s it all Chocktaw to me. If anybody can give a guess what
they're saying, put us wise, please."

CHAPTER XIII.

A DREADFUL CALAMITY.

Apparently, no one among the scouts was able to favor Jimmy with regard
to telling what the smoke signals meant. Whoever might be responsible
for the code used by all scouts, it had evidently not been founded on
that in use up here in the Far North, by these trappers and
woodsrangers.

"I've been trying to get the hang of it myself," Jack acknowledged; "but
must say, I'm like a man up a tree. When I begin to think I'm coming on,
there's a slip, and it's all off again. How about you, Ned?"

They had stopped to talk it over. All of them were in need of a
breathing spell, at any rate; and this might turn out to be a matter
well worth investigating.

The patrol leader shook his head in the negative.

"Just the same with me, Jack," he returned. "I'm mixed up enough not to
be able to say what it means, though I've got an idea they may be
telling the parties at the mine what they expect to do. But we haven't
thought of one chance we've got to read the message."

"What might that be, Ned?" asked Frank.

"I don't reckon that you're carrying a lovely little code book along
with you, now; that'll tell all about the different ways people have of
signaling with smoke puffs?" Jimmy wanted to know.

"Perhaps Tamasjo might tell us," was all Ned said; and his simple
explanation caused a general look of eager curiosity to be turned in the
direction of the Cree Indian.

Why, to be sure, Tamasjo had been born and raised in this Northern
country, and very likely he had communicated with his own people many a
time, when returning from a hunt, and by just such means as those men
over on the Harricanaw were now using.

How silly that some one had not thought of the old Cree before. It was
as simple as turning one's hand over. Jack chuckled when he heard Teddy
mutter to that effect; because he remembered that when Columbus
returned, after discovering the Western Hemisphere, the envious Spanish
courtiers made remarks along the same lines. It is always easy to see a
thing _after_ it has been pointed out.

Frank was already turning toward Tamasjo. He found the Indian standing
there calmly watching the floating columns of smoke that were
interrupted frequently, as those responsible for their existence
manipulated the blankets over the fires.

"What do they say, Tamasjo?" asked Frank.

The