had reason to apprehend
danger.

He was upon the point of speaking, when his quick eye detected a speck
in view around a bend in the river, some distance back. He halted, for
he knew its character.

"We're follered!" said he, guiding the boat in to shore.

A few minutes more and the boat could be plainly seen by all three. It
was in the center of the stream, and approaching rapidly. The heads of
four or five Indians could be discerned. Their object was plain to all.

Kent had run his boat against the shore, and the three were now waiting
breathlessly for their enemies to pass.

The Indians plainly had no suspicion that the fugitives were so close at
hand, and kept steadily onward. Hardly daring to breathe, our three
friends saw the long, sharp canoe, with five of their mortal enemies,
shoot past, and disappear.

"Did you see how my gun kept twitchin' and jumpin'? Why, I had all I
could do to hold him. Thunder! it's too bad to see them fellers give
you such a nice shot and then miss it," said the ranger, again taking
the oars.

Kent now guided the boat with greater caution, ever and anon turning and
looking ahead, not daring to leave the sole watch to Leslie, who had
other things far more interesting to himself with which to occupy his
mind.

CHAPTER XV.

THE FUGITIVES FLYING NO LONGER.

The fugitives continued moving forward until morning, when, to guard
against needless exposure, Kent again ran the canoe under the bank, and
remained at rest the entire day. All suffered so much from hunger, that
the hunter left the boat during the afternoon, and, after a few hours'
absence, obtained a sufficient quantity of meat for them all. This was
cooked after his usual cautious and expert fashion, and was thankfully
partaken of by his companions.

Roland and the maid were resting on the sheltered bank of the river;
none but Kent ventured out of sight of the spot during the day. For
aught they knew there might be hordes of savages within hearing of their
voices, scouring the woods in every direction in their search; it needed
but the slightest inadvertency upon their part to insure their own
destruction.

Leslie sat conversing with Rosalind, when Kent started up, and, glancing
behind, stepped down the river-bank and peered out upon the stream.
Leslie was beside him in an instant, and, as the two gazed out, the boat
which they had seen pursuing them during the night came into view. It
was coming up-stream, ev