ved them to
have taken refuge below. Should the Canadian Indians return on their own
trail, and discover that made by the Pathfinder and the Serpent in their
ascent from and descent to the river, the clue to their movements would
cease at the shore, water leaving no prints of footsteps. The young man
had therefore waded, knee-deep, as far as the point, and was now seen
making his way slowly down the margin of the stream, searching curiously
for the spot in which the canoes were hid.

It was in the power of those behind the bushes, by placing their eyes
near the leaves, to find many places to look through while one at a
little distance lost this advantage. To those who watched his motions
from behind their cover, and they were all in the canoes, it was evident
that Jasper was totally at a loss to imagine where the Pathfinder had
secreted himself. When fairly round the curvature in the shore, and out
of sight of the fire he had lighted above, the young man stopped and
began examining the bank deliberately and with great care. Occasionally
he advanced eight or ten paces, and then halted again, to renew the
search. The water being much shallower than common, he stepped aside,
in order to walk with greater ease to himself and came so near the
artificial plantation that he might have touched it with his hand. Still
he detected nothing, and was actually passing the spot when Pathfinder
made an opening beneath the branches, and called to him in a low voice
to enter.

"This is pretty well," said the Pathfinder, laughing; "though pale-face
eyes and red-skin eyes are as different as human spy-glasses. I would
wager, with the Sergeant's daughter here, a horn of powder against a
wampum-belt for her girdle, that her father's rijiment should march by
this embankment of ours and never find out the fraud! But if the Mingoes
actually get down into the bed of the river where Jasper passed, I
should tremble for the plantation. It will do for their eyes, even
across the stream, however, and will not be without its use."

"Don't you think, Master Pathfinder, that it would be wisest, after
all," said Cap, "to get under way at once, and carry sail hard down
stream, as soon as we are satisfied that these rascals are fairly astern
of us? We seamen call a stern chase a long chase."

"I wouldn't move from this spot until we hear from the Sarpent with the
Sergeant's pretty daughter here in our company, for all the powder in
the magazine of the