the future, and once he put his feelings
into words.

"Where are you going to spend the winter, Peter?" he asked.

"With some tribe of my people," Peter replied carelessly. Of course,
it was the only thing to be done, and in Peter's mind no alternative
was to be considered at all. But Dick felt a doubt as to his own
endurance and toughness compared with the Indian's. He was no
weakling; but he dearly loved his flesh-pots, and, with the prospect
becoming one of hardship and discomfort, he began to think a little
regretfully of the cosy Collinson homestead, now so far away. And
Stephanie! "I wonder what Stephanie's doing, and whether she misses me
much," he thought. "I should like to see her again."

The last of the yellow leaves fell from the poplar bushes, and the
silver foliage of the aspens fluttered to the ground. At night the
stars shone large and frosty, but so intensely dry and bracing was the
air, that Dick did not feel the cold, and Peter Many-Names was of
course inured to any changes of climate. Game became more scarce, and
sometimes they wandered far afield in search of their supplies,
occasionally falling back upon their reserve store of dried meat. But
it was still very enjoyable, and perhaps Peter, who had been an exile
from his native plains for several years, strayed somewhat farther away
from the river-courses and the sheltered lands than he had formerly
intended. But to him the prairies were home; and who would not feel
justified in relaxing caution a little when in his native haunts?

So, for some little time, they wandered about, meeting with few
adventures. Once they passed too close to a cluster of tepees, and
three young braves chased them for miles. The mud had by now scaled
off their ponies, and the curiously shaped white spots were as
remarkable as the speed of the little animals who were distinguished by
these marks. Peter seemed to think that this incident effectually put
a stop to the quest for hospitality in that region, but the difficulty
could be easily overcome.

"We will muddly ponies again, go farther north," he said. And a little
farther north they went, following the trail of a band of Indians.
"Many people go along here two, three days ago," Peter remarked, "we
follow them. If enemies, bad. If friends, good. Come on quick." The
second day after they had struck this trail, the first snow fell. It
was only a couple of inches of delicate, powdery white crystals;