It was merely a collection of stunted but
thick-growing willows.

Forcing their way into the centre of this they began to examine it.

"It'll do," said Joe.

"De very ting," remarked Henri.

"Come here, Crusoe."

Crusoe bounded to his master's side, and looked up in his face.

"Look at this place, pup; smell it well."

Crusoe instantly set off all round among the willows, in and out,
snuffing everywhere, and whining with excitement.

"Come here, good pup; that will do. Now, lads, we'll go back." So
saying, Dick and his friends left the bluff and retraced their steps to
the camp. Before they had gone far, however, Joe halted, and said--

"D'ye know, Dick, I doubt if the pup's so cliver as ye think. What if
he don't quite onderstand ye?"

Dick replied by taking off his cap and throwing it down, at the same
time exclaiming, "Take it yonder, pup," and pointing with his hand
towards the bluff. The dog seized the cap, and went off with it at full
speed towards the willows, where it left it, and came galloping back for
the expected reward--not now, as in days of old, a bit of meat, but a
gentle stroke of its head and a hearty clap on its shaggy side.

"Good pup, go now an' _fetch it_."

Away he went with a bound, and, in a few seconds, came back and
deposited the cap at his master's feet.

"Will that do?" asked Dick, triumphantly.

"Ay, lad, it will. The pup's worth its weight in goold."

"Oui, I have said, and I say it agen, de dog is _human_, so him is. If
not--fat am he?"

Without pausing to reply to this perplexing question, Dick stepped
forward again, and in half an hour or so they were back in the camp.

"Now for _your_ part of the work, Joe; yonder's the squaw that owns the
half-drowned baby. Everything depends on her."

Dick pointed to the Indian woman as he spoke. She was sitting beside
her tent, and playing at her knee was the identical youngster that had
been saved by Crusoe.

"I'll manage it," said Joe, and walked towards her, while Dick and Henri
returned to the chiefs tent.

"Does the Pawnee woman thank the Great Spirit that her child is saved?"
began Joe as he came up.

"She does," answered the woman, looking up at the hunter. "And her
heart is warm to the Pale-faces."

After a short silence Joe continued--

"The Pawnee chiefs do not love the Pale-faces. Some of them hate them."

"The Dark Flower knows it," answered the woman; "she is sorry. She
would help the Pale-fa