carion birds, buzzards,
perhaps, had been feeding on the horse's flesh.

The oppressive silence and desolation of the camp were as dead weights on
the lad's spirits, already burdened with most unhappy thoughts, and
standing as still as the motionless trees about him, he could not summon
back the resolution and courage which had kept him unfaltering throughout
the night. The snapping of a twig recalled his scattered senses, however,
and his sudden movement frightened a gaunt wolf which had crept up almost
to the lifeless horse, and now went skulking away.

"I cannot understand--cannot think, I must get my wits to working, some
way!" the boy exclaimed in a half whisper, "what in the world can have
happened?"

Again Ree's mind gained the mastery over his fatigued body and his
powerful determination seemed again to drive the weariness away. He
stooped and stroked but once or twice the dead horse's damp foretop, then
hastened to the cart. Nothing in it had been disturbed. He looked
carefully about the shelter of poles and brush which had been built, and
found everything in comparatively good order. Surely things would not be
in this state if his friends had been driven off or killed by Indians. It
must be that they were attacked, had repulsed the enemy and had now gone
in pursuit.

But why had they not returned? There was no doubt but that old Jerry had
been dead at least a day, and John and Tom would, in that case, have been
absent nearly as long.

With feverish anxiety Ree searched for a trail which would show the
direction taken by the enemy or his friends, or both, but the sound of a
stealthy footstep on the bank above caused him to spring to the shelter
of a tree.

As he watched and listened, he heard voices, and quietly stepped into the
open; for he would have known John's tones among ten thousand. And at the
same minute John and Tom Fish saw Ree gazing up at them, and both ran
toward him, John crying excitedly: "Return Kingdom! Oh, but I am glad to
see you!"

"Dutch rum an' fire-water, it's happy I am y'er back!" Tom Fish
exclaimed.

"What has happened, John?" asked Ree in his usual quiet way, grasping his
friend's hand.

"What ain't happened? It beats me as I ain't ever been beat yet," Tom
Fish made answer.

"It was another of those mysterious shots, Ree--the very morning you left
us," said John, putting his hand affectionately on his chum's arm.

"Another?" Ree spoke more to himself than to either Joh