ter's horn came floating down from
the hills. A flock of wild geese had alighted on the marshy ground
at the end of the island where they kept up a continual honk! honk!
The brown hills, the red forest, and the yellow fields were now at
the height of their autumnal beauty. Soon the November north wind
would thrash the trees bare, and bow the proud heads of the daisies
and the goldenrod; but just now they flashed in the sun, and swayed
back and forth in all their glory.

"I see you limp. Are you not entirely well?" Betty was saying.

"Oh, I am getting along famously, thank you," said Alfred. "This one
foot was quite severely burned and is still tender."

"You have had your share of injuries. I heard my brother say you had
been wounded three times within a year."

"Four times."

"Jonathan told of the axe wound; then the wound Miller gave you, and
finally the burns. These make three, do they not?"

"Yes, but you see, all three could not be compared to the one you
forgot to mention."

"Let us hurry past here," said Betty, hastening to change the
subject. "This is where you had the dreadful fight with Miller."

"As Miller did go to meet Girty, and as he did not return to the
Fort with the renegade, we must believe he is dead. Of course, we do
not know this to be actually a fact. But something makes me think
so. Jonathan and Wetzel have not said anything; I can't get any
satisfaction on that score from either; but I am sure neither of
them would rest until Miller was dead."

"I think you are right. But we may never know. All I can tell you is
that Wetzel and Jack trailed Miller to the river, and then they both
came back. I was the last to see Lewis that night before he left on
Miller's trail. It isn't likely I shall forget what Lewis said and
how he looked. Miller was a wicked man; yes, a traitor."

"He was a bad man, and he nearly succeeded in every one of his
plans. I have not the slightest doubt that had he refrained from
taking part in the shooting match he would have succeeded in
abducting you, in killing me, and in leading Girty here long before
he was expected."

"There are many things that may never be explained, but one thing
Miller did always mystify us. How did he succeed in binding Tige?"

"To my way of thinking that was not so difficult as climbing into my
room and almost killing me, or stealing the powder from Capt. Boggs'
room."

"The last, at least, gave me a chance to help," said Betty, with