ces; but I could distinguish Dick, who was nearest me,
again making efforts to free himself, and he could not help crying out
in desperation when he found himself foiled as before. The wolves were
close upon us, when presently we heard the tramp of a horse's feet, and
one of our own animals, which either Armitage or Jack had been riding,
and from whose back the Indians had neglected to remove the saddle
dashed by, closely pursued by a pack of large wolves, who intent on the
chase did not regard us. I saw the head of an Indian lifted up for a
moment, awakened to partial consciousness by the yelping of the wolves
and the tramp of the horse; but perhaps the savage fancied he was
dreaming, for the next moment his head again sank to the ground. We
were preserved for the moment, but what would happen should the wolves
succeed in pulling down and devouring the horse? They would, to a
certainty, return and attack us, as we had feared; or, even if they did
not, the Indians would be recovering from their debauch. I could only
hope that they had not consumed all the liquor, and that the first to
awaken would take another pull at the bottles. In spite of our fearful
position, a drowsiness began to steal over me, produced perhaps by
exhaustion. I even now do not like to think of those dreadful hours,
when my mind dwelt on the various tortures the savages were wont to
inflict on their helpless prisoners. I fully expected that arrows would
be shot at my limbs while all vital parts were avoided; to have my flesh
burnt with hot irons; to be scalped; to suffer the most lingering and
painful of deaths. In vain I tried to banish such thoughts, and to
encourage the stupor stealing over me. At length I had almost
succeeded, though I was not really asleep, when I heard a voice whisper
in my ear, "Do not move or speak when you find the thongs cut."

The next instant I was free. The darkness prevented me seeing clearly
what was happening to my companions, but I could distinguish a figure
stealing along the ground, and appearing behind each of them.

"Now friends! you have your choice, either to cut the throats of the
Redskins as they lie, or to catch the horses and put a wide space
between them and yourselves before daybreak," said a voice which I
recognised as that of old Folkard--"don't trust those villains, they may
not be as fast asleep as you fancy. If they hear you moving they may be
on their feet again before you have had tim