f any
thing, was to be gained by doing so; the strangers could have been
scrutinized from the ground as well as from the elevation. It was a
noteworthy fact that two such skillful woodmen as Hay-uta and Deerfoot
should approach so close to another party without discovering it.

While Hay-uta was inspecting the warriors, Deerfoot quietly awaited him
on a limb some ten feet below, and Jack Carleton, peering aloft from the
ground until his neck ached, wondered what it all meant.

The Sauk softly withdrew the hand extended in front of his face, and the
leaves came together with scarcely a rustle. With several long reaches
of his arms and legs, he placed himself beside his friend below and told
what he had learned. The two of course talked in the Indian tongue and I
give a liberal translation:

"What does my brother know?" asked Deerfoot.

"They belong to the tribe who took the pale-face; Hay-uta knows not
their name, but their looks show it."

"Then their village can not be far away."

"We must learn that of a surety for ourselves; two warriors among them
are the same that gave us the wampum and blankets for the pale-face
boy."

"Does my brother make no error?" asked Deerfoot, surprised to be told
they were so close upon the heels of a couple of the very red men whom
they scarcely hoped to find.

But the suspicion that such was the fact caused the Sauk to keep up his
scrutiny until no doubt was left. He assured Deerfoot of the truth,
adding that the taller was the one who handed over the wampum, and who
showed such a willingness to draw the Sauks into a fight without waiting
for provocation.

This was news of moment and raised several questions which the friends
discussed while perched in the tree. If two of the original warriors
were present, where were the others? Was it not likely they were out of
sight only for the time being? It seemed probable that the four while
journeying toward their own hunting grounds, had joined a company of
friends, with whom they were making the rest of the trip.

Then followed the question, _What of Otto Relstaub?_ Varied as might be
the answers to the question, all the probabilities pointed to his death,
and that, too, in the most painful manner; but it was idle to grope in
the field of conjecture. It was for the friends to decide on the means
of learning the truth.

In the hope of getting more knowledge, Deerfoot again climbed to the
highest point, and studied the group on the