me if he shan't be buried somewhere else, if I have to dig the
hole myself," said Sneak, filling up the grave.

"I'll stick by you, Sneak," said Dan.

"Dan and me 'll finish the job; all the rest of you may go off," said
Sneak, releasing the rest of the party from any further participation
in the depositing of the remains of Posin in the earth.

"Glenn does not yet understand Ringwood and Jowler," said Boone, still
listening to the chase.

"I never heard the dogs bark that way before until to-day," said Joe;
"only that night when we killed the buffalo."

"Something besides the buffalo caused them to do it then," replied
Boone.

"Yes, indeed--they must have known the fire was coming--but the fire
can't come now."

"Sneak," said Boone, "when you are done here, come to Mr. Glenn's
house."

"I will, as soon as I go to my muskrat trap out at the lake and get my
rifle."

"Be in a hurry," said Boone; and turning towards the chase, he uttered
a "Ya-ho!" and instantly the hounds were hushed.

"Dod!" exclaimed Sneak, staring a moment at Boone, while his large
eyes seemed to increase in size, and then rolling up his sleeves, he
delved away with extraordinary dispatch.

In a very short space of time, Ringwood and Jowler rushed from the
thicket, and leaping up against the breast of their old master,
evinced a positive happiness in once more beholding him. They were
soon followed by Glenn, who dashed briskly through the thicket to see
who it was that caused his hounds to abandon him so unceremoniously.
No sooner did he discover his aged friend than he ran forward and
grasped his hand.

"I thought not of you, and yet I could think of no one else who might
thus entice my noble hounds away. Return with me, and we will have the
fox in a few minutes--he is now nearly exhausted," said Glenn.

"Molest him not," said Boone. "Did you not observe how reluctantly the
hounds chased him?"

"I did; what was the cause of it?" asked Glenn.

"The breeze is tainted with the scent of Indians!" whispered Boone.

"Again thou art my preserver!" said Glenn, in a low tone.

"I came to give you intelligence that the Osages would probably be
upon you in a few days," said Boone; "but I did not think they were
really in the neighbourhood until I heard your unerring hounds. Col.
Cooper, of my settlement, made an excursion southward some ten days
ago to explore a region he had never visited; but observing a large
war-party at a distance, co