listening ear.

Rising as he spoke, the trapper glided in a stooping posture down the
side of the hillock, and round the base of it, until he got immediately
behind the youthful sentinel. Then lying down, and creeping towards him
with the utmost caution, he succeeded in getting so near that he could
almost touch him. With one cat-like bound, Little Tim was on the
Indian's back, and had him in his arms, while his broad horny hand
covered his mouth, and his powerful forefinger and thumb grasped him
viciously by the nose.

It was a somewhat curious struggle that ensued. The savage was much
bigger than the trapper, but the trapper was much stronger than the
savage. Hence the latter made fearful and violent efforts to shake the
former off; while the former made not less fearful, though seemingly not
quite so violent, efforts to hold on. The red man tried to bite, but
Tim's hand was too broad and hard to be bitten. He tried to shake his
nose free, but unfortunately his nose was large, and Tim's grip of it
was perfect. The savage managed to get just enough of breath through
his mouth to prevent absolute suffocation, but nothing more. He had
dropped his tomahawk at the first onset, and tried to draw his knife,
but Tim's arms were so tight round him that he could not get his hand to
his back, where the knife reposed in his belt. In desperation he
stooped forward, and tried to throw his enemy over his head; but Tim's
legs were wound round him, and no limpet ever embraced a rock with
greater tenacity than did Little Tim embrace that Blackfoot brave. Half
choking and wholly maddened, the savage suddenly turned heels over head,
and fell on Tim with a force that ought to have burst him. But Tim
didn't burst! He was much too tough for that. He did not even
complain!

Rising again, a sudden thought seemed to strike the Indian, for he began
to run towards the camp with his foe on his back. But Tim was prepared
for that. He untwined one leg, lowered it, and with an adroit twist
tripped up the savage, causing him to fall on his face with tremendous
violence. Before he could recover, Tim, still covering the mouth and
holding tight to the nose, got a knee on the small of the savage's back
and squeezed it smaller. At the same time he slid his left hand up to
the savage's windpipe, and compressed it. With a violent heave, the
Blackfoot sprang up. With a still more violent heave, the trapper flung
him down, bumped his he