n get the assistance of our
friends."

Drawing their swords, Roger and Vaughan led the way towards their foes.
Greatly to their surprise, the Indians, instead of stopping to receive
their charge, turned round and fled away through the forest to the
westward; while, from the opposite side, the other party was seen
advancing rapidly. Roger and Vaughan, determining either to defeat them
or to sell their lives dearly, ordered their men to be ready to fire
when they should give the word. As they were about to do so, they saw a
tall Indian whom, even at that distance, they knew by his dress to be a
chief, advance some way ahead of the rest, holding up in his hand a
branch which he waved to and fro.

"Stay," exclaimed Roger, rushing before the men. "Do not fire--they are
friends."

As the Indian advanced they recognised Canochet, whom they now hurried
forward to greet. In a few words they explained what had occurred, and
entreated him to give chase to their late opponents, whom they could not
doubt had carried off Gilbert and Fenton. On looking round, however,
they found that the whole band, whom they had just before seen at the
end of the forest, had disappeared. Canochet immediately waving to his
men, ordered them to advance in pursuit of the foe, and no sooner had he
uttered the word of command than a hundred warriors, bow in hand, were
rushing through the forest at a rate with which the party of English
found it a hard matter to keep up. Every instant they expected to come
in sight of their flying foe, but on reaching the border of the forest,
not an Indian was to be seen. Canochet, with some of his men, sagacious
braves, searched in vain for the trail of the enemy; it was evident that
they had turned off either to one side or the other, and that they had
missed it, while eagerly pushing forward in pursuit. He was of opinion
that they had made for the stream, and having followed it up where the
shallow water allowed them to wade, they had crossed to the opposite
side and made their way to the northward.

The question whether they had got hold of Gilbert and Fenton still
remained unsettled till Canochet heard of the discovery of the deer's
head, when he had no longer any doubt about the matter.

"The youths were deceived by the seeming deer, and have been entrapped
by their foes--an Indian would have been too wise to be caught by so
simple a trick," remarked the Monacan chief.

"They were indeed foolish," ob