l I could think it was Tandakora himself."

"I hear it too," said Robert, "and I'm not so sure that it's a real owl.
Do you think that any band will try to cut us off before we reach
Amherst and the lake?"

"I can't say, but my faith in the owl, Robert, is beginning to shake
too. It may be an Indian belonging to the band that the scout told
about, but I still don't think we're in any danger of attack. We're in
too small force to try it down here, but they might cut off a
straggler."

"I'd like to help keep the watch."

"We won't need you to-night, but I may call on you to-morrow night, so
it's my advice to you to sleep now."

The Mountain Wolf walked away to look at his outposts--he was not one
ever to neglect any precaution--and Robert, knowing that his advice was
good, closed his eyes, trying to sleep. But his hearing then became more
acute, and the long, lonesome note of the owl came with startling
dreams. Its cry was in the west, and after a while another owl in the
north answered it. Robert wished that Tayoga was with him. He would
know, but as for himself he could not tell whether or no the owls were
real. They might be Indians, and if so they would probably, when they
gathered sufficient force, throw themselves across the path of the
rangers and offer battle. This presence too indicated that Tayoga and
Willet might be near, because it was against just such bands that they
guarded, and once more his heart beat fast.

He opened his eyes to find that the beauty of the night had deepened, if
that were possible. The little lake was molten silver, and the forest
seemed silver too under silver skies. The moon, large and benignant,
smiled down on the earth, not meant, so Robert thought, for battle. But
the two owls were still calling to each other, and now he was convinced
that they were Indians and not owls. He was really back in the
wilderness, where there was no such thing as peace, the wilderness that
had seldom ever known peace. But believing with Rogers that the force
was too strong to be attacked he fell asleep, at last, and awoke to
another bright summer day.

They resumed the advance with great caution. Rogers did not go directly
toward the force of Amherst, but bore more toward the west, thinking it
likely that he would have to meet the force of Sir William Johnson who
was to cooeperate with Prideaux in the attack on Niagara.

"Sir William has entirely recovered from the wound he received at the
Battl