The flatboat was now so far out in the river that the firing had ceased
on both sides. Kenton did not know to what extent his friends had
suffered, but he was certain that in addition to the warrior whom he had
picked off in time to save Jethro Juggens, several others must have gone
down in the fusilade.

When The Panther brought his band together to effect the ambuscade at
Rattlesnake Gulch, he must have established some sort of camp or
headquarters beyond that point, where it could not be noted by the
fugitives until on the other side of the dangerous section. Hoping, with
a shudder of misgiving, that the little child would be taken to this
camp instead of being tomahawked, he began searching for it.

The task was less difficult than would be supposed. A veteran like
Kenton had no trouble in avoiding the warriors moving about. As he
expected, he passed but a short distance beyond the gulch, when he
caught the twinkle of the campfire just beyond the hollow in which the
Shawanoes had arranged to blot out the whole company of settlers and
pioneers.

Carefully threading his way through the undergrowth and among the trees,
he reached a point from which he gained an unobstructed view of the camp
without any risk of discovery on his part. The scene in many respects
resembled that which he had looked upon times without number.

There was the fire of sticks and branches that had been burning several
hours, for it contained many glowing embers, in the middle of an open
space. A circle of diminishing light was thrown out several rods in all
directions. Upon a fallen tree, on the other side of the blaze, sat
three warriors, painted and decked in the hideous manner adopted by the
people when upon the war-path. Armed with rifles, tomahawks and knives,
they were talking excitedly, and one had just had his wounded arm
bandaged, proving that he failed to go through the battle unscathed.

Two other Shawanoes were standing at the right of the fire, also talking
with great animation. Further back, where the light was less, were
others, most of them seated on the ground. Kenton's scrutiny satisfied
him that more than one of these had been "hit hard," and their
companions were looking after them as best they could.

Nothing was seen of those that had fallen, though the American Indian is
not the one to forget his stricken comrade, and the warriors that had
started on their journey to the happy hunting grounds were certain to
rece