ery key, from full bass to double treble. The old
chief sprang off his couch, so did I, and as we rushed out of the tent,
we found all the warriors standing on the alert, and with their rifles
in their hands, peering out into the darkness. Two or three advanced
cautiously into the wood, the dogs following at their heels yelping
furiously, till they were summoned back by those in the camp. I tried
to discover the cause of the alarm, but could discover nothing over the
white plain spread out before us. If there were enemies, they were in
the wood; but to see them was impossible. We waited for the return of
the scouts. There was a complete silence: the howl of the wolves had
ceased; not a night-bird disturbed the quiet of the night. Suddenly a
piercing, terror-inspiring, unearthly shriek was heard ringing through
the quiet wood. Directly afterwards the feet of one of the scouts, as
we supposed, were heard rushing through the wood. It was one of our
companions. The whirl of a dozen tomahawks flying after him showed how
closely he was pursued, as he broke into the encampment, crying out,
"The enemy are upon us, the enemy are upon us!" What made the suspense
more trying was, that not a foe could be seen. We had no doubt that
they were there in strong force, and that the two other scouts had been
surprised and slaughtered by them. Probably the wood swarmed with them,
yet I did not see a sign of fear among any of my friends. Old
Waggum-winne-beg was in his element, and he was ably seconded by John
Pipestick. To send any more scouts into the wood would have been
perfect madness; so, each man sheltering himself as best he could behind
trees and bushes, and logs of fallen timbers, we waited in silence for
the attack. Some time passed away.

"I wonder if it is a false alarm," thought I. "Still, if it is so, what
has become of the scouts?" I whispered to Pipestick that I thought it
might be a mistake.

"Not at all," was the answer; "wait a bit. It you ever shot well, shoot
well now, if you care for your scalp."

The advice had scarcely been given, when there arose a sound close to
us, more hideous and terrific than I ever before heard in my life. The
red-skin's war-whoop was heard above all. I turned my head for an
instant to the east. The first faint streaks of dawn were appearing in
the sky. Through the pale light thus afforded I could see a number of
dark forms flitting about among the trees, while they k