prepare."

"Ye bitter not ax him to wait," said Terry, who rolled over on the
ground in the exuberance of his mirth, at the sight of his big friend
going down before the lithe, willowy Shawanoe; "for since he's bound to
do what he says, the sooner ye are out of yer suspinse, the sooner ye'll
be out of it."

"Be kind enough to attend to your own affairs," said Fred stiffly;
"Deerfoot and I are running this show."

"It looks as if Deerfut had charge of the whole of it," was the comment
of Terry, who broke into laughter again; "and whin he is done ye'll
agraa with me."

Once more the arms passed over each other's neck. Fred resolved that
whatever came, he would not be taken by surprise this time. He was
stronger than Terry and he had thrown him more than once. He could not
understand, therefore, why he should not at least give the Shawanoe a
struggle. He braced his feet, with every muscle strained, and every
faculty on the alert.

"I am ready," said he; "do your best."

"On which side shall Deerfoot throw his brother?"

"On my right side, and as hard as you can."

Now, you will see the difficulty of the task, for Fred had his right arm
tightly locked over the neck of Deerfoot, so that that side was guarded
by the body of the warrior himself. It would seem, that if Fred should
fall on either side it could only be on the left. Manifestly if it
should be the right, the Shawanoe could not go down with him. He must
bring him to the ground and escape from beneath him before he fell.

He did it. For a second or two the contestants stood motionless. Then,
like a flash, Deerfoot slipped from the grasp of his friend, dropped
down in a stooping posture almost to the earth, holding the right hand
of Fred firmly with his left (this was to prevent him using that hand to
save himself), and then by a quick dart to the left, he carried both
feet of his opponent off the ground, and Fred fell squarely on his right
side, his conqueror straightening up as he went down.

"I would be obleeged," said Terry, throwing back his head with laughter,
"if yees will be koind enough to till me who is runnin' the show about
this time."

Fred was chagrined at the ease with which Deerfoot had overthrown him,
and it was not lessened by the honest compliment which the young warrior
gave to his skill. Both Fred and Terry had been pretty well jarred, for
they were downed with such amazing suddenness that it could not be
otherwise; but neither refe