ith what pleasure I
should send that human buffalo to mount guard in another world," replied
Pepe.

Just then they saw the Indian stick his lance in the ground, and leaning
forward, shade his eyes with his hands so as to concentrate their power.
A keen anxiety was in their hearts as they watched him. The ferocious
warrior bending down like a wild beast ready to spring, his face half
covered with the straggling hair, was hideous and terrible to look upon;
but the fugitives would only have laughed at the spectacle had they not
had so much to dread. All at once, the Apache after remaining a few
minutes in this attentive attitude, walked towards the bank and
disappeared from sight--for nothing was visible except in the circle of
light thrown by the fire. It was a moment of intense anxiety for the
fugitives, as the island continued to glide silently on.

"Has he seen us?" murmured Pepe.

"I fear so."

A doleful cry now caused them to start. It was repeated from the
opposite side; it was the signal of the sentinels one to the other, but
all became again silent. Bois-Rose uttered a murmur of relief, as he
saw the man return to his former place and attitude. It was a false
alarm.

Still the island continued to approach the bank.

"At this rate," said Bois-Rose, "in ten minutes we shall fall into the
hands of the Indians. If we could but paddle a little with that great
branch, we should soon be in the right direction again, but the noise, I
fear, would betray us."

"Nevertheless," replied Pepe, "it is what we must do, it is better to
run the chance of betraying ourselves, than be drifted into the hands of
our enemies. But first, let us see if the current in which we now are,
runs towards the bank. If it does, we must hesitate no longer, and
although the branch of a tree is more noisy in the water than an oar, we
must do our best to paddle in silence."

Pepe then gently broke off a piece of wood and placed it on the water,
and leaning over the edge, he and Bois-Rose watched it anxiously. There
was in that place a violent eddy, caused by some deep hole in the bed of
the river. For a moment the wood turned round as though going to sink,
then it took a direction opposite to the bank, towards which they were
driving. Both uttered a stifled exclamation of joy, as their island
also, after a moment's stoppage, began to float away from the shore, and
the increasing thickness of the fog assured them that they were ta