e Winnebagos. You will
agree that it was a daring exploit indeed, which would have done credit
to a veteran frontiersman. It could not have been otherwise to draw such
warm praise from the Shawanoe.

But the compliments could well be deferred to some other season. The
fact that three Indians had stolen the same number of horses from the
Hunters of the Ozark, and then had ridden leisurely away to meet their
friends, showed that they had great confidence in themselves, doubtless
caused by the belief that they were safe against any attempt to recover
the property.

"Deerfoot," said Fred, after there had been a full exchange of
experiences; "we stopped here only because we could not keep to the
trail in the darkness. Don't you think it best that we should now go on,
since you will not have the same trouble that we did?"

He shook his head in the negative.

"It is not far to the camp of my brothers; the Winnebagos are a long
ways back on the trail; they will not come up with us; my brothers have
a chance to sleep; they may have no chance when they reach the cabin;
let them sleep now."

The natural inference from this remark was that he believed nothing more
was to be apprehended from the Winnebagos, so long as our three friends
were on their way to the cabin of the Hunters of the Ozark. The danger
would now be transferred to that point.

"Is it not likely that some of the red men are between us and our
friends?" asked Fred, as though their guide had not thought of every
contingency.

"There is none," was the quiet answer, and then he added the
explanation. The Winnebagos, as soon as they had captured the horses,
had mounted them and ridden off to meet Black Bear and the rest, so as
to combine with them in the attack upon the cabin in the mountains.
Being so few in numbers, they did not dare stay in the neighborhood,
but were certain to come back with the others.

The theft of the animals was no part of the original plan of the red
men, and was therefore what may be considered poor generalship, since it
was likely to draw attention to the presence of hostiles and to put the
Hunters of the Ozark on their guard.

Deerfoot made no such remark at the time, but he afterward expressed his
regret that he had not joined Fred and Terry earlier in the day, so that
he could have been with them when they met the horse thieves. Had he
done so, there can be no doubt that they would have recaptured every one
of the animals, even