e Great.

Chapter VI.

HOW BIG BLACK BURL FIGURED ON THE WAR-PATH BY DAY.

Having followed Big Black Burl to the spot where he had last seen his
little master, the white hunters made a narrow inspection of the Indian
traces on the ground, which had evidently been left by feet in too great
haste for much attempt at concealment or disguise. The black hunter then
set his dog on the trail, who, with that grim fixedness of purpose
betokened by a certain iron twist of the tail, now took the lead, and
the chase for life and death began. Thus surely led, they followed the
trail with rapid ease for about two miles, when it was lost in another
trail, larger and quite as fresh, made, it would seem from the number of
foot-prints, by at least twenty Indians. This they followed likewise,
till at the distance of five or six miles farther on in the forest it
brought them to the banks of a small, shallow river, just where it was
formed by two tributaries, or "forks" as we Western people call such
streams before they unite and pursue their course together. Here the
trail suddenly disappeared; nor was there any sign of its reaeppearance
on the opposite bank, nor, so far as could be seen from that point, on
the banks of either fork.

Now, of all the stratagems for baffling pursuit practiced in Indian
warfare, none perhaps are so often resorted to as that of wading up and
down shallow streams, in whose beds no foot-print may be left that eye
of man can discern, or scent thereof upon the water that nose of dog can
detect. That the savages they were now pursuing had to this intent
availed themselves of one or the other of these three streams there
could be no doubt, but hardly one chance in ten that they had chosen the
main stream, as that ran in the direction of the settlement, and was, in
fact, that self-same little river which turned the little log grist-mill
at Fort Reynolds, eight miles below. It was, then, all but certain that
the Indians had waded up one of the two forks, whose rocky channels
wound among a group of low, rugged hills, which browed the more level
country around the station; but which fork had been chosen for the
purpose, the most experienced hunter of them all was unable to
determine, as the wily savages had left not a tell-tale trace behind,
and the two streams seemed equally favorable to the success of the
stratagem in question. In order, then, to double their chances of
overtaking the enemy, though it woul