ishment at having to resume the journey at so early an
hour, the child submitted silently to orders.

In a few minutes the Indian led his horse down to the rivulet close at
hand, crossed it with Tony, half asleep, clinging to his back, ascended
the opposite bank, and gained the level plain. Here he mounted, with
Tony in front to guard against the risk of his falling off in a state of
slumber, and galloped away.

Fortunately for him, the moon had risen, for red men are not a whit
better than white at seeing in the dark. Indeed, we question the
proverbial capacity of cats in that way. True, the orb of night was
clouded, and only in her first quarter, but she gave light enough to
enable the horseman to avoid dangers and proceed at full speed. Thus,
while the pursuers snored, the pursued went scouring over the prairies,
farther and farther towards the fair west.

Michel Rollin, being a lively, restless character, used generally to be
up before his comrades in the mornings, and gratified an inquisitive
propensity by poking about. In his pokings he discovered the trail of
the midnight visitor, and thereupon set up a howl of surprise that
effectually roused Ian and Victor. These, guns in hand, rushed, as they
fancied, to the rescue.

"What a noisy goose you are!" said Victor, on learning the cause of the
cry.

"There is reason for haste, however," said Ian, rising from a close
inspection of the trail. "Some one has been here in the night watching
us. Why he didn't join us if a friend, or kill us if an enemy, puzzles
me. If there were horse-tracks about I should say it must have been
Petawanaquat himself. Come, we must mount and away without breakfast."

They went off accordingly, and soon traced the Indian's original track
to the place where he had encamped. Petawanaquat had taken the
precaution to pour water on his fire, so as to cool the ashes, and thus
lead to the supposition that he had been gone a considerable time, but
Ian was not to be so easily deceived. The moment he had examined the
extinct fire, and made up his mind, he leaped up and followed the trail
to the spot where the Indian had mounted.

"Now then, mount, boys!" he cried, vaulting into the saddle, "no time to
lose. The redskin seems to have a good horse, and knows we are at his
heels. It will be a straight end-on race now. Hup! get along!"

Their course at first lay over a level part of the plain, which rendered
full speed possible; th