er they had ascended from the salt-marshes of the east. As
Has-se had requested him to keep absolute silence, and on no account to
speak, he restrained his curiosity for the present, but determined to
seek an explanation of this phenomenon when an opportunity should offer.

He afterwards discovered that the river they had ascended, and that
they were now descending, both rose in the great swamp, and that their
headwaters were connected by navigable streams, but that while one
flowed east into the Atlantic, the other flowed west into the Gulf of
Mexico.

In thus deeming themselves undiscovered by those in advance of them,
the boys made an almost fatal mistake. The wily Cat-sha, accustomed to
look for danger behind every tree, and almost expecting to hear the
war-cry of his enemies in every breath of wind, knew better than to
leave open waters without looking behind as he did so. On this
occasion the quick glance thrown backward at the instant his canoe
entered the shadows of the cypresses detected the gleam of a paddle,
and he knew at once that he and Chitta were being followed, even as
they were following Micco and his people.

He said nothing until they were safely within the shadows, when he told
Chitta of his discovery. The latter advised going into hiding at once,
and awaiting the approach of their unknown pursuers; but the more
experienced Cat-sha said no, for if they had also been discovered, that
was exactly what they would be expected to do, and their pursuers would
exercise more than a usual amount of caution in approaching that point.
Once safely past it they would advance more boldly, thinking that their
own presence had been undetected. He therefore continued on down the
little stream for nearly a mile, until they reached a point where the
channel was so seriously obstructed by overhanging vines and stranded
driftwood that only a passage barely wide enough for a single canoe was
left open.

Here they drew their canoe from the water and carefully concealed it.
Then they took positions one on each side of the stream; and, hidden
behind screens of tangled vines, with arrows held ready to be fitted to
their bowstrings, they patiently awaited the coming of their unknown
pursuers.

Towards this well-planned trap, that seemed to insure their
destruction, Rene and Has-se advanced, cautiously, to be sure, but
without a warning of what awaited them. At length they had approached
within a quarter of a mile