hment at hearing so much of their affairs thus laid
bare, so they said that the Pale-face chief was wise, that he must be a
great medicine-man, and that what he said was all true except about the
white men. They had never seen any Pale-faces, and knew nothing
whatever about those he spoke of.

This was a terrible piece of news to poor Dick, and at first his heart
fairly sank within him, but by degrees he came to be more hopeful. He
concluded that if these men told lies in regard to one thing they would
do it in regard to another, and perhaps they might have some strong
reason for denying any knowledge of Joe and Henri.

The Indians now packed up the buffalo robes on which they had slept, and
the mouthful of provisions they had taken with them.

"I don't believe a word of what they say about your friends," said
Cameron to Dick in a low tone while the Indians were thus engaged.
"Depend upon it they hope to hide them till they can send to the
settlements and get a ransom, or till they get an opportunity of
torturing them to death before their women and children when they get
back to their own village. But we'll baulk them, my friend, do not
fear."

The Indians were soon ready to start, for they were lumbered with
marvellously little camp equipage. In less than half an hour after
their discovery they were running like deer ahead of the cavalcade in
the direction of the Peigan camp.

CHAPTER NINETEEN.

ADVENTURES WITH THE PEIGANS--CRUSOE DOES GOOD SERVICE AS A DISCOVERER--
THE SAVAGES OUTWITTED--THE RESCUE.

A run of twenty miles brought the travellers to a rugged defile in the
mountains, from which they had a view of a beautiful valley of
considerable extent. During the last two days a steady thaw had been
rapidly melting away the snow, so that it appeared only here and there
in the landscape in dazzling patches. At the distance of about half a
mile from where they halted to breathe the horses before commencing the
descent into this vale, several thin wreaths of smoke were seen rising
above the trees.

"Is that your camp?" inquired Cameron, riding up to the Indian runners
who stood in a group in front, looking as fresh after their twenty
miles' run as though they had only had a short walk.

To this they answered in the affirmative, adding that there were about
two hundred Peigans there.

It might have been thought that thirty men would have hesitated to
venture to attack so large a number as two hundr