time to load again. The
fellows were gaining most uncomfortably on me. I began to feel very
much as a person does in a dream, when he cannot get away from monsters
in chase of him.

"Obed, Obed, fire--do fire," I shouted.

At length Obed heard me, and a dozen of his followers faced about and
hurried to meet my enemies. The latter, setting that their chance of
cutting me off was gone, turned tail and endeavoured to escape into the
wood. I entreated my new friends not to pursue them, and they saw the
wisdom of my advice. We accordingly went back to join the rest of the
party, who had come to my relief. What was my surprise and pleasure to
see three of my old friends, Obed's brothers, among them. Just then the
remnant of the Dacotahs once more took to flight, and allowed my friends
leisure to address me. They hurried up and heartily shook me by the
hand, telling how glad they were to find that I was alive, while I
assured them that I was equally rejoiced to find that they had escaped.
We had no time, however, for talking. I urged them at once to assemble
in the camp, so as to enable my friends to proceed on their journey,
till they could stop at a more secure resting-place. We got back to the
camp just in time to scare away another party of Dacotahs, who like
vultures had been hovering about ready to pounce down on their prey.
Indeed we had enough to do to keep our scattered enemies at bay. We
found old Waggum-winne-beg considerably recovered, and John Pipestick
not much the worse for his wounds: indeed, it is extraordinary what
knocking about a red-skin will take without suffering materially,
provided he keeps clear of the fire-water.

Some of the white men, when they found that I wished to proceed farther
east, till I had seen my friends in safety, grumbled very much, and said
that they had come to help me, but had no notion of going through so
much fatigue and danger for a set of varmint Indians. I told them in
reply that I was very much obliged to them for all they had gone through
on my account, but that I was bound by every law of God, and by every
rule of right, to help those who had helped me; and that, come what
might, I could not and would not desert them. The Raggets supported me,
more especially Obed.

"Dick is right, boys!" he exclaimed. "I would do the same as he
proposes, and he would not be acting like himself if he did otherwise;
the Ottoes have always been friends to the white man, and I