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nted itself and Cameron stubbornly pressed forward through the
forest that grew denser and more difficult at every step. After some
hours of steady plodding the trees began to be sensibly larger, the
birch and poplar gave place to spruce and pine and the underbrush almost
entirely disappeared. The trail, too, became better, winding between
the large trees which, with clean trunks, stood wide apart and arranged
themselves in stately high-arched aisles and long corridors. From the
lofty branches overhead the gray moss hung in long streamers, as Jerry
had said, giving to the trees an ancient and weird appearance. Along
these silent, solemn, gray-festooned aisles and corridors Cameron rode
with an uncanny sensation that unseen eyes were peering out upon him
from those dim and festooned corridors on either side. Impatiently he
strove to shake off the feeling, but in vain. At length, forced by
the growing darkness, he decided to camp, when through the shadowy and
silent forest there came to his ears the welcome sound of running water.
It was to Cameron like the sound of a human voice. He almost called
aloud to the running stream as to a friend. It was the Ghost River.
In a few minutes he had reached the water and after picketing his horse
some little distance down the stream and away from the trail, he
rolled himself in his blanket to sleep. The moon rising above the high
tree-tops filled the forest aisles with a soft unearthly light. As his
eye followed down the long dim aisles there grew once more upon him
the feeling that he was being watched by unseen eyes. Vainly he cursed
himself for his folly. He could not sleep. A twig broke near him. He
lay still listening with every nerve taut. He fancied he could hear soft
feet about him and stealing near. With his two guns in hand he sat bolt
upright. Straight before him and not more than ten feet away the form of
an Indian was plainly to be seen. A slight sound to his right drew his
eyes in that direction. There, too, stood the silent form of an Indian,
on his left also an Indian. Suddenly from behind him a deep, guttural
voice spoke, "Look this way!" He turned sharply and found himself gazing
into a rifle-barrel a few feet from his face. "Now look back!" said the
voice. He glanced to right and left, only to find rifles leveled at him
from every side.
"White man put down his guns on ground!" said the same guttural voice.
Cameron hesitated.
"Indian speak no more," said the
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