d and growled. The hunter patted the dog.
In a few minutes the figure of a tall man appeared among the laurels
down the slope. He stopped while gazing up at the ledge. Then, with
noiseless step, he ascended the ridge, climbed the rocky ledge, and
turned the corner of the stone to face Wetzel. The newcomer was
Jonathan Zane.

"Jack, I expected you afore this," was Wetzel's greeting.

"I couldn't make it sooner," answered Zane. "After we left
Williamson and separated, I got turned around by a band of several
hundred redskins makin' for the Village of Peace. I went back again,
but couldn't find any sign of the trail we're huntin'. Then I makes
for this meetin' place. I've been goin' for some ten hours, and am
hungry."

"I've got some bar ready cooked," said Wetzel, handing Zane several
strips of meat.

"What luck did you have?"

"I found Girty's trail, an old one, over here some eighteen or
twenty miles, an' follered it until I went almost into the Delaware
town. It led to a hut in a deep ravine. I ain't often surprised, but
I wus then. I found the dead body of that girl, Kate Wells, we
fetched over from Fort Henry. Thet's sad, but it ain't the
surprisin' part. I also found Silvertip, the Shawnee I've been
lookin' fer. He was all knocked an' cut up, deader'n a stone.
There'd been somethin' of a scrap in the hut. I calkilate Girty
murdered Kate, but I couldn't think then who did fer Silver, though
I allowed the renegade might hev done thet, too. I watched round an'
seen Girty come back to the hut. He had ten Injuns with him, an'
presently they all made fer the west. I trailed them, but didn't
calkilate it'd be wise to tackle the bunch single-handed, so laid
back. A mile or so from the hut I came across hoss tracks minglin'
with the moccasin-prints. About fifteen mile or from the Delaware
town, Girty left his buckskins, an' they went west, while he stuck
to the hoss tracks. I was onto his game in a minute. I cut across
country fer Beautiful Spring, but I got there too late. I found the
warm bodies of Joe and thet Injun girl, Winds. The snake hed
murdered them."

"I allow Joe won over Winds, got away from the Delaware town with
her, tried to rescue Kate, and killed Silver in the fight. Girty
probably was surprised, an' run after he had knifed the girl."

"'Pears so to me. Joe had two knife cuts, an' one was an old wound."

"You say it was a bad fight?"

"Must hev been. The hut was all knocked in, an' stuff scatte