be noticed further.

The wounded Pawnee was so much occupied with his hurt that he was
willing the youth should leave the neighborhood without further
molestation from him. Taking care to keep an oak fully a foot in
diameter between them, he was content to let him depart in peace.

Not so with the other, who, waiting only long enough to make sure the
back of the youth was toward him, straightened up and brought his rifle
to his shoulder. The distance was considerable, but he ought to have
reached the mark, and probably would have done so, had not a disturbing
cause prevented.

While sighting along the barrel, the startling fact broke upon him that
the face of Deerfoot was toward him, and he was in the act of drawing a
third arrow to the head: He had whirled about almost at the same instant
that the Pawnee leveled his gun. To say the least, it was very
disconcerting, and, anxious to anticipate the Shawanoe, the other fired
before he could be certain of his aim. The bullet went so wide that
Deerfoot heard nothing of its passage among the branches around him.

Although it looked as if the Shawanoe had the other at his mercy, yet he
refrained from discharging the arrow. In fact, his whole action was
designed rather to disconcert the Pawnee than to injure him. Not only
had Deerfoot's confidence in his bow and arrow weakened, but the two
escapes of the Pawnee gave him a half-superstitious belief that it was
intended the latter should not be injured. He, therefore, relaxed the
string of the bow, but, without replacing the arrow in the quiver, he
strode off, continually glancing back to make sure the Pawnee did not
use the advantage thus given him.

CHAPTER VII.

A DISAPPOINTMENT.

You will understand that the pursuit of Deerfoot the Shawanoe was not
confined to the two Pawnees, whom he thwarted in the manner described.
Their superior activity simply brought them to the front and hastened
the collision.

It will be seen, therefore, that the incidents must have taken place in
a brief space of time: had it been otherwise, Deerfoot would have been
engaged with the entire party. No one could have known that better than
he. The whoops, signals and reports of the guns could not fail to tell
the whole story, and to cause the Pawnees to converge toward the spot.
In fact, when Deerfoot lowered his bow and turned his back for the
second time on the warrior, he caught more than one glimpse of other red
men hastening thit