e, there was enough to make them pause.

They might shoot him down, wheel and dash for the woods from which they
had emerged but a short time before; but they would be liable to
pursuit, and, when a white borderer takes to the trail, he can be as
persistent as the red man himself, though, as I have said, had they been
eager to shoot the boy, they would not have been stopped by that
knowledge. But they saw that he had his loaded rifle leveled at them:
each Winnebago probably imagined he would be the special target. Their
guns were still in their hands and no doubt the moment any one attempted
to raise his weapon the white boy would fire.

The distance was so short that there could be no miss. It followed
therefore that the cost of an assault upon the lad would be the death
of one of the Winnebagos, and none of the three could know that he would
not be the victim.

The cost was more than they were willing to pay, for it must be borne in
mind that not only was the death of one of their number considered
assured, but it was not at all unlikely that such a daring youngster
would be able to do something with the gun at his feet before
succumbing.

But it is not to be supposed that three mounted Indians would
deliberately ride away from a single youth through fear alone,--that is,
not until they had tried to circumvent him by strategy. And so it came
to pass that within the same minute that Fred raised his rifle, the
Winnebago who sat in the middle waved his hand toward him as a sign of
comity. At the same time he called out: "Yenghese! Long Knife!
Friend--friend--friend!"

But Fred knew too much to be deceived. He was the master of more
vigorous English, and, without lowering his gun, he called out:

"Keep off or I'll fire! If you ride another step, I'll let daylight
through you!"

As if to add emphasis to his words, he gently swayed his rifle from
right to left, so that it covered each warrior in turn. There was an
involuntary ducking of the heads, and the Indians, seeing that nothing
was to be done without large risk, opened out--two riding to the right
and one to the left. Thus they passed by Fred without lessening the
space between him and them.

After all, this was the most trying moment to the youth, for it diverted
his attention in the most exasperating manner. The three horsemen were
in his field of vision, but it was hard to keep watch upon each. He
suspected the maneuver was for the purpose of taking him o