n examining his rifle, and
making sure it was in order. A minute or so before Jo was prepared to
make a definite proposition to him, he rose to his feet, and assumed an
attitude of intense attention, as though some faint signal had fallen on
his ear. Then as the young scout turned to address him, he spoke first:

"Well, I guess I'll have to bid you good-morning."

"And why so?" asked Jo, in some surprise.

"To tell the truth, this is too dangerous a place to stay any longer. I
hear sounds in the woods that lead me to think there are some of the
redskins not very far off, and I prefer to dig out; maybe it'll be safer
and better for you to wait till Lena-Wingo comes back, and he'll get you
out better than I can."

"No one could do better than the Mohawk if he were only here, but the
trouble is he isn't here just now, and we've come to the conclusion that
it is not safe to wait for him. Where do you mean to go?"

"Oh, there's a little hiding-place up here a way, where I'll crawl into,
for, when I'm in there, you may trot out all the redskins in the valley,
and I'll go to sleep while they're hunting. I don't care if Lena-Wingo
is among them. I ca'c'late to spend some time there till the Indians
get a little scarcer."

"What will you do for food?"

"I've got _that_ fixed," replied Worrell, in a voice and with a manner
that implied there was nothing to fear on that score.

"Well, if you will allow us to go with you--"

"Allow you!" exclaimed the man, in a gushing mood. "Haven't I been
wanting you to go with me ever since I stopped and found in what trouble
you were? Why, come along, and I'll put you in a place where you can
stay a month, if you want to, without a living soul finding out where
you are."

"We'll do it, and be forever grateful for your kindness; but you say
even Lena-Wingo will be unable to find out where we are hiding. We must
let him know where we are when he returns and misses us."

"That can be fixed. When we see him looking for us, we can step out and
let him know we are around, and he'll be there in a second, of course."

"All right, then; lead the way."

The man placed himself at the head of the party, Jo following, while Ned
and Rosa brought up the rear. The first move of Worrell impressed the
youths in his favor, for he headed toward the mountain close at hand, a
course that would suggest itself to one who was hunting a hiding-place.
It looked as if he understood his business, and knew wh