his hat, but dared not go back
after it, the last gun seeming to have been fired from a point near it.
All he strove to do was to get as far from the spot as he could in the
least time possible. A strong wind, accompanied by some rain, followed
and hastened his footsteps.

It certainly was remarkable that the fugitive's presence so near a
number of the hostiles was not discovered, but there is no reason to
believe that any such suspicion entered their minds, or that they
dreamed of the trick played on them by the captive when he seemed to be
lying at the point of death.

Otto pressed on, until once more he felt he had the best ground for
believing he would elude his enemies; but he was famishing for food, and
when in the moment of temptation, a dozen wild turkeys trotted by him in
the woods, he fell and let fly at the plumpest, which also fell.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

A STARTLING INTERRUPTION.

When Deerfoot, the Shawanoe, first saw the recovered hat of Otto
Relstaub, and tried hard to guess how it came to be left where Jack
Carleton found it, he recalled the words of Lone Bear to the effect that
it was placed over the face of the boy who was deserted three days'
journey away in the woods. The conclusion was natural that the hat had
been carried the intervening distance by the boy himself, who must have
recovered from the severe illness that brought him low.

At the very moment the young warrior was beginning to suspect the truth
about the youth's illness, the faint report of a rifle came to his ears.
Necessarily there could be nothing in the sound of the gun which could
identify it, but Deerfoot was sure it was fired by Otto, who was either
defending himself against some danger or was after his dinner.

Whatever the immediate cause, the Shawanoe felt that haste was necessary
to reach the fugitive, who was likely to be sought by the Pawnees, who
also must have heard the report of his rifle. He therefore started on
the pursuit, as it may be called, with the Sauk and Jack Carleton at his
heels.

That marvelous delicacy of hearing, which was one of the characteristics
of Deerfoot, enabled him not only to assure himself of the precise
direction of the sound, but to fix the point whence it came. Gaining
sight of the ridge, he was convinced that the lad who fired it was in
that vicinity. He therefore pointed out the portion which was to be
examined by the Sauk, while he reserved a similar area to be gone over
by h