d counted 'em: seven redskins and the two gals."

"Thank God!" says Richard, as fervently as if our rescue of the women
were already a thing accomplished. Then he fell upon the scout with an
eager question: "How does she look, Ephraim?--tell me how she looks!"

"Listen at him!" said the old man, cackling his dry little laugh. "How
in tarnation am I going to know which 'she' he's a-stewing about?
There's a pair of 'em, and they both look like wimmin ez have been
dragged hilter-skilter through the big woods for some better 'n a week.
Natheless, they're fitting to set up and take their nourishment, both on
'em. They was perching on a log afore the fire, with ever' last
idintical one o' them redskins a-waiting on 'em like they was a couple
of Injun queens. I reckon ez how the hoss-captain gave them varmints
their orders, partic'lar."

Dick was upon his feet, lugging out the great broadsword.

"Show us the way, Eph Yeates!" he burst out impatiently. "We are wasting
a deal of precious time!"

But the old man only puffed the more placidly at his pipe, making no
move to head a sortie.

"Fair and easy, Cap'n Dick; fair and easy. There ain't no manner o'
hurry, ez I allow. Whenst I've got to tussle with a wheen o' full
redskins, and me with my stummick growed fast to my backbone, I jest ez
soon wait till them same redskins are asleep. Bime-by they'll settle
down for the night, and then we'll go up yonder and pizen 'em immejitly,
_if_ not sooner. But there ain't no kind o' use to spile it all by
rampaging 'round too soon."

There was wisdom undeniable in this, and, accordingly, we waited,
taking turns at the hunter's terrible pipe in lieu of supper, and laying
our plan of attack. This last was simple enough, as our resources, or
rather our lack of them, would make it. At midnight we would move upon
the enemy, feeling our way along the river till we should discover the
ford by which the captive party had crossed. The stream safely passed,
we would deploy and surround the camp of the Indians, and at the signal,
which was to be the report of Yeates's rifle, we were to close in and
smite, giving no quarter.

The old borderer dwelt at length upon the need for this severity, saying
that a single Cherokee escaping would bring the warriors of the Erati
tribe down upon us to cut off all chance of our retreat with the women.

"Onless I'm mightily out o' my reckoning, this here spot we're a-setting
on ain't more than a day's Injun-