a fierce howl of pain, leaped high into the air,
and fell back among the bushes. But even as he fell Tom saw that he was
stiffening into death, and he exclaimed to his comrades:

"It got him! The silver bullet got him! He'll never follow us any more."

"I believe you're right," said Henry, awed for the moment despite his
clear and powerful mind, "and since he's dead we'll shake off the
warriors. Come, we'll run for it again."

CHAPTER III

THE HOT SPRING

Bending low, they ran again swiftly forward toward the south. A great
cry rose behind them, the whoop of the warriors, a yell of rage and
disappointment. A dozen shots were fired, but the bullets either flew
over their heads or dropped short. The five did not take the trouble to
reply. Confidence had returned to them with amazing quickness, and the
most confident and joyous of all was Tom Ross.

"I had the big medicine that time," he exclaimed exultantly. "It's lucky
I found the silver sixpence in my pocket, or that hound would have had
the savages trailing us forever."

Henry was cooler now, but he did not argue with him about it. In fact,
none of them ever did. Both he and Sol were now noting the heavens which
had become more overcast. The clouds spread from the horizon to the
zenith. Not a ray of sunlight showed. The wind was dropping, but far
into the southwest the earth sighed.

"It's the rain," said Henry. "Let it come. It and all this blackness
will help our escape."

Low thunder muttered along the western horizon. There were three or four
flashes of lightning but when the rain came presently with a sweep, both
thunder and lightning ceased, and they ran on clothed in a mantle of
darkness.

"Let's stay close together," said Henry, "and after awhile we'll turn to
the east and bear back toward the village. Nobody on earth can trail us
in all this gloom, with the rain, too, washing out every trace of our
footsteps."

Henry's judgment was good. Now that the hound was gone they shook off
the savages with ease. The rain was coming down in a steady pour, and,
as the twilight also was at hand, they were invisible to anyone fifty
yards away. Hence their speed dropped to a walk, and, in accordance with
their plan, they turned to the right. They walked on through dark woods,
and came to a smoother country, troubled little by rocks and underbrush.
The night was fully come, and the rain, that was still pouring out of a
black sky, was cold. They had paid