enclosed the northern sideof their particular valley in the chain of little valleys. Upon thesummit they stood erect, and the face of Tayoga became rapt likethat of a seer. When Robert looked at him his own blood tingled. TheOnondaga shut his eyes, and he spoke not so much to Robert as to theair itself:

"O Tododaho, " he said, "when mine eyes are open I do not see youbecause of the vast clouds that Manitou has heaped between, but when Iclose them the inner light makes me behold you sitting upon your starand looking down with kindness upon this, the humblest and least ofyour servants. O Tododaho, you have given my valiant comrade andmyself a safe home in the wilderness in our great need, and I beseechyou that you will always hold your protecting shield between us andour enemies. "

He paused, his eyes still closed, and stood tense and erect, the northwind blowing on his face. A shiver ran through Robert, not a shiver offear, but a shiver caused by the mysterious and the unknown. His owneyes were open, and he gazed steadily into the northern heavens. The occult quality in the air deepened, and now his nerves began totingle. His soul thrilled with a coming event. Suddenly the deep, leaden clouds parted for a few moments, and in the clear space betweenhe could have sworn that he saw a great dancing star, from which amighty, benevolent face looked down upon them. 

"I saw him! I saw him!" he exclaimed in excitement. "It was Tododahohimself!"

"I did not see him with my eyes, but I saw him with my soul, " said theOnondaga, opening his eyes, "and he whispered to me that his favor waswith us. We cannot fail in what we wish to do. "

"Look in the next valley, Tayoga. What do you behold now?"

"It is the bears, Dagaeoga. They come to their long winter sleep. "

Rolling figures, enlarged and fantastic, emerged from the mist. Robertsaw great, red eyes, sharp teeth and claws, and yet he felt neitherfear nor hostility. Tayoga's statement that they were bears, intowhich the souls of great warriors had gone, was strong in his mind, and he believed. They looked up at him, but they did not pause, movingon to the little caves. 

"They see us, " he said. 

"So they do, " said Tayoga, "but they do not fear us. The spirits ofmighty warriors look out of their eyes at us, and knowing that theywere once as we are they know also that we will not harm them. "

"Have you ever seen the like of this before, Tayoga?"

"No! But a few of the old men of the Hodenosaunee have told of theirgrandfathers who have seen it. I think it is a mark of favor to usthat we are permitted to behold such a sight. Now I am sure Tododahohas looked upon us with great approval. Lo, Dagaeoga, more of themcome out of the mist! Before morning every cave, save those in our ownlittle corner of the valley, will be filled. All of them gaze up atus, recognize us as friends and pass on. It is a wonderful sight, Dagaeoga, and we shall never look upon its like again. "

"No, " said Robert, as the extraordinary thrill ran through him oncemore. "Now they have gone into their caves, and I believe with you, Tayoga, that the souls of great warriors truly inhabit the bodies ofthe bears. "

"And since they are snugly in their homes, ready for the long wintersleep, lo! the great snow comes, Dagaeoga!"

A heavy flake fell on Robert's upturned face, and then another andanother. The circling clouds, thick and leaden, were beginning to pourdown their burden, and the two retreated swiftly to their own dry andwell furnished cave. Then they rolled the great stones before thedoor, and Tayoga said:

"Now, we will imitate our friends, the bears, and take a long wintersleep. "

Both were soon slumbering soundly in their blankets and furs, and allthat night and all the next day the snow fell on the high mountains inthe heart of which they lay. There was no wind, and it came straightdown, making an even depth on ridge, slope and valley. It blotted outthe mouths of the caves, and it clothed all the forest in deep white. Robert and Tayoga were but two motes, lost in the vast wilderness, which had returned to its primeval state, and the Indians themselves, whether hostile or friendly, sought their villages and lodges and werewilling to leave the war trail untrodden until the months of storm andbitter cold had passed. 

Robert slept heavily. His labors in preparation for the winter hadbeen severe and unremitting, and his nerves had been keyed very highby the arrival of the bears and the singular quality in the air. Now, nature claimed her toll, and he did not awake until nearly noon, Tayoga having preceded him a half hour. The Onondaga stood at the doorof the cave, looking over the stones that closed its lower half. Freshair poured in at the upper half, but Robert saw there only a whitishveil like a foaming waterfall. 

"The time o' day, Sir Tayoga, Knight of the Great Forest, " he saidlightly and cheerfully. 

"There is no sun to tell me, " replied the Onondaga. "The face ofAreskoui will be hidden long, but I know that at least half the day isgone. The flakes make a thick and heavy white veil, through whichI cannot see, and great as are the snows every winter on the highmountains, this will be the greatest of them all. "

"And we've come into our lair. And a mighty fine lair it is, too. Iseem to adapt myself to such a place, Tayoga. In truth, I feel likea bear myself. You say that the souls of warriors have gone into thebears about us, and it may be that the soul of a bear has come intome. "

"It may be, " said Tayoga, gravely. "It is at least a wise thought, since, for a while, we must live like bears. "

Robert would have chafed, any other time, at a stay that amounted toimprisonment, but peace and shelter were too welcome now to let himcomplain. Moreover, there were many little but important house-holdduties to do. They made needles of bone, and threads of sinew andrepaired their clothing. Tayoga had stored suitable wood and bone andhe turned out arrow after arrow. He also made another bow, and Robert, by assiduous practice, acquired sufficient skill to help in thesetasks. They did not drive themselves now, but the hours being filledwith useful and interesting labor, they were content to wait. 

For three or four days, while the snow still fell, they ate cold food, but when the clouds at last floated away, and the air was free fromthe flakes, they went outside and by great effort--the snow being fouror five feet deep--cleared a small space near the entrance, where theycooked a good dinner from their stores and enjoyed it extravagantly. Meanwhile the days passed. Robert was impatient at times, but never along while. If the mental weariness of waiting came to him he plungedat once into the tasks of the day. 

There was plenty to do, although they had prepared themselves so wellbefore the great snowfall came. They made rude shovels of wood andenlarged the space they had cleared of snow. Here, they fitted stonestogether, until they had a sort of rough furnace which, crude thoughit was, helped them greatly with their cooking. They also pulled morebrushwood from under the snow, and by its use saved the store theyhad heaped up for impossible days. Then, by continued use of the boneneedles and sinews, they managed to make cloaks for themselves of thebearskins. They were rather shapeless garments, and they had little ofbeauty save in the rich fur itself, but they were wonderfully warm andthat was what they wanted most. 

Tayoga, after a while, began slow and painstaking work on a pair ofsnowshoes, expecting to devote many days to the task. 

"The snow is so deep we cannot pass through it, " he said, "but I, atleast, will pass upon it. I cannot get the best materials, but what Ihave will serve. I shall not go far, but I want to explore the countryabout us. "

Robert thought it a good plan, and helped as well as he could with thework. They still stayed outdoors as much as possible, but the coldbecame intense, the temperature going almost to forty degrees belowzero, the surface of the snow freezing and the boughs of the bigtrees about the valley becoming so brittle that they broke with sharpcrashes beneath the weight of accumulated snow. Then they paused longenough in the work on the snowshoes to make themselves gloves ofbuckskin, which were a wonderful help, as they labored in the freshair. Ear muffs and caps of bearskin followed. 

"I feel some reluctance about using bearskin so much, " said Robert, "since the bears about us are inhabited by the souls of great warriorsand are our friends. "

"But the bears that we killed did not belong here, " said Tayoga, "andwere bears and nothing more. It was right for us to slay them becausethe bear was sent by Manitou to be a support for the Indian with hisflesh and his pelt. "

"But how do you know that the bears we killed were just bears andbears only?"

"Because, if they had not been we would not have killed them. "

Thus were the qualms of young Lennox quieted and he used his bearskincap, gloves and cloak without further scruple. The snowshoes werecompleted and Tayoga announced that he would start early the nextmorning. 

"I may be gone three or four days, Dagaeoga, " he said, "but I willsurely return. I shall avoid danger, and do you be careful also. "

"Don't fear for me, " said Robert. "I'm not likely to go farther thanthe brook, since there's no great sport in breaking your way throughsnow that comes to your waist, and which, moreover, is covered with athick sheet of ice. Don't trouble your mind about me, Tayoga, I won'troam from home. "

The Onondaga took his weapons, a supply of food, and departed, skimming over the snow with wonderful, flying strokes, while Robertsettled down to lonely waiting. It was a hard duty, but he again foundsolace in work, and at intervals he contemplated the mouths of thebears' caves, now almost hidden by the snow. Tayoga's belief wasstrong upon him, for the time, and he concluded that the warriorswho inhabited the bodies of the bears must be having some long andwonderful dreams. At least, they had plenty of time to dream in, andit was an extraordinary provision of nature that gave them such atremendous sleep. 

Tayoga returned in four days, and Robert, who had more than enough ofbeing alone, welcomed him with hospitable words to a fire and a feast. 

"I must first put away my spoils, " said the Onondaga, his dark eyesglittering. 

"Spoils! What spoils, Tayoga?"

"Powder and lead, " he replied, taking a heavy bundle wrapped indeerskin from beneath his bearskin overcoat. "It weighs a full fiftypounds, and it made my return journey very wearisome. Catch it, Dagaeoga!"

Robert caught, and he saw that it was, in truth, powder and lead. 

"Now, where did you get this?" he exclaimed. "You couldn't have goneto any settlement!"

"There is no settlement to go to. I made our enemies furnish thepowder and lead we need so much, and that is surely the cheapest way. Listen, Dagaeoga. I remembered that to the east of us, about two days'journey, was a long valley sheltered well and warm, in which Indianswho fight the Hodenosaunee often camp. I thought it likely they wouldbe there in such a winter as this, and that I might take from them inthe night the powder and lead we need so much. 

"I was right. The savages were there, and with them a white man, aFrenchman, that Charles Langlade, called the Owl, from whom we fled. They had an abundance of all things, and they were waxing fat, untilthey could take the war path in the spring. Then, Dagaeoga, I playedthe fox. At night, when they dreamed of no danger, I entered theirbiggest lodges, passing as one of them, and came away with the powderand lead. "

"It was a great feat, Tayoga, but are you sure none of them will trailyou here?"

"The surface of the snow and ice melts a little in the noonday sun, enough to efface all trace of the snowshoes, and my trail is no morethan that made by a bird in its flight through the air. Nor can we befollowed here while we are guarded by the bears, who sleep, but who, nevertheless, are sentinels. "

Tayoga took off his snowshoes, and sank upon a heap of furs in thecave, while Robert brought him food and inspected the great prize ofammunition he had brought. The package contained a dozen huge hornsfilled with powder, and many small bars of lead, the latter havingmade the weight which had proved such a severe trial to the Onondaga. 

"Here's enough of both lead and powder to last us throughout thewinter, whatever may happen, " said Robert in a tone of intensesatisfaction. "Tayoga, you're certainly a master freebooter. Youcouldn't have made a more useful capture. "

Each, after the invariable custom of hunters and scouts, carriedbullet molds, and they were soon at work, melting the lead and castingbullets for their rifles, then pouring the shining pellets in a streaminto their pouches. They continued at the task from day to day untilall the lead was turned into bullets and then they began work onanother pair of snowshoes, these intended for Robert. 

Despite the safety and comfort of their home in the rock, both beganto chafe now, and time grew tremendously long. They had done nearlyeverything they could do for themselves, and life had become so easythat there was leisure to think and be restless, because they were faraway from great affairs. 

"When my snowshoes are finished and I perfect myself in the use ofthem, " said Robert, "I favor an attempt to escape on the ice and snowto the south. We grow rusty, you and I, here, Tayoga. The war may bedecided in our absence and I want to see Dave, too. I want to hear himtell how he got through the savage cordon to the lake. "

"Have no fear about the war, Dagaeoga, " said the Onondaga. "It willnot be ended this winter nor the next. Before there is peace betweenthe French king and the British king you will have a chance to makemany speeches. Yet, like you, I think we should go. It is not well forus to lie hidden in the ground through a whole winter. "

"But when we leave our good home here I shall leave many regretsbehind. "

He looked around at the cave and its supplies of skins and furs, itsstores of wood and food. Fortune had helped their own skill and theyhad made a marvelous change in the place. Its bleakness and barenesshad disappeared. In the cold and bitter wilderness it offered morethan comfort, it was luxury itself. 

"So shall I, " said Tayoga, appreciatively, "but we will heap rocks upto the very top of the door, so that only a little air and nothingelse can enter, and leave it as it is. Some day we may want to use itagain. "

Having decided to go, they became very impatient, but they did notskimp the work on the snowshoes, knowing how much depended on theirstrength, but that task too, like all the others, came to an end intime. Robert practiced a while and they selected a day of departure. They were to take with them all the powder and bullets, a large supplyof food and their heavy bearskin overcoats. They had also made forthemselves over-moccasins of fur and extra deerskin leggings. Theywould be bundled up greatly, but it was absolutely necessary in orderto face the great cold, that hovered continuously around thirty toforty degrees below zero. The ear muffs, the caps and the gloves, too, were necessities, but they had the comfort of believing that if thefierce winter presented great difficulties to them, it would also keeptheir savage enemies in their lodges. 

"The line that shut us in in the autumn has thinned out and gone!"exclaimed Robert in sanguine tones, "and we'll have a clear path fromhere to the lake!"

Then they rolled stones, as they had planned, before the door to theirhome, closing it wholly except a few square inches at the top, andascended on their snowshoes to the crest of the ridge. 

"Our cave will not be disturbed, at least not this winter, " saidTayoga confidently. "The bears that sleep below are, as I told you, the silent sentinels, and they will guard it for us until we comeagain. "

"At least, they brought us good luck, " said Robert. Then, with long, gliding strokes they passed over the ridge, and their happy valley waslost to sight. They did not speak again for hours, Tayoga leading theway, and each bending somewhat to his task, which was by no meansa light one, owing to the weight they carried, and the extremelymountainous nature of the country. The wilderness was still andintensely cold. The deep snow was covered by a crust of ice, and, despite vigorous exertion and warm clothing, they were none too warm. 

By noon Robert's ankle, not thoroughly hardened to the snowshoes, began to chafe, and they stopped to rest in a dense grove, where thesearching north wind was turned aside from them. They were travelingby the sun for the south end of Lake George, but as they were in thevast plexus of mountains, where their speed could not be great, evenunder the best of conditions, they calculated that they would be manydays and nights on the way. 

They stayed fully an hour in the shelter of the trees, and an hourlater came to a frozen lake over which the traveling was easy, butafter they had passed it they entered a land of close thickets, inwhich their progress was extremely slow. At night, the cold was verygreat, but, as they scooped out a deep hollow in the snow, though theyattempted no fire, they were able to keep warm within their bearskins. A second and a third day passed in like fashion, and their progress tothe south was unimpeded, though slow. They beheld no signs of humanlife save their own, but invariably in the night, and often in theday, they heard distant wolves howling. 

On the fourth day the temperature rose rapidly and the surface ofthe snow softened, making their southward march much harder. Theirsnowshoes clogged so much and the strain upon their ankles grew sogreat that they decided to go into camp long before sunset, and givethemselves a thorough rest. They also scraped away the snow andlighted a fire for the first time, no small task, as the snow wasstill very deep, and it required much hunting to find the fallenwood. But when the cheerful blaze came they felt repaid for all theirtrouble. They rejoiced in the glow for an hour or so, and then Tayogadecided that he would go on a short hunting trip along the course of astream that they could see about a quarter of a mile below. 

"It may be that I can rouse up a deer, " he said. "They are likely tobe in the shelter of the thick bushes along the water's edge, butwhether I find them or not I will return shortly after sundown. Do youawait me here, Dagaeoga. "

"I won't stir. I'm too tired, " said Robert. 

The Onondaga put on his snowshoes again, and strapped to his back hisshare of the ammunition and supplies--it had been agreed by the twothat neither should ever go anywhere without his half, lest theybecome separated. Then he departed on smooth, easy strokes, almostlike one who skated, and was soon out of sight among the bushes at theedge of the stream. Robert settled back to the warmth and brightnessof the fire, and awaited in peace the sound of a shot telling thatTayoga had found the deer. 

He had been so weary, and the blaze was so soothing that he sank intoa state, not sleep, but nevertheless full of dreams. He saw Willetagain, and heard him tell the tale how he had reached the lake andthe army with Garay's letter. He saw Colonel Johnson, and the youngEnglish officer, Grosvenor, and Colden and Wilton and Carson and allhis old friends, and then he heard a crunch on the snow near him. HadTayoga come back so soon and without his deer? He did not raise hisdrooping eyelids until he heard the crunch again, and then when heopened them he sprang suddenly to his feet, his heart beating fastwith alarm. 

A half dozen dark figures rushed upon him. He snatched at his rifleand tried to meet the first of them with a bullet, but the range wastoo close. He nevertheless managed to get the muzzle in the air andpull the trigger. He remembered even in that terrible moment to dothat much and Tayoga would hear the sharp, lashing report. Then thehorde was upon him. Someone struck him a stunning blow on the side ofthe head with the flat of a tomahawk, and he fell unconscious. 

When he returned to the world, the twilight had come, the hole in thesnow had been enlarged very much, and so had the fire. Seated aroundit were a dozen Indians, wrapped in thick blankets and armed heavily, and one white man whose attire was a strange compound of savage andcivilized. He wore a three-cornered French military hat with a great, drooping plume of green, an immense cloak of fine green cloth, linedwith fur, but beneath it he was clothed in buckskin. 

The man himself was as picturesque as his attire. He was young, hisface was lean and bold, his nose hooked and fierce like that of aRoman leader, his skin, originally fair, now tanned almost to amahogany color by exposure, his figure of medium height, but obviouslyvery powerful. Robert saw at once that he was a Frenchman and he feltinstinctively that it was Langlade. But his head was aching from theblow of the tomahawk, and he waited in a sort of apathy. 

"So you've come back to earth, " said the Frenchman, who had seen hiseyes open--he spoke in good French, which Robert understood perfectly. 

"I never had any intention of staying away, " replied young Lennox. 

The Frenchman laughed. 

"At least you show a proper spirit, " he said. "I commend you also formanaging to fire your rifle, although the bullet hit none of us. Itgave the alarm to your comrade and he got clean away. I can make aguess as to who you are. "

"My name is Robert Lennox. "

"I thought so, and your comrade was Tayoga, the Onondaga who is notunknown to us, a great young warrior, I admit freely. I am sorry wedid not take him. "

"I don't think you'll get a chance to lay hands on him. He'll be tooclever for you. "

"I admit that, too. He's gone like the wind on his snowshoes. It seemsqueer that you and he should be here in the mountain wilderness so farnorth of your lines, in the very height of a fierce winter. "

"It's just as queer that you should be here. "

"Perhaps so, from your point of view, though it's lucky that I shouldhave been present with these dark warriors of mine when you weretaken. They suffered heavily in the battle by Andiatarocte, and butfor me they might now be using you as fuel. Don't wince, you knowtheir ways and I only tell a fact. In truth, I can't make you anypromise in regard to your ultimate fate, but, at present, I need youalive more than I need you dead. "

"You won't get any military information out of me. "

"I don't know. We shall wait and see. "

"Do you know the Chevalier de St. Luc?"

"Of course. All Frenchmen and all Canadians know him, or know of him, but he is far from here, and we shall not tell him that we have ayoung American prisoner. The chevalier is a great soldier and thebravest of men, but he has one fault. He does not hate the English andthe Bostonnais enough. "

Robert was not bound, but his arms and snowshoes had been taken andthe Indians were all about him. There was no earthly chance of escape. With the wisdom of the wise he resigned himself at once to hissituation, awaiting a better moment. 

"I'm at your command, " he said politely to Langlade. 

The French leader laughed, partly in appreciation. 

"You show intelligence, " he said. "You do not resist, when you seethat resistance is impossible. "

Robert settled himself into a more comfortable position by the fire. His head still ached, but it was growing easier. He knew that it wasbest to assume a careless and indifferent tone. 

"I'm not ready to leave you now, " he said, "but I shall go later. "

Langlade laughed again, and then directed two of the Indians to huntmore wood. They obeyed. Robert saw that they never questioned hisleadership, and he saw anew how the French partisans establishedthemselves so thoroughly in the Indian confidence. The others threwaway more snow, making a comparatively large area of cleared ground, and, when the wood was brought, they built a great fire, around whichall of them sat and ate heartily from their packs. 

Langlade gave Robert food which he forced himself to eat, although hewas not hungry. He judged that the French partisan, who could be cruelenough on occasion, had some object in treating him well for thepresent, and he was not one to disturb such a welcome frame of mind. His weapons and the extra rifle of Garay that they had brought withthem, had already been divided among the warriors, who, pleased withthe reward, were content to wait. 

The night was spent at the captured camp, and in the morning theentire party, Robert included, started on snowshoes almost due north. The young prisoner felt a sinking of the heart, when his face wasturned away from his own people, and he began an unknown captivity. Hehad been certain at first of escape, but it did not seem so sure now. In former wars many prisoners taken on raids into Canada had neverbeen heard of again, and when he reflected in cold blood he knew thatthe odds were heavy against a successful flight. Yet there was Tayoga. His warning shot had enabled the Onondaga to evade the band, and hiscomrade would never desert him. All his surpassing skill and tenacitywould be devoted to his aid. In that lay his hope. 

They pressed on toward the north as fast as they could go, and whennight came they were all exhausted, but they ate heavily again andRobert received his share. Langlade continued to treat him kindly, though he still had the feeling that the partisan, if it served him, would be fully as cruel as the Indians. At night, although they builtbig fires, Langlade invariably posted a strong watch, and Robertnoticed also that he usually shared it, or a part of it, from whichhabit he surmised that the partisan had received the name of the Owl. He had hoped that Tayoga might have a chance to rescue him in thedark, but he saw now that the vigilance was too great. 

He hid his intense disappointment and kept as cheerful a face as hecould. Langlade, the only white man in the Indian band, was drawnto him somewhat by the mere fact of racial kinship, and the twofrequently talked together in the evenings in what was a sort ofcompulsory friendliness, Robert in this manner picking up scraps ofinformation which when welded together amounted to considerable, beingthus confirmed in his belief that Willet with the letter had reachedthe lake in time. St. Luc with a formidable force had undertaken aswift march on Albany, but the town had been put in a position ofdefense, and St. Luc's vanguard had been forced to retreat by alarge body of rangers after a severe conflict. As the success of thechevalier's daring enterprise had depended wholly on surprise, he hadthen withdrawn northward. 

But Robert could not find out by any kind of questions where St. Lucwas, although he learned that Garay had never returned to Albany andthat Hendrik Martinus had made an opportune flight. Langlade, who wasthoroughly a wilderness rover, talked freely and quite boastfullyof the French power, which he deemed all pervading and invincible. Despite the battle at Lake George the fortunes of war had gone so farin favor of France and Canada and against Britain and the Bostonnais. When the great campaign was renewed in the spring more and biggervictories would crown French valor. The Owl grew expansive as hetalked to the youth, his prisoner. 

"The Marquis de Montcalm is coming to lead all our armies, " he said, "and he is a far abler soldier than Dieskau. You really did us a greatservice when you captured the Saxon. Only a Frenchman is fit tolead Frenchmen, and under a mighty captain we will crush you. TheBostonnais are not the equal of the French in the forest. Save a fewlike Willet, and Rogers, the English and Americans do not learn theways of woods warfare, nor do you make friends with the Indians as wedo. "

"That is true in the main, " responded Robert, "but we shall windespite it. Both the English and the English Colonials have the powerto survive defeat. Can the French and the Canadians do as well?"

Langlade could not be shaken in his faith. He saw nothing but the mostbrilliant victories, and not only did he boast of French power, but hegloried even more in the strength of the Indian hordes, that had comeand that were coming in ever increasing numbers to the help of France. Only the Hodenosaunee stood aloof from Québec, and he believed theGreat League even yet would be brought over to his side. 

Robert argued with the Owl, but he made no impression upon him. Meanwhile they continued to march north by west. 

CHAPTER VIII

BEFORE MONTCALM

The Owl, with his warriors and captive, descended in time into the lowcountry in the northwest. They, too, had been on snowshoes, but now theydiscarded them, since they were entering a region in which little snow hadfallen, the severity of the weather abating greatly. Robert was stilltreated well, though guarded with the utmost care. The Indians, who seemedto be from some tribe about the Great Lakes, did not speak any dialect heknew, and, if they understood English, they did not use it. He wascompelled to do all his talking with the Owl who, however, was not at alltaciturn. Robert saw early that while a wonderful woodsman and a bornpartisan leader, he was also a Gascon, vain, boastful and full of words. Hetried to learn from him something about his possible fate, but he couldobtain no hint, until they had been traveling more than three weeks, andLanglade had been mellowed by an uncommonly good supper of tender game, which the Indians had cooked for him. 

"You've been trying to draw that information out of me ever since you werecaptured, " he said. "You were indirect and clever about it, but I noticedit. I, Charles Langlade, have perceptions, you must understand. If I dolive in the woods I can read the minds of white men. "

"I know you can, " said Robert, smilingly. "I observed from the first thatyou had an acute intellect. "

"Your judgment does you credit, my young friend. I did not tell you what Iwas going to do with you, because I did not know myself. I know more aboutyou than you think I do. One of my warriors was with Tandakora in severalof his battles with you and Willet, that mighty hunter whom the Indianscall the Great Bear, and Tayoga, the Onondaga, who is probably following onour trail in the hope of rescuing you. I have also heard of you fromothers. Oh, as I tell you, I, Charles Langlade, take note of all things. You are a prisoner of importance. I would not give you to Tandakora, because he would burn you, and a man does not burn valuable goods. I wouldnot send you to St. Luc, because, being a generous man, he might take somefoolish notion to exchange you, or even parole you. I would not give you tothe Marquis Duquesne at Quebec, because then I might lose my pawn in thegame, and, in any event, the Marquis Duquesne is retiring as GovernorGeneral of New France. "

"Is that true? I have met him. He seemed to me to be a great man. "

"Perhaps he is, but he was too haughty and proud for the powerful men whodwelt at Quebec, and who control New France. I have heard something of yourappearance at the capital with the Great Bear and the Onondaga, and of whatchanced at Bigot's ball, and elsewhere. Ah, you see, as I told you, I, Charles Langlade, know all things! But to return, the Marquis Duquesnegives way to the Marquis de Vaudreuil. Oh, that was accomplished some timeago, and perhaps you know of it. So, I do not wish to give you to theMarquis de Vaudreuil. I might wait and present you to the Marquis deMontcalm when he comes, but that does not please me, either, and thus Ihave about decided to present you to the Dove. "

"The Dove! Who is the Dove?"

Langlade laughed with intense enjoyment. 

"The Dove, " he replied, "is a woman, none other than Madame de Langladeherself, a Huron. You English do not marry Indian women often--and yetColonel William Johnson has taken a Mohawk to wife--but we French know themand value them. Do not think to have an easy and careless jailer when youare put in the hands of the Dove. She will guard you even more zealouslythan I, Charles Langlade, and you will notice that I have neither given youany opportunity to escape nor your friend, Tayoga, the slightest chance torescue you. "

"It is true, Monsieur Langlade. I've abandoned any such hope on the march, although I may elude you later. "

"The Dove, as I told you, will attend to that. But it will be a pretty playof wits, and I don't mind the test. I'm aware that you have intelligenceand skill, but the Dove, though a woman, possesses the wit of a greatchief, and I'll match her against you. "

There was a further abatement of the weather, and they reached a regionwhere there was no snow at all. Warm winds blew from the direction of theGreat Lakes and the band traveled fast through a land in which the gamealmost walked up to their rifles to be killed, such plenty causing theIndians, as usual, now that they were not on the war path, to feastprodigiously before huge fires, Langlade often joining them, and showingthat he was an adept in Indian customs. 

One evening, just as they were about to light the fire, the warrior who hadbeen posted as sentinel at the edge of the forest gave a signal and a fewmoments later a tall, spare figure in a black robe with a belt about thewaist appeared. Robert's heart gave a great leap. The wearer of the blackrobe was an elderly man with a thin face, ascetic and high. The captiverecognized him at once. It was Father Philibert Drouillard, the priest, whose life had already crossed his more than once, and it was not strangeto see him there, as the French priests roamed far through the greatwilderness of North America, seeking to save the souls of the savages. 

Langlade, when he beheld Father Drouillard, sprang at once to his feet, andRobert also arose quickly. The priest saw young Lennox, but he did notspeak to him just yet, accepting the food that the Owl offered him, andsitting down with his weary feet to the fire that had now been lighted. 

"You have traveled far, Father?" said Langlade, solicitously. 

"From the shores of Lake Huron. I have converts there, and I must see thatthey do not grow weak in the faith. "

"All men, red and white, respect Philibert Drouillard. Why are you alone, Father?"

"A runner from the Christian village came with me until yesterday. Then Isent him back, because I would not keep him too long from his people. I cango the rest of the way alone, as it will be but a few days before I meet aFrench force. "

Then he turned to Robert for the first time. 

"And you, my son, " he said, "I am sorry it has fared thus with you. "

"It has not gone badly, Father, " said Robert. "Monsieur de Langlade hastreated me well. I have naught to complain of save that I'm a prisoner. "

"It is a good lad, Charles Langlade, " said the priest to the partisan, "andI am glad he has suffered no harm at your hands. What do you purpose to dowith him?"

"It is my present plan to take him to the village in which Madame Langlade, otherwise the Dove, abides. He will be her prisoner until a further plandevelops, and you know how well she watches. "

A faint smile passed over the thin face of the priest. 

"It is true, Charles Langlade, " he said. "That which escapes the eyes ofthe Dove is very small, but I would take the lad with me to Montreal. "

"Nay, Father, that cannot be. I am second to nobody in respect for HolyChurch, and for you, Father Drouillard, whose good deeds are known to all, and whose bad deeds are none, but those who fight the war must use theirjudgment in fighting it, and the prisoners are theirs. "

Father Drouillard sighed. 

"It is so, Charles Langlade, " he said, "but, as I have said, the prisoneris a good youth. I have met him before, as I told you, and I would savehim. You know not what may happen in the Indian village, if you chance tobe away. "

"The Dove will have charge of him. She can be trusted. "

"And yet I would take him with me to Montreal. He will give his parole thathe will not attempt to escape on the way. It is the custom for prisoners tobe ransomed. I will send to you from Montreal five golden louis for him. "

Langlade shook his head. 

"Ten golden louis, " said Father Drouillard. 

"Nay, Father, it is no use, " said the partisan. "I cannot be tempted toexchange him for money. "

"Fifteen golden louis, Charles Langlade, though I may have to borrow fromthe funds of the Church to send them to you. "

"I respect your motive, Father, but 'tis impossible. This is a prisoner ofgreat value and I must use him as a pawn in the game of war. He was takenfairly and I cannot give him up. "

Again Father Drouillard sighed, and this time heavily. 

"I would save you from captivity, Mr. Lennox, " he said, "but, as you see, Icannot. "

Robert was much moved. 

"I thank you, Father Drouillard, for your kind intentions, " he said. "Itmay be that some day I shall have a chance to repay them. Meanwhile, I donot dread the coming hospitality of Madame Langlade. "

The priest shook his head sadly. 

"It is a great and terrible war, " he said, "though I cannot doubt thatFrance will prevail, but I fear for you, my son, a captive in the vastwilderness. Although you are an enemy and a heretic I have only goodfeeling for you, and I know that the great Chevalier, St. Luc, also regardsyou with favor. "

"Know you anything of St. Luc?" asked Robert eagerly. 

"Only that the expedition he was to lead against Albany has turned back andthat he has gone to Canada to fight under the banner of Montcalm, when hecomes with the great leaders, De Levis, Bourlamaque and the others. "

"I thought I might meet him. "

"Not here, with Charles Langlade. "

The priest spent the night with them and in the morning, after giving themhis blessing, captors and captive alike, he departed on his long andsolitary journey to Montreal. 

"A good man, " said Robert, as he watched his tall, thin figure disappear inthe surrounding forest. 

"Truly spoken, " said the Owl. "I am little of a churchman myself, theforest and the war trail please me better, but the priests are a great propto France in the New World. They carry with them the authority of HisMajesty, King Louis. "

A week later they reached a small Indian village on Lake Ontario where theOwl at present made his abode, and in the largest lodge of which hispatient spouse, the Dove, was awaiting him. She was young, much taller thanthe average Indian woman, and, in her barbaric fashion, quite handsome. Buther face was one of the keenest and most alert Robert had ever seen. Allthe trained observation of countless ancestors seemed stored in her and nowhe understood why Langlade had boasted so often and so warmly of her skillas a guard. She regarded him with a cold eye as she listened attentively toher husband's instructions, and, for the remainder of that winter andafterward, she obeyed them with a thoroughness beyond criticism. 

The village included perhaps four hundred souls, of whom about a hundredwere warriors. Langlade was king and Madame Langlade, otherwise the Dove, was queen, the two ruling with absolute sovereignty, their authority due totheir superior intelligence and will and to the service they rendered tothe little state, because a state it was, organized completely in all itsparts, although composed of only a few hundred human beings. In the bitterweather that came again, Langlade directed the hunting in the adjacentforest and the fishing conducted on the great lake. He also made presentsfrom time to time of gorgeous beads or of huge red or yellow blankets thathad been sent from Montreal. Robert could not keep from admiring hisdiplomacy and tact, and now he understood more thoroughly than ever how theFrench partisans made themselves such favorites with the wild Indians. 

His own position in the village was tentative. Langlade still seemeduncertain what to do with him, and held him meanwhile for a possible rewardof great value. He was never allowed to leave the cluster of tepees for theforest, except with the warriors, but he took part in the fishing on thelake, being a willing worker there, because idleness grew terribly irksome, and, when he had nothing to do, he chafed over his long captivity. He sleptin a small tepee built against that of Monsieur and Madame Langlade, andfrom which there was no egress save through theirs. 

He was enclosed only within walls of skin, and he believed that he mighthave broken a way through them, but he felt that the eyes of the Dove werealways on him. He even had the impression that she was watching him whilehe slept, and sometimes he dreamed that she was fanged and clawed like atigress. 

Langlade went away once, being gone a long time, and while he was absentthe Dove redoubled her watchfulness. Robert's singular impression that hereyes were always on him was strengthened, and these eyes were increased tothe hundred of Argus and more. It became so oppressive that he was alwayseager to go out with the warriors in their canoes for the fishing. On LakeOntario he was sure the eyes of the Dove could not reach him, but the workwas arduous and often perilous. The great lake was not to be treatedlightly. Often it took toll of the Indians who lived around its shores. Winter storms came up suddenly, the waves rolled like those of the sea, freezing spray dashed over them, and it required a supreme exertion ofboth skill and strength to keep the light canoes from being swamped. 

Yet Robert was always happier on water than on land. On shore, confinedclosely and guarded zealously, his imaginative temperament suffered and hebecame moody and depressed, but on the lakes, although still a captive, hefelt the winds of freedom. When the storms came and the icy blasts sweptdown upon them he responded, body and soul. Relief and freedom were to befound in the struggle with the elements and he always went back to shorerefreshed and stronger of spirit and flesh. He also had a feeling thatTayoga might come by way of the lake, and when he was with the littleIndian fleet he invariably watched the watery horizon for a lone canoe, buthe never saw any. 

The absence of news from his friends, and from the world to which theybelonged, was the most terrible burden of all. If the Indians had news theytold him none. He seemed to have vanished completely. But, however numerousmay have been his moments of despondency, he was not made of the stuff thatyields. The flexible steel always rebounded. He took thorough care of hishealth and strength. In his close little tepee he flexed and tensed hismuscles and went through physical exercises every night and morning, but itwas on the lake in the fishing, where the Indians grew to recognize hishelp, that he achieved most. Fighting the winds, the water and the cold, hefelt his muscles harden and his chest enlarge, and he would say to himselfthat when the spring came and he escaped he would be more fit for the lifeof a free forest runner than he had ever been before. Langlade, when hereturned, took notice of his increased size and strength and did notwithhold approval. 

"I like any prisoner of mine to flourish, " he laughed. "The more superioryou become the greater will be the reward for me when I dispose of you. Youhave found the Dove all I promised you she should be, haven't you, MonsieurLennox?"

"All and more, " replied Robert. "Although she may be out of sight I feelthat her eyes are always on me, and this is true of the night as well asthe day. "

"A great woman, the Dove, and a wife to whom I give all credit. If itshould come into the king's mind to call me to Versailles and bestow uponme some kind of an accolade perhaps Madame Langlade would not feel at homein the great palace nor at the Grand Trianon, nor even at the LittleTrianon, and maybe I wouldn't either. But since no such idea will enter HisMajesty's mind, and I have no desire to leave the great forests, the Doveis a perfect wife for me. She is the true wilderness helpmate, accomplishedin all the arts of the life I live and love, and with the eye and soul of awarrior. I repeat, young Monsieur Lennox, where could I find a wife morereally sublime?"

"Nowhere, Monsieur Langlade. The more I see you two together the morenearly I think you are perfectly matched. "

The Owl seemed pleased with the recognition of his marital felicity, andgrew gracious, dropping some crumbs of information for Robert. He had beento Montreal and the arrival of the great soldier, the Marquis de Montcalm, with fresh generals and fresh troops from France, was expected daily atQuebec. The English, although their fleets were larger, could not interceptthem, and it was now a certainty that the spring campaign would sweep overAlbany and almost to New York. He spoke with so much confidence, in truthwith such an absolute certainty, that Robert's heart sank and then cameback again with a quick rebound. 

After a winter that had seemed to the young captive an age, spring camewith a glorious blossoming and blooming. The wilderness burst into greenand the great lake shining in the sun became peaceful and friendly. Warmwinds blew out of the west and the blood flowed more swiftly in humanveins. But spring passed and summer came. Then Langlade announced that hewould depart with the best of the warriors, and that Robert would go withhim, although he refused absolutely to say where or for what purpose. 

Robert's joy was dimmed in nowise by his ignorance of his destination. Hehad not found the remotest chance to escape while in the village, but itmight come on the march, and there was also a relief and pleasantexcitement in entering the wilderness again. He joyously made ready, theDove gave her lord and equal, not her master, a Spartan farewell, and theformidable band, Robert in the center, plunged into the forest. 

When the great mass of green enclosed them he felt a mighty surge of hope. His imaginative temperament was on fire. A chance for him would surelycome. Tayoga might be hidden in the thickets. Action brought renewedcourage. Langlade, who was watching him, smiled. 

"I read your mind, young Monsieur Lennox, " he said. "Have I not told youthat I, Charles Langlade, have the perceptions? Do I not see and interpreteverything?"

"Then what do you see and interpret now?"

"A great hope in your heart that you will soon bid us farewell. You thinkthat when we are deep in the forest it will not be difficult to elude ourwatch. And yet you could not escape when we were going through this sameforest to the village. Now why do you think it will be easier when you aregoing through it again, but away?"

"The Dove is not at the end of the march. Her eyes will no longer be uponme. "

The Owl laughed deeply and heartily. 

"You're a lad of sense, " he said, "when you lay such a tribute at the feetof that incomparable woman, that model wife, that true helpmate in everysense of the word. Why should you be anxious to leave us? I could have youadopted into the tribe, and you know the ceremony of adoption is sacredwith the Indians. And let me whisper another little fact in your ear whichwill surely move you. The Dove has a younger sister, so much like her thatthey are twins in character if not in years. She will soon be ofmarriageable age, and she shall be reserved for you. Think! Then you willbe my brother-in-law and the brother-in-law of the incomparable Dove. "

"No! No!" exclaimed Robert hastily. 

Now the laughter of the Owl was uncontrollable. His face writhed and hissides shook. 

"A lad does not recognize his own good!" he exclaimed, "or is itbashfulness? Nay, don't be afraid, young Monsieur Lennox! Perhaps I couldget the Dove to intercede for you!"

Robert was forced to smile. 

"I thank you, " he said, "but I am far from the marriageable age myself. "

"Then the Dove and I are not to have you for a brother-in-law?" saidLanglade. "You show little appreciation, young Monsieur Lennox, when it isso easy for you to become a member of such an interesting family. "

Robert was confirmed in his belief that there was much of the wild man inthe Owl, who in many respects had become more Indian than the Indians. Hewas a splendid trailer, a great hunter, and the hardships of the forestwere nothing to him. He read every sign of the wilderness and yet heretained all that was French also, lightness of manner, gayety, quick witand a politeness that never failed. It is likely that the courage andtenacity of the French leaders were never shown to better advantage than inthe long fight they made for dominion in North America. Despite the factthat he was an enemy, and his belief that Langlade could be ruthless, onoccasion, Robert was compelled to like him. 

The journey, the destination yet unknown to him, was long, but it was nottedious to the young prisoner. He watched the summer progress and thecolors deepen and he was cheered continually by the hope of escape, a factthat Langlade recognized and upon which he commented in a detached manner, from time to time. Now and then the leader himself went ahead with a scoutor two and one morning he said to Robert:

"I saw something in the forest last night. "

"The forest contains much, " said Robert. 

"But this was of especial interest to you. It was the trace of a footstep, and I am convinced it was made by your friend Tayoga, the Onondaga. Doubtless he is seeking to effect your escape. "

Robert's heart gave a leap, and there was a new light in his eyes, of whichthe shrewd Owl took notice. 

"I have heard of the surpassing skill of the Onondaga, " he continued, "butI, Charles Langlade, have skill of my own. It will be some time before wearrive at the place to which we are going, and I lay you a wager thatTayoga does not rescue you. "

"I have no money, Monsieur Langlade, " said Robert, "and if I had I couldnot accept a wager upon such a subject. "

"Then we'll let it be mental, wholly. My skill is matched against thecombined knowledge of Tayoga and yourself. He'll never be able, no matterhow dark the night, to get near our camp and communicate with you. "

Although Robert hoped and listened often in the dusk for the sound of asignal from Tayoga, Langlade made good his boast. The two were able toestablish no communication. It was soon proved that he was in the forestnear them, one of the warriors even catching a sufficient glimpse of hisform for a shot, which, however, went wild. The Onondaga did not reply, and, despite the impossibility of reaching him, Robert was cheered by theknowledge that he was near. He had a faithful and powerful friend who wouldhelp him some day, be it soon or late. 

The summer was well advanced when Langlade announced that their journey wasdone. 

"Before night, " he said triumphantly, "we will be in the camp of theMarquis de Montcalm, and we will meet the great soldier himself. I, CharlesLanglade, told you that it would be so, and it is so. "

"What, Montcalm near?" exclaimed Robert, aflame with interest. 

"Look at the sky above the tops of those trees in the east and you will seea smudge of smoke, beneath which stand the tents of the French army. "

"The French army here! And what is it doing in the wilderness?"

"That, young Monsieur Lennox, rests on the knees of the gods. I have somecuriosity on the subject myself. "

An hour or two later they came within sight of the French camp, and Robertsaw that it was a numerous and powerful force for time and place. The tentsstood in rows, and soldiers, both French and Canadian, were everywhere, while many Indian warriors were on the outskirts. A large white marqueenear the center he was sure was that of the commander-in-chief, and he waseager to see at once the famous Montcalm, of whom he was hearing so much. But to his intense disappointment, Langlade went into camp with theIndians. 

"The Marquis de Montcalm is a great man, " he said, "the commander-in-chiefof all the forces of His Majesty, King Louis, in North America, and even I, Charles Langlade, will not approach him without ceremony. We will rest inthe edge of the forest, and when he hears that I have come he will send forme, because he will want to know many things which none other can tell him. And it may be, young Monsieur Lennox, that, in time, he will wish to seeyou also. "

So Robert waited with as much patience as he could muster, although heslept but little that night, the noises in the great French camp and hisown curiosity keeping him awake. What was Montcalm doing so far from thechief seats of the French power in Canada, and did the English andAmericans know that he was here?

Curiously enough he had little apprehension for himself, it was rather afeeling of joy that he had returned to the world of great affairs. Soon hewould know what had been occurring during the long winter when he wasburied in an Indian village, and he might even hear of Willet. Toward dawnhe slept a little, and after daylight he was awakened by Langlade who wasas assured and talkative as usual. 

"It may be, my gallant young prisoner, " he said, ruffling and strutting, "that I am about to lose you, but if it is so it will be for valuereceived. I, Charles Langlade, have seen the great Marquis de Montcalm, butit was an equal speaking to an equal. It was last night in his grandmarquee, where he sat surrounded by his trusted lieutenants, De Levis, St. Luc, Bourlamaque, Coulon de Villiers and the others. But I was not dauntedat all. I repeat that it was an equal speaking to an equal, and the Marquiswas pleased to commend me for the work I have already done for France. "

"And St. Luc was there?"

"He was. The finest figure of them all. A brave and generous man and agreat leader. He stood at the right hand of the Marquis de Montcalm, whileI talked and he listened with attention, because the Chevalier de St. Lucis always willing to learn from others. No false pride about him! And theMarquis de Montcalm is like him. I gave the commander-in-chief muchexcellent advice which he accepted with gratitude, and in return for you, whom he expects to put to use, he has raised me in rank, and has extendedmy authority over the western tribes. Ah, I knew that you were a prize whenI captured you, and I was wise to save you as a pawn. "

"How can I be of any value to the Marquis de Montcalm?"

"That is to be seen. He knows his own plans best. You are to come with meat once into his presence. "

Robert was immediately in a great stir. He straightened out, and, with hishands, brushed his own clothing, smoothed his hair, intending, with hisusual desire for neatness, to make the best possible appearance before theFrench leader. 

After breakfast Langlade took him to the great marquee in which Montcalmsat, as the morning was cool, and when their names had been taken in ayoung officer announced that they might enter, the officer, to Robert'sgreat surprise, being none other than De Galissonnière, who showed equalamazement at meeting him there. The Frenchman gave him a hearty grasp ofthe hand in English fashion, but they did not have time to say anything. 

Robert, walking by the side of Langlade, entered the great tent with sometrepidation, and beheld a swarthy man of middle years, in the uniform of ageneral of France, giving orders to two officers who stood respectfully atattention. Neither of the officers was St. Luc, nor were they among thosewhom Robert had seen at Quebec. He surmised, however, that they were DeLevis and Bourlamaque, and he learned soon that he was right. Langladepaused until Montcalm was ready to speak to him, and Robert stood insilence at his side. Montcalm finished what he had to say and turned hiseyes upon the young prisoner. His countenance was mild, but Robert feltthat his gaze was searching. 

"And this, Captain Langlade, " he said, "is the youth of whom you werespeaking?"

So the Owl had been made a captain, and the promotion had been one of hisrewards. Robert was not sorry. 

"It is the one, sir, " replied Langlade, "young Monsieur Robert Lennox. Hehas been a prisoner in my village all the winter, and he has as friendssome of the most powerful people in the British Colonies. "

Montcalm continued to gaze at Robert as if he would read his soul. 

"Sit down, Mr. Lennox, " he said, not unkindly, motioning him to a littlestool. Robert took the indicated seat and so quick is youth to warm tocourtesy that he felt respect and even liking for the Marquis, official andable enemy though he knew him to be. De Levis and Bourlamaque also werewatching him with alert gaze, but they said nothing. 

"I hear, " continued Montcalm, with a slight smile, "that you have notsuffered in Captain Langlade's village, and that you have adapted yourselfwell to wild life. "

"I've had much experience with the wilderness, " said Robert. "Most of myyears have been passed there, and it was easy for me to live as CaptainLanglade lived. I've no complaint to make of his treatment, though I willsay that he has guarded me well. "

Montcalm laughed. 

"It agrees with Captain Langlade's own account, " he said. "I suppose thatone must be born, or at least pass his youth in it, to get the way of thisvast wilderness. We of old Europe, where everything has been ruled andmeasured for many centuries, can have no conception of it until we see it, and even then we do not understand it. Although with an army about me Ifeel lost in so much forest. But enough of that. It is of yourself and notof myself that I wish to speak. I have heard good reports of you from oneof my own officers, who, though he has been opposed to you many times, nevertheless likes you. "

"The Chevalier de St. Luc!"

"Aye, the Chevalier de St. Luc. I know, also, that you have been in thecouncils of some of the Colonial leaders. You are a friend of Sir WilliamJohnson. "

"Colonel William Johnson?"

"No, Sir William Johnson. In reward for the affair at Lake George, in whichour Dieskau was unfortunate, he has been made a baronet by the Britishking. "

"I am glad. "

"And doubtless Sir William is also. You know him well, I understand, and hewas still at the lake when you left on the journey that led to yourcapture. "

Robert was silent. 

"I have not asked you to answer, " continued Montcalm, "but I assume that itis so. His army, although it was victorious in the battle there, did notadvance. There was much disagreement among the governors of the BritishColonies. The provinces could not be induced to act together?"

Robert was still silent. 

"Again I say I am not asking you to answer, but your silence confirms thetruth of our reports. "

Robert flushed, and a warm reply trembled on his lips, but he restrainedthe words. A swift smile passed over the dark face of Montcalm. 

"You see, Mr. Lennox, " he continued, "I am not asking you to say anything, but there was great disappointment among the British Colonials becausethere was no advance after the battle at the lake. It has also cooled theenthusiasm of the Iroquois, many of whom have gone home and who perhapswill take no further part in the war as the allies of the English. "

Again Robert flushed and again he bit back the hot reply. He lookeduneasily at De Levis and Bourlamaque, but their faces expressed nothing. Then Montcalm suddenly changed the subject. 

"I am going to make you a very remarkable offer, " he said, "and do notthink for a moment it is going to imply any change of colors on your part, or the least suspicion of treason, which I could not ask of the gentlemanyou obviously are. I request of you your parole, your word of honor thatyou will not take any further part in this war. "

"I can't do it! As I have often told Captain Langlade, I intend to escape. "

"That is impossible. If you could not do so when you were in CaptainLanglade's village, you have no chance at all now that you are surroundedby an army. But since you will not give me your parole it will becomenecessary to keep you as a prisoner of war, and to send you to a safeplace. "

"Many of our people in this and former wars with the French have been heldprisoners in the Province of Quebec. I know somewhat of the city of Quebec, and it is not wholly an unpleasant place. "

"I did not have Quebec, either the province or the city, in mind so far asconcerns you, Mr. Lennox. Three of our ships are to return shortly toFrance, and, not wishing to give us your parole, you are to go to France. "

"To France?"

"Yes, to France. Where else? And you should rejoice. It is a fair andglorious land. And I have heard there is a spirit in you, Mr. Lennox, whichis almost French, a kindred touch, a Gallic salt and savor, so to speak. "

"I'm wholly American and British. "

"Perhaps there are others who know you better than you know yourself. Irepeat, there is about you a French finish. Why should you deny it? Youshould be proud of it. We are the oldest of the great civilized nations, and the first in culture. Your stay in France should be very pleasant. Youcan drink there at the fountain of ancient culture and glory. Thewilderness is magnificent in its way, but high civilization is magnificentalso in its own and another way. You can see Paris, the city of light, thecenter of the world, and you can behold the splendid court of His Majesty, King Louis. That should appeal to a young man of taste and discernment. "

Robert felt a thrill and his pulses leaped, but the thrill lasted only amoment. It was clearly impossible that he should go even as a prisoner, though a willing one, to France, and he did not see any reason why theMarquis de Montcalm should take any personal interest in his future. Butresponding invariably to the temperature about him his manner was now aspolite as that of the French general. 

"You have my thanks, sir, " he said, "for the kindly way in which you offerto treat a prisoner, but it is impossible for me to go to France, unlessyou should choose to send me there by sheer force. "

The slight smile passed again over the face of the Marquis de Montcalm. 

"I fancied, young sir, " he said, "that this would be your answer, and, being what it is, I cannot say that it has lowered you aught in my esteem. For the present, you abide with us. "

Robert bowed. Montcalm inspired in him a certain liking, and a decidedrespect. Then, still under the escort of Langlade, he withdrew. 

CHAPTER IX

THE SIGN OF THE BEAR

Robert returned with Langlade to the partisan's camp at the edge of theforest adjoining that of the main French army, where the Indian warriorshad lighted fires and were cooking steaks of the deer. He was disposed tobe silent, but Langlade as usual chattered volubly, discoursing of Frenchmight and glory, but saying nothing that would indicate to his prisoner themeaning of the present military array in the forest. 

Robert did not hear more than half of the Owl's words, because he wasabsorbed in those of Montcalm, which still lingered in his mind. Why shouldthe Marquis wish to send him to France, and to have him treated, when hewas there, more as a guest than as a prisoner? Think as he would he couldfind no answer to the question, but the Owl evidently had been impressed byhis reception from Montcalm, as he treated him now with distinguishedcourtesy. He also seemed particularly anxious to have the good opinion ofthe lad who had been so long his prisoner. 

"Have I been harsh to you?" he asked with a trace of anxiety in his tone. "Have I not always borne myself toward you as if you were an importantprisoner of war? It is true I set the Dove as an invincible sentinel overyou, but as a good soldier and loyal son of France I could do no less. Now, I ask you, Monsieur Robert Lennox, have not I, Charles Langlade, conductedmyself as a fair and considerate enemy?"

"If I were to escape and be captured again, Captain Langlade, it is mysincere wish that you should be my captor the second time, even as you werethe first. "

The Owl was gratified, visibly and much, and then he announced a visitor. Robert sprang to his feet as he saw St. Luc approaching, and his heartthrobbed as always when he was in the presence of this man. The chevalierwas in a splendid uniform of white and silver unstained by the forest. Histhick, fair hair was clubbed in a queue and powdered neatly, and a smallsword, gold hilted, hung at his belt. He was the finest and most gallantfigure that Robert had yet seen in the wilderness, the very spirit andessence of that brave and romantic France with which England and hercolonies were fighting a duel to the death. And yet St. Luc always seemedto him too the soul of knightly chivalry, one to whom it was impossible forhim to bear any hostility that was not merely official. His own hand wentforward to meet the extended hand of the chevalier. 

"We seem destined to meet many times, Mr. Lennox, " said St. Luc, "inbattle, and even under more pleasant conditions. I had heard that you werethe prisoner of our great forest ranger, Captain Langlade, and that youwould be received by our commander-in-chief, the Marquis de Montcalm. "

"He made me a most extraordinary offer, that I go as a prisoner of war toParis, but almost in the state of a guest. "

"And you thought fit to decline, which was unwise in you, though to beexpected of a lad of spirit. Sit down, Mr. Lennox, and we can have ourlittle talk in ease and comfort. It may be that I have something to do withthe proposition of the Marquis de Montcalm. Why not reconsider it and go toFrance? England is bound to lose the war in America. We have the energy andthe knowledge. The Indian tribes are on our side. Even the powerfulHodenosaunee may come over to us in time, and at the worst it will becomeneutral. As a prisoner in France you will have no share in defeat, butperhaps that does not appeal to you. "

"It does not, but I thank you, Chevalier de St. Luc, for your manykindnesses to me, although I don't understand them. Your solicitude for mywelfare cannot but awake my gratitude, but it has been more than once asource of wonderment in my mind. "

"Because you are a young and gallant enemy whom I would not see come toharm. "

Robert felt, however, that the chevalier was not stating the true reason, and he felt also with equal force that he would keep secret in the face ofall questions, direct or indirect, the motives impelling him. St. Luc askedhim about his life in the Indian village with Langlade, and then came backpresently to Paris and France, which he described more vividly than evenMontcalm had done. He seemed to know the very qualities that would appealmost to Robert, and, despite himself, the lad felt his heart leap more thanonce. Paris appeared in deeper and more glowing colors than ever as thecity of light and soul, but he was firm in his resolution not to go thereas a prisoner, if choice should be left to him. St. Luc himself becameenamored of his own words as he spoke. His eyes glowed, and his tone tookon great warmth and enthusiasm. But presently he ceased and when he laugheda little his laugh showed a slight tone of disappointment. 

"I do not move you, Mr. Lennox, " he said. "I can see by your eye that yourwill is hardening against my words, and yet I could wish that you wouldlisten to me. You will believe me when I say I mean you only good. "

"I am wholly sure of it, Monsieur de St. Luc, " said Robert, trying to speaklightly, "but a long while ago I formed a plan to escape, and if I shouldgo to France it would interfere with it seriously. It would not be so easyto leave Paris, and come back to the province of New York, and while I amin North America it is always possible. I informed Captain Langlade that Imeant to escape, and now I repeat it to you. "

The chevalier laughed. 

"Time will tell, " he said. "Your ambition to leave is a proper andpatriotic motive on your part, and I should be the last to accuse it. But'tis not easy of accomplishment. I betray no military secret when I sayour army marches quickly and you will, of necessity, march with us. CaptainLanglade will still keep a vigilant watch over you, and you may be inreadiness to depart tomorrow morning. "

Robert slept that night in Langlade's little section of the camp, but, before he went to sleep, he spent much time wondering which way they wouldgo when the dawn came. Evidently no attack upon Albany was meant, as theywere too far west for such a venture, and he had reason to believe, also, that with the coming of spring the Colonials would be in such posture ofdefense that Montcalm himself would hesitate at such a task. He madeanother attempt to draw the information from Langlade, but failed utterly. Garrulous as he was otherwise, the French partisan would give no hint ofhis general's plans. Yet he and his warriors made obvious preparations forbattle, and, before Robert went to sleep, a gigantic figure stalked intothe firelight and regarded him with a grim gaze. The young prisoner's backwas turned at the moment, but he seemed to feel that fierce look, beatinglike a wind upon his head, and, turning around, he looked full into theeyes of Tandakora. 

The huge Ojibway was more huge than ever. Robert was convinced that he wasthe largest man he had ever seen, not only the tallest, but the broadest, and the heaviest, and his very lack of clothing--he wore only a belt, breech cloth, leggings and moccasins--seemed to increase his size. His vastshoulders, chest and arms were covered with paint, and the scars of oldwounds, the whole giving to him the appearance of some primeval giant, sinister and monstrous. He carried a fine, new rifle of French make and twodouble barreled pistols; a tomahawk and knife swung from his belt. 

Robert, nevertheless, met that full gaze firmly. He shut from his mind whathe might have had to suffer from Tandakora had the Ojibway held him acaptive in the forest, but here he was not Tandakora's prisoner, and he wasin the midst of the French army. Centering all his will and soul into theeffort he stared straight into the evil eyes of the Indian, until those ofhis antagonist were turned away. 

"The Owl has a prisoner whom I know, " said Tandakora to Langlade. 

"Aye, a sprightly lad, " replied the partisan. "I took him before the wintercame, and I've been holding him at our village on Lake Ontario. "

"It was he who, with the Onondaga, Tayoga, and the hunter, Willet, whom wecall the Great Bear, carried the letters from Corlear at New York toOnontio at Quebec. The nations of the Hodenosaunee call him Dagaeoga, andhe is a danger to us. I would buy him from you. I will send to you for himfifty of the finest buffalo robes taken from the great western plains. "

"Not for fifty buffalo robes, Tandakora, no matter how fine they are. "

"Ten packs of the finest beaver skins, fifty in each pack. "

"It's no use to bid for him, Tandakora. I don't sell captives. Moreover, hehas passed out of my hands. I have had my reward for him. His fate restsnow with the Chevalier de St. Luc and the Marquis de Montcalm. "

The Ojibway's face showed foiled malice. "It is a snake that the Owl warmsin his bosom, " he said, and strode away. The partisan followed him withobservant eyes. 

"It is evident that the Ojibway chief bears you no love, young MonsieurLennox, " he said. "Now that you have served the purposes for which I heldyou I wish you no harm, and so I bid you beware of Tandakora. "

"Your advice is good and well meant, and for it I thank you, " said Robert;"but I've known Tandakora a long time. My friends and I have met him inseveral encounters and we've not had the worst of them. "

"I judged so by his manner. All the more reason then why you should bewareof him. I repeat the warning. "

Robert was not bound, and he was permitted to roll himself in a blanket andsleep with his feet to the fire, an Indian on either side of him. Savewhere a space had been cleared for the French army, the primeval forest, heavy in the foliage of early spring, was all about them, and the wind thatsang through the leaves united with the murmuring of a creek, beside whichLanglade had pitched his camp. 

Slumber was slow in coming to Robert. Too much had occurred for hisfaculties to slip away at once into oblivion. His interview with Montcalm, his meeting with St. Luc, and the appearance of Tandakora at the campfire, stirred him mightily. Events were certainly marching, and, while hetried to coax slumber to come, he listened to the noises of the camp andthe forest. Where the French tents were spread, men were softly singingsongs of their ancient land, and beyond them sentinels in neat uniformswere walking back and forth among trees that had never beheld uniformsbefore. 

The sounds sank gradually, but Robert did not yet sleep. He found apeculiar sort of interest in detaching these murmurs from one another, thestamp of impatient horses, the moving of arms, the last dying, notes of asong, the whisper of the creek's waters, and then, plainly separate fromthe others, he heard a faint, unmistakable swish, a noise that he knew, that of an arrow flying through the air. Langlade knew it too, and sprangup with an angry cry. 

"Now, has some warrior got hold of whiskey to indulge in this madness?" heexclaimed. 

The faint swish came a second time, and Robert, who had risen to his feet, saw two arrows standing upright in the earth not twenty feet away. Langladesaw them also and swore. 

"They must have come in a wide curve overhead, " he said, "or they would notbe standing almost straight up in the earth, and that does not seem likethe madness of liquor. "

He looked suspiciously at the forest, in which Indian sentinels had beenposted, but which, nevertheless, was so dark that a cunning form mightpass there unseen. 

"There is more in this than meets the eye, " muttered the partisan, anddrawing the arrows from the earth he examined them by the light of thefire. Robert stood by, silent, but his eyes fell on fresh marks with aknife, near the barb on each weapon, and the great pulse in his throatleaped. The yellow flame threw out in distinct relief what the knife hadcut there, and he saw on each arrow the rude but unmistakable outline of abear. 

The Owl might not determine the meaning of the picture, but the captivecomprehended it at once. It was the pride of Tayoga that he was of the clanof the Bear, of the nation Onondaga, of the great League of theHodenosaunee, and here upon the arrows was his totem or sign of the Bear. It was a message and Robert knew that it was meant for him. Had ever a mana more faithful comrade? The Onondaga was still following in the hope ofmaking a rescue, and he would follow as long as Robert was living. Oncemore the young prisoner's hopes of escape rose to the zenith. 

"Now what do these marks mean?" said the partisan, looking at the arrowssuspiciously. 

"It was merely an intoxicated warrior shooting at the moon, " repliedRobert, innocently, "and the cuts signify nothing. "

"I'm not so sure of that. I've lived long enough among the Indians to knowthey don't fire away good arrows merely for bravado, and these are plantedso close together it must be some sort of a signal. It may have beenintended for you. "

Robert was silent, and the partisan did not ask him any further questions, but, being much disturbed, sent into the forest scouts, who returnedpresently, unable to find anything. 

"It may or it may not have been a message, " he said, speaking to Robert, inhis usual garrulous fashion, "but I still incline to the opinion that itwas, though I may never know what the message meant, but I, CharlesLanglade, have not been called the Owl for nothing. If it refers to youthen your chance of escape has not increased. I hold you merely fortonight, but I hold you tight and fast. Tomorrow my responsibility ceases, and you march in the middle of Montcalm's army. "

Robert made no reply, but he was in wonderful spirits, and his elationendured. His senses, in truth, were so soothed by the visible evidence thathis comrade was near that he fell asleep very soon and had no dreams. TheFrench and Indian army began its march early the next morning, and Robertfound himself with about a dozen other prisoners, settlers who had beenswept up in its advance. They had been surprised in their cabins, or theirfields, newly cleared, and could tell him nothing, but he noticed that themarch was west. 

He believed they were not far from Lake Ontario, and he had no doubt thatMontcalm had prepared some fell stroke. His mind settled at last uponOswego, where the Anglo-American forces had a post supposed to be strong, and he was smitten with a fierce and commanding desire to escape and take awarning. But he was compelled to eat his heart out without result. WithFrench and Indians all about him he had not the remotest chance and, helpless, he was compelled to watch the Marquis de Montcalm march to whathe felt was going to be a French triumph. 

Swarms of Indian scouts and skirmishers preceded the army and Canadianaxmen cut a way for the artillery, but to Robert's great amazement theseoperations lasted only a short time. Almost before he could realize it theyhad emerged from the deep woods and he looked again upon the vast, shiningreaches of Lake Ontario. Then he learned for the first time that Montcalm'sarmy had come mostly in boats and in detachments, and was now united forattack. As he had surmised, Oswego, which the English and Americans hadintended to be a great stronghold and rallying place in the west, was themenaced position. 

Robert from a hill saw three forts before the French force, the largeststanding upon a plateau of considerable elevation on the east bank of theriver, which there flowed into the lake. It was shaped like a star, and thefortifications consisted of trunks of trees, sharpened at the ends, drivendeep into the ground, and set as close together as possible. On the westside of the river was another fort of stone and clay, and four hundredyards beyond it was an unfinished stockade, so weak that its own garrisonhad named it in derision Rascal Fort. Some flat boats and canoes lay in thelake, and it was a man in one of these canoes who had been the first tolearn of the approach of Montcalm's army, so slender had been theprecautions taken by the officers in command of the forts. 

"We have come upon them almost as if we had dropped from the clouds, " saidLanglade, exultingly, to Robert. "When they thought the Marquis de Montcalmwas in Montreal, lo! he was here! It is the French who are the greatleaders, the great soldiers and the great nation! Think you we would allowourselves to be surprised as Oswego has been?"

Robert made no reply. His heart sank like a plummet in a pool. Already heheard the crackling fire of musketry from the Indians who, sheltered in theedge of the forest, were sending bullets against the stout logs of FortOntario, but which could offer small resistance to cannon. And while thesharpshooting went on, the French officers were planting the batteries, oneof four guns directly on the strand. The work was continued at a great paceall through the night, and when Robert awoke from an uneasy sleep, in themorning, he saw that the French had mounted twenty heavy cannon, which soonpoured showers of balls and grape and canister upon the log fort. He alsosaw St. Luc among the guns directing their fire, while Tandakora's Indianskept up an incessant and joyous yelling. 

The defenders of the stockade maintained a fire from rifles and severalsmall cannon, but it did little harm in the attacking army and Robert wassoldier enough to know that the log walls could not hold. While St. Lucsent in the fire from the batteries faster and faster, a formidable forceof Canadians and Indians led by Rigaud, one of the best of Montcalm'slieutenants, crossed the river, the men wading in the water up to theirwaists, but holding their rifles over their heads. 

Tandakora was in this band, shouting savagely, and so was Langlade, butRobert and the other prisoners, left under guard on the hill, saweverything distinctly. They had no hope whatever that the chief fort, orany of the forts, could hold out. Fragments of the logs were already flyingin the air as the stream of cannon balls beat upon them. The garrison madea desperate resistance, but the cramped place was crowded withwomen--settlers' wives--as well as men, the commander was killed, and atlast the white flag was hoisted on all the forts. 

Then the Indians, intoxicated with triumph and the strong liquors they hadseized, rushed in and began to ply the tomahawk. Montcalm, horrified, usedevery effort to stop the incipient butchery, and St. Luc, Bourlamaque and, in truth, all of his lieutenants, seconded him gallantly. Tandakora and hismen were compelled to return their tomahawks to their belts, and then theFrench army was drawn around the captives, who numbered hundreds andhundreds. 

It was another French and Indian victory like that over Braddock, though itwas not marked by the destruction of an army, and Robert's heart sank lowerand lower. He knew that it would be appalling news to Boston, to Albany andto New York. The Marquis de Montcalm had justified the reputation thatpreceded him. He had struck suddenly with lightning swiftness and withterrible effect. Not only this blow, but its guarantee of others to come, filled Robert's heart with fear for the future. 

The sun sank upon a rejoicing army. The Indians were still yelling anddancing, and, though they were no longer allowed to sink their tomahawks inthe heads of their defenseless foes, they made imaginary strokes with them, and shouted ferociously as they leaped and capered. 

Robert was on the strand near the shore of the lake, and wearied by hislong day of watching that which he wished least in the world to see, he satdown on a sand heap, and put his head in his hands. Peculiarly sensitive toatmosphere and surroundings, he was, for the moment, almost without hope. But he knew, even when he was in despair, that his courage would come back. It was one of the qualities of a temperament such as his that while hemight be in the depths at one hour he would be on the heights at the next. 

Several of the Indians, apparently those who had got at the liquor, werecareering up and down the sands, showing every sign of the blood madnessthat often comes in the moment of triumph upon savage minds. Robert raisedhis face from his hands and looked to see if Tandakora was among them, buthe caught no glimpse of the gigantic Ojibway. The French soldiers who wereguarding the prisoners gazed curiously at the demoniac figures. They wereof the battalions Bearn and Guienne and they had come newly from France. Plunged suddenly into the wilderness, such sights as they now beheldfilled them with amazement, and often created a certain apprehension. Theywere not so sure that their wild allies were just the kind of allies theywanted. 

The sun set lower upon the savage scene, casting a dark glow over theruined forts, the troops, the leaping savages and the huddled prisoners. One of the Indians danced and bounded more wildly than all the rest. He wastall, but slim, apparently youthful, and he wore nothing except breechcloth, leggings and moccasins, his naked body a miracle of savage painting. Robert by and by watched him alone, fascinated by his extraordinary agilityand untiring enthusiasm. His figure seemed to shoot up in the air onsprings, and, with a glittering tomahawk, he slew and scalped an imaginaryfoe over and over again, and every time the blade struck in the air he letforth a shout that would have done credit to old Stentor himself. He rangedup and down the beach, and presently, when he was close to Robert, he grewmore violent than ever, as if he were worked by some powerful mechanismthat would not let him rest. He had all the appearance of one who had gonequite mad, and as he bounded near them, his tomahawk circling about hishead, the French guards shrank back, awed, and, at the same time, notwishing to have any conflict with their red allies, who must be handledwith the greatest care. 

The man paused a moment before the young prisoner, whirled his tomahawkabout his head and uttered a ferocious shout. Robert looked straight intothe burning eyes, started violently and then became outwardly calm, thoughevery nerve and muscle in him was keyed to the utmost tension. "To thelake!" exclaimed the Indian under his breath and then he danced toward thewater. 

Robert did not know at first what the words meant, and he waited inindecision, but he saw that the care of the guards, owing to the confusion, the fact that the battle was over, and the rejoicing for victory, wasrelaxed. It would seem, too, that escape at such a time and place wasimpossible, and that circumstance increased their inattention. 

The youth watched the dancing warrior, who was now moving toward the water, over which the darkness of night had spread. But the lake was groaning witha wind from the north, and several canoes near the beach were bobbing upand down. The dancer paused a moment at the very edge of the water, andlooked back at Robert. Then he advanced into the waves themselves. 

All the young prisoner's indecision departed in a flash. The signal wascomplete and he understood. He sprang violently against the French soldierwho stood nearest him and knocked him to the ground. Then with three orfour bounds he was at the water's edge, leaping into the canoe, just asTayoga settled himself into place there, and, seizing a paddle, pushed awaywith powerful shoves. 

Robert nearly upset the canoe, but the Onondaga quickly made it regain itsbalance, and then they were out on the lake under the kindly veil of thenight. The fugitive said nothing, he knew it was no time to speak, becauseTayoga's powerful back was bending with his mighty efforts and the bulletswere pattering in the water behind them. It was luck that the canoe was alarge one, partaking more of the nature of a boat, as Robert could remainconcealed on the bottom without tipping it over, while the Onondagacontinued to put all his nervous power and skill into his strokes. It wasequally fortunate, also, that the night had come and that the dusk wasthick, as it distracted yet further the hasty aim of the French and Indianson shore. One bullet from a French rifle grazed Robert's shoulder, anotherwas deflected from Tayoga's paddle without striking it from his hand, butin a few minutes they were beyond the range of those who stood on the bank, although lead continued to fall in the water behind them. 

"Now you can rise, Dagaeoga, " said the Onondaga, "and use the extra paddlethat I took the precaution to stow in the boat. Do not think because youare an escaped prisoner that you are to rest in idleness and luxury, doingno work while I do it all. "

"God bless you, Tayoga!" exclaimed Robert, in the fullness of his emotion. "I'll work a week without stopping if you say so. I'm so glad to see youthat I'll do anything you say, and ask no questions. But I want to tell youyou're the most wonderful dancer and jumper in America!"

"I danced and jumped so well, Dagaeoga, because your need made me do so. Necessity gives a wonderful spring to the muscles. Behold how long andstrong you sweep with the paddle because the bullets of the enemy impelyou. "

"Which way are we going, Tayoga? What is your plan?"

"Our aim at this moment, Dagaeoga, is the middle of the lake, because thesons of Onontio and the warriors of Tandakora are all along the beach, andwould be waiting for us with rifle and tomahawk should we seek to land. This is but a small boat in which we sit and it could not resist the wavesof a great storm, but at present it is far safer for us than any land nearby. "

"Of course you're right, Tayoga, you always are, but we're in the thick ofthe darkness now, so you rest awhile and let me do the paddling alone. "

"It is a good thought, Dagaeoga, but keep straight in the direction we aregoing. See that you do not paddle unconsciously in a curve. We shallcertainly be pursued, and although our foes cannot see us well in the dark, some out of their number are likely to blunder upon us. If it comes to abattle you will notice that I have an extra rifle and pistol for you lyingin the bottom of the canoe, and that I am something more than a suppledancer and leaper. "

"You not only think of everything, Tayoga, but you also do it, which isbetter. I shall take care to keep dead ahead. "

Robert in his turn bent forward and plied the paddle. He was not onlyfresh, but the wonderful thrill of escape gave him a strength far beyondthe normal, and the great canoe fairly danced over the waters toward thedusky deeps of the lake, while the Onondaga crouched at the other end ofthe canoe, rifle in hand, intently watching the heavy pall of dusk behindthem. 

Their situation was still dangerous in the extreme, but the soul of Tayogaswelled with triumph. Tandakora, the Ojibway, had rejoiced because he hadexpected a great taking of scalps, but the purer spirit of the Onondagasoared into the heights because he had saved his comrade of a thousanddangers. He still saw faintly through the darkness the campfires of thevictorious French and Indian army, and he heard the swish of paddles, buthe did not yet discern any pursuing canoe. He detached his eyes for amoment from the bank of dusk in front of him, and looked up at the skies. The clouds and vapors kept him from seeing the great star upon which hispatron saint, Tododaho, sat, but he knew that he was there, and that he waswatching over him. He could not have achieved so much in the face ofuttermost peril and then fail in the lesser danger. 

The canoe glided swiftly on toward the wider reaches of the lake, and theOnondaga never relaxed his watchfulness, for an instant. He was poised inthe canoe, every nerve and muscle ready to leap in a second into activity, while his ears were strained for the sounds of paddles or oars. Now herelied, as often before, more upon hearing than sight. Presently a soundcame, and it was that of oars. A boat parted the wall of dusk and he sawthat it contained both French and Indians, eight in all, the warriorsuttering a shout as they beheld the fugitive canoe. 

"Keep steadily on, Dagaeoga, " said the Onondaga. "I have my long barreledrifle, and it will carry much farther than those of the foe. In anotherminute it will tell them they had best stop, and if they will not obey itsvoice then I will repeat the command with your rifle. "

Robert heard the sharp report of Tayoga's weapon, and then a cry from thepursuing boat, saying the bullet had found its mark. 

"They still come, though in a hesitating manner, " said Tayoga, "and I musteven give them a second notice. "

Now Robert heard the crack of the other rifle, and the answering cry, signifying that its bullet, too, had sped home. 

"They stop now, " said Tayoga. "They heed the double command. " He rapidlyreloaded the rifles, and Robert, who saw an uncommonly thick bank of duskahead, paddled directly into the heart of it. They paused there a fewmoments and neither saw nor heard any pursuers. Tayoga put down the rifles, now ready again for his deadly aim, and the two kept for a long time astraight course toward the center of the lake. 

CHAPTER X

THE FLIGHT OF THE TWO

Tayoga, into whose hands Robert had entrusted himself with the uttermostfaith, at last said stop, and drawing the paddles into the canoe they tooklong, deep breaths of relief. Around them was a world of waters, silverunder the moon and stars now piercing the dusk, and the Onondaga could seethe vast star on which sat the mighty chieftain who had gone away fourhundred years ago to eternal life. 

"O Tododaho, " he murmured, "thou hast guarded us well. "

"Where do you think we are, Tayoga?" asked Robert. 

"Perhaps twenty miles from land, " replied the Onondaga, "and the fartherthe better. "

"True, Tayoga. Never before did I see a big lake look so kindly. If itdidn't require so much effort I'd like to go to the very center of it andstay there for a week. "

"Even as it is, Dagaeoga, we will wait here a while and take the long restwe need. "

"And while we're doing nothing but swing in our great canoe, Tayoga, I wantto thank you for all you've done for me. I'd been a prisoner much longerthan I wished. "

"It but repays my debt, Dagaeoga. You will recall that you helped to saveme from the hands of Tandakora when he was going to burn me at the stake. My imprisonment was short, but I have been in the forest the whole winterand spring seeking to take you from Langlade. "

"All of which goes to show, Tayoga, that we must allow only one of us to becaptured at a time. The other must go free in order to rescue the onetaken. "

Although Robert's tone was light, his feeling was far from frivolous, buthe had been at extreme tension so long that he was compelled to seekrelief. 

"How did you manage it, Tayoga?" he asked. 

"In the confusion of the attack on the forts and the rejoicing thatfollowed it was easy, " replied the Onondaga. "When so many others weredancing and leaping it attracted no attention for me to dance and leapalso, and I selected, without interference, the boat, the extra paddle, weapons and ammunition that I wished. Areskoui and Tododaho did the rest. Do you feel stronger now, Dagaeoga?"

"Aye, I'm still able to handle the paddle. I suppose we'd better seek alanding. We can't stay out in the lake forever. Tayoga, you've taken thepart of Providence itself. Now did it occur to you in your infinite wisdom, while you were storing paddles, weapons and ammunition in this boat, tostore food also?"

The Onondaga's smile was wide and satisfying. 

"I thought of that, too, Dagaeoga, " he replied, "because I knew ourjourney, if we should be so fortunate as to have a journey, would take usout on the lake, and I knew, also, that no matter how many hardships anddangers Dagaeoga might pass through, the time would come when he would behungry. It is always so with Dagaeoga. "

He took a heavy knapsack from the bottom of the canoe and opened it. 

"It is a French knapsack, " he said, "and it contains both bread and meat, which we will enjoy. "

They ate in great content, and their spirits rose to an extraordinarydegree, though Tayoga regretted the absence of clothing which his disguisehad made necessary. Having been educated with white lads, and havingassociated with white people so much, he was usually clad as completely asthey, either in their fashion or in his own full Indian costume. 

"My infinite wisdom was not so infinite that it told me to take a blanket, "he said, "and the wind coming down from the Canadian shore is growingcold. "

"I'm surprised to hear you speak of such trifles as that, Tayoga, whenwe've been dealing with affairs of life and death. "

"We are cold or we are warm, Dagaeoga, and peril and suffering do not alterit. But lo! the wind is bringing the great mists with it, and we willescape in them. "

They turned the canoe toward a point far to the east of the Indian camp andbegan to paddle, not hastily but with long, slow, easy strokes that sentthe canoe over the water at a great rate. The fogs and vapors were thickand close about them, but Tayoga knew the direction. Robert asked him if hehad heard of Willet, and the Onondaga said he had not seen him, but he hadlearned from a Mohawk runner that the Great Bear had reached Waraiyagehwith the news of St. Luc's prospective advance, and Tayoga had alsocontrived to get news through to him that he was lying in the forest, waiting a chance to effect the rescue of Robert. 

Toward morning they landed on a shore, clothed in deep and primeval forest, and with reluctance abandoned their canoe. 

"It is an Abenaki craft, " said Tayoga. "It is made well, it has served uswell, and we will treat it well. "

Instead of leaving it on the lake to the mercy of storms they drew it intosome bushes at the mouth of a small creek, where it would stay securely, and probably serve some day some chance traveler. Then they plunged intothe deep forest, but when they saw a smoke Robert remained hidden whileTayoga went on, but with the intention of returning. 

The Onondaga was quite sure the smoke indicated the presence of a smallvillage and his quest was for clothes. 

"Let Dagaeoga rest in peace here in the thicket, " he said, "and when I comeback I shall be clad as a man. Have no fears for me. I will not enter thevillage Until after dark. "

He glided away without noise, and Robert, having supreme confidence in him, lay down among the bushes, which were so dense that the keenest eyes couldnot have seen him ten feet away. His frame was relaxed so thoroughly afterhis immense exertions and he felt such utter thankfulness at his escapethat he soon fell into a deep slumber rather than sleep, and when he awokethe dark had come, bringing with it Tayoga. 

"Lo, Dagaeoga, " said the Onondaga, in a tone of intense satisfaction, "Ihave done well. It is not pleasant to me to take the property of others, but in this case what I have seized must have been captured from theEnglish. No watch was kept in the village, as they had heard of their greatvictory and the warriors were away. I secured three splendid blankets, twoof green and one of brown. Since you have a coat, Dagaeoga, you can haveone green blanket and I will take the other two, one to wear and the otherto sleep in. I also took away more powder and lead, and as I have my bulletmolds we can increase our ammunition when we need it. I have added, too, asupply of venison to our beef and bread. "

"You're an accomplished burglar, Tayoga, but I think that in this case yourpatron saint, Tododaho, will forgive you. I'm devoutly glad of the blanket. I feel stiff and sore, after such great exertions, and I find I've growncold with the coming of the dark. "

"It is a relapse, " said Tayoga with some anxiety. "The strain on mind andbody has been too great. Better wrap yourself in the blanket at once, andlie quiet in the thicket. "

Robert was prompt to take his advice, as his body was hot and his sightwas wavering. He felt that he was going to be ill and he might get it overall the quicker by surrendering to it at once. He rolled the blankettightly about himself and lay down on the softest spot he could find. Inthe night he became delirious and talked continually of Langlade, St. Lucand Montcalm. But Tayoga watched by him continually until late, when hehunted through the forest by moonlight for some powerful herbs known tothe Indians. In the morning he beat them and bruised them and cooked themas best he could without utensils, and then dropped the juices into hiscomrade's mouth, after which he carefully put out the fire, lest it be seenby savage rovers. 

Robert was soon very much better. He had a profuse perspiration and cameout of his unconscious state, but was quite weak. He was also thoroughlyashamed of himself. 

"Nice time for me to be breaking down, " he said, "here in the wildernessnear an Indian village, hundreds of miles from any of our friends, savethose who are captured. I make my apologies, Tayoga. "

"They are not needed, " said the Onondaga. "You defended me with your lifewhen I was wounded and the wolves sought to eat me, now I repay again. There is nothing for Dagaeoga to do but to keep on perspiring, see that theblanket is still wrapped around him, and tonight I will get something inwhich to cook the food he needs. "

"How will you do that?"

"I will go again to my village. I call it mine because it supplies what weneed and I will return with the spoil. Bide you in peace, Dagaeoga. Youhave called me an accomplished burglar. I am more, I am a great one. "

Robert had the utmost confidence in him, and it was justified. When heawoke from a restless slumber, Tayoga stood beside him, holding in his handa small iron kettle made in Canada, and a great iron spoon. 

"They are the best they had in the village, " he said. "It is not a largeand rich village and so its possessions are not great, but I think thesewill do. I have also brought with me some very tender meat of a young deerthat I found in one of the lodges. "

"You're all you claimed to be and more, Tayoga, " said Robert earnestly andgratefully. 

The Onondaga lighted a fire in a dip, and cutting the deer into tiny bitsmade a most appetizing soup, which Robert's weak stomach was able to retainand to crave more. 

"No, " said Tayoga, "enough for tonight, but you shall have twice as much inthe morning. Now, go to sleep again. "

"I haven't been doing anything but sleep for the last day or two. I want toget up and walk. "

"And have your fever come back. Besides, you are not strong enough yet towalk more than a few steps. "

Robert knew that he would be forced to obey, and he passed the night partlyin dozing, and partly in staring at the sky. In the morning he was veryhungry and showed an increase of strength. Tayoga, true to his word, gavehim a double portion of the soup, but still forbade sternly any attempt atwalking. 

"Lie there, Dagaeoga, " he said, "and let the wind blow over you, and I'llgo farther into the forest to see if friend or enemy be near. "

Robert, feeling that he must, lay peacefully on his back after the Onondagaleft him. He was free from fever, but he knew that Tayoga was right inforbidding him to walk. It would be several days yet before he couldfulfill his old duties, as an active and powerful forest runner. Yet he wasvery peaceful because the soreness of body that had troubled him was goneand strength was flowing back into his veins. Despite the fact that he waslying on his back alone in the wilderness, with savage foes not far away, he believed that he had very much for which to be grateful. He had beentaken almost by a miracle out of the hands of his foes, and, when he wasill and in his weakness might have been devoured by wild beasts or mighthave starved to death, the most loyal and resourceful of comrades had beenby his side to save him. 

He saw the great star on which Tayoga's Tododaho lived, and he accepted somuch of the Iroquois theology, believing that it was in spirit and essencethe same as his own Christian belief, that he almost imagined he could seethe great Onondaga chieftain who had gone away four centuries ago. In anyevent, it was a beneficent star, and he was glad that it shone down on himso brilliantly. 

Tayoga before his departure had loaned him one of his blankets and now helay upon it, with the other wrapped around him, his loaded pistol in hisbelt and his loaded rifle lying by his side. The fire that the Onondaga hadbuilt in the dip not far away had been put out carefully and the ashes hadbeen scattered. 

Although it was midsummer, the night, as often happened in that northernlatitude, had come on cool, and the warmth of the blankets was notunwelcome. Robert knew that he was only a mote in all that vast wilderness, but the contiguity of the Indian village might cause warriors, eitherarriving or departing, to pass near him. So he was not surprised when heheard footsteps in the bushes not far away, and then the sound of voices. Instinctively he tried to press his body into the earth, and he also liftedcarefully the loaded rifle, but second thought told him he was not likelyto be seen. 

Warriors presently came so near that they were visible, and to his surpriseand alarm he saw the huge figure of Tandakora among them. They were about adozen in number, walking in the most leisurely manner and once stopped veryclose to him to talk. Although he raised himself up a little and clutchedthe rifle more tightly he was still hopeful that they would not see him. The Ojibway chieftain was in full war paint, with a fine new Americanrifle, and also a small sword swinging from his belt. Both were undoubtedlytrophies of Oswego, and it was certain that after carrying the sword for awhile as a prize he would discard it. Indians never found much use forswords. 

Robert always believed that Tayoga's Tododaho protected him that night, because for a while all the chances were against him. As the warriors stoodnear talking a frightened deer started up in the thicket, and Tandakorahimself brought it down with a lucky bullet, the unfortunate animal fallingnot thirty yards from the hidden youth. They removed the skin and cut itinto portions where it lay, the whole task taking about a half hour, andall the time Robert, lying under the brush, saw them distinctly. 

He was in mortal fear lest one of them wander into the dip where Tayoga hadbuilt the fire, and see traces of the ashes, but they did not do so. Twicewarriors walked in that direction and his heart was in his mouth, but inneither case did the errand take them so far. Tandakora was not alone inbearing Oswego spoils. Nearly all of them had something, a rifle, a pistolor a sword, and two wore officers' laced coats over their painted bodies. The sight filled Robert with rage. Were his people to go on this wayindefinitely, sacrificing men and posts in unrelated efforts? Would theyallow the French, with inferior numbers, to beat them continuously? He hadseen Montcalm and talked with him, and he feared everything from thatdaring and tenacious leader. 

While the Indians prepared the deer the moon and stars came out withuncommon brilliancy, filling the forest with a misty, silver light. Robertnow saw Tandakora and his men so clearly that it seemed impossible for themnot to see him. Once more he had the instinctive desire to press himselfinto the earth, but his mind told him that absolute silence was the mostnecessary thing. As he lay, he could have picked off Tandakora with abullet from his rifle, and, so far as the border was concerned, he feltthat his own life was worth the sacrifice, but he loved his life and theOjibway might be put out of the way at some other time and place. 

Tayoga's Tododaho protected him once more. Two of the Indians wanted waterand they started in search of a brook which was never far away in thatregion. It seemed for a moment or two that they would walk directly intothe dip, where scattered ashes lay, but the great Onondaga turned themaside just in time and they found at another point the water they wished. Robert's extreme tension lasted until they were back with the others. Nevertheless their harmless return encouraged him in the belief that thestar was working in his behalf. 

The Indians were in no hurry. They talked freely over their task ofdressing and quartering the deer, and often they were so near that Robertcould hear distinctly what they said, but only once or twice did they use adialect that he could understand, and then they were speaking of the greatvictory of Oswego, in which they confirmed the inference, drawn from thespoils, that they like Tandakora had taken a part. They were in high goodhumor, expecting more triumphs, and regarded the new French commander, Montcalm, as a great and invincible leader. 

Robert was glad, then, that he was such an insignificant mote in thewilderness and had he the power he would have made himself so small that hewould have become invisible, but as that was impossible he still trustedin Tayoga's Tododaho. The Indian chief gave two of the warriors an order, and they started on a course that would have brought them straight to him. The lad gave himself up for lost, but, intending to make a desperate fightfor it, despite his weakness, his hand crept to the hammer and trigger ofhis rifle. Something moved in the thicket, a bear, perhaps, or a lynx, andthe two Indians, when they were within twenty feet of him, turned aside toinvestigate it. Then they went on, and it was quite clear again to Robertthat he had been right about the friendly intervention of Tododaho. 

Nor was it long until the truth was demonstrated to him once more, and in aconclusive manner. The entire party departed, taking with them the portionsof the deer, and they passed so very close to him that their wary eyes, which always watched on all sides, would have been compelled to see him, ifTododaho, or perhaps it was Areskoui, or even Manitou, had not seen fitjust at that moment to draw a veil before the moon and stars and make theshadow so deep under the bush where young Lennox lay that he was invisible, although they stepped within fifteen feet of him. They went on in theirusual single file, disappearing in the direction of the village, while helay still and gave thanks. 

They had not been gone more than fifteen minutes when there was a faintrustle in the thicket, and Tayoga stood before him. 

"I was hid in a clump of weeds not far away and I saw, " said the Onondaga. "It was a narrow escape, but you were protected by the great powers of theearth and the air. Else they would have seen you. "

"It is so, " said Robert, devoutly, "and it makes me all the more glad tosee you, Tayoga. I hope your journey, like all the others, has beenfruitful. "

The Onondaga smiled in the dusk. 

"It is a good village to which I go, " he replied in his precise fashion. "You will recall that they had in Albany what they call in the Englishtongue a chemist's shop. It is such that I sought in the village, and Ifound it in one lodge, the owners of which were absent, and which I couldreach at my leisure. Here is a gourd of Indian tea, very strong, made fromthe essence of the sassafras root. It will purge the impurities from yourblood, and, in another day, your appetite will be exceedingly strong. Thenyour strength will grow so fast that in a short time you will be ready fora long journey. I have also brought a small sack filled with samp. "

Robert uttered a little cry of joy. He craved bread, or at least somethingthat would take its place, and samp, a variation of which is known ashominy, was a most acceptable substitute. 

"You are, in truth, a most efficient burglar, Tayoga, " he said. 

"I obtained also information, " continued the Onondaga. "While I lay in oneof the lodges, hidden under furs, I heard two of the old men talking. Theybelieve since they have taken Oswego that all things are possible for themand the French. Montcalm appears to them the greatest of all leaders andhe will take them from one victory to another. Their defeat by Andiatarocteis forgotten, and they plan a great advance toward the south. But theyintend first to sweep up all the scouts and bands of the Americans andEnglish. Their first attack will be upon Rogers, him whom we call theMountain Wolf. "

"Rogers! Is he somewhere near us?" exclaimed Robert eagerly. 

"Far to the east toward Andiatarocte, but they mean to strike him. TheFrenchmen De Courcelles and Jumonville will join with Tandakora, then St. Luc will go too and he will lead a great force against the Mountain Wolf, with whom, I suspect, our friend the Great Bear now is, hoping perhaps, asthey hunt through the forest, to discover some traces of us. "

"I knew all along, Tayoga, that Dave would seek me and rescue me if youdidn't, or if I didn't rescue myself, provided I remained alive, as you seeI did. "

"The Great Bear is the most faithful of all comrades. He would never deserta friend in the hands of the enemy. "

"You think then that we should try to meet the Mountain Wolf and hisrangers?"

"Of a certainty. As soon as Dagaeoga is strong enough. Now lie still, whileI scout through the forest. If no enemy is near I will heat the tea, andthen you must drink, and drink deep. "

He made a wide circuit, and, coming back, lighted a little fire on which hewarmed the tea in the pot that he had taken from the village on an earliernight. Then, under the insistence of Tayoga, Robert drank a quantity thatamounted to three cups, and soon fell into a deep sleep, from which heawoke the next day with an appetite so sharp that he felt able to bite abig piece out of a tree. 

"I think I'll go hunt a buffalo, kill him and eat him whole, " he said in alarge, round voice. 

"If so Dagaeoga will have to roam far, " said Tayoga sedately. "The buffalois not found east of the Alleghanies, as you well know. "

"Of course I know it, but what are time and distance to a Samson like me? Isay I will go forth and slay a buffalo, unless I am fed at once and inenormous quantities. "

"Would a haunch of venison and a gallon of samp help Dagaeoga a little?"

"Yes, a little, they'd serve as appetizers for something real andsubstantial to come. "

"Then if you feel so strong and are charged so full of ambition you canhelp cook breakfast. You have had an easy time, Dagaeoga, but lifehenceforth will not be all eating and sleeping. "

They had a big and pleasant breakfast together and Robert rejoiced in hisnew vigor. It was wonderful to be so strong after having been so weak, itwas like life after death, and he was eager to start at once. 

"It is a good thing to have been ill, " he said, "because then you know howfine it is to be well. "

"But we will not depart before tomorrow, " said the Onondaga decisively. 

"And why?"

"Because you have lived long enough in the wilderness, Dagaeoga, to knowthat one must always fight the weather. Look into the west, and you willsee a little cloud moving up from the horizon. It does not amount to muchat present, but it contains the seed of great things. It has been sent bythe Rain God, and it will not do yet for Dagaeoga, despite his newstrength, to travel in the rain. "

Robert became anxious as he watched the little cloud, which seemed to swellas he looked at it, and which soon assumed an angry hue. He knew thatTayoga had told the truth. Coming out of his fever it would be a terriblerisk for him to become drenched. 

"We will make a shelter such as we can in the dip where we built the fire, "said Tayoga, "and now you can use your new strength as much as you will inwielding a tomahawk. "

They cut small saplings with utmost speed and speedily accomplished one ofthe most difficult tasks of the border, making a rude brush shelter whichwith the aid of their blankets would protect them from the storm. By thetime they had finished, the little cloud which had been at first a meresignal had grown so prodigiously that it covered the whole heavens, and theday became almost as dark as twilight. The lightning began to flash ingreat, blazing strokes, and the thunder was so nearly continuous that theearth kept up an incessant jarring. Then the rain poured heavily and Robertsaw Tayoga's wisdom. Although the shelter and his blanket kept the rainfrom him he felt cold in the damp, and shivered as if with a chill. 

"When the storm stops, which will not be before dark, " said Tayoga, "Ishall go to the village and get you a heavy buffalo robe. They have some, acquired in trade from the Indians of the western plains, and one of thembelongs to you. So, Dagaeoga, I will get it. "

"Tayoga, you have taken too much risk for me already. I can make out verywell as I am, and suppose we start tonight in search of Rogers and Willet. "

"I mean to have my way, because in this case my way is right. We worktogether as partners, and the partnership becomes ineffective when onemember of it cannot endure the hardships of a long march, and perhaps ofbattle. And has not Dagaeoga said that I am an accomplished burglar? Iprove it anew tonight. As soon as the rain ceases I will go to the village, the great storehouse of our supplies. "

The Onondaga spoke in a light tone with a whimsical inflection, but Robertsaw that he was intensely in earnest, and that it was not worth while forhim to say more. The great storm passed on to the southward, the rain sankto a drizzle, but it was very cold in the forest, and Robert's teethchattered, despite every effort to control his body. 

"I go, Dagaeoga, " said Tayoga, "and I shall return with the great, warmbuffalo robe that belongs to you. "

Then he melted without noise into the darkness and Robert was alone. Heknew the mission of the Onondaga to be a perilous one, but he did not doubthis success. The cold drizzle fell on the shelter of brush and saplings, and some of it seeped through. Now and then a drop found its way down hisneck, and it felt like ice. Physically he was very miserable, and it beganto depress his spirit. He hoped that Tayoga would not be long in obtainingthe buffalo robe. 

The thunder moaned a little far to the south, and then died down entirely. There were one or two stray flashes of lightning and then no more. He sankinto a sort of doze that was more like a stupor, from which he was awakenedby a dusky figure in the doorway of the little shelter. It was Tayoga, andhe bore a heavy dark bundle over his arm. 

"I have brought the buffalo robe that belongs to you, Dagaeoga, " he saidcheerfully. "It was in the lodge of the head chief of the village and I hadto wait until he went forth to greet Tandakora, who came with a band of hiswarriors to claim shelter, food and rest. Then I took what was your own andhere it is, one of the finest I have ever seen. "

He held up the great buffalo robe, tanned splendidly and rich in fur andthe sight of it made Robert's teeth stop chattering. He wrapped it aroundhis body and sufficient warmth came back. 

"You're a marvel, Tayoga, " he said. "Does the village contain anything elsethat belongs to us?"

"Nothing that I can think of now. The rain will cease entirely in an hour, and then we will start. "

His prediction was right, and they set forth in the dark forest, Robertwearing the great buffalo robe which stored heat and consequent energy inhis frame. But the woods were so wet, and it was so difficult to find agood trail that they did not make very great progress, and when dawn camethey were only a few miles away. Robert's strength, however, stood thetest, and they dared to light a fire and have a warm breakfast. Muchrefreshed they plunged on anew, hunting for friends who could not be muchmore than motes in the wilderness. Robert hoped that some chance wouldenable him to meet Willet, to whom he owed so much, and who stood in theplace of a father to him. It did not seem possible that the Great Bearcould have fallen in one of the numerous border skirmishes, which must havebeen fought since his capture. He could not associate death with a man sopowerful and vital as Willet. 

The day was bright and warm, and he took off the buffalo robe. It was quitea weight to be carried, but he knew he would need it again when night cameand particularly if there were other storms. They saw many trails in theafternoon and Tayoga was quite sure they were made by war bands. Nearly allof them led southeast. 

"The savages in the west and about the Great Lakes, " he said, "have heardof the victory at Oswego, and so they pour out to the French standard, expecting many scalps and great spoils. Whenever the French win a triumphit means more warriors for them. "

"And may not some of the bands going to the war stumble on our own trail?"

"It is likely, Dagaeoga. But if it comes to battle see how much better itis that you should be strong and able. "

"Yes, I concede now, Tayoga, that it was right for us to wait as long aswe did. "

The trails grew much more numerous as they advanced. Evidently swarms ofwarriors were about them and before midday Tayoga halted. 

"It will not be wise for us to advance farther, " he said. "We must seeksome hiding place. "

"Hark to that!" exclaimed Robert. 

A breeze behind them bore a faint shout to his ear. Tayoga listenedintently, and it was repeated once. 

"Pursuit!" he said briefly. "They have come by chance upon our trail. Itmay be Tandakora himself and it is unfortunate. They will never leave usnow, unless they are driven back. "

"Then we'd better turn back towards the north, as the thickest of theswarms are sure to be to the south of us. "

"It is so. Again the longest of roads becomes the safest for us, but wewill not make it wholly north, we will bear to the east also. I once left acanoe, hidden in the edge of a lake there, and we may find it. "

"What will we do with it if we find it?"

"Tandakora will not be able to follow the trail of a canoe. But now we mustpress forward with all speed, Dagaeoga. See, there is a smoke in the southand now another answers it in the north. They are talking about us. "

Robert saw the familiar signals which always meant peril to them, and hewas willing to go forward at the uttermost speed. He had become hardened ina measure to danger, though it seemed to him that he was passing throughenough of it to last a lifetime. But his soul rose to meet it. 

They used all the customary devices to hide their traces, wading when therewas water, walking on stones or logs when they were available, but theyknew these stratagems would only delay Tandakora, they could not throw himoff the trail entirely. They hoped more from the coming dark, and, whennight came, it found them going at great speed. Just at twilight they hearda faint shout again and the faint shout in reply, telling them the pursuitwas maintained, but the night fortunately proved to be very dark, and, anhour or two later, they came to a heavy windrow, the result of some oldhurricane into which they drew for shelter and rest. They knew that noteven the Indian trailers could find them there in such darkness, and forthe present they were without apprehension. 

"Do you think they will pass us in the night?" asked Robert. 

"No, " replied Tayoga. "They will wait until the dawn and pick up the trailanew. "

"Then we'd better start again about midnight. "

"I think so, too. "

Meanwhile, lying comfortably among the fallen trees and leaves, they waitedin silence. 

CHAPTER XI

THE MYSTIC VOYAGE

The long stay in the windrow served Robert well, more than atoning for thedrain made upon his strength by their rapid flight. In three or four hourshe was back in his normal state, and he felt proudly that he was now asgood as he had ever been. The night, as they had expected, was cold, and hewas thankful that he had hung on to the buffalo robe, in which he wrappedhimself once more, while Tayoga was snug between two big blankets. 

Robert dozed, but he was awakened by something stirring near them, and hesat up with his finger on the trigger of his rifle. The Onondaga wasalready listening and watching, ready with his weapon. Presently the whiteyouth heard his companion laughing softly, and his own tension relaxed, ashe knew Tayoga would not laugh without good cause. 

"It is a bear, " said Tayoga, "and he has a lair in the windrow, not morethan twenty feet away. He has been out very late at night, too late for agood, honest home-keeping bear, but he is back at last, and he smells us. "

"And alarmed by the odor he does not know whether to enter his home or not. Well, I hope he'll conclude to take his rest. We eat bear at times, Tayoga, but just now I wouldn't dream of harming one. "

"Nor would I, Dagaeoga, and maybe the bear will divine that we areharmless, that is, Tododaho or Areskoui will tell him in some way of whichwe know nothing that his home is his own to be entered without fear. "

"I think I hear him moving now, and also puffing a little. "

"You hear aright, Dagaeoga. Tododaho has whispered to him, even as I said, and he is going into his den which I know is snug and warm, in the verythickest part of the windrow. Now he is lying down in it with the logs andbranches about him, and soon he will be asleep, dreaming happy dreams oftender roots and wild honey with no stings of bees to torment him. "

"You grow quite poetical, Tayoga. "

"Although foes are hunting us, I feel the spirit of the forest and of peacestrong upon me, Dagaeoga. Moreover, Tododaho, as I told you, has whisperedto the animals that we are not to be feared tonight. Hark to the tinyrustling just beyond the log against which we lie!"

"Yes, I hear it, and what do you make of it, Tayoga?"

"Rabbits seeking their nests. They, too, have snuffed about, noticing theman odor, which man himself cannot detect, and once they started away inalarm, but now they are reassured, and they have settled themselves down tosleep in comfort and security. "

"Tayoga, you talk well and fluently, but as I have told you before, youtalk out of a dictionary. "

"But as I learned my English out of a dictionary I cannot talk otherwise. That is why my language is always so much superior to yours, Dagaeoga. "

"I'll let it be as you claim it, you boaster, but what noise is that now? Iseem to hear the light sound of hoofs. "

The Onondaga raised himself to his full height and peered over the densemasses of trunks and boughs, his keen eyes cutting the thick dusk. Then hesank back, and, when he replied, his voice showed distinct pleasure. 

"Two deer have come into a little open space, around which the arms of thewindrow stretch nearly all the way, and they have crouched there, wherethey will rest, indifferent to the nearness of the bear. Truly, O Dagaeoga, we have come into the midst of a happy family, and we have been accepted, for the night, as members of it. "

"It must be so, Tayoga, because I see a figure much larger than that of thedeer approaching. Look to the north and behold that shadow there under thetrees. "

"I see it, Dagaeoga. It is the great northern moose, a bull. Perhaps he haswandered down from Canada, as they are rare here. They are oftenquarrelsome, but the bull is going to take his rest, within the shelter ofthe windrow, and leave its other people at peace. Now he has found a goodplace, and he will be quiet for the night. "

"Suppose you sleep a while, Tayoga. You have done all the watching for along time, and, as I'm fit and fine now, it's right for me to take up myshare of the burden. "

"Very well, but do not fail to awaken me in about three hours. We must notbe caught here in the morning by the warriors. "

He was asleep almost instantly, and Robert sat in a comfortable positionwith his rifle across his knees. Responsibility brought back to himself-respect and pride. He was now a full partner in the partnership, andwill and strength together made his faculties so keen that it would havebeen difficult for anything about the windrow to have escaped hisattention. He heard the light rustlings of other animals coming to comfortand safety, and flutterings as birds settled on upthrust boughs, many ofwhich were still covered with leaves. Once he heard a faint shout deep inthe forest, brought by the wind a great distance, and he was sure that itwas the cry of their Indian pursuers. Doubtless it was a signal and hadconnection with the search, but he felt no alarm. Under the cover ofdarkness Tayoga and he were still motes in the wilderness, and, while thenight lasted, Tandakora could not find them. 

When he judged that the three hours had passed he awoke the Onondaga andthey took their silent way north by east, covering much more distance bydawn. But both were certain that warriors of Tandakora would pick up theirtraces again that day. They would spread through the forest, and, when oneof them struck the trail, a cry would be sufficient to call the others. But they pressed on, still adopting every possible device to throw offtheir pursuers, and they continued their flight several days, alwaysthrough an unbroken forest, over hills and across many streams, large andsmall. It seemed, at times, to Robert that the pursuit must have droppedaway, but Tayoga was quite positive that Tandakora still followed. TheOjibway, he said, had divined the identity of the fugitives and everymotive would make him follow, even all the way across the Province of NewYork and beyond, if need be. 

They came at last to a lake, large, beautiful, extending many miles throughthe wilderness, and Tayoga, usually so calm, uttered a little cry ofdelight, which Robert repeated, but in fuller volume. 

"I think lakes are the finest things in the world, " he said. "They alwaysstir me. "

"And that is why Manitou put so many and such splendid ones in the land ofthe Hodenosaunee, " said Tayoga. "This is Ganoatohale, which you call inyour language Oneida, and it is on its shores that I hid the canoe of whichI spoke to you. I think we shall find it just as I left it. "

"I devoutly hope so. A canoe and paddles would give me much pleasure justnow, and Ganoatohale will leave no trail. "

They walked northward along the shore of the lake, and they came to a placewhere many tall reeds grew thick and close in shallow water. Tayoga plungedinto the very heart of them and Robert's heart rose with a bound, when hereappeared dragging after him a large and strong canoe, containing twopaddles. 

"It has rested in quiet waiting for us, " he said. "It is a good canoe, andit knew that I would come some time to claim it. "

"Before we go upon our voyage, " said Robert, "I think we shall have to paysome attention to the question of food. My pouch is about empty. "

"And so is mine. We shall have to take the risk, Dagaeoga, and shoot adeer. Tandakora may be so far behind that none of his warriors will hearthe shot, but even so we cannot live without eating. We will, however, huntfrom the canoe. Since the war began, all human beings have gone away fromthis lake, and the deer should be plentiful. "

They launched the canoe on the deep waters, and the two took up thepaddles, sending their little craft northward, with slow, deliberatestrokes. They had the luck within the hour to find a deer drinking, andwith equal luck Robert slew it at the first shot. They would have taken thebody into the canoe, but the burden was too great, and Tayoga cut it up anddressed it with great dispatch, while Robert watched. Then they made roomfor the four quarters and again paddled northward. Fearing that Tandakorahad come much nearer, while they were busy with the deer, they did not darethe wide expanse of the lake, but remained for the present under cover ofthe overhanging forest on the western shore. 

"If we put the lake between Tandakora and ourselves, " said Robert, "weought to be safe. "

"It is likely that they, too, have canoes hidden in the reeds, " saidTayoga. "Since the French and their allies have spread so far south theywould provide for the time when they wanted to go upon the waters ofGanoatohale. It is almost a certainty that we shall be pursued upon thelake. "

They continued northward, never leaving the dark shadow cast by the denseleafage, and, as they went slowly, they enjoyed the luxury of the canoe. After so much walking through the wilderness it was a much pleasantermethod of traveling. But they did not forget vigilance, continuallyscanning the waters, and Robert's heart gave a sudden beat as he saw ablack dot appear upon the surface of the lake in the south. It was followedin a moment by another, then another and then three more. 

"It is the band of Tandakora, beyond a doubt, " said Tayoga with conviction. "They had their canoes among the reeds even as we had ours, and now it iswell for us that water leaves no trail. "

"Shall we hide the canoe again, and take to the woods?"

"I think not, Dagaeoga. They have had no chance to see us yet. We willwithdraw among the reeds until night comes, and then under its cover crossGanoatohale. "

Keeping almost against the bank, they moved gently until they came to avast clump of reeds into which they pushed the canoe, while retaining theirseats in it. In the center they paused and waited. From that point theycould see upon the lake, while remaining invisible themselves, and theywaited. 

The six canoes or large boats, they could not tell at the distance whichthey were, went far out into the lake, circled around for a while, and thenbore back toward the western shore, along which they passed, inspecting itcarefully, and drawing steadily nearer to Robert and Tayoga. 

"Now, let us give thanks to Tododaho, Areskoui and to Manitou himself, "said the Onondaga, "that they have been pleased to make the reeds grow inthis particular place so thick and so tall. "

"Yes, " said Robert, "they're fine reeds, beautiful reeds, a greater bulwarkto us just now than big oaks could be. Think you, Tayoga, that yourecognize the large man in the first boat?"

"Aye, Dagaeoga, I know him, as you do also. How could we mistake our greatenemy, Tandakora? It is a formidable fleet, too strong for us to resist, and, like the wise man, we hide when we cannot fight. "

Robert's pulses beat so hard they hurt, but he would not show anyuneasiness in the presence of Tayoga, and he sat immovable in the canoe. Nearer and nearer came the Indian fleet, partly of canoes and partly ofboats, and he counted in them sixteen warriors, all armed heavily. Now heprayed to Manitou, and to his own God who was the same as Manitou, that nothought of pushing among the reeds would enter Tandakora's head. The fleetsoon came abreast of them, but his prayers were answered, as Tandakora ledahead, evidently thinking the fugitives would not dare to hide and lie inwaiting, but would press on in flight up the western shore. 

"I could pick him off from here with a bullet, " said Robert, looking at thehuge, painted chest of the Ojibway chief. 

"But our lives would be the forfeit, " the Onondaga whispered back. 

"I had no intention of doing it. "

"Now they have passed us, and for the while we are safe. They will go on upthe lake, until they find no trace of us there, and then Tandakora willcome back. "

"But how does he know we have a canoe?"

"He does not know it, but he feels sure of it because our trail ledstraight to the lake, and we would not purposely come up against such abarrier, unless we knew of a way to cross it. "

"That sounds like good logic. Of course when they return they'll make amuch more thorough search of the lake's edge, and then they'd be likely tofind us if we remained here. "

"It is so, but perhaps the night will come before Tandakora, and then we'lltake flight upon the lake. "

They pushed their canoe back to the edge of the reeds, and watched theIndian boats passing in single file northward, becoming smaller and smalleruntil they almost blended with the water, but both knew they would return, and in that lay their great danger. The afternoon was well advanced, butthe sun was very brilliant, and it was hot within the reeds. Greatquantities of wild fowl whirred about them and along the edges of thelake. 

"No warriors are in hiding near us, " said Tayoga, "or the wild fowl wouldfly away. We can feel sure that we have only Tandakora and his band tofear. "

Robert had never watched the sun with more impatience. It was already goingdown the western arch, but it seemed to him to travel with incredibleslowness. Far in the north the Indian boats were mere black dots on thewater, but they were turning. Beyond a doubt Tandakora was now coming back. 

"Suppose we go slowly south, still keeping in the shadow of the trees, " hesaid. "We can gain at least that much advantage. "

Fortunately the scattered fringe of reeds and bushes, growing in the water, extended far to the south, and they were able to keep in their protectingshadow a full hour, although their rate of progress was not more thanone-third that of the Indians, who were coming without obstruction in openwater. Nevertheless, it was a distinct gain, and, meanwhile, they awaitedthe coming of the night with the deepest anxiety. They recognized thattheir fate turned upon a matter of a half hour or so. If only the nightwould arrive before Tandakora! Robert glanced at the low sun, and, althoughat all times, it was beautiful, he had never before prayed so earnestlythat it would go over the other side of the world, and leave their own sideto darkness. 

The splendor of the great yellow star deepened as it sank. It pouredshowers of rays upon the broad surface of the lake, and the silver of thewaters turned to orange and gold. Everything there was enlarged and mademore vivid, standing out twofold against the burning western background. Nothing beyond the shadow could escape the observation of the Indians inthe boats, and they themselves in Robert's intense imagination changed froma line of six light craft into a great fleet. 

Nevertheless the sun, lingering as if it preferred their side of the worldto any other, was bound to go at last. The deep colors in the water faded. The orange and gold changed back to silver, and the silver, in its turn, gave way to gray, twilight began to draw a heavy veil over the east, andTayoga said in deep tones:

"Lo, the Sun God has decided that we may escape! He will let the night comebefore Tandakora!"

Then the sun departed all at once, and the brilliant afterglow soon faded. Night settled down, thick and dark, with the waters, ruffled by a lightwind, showing but dimly. The line of Tandakora became invisible, and thetwo youths felt intense relief. 

"Now we will start toward the northeastern end of the lake, " said Tayoga. "It will be wiser than to seek the shortest road across, because Tandakorawill think naturally that we have gone that way, and he will take it also. "

"And it's paddling all night for us, " said Robert "Well, I welcome it. "

They were interrupted by the whirring of the wild fowl again, though on amuch greater scale than before. The twilight was filled with featheredbodies. Tayoga, in an instant, was all attention. 

"Something has frightened them, " he said. 

"Perhaps a bear or a deer, " said Robert. 

"I think not. They are used to wild animals, and would not be startled attheir approach. There is only one being that everything in the forestgenerally fears. "

"Man?"

"Even so, Dagaeoga. "

"Perhaps we'd better pull in close to the bank and look. "

"It would be wise. "

Robert saw that the Onondaga, with his acute instincts, was deeply alarmed, and he too felt that the wild fowl had given warning. They sent the canoewith a few silent strokes through the shallow water almost to the edge ofthe land, and, as it nearly struck bottom, two dusky figures rising amongthe bushes threw their weight upon them. The light craft sank almost to theedges with the weight, but did not overturn, and both attackers andattacked fell out of it into the lake. 

Robert for a moment saw a dusky face above him, and instinctively heclasped the body of a warrior in his arms. Then the two went down togetherin the water. The Indian was about to strike at him with a knife, but thelake saved him. As the water rushed into eye, mouth and nostril the twofell apart, but Robert was able to keep his presence of mind in thatterrible moment, and, as he came up again, he snatched out his own knifeand struck almost blindly. 

He felt the blade encounter resistance, and then pass through it. He hearda choked cry and he shuddered violently. All his instincts were forcivilization and against the taking of human life, and he had struck merelyto save his own, but almost articulate words of thankfulness bubbled to hislips as he saw the dark figure that had hovered so mercilessly over himdisappear. Then a second figure took the place of the first and he drewback the fatal blade again, but a soft voice said:

"Do not strike, Dagaeoga. I also have accounted for one of the warriors whoattacked us, and no more have yet come. We may thank the wild fowl. Hadthey not warned us we should have perished. "

"And even then we had luck, or your Tododaho is still watching over us. Istruck at random, but the blade was guided to its mark. "

"And so was mine. What you say is also proved to be true by the fact thatthe canoe did not overturn, when they threw themselves upon us. The chanceswere at least ninety-nine out of a hundred that it would do so. "

"And our arms and ammunition and our deer?"

"All in the canoe, except the weapons that are in our belts. "

"Then, Tayoga, it is quite sure that your Tododaho has been watching overus. But where is the canoe?"

Robert was filled with alarm and horror. They were standing above theirknees in the water, and they no longer saw the little craft, which hadbecome a veritable ship of refuge to them. They peered about franticallyin the dusk and then Tayoga said:

"There is a strong breeze blowing from the land and waves are beginning torun on the water. They have taken the canoe out into the lake. We must swimin search of it. "

"And if we don't find it?"

"Then we drown, but O Dagaeoga, death in the water is better than death inthe fires that Tandakora will kindle. "

"We might escape into the woods. "

"Warriors who have come upon our trail are there, and would fall upon us atonce. The attack by the two who failed proves their presence. "

"Then, Tayoga, we must take the perilous chance and swim for the canoe. "

"It is so, Dagaeoga. "

Both were splendid swimmers, even with their clothes on, and, wading outuntil the water was above their waists, they began to swim with strong andsteady strokes toward the middle of the lake, following with exactness thecourse of the wind. All the time they sought with anxious eyes through thedusk for a darker shadow that might be the canoe. The wind rose rapidly, and now and then the crest of a wave dashed over them. Less expert swimmerswould have sunk, but their muscles were hardened by years of forestlife--all Robert's strength had come back to him--and an immense vitalitymade the love of life overwhelming in them. They fought with all thepowers of mind and body for the single chance of overtaking the canoe. 

"I hope you see it, Tayoga, " said Robert. 

"Not yet, " replied the Onondaga. "The darkness is heavy over the lake, andthe mists and vapors, rising from the water, increase it. "

"It was a fine canoe, Tayoga, and it holds our rifles, our ammunition, ourdeer, my buffalo robe, and all our precious belongings. We have to findit. "

"It is so, Dagaeoga. We have no other choice. We truly swim for life. Onecould pray at this time to have all the powers of a great fish. Do you seeanything behind us?"

Robert twisted his head and looked over his shoulder. 

"I see no pursuit, " he replied. "I cannot even see the shore, as the mistsand vapors have settled down between. In a sense we're out at sea, Tayoga. "

"And Ganoatohale is large. The canoe, too, is afloat upon its bosom and is, as you say, out at sea. We and it must meet or we are lost. Are you weary, Dagaeoga?"

"Not yet. I can still swim for quite a while. "

"Then float a little, and we can take the exact course of the wind again. The canoe, of course, will continue to go the way the wind goes. "

"Unless it's deflected by currents which do not always follow the wind. "

"I do not notice any current, and to follow the wind is our only hope. Themists and vapors will hide the canoe from us until we are very close to it"

"And you may thank Tododaho that they will hide something else also. Unless I make a great mistake, Tayoga, I hear the swish of paddles. "

"You make no mistake, Dagaeoga. I too hear paddles, ten, a dozen, or moreof them. It is the fleet of Tandakora coming back and it will soon bepassing between us and the shore. Truly we may be thankful, as you say, forthe mists and vapors which, while they hide the canoe from us, also hide usfrom our enemies. "

"I shall lie flat upon my back and float, and I'll blend with the water. "

"It is a wise plan, Dagaeoga. So shall I. Then Tandakora himself would notsee us, even if he passed within twenty feet of us. "

"He is passing now, and I can see the outlines of their boats. "

The two were silent as the fish themselves, sustained by imperceptiblestrokes, and Robert saw the fleet of Tandakora pass in a ghostly line. Theylooked unreal, a shadow following shadows, the huge figure of the Ojibwaychief in the first boat a shadow itself. Robert's blood chilled, and it wasnot from the cold of the water. He was in a mystic and unreal world, but aworld in which danger pressed in on every side. He felt like one livingback in a primeval time. The swish of the paddles was doubled and tripledby his imagination, and the canoes seemed to be almost on him. 

The questing eyes of Tandakora and his warriors swept the waters as far asthe night, surcharged with mists and vapors, would allow, but they did notsee the two human figures, so near them and almost submerged in the lake. The sound of the swishing paddles moved southward, and the line of ghostlycanoes melted again, one by one, into the darkness. 

"They're gone, Tayoga, " whispered Robert in a tone of immense relief. 

"So they are, Dagaeoga, and they will seek us long elsewhere. Are you yetweary?"

"I might be at another time, but with my life at stake I can't afford togrow tired. Let us follow the wind once more. "

They swam anew with powerful strokes, despite the long time they had beenin the water, and no sailors, dying of thirst, ever scanned the sea moreeagerly for a sail than they searched through the heavy dusk for their lostcanoe. The wind continued to rise, and the waves with it. Foam was oftendashed over their heads, the water grew cold to their bodies, now and thenthey floated on their backs to rest themselves and thus the singular chase, with the wind their only guide, was maintained. 

Robert was the first to see a dim shape, but he would not say anythinguntil it grew in substance and solidity. Nevertheless hope flooded hisheart, and then he said:

"The wind has guided us aright, Tayoga. Unless some evil spirit has taughtmy eyes to lie to me that is our canoe straight ahead. "

"It has all the appearance of a canoe, Dagaeoga, and since the only canoeon this part of the lake is our canoe, then our canoe it is. "

"And none too soon. I'm not yet worn out, but the cold of the water isentering my bones. I can see very clearly now that it's the canoe, ourcanoe. It stands up like a ship, the strongest canoe, the finest canoe, thefriendliest canoe that ever floated on a lake or anywhere else. I can hearit saying to us: 'I have been waiting for you. Why didn't you comesooner?'"

"Truly when Dagaeoga is an old, old man, nearly a hundred, and the angel ofdeath comes for him, he will rise up in his bed and with the rounded wordspouring from his lips he will say to the angel: 'Let me make a speech onlyan hour long and then I will go with you without trouble, else I stay hereand refuse to die. '"

"I'm using words to express my gratitude, Tayoga. Look, the canoe is movingslowly toward the center of the lake, but it stays back as much as the windwill let it and keeps beckoning to us. A few more long, swift strokes, Tayoga, and we're beside it. "

"Aye, Dagaeoga, and we must be careful how we climb into it. It is no lighttask to board a canoe in the middle of a lake. Since Tododaho would not letit be overturned, when we fell out of it, we must not overturn it ourselveswhen we get back into it, else we lose all our arms, ammunition and othersupplies. "

The canoe was now not more than fifty feet in front of them, movingsteadily farther and farther from land before the wind that blew out of thewest, but, sitting upright on the waters like a thing of life, bearing itsprecious freight. The mists and vapors had closed in so much now that theirchance of seeing it had been only one in a thousand, and yet that lonechance had happened. The devout soul of Tayoga was filled with gratitude. Even while swimming he looked up at the great star that he could not seebeyond the thick veil of cloud, but, knowing it was there, he returnedthanks to the mighty Onondaga chieftain who had saved them so often. 

"The canoe retreats before us, Dagaeoga, " he said, "but it is not to escapeus, it is to beckon us on, out of the path of Tandakora's boats which soonmay be returning again and which will now come farther out into the lake, thinking that we may possibly have made a dash under the cover of themists. "

"What you predict is already coming true, Tayoga, " said Robert, "because Ihear the first faint dip of their paddles once more, and they can't be morethan two hundred yards behind us. "

The regular swishing grew louder and came closer, but the courage of thetwo youths was still high. They had been drawn on so steadily by the canoe, apparently in a predestined course, and they had been victors over so manydangers, that they were confident the boats of Tandakora would pass oncemore and leave them unseen. 

"They're almost abreast of us now, Tayoga, " said Robert. 

"Aye, Dagaeoga, " said the Onondaga, looking back. "They do not appearthrough the mist and we hear only the paddles, but we know the threat isthere, and we can follow them as well with ear as with eye. They keepstraight on, going back toward the north. Nothing tells them we are here, as our canoe beckons to us, nothing guides them to that for which they arelooking. Now the sound of their paddles becomes less, now it is faint andnow it is gone wholly. They have missed us once more! Let us summon up thelast of our strength and overtake the canoe. "

They put all their energy into a final effort and presently drew up by theside of the canoe. Tayoga steadied it with his hands while Robert was thefirst to climb into it. The Onondaga followed and the two lay for a fewminutes exhausted on the bottom. Then Tayoga sat up and said in a fullvoice:

"Lo, Dagaeoga, let us give thanks to Manitou for our wonderful escape, because we have looked into the face of death. "

Robert, awed by time and circumstance, shared fully the belief of Tayogathat their escape was a miracle. His nature contained much that was devoutand spiritual and he, too, with his impressionable imagination, peopledearth and air almost unconsciously with spirits, good and bad. The good andbad often fought together, and sometimes the good prevailed as they hadjust done. There lay in the canoe the paddles, which they had lifted out ofthe water in their surprise at the sudden attack, and beside them were therifles and everything else they needed. 

They were content to let the canoe travel its own course for a long time, and that course was definite and certain, as if guided by the hand of man. The wind always carried it toward the northeast and farther and fartheraway from the fleet of Tandakora. But they took off their clothing, wrungout as much water as they could, and wrapped themselves in the dry blanketsfrom their packs. Robert's spirits, stimulated by the reaction, bubbled upin a wonderful manner. 

"We'll see no more of Tandakora for a long time, at least, " he exclaimed, "and now, ho! for our wonderful voyage!"

They drew the wet charges from their pistols and reloaded them, theypolished anew their hatchets and knives and then, these tasks done, theystill sat for a long time in the canoe, idle and content. Their little boatneeded no help or guidance from their hands. That favoring wind alwayscarried it away from their enemies and in the direction in which theywished it to go. And yet the wind did not blow away the mists and vapors, that grew thicker and thicker around them, until they could not see twentyfeet away. 

Robert's feeling that they were protected, his sense of the spiritual andmystic, grew, and he saw that the mind of Tayoga was under the same spell. The waters of the lake were friendly now. As they lapped around the canoethey made a soothing sound, and the wind that guided and propelled themsang a low but pleasant song. 

"We are in the arms of Tododaho, " said Tayoga in a reverential tone, "andHayowentha, the great Mohawk, also looks on and smiles. What need for us tostrive when the gods themselves take us in their keeping?"

Hours passed before they spoke again. They had been at the uttermost vergeof exhaustion when they climbed into the canoe, and perhaps physicalweakness had made their minds more receptive to the belief that they werein hands mightier than their own, but even as strength came back theconviction remained in all its primitive force. Warmth returned to theirbodies, wrapped in the blankets, and they felt an immense peace. Midnightpassed and the boat bore steadily on with its two silent occupants. 

CHAPTER XII

THE MARVELOUS TRAILER

"Where are we, Tayoga?"

Robert stirred from a doze and the words were involuntary. He looked uponwater, covered with mists and vapors, and the driving wind was still behindthem. 

"I know not, Dagaeoga, " replied the Onondaga in devout tones. "I too havedozed for a while, and awoke to find nothing changed. All I know is that weare yet on the bosom of Ganoatohale, and that the west wind has borne uson. I have always loved the west wind, Dagaeoga. Its breath is sweet on myface. It comes from the setting sun, from the greatest of all seas thatlies beyond our continent, it blows over the vast unknown plains that aretrodden by the buffalo in myriads, it comes across the mighty forests ofthe great valley, it is loaded with all the odors and perfumes of ourimmense land, and now it carries us, too, to safety. "

"You talk in hexameters, Tayoga, but I think your rhapsody is justified. Ialso have plenty of cause now to love the west wind. How long do you thinkit will be until we feel the dawn on our faces?"

"Two hours, perhaps, but we may reach land before then. While I cannotsmell the dawn I seem to perceive the odor of the forest. Now it growsstronger, and lo, Dagaeoga, there is another sign! Do you not notice it?"

"No, what is it?"

"The west wind that has served us so well is dying. _Gaoh_, which inour language of the Hodenosaunee is the spirit of the winds, knows that weneed it no more. Surely the land is near because _Gaoh_ after being abenevolent spirit to us so long would not desert us at the last moment. "

"I think you must be right, Tayoga, because now I also notice the strong, keen perfume of the woods, and our west wind has sunk to almost nothing. "

"Nay, Dagaeoga, it is more than that. It has died wholly. _Gaoh_tells us that having brought us so near the land we can now fend forourselves. "

The air became absolutely still, the swell ceased, the surface of the lakebecame as smooth as glass, and, as if swept back by a mighty, unseen hand, the mists and vapors suddenly floated away toward the east. Tayoga andRobert uttered cries of admiration and gratitude, as a high, green shoreappeared, veiled but not hidden in the dusk. 

"So Tododaho has brought us safely across the waters of Ganoatohale, " saidthe Onondaga. 

"Have you any idea of the point to which we have come?" asked Robert. 

"No, but it is sufficient that we have come to the shore anywhere. And see, Dagaeoga, the mists and vapors still hang heavily over the western half ofthe lake, forming an impenetrable wall that shuts us off from Tandakoraand his warriors. Truly we are for the time the favorites of the gods. "

"Even so, Tayoga, you see, too, that we have come to land just where alittle river empties into the lake, and we can go on up it. "

They paddled with vigorous arms into the mouth of the stream, and did notstop until the day came. It was a beautiful little river, the massedvegetation growing in walls of green to the very water's edge, the songs ofinnumerable birds coming out of the cool gloom on either side. Robert wasenchanted. His spirits were still at the high key to which they had beenraised by the events of the night. Both he and Tayoga had enjoyed manyhours of rest in the canoe, and now they were keen and strong for the day'swork. So, it was long after dawn when they stopped paddling, and pushedtheir prow into a little cove. 

"And now, " said Robert, "I think we can land, dress, and cook some of thisprecious deer, which we have brought with us in spite of everything. "

Their clothing had been dried by the sun, and they resumed it. Then, takingall risks, they lighted a fire, broiled tender steaks and ate like giantswho had finished great labors. 

"I think, " said Tayoga, "that when we proceed a few miles farther it willbe better to leave the canoe. It is likely that as we advance the riverwill become narrower, and we would be an easy target for a shot from thebank. "

"I don't like to abandon a canoe which has brought us safely across thelake. "

"We will put it away where it can await our coming another time. But Ithink we can dare the river for some distance yet. "

Robert had spoken for the sake of precaution, and he was easily persuadedto continue in the river some miles, as traveling by canoe was pleasant, and after their miraculous escape or rather rescue, as it seemed to them, their spirits, already high, were steadily rising higher. The lone littleriver of the north, on which they were traveling, presented a spectacle ofuncommon beauty. Its waters flowed in a clear, silver stream down to thelake, deeper in tint on the still reaches, and, flashing in the sunlight, where it rushed over the shallows. 

All the time they moved between two lofty, green walls, the forest growingso densely on either shore that they could not see back into it more thanfifty yards, while the green along its lower edges was dotted with pink andblue and red, where the delicate wild flowers were blooming. The birds inthe odorous depths of the foliage sang incessantly, and Robert had neverbefore heard them sing so sweetly. 

"I don't think any of our foes can be in ambush along the river, " he said. "It's too peaceful and the birds sing with too much enthusiasm. Youremember how they warned us of danger once by all going away?"

"True, Dagaeoga, and at any time now they may leave. But, like you, I amwilling to take the risk for several hours more. Most of the warriors mustbe far south of us unless the rangers are in this region, and a specialforce has been sent to meet them. "

They came by and by to a long stretch of rippling shallows, and they werecompelled to carry the canoe with its load through the woods and aroundthem, the task, owing to the density of the forest and thicket and theweight of their burden, straining their muscles and drawing perspirationfrom their faces. But they took consolation from the fact that game wasamazingly plentiful. Deer sprang up everywhere, and twice they caughtglimpses of bears shambling away. Squirrels chattered over their heads andthe little people of the forest rustled all about them. 

"It shows that no human being has been through here recently, " said Tayoga, "else the game, big and little, would not have been stirring abroad with somuch confidence. "

"Then as soon as we make the portage we can return to the river with thecanoe. "

"Dagaeoga grows lazy. Does he not know that to do the hard thingstrengthens both mind and body? Has he forgotten what Mynheer JacobusHuysman told us so often in Albany? Now is a splendid opportunity forDagaeoga to harden himself a great deal. "

"I realize it, Tayoga, but I don't want my mind and body to grow too hard. When one is all steel one ceases to be receptive. Can you see the riverthrough the trees there?"

"I catch the glitter of sunlight on the water. "

"I hope it looks like deep water. "

"It is sufficient to float the canoe and the lazy Dagaeoga can take to hispaddle again. "

They put their boat back into the stream, uttering great sighs of relief, and resumed the far more pleasant travel by water, the day remaining goldenas if doing its best to please them. They had another long stretch of goodwater, and they did not stop until they were well into the afternoon. ThenTayoga proposed that they make a fire and cook all of the deer. 

"It seems that the risk here is not great, " he said, "and we may not havethe chance later on. "

Robert, who still felt that they were protected and that for a day or twono harm could come to them under any circumstances, was more than willing, and they spent the remainder of the day in their culinary task. After darkhe slept three hours, to be followed by Tayoga for the same length of time, and about midnight they started up the stream again, with their food cookedand ready beside them. 

Although the Onondaga shared Robert's feeling that they were protected forthe time, both exercised all their usual caution, believing thoroughly inthe old saying that heaven helps those who help themselves. It was thiswatchfulness, particularly of ear, that caused them to hear the dip ofpaddles approaching up the stream. Softly and in silence, they lifted thecanoe out of water and hid with it in the greenwood. Then they saw a fleetof eight large canoes go by, all containing warriors, armed heavily and infull war paint. 

"Hurons, " whispered Tayoga. "They go south for a great taking of scalps, doubtless to join Montcalm, who is surely meditating another sudden andterrible blow. "

"And he will strike at our forts by Andiatarocte, " rejoined Robert. "I hopewe can find Willet and Rogers soon and take the news. All the woods must befull of warriors going south to Montcalm. "

"They have French guns, and good ones too, and they are wrapped in Frenchblankets. Onontio does not forget the power of the warriors and draws themto him. "

The silent file of war canoes passed on and out of sight, and, for a space, Robert's heart was heavy within him. He felt the call of battle, he oughtto be in the south, giving what he could to the defense against the mightof Montcalm, but to go now would be merely a dash in the dark. They mustcontinue to seek Willet and Rogers. 

When the last Indian canoe was far beyond hearing they relaunched their ownand paddled until nearly daybreak, coming to a place where bushes and tallgrass grew thick in the shallow water at the edge of the river. 

"Here, " said Tayoga, "we will leave the canoe. A good hiding place offersitself, and with the dawn it will be time for us to take to the woods. "

They concealed with great art the little boat that had served them so well, sinking it in the heart of the densest growth and then drawing back thebushes and weeds so skillfully that the keenest Indian eye would not havenoticed that anyone had ever been there. 

"I hope, " said Robert sincerely, "that we'll have the chance to returnhere some time or other and use it again. "

"That rests in the keeping of Manitou, " said the Onondaga, "and now we willtake up our packs and go eastward toward Oneadatote. "

"But we won't go fast, because my pack, with all this venison in it, is byno means light. "

"It is no heavier than mine, Dagaeoga, but, as you say, we will not hasten, lest we pass the Great Bear and the Mountain Wolf in the forest and notknow it. But I think we are safe in going toward Oneadatote, as Rogers andhis rangers usually operate in the region of George and Champlain. "

They traveled two days and two nights and came once more among the highridges and peaks. They saw many Indian trails and always they watched foranother. On the third day Tayoga discovered traces in moss and he said withgreat satisfaction to his comrade:

"Lo, Dagaeoga, we, too, be wise in our time. The print here speaks to melike the print on the page of a book. It says that the Great Bear haspassed this way. "

"I can tell that the traces were made by the feet of a white man, " saidRobert, "but how do you know they are Dave's?"

"I have noticed that the Great Bear's feet are more slender than theaverage. Also he bears less upon the heel. He poises himself more upon thetoe, like the great swordsman we saw him to be that time in Quebec. "

"The distinctions are too fine for me, Tayoga, but I don't question yourown powers of observation. I accept your statement with gratitude and joy, too, because now we know that Dave is alive, and somewhere in the greatnorthern forest of the Province of New York. I knew he could not be dead, but it's a relief anyhow to have the proof. But as I see no other traces, how is it, do you think, that he happens to be alone?"

"The Great Bear may have been making a little scout by himself. I stillthink that he is with Rogers and the rangers, and when we follow his trailwe are likely to find soon that he has rejoined them. "

The traces led north and east until they came to rocky ground, where theywere lost, and Tayoga assumed from the fact that they were several daysold, otherwise he could have made them out even in the more difficultregion. But when the path, despite all his searching, vanished in the air, he began to look higher than the earth. Soon he smiled and said:

"Ah, the Great Bear is as wise as the fox and the serpent combined. Heknows that a little chance may lead to great results, and so he neglectsnone of the little chances. "

"I don't understand you, " said Robert, puzzled. 

The Onondaga bent over a bush and showed where a twig had been cut off. 

"See the wound made by his knife, " he said, "and look! here is another on abush farther on. Both wounds are partly healed, showing that the cut of theknife was made several days ago. It occurred to the Great Bear that wemight strike his trail some time or other, and when he came to the stonyuplift upon which his moccasins would leave no sign, he made traceselsewhere. He knew the chance of our ever seeing them was slight, and hemay have made thousands of other traces that we never will see, but thepossibility that we would see some one of the many became a probability. "

"As you present it, it seems simple, Tayoga, but what an infinity of painshe must have taken!"

"The Great Bear is that kind of a man. "

The hard, rocky ground extended several miles and their progress over itwas, of necessity, very slow, as Tayoga was compelled to look with extremecare for the signs the hunter might have left. He found the cut twigs fivetimes and twice footprints where softer soil existed between the rocks, making the proofs conclusive to both, and when they emerged into a normalregion beyond they picked up his defined and clear trail once more. 

"I shall be glad to see the Great Bear, " said the Onondaga, "and I think hewill be as pleased to know certainly that we are alive as we are to beassured that he is. "

"He'd never desert us, and if you hadn't come to the Indian village I thinkhe'd have done so later on. "

"The Great Bear is a man such as few men are. Now, his trail leads on, straight and bold. He took no trouble to hide it, which proves that he hadfriends in this region, and was not afraid to be followed. Here he sat on afallen log and rested a while. "

"How do you know that, Tayoga?"

"See the prints in front of the log. They were made by the heels of hismoccasins only. He tilted his feet up until they rested merely on theheels. The Great Bear could not have been in that attitude while standing. Nay, there is more. The Great Bear sat down here not to rest but to think. "

"It's just supposition with you, Tayoga. "

"It is not supposition at all, Dagaeoga, it is certainty. Look, severallittle pieces of the bark on the dead log where the Great Bear sat, arepicked off. Here are the places from which they were taken, and here arethe fragments themselves lying on the ground. The Great Bear must have beenthinking very hard and he must have been in great doubt to have had uneasyhands, because, as you and I know, Dagaeoga, his mind and nerves are of thecalmest. "

"What, then, do you think was on his mind?"

"He was undecided whether to go on towards Oneadatote or to turn back andseek us anew. Here are three or four traces, a short and detached trailleading in the direction from which we have come. Then the traces suddenlyturn. He sat down again and thought it over a second time. "

"You can't possibly know that he resumed his seat on the log!"

"Oh, yes, I can, Dagaeoga. I wish all that we had to see was as easy, because here is the second place on the log where he picked at the bark. Mighty as the Great Bear is he cannot sit in two places at once. NotTododaho himself could do that. "

"It's conclusive, and I find here at the end of the log his trail, leadingon toward the east. "

"And he went fast, because the distance between his footprints lengthens. But he did not do so long. He became very slow suddenly. The space betweenthe footprints shortens all at once. He turned aside, too, from his course, and crept through the bushes toward the south. "

"How do you know that he crept?"

"Because for many steps he rested his weight wholly on his toes. The tracesshow it very clearly. The Great Bear was stalking something, and it was nota foe. "

"That, at least, is supposition, Tayoga. "

"Not supposition, Dagaeoga, and while not absolute certainty it is a greatprobability. The toeprints lead straight toward the tiny little lake thatyou see shining through the foliage. It was game and not a foe that theGreat Bear was seeking. He wished to shoot a wild fowl. Look, the edge ofthe lake here is low, and the tender water grasses grow to a distance ofseveral yards from the shore. It is just the place where wild ducks or wildgeese would be found, and the Great Bear secured the one he wanted. If youwill look closely, Dagaeoga, you will see the faint trace of blood on thegrass. Blood lasts a long time. Manitou has willed that it should be so, because it is the life fluid of his creatures. It was a wild goose that theGreat Bear shot. "

"And why not a wild duck?"

"Because here are two of the feathers, and even Dagaeoga knows they arethe feathers of a goose and not of a duck. It was, too, the fattest goosein the flock. "

"Which you have no possible way of knowing, Tayoga. "

"But I do, Dagaeoga. It was the fattest goose of the flock, because thefattest goose of the flock was the one that so wise and skillful a hunteras the Great Bear would, as a matter of course, select and kill. Learn, O, Dagaeoga, to trail with your mind as well as with your eye, and ear. Theday may come when the white man will equal the red man in intellect, but itis yet far off. The Great Bear was very, very hungry, and we shall soonreach the place where he cleaned and cooked his goose. "

"Come, come, Tayoga! You may draw good conclusions from what you see, butthere are no prophets nowadays. You don't know anything about the state ofDave's appetite, when he shot that goose, and you can't predict withcertainty that we'll soon come to the place where he made it ready for theeating. "

"I cannot, Dagaeoga! Why, I am doing it this very instant. Mind! Mind! DidI not tell you to use your mind? O, Dagaeoga, when will you learn thesimpler things of life? The Great Bear would not have risked a shot at awild goose in enemy country, if he had not been very hungry. Otherwise hewould have waited until he rejoined the rangers to obtain food. And, havingrisked his shot, and having obtained his goose, which was the fattest inthe flock, he became hungrier than ever. And having risked so much he waswilling to risk more in order to complete the task he had undertaken, without which the other risks that he had run would have been all in vain. "

"Tayoga, I can almost believe that you have your dictionary with you inyour knapsack. "

"Not in my knapsack, Dagaeoga, but in my head, where yours also ought tobe. Ah, here is where the Great Bear began to make preparations to cook hisgoose! His trail wanders back and forth. He was looking for fallen wood tobuild the fire. And there, in the little sink between the hills, was wherehe built it. Even you, Dagaeoga, can see the ashes and burnt ends ofsticks. The Great Bear must have been as hungry as a wolf to have eaten awhole goose, and the fattest goose of the flock, too. How do I know he ateit all? Look in the grass and leaves and you will find enough bones to makethe complete frame of a goose, and every bone is picked clean. Wild animalsmight have gleaned on them, you say? No. Here is the trail of a wolf thatcame to the dip after the Great Bear had gone, drawn by the savory odors, but he turned back. He never really entered the dip. Why? When he stood atthe edge his acute and delicate senses told him no meat was left on thebones, and a wolf neither makes idle exertion, nor takes foolish risk. Hewent back at once. And if the wolf had not come, there is another reasonwhy I knew the Great Bear ate all the goose. He would not have thrown awayany of the bones with flesh still on them. He is too wise a man to waste. He would have taken with him what was left of the goose. Having finishedhis most excellent dinner, the Great Bear looked for a brook. "

"Why a brook?"

"Because he was thirsty. Everyone is thirsty after a heavy meal. He turnedto the right, as the ground slopes down in that direction. Even you, Dagaeoga, know that one is more likely to find a brook in a valley than ona hilltop. Here is the brook, a fine, clear little stream with a sandybottom, and here is where the Great Bear knelt and drank of the cool water. The prints of his strong knees show like carving on a wall. Finding that hewas still thirsty he came back for another drink, because the second printsare a little distance from the first. 

"Then, after rejoicing over the tender goose and his renewed strength, hesuddenly became very cautious. The danger from the warriors, which he hadforgotten or overlooked in his hunger, returned in acute form to his mind. He came to the brook a third time, but not to drink. He intended to wade inthe stream that he might hide his trail, which, as you well know, Dagaeoga, is the oldest and best of all forest devices for such purposes. How manymillions of times must the people of the wilderness have used it!

"Now the Great Bear had two ways to go in the water, up the stream or downthe stream, and you and I, Dagaeoga, think he went down the stream, becausethe current leads on the whole eastward, which was the way in which hewished to go. At least, we will choose that direction and I will take oneside of the bank and you the other. "

They followed the brook more than a mile with questing eyes, and Tayogadetected the point at which Willet had emerged, plunging anew into theforest. 

"Warriors, if they had picked up his trail, could have followed the brookas we did, " said Robert. 

"Of course, " said Tayoga, "but the object of the Great Bear was not so muchto hide his flight as to gain time. While we went slowly, looking for theemergence of his trail, he went fast. Now I think he meant to spend thenight in the woods alone. The rangers must still have been far away. Ifthey had been near he would not have felt the need of throwing off possiblepursuit. "

They followed the dim traces several hours, and then Tayoga announced withcertainty that the hunter had slept alone in the forest, wrapped in hisblanket. 

"He crept into this dense clump of bushes, " he said, "and lay within theirheart, sheltered and hidden by them. You, Dagaeoga, can see where hisweight has pressed them down. Why, here is the outline of a human bodyalmost as clear and distinct as if it were drawn with black ink upon whitepaper! And the Great Bear slept well, too. The bushes are not broken orshoved aside except in the space merely wide enough to contain his frame. Perhaps the goose was so very tender and his nerves and tissues had cravedit so much that they were supremely happy when he gave it to them. That iswhy they rested so well. 

"In the morning the Great Bear resumed his journey toward the east. He hadno breakfast and doubtless he wished for another goose, but he wasrefreshed and he was very strong. The traces are fainter than they were, because the Great Bear was so vigorous that his feet almost spurned theearth. "

"Don't you think, Tayoga, that he'll soon turn aside again to hunt? Sostrong a man as Dave won't go long without food, especially when the forestis full of it. We've noticed everywhere that the war has caused the game toincrease greatly in numbers. "

"It will depend upon the position of the force to which the Great Bearbelongs. If it is near he will not seek game, waiting for food until herejoins the rangers, but if they are distant he will look for a deer oranother goose, or maybe a duck. But by following we will see what he did. It cannot be hidden from us. The forest has few secrets from those who areborn in it. Ah, what is this? The Great Bear hid in a bush, and he leapedsuddenly! Behold the distance between the footprints! He saw something thatalarmed him. It may have been a war party passing, and of which he suddenlycaught sight. If so we can soon tell. "

A hundred yards beyond the clump of bushes they found a broad trail, indicating that at least twenty warriors had gone by, their line of marchleading toward the southeast. 

"They were in no hurry, " said the Onondaga, "as they had no fear ofenemies. Their steps are irregular, showing that sometimes they stopped andtalked. Doubtless they meant to join Montcalm, but as they can travel muchfaster than an army they were taking their time about it. We will nowreturn to the bushes in which the Great Bear lay hidden while he watched. The traces of his footsteps in the heart of the clump are much deeper thanusual, which proves that he stood there quite a while. It is also anotherproof that the warriors stopped and talked when they were near him, else hewould not have remained in the clump so long. It is likely, too, that theGreat Bear followed them when they resumed their journey. Yes, here is histrail leading from the bushes. But it is faint, the Great Bear was steppinglightly and here is where it merges with the trail of the warriors. Hecould not have been more than three or four hundred yards behind them. TheGreat Bear was very bold, or else they were very careless. He will notfollow them long, as he merely wishes to get a general idea of theircourse, it being his main object to rejoin the rangers. "

"And at this point he turned away from their trail, " said Robert, afterthey had followed it about a mile. "He is now going due east, and histraces lead on so straight that he must have known exactly where heintended to go. "

"Stated with much correctness, " said Tayoga in his precise school English. "Dagaeoga is taking to heart my assertion that the mind is intended forhuman use, and he is beginning to think a little. But we shall have to stopsoon for a while, because the night comes. We, too, will sleep in the heartof the bushes as the Great Bear did. "

"And glad am I to stop, " said Robert. "My burden of buffalo robe and deerand arms and ammunition is beginning to weigh on me. A buffalo robe doesn'tseem of much use on a warm, summer day, but it is such a fine one and youtook so much trouble to get it for me, Tayoga, that I haven't had the heartto abandon it. "

"It is well that you have brought it, in spite of its weight, " said theOnondaga, "as the night, at this height, is sure to be cold, and the robewill envelop you in its warmth. See, the dark comes fast. "

The sun sank behind the forest, and the twilight advanced, the deeper duskfollowing in its trail, a cold wind began to blow out of the north, andRobert, as Tayoga had predicted, was thankful now that he had retained thebuffalo robe, despite its weight. He wrapped it around his body and sat ona blanket in a thicket. Tayoga, by his side, used his two blankets in asimilar manner, and they ate of the deer which they had had the forethoughtto cook, and make ready for all times. 

The dusk deepened into the thick dark, and the night grew colder, but theywere warm and at ease. Robert was full of courage and hope. The elementsand all things had served them so much that he was quite sure they wouldsucceed in everything they undertook. By and by, he stretched himself onthe blanket, and clothed from head to foot in the great robe he slept thedeep sleep of one who had toiled hard and well. An hour later Tayoga alsoslept, but in another hour he awoke and sat up, listening with all themarvelous powers of hearing that nature and cultivation had given him. 

Something was stirring in the thicket, not any of the wild animals, big orlittle, but a human being, and Tayoga knew the chances were a hundred toone that it was a hostile human being. He put his ear to the earth and thesound came more clearly. Now his wonderful gifts of intuition and forestreasoning told him what it was. Slowly he rose again, cleared himself ofthe blankets, and put his rifle upon them. Then, loosening the pistol inhis belt, but drawing his long hunting knife, he crept from the thicket. 

Tayoga, despite his thorough white education and his constant associationwith white comrades, was always an Indian first. Now, as he stole from thethicket in the dark, knife in hand, he was the very quintessence of a greatwarrior of the clan of the Bear, of the nation Onondaga, of the greatLeague of the Hodenosaunee. He was what his ancestors had been forunnumbered generations, a primeval son of the wilderness, seeking the lifeof the enemy who came seeking his. 

He kept to his hands and knees, and made no sound as he advanced, but atintervals he dropped his ear to the ground, and heard the faint rustlingthat was drawing nearer. He decided that it was a single warrior who bysome chance had struck their trail in the dusk, and who, with minute painsand with slowness but certainty, was following it. 

His course took him about thirty yards among the bushes and then throughhigh grass growing luxuriantly in the open. In the grass his eye alsohelped him, because at a point straight ahead the tall stems were movingslightly in a direction opposed to the wind. He took the knife in his teethand went on, sure that bold means would be best. 

The stalking warrior who in his turn was stalked did not hear him until hewas near, and then, startled, he sprang to his feet, knife in hand. Tayogasnatched his own from his teeth and stood erect facing him. The warrior, aHuron, was the heavier though not the taller of the two, and recognizing anenemy, a hated Iroquois, he stared fiercely into the eyes that were soclose to his. Then he struck, but, agile as a panther, Tayoga leaped aside, and the next instant his own blade went home. The Huron sank down without asound, and the Onondaga stood over him, the spirit of his ancestorsswelling in fierce triumph. 

But the feeling soon died in the heart of Tayoga. His second nature, whichwas that of his white training and association, prevailed. He was sorrythat he had been compelled to take life, and, dragging the heavy body muchfarther away, he hid it in the bushes. Then, making a circle through theforest to assure himself that no other enemies were near, he went swiftlyback to the thicket and lay down again between his blankets. He had acurious feeling that he did not want Robert to know what had happened. 

Tayoga remained awake the remainder of the night, and, although he did notstir again from the thicket, he kept a vigilant watch. He would hear anysound within a hundred yards and he would know what it was, but there wasnone save the rustlings of the little animals, and dawn came, peaceful andclear. Robert moved, threw off the buffalo robe and stood up among thebushes. 

"A big sleep and a fine sleep, Tayoga, " he said. 

"It was a good time for Dagaeoga to sleep, " said the Onondaga. 

"I was warm, and your Tododaho watched over me. "

"Aye, Dagaeoga, Tododaho was watching well last night. "

"And you slept well, too, Tayoga?"

"I slept as I should, Dagaeoga. No man can ask more. "

"Philosophical and true. It's breakfast now, slices of deer, and water of abrook. Deer is good, Tayoga, but I'm beginning to find I could do withoutit for quite a long time. I envy Dave the fat goose he had, and I don'twonder that he ate it all at one time. Maybe we could find a juicy goose orduck this morning. "

"But we have the deer and the Great Bear had nothing when he sought thegoose. We will even make the best of what we have, and take no risk. "

"It was merely a happy thought of mine, and I didn't expect it to beaccepted. My happiest thoughts are approved by myself alone, and so I'llkeep 'em to myself. My second-rate thoughts are for others, over the headsof whom they will not pass. "

"Dagaeoga is in a good humor this morning. "

"It is because I slept so well last night. Now, having had a sufficiency ofthe deer I shall seek a brook. I'm pretty sure to find one in the lowground over there. "

He started to the right, but Tayoga immediately suggested that he go tothe left--the hidden body of the warrior lay in the bushes on theright--and Robert, never dreaming of the reason, tried the left where hefound plenty of good water. Tayoga also drank, and with some regret theyleft the lair in the bushes. 

"It was a good house, " said Robert. "It lacked only walls, a roof and afloor, and it had an abundance of fresh air. I've known worse homes for thenight. "

"Take up your buffalo robe again, " said the Onondaga, "because when anothernight comes you will need it as before. "

They shouldered their heavy burdens and resumed the trail of the hunter, expecting that it would soon show a divergence from its straight course. 

"The rangers seem to be farther away than we thought, " said Tayoga, "andthe Great Bear must eat. One goose, however pleasant the memory, will notlast forever. It is likely that he will turn aside again to one of thelittle lakes or ponds that are so numerous in this region. "

In two hours they found that he had done so, and this time his victim was aduck, as the feathers showed. They saw the ashes where he had cooked it, and as before only the bones were left. Evidently he had lingered theresome time, as Tayoga announced a distinctly fresher trail, indicating thatthey were gaining upon him fast, and they increased their own speed, hopingthat they would soon overtake him. 

But the traces led on all day, and the next morning, after another nightspent in the thickets, Tayoga said that the Great Bear was still farahead, and it was possible they might not overtake him until theyapproached the shores of Champlain. 

"But if necessary we'll follow him there, won't we, Tayoga?" said Robert. 

"To Oneadatote and beyond, if need be, " said the Onondaga with confidence. 

CHAPTER XIII

READING THE SIGNS

On the third day the trail of the Great Bear was well among the ranges andTayoga calculated that they could not be many hours behind him, but all theevidence, as they saw it, showed conclusively that he was going toward LakeChamplain. 

"It seems likely to me, " said the Onondaga, "that he left the rangers toseek us, and that Rogers meanwhile would move eastward. Having learned insome way or other that he could not find us, he will now follow the rangerswherever they may go. "

"And we will follow him wherever he goes, " said Robert. 

An hour later the Onondaga uttered an exclamation, and pointed to thetrail. Another man coming from the south had joined Willet. The traces werequite distinct in the grass, and it was also evident from the character ofthe footsteps that the stranger was white. 

"A wandering hunter or trapper? A chance meeting?" said Robert. 

Tayoga shook his head. 

"Then a ranger who was out on a scout, and the two are going on together tojoin Rogers?"

"Wrong in both cases, " he said. "I know who joined the Great Bear, as wellas if I saw him standing there in the footprints he has made. It was not awandering hunter and it was not a ranger. You will notice, Dagaeoga, thatthese traces are uncommonly large. They are not slender like the footprintsof the Great Bear, but broad as well as long. Why, I should know anywherein the world what feet made them. Think, Dagaeoga!"

"I don't seem to recall. "

"Willet is a great hunter and scout, among the bravest of men, skillful onthe trail, and terrible in battle, but the man who is now with him is allthese also. A band attacking the two would have no easy task to conquerthem. You have seen both on the trail in the forest and you have seen bothin battle. Try hard to think, Dagaeoga!"

"Black Rifle!"

"None other. It is far north for him, but he has come, and he and the GreatBear were glad to see each other. Here they stood and shook hands. "

"There is not a possible sign to indicate such a thing. "

"Only the certain rules of logic. Once again I bid you use your mind. Wesee with it oftener than with the eye. White men, when they are goodfriends and meet after a long absence, always shake hands. So my mind tellsme with absolute certainty that the Great Bear and Black Rifle did so. Thenthey talked together a while. Now the eye tells me, because here arefootsteps in a little group that says so, and then they walked on, fearless of attack. It is an easy trail to follow. "

He announced in a half hour that they were about to enter an old camp ofthe two men. 

"Any child of the Hodenosaunee could tell that it is so, " he said, "becausetheir trails now separate. Black Rifle turns off to the right, and theGreat Bear goes to the left. We will follow Black Rifle first. He wanderedabout apparently in aimless fashion, but he had a purpose nevertheless. Hewas looking for firewood. We need not follow the trail of the Great Bear, because his object was surely the same. They were so confident of theirunited strength that they built a fire to cook food and take away thecoldness of the night. Although Great Bear had no food it was not necessaryfor him to hunt, because Black Rifle had enough for both. The fact that theGreat Bear did not go away in search of game proves it. 

"I think we will find the remains of their fire just beyond the low hill onthe crest of which the bushes grow so thick. Once more it is mind and noteye that tells me so, Dagaeoga. They would build a fire near because theyhad begun to look for firewood, which is always plentiful in the forest, and they would surely choose the dip which lies beyond the hill, becausethe circling ridge with its frieze of bushes would hide the flames. Although sure of their strength they did not neglect caution. "

They passed over the hill, and found the dead embers of the fire. 

"After they had built it Black Rifle sat on that side and the Great Bearon this, " said Tayoga, "and while they were getting it ready the Great Bearconcluded to add something on his own account to the supper. "

"What do you mean, Tayoga? Is this mind or eye?"

"A combination of the two. The Great Bear is a wonderful marksman, as weknow, and while sitting on the log that he had drawn up before the fire, heshot his game out of the tall oak on our right. "

"This is neither eye nor mind, Tayoga, it is just fancy. "

"No, Dagaeoga, it is mostly eye, though helped by mind. My conclusion thathe was sitting, when he pulled the trigger is mind chiefly. He would nothave drawn up the log unless he had been ready to sit down, and everythingwas complete for the supper. The Great Bear never rests until his work isdone, and he is so marvelous with the rifle that it was not necessary forhim to rise when he fired. Wilderness life demands so much of the body thatthe Great Bear never makes needless exertion. There mind works, Dagaeoga, but the rest is all eye. The squirrel was on the curved bough of the oak, the one that projects toward the north. "

"You assume a good deal to say that it was a squirrel and surely mind noteye would select the particular bough on which he sat. "

"No, Dagaeoga, eye served the whole purpose. All the other branches arealmost smothered in leaves, but the curved one is nearly bare. It is onlythere that the casual glance of the Great Bear, who was not at that timeseeking game, would have caught sight of the squirrel. Also, he must havebeen there, otherwise his body could not have fallen directly beneath it, when the bullet went through his head. "

"Now tell me how your eye knows his body fell from the bough. "

"Ah, Dagaeoga! Your eye was given to you for use as mine was given to me, then you should use it; in the forest you are lost unless you do. It was myeye that saw the unmistakable sign, the sign from which all the restfollowed. Look closely and you will detect a little spot of red on thegrass just beneath the bare bough. It was blood from the squirrel. "

"You cannot be sure that it was a squirrel. It might have been a pigeon orsome other bird. "

"That, O, Dagaeoga, would be the easiest of all, even for you, if you couldonly use your eyes, as I bid you. Almost at your feet lies a slender bonethat cannot be anything but the backbone of a squirrel. Beyond it are twoother bones, which came from the same body. We know as certainly that itwas a squirrel as we know that the Great Bear ate first a wild goose, andthen a wild duck. But it is a good camp that those two great men made, and, as the night is coming, we will occupy it. "

They relighted the abandoned fire, warmed their food and ate, and Robertwas once more devoutly glad that he had kept the heavy buffalo robe. Deepfog came over the mountain soon after dark, and, after a while, a finecold, and penetrating rain was shed from the heart of it. They kept thefire burning and wrapped, Tayoga in his blankets, and, Robert in the robe, crouched before it. Then they drew the logs that the Great Bear and BlackRifle had left, in such position that they could lean their backs againstthem, and slept, though not the two at the same time. They agreed that itwas wise to keep watch and Robert was sentinel first. 

Tayoga, supported by the log, slept soundly, the flames illuminating hisbronze face and showing the very highest type of the Indian. Robert satopposite, his rifle across his knees, but covered by his blanket to protectit from the fine rain, which was not only cold but insidious, trying toinsert itself beneath his clothing and chill his body. But he kept himselfcovered so well that none reached him, and the very wildness of hissurroundings increased his sense of intense physical comfort. 

He did not stir, except now and then to put a fresh chunk of wood on thefire, and the red blaze between Tayoga and himself was for a time thecenter of the world. The cold, white fog was rolling up everywhere thickand impenetrable, and the fine rain, like a heavy dew that was distilledfrom it, fell incessantly. Robert knew that it was moving up the valleysand clothing all the peaks and ridges. He knew, too, that it would hidethem from their enemies and his sense of comfort grew with the knowledge. But his conviction that they were safe did not make him relax caution, and, since eye was useless in the fog, he made extreme call upon ear. 

It seemed to him that the fog was a splendid conductor of sound. It broughthim the rustling of the foliage, the moaning of the light wind through theravines, and, at last, another sound, sharp, distinct, a discordant note inthe natural noises of the wilderness, which were always uniform andharmonious. He heard it a second time, to his right, down the hill, and hewas quite sure that it indicated the presence of man, man who in realitywas near, but whom the fog took far away. The vapors, however, would lift, then man might come close, and he felt that it was his part to discover whoand what he was. 

Still wrapped in the buffalo robe, he rose and took a few steps from thefire. Tayoga did not stir, and he was proud that his tread had been withoutnoise. Beyond the rim of firelight, he paused and listening again heard theclank twice, not very loud but coming sharp and definite as before throughthe vapory air. He parted the bushes very carefully and went down the sideof a ravine, the wet boughs and twigs making no noise as they closed upafter his passage. 

But his progress was very slow, purposely so, as he knew that any mistakeor accident might be fatal, and he intended that no fault of his shouldprecipitate such a crisis. Once or twice he thought of going back, deeminghis a foolish quest, lost in a wilderness of bushes and blinding fog, butthe sharp, clear clank stirred his purpose anew, and he went on down theslope, until he saw a red glow in the heart of the fog. Then he sank downamong the bushes and listened with intentness. Presently the faint hum ofvoices came to his ear, and he was quite sure that many men were not faraway. 

He resumed his slow advance, but now he was glad the bushes were soakedwith water, as they did not crackle or snap with the passage of his body, and the luminous glow in front of him broadened and deepened steadily. Nearthe bottom of a deep valley he stopped and from his covert saw where greatfires had driven the fog away. Around the fires were many warriors, some ofthem sleeping in their blankets, while others were eating prodigiously, after their manner. Rifles and muskets were stacked in French fashion andthe clank, clank that Robert had heard had been made by the warriors asthey put up their weapons. 

Many were talking freely and seemed to rejoice in the food and fires. Itwas Robert's surmise that they had arrived but recently and were weary. Their numbers were large, they certainly could not be less than four orfive hundred, and his experience was great enough now to tell him that halfof them, at least, were Canadian Indians. All were in war paint, and theyhad an abundance of arms. 

Robert's eager eye sought Tandakora, but did not find him. He had no doubt, however, that this great body of warriors was moving against Rogers and hisrangers, and that it would soon be joined by the Ojibway chief. Tandakora, anxious for revenge upon the Great Bear and the Mountain Wolf, would bewilling to leave Montcalm for a while if he thought that by doing so hecould achieve his purpose. His gaze wandered from the warriors to thestacked rifles and muskets, and he saw that many of them were of Englishor American make, undoubtedly spoil taken at the capture of Oswego. Hisheart swelled with anger that the border should have its own weapons turnedagainst it by the foe. 

It did not take him long to see enough. It was a powerful force, equippedto strike, and now he was more anxious than ever to overtake Willet. Thefog was still thick and wet, distilling the fine rain, but he had forgottendiscomfort, and, turning back on his path, he sought the dip in which hehad left Tayoga sleeping. He felt a certain pride that it had been hisfortune to discover the band, and, as he had marked carefully the way bywhich he had come, it was not a difficult task to retrace his steps. 

The Onondaga was still sleeping, his back against the log, but he awokeinstantly when Robert touched him gently on the shoulder. 

"What is it, Dagaeoga?" he whispered. "You have seen something! Your facetells me so!"

"My face tells you the truth, " replied Robert. "There is a valley only afew hundred yards from us, and, in it, are about four hundred warriors, armed for battle. All the signs indicate that they are going eastward insearch of our friends. "

"You have done well, Dagaeoga. You have used both eye and mind. WasTandakora there?"

"No, but I'm convinced he soon will be. "

"It appears likely. They think, perhaps, they are strong enough toannihilate the rangers. "

"Maybe they are, unless the rangers are warned. We ought to move at once. "

"But the fog is too thick. We could not tell which way we were going. Wemust not lose the trail of the Great Bear and Black Rifle, and, if the foglifts, we can regain it in the morning, going ahead of the war band. "

"And then the warriors may pursue us. "

"What does it matter, if we keep well ahead of them and overtake the GreatBear and Black Rifle, who are surely going toward the rangers? We will putout the fire, Dagaeoga, and stay here. The fog protects us. Now, you sleepand I will watch. "

His calmness was reassuring, and it was true that the fog was an almostcertain protection, while it lasted. They smothered the fire carefully, andthen, Robert was sufficient master of his nerves, to go to sleep, wrappedin the invaluable buffalo robe. The Onondaga kept vigilant watch. His ownear, too, heard the occasional sound made by human beings in the valleybelow, but he did not stir from his place. He had absolute confidence inRobert's report, and he would not take any unnecessary risk. 

An hour or two before dawn a wind began to rise, and Tayoga knew by feelingrather than sight that the fog was beginning to thin. If the wind held, itwould all blow away by sunrise, and the rain with it. He awakened Robert atonce. 

"I think we would better move now, " he said. "We shall soon be able to seeour way, and a good start ahead of the war band is important. "

They made a northward curve, passing around the valley, in which the campof the warriors lay, and, when the sun showed its first luminous edge overthe horizon, they were several miles ahead. The steady wind had carried allthe fog and rain to the southward, but the forest was still wet anddripping. 

"And now, " said Tayoga, "we must pick up anew the trail of the Great Bearand Black Rifle. We are sure they were continuing east, and by ranging backand forth from north to south and from south to north we can find it. "

It was a full two hours before they discovered it, leading up a narrowgorge, and Robert grew anxious lest the war band was already on their owntraces, which the warriors were sure to see in time. So they hastened theirown pursuit and very soon came to a thicket in which the two redoubtablescouts had passed the night. The trail leading from it was comparativelyfresh and Tayoga was hopeful that they might overtake them before the nextsunset. 

"They do not hurry, " he said. "The Great Bear has been telling Black Rifleof us, and now and then it was their thought to go back into the west tomake another hunt for us. My certainty about it is based on nothing in thetrail. It is just mind once more. It is exactly the idea that a valiant andpatient man like the Great Bear would have, and it would appeal too, to thesoul of such a great warrior as Black Rifle. But after thinking well uponit, they have decided that the search would be vain for the present, andonce more they go on, though the wish to find us puts weights on theirfeet. "

Before noon they came to a place where Black Rifle shot a deer. Theuseless portions of the body that the two had left behind spoke a languagenone could fail to understand, and they were sure it was Black Rifle whohad fired the shot, because his broader footprints led to the place wherethe body had fallen. 

"It proves, " said Tayoga, "that the rangers are still well ahead, else twosuch wise men as the Great Bear and Black Rifle would not take the troubleto kill a deer here and carry so much weight with them. It is likely thatthe Mountain Wolf and his men are on the shores of Oneadatote itself. "

All that afternoon the trail went upward higher and higher among the rangesand peaks, but the infallible eye of Tayoga never lost it for a moment. 

"We will not overtake them today, as I had hoped, " he said, "but we shallcertainly do so tomorrow before noon. "

"And the coming night is going to offer a striking contrast to the one justpassed, " said Robert. "It will be crystal clear. "

"So it will, Dagaeoga, and we will seek a camp among the rocks. It is bestto leave no traces for the warriors. "

They traveled a long distance on the stony uplift before they stopped forthe night, and they did not build any fire, dividing the time into twowatches, each kept with great vigilance. But the pursuit which they were sosure was now on did not overtake them, and early in the morning they wereonce more on the traces of the two hunters. 

"It is now sure we shall reach them before noon, " said Tayoga, "but inwhat manner we shall first see them I do not know. The trail has becomewonderfully fresh. Ah, they turned suddenly from their course here, andsoon they came back to it, at a point not more than ten feet away. We neednot follow them on their loop to see where they went. We know withoutgoing. They climbed the steep little peak we see on the right, from thecrest of which they had a splendid view over an immense stretch of countrybehind us. They looked in that direction because that was the point fromwhich pursuit or danger would come. The band behind us built a fire, andthe Great Bear and Black Rifle saw its smoke. They saw the smoke becausethey could see nothing else so far behind them. After a good look, theywent on at their leisure. They had no fear. It was easy for such as they toleave the band well in the rear, if they wished. "

"If they haven't changed greatly since we last saw 'em, " said Robert, "they'll go all the more slowly because of the pursuit, and we may catch'em in a couple of hours. Won't Dave be surprised when he sees us?"

"It will be a pleasant surprise for him. Here, they have stopped again, andone of them climbed the tall elm for another view, while the other stoodguard by the trunk. I think, Dagaeoga, that the Great Bear and Black Riflewere beginning to think less of flight than of battle. "

"You don't mean that knowing the presence of the band behind us theyintended to meet it?"

"Not to stop it, of course, but spirits such as theirs might have a desireto harm it a little, and impede its advance. In any event, Dagaeoga, weshall soon see. Here is where the climber came down, and then the two wenton, walking slowly. They walked slowly, because the traces indicate thatthey turned back often, and looked toward the point at which they had seenthe smoke rising. My mind tells me that the Great Bear thought it better tocontinue straight ahead, but that Black Rifle was anxious to linger, andget a few shots at the enemy. It is so, because the Great Bear, as we know, is naturally cautious and would wish to do what is of the most service inthe campaign, while it is always the desire of Black Rifle to injure theenemy as much as he can. "

"Your reasoning seems conclusive to me. "

"Did I not tell you, Dagaeoga, that you had the beginnings of a mind? Useit sedulously, and it will grow yet more. "

"And the time may come when I can talk out of a dictionary as you do, Tayoga. "

"Which merely proves, Dagaeoga, that those who learn a language always talkit better than those who are born to it. Ah, they have turned once more, and the trail leads again to the crest of a hill, where they will takeanother long look backward. It seems that the wishes of Black Rifle areabout to prevail. Now we are at the top of the hill, and they stood hereseveral minutes talking and moving about, as the traces show very clearly. But look, Dagaeoga, they saw something very much closer at hand than smoke. Their talk was interrupted with great suddenness, and they took to ambush. They crouched among these bushes, and you and I know they were a verydangerous pair with their rifles ready. Still, Dagaeoga, instead of theirtaking the battle to the warriors the battle was brought to them. "

"You think, then, an encounter occurred?"

"I know it. They did not stay crouched here until the enemy went away, butmoved off down the hill, their course on the whole leading away from thelake. The enemy was before them, because they kept among the bushes, alwaysin the densest part of them. Here they knelt. The bent grass stems indicatethe pressure of knees. The warriors must have been very close. 

"Now the trail divides. Look, Dagaeoga! Black Rifle went to the right andthe Great Bear to the left. They formed a plan to flank the enemy and toassail him from two sides. I should judge then that the warriors did notnumber more than five or six. We will follow the Great Bear, who made theslender traces, and if necessary we will come back and follow also those ofBlack Rifle. But I think we can read the full account of the contest whichmost certainly occurred from the evidence that the Great Bear left. "

"You feel quite sure then that there was fighting?"

"Yes. It is not an opinion formed from the signs yet seen, but it is drawnfrom the characters of the Great Bear and Black Rifle. They would not havetaken so much care unless there was the certainty of conflict. Here theGreat Bear knelt again, and took a long look at his enemy or at least atthe place where his enemy was lying. They were coming to close quarters orhe would not have knelt and waited. Perhaps he held his fire because BlackRifle was making the wider circuit, and they meant to use their rifles atthe same time. "

The Onondaga was on his own knees now, examining the faint trail intently, his eyes alight with interest. 

"The event will not be delayed long, " he said, "because the Great Bearstopped continually, seeking an opportunity for a shot. Here he pulled thetrigger. "

He picked up a minute piece of the burned wadding of the muzzle-loadingrifle. 

"The warrior at whom he fired was bound to have been in the thicket beyondthe open space, " he said, "and it was there that he fell. He fell becauseat such a critical time the Great Bear would not have fired unless he wassure of his aim. We will look into the thicket"

They found several spots of blood among the bushes and at another pointabout twenty feet away they saw more. 

"Here is where the warrior fell before Black Rifle's bullet, " said Tayoga. "He and the Great Bear must have fired almost at the same time. Undoubtedlythe warriors retreated at once, carrying their dead with them. Let us seeif they did not unite, and leave the thicket at the farthest point from ourtwo friends. "

The trail was very clear at the place the Onondaga had indicated, and alsomany more red spots were there leading away toward the east. 

"We will not follow them. " said Tayoga, "because they do not interest usany more. They have retreated and they do not longer enter into yourcampaign and mine, Dagaeoga. We will go back and see where the left wing ofour army, that was the Great Bear, reunited with the right wing, that wasBlack Rifle. "

They found the point of junction not far away, and then the deliberatetrail led once more toward Champlain, the two pursuing it several hours insilence and both noticing that it was rapidly growing fresher. At lengthTayoga stopped on the crest of a ridge and said:

"We no longer need to seek their trail, Dagaeoga, because I will now talkwith the Great Bear and Black Rifle. "

"Very good, Tayoga. I am anxious to hear what you will say and how you willsay it. "

A bird sang at Robert's side. It was Tayoga trilling forth a melody, wonderfully clear and penetrating, a melody that carried far up the stillvalley beyond. 

"You will remember, Dagaeoga, " he said, "that we have often used this callwith the Great Bear. The reply will soon come. "

The two listened and Robert's heart beat hard. He owed much to Willet. Their relationship was almost that of son and father, and the two wereabout to meet after a long parting. He never doubted for a moment that theOnondaga had always read the trail aright, and that Willet was with BlackRifle in the valley below them. 

Full and clear rose the song of a bird out of the dense bushes that filledthe valley. When it was finished Tayoga sang again, and the reply came asbefore. The two went rapidly down the slope and the stalwart figures ofthe hunter and Black Rifle rose to meet them. The four did not say much, but in every case the grasp of the hand was strong and long. 

"I went west in search of you, Robert, " said the hunter, "but I wascompelled to come back, because of the great events that are forward here. I felt, however, that Tayoga was there looking for you and would do all anynumber of human beings could do. "

"He found me and rescued me, " said Robert, "and what of yourself, Dave?"

"I'm attached, for the present, to the rangers under Rogers. He's on theshores of Champlain, and he's trying to hold back a big Indian army thatmeans to march south and join Montcalm for an attack on Fort William Henryor Fort Edward. "

"And there's a great Indian war band behind you, too, Dave. "

"We know it. We saw their smoke. We also had an encounter with somescouting warriors. "

"We know that, too, Dave. You ambushed 'em and divided your force, one ofyou going to the right and the other to the left. Two of their warriorsfell before your bullets, and then they fled, carrying their slain withthem. "

"Correct to every detail. I suppose Tayoga read the signs. "

"He did, and he also told me when he rescued me that you had carried thetext of the letter we took from Garay to Colonel Johnson in time, and thatthe force of St. Luc was turned back. "

"Yes, the preparations for defense made an attack by him hopeless, andwhen his vanguard was defeated in the forest he gave up the plan. "

They did not stop long, as they knew the great war band behind them waspressing forward, but they felt little fear of it, as they were able tomake high speed of their own, despite the weight of their packs, and forseveral days and nights they traveled over peaks and ridges, stopping onlyat short intervals for sleep. They had no sign from the band behind them, but they knew it was always there, and that it would probably unite at thelake with the force the rangers were facing. 

It was about noon of a gleaming summer day when Robert, from the crest of aridge, saw once more the vast sheet of water extending a hundred andtwenty-five miles north and south, that the Indians called Oneadatote andthe white men Champlain, and around which and upon which an adventurouspart of his own life had passed. His heart beat high, he felt now that thestage was set again for great events, and that his comrades and he would, as before, have a part in the war that was shaking the Old World as well asthe New. 

In the afternoon they met rangers and before night they were in the camp ofRogers, which included about three hundred men, and which was pitched in astrong position at the edge of the lake. The Mountain Wolf greeted themwith great warmth. 

"You're a redoubtable four, " he said, "and I could wish that instead ofonly four I was receiving four hundred like you. "

He showed intense anxiety, and soon confided his reasons to Willet. 

"You've brought me news, " he said, "that a big war band is coming from thewest, and my scouts had told me already that a heavy force is to thenorthward, and what is worst of all, the northern force is commanded by St. Luc. It seems that he did not go south with Montcalm, but drew off an armyof both French and Indians for our destruction. He remembers his naval andland defeat by us and naturally he wants revenge. He is helped, too, by thecomplete command of the lake, that the French now hold. Since we've beenpressed southward we've lost Champlain. "

"And of course St. Luc is eager to strike, " said Willet. "He can recoverhis lost laurels and serve France at the same time. If we're swept awayhere, both the French and the Indians will pour down in a flood from Canadaupon the Province of New York. "

Robert did not hear this talk, as he was seeking in the ranger camp therepose that he needed so badly. He had brought with him some remnants offood and the great buffalo robe that Tayoga had secured for him with somuch danger from the Indian village. Now he put down the robe, heaved amighty sigh of relief and said to the Onondaga:

"I'm proud of myself as a carrier, Tayoga, but I think I've had enough. I'mglad the trail has ended squarely against the deep waters of LakeChamplain. "

"And yet, Dagaeoga, it is a fine robe. "

"So it is. I should be the last to deny it, but now that we're with therangers I mean to carry nothing but my arms and ammunition. To appreciatewhat it is to be without burdens you must have borne them. "

The hospitable rangers would not let the two youths do any work for thepresent, and so they took a luxurious bath in the lake, which theycommanded as far as the bullets from their rifles could reach. Theyrejoiced in the cool waters, after their long flight through thewilderness. 

"It's almost worth so many days and nights of danger to have this, " saidRobert, swimming with strong strokes. 

"Aye, Dagaeoga, it is splendid, " said the Onondaga, "but see that you donot swim too far. Remember that for the time Oneadatote belongs to Onontio. We had it, but we have lost it. "

"Then we'll get it back again, " said Robert courageously. "Champlain is toofine a lake to lose forever. Wait until I've had a big sleep. Then my brainwill be clear, and I'll tell how it ought to be done. "

The two returned to land, dressed, and slept by the campfire. 

CHAPTER XIV

ST. LUC'S REVENGE

When Robert awoke from a long and deep sleep he became aware, at once, thatthe anxious feeling in the camp still prevailed. Rogers was in closeconference with Willet, Black Rifle and several of his own leaders beside asmall fire, and, at times, they looked apprehensively toward the north orwest, a fact indicating to the lad very clearly whence the danger wasexpected. Most of the scouts had come in, and, although Robert did not knowit, they had reported that the force of St. Luc, advancing in a wide curve, and now including the western band, was very near. It was the burden oftheir testimony, too, that he now had at least a thousand men, of whomone-third were French or Canadians. 

Tayoga was sitting on a high point of the cliff, watching the lake, andRobert joined him. The face of the young Onondaga was very grave. 

"You look for an early battle, I suppose, " said Robert. 

"Yes, Dagaeoga, " replied his comrade, "and it will be fought with the oddsheavily against us. I think the Mountain Wolf should not have awaited SharpSword here, but who am I to give advice to a leader, so able and with somuch experience?"

"But we beat St. Luc once in a battle by a lake!"

"Then we had a fleet, and, for the time, at least, we won command of thelake. Now the enemy is supreme on Oneadatote. If we have any canoes on itshundred and twenty-five miles of length they are lone and scattered, andthey stay in hiding near its shores. "

"Why are you watching its waters now so intently, Tayoga?"

"To see the sentinels of the foe, when they come down from the north. SharpSword is too great a general not to use all of his advantages in battle. Hewill advance by water as well as by land, but, first he will use his eyes, before he permits his hand to strike. Do you see anything far up the lake, Dagaeoga?"

"Only the sunlight on the waters. "

"Yes, that is all. I believed, for a moment or two, that I saw a black dotthere, but it was only my fancy creating what I expected my sight tobehold. Let us look again all around the horizon, where it touches thewater, following it as we would a line. Ah, I think I see a dark speck, just a black mote at this distance, and I am still unable to separate fancyfrom fact, but it may be fact. What do you think, Dagaeoga?"

"My thought has not taken shape yet, Tayoga, but if 'tis fancy then 'tissingularly persistent. I see the black mote too, to the left, toward thewestern shore of the lake, is it not?"

"Aye, Dagaeoga, that is where it is. If we are both the victims of fancythen our illusions are wonderfully alike. Think you that we would imagineexactly the same thing at exactly the same place?"

"No, I don't! And as I live, Tayoga, the mote is growing larger! It takeson the semblance of reality, and, although very far from us, it's my beliefthat it's moving this way!"

"Again my fancy is the same as yours and it is not possible that theyshould continue exactly alike through all changes. That which may have beenfancy in the beginning has most certainly turned into fact, and the blackmote that we see upon the waters is in all probability a hostile canoecoming to spy upon us. "

They watched the dark dot detach itself from the horizon and growcontinuously until their eyes told them, beyond the shadow of a doubt, thatit was a canoe containing two warriors. It was moving swiftly and presentlyRogers and Willet came to look at it. The two warriors brought their lightcraft on steadily, but stopped well out of rifle shot, where they let theirpaddles rest and gazed long at the shore. 

"It is like being without a right arm to have no force upon the lake, " saidRogers. 

"It cripples us sorely, " said Willet. "Perhaps we'd better swallow ourpride, bitter though the medicine may be, and retreat at speed. "

"I can't do it, " said Rogers. "I'm here to hold back St. Luc, if I can, andmoreover, 'tis too late. We'd be surrounded in the forest and probablyannihilated. "

"I suppose you're right. We'll meet him where we stand, and when thebattle is over, whatever may be its fortunes, he'll know that he had a realfight. "

They walked away from the lake, and began to arrange their forces to themost advantage, but Robert and Tayoga remained on the cliff. They saw thecanoe go back toward the north, melt into the horizon line, and thenreappear, but with a whole brood of canoes. All of them advanced rapidly, and they stretched into a line half way across the lake. Many were greatwar canoes, containing eight or ten men apiece. 

"Now the attack by land is at hand, " said Tayoga. "Sharp Sword is sure tosee that his two forces move forward at the same time. Hark!"

They heard the report of a rifle shot in the forest, then another andanother. Willet joined them and said it was the wish of Rogers that theyremain where they were, as a small force was needed at that point toprevent a landing by the Indians. A fire from the lake would undoubtedly beopened upon their flank, but if the warriors could be kept in their canoesit could not become very deadly. Black Rifle came also, and he, Willet, Robert, Tayoga and ten of the rangers lying down behind some trees at theedge of the cliff, watched the water. 

The Indian fleet hovered a little while out of rifle shot. Meanwhile thefiring in the forest grew. Bullets from both sides pattered on leaves andbark, and the shouts of besieged and besiegers mingled, but the members ofthe force on the cliff kept their eyes resolutely on the water. 

"The canoes are moving again, " said Tayoga. "They are coming a littlenearer. I see Frenchmen in some of them and presently they will try tosweep the bank with their rifles. "

"Our bullets will carry as far as theirs, " said the hunter. 

"True, O, Great Bear, and perhaps with surer aim. "

In another moment puffs of white smoke appeared in the fleet, which wasswinging forward in a crescent shape, and Robert heard the whine of leadover his head. Then Willet pulled the trigger and a warrior fell from hiscanoe. Black Rifle's bullet sped as true, and several of the rangers alsofound their targets. Yet the fleet pressed the attack. Despite theirlosses, the Indians did not give back, the canoes came closer and closer, many of the warriors dropped into the water behind their vessels and firedfrom hiding, bullets rained around the little band on the cliff, andpresently struck among them. Two of the rangers were slain and two morewere wounded. Robert saw the Frenchmen in the fleet encouraging theIndians, and he knew that their enemies were firing at the smoke made bythe rifles of the defenders. Although he and his comrades were invisible tothe French and Indians in the fleet, the bullets sought them outnevertheless. Wounds were increasing and another of the rangers was killed. Theirs was quickly becoming an extremely hot corner. 

But Willet, who commanded at that point, gave no order to retreat. He andall of his men continued to fire as fast as they could reload and take aim. Yet to choose a target became more difficult, as the firing from the fleetmade a great cloud of smoke about it, in which the French and Indians werehidden, or, at best, were but wavering phantoms. Robert's excitedimagination magnified them fivefold, but he had no thought of shirking thebattle, and he crept to the very brink, seeking something at which to firein the clouds of smoke that were steadily growing larger and blacker. 

The foes upon the lake fought mostly in silence, save for the crackle oftheir rifles, but Robert became conscious presently of a great shoutingbehind him. In his concentration upon their own combat he had forgotten themain battle; but now he realized that it was being pressed with great furyand upon a half circle from the north and west. He looked back and saw thatthe forest was filled with smoke pierced by innumerable red flashes; therattle of the rifles there made a continuous crash, and then he heard atremendous report, followed by a shout of dismay from the rangers. 

"What is it?" he cried. "What is it?"

Willet, who was crouched near him, turned pale, but he replied in a steadyvoice. 

"St. Luc has brought a field piece, a twelve-pounder, I think, and they'veopened fire with grape-shot. They'll sweep the whole forest. Who'd havethought it?"

The battle sank for a moment, and then a tremendous yell of triumph camefrom the Indians. Presently, the cannon crashed again, and its deadlycharge of grape took heavy toll of the rangers. Then the lake and themountains gave back the heavy boom of the gun in many echoes, and it waslike the toll of doom. The Indians on both water and shore began to shoutin the utmost fury, and Robert detected the note of triumph in thetremendous volume of sound. His heart went down like lead. Rogers creptback to Willet and the two talked together earnestly. 

"The cannon changes everything, " said the leader of the rangers. "More thantwenty of my men are dead, and nearly twice as many are wounded. 'Tisapparent they have plenty of grape, and they are sending it like hailthrough the forest. The bushes are no shelter, as it cuts through 'em. Dave, old comrade, what do you think?"

"That St. Luc is about to have his revenge for the defeat we gave him atAndiatarocte. The cannon with its grape turns the scale. They come on withuncommon fury! It seems to me I hear a thousand rifles all together. "

St. Luc now pressed the attack from every side save the south. The Frenchand Indians in the fleet redoubled their fire. The twelve-pounder waspushed forward, and, as fast as the expert French gunners could reload it, the terrible charges of grape-shot were sent among the rangers. More wereslain or wounded. The little band of defenders on the high cliffoverlooking the lake at last found their corner too hot for them and werecompelled to join the main force. Then the French and Indians in the fleetlanded with shouts of triumph and rushed upon the Americans. 

Robert caught glimpses of other Frenchmen as he faced the forest. Once anepaulet showed behind a bush and then a breadth of tanned face which he wassure belonged to De Courcelles. And so this man who had sought to make himthe victim of a deadly trick was here! And perhaps Jumonville also! Afurious rage seized him and he sought eagerly for a shot at the epaulet, but it disappeared. He crept a little farther forward, hoping for anotherview, and Tayoga noticed his eager, questing gaze. 

"What is it, Dagaeoga?" he asked. "Whom do you hate so much?"

"I saw the French Colonel, De Courcelles, and I was seeking to draw a beadon him, but he has gone. "

"Perhaps he has, but another takes his place. Look at the clump of bushesdirectly in front of us and you will see a pale blue sleeve which beyond adoubt holds the arm of a French officer. The arm cannot be far away fromthe head and body, which I think we will see in time, if we keep onlooking. "

Both watched the bushes with a concentrated gaze and presently the head andshoulders, following the arm, disclosed themselves. Robert raised his rifleand took aim, but as he looked down the sights he saw the face among theleaves, and a shudder shook him. He lowered his rifle. 

"What is it, Dagaeoga?" whispered the Onondaga. 

"The man I chose for my target, " replied Robert, "was not De Courcelles, nor yet Junonville, but that young De Galissonnière, who was so kind to usin Quebec, and whom we met later among the peaks. I was about to pulltrigger, and, if I had done so, I should be sorry all my life. "

"Is he still there?"

Robert looked again and De Galissonnière was gone. He felt immense relief. He thought it was war's worst cruelty that it often brought friends face toface in battle. 

The French and Indian horde from the lake landed and drove against therangers on the eastern flank with great violence, firing their rifles andmuskets, and then coming on with the tomahawk. The little force of Rogerswas in danger of being enveloped on all sides, and would have beenexterminated had it not been for his valor and presence of mind, secondedso ably by Willet, Black Rifle and their comrades. 

They formed a barrier of living fire, facing in three directions andholding back the shouting horde until the main body of the survivingrangers could gather for retreat. Robert and Tayoga were near Willet, allthe best sharpshooters were there, and never had they fought more valiantlythan on that day. 

Robert crouched among the bushes, peering for the faces of his foes, andfiring whenever he could secure a good aim. 

"Have you seen Tandakora?" he asked Tayoga. 

"No, " replied the Onondaga. 

"He must be here. He would not miss such a chance. "

"He is here. "

"But you said you hadn't seen him. "

"I have not seen him, but O, Dagaeoga, I have heard him. Did not weobserve when we were in the forest that ear was often to be trusted morethan eye? Listen to the greatest war shout of them all! You can hear itevery minute or two, rising over all the others, superior in volume as itis in ferocity. The voice of the Ojibway is huge, like his figure. "

Now, in very truth, Robert did notice the fierce triumphant shout ofTandakora, over and above the yelling of the horde, and it made him shudderagain and again. It was the cry of the man-hunting wolf, enlarged manytimes, and instinct with exultation and ferocity. That terrible cry, risingat regular intervals, dominated the battle in Robert's mind, and he lookedeagerly for the colossal form of the chief that he might send his bulletthrough it, but in vain; the voice was there though his eyes saw nothing atwhich to aim. 

Farther and farther back went the rangers, and the youth's heart was filledwith anger and grief. Had they endured so much, had they escaped so manydangers, merely to take part in such a disaster? Unconsciously he began toshout in an effort to encourage those with him, and although he did notknow it, it was a reply to the war cries of Tandakora. The smoke and theodors of the burned gunpowder filled his nostrils and throat, and heatedhis brain. Now and then he would stop his own shouting and listen for thereply of Tandakora. Always it came, the ferocious note of the Ojibwayswelling and rising above the warwhoop of the other Indians. 

"Dagaeoga looks for Tandakora, " said the Onondaga. 

"Truly, yes, " replied Robert. "Just now it's my greatest wish in life tofind him with a bullet. I hear his voice almost continuously, but I can'tsee him! I think the smoke hides him. "

"No, Dagaeoga, it is not the smoke, it is Areskoui. I know it, because theSun God has whispered it in my ear. You will hear the voice of Tandakoraall through the battle, but you will not see him once. "

"Why should your Areskoui protect a man like Tandakora, who deserves death, if anyone ever did?"

"He protects him, today merely, not always. It is understood that I shallmeet Tandakora in the final reckoning. I told him so, when I was hiscaptive, and he struck me in the face. It was no will of mine that made mesay the words, but it was Areskoui directing me to utter them. So, I know, O, my comrade, that Tandakora cannot fall to your rifle now. His time isnot today, but it will come as surely as the sun sets behind the peaks. "

Tayoga spoke with such intense earnestness that Robert looked at him, andhis face, seen through the battle smoke, had all the rapt expression of aprophet's. The white youth felt, for the moment at least, with all thedepth of conviction, the words of the red youth would come true. Then thetremendous voice of Tandakora boomed above the firing and yelling, but, asbefore, his body remained invisible. Tandakora's Indians, many of whom hadcome with him from the far shores of the Great Lakes, showed all thecunning and courage that made them so redoubtable in forest warfare. Armedwith good French muskets and rifles they crept forward among the thickets, and poured in an unceasing fire. Encouraged by the success at Oswego, andby the knowledge that the great St. Luc, the best of all the Frenchleaders, was commanding the whole force, their ferocity rose to the highestpitch and it was fed also by the hope that they would destroy all the hatedand dreaded rangers whom they now held in a trap. 

Robert had never before seen them attack with so much disregard of wounds, and death. Usually the Indian was a wary fighter, always preferring ambush, and securing every possible advantage for himself, but now they rushedboldly across open spaces, seeking new and nearer coverts. Many fell beforethe bullets of the rangers but the swarms came on, with undiminished zeal, always pushing the battle, and keeping up a fire so heavy that, despite thebullets that went wild, the rangers steadily diminished in numbers. 

"It's a powerful attack, " said Robert. 

"It's because they feel so sure of victory, " said Tayoga, "and it's becausethey know it's the Mountain Wolf and his men whom they have surrounded. They would rather destroy a hundred rangers than three hundred troops. "

"That's so, " said Willet, who overheard them in all the crash of thebattle. "They won't let the opportunity escape. Back a little, lads! Thisplace is becoming too much exposed. "

They withdrew into deeper shelter, but they still fired as fast, as theycould reload and pull the trigger. Their bullets, although they rarelymissed, seemed to make no impression on the red horde, which always pressedcloser, and there was a deadly ring of fire around the rangers, made byhundreds of rifles and muskets. 

Robert and Tayoga were still without wounds. Leaves and twigs rained aroundthem, and they heard often the song of the bullets, they saw many of therangers fall, but happy fortune kept their own bodies untouched. Robertknew that the battle was a losing one, but he was resolved to hold hisplace with his comrades. Rogers, who had been fighting with undaunted valorand desperation, marshaling his men in vain against numbers greatlysuperior, made his way once more to the side of Willet and crouched withhim in the bushes. 

"Dave, my friend, " he said, "the battle goes against us. "

"So it does, " replied the hunter, "but it is no fault of yours or your men. St. Luc, the best of all the French leaders, has forced us into a trap. There is nothing left for us to do now but burst the trap. "

"I hate to yield the field. "

"But it must be done. It's better to lose a part of the rangers than tolose all. You've had many a narrow escape before. Men will come to yourstandard and you'll have a new band bigger than ever. "

The dark face of the ranger captain brightened a little. But he lookedsadly upon his fallen men. He was bleeding himself from two slight wounds, but he paid no attention to them. The need to flee pierced his soul, buthe saw that it must be done, else all the rangers would be destroyed, and, while he still hesitated a moment or two, the silver whistle of St. Luc, urging on a fresh and greater attack, rose above all the sounds of combat. Then he knew that he must wait no longer, and he gave the command forordered flight. 

Not more than half of the rangers escaped from that terrible convergingattack. St. Luc's triumph was complete. He had won full revenge for hisdefeat by Andiatarocte, and he pushed the pursuit with so much energy andskill that Rogers bade the surviving rangers scatter in the wilderness toreassemble again, after their fashion, far to the south. 

Black Rifle remained with the leader, but Robert, Tayoga and Willetcontinued their flight together, not stopping until night, when they weresafe from pursuit. As the three went southward through the deep forest, they saw many trails that they knew to be those of hostile Indians, andnowhere did they find a sign of a friend. All the wilderness seemed to havebecome the country of the enemy. When they looked once more from the loftyshores upon the vivid waters of George, they beheld canoes, but as theywatched they discovered that they were those of the foe. A terrible fearclutched at their hearts, a fear that Montcalm, like St. Luc, had struckalready. 

"The tide of battle has flowed south of us, " said Tayoga. "All that we findin the forest proclaims it. "

"I would you were not right, Tayoga, " said the hunter, "but I fear youare. "

They came the next day to the trail of a great army, soldiers and cannon. Night overtook them while they were still near the shores of Lake George, following the road, left by the French and Indian host as it had advancedsouth, and the three, wearied by their long flight, drew back into thedense thickets for rest. The darkness had come on thicker and heavier thanusual, and they were glad of it, as they were well hidden in its duskyfolds, and they wished to rest without apprehension. 

They had food with them which they ate, and then they wrapped theirblankets about their bodies, because a wind was coming from the lake, andits touch was damp. Clouds also covered all the skies, and, before long, athin, drizzling rain fell. They would have been cold, and, in time, wet tothe bone, but the blankets were sufficient to protect them. 

"Areskoui, after smiling upon us for so long, has now turned his face fromus, " said Tayoga. 

"What else can you expect?" said the valiant Willet. "It is always so inwar. You're up and then you're down. We were masters of the peaks for awhile, and by our capture of Garay's letter we kept St. Luc from attackingAlbany, but the stars never fight for you all the time. We couldn't doanything that would save the rangers from defeat. "

The Onondaga looked up. The others could not see his face, but it wasreverential, and the cold rain that fell upon it had then no chill forhim. Instead it was soothing. 

"Tododaho is on his great star beyond the clouds, " he said, "and he islooking down on us. We have done wrong or he and Areskoui would not havewithdrawn their favor from us, but we have done it unknowingly, and, intime, they will forgive us. As long as the Onondagas are true to himTododaho will watch over them, although at times he may punish them. "

That Tododaho was protecting them even then was proved conclusively toTayoga before the night was over. A great war party passed within a hundredyards of them, going swiftly southward, but the three, swathed in theirblankets, and, hidden in the dark thickets, had no fear. They were merelythree motes in the wilderness and the warriors did not dream that they werenear. When the last sound of their marching had sunk into nothingness, Tayoga said:

"It was not the will of Tododaho that they should suspect our presence, butI fear that they go to a triumph. "

They rose from the thicket early the following morning, and resumed theirflight, but it soon came to a halt, when the Onondaga pointed to a trail inthe forest, made apparently by about twenty warriors. The hawk eye ofTayoga, however, picked out one trace among them which all three knew wasmade by a white man. 

"I know, too, " said the red youth, "the white man who made it. "

"Tell us his name, " said the hunter, who had full confidence in thewonderful powers of the Onondaga. 

"It is the Frenchman, Langlade, who held Dagaeoga a prisoner in his villageso long. I know his traces, because I followed them before. His foot isvery small, and it has been less than an hour since he passed here. Theyare ahead of us, directly in our path. "

"What do you think we ought to do, Dave?" asked Robert, anxiously. "Youknow we want to go south as fast as we can. "

"We must try to go around Langlade, " replied Willet. "It's true, we'll losetime, but it's better to lose time and be late a little than to lose ourlives and never get there at all. "

"The Great Bear is a very wise man, " said Tayoga. 

They made at once a sharp curve toward the east, but just when they thoughtthey were passing parallel with Langlade's band, they were fired upon froma thicket, the bullet singing by Robert's ear. The three took cover in thebushes, and a long and trying combat of sharpshooters took place. Twowarriors were slain and both Willet and Tayoga were grazed by the Indianfire, but they were not hurt. Robert once caught sight of Langlade, and hemight have dropped the partisan with his bullet, but his heart held hishand. Langlade had shown him many a kindness, during his long captivityand, although he was a fierce enemy now, the lad was not one to forget. Ashe had spared De Galissonnière, so would he spare Langlade, and, in amoment or two, the Frenchman was gone from his sight. 

Another dark and rainy night came, and, protected by it, they crept insilence past the partisan's band soon leaving this new danger far behindthem. Tayoga was very grateful, and accepted their escape as a sign. 

"While Manitou, who rules all things, has decreed that we must suffer muchbefore victory, " he said, "yet, as I see it, he has decreed also that wethree shall not fall, else why does he spread so many dangers before us, and then take us safely through them?"

"It looks the same way to me, " said Willet. "The dark and rainy night thathe sent enabled us to pass by Langlade and his band. "

"A second black night following a first, " said Tayoga, devoutly. "I do notdoubt that it was sent for our benefit by Manitou, who is lord even overTododaho and Areskoui. "

They made good speed near the shores of Andiatarocte and now and then theycaught glimpses once more through the heavy green foliage of the lake'sglittering waters. But they saw anew the canoes of the French and Indiansupon its surface, and they realized with increasing force thatAndiatarocte, so vital in the great struggle, belonged, for the time atleast, to their enemies. Yet the three themselves were favored. The rainceased, a warm wind out of the south dried the forest, and their flightbecame easy. A fat deer stood in their path and fairly asked to be shot, furnishing them all the food they might need for days to come, and theywere able to dress and prepare it at their leisure. 

"It is clear, as I have already surmised and stated, " said Tayoga in hisprecise language, "that the frown of Manitou is not for us three. The wayopens before us, and we shall rejoin our friends. "

"If we have any friends left, " said the hunter. "I fear greatly, Tayoga, that Montcalm will have struck before we arrive. He has a powerful forcewith plenty of cannon, and we know he acts with decision and speed. "

"He has struck already and he has struck terribly, " said Tayoga with greatgravity. 

"How do you know that?" asked Robert, startled. 

"I do not know it because of anything that has been told to me in words, "replied the Onondaga, "but O, Dagaeoga, the mind, which is often morepotent than eye or ear, as I have told you so many times, is now warningme. We know that our people farther south have been in disagreement. Thegovernors of the provinces have not acted together. Everyone is of his ownmind, and no two minds are alike. No effort was made to profit by the greatvictory last year on the shores of Andiatarocte. Waraiyageh, sore in bodyand mind, rests at home, so it is not possible that our people have beenready and vigorous. "

"While the French and Indians are all that we are not?"

"Even so. Montcalm advances with great speed, and knows precisely what heintends to do. He has had plenty of time to reach our forts below. Hisforce is overwhelming, though more so in preparation and decision, than innumbers. He has had time to strike, and being Montcalm, therefore he hasstruck. There is no chance of error, O, Dagaeoga and Great Bear, when Itell you a heavy blow has fallen upon us. "

"I don't want to believe you, Tayoga, " said the hunter, "but I do. Theconclusion seems inevitable to me. "

"I'm hoping when hope's but faint, " said Robert. 

They swung again into the great trail, left by the army of Montcalm, or atleast a part of it, and the Onondaga and the hunter told its tale withprecision. 

"Here passed the cannon, " said Tayoga. "I judge by the size of the ruts thewheels made that a battery of twelve pounders went this way. What do yousay, Great Bear?"

"You're right, of course, Tayoga, and there were eight guns in the battery;a child could tell their number. They had other batteries too. "

"And the wooden walls of our forts wouldn't stand much chance against acontinuous fire of twelve and eighteen pounders, " said Robert. 

"No, " said Willet. "The forts could be saved only by enterprising andskillful commanders who would drive away the batteries. "

"Here went the warriors, " said Tayoga. "They were on the outer edges of thegreat trail, walking lightly, according to their custom. See the traces ofthe moccasins, scores and scores of them. We will come very soon to a placewhere the whole army camped for the night. How do I know, O, Dagaeoga?Because numerous trails are coming in from the forest and converging uponone point. They do that because it is time to gather for food and thenight's rest. Some of the warriors went into the forest to hunt game, andthey found it, too. Look at the drops of blood, still faintly showing onthe grass, leading here, and here, and here into the main trail, drops thatfell from the deer they had slain. Also they shot birds. Behold feathershanging on the bushes, blown there by the wind, which proves that the siteof their camp is very near, as I said. "

"It's just over the hill in that wide, shallow valley, " said Willet. 

They entered the valley which had been marked by the departed army withsigns as clear as the print of a book for the Onondaga and the hunter toread. 

"Here at the northern end of the valley is where the warriors cooked andate the deer they had slain, " said Tayoga. "The bones are scattered allabout, and we see the ashes of their fires, but they kept mostly tothemselves, because few footprints of white men lead to the place they setaside as their own. Just beyond them the cannon were parked. All this isvery simple. An Onondaga child eight years old could read what is writtenin this camp. Here are the impressions made by the cannon wheels, and justbeside them the artillery horses were tethered, as the numerous hoofprintsshow. "

"And here, I imagine, " said Robert, who had walked on, "the Marquis deMontcalm and his lieutenants spent the night. Tents were pitched for them. You can see the holes left by the pegs. "

"Spoken truly, O, Dagaeoga. You are using eye and mind, and lo! you areshowing once more the beginnings of wisdom. Four tents were pitched. Therest of the army slept in the open. Montcalm and his lieutenantsthemselves would have done so, but the setting up of the tents inspiredrespect in the warriors and even in the troops. The French leaders havemind and they profit by it. They neglect no precaution, no detail toincrease their prestige and maintain their authority. "

"It is so, Tayoga, " said Willet, "and I can wish that our own officerswould do the same. The French are marvelously expert in dealing withIndians. They can handle them all, except the Hodenosaunee. But don't youthink they held a short council here by this log, after they had eatentheir suppers?"

"It cannot be doubted, Great Bear. Montcalm and his captains sat on thelog. The Indian chiefs sat in a half circle before it, and they smoked apipe. See, the traces of the ashes on the grass. They were planning theattack upon the fort. It is bound to be William Henry, because the trailleads in that direction. "

"And these marks on the log, Tayoga, show that there was some indecision, at first, and much talking. Two or three of the French officers had theirhunting knives in their hands, and they carved nervously at the log, justas a man will often whittle as he argues. "

"Well stated, O, Great Bear. After the conference, the chiefs went back insingle file to their own part of the camp. Here goes their trail, and youcan nearly fancy that all stepped exactly in the footprints of the first. "

"The straight, decisive line proves too, Tayoga, that the plan wascompleted and everything ready for the attack. The chiefs would not havegone away in such a manner if they had not been satisfied. "

"Well stated again, Great Bear. The Marquis de Montcalm also went directlyback to his tent. See, where the boot heels pressed. "

"But you have no way of knowing, " said Robert, "that the traces of bootheels indicate the Marquis. "

"O, Dagaeoga, after all my teaching, you forget again that mind can seewhere the eye cannot. Train the mind! Train the mind, and you will get muchprofit from it. The traces of these boot heels lead directly to the placewhere the largest tent stood. We know it was the largest, because the holesleft by the tent pegs are farthest apart. And we know it belonged to theMarquis de Montcalm, because, always having that keen eye for effect, theFrench Commander-in-Chief would have no tent but the largest. "

"True as Gospel, Tayoga, " said the hunter, "and the French officersthemselves had a little conference in the tent of the Marquis, after theyhad finished with the Indian chiefs. Here, within the square made by thepegs, are the prints of many boot heels and they were not all made by theMarquis, since they are of different sizes. Probably they were completingsome plans in regard to the artillery, since the warriors would havenothing to do with the big guns. Here are ashes, too, in the corner nearone of the pegs. I think it likely that the Marquis smoked a thoughtfulpipe after all the others had gone. "

"Aye, Dave, " said Robert, "and he had much to think about. The officersfrom Europe find things tremendously changed when they come from theiropen fields into this mighty wilderness. We know what happened to Braddock, because we saw it, and we had a part in it. I can understand his mistake. How could a soldier from Europe read the signs of the forest, signs that hehad never seen before, and foresee the ambush?"

"He couldn't, Robert, lad, but while countries change in character menthemselves don't. Braddock was brave, but he should have remembered that hewas not in Europe. The Marquis de Montcalm remembers it. He made no mistakeat Oswego and he is making none here. He took the Indian chiefs intocouncil, as we have just seen. He placates them, he humors their whims, andhe draws out of them their full fighting power to be used for the Frenchcause. "

Tayoga ranged about the shallow valley a little, and announced that thewhole force had gone on together the morning after the encampment. 

"The artillery and the infantry were in close ranks, " he said, "and thewarriors were on either flank, scouting in the forest, forming a fringewhich kept off possible scouts of the English and Americans. There was nochance of a surprise attack which would cut up the forces of Montcalm andimpede his advance. "

Willet sighed. 

"The Marquis, although he may not have known it, " he said, "was in nodanger from such an enterprise. We have read the signs too well, Tayoga. Our own people have been lying in their forts, weak of will, waiting todefend themselves, while the French and their allies have had all thewilderness to range over, and in which they might do as they pleased. It iseasy to see where the advantage lies. "

"And we shall soon learn what has happened, " said Tayoga, gravely. 

The next morning they met an American scout who told them the terrible newsof the capture of Fort William Henry, with its entire garrison, byMontcalm, and the slaughter afterward of many of the prisoners by theIndians. 

Robert was appalled. 

"Is Lake George to remain our only victory?" he exclaimed. 

"It's better to have a bad beginning and a good ending than a goodbeginning and a bad ending, " said the scout. 

"Remember, " said Tayoga, "how Areskoui watched over us, when we were amongthe peaks. As he watched over us then so later on he will watch over ourcause. "

"It was only for a moment that I felt despair, " said Robert. "It is certainthat victory always comes to those who know how to work and wait. "

Courage rose anew in their hearts, and once more they sped southward, resolved to make greater efforts than any that had gone before.