wing his hunting-knife to feel its edge and point.

"Ez I allow, that fotches us to the hoss-lifting," he said, in his slow
drawl. Then he laid his commands upon us. "Ord'ly, and in sojer-fashion,
now; no whooping and yelling. If the hoss-captain's got scouts out
a-s'arching for us, one good screech from these here varmints we're
a-going to put out'n their mis'ry 'u'd fix our flints for kingdom come.
I ain't none afeard o' your nerve,"--this to Richard and me--"leastwise,
not when it comes to fair and square sojer-fighting. But this here
onfall has got to be like the smiting o' the 'Malekites--root _and_
branch; and if ye're tempted to be anywise marciful, jest ricollect that
for the sake o' them wimmen-folks _we've got to have these hosses_!"

You are not to suppose that he was holding us inactive while he thus
exhorted us. On the contrary, he was posting us skilfully beside the
trace like the shrewd old Indian fighter that he was, with a rare and
practised eye to the maximum of cover with the minimum of thicket tangle
to impede the rush or to shorten the sword-swing.

But when all was done we were at this disadvantage; that since the enemy
was close at hand we dared not cross the path to give our trap a jaw on
either side. To offset this, the Catawba dropped out of line and
disappeared; and when the Cherokees were no more than a hundred yards
away, Uncanoola came in sight a like distance in the opposite direction,
running easily down the path to meet the up-coming riders.

Richard let slip an admiration-oath under his breath. "There's a fine
bit of strategy for you!" he whispered. "That wily Jack-at-a-pinch of
ours will befool them into believing that he is a runner from the Cowee
Towns. 'Tis our cue to lie close; he will halt them just here, and there
will be roving eyes in the heads of the two who have not to talk."

We had not long to wait. Our cunning ally timed his halting of the
emissaries to a nicety, and when the three Cherokees drew rein they were
within easy blade's reach. The powwow, lengthened by Uncanoola till we
were near bursting with impatience, was spun out wordily, and presently
we saw the pointing of it. The Catawba was affecting to doubt the
protests of the emissaries and would have them dismount and prove their
good faith by smoking the peace-pipe with him.

I give you fair warning, my dears, that you may turn the page here and
skip what follows if you are fain to be tender-hearted on the scor