marks in the snow he had discovered
something of unusual if not startling significance.

"What is it, Muky?" asked the young Indian.

Mukoki made no reply, but returning to the charred remains of the
fire he again fell upon his hands and knees and repeated his strange
scrutiny of the snow even more closely than before. When he arose a
second time the astonishment had grown deeper in his face.

"Only six!" he exclaimed. "Two guides from Post--four Woongas!"

"But the wounded driver told us that there were at least a dozen
Woongas in the attacking party," said Wabi.

The old warrior chuckled, and for a moment his face twisted itself
into a ludicrous grimace.

"Driver lie!" he declared. "He run when fight begin. Shot in back
while heem run!"

He pointed into the cold depths of the forest.

"No sun there! Follow trail easy!"

There was no uneasiness in Mukoki's manner now. His eyes gleamed, but
it was with the fire of battle and resolution, not with excitement.
Once before Rod had seen that look in the old warrior's face, when
they two had fought to save Wabigoon's life as they were now about to
fight to save Minnetaki. And he knew what it meant. Cautiously they
penetrated the forest, their eyes and ears alert, and, as Mukoki had
predicted, the trail of the retreating savages was quite distinct.
They had taken both of the captured sledges, and Rod knew that on one
of these Minnetaki was being carried. Hardly had the three progressed
a hundred paces when Mukoki, who was in the lead, stopped short with
a huge grunt. Squarely across the trail lay the body of a dead man. A
glance at the upturned face showed that it was one of the two drivers
from Wabinosh House.

"Head split," said Mukoki, as he led the team around the body. "Shot,
mebby--then killed with ax."

The dogs sniffed and cringed as they passed the slain man, and Rod
shuddered. Involuntarily he thought of what might have happened to
Minnetaki, and he noticed that after passing this spectacle of death
Mukoki doubled his speed. For an hour the pursuit continued without
interruption. The Woongas were traveling in a narrow trail, single
file, with the two sledges between their number. At the end of that
hour the three came upon the remains of another camp-fire near which
were built two cedar-bough shelters. Here the tracks in the snow were
much fresher; in places they seemed to have been but lately made.
Still there were no evidences of the captured girl. T