he right was the gleam of water, silver like the skies, but it was
one of the beautiful lakelets abundant in that region and not yet
Andiatarocte, which was still far away. The bronze figures of the
Indians, silent and impassive as they listened to their chief, fitted
wonderfully into the wilderness scene, and the white men in forest
green, their faces tanned and fierce, were scarcely less wild in look
and figure. Robert felt once more a great thrill of pride that he had
been chosen a member of such a company.

They talked less than five minutes. Then Black Rifle, alone as usual
because he preferred invariably to be alone, disappeared in the woods to
the right of the great trail. Three young warriors, uncommonly swift of
foot, soon followed him, and three more as nimble of heel as the others,
sank from sight in the forest to the left. Both right and left soon
swallowed up several of the rangers also, who were not inferior as
scouts and trailers to the Mohawks.

"The wings of our force are protected amply now," said Tayoga, in his
precise school English. "When such eyes as those of our flankers are
looking and watching, no ambush against us is possible. Now our main
force will advance with certainty."

Twenty men had been sent out as scouts and the remaining eighty, eager
for combat, white and red, advanced on the main trail, not fast but
steadily. Now and then the cries of bird or beast, signals from the
flankers, came from right or left, and the warriors with Daganoweda
responded.

"They are telling us," said Tayoga to Robert, "that they have not yet
found a hostile presence. The enemy has left behind him no skirmishers
or rear guard. It may be that we shall not overtake them until we
approach the lake or reach it."

"How do you know that we will overtake them at all, Tayoga? They may go
so fast that we can't come up."

"I know it, Dagaeoga, because if they are led by St. Luc, and I think
they are, they will not try to get away. If they believe we are not
about to overtake them they will wait for us at some place they consider
good."

"You're probably right, Tayoga, and it's likely that we'll be in battle
before night. One would think there is enough country here on this
continent for the whole world without having the nations making war over
any part of it. As I have said before, here we are fighting to secure
for an English king or a French king mountains and lakes and rivers and
forests which neither of the