returning to the lodges of their tribe.

Greatly relieved by this information, the inmates of Fort Duncan pursued
their usual avocations without any apprehension of further annoyance
from Mysticoose and his people.

CHAPTER FOUR.

We must now return to the two travellers and their strange guide.
Although Loraine had slept but little the previous night, he could not
close his eyes. He enjoyed the excitement of the life he was leading,
but he did not hide from himself its dangers, and he felt the
responsibility of having induced young Hector to accompany him. He was
also anxious to arrive at the fort, for he had become much interested in
its inmates. Although it was supposed that the Blackfeet had gone to
the westward, he thought it possible that some of them might have
remained behind, and followed up the trail of his party. He had,
however, great confidence in the watchfulness of Greensnake, and he
hoped also that the dogs would give due notice should any enemies
approach.

"If we pass over this night in safety, I think that we shall get through
the rest of our journey without difficulty," he said to himself. "We
have accomplished well-nigh fifty miles to-day, and, as our horses will
have a good feed to-night, we may ride another fifty to-morrow, and by
keeping that up, we shall, as far as I can calculate, reach Fort Duncan
in four or five days."

He was about to drop off to sleep, when he was again aroused by a
continuous howl in the distance. After listening for some time, he was
convinced that it was produced by wolves. He fancied from the sound
that there must have been hundreds of them. It grew nearer and nearer.
The animals were coming that way. They might attack him and Hector, or,
at all events, the horses, and either kill them or put them to flight.

He looked at the fire. By their guide's advice he had allowed it to
burn low, so that no flames casting their light around should betray the
position of the camp to prowling Indians. Still it was better, he
thought, to run even that risk than to allow the savage brutes to get
into the camp. He, therefore, having thrown some more sticks on the
fire, which quickly blazed up, awoke Hector, who naturally inquired what
was the matter.

"Do you not hear the howling of wolves?" asked Loraine. "Get your rifle
ready."

"But Greensnake advised us not to fire, lest we should discover our camp
to the Indians," said Hector; "and I don't fancy that at