here in the course of three
or four days. Love to your mother and Edith.

I send this by a young Shawanoe warrior, called Deerfoot. He is the
most remarkable Indian I ever knew. I shall have a good deal to
tell you about him when you reach here.

YOUR FATHER.

"Deerfoot bids his brothers good-by," said the young Indian, offering
his hand, when he saw Fred had finished reading his letter; "he hopes
that he shall see them again."

"It won't be our fault if he doesn't," was the cordial response of Fred
Linden, in which Terry heartily joined him. After a few more pleasant
words they parted, Deerfoot following in the footsteps of the fleeing
Winnebago, while the others moved to the northward in the direction of
the creek. They turned aside a little from the direct course so as to
hunt for Brindle, that Fred had seen, but she was not found. To their
delight, however, they saw her footprints on the edge of the creek,
proving that she had gone home with the directness of one who felt
remorse for wandering from the straight path. She had swum the stream,
and was doubtless before the MacClaskey cabin at that moment.

But standing close to the edge of the creek, the boys became aware of a
hard fact: it had not only risen with great rapidity during the last
half hour, so as to become a rushing torrent, but it was still rising so
fast that it was extremely dangerous for the boys to try to cross it in
the canoe. Indeed, they hesitated to make the attempt, but finally
concluded to do so.

CHAPTER VII.

THE HUNTERS OF OZARK.

I must tell you how it was that Deerfoot the Shawanoe came to bring the
important letter of George Linden to his son Frederick.

It has already been stated that it was the custom of a party of hunters
and trappers to leave the settlement of Greville in the autumn of each
year and spend most of the cold weather among the streams at the foot of
a certain part of the Ozark Mountains. At that period, the fur bearing
animals abounded in the section, as they were found in hundreds of other
portions of the vast area known under the general name of the Louisiana
Territory. You must bear in mind that there were thousands of square
miles that had not been trodden by a white man, and so sparse were the
Indian villages that large portions of the country remained to be
visited even by them.

Beaver, otter, foxes, bears, and buf