spot.

"Will they succeed, think you, in overtaking the murderers?" asked
Victor of one of the men.

"Succeed? Ay, no fear of that!" replied the hunter, with a vindictive
scowl. "It's not the first time some of them have been out after the
Sioux."

"We will ride back to camp, Vic," said Ian, rousing himself from a
reverie; "it is no part of our duty to assist in executing vengeance.
If the camp were assailed we should indeed be bound to help defend it,
but there are more than enough men out to hunt down these murderers. If
a cart is not already on its way for the corpse we will send one.
Come."

That night the avengers returned; they had overtaken and shot down eight
of the Sioux,--the remaining four gained the bushes and escaped. None
of themselves were hurt, but one had a narrow escape, an arrow having
passed between his shirt and skin.

Next day Victor and his friends prepared to leave the hunters and resume
the chase of Petawanaquat, but they were arrested by one of those
terrific thunderstorms which occasionally visit the prairies. They were
already mounted and on the point of taking leave, when the air darkened
suddenly, the sky became overcast, lightning began to flash in vivid
gleams, and a crash of thunder seemed to rend the earth and heavens.

Presently Herr Winklemann, who meant to ride with the parting guests a
short way, and was also mounted, uttered a shout, and immediately horse
and man rolled upon the plain. The man rose slowly, but the horse lay
still--killed by lightning! By the same flash, apparently, another
horse was struck dead.

"Vell, you has tomble very often vid me," said the German, contemplating
the fallen steed, "bot you vill tomble again no mor."

"Oui, he is mort," sighed Rollin, looking down.

After this first burst there was a considerable lull, but appearances
were so gloomy that departure was delayed.

Soon after, the storm burst with a degree of violence that the oldest
hunter said he had never before witnessed. Lightning, wind, rain,
thunder, seemed to have selected the spot for a battle-ground. Although
the camp was pitched on comparatively high and rocky ground, the deluge
was so great that in the course of ten minutes nearly everything was
afloat. (See Note 1.) The camp was literally swimming, and some of the
smaller children were with difficulty saved from drowning. So furious
was the wind that the tents were either thrown down or blown to ribbons.
During