as far as three
bows' lengths and led her back gently to their place in the line. Then
she walked sedately along as if unconscious of their presence, until
they were off their guard, believing she had resigned herself to the
situation, when she sprang off to the right and was again captured and
led back. She knew that they dared not bind her, and she took advantage
of this to lead them in truth a dance, first to one side and then to the
other. Behind them their comrades jeered and laughed each time the
maiden ran away.

The regular order of the warpath was now no longer preserved. They had
advanced to a point where there was no longer any possibility of danger
from hostile attack. Werowocomoco lay now but a short distance away;
already the smoke from its lodges could be seen across the cleared
fields that surrounded the village of Powhatan. The older warriors were
walking in groups, talking over their deeds of valor performed that day,
and praising those of several of the young braves who had fought for the
first time. Pocahontas and her captors had now fallen further behind.

Though well satisfied with the results of her enterprise and amusement,
Pocahontas had no mind to be brought into her home as a captive, even
though it be half in jest. Her father might not consider it so amusing
and, moreover, she did not like to be outwitted. She was so busy
thinking that she forgot to continue her game and walked quietly ahead,
keeping up with the longer strides of the warriors by occasional little
runs forward. The braves, their own heads full of their first campaign,
kept fingering lovingly the scalps at their girdles, and paid little
attention to her.

She stooped as if to fasten her moccasin, then, as their impetus carried
them a few feet ahead of her before they stopped for her to come up, she
darted like a flash to the left and had slid down into a little hollow
before they thought of starting after her.

It was now almost dark and her white fur was indistinguishable against
the snow below. Before they had reached the bottom, Pocahontas, who knew
every inch of the ground that was less familiar to men from her uncle's
village, had slipped back into the forest which skirted the fields the
pursuers were now speeding across, and was lost at once in the darkness.

Opechanchanough knew nothing of this escape. He meant to explain to his
royal brother how much mischief a child might do who was not kept at
home performing sq