e lad boiled over again, when, with eyes roaming up
and down the open space, he caught sight of his old friend, standing,
bow in hand, on the edge of the wood. His pose showed he was making
ready to give attention to the unsuspicious hostiles.

"I wonder whether he means to send an arrow through one, and follow it
up with a second through another, before he can get out of their way. It
may be that Deerfoot isn't as chivalrous as he pretends to be; give him
a chance, and, if he thinks no one sees him, he will swing his tomahawk
and use his knife right and left."

But we know that Jack did his friend an injustice, as speedily became
apparent, when none of the arrows which sped from the large bow harmed
either of the Pawnees. Their frantic flight and the laughter of Deerfoot
proved that he had done precisely what he set out to do; he had given
the couple a shock which they were not likely to forget for many a day.

The occurrence was so amusing that Jack parted the branches in front of
his face and waved his hat to Deerfoot. If the latter saw the act of
forgetfulness, he was so displeased that he paid no attention to it.
When he vanished from sight in the wood behind him, he gave no
responsive salute to that of his enthusiastic young friend.

CHAPTER XV.

AN UNEXPECTED CALL.

Three separate times Jack Carleton noticed a peculiar jar of the tree in
which he was perched. He felt no alarm, but some curiosity to know the
cause.

Peering downward between the limbs, he could see nothing to explain the
occurrence. The first time he concluded it was imagination, but when it
was repeated twice he knew there was "something in it". Still, as the
most careful search failed to reveal the cause, he was at a loss to
explain it. His first thought was that some animal might be chafing his
body against the trunk, but that was unlikely, because no creature was
visible. Then, when he noticed there was enough air stirring to cause a
gentle swaying of the branches, he concluded that the disturbance was
due to the friction of some of the limbs against others. The theory was
more ingenious than reasonable, but was accepted in lieu of a better
one, and once more the lad fixed his eyes on the open space across the
stream.

The other Pawnees had not put in an appearance, and before they did so,
the young gentleman in the tree-top found he had something on hand which
required his whole attention.

A fourth time a jar went through t