ing to pass
itself off as a man's voice: "Hi, yer the ---- ----. Yer git off my
---- ---- place ---- ----"

"Le's capture the little cuss, Yan."

"An' burn him at the stake with horrid torture," was the rejoinder.

They set out in his direction, but again the appearance of Burns
changed their war-party onslaught into a rapid retreat.

(More opprobrium.)

During the days that followed the boys were often close to the
boundary, but it happened that Burns was working near and Guy had the
quickest of eyes and ears. The little rat seemed ever on the alert. He
soon showed by his long-distance remarks that he knew all about the
boys' pursuits--had doubtless visited the camp in their absence.
Several times they saw him watching them with intense interest when
they were practising with bow and arrow, but he always retreated to a
safe distance when discovered, and then enjoyed himself breathing out
fire and slaughter.

One day the boys came to the camp at an unusual hour. On going into a
near thicket Yan saw a bare foot under some foliage. "Hallo, what's
this?" He stooped down and found a leg to it and at the end of that
Guy Burns.

Up Guy jumped, yelling "Paw--Paw--PAW!" He ran for his life, the
Indians uttering blood-curdlers on his track. But Yan was a runner,
and Guy's podgy legs, even winged by fear, had no chance. He was
seized and dragged howling back to the camp.

"You let me alone, you Sam Raften--now you let me alone!" There was,
however, a striking lack of opprobrium in his remarks now. (Such
delicacy is highly commendable in the very young.)

"First thing is to secure the prisoner, Yan."

Sam produced a cord.

"Pooh," said Yan. "You've got no style about you. Bring me some
Leatherwood."

This was at hand, and in spite of howls and scuffles, Guy was solemnly
tied to a tree--a green one--because, as Yan pointed out, that would
resist the fire better.

The two Warriors now squatted cross-legged by the fire. The older one
lighted a peace-pipe, and they proceeded to discuss the fate of the
unhappy captive.

"Brother," said Yan, with stately gestures, "it is very pleasant to
hear the howls of this miserable paleface." (It was really getting to
be more than they could endure.)

"Ugh--heap good," said the Woodpecker.

"Ye better let me alone. My Paw'll fix you for this, you dirty
cowards," wailed the prisoner, fast losing control of his tongue.

"Ugh! Take um scalp first, burn him after," and Little Be