courage.

They had paddled for hours, and knew that midnight must be long past,
when, without the warning of sight or sound, they suddenly discovered
their craft to be surrounded by moving shadows. These were canoes
headed across the stream, and instantly Donald turned his craft in the
same direction, as though it belonged to the ghostly fleet. It was a
terrible situation, and one in which the slightest mistake would prove
fatal. Donald noticed Bullen's start on the discovery of their danger,
and blessed him for the coolness with which he continued the noiseless
dip of his paddle. His hope was to work toward the outer edge of the
fleet, and then slip away in the mist-clouds that were rising thinly
from the water before the other side of the river should be reached.
At the same time he wondered where these canoes could have come from,
and what was the cause of their mysterious movements; for, thinking
that the schooner he had seen two days before must long since have
reached the fort, it did not occur to him that she could be the object
of attraction.

Bullen was the first to see it. With a choking gasp he leaned back and
whispered hoarsely, "The schooner! We must warn them!"

"Certainly," replied Donald, promptly, as though it were a matter of
course that they should sacrifice themselves to save their friends.
Then he raised a shout so loud and far-reaching that it seemed as
though it must be heard even at the distant fort. It was instantly
echoed by another from Bullen. Then an Indian canoe crashed into
theirs, and in a moment they were struggling with half a dozen
infuriated savages. Ere the struggle was concluded, there came a blaze
of fire, a crash of thunder, the rending of wood, shrieks, and yells.
To Donald also came oblivion; while Bullen first found himself in the
water, then dragged from it into a canoe, and a moment later a
helplessly bound captive at the mercy of an enraged foe.

The failure of his carefully planned attack on the schooner was a
bitter blow to Pontiac, the haughty chieftain, who was striving to
drive the red-coated invaders from the land still claimed by his
people. The prize for which he had schemed and fought so long had been
within his grasp only to be snatched away at the last moment. Already
had his war-parties captured all the British posts west of the Niagara
save only Detroit and Fort Pitt. Already was the crimson wave of war
lapping the frontier settlements, and driv