e to the earth as I had been, it could not be removed from my
belt.

To set all this down in words makes it appear as if I had ample time in
which to think over the situation, whereas no more than five seconds could
have elapsed before the sinewy fingers were closed so tightly about my
throat that I could not breathe.

At almost the same instant that the pressure began to be painful, before a
single cry had been uttered by my assailant, a second shock was felt by
me, while the weight which pressed me down to the earth was increased, and
dimly I understood that the sergeant had leaped upon the back of him who
was strangling me.

Why the Indian made no cry for help I cannot understand, except that he
was too drunk to realize he had within his grasp an enemy instead of one
of his own company.

Certain it is, however, that no alarm was raised even when the sergeant
came to my relief, and in silence, save for the rustling of the foliage as
we swayed to this side or that, the battle was continued until I felt the
cruel fingers about my throat suddenly relax, while a warm liquid of a
peculiar, salty odor poured down over my neck and head.

When he who had been striving to kill me rolled from my back, I lay
motionless, unable to raise a hand and gasping for breath, until Sergeant
Corney lifted me up as he whispered in my ear:

"Are you hurt, lad?"

"Only choked well-nigh to death," I contrived to say, and then tried to
struggle to my feet, but found myself yet pinned to the earth by the
lifeless body which lay across my legs.

"Let us get out of here," I said, after releasing myself from the sinister
weight. "This is worse than such an ambush as we fell into on the
Oriskany."

"Ay, lad, I reckon you're right as to that; but it strikes me we're bound
by the word I sent the commandant to stay here till we make certain these
reptiles don't come to their senses."

While he spoke the sergeant was helping me retreat yet farther among the
bushes, for my knees bent beneath me, owing to the horror of it all, as
well as the rough handling I had received.

The old man was not willing to move so far away that it would not be
possible to have a fairly good view of what might be going on; but we did
walk to what I believed was a comparatively safe distance, and then sat
down upon the ground on the alert for anything more of the same kind which
had come so near to putting me out of the world.

"It was a close shave, lad, an' ou