er scouting party, and there were even women with them.
The Indians are shrewd and clever, much more than we white people think.
While the main troop is going west, scouting parties are all over the
woods, watching the movements of the whites, and killing off individuals
or families as they find them. They are mopping up the woods, ridding
them of the white foes. They are doing thorough work."

"But how did you escape?" Matthew asked.

"That wasn't hard," Fred answered; "as soon as they had taken me into
the woods, I became very angry, and as well as I could I commanded them
to remove the gag from my mouth. I spoke to them in the Pequot
language, and this made an impression on them."

"How fortunate that we know that tongue!" Matthew exclaimed. "If I am
caught, I know what to do."

"You never will be caught," Fred said emphatically; "I won't let you.
If I hadn't been dreaming and forgetting the danger I was in, they
never would have got me. But I learned a lesson."

"But tell me your story to the end," Matthew begged. "It is so
interesting."

"Well," Fred started, "when they had removed the gag, I first fumed and
scolded, much to their delight, for they kept on laughing as I rebuked
them."

"I called them cowards who could do nothing else but seize little boys,
and them unarmed. This amused them very much, and finally one after
another stole away to the fire where the women were broiling large
pieces of meat. Seeing that, I demanded food also, and at last an old
squaw had pity on me and brought me a rich supply. Here is some of it;
We may need it on our way. Lucky, that we have at least one musket!
Mine the Indians took."

"But what then?" Matthew asked inquisitively. "How did you get away?"

"When the darkness fell over the camp," Fred related, "they simply lay
down to sleep, after they had tied me to a tree. The Indian who
attended to the work, must have liked me, for he took pains that the
sinews were not strung too tightly. So what could I do? While they
were sleeping, I cleared my hands, cut the bands, and slipped away
from them. And look what I took along?"

He held up a large scalping knife.

"Where did you get that?" Matthew exclaimed in astonishment. "That
knife will be very valuable to us."

"The scout was sleeping," Fred said, "though he was supposed to watch,
and I crept up to him and removed it for safety's sake."

"You are quite a hero," Matthew praised him; "I could neve