me up," whispered Henry
to his comrades. A few minutes later, Wyatt, Girty and their party
hailed the great war band from the east bank. Canoes were sent over for
them, and they were taken into the Indian camp, but without much sign of
rejoicing.

"We know that Timmendiquas does not like Wyatt," said Henry, "and I
don't believe that he really likes any of the renegades, not even
Girty."

"Red man ought to stick to red man, an' white man to white," said
Shif'less Sol, sententiously. "I think that's the way Timmendiquas looks
at it, an' I'd like to stan' ez high ez a white man, ez he does ez a red
man."

"I kin smell that cookin' buffler an' venison all the way across the
river," said Jim Hart, "an' it's makin' me pow'ful hungry."

"It'll have to be cold meat for us this time, Jim," said Henry.

They had been so engrossed in the spectacle passing before them that
they had forgotten food until the savory odors came across the stream
and recalled it to Jim Hart's attention. Now they took out strips of
dried venison with which they were always provided, and ate it slowly.
It was not particularly delicious to the taste, but it furnished
sustenance and strength. All the while they were lying in a dense
thicket, and the sun was steadily climbing to the zenith, touching the
vast green forest with bright gold.

A shout came from a point far down the river. It was faint, but the five
in the covert heard it. Someone in the fleet of Timmendiquas sent back
an answering cry, a shrill piercing whoop that rose to an extraordinary
pitch of intensity, and then sank away gradually in a dying note. Then
the first cry came again, not so remote now, and once more it was
answered in a similar way from the fleet of Timmendiquas.

"Another fleet or detachment is comm'," said Shif'less Sol, "an' its
expected. That's the reason why White Lightnin' has been lingerin' here,
ez ef time didn't hev no meanin' at all."

Many of the Indians, and with them Girty, Wyatt and Blackstaffe were
looking down the stream. The eyes of the five followed theirs and
presently they saw a fleet of thirty or forty canoes emerge into view,
welcomed with loud shouts by the men of Timmendiquas. When the
re-enforcement was fused into the main fleet, all took their place in
line and once more started northward, the five following in the woods on
shore.

Henry and his comrades kept up this odd pursuit for a week, curving back
and forth, but in the main keeping a n