ket, almost
without a sound, and with their eyes watchfully turned in every
direction, as if they were always on the look-out for danger. And so I
walked awkwardly on, feeling, now that my arms were bound behind me, as
if at any moment I should stumble and fall.

The mystery of the gun's disappearance was clear enough now, without the
proof which came later on. It was quite plain to me that some of these
strange, furtive-looking savages had crawled up behind the bush and
carried off the piece, after which they had lain in ambush waiting for
us to retrace our steps along the track we had broken down the previous
day, and then pounced upon us and made us prisoners.

At my last encounter they had contented themselves with following us
home, but now everything seemed to betoken mischief. They seemed to me
to be better armed, and had begun to treat us roughly by binding our
arms, and this it struck me could only mean one thing--to keep us from
getting away and giving the alarm.

I felt too now--for thoughts came quickly--that the report of the gun
that morning had guided them to our temporary camp, that and the smoke
of the fire; and as I felt how unlucky all this was, I found that we
were getting farther and farther from the river, and in a few minutes
more we were in an open portion of the wood, where about fifty more
Indians were seated about a fire.

A shout from our party made them all start to their feet and come to
meet us, surrounding and staring at us in a fierce, stolid way that sent
a chill through me as the question rose--Would they kill us both?

In a dull, despondent way the answer seemed to me--_yes_; not just then,
for we were both placed back against a young tree, and hide ropes being
produced, we were tightly bound to the trunks and left, while the
Indians all gathered together in a group, squatted down, and sat in
silence for a time smoking.

Then all at once I saw one jump up, axe in hand, to begin talking
loudly, gesticulating, waving his axe, and making quite a long address,
to which the others listened attentively, grunting a little now and
then, and evidently being a good deal influenced by his words.

At last he sat down and another took his place, to dance about, talking
volubly the while, and waving his axe too, and evidently saying
threatening things, which, as he pointed at us now and then, and also in
the direction of the settlement, I felt certain must relate to their
expedition.