hour appointed--all the preparations having
been efficiently made--the wounded man was carefully placed upon the
nicely-constructed litter, the women and children taken upon the
soldiers' horses, and the little cavalcade moved noiselessly out on
the star-lighted prairie.

CHAPTER XVII.

THE MYSTERIOUS FIRE.

Few words were spoken, as the handful of brave men, with the rescued
women and children, and the suffering squatter moved on. Experienced
scouts were thrown out on either hand, to give notice of danger, for
at any moment the wily foe might spring upon them.

"Where can Long Hair be?" whispered Tom to his mother.

"I cannot imagine," she answered; "he left the cabin as I was telling
you about the loss of the children through the treachery of Yellow
Bank. His eyes glared while I was speaking, and there was a look on
his face that I could not interpret. Do you suppose he is trusty?"

"Trusty!" echoed Tom; "why, mother, he perilled his life for us."

"Yes, I know it, child; he is unlike any Indian I ever saw. But why
did he leave so mysteriously?"

"I don't know," replied Tom. "Captain Manly tried to find him; he
wished to present him to General McElroy. He said he did not doubt
that government would reward Long Hair for his services."

"Well," sighed his mother, shuddering as she spoke, "how different
these Indians are from us! They come and go so noiselessly, and talk
so little! But what is that?" she exclaimed, glancing back.

"What?" inquired Tom.

"Why, that light,"--pointing in the direction from which they came.
And Tom saw against the dark woods, for a background, thick flying
sparks from the cabin chimney made themselves visible for miles across
the prairie.

A scout now rode up, to call the attention of the captain to the same
appearance.

"I cannot comprehend it!" ejaculated that officer, putting his glass
to his eyes. "It is clear that the cabin is not on fire. It seems to
be occupied." And, riding up to Mrs. Jones, he said, "Madam, can you
tell me if there was any fuel in the fireplace when we left?"

"There was not," was the decided reply.

"But there is a large fire burning on the hearth now; how do you
account for that? It's a trick of the savages," he muttered, as he put
spurs to his steed; "and yet," he added, "it is not like the Indians
to go into a house and make a fire. If they had discovered our
retreat, they would be too cunning thus to let us know that they had
found