ght
noise caused him to open them, and then he was wide awake in a moment,
for, with a thrill of horror, he became aware of two Indians standing
close beside him in the strange pale-green light of early dawn. As they
silently gazed down upon him his heart seemed to stand still, and his
next impulse was to cry out, but he had learned to keep his wits about
him, and remember that even an Indian has a certain respect for a manly
spirit. So he sat up and boldly returned the gaze of the fierce black
eyes--but at the same time he had heard too many tales of the cruelties
practised by Indians on their captives not to realise the danger he was
in.

The younger of the red men was already fingering his hatchet, whilst he
muttered some hostile words which boded no good to our hero, but the
elder, who appeared to be a man of some importance, silenced his
companion with a gesture, and then, crossing his arms, said, in musical,
broken English: "My young brother is abroad early."

"I was going across the forest to get medicine for my Mother," replied
Jem.

"But the medicine-man of the palefaces does not live in the forest,"
returned the Indian. "Where does the Mother of my brother live?"

"In the clearing of the entrance to the west track. It was nearly dark
when I started and I fell and hurt my leg, so that I can go no farther."

"Hu," exclaimed the Indian, kneeling down, and taking Jem's injured foot
gently in his hand. "Then my brother is the son of the good paleface
woman who tended Woodpecker when he was sick, and made him well again?"

"Are you Woodpecker?" exclaimed Jem gladly. "My Mother has told me
about you."

The Indian nodded, and, tearing a strip from his blanket, he dipped it
in a spring of water which was near at hand, and bound it firmly round
the boy's swollen ankle. "The Mother of my young brother is very sick?"
he inquired.

"Yes," replied Jem, "and she is waiting for the medicine, and I cannot
fetch it." He winked bravely to keep back the tears which filled his
eyes at the thought.

"Woodpecker will fetch the medicine. Woodpecker owes a big debt to his
paleface sister, and Indians have grateful hearts," said the red man
gravely.

Jem eagerly held out to him a piece of paper, but Woodpecker shook his
head.

"My brother shall speak himself to the medicine-man," he said, and,
raising the boy on his broad shoulders, he strode away quickly towards
the village. It was scarcely daylight and no one