, but that on soft
snow is no easy matter to do at the speed circumstances demanded; and
then, what was my horror to find that I had broken one of my snow-shoes!
I gave myself up for lost, and entreated Obed to fly and save his life.

"Fly, Dick!" he exclaimed indignantly; "that ain't the way of the
Raggets, boy. No; if the redskins want your scalp, they must have mine
first, and I'll have a fight for both of them, depend on't."

While he was saying this, he was helping me to rise, and as one
snow-shoe would be worse than useless, I cast them both off, and then
did what was the next best thing, loaded my rifle; and turning our faces
to our approaching foes, we stood ready to receive them. When they saw
us stop, they came on more leisurely. As they got nearer, I counted
about a dozen of them only. On this my heart began to beat more
regularly.

"I say, Dick, my scalp sits pleasanter, like, on my head," observed
Obed.

In a short time the Indians got near enough to us to hail. "What are
they saying?" I asked of Obed.

"Why, Dick, as far as I can make out, that they are friends," he
answered; "but, you know, these red-skin varmints are so treacherous,
that we mustn't trust them on no account. They may be old White Dog's
friends, or they may be some of the Flintheads. If they are the last,
they'll scalp us in another minute, or maybe they'll try and get into
the camp, and then play us some scurvy trick."

These surmises were not pleasant. Still, we could not hope to cope with
twelve well-armed Indians, with any chance of success, and we must
therefore, we saw, attempt only pacific measures. In another minute
they were up with us. They held out their hands in a friendly manner,
and we observed that their general appearance was very similar to that
of old White Dog. In a friendly manner, therefore, we proceeded towards
the camp. When we got near, we made signs that we would go and prepare
our friends for their reception. They made no objection to this, but,
letting us go, squatted down on the snow about two hundred yards from
the camp. Immediately we got in, we told Noggin, who interpreted our
report to White Dog.

"Tell him not to show himself," said Laban.

The old chief was, however, far too wide awake to do that. Covering
himself up with one of our cloaks, so that even the sharp eyes of an
Indian could not discover him, he crept to the north of the hut, and
looked through the stockade. Noggin ac