uron, satisfied him that the
fugitive had disappointed these expectations, and gone _up_ the stream.

Two things, therefore, were determined with considerable
certainty--Dernor had not _crossed_ the creek, but had left at a point
either near or above where Oonamoo and O'Hara were standing. Satisfied
of this, the two moved along the bank, taking long, leaping steps,
treading so lightly as barely to leave the impression of their feet,
and scrutinizing each bank with the most jealous eye.

They had ascended fully a half-mile without discovering any thing upon
which "to hang a suspicion," when O'Hara, who had contrived to get in
advance of the Huron, uttered a suppressed exclamation of surprise.

"Here's where he could have come out," said he.

Oonamoo looked carefully before him, and shook his head. The object in
question consisted of a fallen tree, the top of which lay in the edge
of the stream, while the upturned roots were nearly a hundred feet
distant. It will be seen at once, that the hunter could easily have
walked along the trunk of this without leaving a visible footprint, and
leaped off into the woods from the base and continued his flight as
before. Plain as was this to the Huron, another fact was still
plainer--the Rifleman had done no such thing.

"Why do you think he hasn't used this tree?" asked O'Hara.

"Too plain--_Injin sure to t'ink he do it._"

Oonamoo had told the exact truth, for Dernor had really approached the
branches of the tree with the intention of using them as we have
hinted, when he had seen that his pursuers would be sure to suspect
such an artifice, from the ready means afforded him; and he had,
therefore, given over his first resolve, and continued his ascent of
the creek.

All around the base were the imprints of moccasins, showing where the
Shawnees and Miamis had searched and failed to find the trail. Oonamoo
having noticed all this, in far less time than it has taken us to
relate it, walked out on the tree-trunk as far as it would allow him
without wetting his feet Standing thus, he leaned over and peered out
into the water.

"Look dere--knowed it," said he, pointing out a few feet from the
shore. The water was semi-translucent, so that it required a keen view
to discover the object of the Huron's gaze; but, following the
direction of his finger, O'Hara made out to discover on the bottom of
the creek the _sign_ left by the passage of a human foot. They were not
_impressions_,