reckon in this case it's more likely to p'int to rifles an' tomahawks."

The splendor of the west in its crimson and gold deepened. Higher up in
the heavens were glorious terraces of blue and pink. The boughs of the
distant trees stood out as if they were wrapped in living fire.

"Magnificent!" said Paul, for whom its magic never palled.

"And now it's fading," said Henry.

"The shoulder of the world is coming up between," said Paul.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Long Jim, "when with your own eyes you
kin see the sun movin' 'roun' behind the earth."

"The sun doesn't move, Jim, that is, so far as we're concerned, but we
do. We roll around ourselves every day and night. At the end of the day
the earth is between us and the sun, and in the night when we roll back
around we face the sun again."

"You've read a lot of books, Paul, forty or fifty, I s'pose, an' I
believe most that you say, but you can't make me believe a thing like
that. Don't I see the sun set, an' don't I see it rise? What's print to
a fellow's eyes? Print can lie, but your eyes don't."

Paul did not deem it worth while to argue. In a few more minutes the sun
was hidden behind the turning earth, leaving great bands of gold and
blue and pink, which, in their turn, faded fast, giving place to the
gray of coming twilight.

The five ate venison, and drank from the tiny brook at the edge of the
cup. Meanwhile, full night came, and they prepared to go forth and see
what they might see.

CHAPTER II

THE BIG GUNS

Despite the brilliant sunset, the night was dark, drifting clouds
veiling the moon at times, while the stars lay hidden behind mists and
vapors, making the conditions suitable for those who wished to scout and
spy upon an enemy, as fierce and implacable as the Indian.

"All that color when the sun went down means rain," said Tom Ross, who
was weatherwise.

"But not tonight," said Henry.

"No, not tonight, but tomorrow, sometime, it'll come, shore. Them
warriors hev built up their fires mighty big. Can't you smell the
smoke?"

The wind was blowing toward them and upon it came the faint odor of
burning wood.

"They're indulging in what we would call a festival," said Paul. "They
must have an immense bonfire, and it must be a huge camp."

"Beyond a doubt," said Henry.

Examining their weapons carefully they left the cup, dropping into their
usual order, as they made their silent way through the forest, Henry
leading, t