alled Ottaway, an'
thar's another trail north o' yere--Injun, I reckon--whut runs straight
east. Whar we are is plum in atween the two ov 'em, but it looks like
it might be gud travelin'. Enyhow, thar ain't no rivers er nuthin' so
fer as I see. What's this Ottaway, enyhow?"

"There is a small settlement there and a blockhouse. Possibly there
are other settlements between here and there, not on the map."

"How fer do yer make it--frum this place ter thar?"

"Well, here is probably the stream we waded up last night--see. I
should say we must be about where I make this mark. To Ottawa? I will
make a guess that it is a bit over a hundred miles, and from there to
Chicago sixty or seventy more. Those last would be over a good trail."

"An' whar do yer reckon are them Injuns--the hostile ones; this yere
bunch o' Black Hawk's?"

"Somewhere up Rock River, or along the Green Valley. I'll point it out
to you--see; there is where Black Hawk had his village and his hunters
ranged all over this country, down as far as the Illinois. Of course,
I cannot tell where they are now, for that depends on how far the
soldiers have driven them, but it would be my guess they will be
somewhere in here--between Prophetstown and the Winnebago Swamp."

"Let's see; thet ain't so dern fer away either. I reckon this yere
course ye've just picked out wudn't take us mor'n twenty mile er so
away. 'Spose we'd run inter a raidin' party o' them red bucks. I
ain't got much hair, but I kin use whut I hav' got."

"I am not sure, Tim, but I would even prefer that to being overtaken by
Joe Kirby and the gang he'll probably have with him," I retorted, my
gaze on the questioning face of the girl. "However, there is little
chance of our encountering such a party. The soldiers are all coming
up from the south and are bound to force Black Hawk's warriors to the
other bank of the Rock. There will be nothing but barren country east
of here. What do you say, Miss Eloise?"

Her eyes met mine bravely, without a shadow of doubt in them.

"I shall go wherever you say," she replied firmly, "I believe you will
know best."

"Then I decide on this route. Once we get beyond the swamp, those
fellows are going to have a hard task following us, unless they have an
Indian trailer along with them. We have been here several hours; the
horses must be rested. Let's eat what we can again and then start. We
must find a way out of this labyrinth while we have