rfully, as he found his
way to his side.

"No," said Walter sadly, "and I am sure something must have happened to
him. I am off to search for him as soon as it's light enough to see."

"And I am going with you," Charley declared.

"You are not," said his chum, decidedly. "You are too weak for such a
trip yet. You would only make my task harder. You have no business
even to be out in this night air and dew. It may bring your fever back
on you."

"I could not rest inside when I saw your bed and the captain's empty
and heard the tolling in the air."

"What do you suppose it really is, Charley?" asked his chum, eagerly.
"It cannot be produced by anything human. Remember the captain's
saying that it had been tolling this way longer than the oldest Indian
could remember back."

"It's a bell," declared his chum, a trifle uneasily. "Nothing else
could produce those tones and that regular tolling."

"Charley," and Walter's voice lowered with the horror of the thought,
"the captain said it tolled all night when the chief died, and now the
captain himself is gone and the awful thing goes on as though it would
never stop."

Charley, with an effort shook off the feeling of dread that was fast
stealing over him.

"Nonsense," he said, cheerfully, "you are getting as bad as Chris and
the captain. I repeat, it is a bell: listen how regularly it tolls."

As though in mockery at his words, the long, even reverberations
changed to a quick, harsh, discordant clatter and suddenly ceased.

For awhile both boys sat silent, Walter striving to overcome the
superstitious dread tugging at his heart, and Charley searching his
active brain for some explanation of the mysterious sound, that would
harmonize with common sense and reason.

At last Walter, by sheer will, regained his mental balance. "I am
tired and nervous, or I would never imagine such foolish things," he
said. "Of course it is as you say, produced by natural causes, and I
will likely laugh at my fears as soon as we stumble on the key to the
mystery. And now I am going to insist upon your going back inside,
Charley. It won't do for us to have you down with the fever again.
For our sakes, as well as your own, you must be very careful."

Reluctantly, Charley retired to the wigwam and Walter once more was
left alone.

With the first hint of gray in the east, he began to prepare for his
departure. What cooked food was on hand he stored in the bow of the
canoe