't make no splashin'."

He slipped off so silently that I scarcely knew he was gone, until I
missed the dark outline of his figure at my side. With all possible
caution, I followed him. The current was not strong, but I partially
faced it, and struck out with a long, steady stroke, so that my
progress, as nearly as I could judge, was almost directly across the
stream. Burns had been completely lost to my sight, although as I
looked along the slightly glistening water I could see for some
distance ahead. I remember a black log bearing silently down upon me,
and how I shrank from contact with it, fearful lest it might conceal
some human thing. Soon after it had swirled by, my feet touched the
shelving bank, and I crept cautiously up into the overhanging shadow.
Burns was there, and had already reconnoitred our position; for my
first knowledge of his presence came when he slowly lowered himself
down the bank until he lay close beside me.

"They're thar," he said, soberly. "Thought most likely they wud be."

"Indians?" I asked, doubtfully,--for I had an impression the factory
might be garrisoned by some of our own people.

"Sure; I heerd as how the sojers hed been drawed in, an' naturally
reckoned the Injuns would n't be over-long findin' it out. 'Nother
fool thing fer the sojers ter dew."

He paused, listening intently. In the silence, above the slight sound
of the running water, I felt sure I could distinguish voices speaking
not far distant.

"It 's no place yere ter stay," he whispered, his lips close at my ear.
"Reckon best thing we kin dew now is to find one o' the sojers'
root-caves somewhar along the bank, an' crawl in thar till daylight.
The Injuns ain't so likely to bother us when the guards kin see 'em
from the Fort. They don't want no out-'n'-out fuss, to my notion, till
they kin git inter the stockade for good. Creep 'long yere with me,
sonny, an' 't won't be far till I find a hole somewhar thet 'll hide us
fer awhile anyhow."

We crawled slowly along, snake-fashion, at the edge of the river, for
perhaps thirty feet, our movements hidden by the high and slightly
overhanging bank at our left. The night was so dark that Burns relied
more upon feeling than sight to guide him. At last he stopped suddenly.

"Here's one o' 'em," he said. "Crawl along in, sonny; thar's lots o'
room after ye go a foot er two."

It was the merest hole dug into the bank, roughly lined with irregular
bits of rock,