imself--the difference being that he was confident of finding Otto,
provided he had not moved far from the spot where he stood when he
discharged his gun.

On the way thither, the Shawanoe glanced right and left in search of the
trail, but as an intervening storm had obliterated it, and Deerfoot went
in a direct line, he of course failed to find it.

Otto Relstaub's woodcraft enabled him to travel intelligently through
the wilderness. The second storm overtook him just before reaching the
rocky ridge, and he was fortunate to find shelter in a slight cave from
the driving rain. Despite the peril from which he had just escaped, he
determined to stay where he was until, so to speak, he could recruit.
The wild turkeys, of which I have spoken, were abundant in the
neighborhood, and he had no difficulty in killing one when he wanted it.
He did so, on first reaching the vicinity, and the last one was brought
down at the moment Deerfoot was studying the vexing problem as to what
had become of their young German friend.

The Shawanoe was approaching the truth when, as I have said, the report
solved the mystery, and, while hurrying through the woods with Jack and
the Sauk, he was almost positive that they would find the lad for whom
they had sought so long in vain. He did not believe, of course, that
Otto had entirely feigned the sickness which was the means of saving his
life, for the story of Lone Bear forbade that. He did suspect, however,
that the captive had been taken ill and probably made it appear worse
than was the case, and that, when left alone, he rapidly recovered and
took advantage of the surprising chance thus given him in perfect
innocence by the Pawnees. What struck Deerfoot as singular was that the
Indians should have been so deceived, and that none of them returned
afterward--excepting Red Wolf and Lone Bear--to learn whether he had
perished. Most likely they went over their trail once more on their
homeward journey. That of necessity must have been so long after the
abandonment of the lad, that (leaving out of account the doing of Otto's
friends) the Pawnees would not make the effort to hunt again for the
fugitive whose long start put him beyond danger of recapture.

When Otto Relstaub had finished his story, Jack's eyes sparkled and he
again grasped the hand of his friend.

"It is the most wonderful experience of which I have ever heard. I
thought my escape from the Sauks was remarkable, and so it was, bu