greedy for not doing so, not probably
entering into our delicate feelings on the subject.

Having refreshed ourselves, all hands agreeing that we had had quite
enough bear-hunting for the day, we set off on our return to camp. We
had no little difficulty in getting our young bears to move along. Poor
little things! they did not like the cold, and of course missed their
mother. Still, by dint of poking and pulling, we made them keep up with
the rest of the party. Now the excitement was over, I must say that I
never felt so tired in my life. Still I would not relinquish my
captive. Indeed it would have been barbarous for us to have done so, as
it would have died of cold and starvation. At last, at nightfall, we
did get in. We found all the camp in a great state of agitation, very
much on our account, and not a little on their own. When we inquired
what was the matter, they took us into the general sitting-room, and
pointed to an Indian, habited in the full-dress warrior costume of
winter, who was squatting down before the fire. He looked pleased when
he saw us, and counted our numbers. "Good!" he exclaimed, in the
deep-toned voice of his people. "Now fight well; drive away bad man."
The English vocabulary of our guest was very small, and no one in the
camp had been able to comprehend exactly the information he came to
give, except that an attack might be expected, at some time or other,
from a large tribe or tribes, hostile to the white man. Short, however,
who understood several of the Indian dialects, now came in to act as
interpreter. The information he elicited was still more alarming. It
was to the effect that before long we might expect to be attacked by
overwhelming numbers of red-skin warriors, from whom, if they took us by
surprise, we should have very little chance of escaping.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

SHORT AND NOGGIN ACT AS INTERPRETERS--WE PREPARE TO MOVE ONWARD--THE
WHITE DOG--WE GUARD AGAINST SURPRISE--I GO OUT AS A SCOUT--PURSUED BY
RED-SKINS--RETURN TO THE CAMP--MORE VISITORS--WE SUSPECT TREACHERY--
WHITE DOG WARNS US THAT THEY ARE ENEMIES--WE PREPARE FOR A START WHILE
NOGGIN HOLDS A PALAVER WITH THE INDIANS--THEY ARE ALLOWED TO ENTER--
THEIR CHIEF'S TREACHEROUS ATTEMPT TO KILL LABAN, BUT GETS KILLED
HIMSELF--WE SEIZE THE REST--NOGGIN'S REGRET THAT WE DO NOT KILL THEM--WE
START ON OUR JOURNEY--WHITE DOG ACCOMPANIES US--WE PUSH ON--OUR FIRST
ENCAMPMENT--A FRESH ALARM.

The report brought