ly against a tree, smoking a long-stemmed pipe. It was his
old acquaintance Lone Bear, and it was clear that, whatever the plan of
the Shawanoe, it assigned a prominent place in it to that individual.

Without affecting any secrecy in the matter, I may as well say that the
scheme of Deerfoot was as simple as difficult. He could converse readily
with the Pawnee, Lone Bear; the latter knew the fate of Otto Relstaub;
he had lied when asked for information; Deerfoot resolved to compel him,
if possible, to tell the truth.

The project at first seems absurd, for it may well be asked by what
possible means could Deerfoot hope to extract reliable information from
the rogue. It would never do to venture among the war party for that
purpose, for the previous experience of the Shawanoe showed how he was
hated, and the situation had not improved since then.

Deerfoot hoped to separate Lone Bear from the rest of the company, so as
to have him alone to "operate" upon; but that would require strategy
more delicate and skillful than that by which the hunter detaches a
choice bull from a herd of bison, until he has him where he wants him.

Enough has been told to show in what terror the Shawanoe was held by
Lone Bear, who believed he was under the special patronage of the Evil
One. Should he encounter the dreaded warrior alone in the woods, more
than likely he would succumb without a blow.

But the Pawnee was among his own people, and it looked as if he meant to
stay there for an indefinite time to come. As nothing could be done so
long as he had company, the one and all important problem which faced
Deerfoot at the beginning, was how he was to draw the warrior away to a
safe point in the wood.

There really was no means of doing so. Deerfoot could conjure up no
strategy which, when launched against a party of Indians, would produce
the desired effect upon a single member, leaving the others unaware of
what was going on. He had asked the Great Spirit to open the way, and he
was prepared to wait, with the stoical patience of his race, for the
"moving of the waters".

Lone Bear smoked his pipe with the placid enjoyment of an ancient
Hollander, while the Shawanoe surveyed his painted and sodden features
with peculiar interest. Red Wolf and several warriors, with whom he had
become familiar, were missing, but the presence of one party caused
surprise. The redskin who had held Jack Carleton prisoner for a short
time the evening before