hing else, was the foreshadowing thus
made of the treatment in store for him.

"I can't stand this," was his thought, after he had partly regained his
composure. "I shall have to stay in here altogether or run the gauntlet
every time I go out."

But all this time, Ogallah kept talking and making vigorous gestures to
him. The chief had followed him to the middle of the lodge, where the
two sat on the ground cross-legged and began eating the meat which the
squaw had prepared. She did not join them, and the boy had little
appetite after his exciting experience. The gestures of Ogallah
continued so long that it was evident he was seeking to say something of
importance to Jack.

"I wonder what the old fellow means," muttered the lad, ceasing his meal
and studying the gyrating arms and spluttering countenance. The
chieftain was striking the air as if fighting an imaginary foe, and
then, pointing toward Jack he nodded his head vigorously and again
pointed to the outside.

Suddenly the meaning of the pantomime broke upon the youth.

"By gracious! if he isn't urging me to sail into those fellows. I say,
Ogallah, will you back me up and see that I have fair play?"

Jack raised his voice to a loud key, as though that would help the
chieftain understand his words; but it could not be expected that he
would grasp their meaning, as they were not punctuated with any gesture
and accompanied only by an eager expression of countenance.

But Ogallah probably saw that the youth had caught _his_ meaning, for he
nodded his head and grinned with delight.

"If he will only keep the crowd off me," said Jack to himself, "I won't
ask anything better than a chance to get even with that big fellow and
after him the other two, if they want to take a hand in the fun."

The voices and turmoil in front of the lodge showed that the crowd were
there waiting for Jack to come forth, that they might continue the
amusement which was interrupted by his flight. The lad spent a minute or
two in conversing by means of gestures with the chief, whose meaning
seemed plainer now that he had caught the gist of his first proposal.

"I am quite sure he promises to see that I have fair play," thought
Jack; "but, if I am mistaken I shall get into a pretty scrape. Anything,
however, is preferable to this state of affairs, and it must be ended
one way or another very soon."

Ogallah showed a childish delight when he saw that the youth had made up
his mind to h