d not require aid, for before either of the boys could
have interfered, he was uppermost, clutching Jim Albert by the throat
so vigorously that the latter's tongue was protruding from his mouth.

"Don't kill him! Don't kill him!" Walter shouted.

"Not yet; big rascal!" Sewatis muttered, as he deftly tied his blanket
around the upper portion of the prisoner's body in such a manner that
the intruder was helpless to do anything save kick, and that was not a
pleasant form of exercise, as he soon learned, for the fire was so near
that at the first attempt his toes were buried among the glowing coals.

After that painful experience the prisoner remained quiet, and in a few
seconds Sewatis had him trussed hand and foot, like a chicken ready for
roasting.

"Me fix him! heap big rascal!" the captor exclaimed, lying down once
more as unconcernedly as if nothing out of the usual course of events
had transpired.

"What do you suppose this fellow came here for?" Stephen asked, as if
unable to surmise the reason for Jim Albert's presence.

"He is in the pay of Sam Haines, and tracked you, most likely, in order
to discover my hiding-place."

"If that had been the case he would have been in Portsmouth again by
this time."

A sudden thought came to Walter, and bending over the prisoner quickly,
he searched under his greasy belt.

"That is why he came!" the boy cried, as he leaped to his feet, holding
a parchment in his hand. "The halfbreed had undertaken to arrest me,
and here is his warrant."

Not until Stephen had examined the document carefully was he satisfied
the statement was correct, and then he said, holding the parchment over
the fire,--

"We can dispose of this easily enough, but what shall be done with Jim
is more than I can decide."

Before he could drop the document from his fingers Sewatis leaped from
his couch, seized the warrant, and went back to his slumbers, saying,
as he did so,--

"Heap big rascal! me keep talkin'-skin."

"We shall have to let the Indian take care of Jim and his belongings
whether we want to or not," Walter said, with a mournful smile. "The
whole affair shows me, however, that I am not secure from Sam Haines
even here in the woods. He has found one messenger, and can readily get
another."

"Now, don't despair. Your red friend has some scheme in his head, or
I'm mistaken. He has taken such good care of the fellow that we needn't
worry about him, and if I am to leave this place at d