d it. About five minutes later I came upon
some Delaware Indians and as they wouldn't believe me when I told them
who I was, they made me a prisoner. I got away in the night, and here I
am."

John's eyes opened wide, and excitedly he demanded to know all the
particulars of Ree's adventure. Tom Fish whistled a long, low note and
almost closing his eyes, he looked toward Ree with a squint which was
more expressive of his astonishment and interest than words could have
been.

As the three of them sat on the thills of the now useless cart, Ree told
them more fully of his experiences. Many were John's outbursts of
interest, and Tom whistled in his peculiar way more than once.

"Can't more than kill us, and we may as well die that way as starve to
death," said the old hunter, as Ree spoke of the probability of the
Indians soon finding their camp, and straightway he began preparations
for breakfast. As they gathered about the savory meal which soon was
ready, the conversation turned again to the mysterious attack which had
ended the life of their horse.

John could not be persuaded that it was not some prowling Indian who had
fired the shot, but Ree urged both him and Tom to be on their guard
constantly and he would be the same, he said, for there was no knowing
when another bullet might come whizzing toward them, nor when one of
their own lives might not be thus snuffed out.

As breakfast was finished, John and Tom pleaded with Ree that he should
lie down and get some rest, but he took a cold bath in the brook close
by, instead, and would not listen to them further. All three were keeping
their eyes open to detect the approach of Indians, for they did not doubt
the savages would soon come, especially since the re-kindling of the fire
had sent a stream of smoke steadily skyward, and now this signal of their
whereabouts was made all the more plain by the building of a much larger
fire upon and about the body of the unfortunate horse.

"Let them come," was the confident declaration of Return Kingdom, as Tom
Fish had suggested that the savages could not be far away. "We will meet
them as friends," he went on, "and I honestly believe that when they find
that we are peaceable traders, there will be no trouble whatever."

Tom whistled and squinted as Ree took this bold stand, but he had learned
that the boy "had a long head," and made no further remonstrance against
the plan proposed.

About noon the savages arrived. John d