word which decided any dispute that arose among the men.

One day Peleg was on guard in the adjacent forest. His watch was almost
ended and he was about to return to the fort, when he was startled to
behold an Indian approaching with the palms of both hands extended.

Holding Singing Susan in readiness for instant use, and glancing keenly
about him into the adjacent forest to make sure that his visitor was
unaccompanied, Peleg waited patiently for the stranger to approach.

As the warrior drew near Peleg looked at him with increasing
astonishment. Dressed in the Indian garb, the warrior, who seemed to be
only about twenty years of age, nevertheless had no features like those
of the neighbouring tribes. Tanned, the stranger undoubtedly was, but
nevertheless his skin did not have the bronze colouring of the Indian.
His figure and even his walk were more like the white man's. And yet in
every other point the stranger apparently was of the Indian race.

As he drew near Peleg, his face was lighted by a smile as he said, "Me
broder. Me white Shawnee."

Peleg did not respond, although his astonishment was increased by the
speech of the approaching warrior.

"Me wan' go home. No fader. Me Shawnee fader. Me wan' white fader.
White moder dead. White fader dead. No Shawnee fader some more."

The puzzling statements were followed by some words unintelligible to
Peleg, though he concluded that they were spoken in the Shawnee tongue.

"Do you want to see Daniel Boone?" he inquired.

Gesticulating forcefully, the young man inquired, "He me fader?"

"No."

"White fader dead. White moder dead. Shawnee warriors kill me fader.
Kill moder. Many moons ago."

"How many?"

A puzzled expression for a moment appeared on the stranger's face, and
then, comprehending the meaning of the question, he opened and closed
his hands so many times that, although Peleg was unable to count the
number of moons indicated, he concluded that the Shawnee was
approximately of his own age.

"Me live in Shawnee wigwam many moons. Me Shawnee. Me white Shawnee. Me
have Shawnee fader and Shawnee broder," and he held up two fingers to
indicate the number of his brothers.

[Illustration: "One of the men who had been stationed as a guard was
shot early in the morning"]

"What are you doing here? What do you want?" demanded Peleg sharply. He
was mystified by the statements which had been made and was fearful of
some trap or treachery on the part of his