er of course, that all this strategy designed to
throw the hostiles off the trail, ought to be equally effective against
Sauk and Shawanoe; but the latter made necessary provisions against
going astray. He had a clear understanding with Jack as to the distance
he was to follow a small stream before leaving it on the other side,
and, in case a river was reached, it was agreed that the youths were to
drift downward a half mile. Then, when they emerged, a sign was to be
left in the shape of a broken limb, dipping in the current. Such
evidence would be detected at once by the Shawanoe from the opposite
side of the bank--that is, if he had the daylight to assist him, and he
could easily arrange _that_.

The sagacity of Deerfoot enabled him to provide against almost every
contingency, and the time which he took in making such provision was but
a fraction of that which I have consumed in the telling. Within three
minutes after he directed them what they were to do, they were traveling
down the slope, with their faces toward the distant ridge, and their
feet carrying them rapidly in that direction.

Each of the boys understood the scheme of Deerfoot, and lost no time in
speculating over its final issue. In fact the rule of invariable success
seemed to apply so forcibly to every thing which he undertook that I am
warranted in saying that neither felt any fear when he left the ridge
and plunged into the forest stretching so many miles beyond.

"You have never seen Hay-uta," said Jack, after they had walked some
ways, the Kentuckian taking the lead.

"No," replied Otto, walking faster than was his custom.

"He is a Sauk, and one of the five who went off with you when we parted
from each other."

"Den I dinks I seen him," was the natural remark of the grinning German.

"Of course you have seen him very often, as he has seen you, but you
never heard his name Hay-uta, and won't recognize him from any
description I give you."

"Why not?" queried his companion.

"It seems to me," replied Jack with a laugh, "that all negro babies and
all Indian warriors look so much alike that no one can describe the
difference. I have seen a great many Sauks, but it was hard work to tell
them apart when they were a little ways off. Some of them were so
hideous that they could be identified by their appearance, as others
could by the scars on their features or the particular style they had of
painting their faces."

Otto naturally wanted to