knew the rivers in that locality ran more or
less to the eastward, it would assist in guiding our course, but the
appearance of the ice did not encourage us to use it as a high road. We
settled therefore to keep along the bank, crossing it or cutting off
angles as might appear advisable.

"Before we go far, I tink we get arms," said Dio; "dat saplin' make good
spear." And taking out his axe, he cut down the young tree, while I
formed a heavy club from a branch of hickory, which had been torn off
apparently by a storm. If we had had time, we might have formed bows
and arrows, but the cold was too great to allow us to do so, until we
had put up a hut in which to work; besides, before they could be
finished, we might starve with hunger. We therefore contented ourselves
with the weapons we had formed, and Dio having scraped one end of his
pole into a sharp point, we continued our journey.

We had not gone far, when we discovered a hollow tree, and as we were
very weary, besides being hungry, after examining it, to ascertain that
it was unoccupied, we crawled in. We had not much fear of being
attacked by the Indians, who, although they certainly could have
followed our trail, would, we concluded, have made us prisoners or put
us to death when they had us in their power, should they have been so
disposed. The tribes of red-skins are not all equally blood-thirsty,
some being addicted rather to stealing horses and cattle than to
murdering the whites; and we had no doubt that such were the people who
had carried off our horses and rifles. We therefore, squatting down in
the confined space of the tree, folded our arms across our breasts, and
immediately dropped off asleep. Weary as I was, my slumbers were
troubled and far from sound. I did not intend to rest more than an hour
at the utmost, as I was afraid of wasting too much precious time.
Before that period had elapsed, I opened my eyes and awoke Dio. Looking
out, I found that the snow had ceased. I could nowhere see Boxer. I
called to him again and again, but he did not come.

"He gone to de hunt for himself," observed Dio; "perhaps he come back
with young hare or 'possum."

We waited a few minutes. As I knew that Boxer would follow up the trail
as well as any Indian could do, I did not think it necessary to wait for
him. Scarcely had we recommenced our journey, when the well-known howl
of a wolf reached my ears, repeated by several other brutes of the same
s