?" said Bob eagerly. "Where are they? What has kept
them from returning to camp?"

"The white men rest," replied the Indian. "The trail far. They find Red
Fox, and they say: 'Go, find our papooses and lead them by straight
trail to our tent.'"

"But they had no tent with them!" exclaimed Alf, at once touching the
weak point in the falsehood. "Perhaps they are with other Indians?"

Red Fox had not been instructed by Thunder-maker in the details of the
story that he was to tell in order to gain his ends. It had not occurred
to him to invent more than that he had been sent to bring the lads. That
had seemed sufficient to attain his aims, though he realised that it
would not do to say that the white men were captives. That might
frighten the boys and prevent their following his guidance. The poor
servant had not calculated upon the probing questions that would have
been naturally anticipated by an English mind and prepared for.

But he saw the blunder, and hastened to amend the error as best he
might.

"White men with Indians--with friends. Red men good to pale-faces--give
them food and teepees and robes to rest on. So white men wish papooses
to follow where Red Fox walk."

Holden turned aside to his chum.

"I'll be hanged if I'll follow the lead of a murderous-looking villain
like that unless he can show very good reasons why I should. His face is
like a nightmare."

"I can't say I like the look of him myself," returned Bob. "He hasn't
got the expression of a fellow you could trust. Besides, don't you think
that if our fathers were well and had sent a native messenger to
us--don't you think that they would have sent some sort of written
message as well?"

"It would have been easy enough. Father always carries his notebook and
pencil with him----"

"So he could have easily explained matters. I don't think he would have
trusted an Indian to be understood. It isn't as if we knew anything of
the lingo."

While the boys were thus discussing the situation in low tones, they did
not heed how Red Fox was observing them sharply from the corners of his
eyes. He was trying to discover how far his deception had succeeded,
though he endeavoured to hide his anxious observation by the action of
lighting his redstone pipe. And it must be confessed that his keen
scrutiny of the lads' faces did not reassure him. He could see suspicion
plainly marked in both, while his heart burned with fire of anger,
though resentment was mai