ing them
vigorously. The men smiled scornfully at this; but the boy rubbed away
with a hearty good-will, and smiled back at them. He wanted to get this
prisoner into the village in as good a condition as possible, and was
perfectly willing to be laughed at, if he could only accomplish his
object. He even went so far as to kindle a small fire of dry, barkless
wood, that would make but little smoke, and heat a strip of dried
buffalo-meat over its coals for the prisoner to eat, though wondering at
a taste that did not find raw meat just as palatable as cooked. Then he
tried to converse with Glen; but, as the latter did not understand
either Cheyenne or the sign language, and as the only English word
Wolf-Tongue knew was "How," this attempt proved a failure.

How Glen wished he could talk with this Indian boy. Why were not white
boys taught the Indian language in school, so as to be prepared for such
emergencies? It would be so much more valuable than Latin. He wondered
if he would have studied it any harder than he had other things, if it
had been included in the Brimfield High School course. How far away
Brimfield seemed! What wouldn't he give to be there at this moment? How
would they feel at home if they could see him now?

At length it was time to go on again. The animals, which had been
hobbled to prevent them from straying, left the juicy grasses of the
bottom-land with reluctance; and, with a heavy heart and still aching
body, Glen again mounted his mule. His saddle was the coyote-skin that
had been thrown over his head when he was captured. Now he was given a
pair of raw-hide Indian stirrups; while, though his hands were again
tied behind his back, his feet were left unbound. He therefore rode much
more comfortably now than before, and Wolf-Tongue, who seemed to
consider the prisoner as his especial property, was allowed to hold the
end of his lariat.

All the movements of these scouts were as carefully guarded as though
they were surrounded by enemies. They avoided soft places where a trail
might be left, and whenever they ascended a swell of the prairie they
halted just before reaching the top. One of them, dismounting, would
then creep cautiously forward, and, without exposing his body above the
crest, would gaze long and searchingly in every direction. Not until he
was satisfied that no human being was within range of his vision would
he show himself on the summit, and beckon his comrades to join him.

The