perfection than he, so far as woodcraft was
concerned.

"But what can we do?" was the question which presented itself to the
youth; "if the faintest footprints showed on the ground, the Sauk would
have discovered them, and if they ain't there, Deerfoot can tell no more
than we know."

"I wonder what in the name of all that's sensible he meant by crossing
the river, and leaving his bow and arrows in my charge. If I owned such
an arrangement the first thing I would do would be to fling it into the
river. Whatever plan he had in mind when he swam over, must have been a
blunder which is likely to upset every thing."

The knowledge that the Pawnees had landed on the same shore where were
the Sauk and Jack Carleton required attention on their part, for if
their enemies decided to search for the marauders who, after slaying Red
Wolf, had run off with their canoe, it would not do for the parties to
remain idle.

In making their way to the spot where they were now resting, our friends
had taken much pains to hide their footprints, and it would be a hard
matter for the Pawnees to trace them. In fact, Hay-uta felt little fear
of it.

While he and Jack busied themselves in the manner described, Deerfoot
had not been idle. He swam the river, as you have been told, and reached
the other shore, without awakening suspicion on the part of the Pawnees.
After emerging from the water, he set about locating the war party, for
the first step in his scheme required that to be done. His expectation
was that the company were gathered near some point not far removed from
the camp-fire of the night before.

A scout through the woods, however, showed he was mistaken. He found
what seemed to be half the party grouped around a new fire, where there
was evidence that most of the previous night had been spent. Breakfast
was over, and a number were smoking pipes. The experienced eye of the
Shawanoe told him there was no purpose just then of moving away. The
Pawnee villages were still far to the north-west, but the warriors were
in the comfortable condition of those travelers who are at liberty to
spend as much time as they choose on the road. It mattered little to
them whether they were a week early or a month late.

Had any one observed the countenance of the young Shawanoe while he was
studying the group around the camp-fire, he would have seen that he was
deeply interested in one warrior, who was standing with arms folded, and
leaning lazi