ts he ceased to sleep so well. A sound penetrated at last to
his ear and he sat up. It was the chattering of the gray squirrel, and
the rattling of his claws on the dry bark of the tree, his bushy tail
curving far over his back, and his whole body seeming to be shaken by
violent convulsions. Henry stared at him, thinking at first that he was
threatened by some carnivorous prowler of the air, but, as he looked
away, he caught a glimpse through the bushes of a moving brown figure
and then of another and more.

Henry Ware never struck camp with more smoothness and celerity. One hand
swept up his blankets and the painted robe, another grasped his rifle,
and, as silent as a night bird itself, he vanished into the deeper
thicket where the canoe lay. There, crouched beside it, he watched while
the warriors passed. They would certainly have seen his body had it been
lying where it had been, but they were not near enough to notice his
traces, and they had no cause to suspect his presence. So, the silent
file passed on, and disappeared in the deep woods.

Henry stood up, and once more he felt a great access of wonder and
gratitude. The superior powers were surely protecting him, and were even
watching over him while he slept. He walked back a little and looked at
the tree, on which the gray squirrel had chattered and rattled his
claws. He thought he caught a glimpse of a bushy tail among the boughs,
but he was not sure. In any event, he bore in mind that while great
animals had served him, the little ones, too, had given help as good.
Then he bore the canoe back to the river, put in it all his precious
possessions, and continued his flight by water.

There was a chance that warriors might see him from the banks, since he
had proof of their presence in the woods, but relying upon his skill and
the favors of fortune, he was willing to take the risk. He had an idea,
too, that he would soon come to the lake, and he meant to hide among the
dense thickets and forests, sure to line its low shores.

His surmise was right, as some time before noon the river widened
abruptly, and a half hour later he came out on the border of a vast
lake, stretching blue to the horizon and beyond. A strong wind blowing
over the great expanse of water came sharp and cold, but to Henry,
naturally so strong and warmed by his exertions, it furnished only
exhilaration. He felt that now the great flight and chase had come to an
end. He could not cross this mi