white masses. "He thought he had us, but he hadn't! He turned
back at the steep slope, but we came on! Thar's nothin' like havin' a
fall between you an' a lot o' pursuin' Injun canoes, is thar, Paul?"

Paul laughed, half in amusement and half in nervous relief.

"No, Sol, there isn't, at least not now," he replied. "It looks as if
these falls had been put here especially to save us."

"I like to think so, too," said the shiftless one.

The river was still very wide and they kept the canoe in its center,
although they no longer dreaded Indian shots, feeling quite sure that no
warriors were on either shore below the falls. So they went on three or
four miles, until Paul asked what was the next plan.

"We must talk it over, all of us," said Henry. "The canoe is of no
particular use to us except as a way of escape from immediate danger."

"But it and the falls together saved us," said Shif'less Sol. "Oh, it's
a good boat, a fine boat, a friendly boat!"

"I hate to desert a friend."

"It must be done. We can't stay forever on the river in a canoe. That
would merely invite destruction. The Indians can take their canoes out
of the water, carry them around the falls and resume the pursuit."

"O' course I know you're right, Henry. I wuz jest droppin' a tear or two
over the partin' with our faithful canoe. We make fur the north bank, I
s'pose."

"That seems to me to be the right course, because the warriors will be
thicker on the south side. We'll keep our policy of defense against them
by resuming the offense. What say you, Paul?"

"I choose the north bank."

"And you, Jim?"

"North, uv course."

"And you, Tom?"

"North."

"And Sol and I have already spoken. We'll make for the low point across
there, sink the canoe and go into the forest. The Indians will be sure
in time to pick up our trail and follow us, but we'll escape 'em as
we've escaped twice already."

"Red Eagle and Yellow Panther will come for us now," said Paul. "It's
their turn next."

"Let 'em," said Long Jim in sanguine tones. "They can't beat us."

They were now out of the rapids and were paddling swiftly toward the
northern shore, with their eyes on a small cove, where the bushes grew
thick to the water's edge. When they reached it they pushed the canoe
into the dense thicket and sank it.

"After all," said Shif'less Sol, "we're not partin' wholly with our
friend. We know whar he is, an' he'll wait here until some time or other
when we w