r our preservation, and
offered up a petition that he would still take care of us. We then ate
a little more pemmican, and took a draught of water from the river;
though, to do so, we had to drive back the burned twigs and black scum
which came floating down the stream. We then caught our horses, which,
in consequence of being hobbled, had not strayed far; and after leading
them down to drink we mounted and rode on to the north-east. Reaching
some elevated ground whence we could obtain an extensive view, we looked
round to ascertain if any Indians were in sight. Not a human being
could we discover; and we therefore, with increased hopes that we might
escape, continued our journey.

I asked Mike how many days he thought it would take us to reach home,
that I might see if his computation agreed with mine. I calculated,
recollecting the distance we had come with our captors, that it would
occupy us a week at least, or perhaps ten days. He was of the same
opinion.

"But will our pemmican last us as long?" I asked.

"Sure, that depinds upon how much we take of it each day," he answered.
"The berries are now ripe, and by good luck I have found a couple of
fish-hooks in me pocket. Maybe, also, I can manage to manufacture some
traps in which to catch birds or small animals; and though we have no
arrows, if we are hard pressed we may make some; and we have got our
spears. If we could only meet with a young bear, we should have flesh
enough to last us for many a day. Sure, we'll not be fearing harm till
it comes upon us."

I agreed with Mike that we were not so badly off after all, and we rode
forward in good spirits. There was still, of course, the danger of
being overtaken by the Indians; but on that score Mike thought that we
need not trouble ourselves. They would probably suppose that we had
been destroyed by the fire; or they themselves might have met with the
fate from which we had so narrowly escaped.

The sun shone brightly from the unclouded sky; the atmosphere was clear,
and we could see objects at a great distance. We looked out, as we rode
along, for any of the natives who might be passing either on the
war-path or engaged in hunting, as we resolved to endeavour to avoid
them rather than risk an encounter. They might prove to be friends; but
if enemies, we knew that we should have a poor chance of coming off
victorious. Whenever the country was open, we galloped across it as
fast as we could ventu