illain from the first, and gave us the alarm just in
time to save ourselves."

Having reached the spot for which he set out, the question with the
youth was whether he should stay where he was or go further. He had seen
nothing of Lena-Wingo and Worrell--a disappointment in both cases,
though of a different nature.

"I can't see why the Indian stays away so long, unless something unusual
has happened. He must know how much we are alarmed over his absence, and
he would be back if it were possible."

Waiting a short time, he concluded to advance a little farther, so as to
meet either of the two men if they were approaching, while at a greater
distance from the cavern, though he was not unmindful that he was liable
to miss them altogether. However, he had gone less than a hundred yards
when he detected the signs of some one coming immediately in front. It
was his ear which heard a crackling of a twig, so close that he had
barely time to leap aside and conceal himself from view when the figure
of Worrell, closely followed by Captain Bagley, came up a sort of path
toward the open space from which Ned had fled in such haste. The youth
barely caught sight of them when the forms of six Iroquois appeared,
one by one, immediately in the rear of the two white men.

When Ned saw the latter, he was much concerned, fearing that they would
detect the slight trail he must have left in his hurry for cover. But it
was too late to make any further flight, as he would be discovered from
the noise, if not by the sight.

From his concealment he watched the party, their manner of marching
being peculiar, as the eight walked in Indian file. Worrell, being the
guide, took the lead. Bagley kept so close that they could hold a
conversation in low tones, while the Iroquois stalked along like so many
phantoms of the wood.

If Ned was alarmed at sight of the redmen, knowing their skill in
detecting and following a trail of an enemy, he was thrown into a cold
perspiration of dread when the whole party halted in the open space from
which he had bounded when he heard the crackling twig. The clear space
covered something like an eighth of an acre, and Clinton was too
disturbed to notice that the particular spot where the group was
gathered was so far removed from his footprints that there was really
little danger of their being noticed. But when they had stood awhile,
and the two white men began a conversation, he noticed the gratifying
fact and