night before. The faithful little
beast must have followed him down to the Kakisa camp and have been
waiting for him ever since to return.

During the events of the last half-hour Job had no doubt been regarding
his master from afar. The other dogs would not let him run at the
horses' heels, but he followed indomitably in the rear.

Every time they went over a hill Ambrose saw him trotting patiently far
behind in the trail. When they stopped to eat there was a joyful
reunion.

Ambrose no longer felt friendless. He divided his rations with his
humble follower. The Indians smiled. In this respect they evidently
considered the formidable white man a little soft-headed.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

A GLEAM OF HOPE.

In the middle of the third day of hard riding over a flower-starred
prairie, and through belts of poplar bush, they came to the Kakisa River.

By this time Ambrose had become somewhat habituated to his captivity. At
any rate, he was more philosophical. He had been treated well enough.

There was a village at the end of the trail. Hearing the astonishing
news of what had happened, the people stared at Ambrose with their hard,
bright eyes as at a phenomenon.

Ambrose figured that they had left Fort Enterprise a hundred and fifty
miles behind. He looked at the river with interest. He had heard that
no white man had ever descended it.

He saw a smoothly flowing brown flood some two hundred yards wide winding
away between verdant willows. A smaller stream joined it at this point,
and the teepees stretched along either bank.

Across the larger stream loomed a bold hill-point with a striking clump
of pines upon it, and under the trees the gables of an Indian
burying-ground like a village of toy houses.

The flat where the rivers joined was hemmed all around by low hills. On
the right, half-way up the rise, a log shack dominated the village--and
to it Ambrose's captors led him.

This was evidently intended to be his prison. Window and door were
closely boarded up. The Indians tore the boards from the doorway and,
casting off Ambrose's bonds, thrust him inside. They closed the door,
leaving him in utter darkness. He heard them contriving a bar to keep
him in.

Ambrose, after waving his arms about to restore the circulation, set to
exploring his quarters by sense of touch. First he collided with a
counter running across from side to side.

Behind, in the middle of the room, he found an iron