t could not withstand the teeth of the two youths, whose appetites
were such as wait on high health.

It was noticeable that the young Shawanoe ate no more than half as much
as each of the others. Then saying that he wished to view the camp from
the outside, he went out in front of the cavern. He remarked that he
would be gone only a few minutes, but he took his gun with him.

When Deerfoot emerged from the rude shelter it was fully dark. There was
a moon in the sky, but the density of the surrounding forest kept out
the rays, so that the gloom could not be penetrated to any distance.

He stood still and listened. His sense of hearing, like that of sight,
was trained to a wonderfully fine point, as you have learned in the
incidents previously related, so that faint noises, such as you or I
could not have detected, would have told their full story to him.

But nothing more than what may be called the natural sounds of the wood
fell on his ear. Then the young Indian leaped lightly across the small
brook in front of the cavern and walked some two rods beyond, where he
paused and listened again. After this he made a complete circuit of the
cavern. This compelled him to cross the little stream once more,
brought him back to the mouth of the retreat, and caused him also to
climb over a great deal of broken ground, but a shadow could not have
made the circuit more noiselessly. He stopped several times and listened
with the same profound attention, occasionally looking toward the cavern
within which his friends were eating their supper and talking together
in low, guarded tones. He caught the murmur of their voices, which would
have been audible to no one else beyond a dozen feet. Just above the
large opening in the cavern, through which most of the smoke found its
way, a faint, dull glow showed that the camp-fire was burning below.

The inspection made by Deerfoot was satisfactory; he had discovered no
sign of any prowling enemy, and the party could not have found a place
where there was less likelihood of disturbance by any foes who were in
the neighborhood. It would seem indeed that nothing short of a most
exceptional mishap could bring any danger near. So he once more entered
the cavern, and seated himself by the fire, upon which Fred Linden had
just thrown a bundle of sticks that filled the cavern with a light like
that of noonday.

Terry insisted that Deerfoot should take his blanket, because the
Shawanoe had none, a