ney struggled
long and fiercely, but he was at length overpowered by numbers. The
pistol, which missed fire, was wrenched from his grasp, and his hands
were speedily bound behind his back. Martin was likewise disarmed and
secured; not, however, before he made a desperate slash at one of the
savages, which narrowly missed his skull, and cut away his lip ornament.

As for the old trader, he made no resistance at all, but submitted
quietly to his fate. The savages did not seem to think it worth their
while to bind him. Grampus bounced and barked round the party savagely,
but did not attack; and Marmoset slept in the canoe in blissful
ignorance of the whole transaction.

The hands of the two prisoners being firmly bound, they were allowed to
do as they pleased; so they sat down on a rock in gloomy silence, and
watched the naked savages as they rifled the canoe and danced joyfully
round the treasures which their active knives and fingers soon exposed
to view. The old trader took things philosophically. Knowing that it
was absolutely impossible to escape, he sat quietly down on a stone,
rested his chin on his hands, heaved one or two deep sighs, and
thereafter seemed to be nothing more than an ebony statue.

The ransacking of the canoe and appropriating of its contents occupied
the savages but a short time, after which they packed everything up in
small bundles, which they strapped upon their backs. Then, making signs
to their prisoners to rise, they all marched away into the forest. Just
as they were departing, Marmoset observing that she was about to be left
behind, uttered a frantic cry, which brought Grampus gambolling to her
side. With an active bound the monkey mounted its charger, and away
they went into the forest in the track of the band of savages.

During the first part of their march Martin and Barney were permitted to
walk beside each other, and they conversed in low, anxious tones.

"Surely," said Barney, as they marched along surrounded by Indians,
"thim long poles the savages have got are not spears; I don't see no
point to them."

"And what's more remarkable," added Martin, "is that they all carry
quivers full of arrows, but none of them have bows."

"There's a raison for iverything," said Barney, pointing to one of the
Indians in advance; "that fellow explains the mystery."

As he spoke, the savage referred to lowered the pole, which seemed to be
about thirteen feet long, and pushing an arro