"He _is_ dead!" said Glenn, after calling to him and receiving no
answer.

"We'll soon see," said Boone, turning him over on his back. "I will
open a vein in his arm."

"Bring a torch from the fire," said Col. Cooper to one of the men.

"Oh!" sighed Joe, lifting his hands to his head.

"I thought he would soon come to life again," said Boone, examining
his face with the torch that was brought, and then laughing outright.
The spectacle was ludicrous in the extreme. Joe was besmeared with
blood, and, when he opened his eyes and stared at the flaming light,
he resembled some sanguinary demon.

"Where in the world did all this blood come from?" exclaimed Glenn.

"I'm recovered now," said Joe, rising up and assuming an air of
importance.

"What have you been doing?" asked Glenn.

"I've been doing as much as any of you, I'll be bound," replied Joe,
very gravely.

"Well, what have you done?" repeated Glenn.

"I've been fighting the last half hour, as hard as anybody ever fought
in this world. Only look at the stabs in that Indian!" said he,
pointing to the savage.

"Why, you scoundrel! Sneak killed this Indian," said Glenn.

"Sneak thought he did," replied Joe, "but he only wounded him. After a
while he got up and clinched me by the throat, and we had it over and
over on the snow, till we both got so exhausted we couldn't do any
thing. When we rested, we went at it again, and it hasn't been five
minutes since I stuck my knife in his breast. When he fell, I stuck
him four or five times, and then fainted myself."

"Here is a wound in the savage's breast," said Glenn.

"But here's another in the throat," said Boone, showing where the
arteries had been severed by Sneak.

"Joe," said Glenn, "you must abandon this habit of lying, if indeed it
is not a portion of your nature."

"Hang it all, I ain't lying--I know Sneak did cut his throat, but he
didn't cut it deep--I cut it deeper, myself, after the Indian got up
again!" persisted he.

The party hastily glanced at the four or five dead savages under the
trees, that had fallen victims to their fire, and then returned to the
sled. Mary was placed beside the captive chief, and they set out on
their return, well satisfied with the result of the expedition.

CHAPTER XIII.

The return--The young chief in confinement--Joe's fun--His reward--The
ring--A discovery--William's recognition--Memories of childhood--A
scene--Roughgrove's history--The children's parent