nced
several times at his bow, which lay a few feet away, where it had fallen
when the dog caught him, but Crusoe seemed to understand him, for he
favoured him with such an additional display of teeth, and such a low--
apparently distant, almost, we might say, subterranean--_rumble_, that
he resigned himself to his fate.

His hands secured, a long line was attached to his neck with a running
noose, so that if he ventured to run away the attempt would effect its
own cure by producing strangulation. The other end of this line was
given to Crusoe, who at the word of command marched him off, while Dick
mounted Charlie and brought up the rear.

Great was the laughter and merriment when this apparition met the eyes
of the trappers; but when they heard that he had attempted to shoot Dick
their ire was raised, and a court-martial was held on the spot.

"Hang the reptile!" cried one.

"Burn him!" shouted another.

"No, no," said a third; "don't imitate them villains; don't be cruel.
Let's shoot him."

"Shoot 'im," cried Pierre; "Oui, dat is de ting; it too goot pour lui,
mais, it shall be dooed."

"Don't ye think, lads, it would be better to let the poor wretch off?"
said Dick Varley; "he'd p'raps give a good account o' us to his people."

There was a universal shout of contempt at this mild proposal.
Unfortunately, few of the men sent on this exploring expedition were
imbued with the peacemaking spirit of their chief; and most of them
seemed glad to have a chance of venting their hatred of the poor Indians
on this unhappy wretch, who although calm, looked sharply from one
speaker to another, to gather hope, if possible, from the tones of their
voices.

Dick was resolved at the risk of a quarrel with Pierre to save the poor
man's life, and had made up his mind to insist on having him conducted
to the camp to be tried by Cameron, when one of the men suggested that
they should take the savage to the top of a hill about three miles
further on, and there hang him up on a tree as a warning to all his
tribe.

"Agreed, agreed," cried the men; "come on."

Dick, too, seemed to agree to this proposal, and hastily ordered Crusoe
to run on ahead with the savage, an order which the dog obeyed so
vigorously that before the men had done laughing at him, he was a couple
of hundred yards ahead of them.

"Take care that he don't get off!" cried Dick, springing on Charlie and
stretching out at a gallop.

In a moment he was besid