eart
was in her mouth when Pepin, with an unexpected movement,
threw his arms round the bear's neck and proceeded to
force its jaws apart with his powerful hands. He had no
twigs or old boots handy, but he meant to try the teeth
in its inside by administering earth or young rocks or
anything of a nature that could not exactly be called
nourishing. To add to the confusion, the Indian girl
fearful that something terrible was about to happen, at
once began to indulge in a weird uproar.

What would have happened it is difficult to say had not
their attention been suddenly claimed by a couple of
shots which rang out from the direction of the gorge.
Pepin released his hold on Antoine, and that resourceful
creature took the opportunity of revenging himself by
picking up his master's hat and trotting off with it in
his mouth. He meant to put it where Pepin intended to
put the little rocks.

CHAPTER XXVI

A BOLD BID FOR LIBERTY

It was midnight, and Poundmaker's prisoners, Douglas,
Pasmore, Jacques, and Rory, were lying in their tepee
under the charge of their armed guards. They knew the
latter were asleep, and in answer to some proposition
that Rory had just whispered to Jacques, the latter said--

"So, that is so. Keel him not, but to make that he cry
not. The knife to the throat, not to cut, but to silence,
that is the thing."

"S-sh! or by the powers it's your throat the knife'll be
at. Now, you to the man at your feet, and I'll to the
man beyant... Ow, slape, ye gory babes!"

If the wind had not been whistling round the tepees just
then, causing some of the loosely-laced hides to flap
spasmodically, it is extremely unlikely that either of
the two men would have ventured even to whisper. But the
tepee was dark, and Rory had managed to tell his
fellow-prisoners that, if they wanted to put their
much-discussed scheme of overcoming their guards and
making their escape into execution, now was their time.
They might never have such another chance. Rory, by reason
of his experience of such matters in the past, had insisted
on leading off with the work. He had also intimated his
intention of securing the arms of some of the other
Indians after their guards had been overpowered.

Rory rolled over on his right side and looked at the
Indians. He could only see two dark, prostrate forms
outlined blackly against the grey of the doorway. Luckily
the moon was rising, and that would somewhat assist their
movements.