of them.

Jethro Juggens began to display more sense in his words than he had yet
shown. He became more serious in his manner.

"De way ob it was dis: One ob de men from de block-house had been
scoutin' frough de woods, and he come back and tole Mr. Hastings what he
seed----"

"What was it?" interrupted Kenton.

"Being as he didn't tole me, yo'll hab to obscoose me from answerin' dat
question, but I was invited to go on ahead and to tell yo' folks dat Mr.
Hastings wanted one ob yo' or bofe ob yo' to come back again, as he had
somethin' he wanted to see yo' about."

Neither Boone nor Kenton made any comment on the singular course of
Hastings in selecting Jethro Juggens to bear such a message, when, among
all the male members of the company probably there was not one that was
less qualified.

"I don't know what it means," said Boone, rising from the tree, "but it
means something. You had better go back with this simpleton at once."

"And you?"

"I'll push ahead and larn what I kin. It won't make any difference
whether I'm with you or not, if there's a fight coming, but I'll do my
best to jine you. I'm likely to run onto something ahead that we oughter
know."

"Do you expect to use any signallin' for me?" asked Kenton, who had also
risen to his feet.

"Don't see that there'll be any need, but if there is you'll understand
it. You and me are too used to each other, Simon, to make any slip
up----"

Kenton raised his hand and smiled. While the words were in the mouth of
Boone, the soft, faint cawing of the crow was heard for the fifth time.

At the same moment two interesting facts were impressed upon the
rangers.

The call did not sound half so far away as in any one of the former
instances, and it came from a throat which essayed it for the first time
in the hearing of Boone and Kenton.

"Now we know there's three of 'em," remarked the latter.

"They're wondering why me and the rest of 'em aren't pushing faster
through the woods. But off with you, Simon; we're losing time."

Without another word these two great pioneers separated, the elder
moving silently among the trees to the eastward, that is, up the Ohio
and toward Rattlesnake Gulch, now a place of the first importance to all
concerned. He did not look around to note what was done by the other.

But Kenton had taken only a few steps when he stopped and looked back.

Jethro Juggens was standing by the fallen tree with his gun on his
shoulder and